President Hinckley Tells Church Members to be More Tolerant

Speaking to a near-capacity crowd of 20,000 on Sunday night in the Conference Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Gordon B. Hinckley took the occasion of the first annual July 24 Pioneer Day celebration in Utah to make a call to Church members to "plead for a spirit of tolerance and neighborliness, of friendship and love toward those of other faiths." His remarks have caught the attention of newspapers nationwide through the Associated Press.

Missionaries Give Lesson in Tolerance and Dedication

Fascinated with those that go door-to-door selling wares and sharing their messages, Genevieve Roja of San Jose's Metroactive News decided to see what going door-to-door is like and spent a day tracting with two LDS sister missionaries in San Jose. Along the way, Roja learned to admire the dedication of the missionaries and discoveres something about the tolerance they are learning.

Arizona Republic Looks at Mormons in Mexico

A recent article in the Arizona Republic (reprinted Sunday in the Spokane Spokesman Review), tries to look at the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mexico and its fascinating history there. It also looks for cultural and political conflict between the Church hierarchy, members in Mexico and other Mexicans. However, the article is marred by factual errors and confusing presentation.

Remember Pioneers, Be Neighborly, Advises President Hinckley

President Gordon B. Hinckley encouraged members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to befriend and mingle with Utah residents of other faiths. He also urged the audience to never forget the trials, sacrifices and tenacity of the Mormon pioneers in establishing Salt Lake City. President Hinckley used the themes as he spoke during the Church's first annual Pioneer Day Commemoration Concert.

New Genealogy Database for Scandinavian Research

Family history enthusiasts who want to know more about their Scandinavian ancestors now have a new research tool thanks to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Vital Records Index for Scandinavia on CD-ROM contains 4.5 million records extracted from original birth, christening, and marriage certificates from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Volunteers extracted the information from church records from the late 1500s to 1905.

Churchwide News Briefs

Missionary in Crofton Loves Maryland

While Elder Dohrman, a 21-year-old Californian serving in Maryland, has a brother on a mission in Argentina and friends serving in Thailand and in Japan, he is happy that he has been sent to serve in Maryland, "I love it here," he says. Dohrman completed a year of college before embarking on his mission and was assigned to the Washington DC North mission, which includes the city and five suburban Maryland counties. Elder Dohrman told the Baltimore Sun that he enjoyed seeing Washington DC, with its monuments and history, and also enjoys walking the streets of Crofton, meeting people and talking about God. And he jokes that after he returns to California and college, he'll probably wish he were still in Maryland because he has met so many wonderful people here.

Seatrek 2001 Offering Scholarships

Seatrek 2001, the commemorative project that will trace the voyage of thousands of Mormon pioneers from Europe to New York City is offering scholarships to 100 people under age 30. The $2,000 scholarships will cut one-third off the price of the 59-day voyage. Participants will hear lectures on Mormon history from BYU and U of U historian and take turns helping to man the ships. The voyage will begin August 7th in Esbjerb, Denmark and make stops in Sweden, Norway, Germany, England and the Canary Islands before crossing the Atlantic to dock in New York Harbor on Oct. 4.

Dietary Restrictions Keep Mormons Healthy

A professor at UCLA credits LDS prohibitions on tobacco, tea, coffee and drugs for keeping Church members healthier than others in an article that reviews the health benefits of the teachings of several religions. James E. Enstrom, research professor in the school of public health at the University of California, Los Angeles, studies the low rates of cancer and long lives of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Enstrom, who is not a member of the LDS Church, conducted a study of the health of 10,000 LDS Church members over 14 years of age found that they lived an average of eight to 11 years longer than other white Americans.

Texas TV News Looks At Tracing Roots Online

Austin's WEAN (TV8) looked at genealogical research at the LDS Church's Austin Family History Center, one of eight in the city, and discovered that finding roots is faster and easier -- and free. At the center, reporter Erica Riggins interviewed church member Allan Johnson, who told her that genealogical research for African-Americans like Johnson was very difficult, "You had to search through at best microfilm and actual book records, but at best you had primarily microfilm of those old books," Johnson said. But since the LDS Church released the 1880 census and a CD of the Freedman's Bank records, finding African-American ancestors is much easier, "the search, what would have taken you weeks and years to do ... You can do in a matter of days and sometimes instantly," said Johnson.

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