Word: mormons
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Jews have bar mitzvah, Catholics have confirmation, and Mormons have . . . endowment. Never heard of it? Not surprising, since this coming-of-age rite for all regular church members occurs only in temples that are strictly off limits to nonbelievers, and initiates vow to die rather than reveal details of the ceremony. Despite the secrecy shroud, news has leaked that Mormon officials last month instituted the most sweeping ritual changes in a century...
...endowment has been altered over the decades, most notably by eliminating the oath to avenge church prophets and blood-curdling secrecy vows ("We agree that our throats be cut from ear to ear"). Ritual secrets are believed to let a Mormon pass into the highest levels of heaven. After performing the rite for themselves, Mormons may repeat it over and over for the vicarious benefit of dead relatives. But by some accounts, the number performing such "temple work" has been falling off. A briefer, modernized ritual could help reverse that trend. Says Mormon author Allen Roberts: "The ceremony is less...
Nevada officials hope to zap the marauding insects, known as Mormon crickets because of a severe infestation near Salt Lake City in the 1800s, before they march. Aerial spraying and a toxic bait will be used. But no one is confident of turning back the invasion. Concedes Robert Gronowski, a director of Nevada's anti-cricket strategy: "You can't kill them...
...definition of the Trinity. Swaggart is slammed for asserting that the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is limited "strictly to their being one in purpose, design and desire" and neglecting the traditional Christian teaching that the Trinity is also of one "substance." Sounding more like a Mormon than a Bible Belter, Swaggart also holds that God inhabits a "spirit body" with a specific location; orthodox Christianity insists that the deity is both omnipresent and nonmaterial...
...audiences out of their pregame misery many stadiums resort to canned versions of error-free performances by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Robert Merrill (called the "Star-Spangled Baritone" for his ubiquity on the anthem- singing circuit) and the Johnny Mann Singers. But a taped version takes away the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat inherent in every live performance, as well as the singers' inalienable right to get it wrong. Country-and-western star Johnny Paycheck, crooning before Atlanta Falcons fans, faked his way through several lines: "Oh, say can you see, it's cloudy at night/ What...