The Mad Hatter's Halloween Party

Friday night in Wonderland.  Our party was hosted by the Mad Hatter, assisted by the Queen of Hearts. The basic idea was to wear  a mad hat or "Off with Your Head!".  My personal favorites were John's slow Joe Crow Dreadlocks and who couldn't adore Darcy's silver spider topped with rat???   Vikings, witches, cowboys and flower children were plentiful as well.                                                                   Special treats were Peggy's brie and Karren's appetizers, Sue's homemade rolls, wonderful salads from Meredith and Chris's with mint salad dressing made from mint grown in her garden.  Janet's roast beef with yorkshire pudding got a nice accessory from Darcy and Lori's fresh veggies.  Kathy and Freddie added yummy desserts - gelato and pumpkin cheese cake.     So sorry our photogrpher got everyone's picture except Norm and Meredith.  Meredith made a special effort to come after experiencing an unintentional overdose of niacin that left her red, flushed and feeling less than super.  

Aces of Diamonds, Hearts, Spades and Clubs led their folloers through Wonderland activities: Hatmaking 101 (the thimble game), Pin the Grin on the Cheshire Cat, The Mat Hatter's Tee party (golf) and "You're Nothing But a Pack of Cards (hearts).  Winners in each suit went home with tiny UN'birthday cakes.

Amos & Andy & The Book of Mormon

Director of the Torrey Honors Institute, Biola University

John Mark Reynolds

Professor of philosophy for Biola, Reynolds blogs regularly at Scriptoriumdaily.com along with other faculty from the Torrey Honors Institute, a great books program.
» All Posts by John Mark Reynolds

Amos and Andy and The Book of Mormon

The creators of the play Book of Mormon have created the Amos and Andy for the South Park set. We may laugh, but our grandchildren will shudder as decent folk do at “wits” of the last century whose favorite dance was to “jump Jim Crow.”

The parts of the Book of Mormon I have seen are as innovative as a Newsies revival and as funny as the cruel, tasteless jokes told by an inebriated coworker at a Christmas party. The difference is that the coworker might sober up in the morning, but the mindless mockery that also gave us South Park will continue.

After all, the theater establishment toasted the two with Tony’s and the insiders would never cheapen themselves by rewarding a play for picking on a minority religion loathed in the theater community or behave like decadent Romans horrified by a growing moral minority comforting the libertines by mocking the moral.

I cannot know for sure without seeing the entire play.

If we assume the play a brilliant satire with PR unfortunate enough to release only the cruel and facile bits, then we are still left with two unfortunate truths about this play. First, the writers are cowards. They inflict pain and mockery on those already despised while going soft on the tired assumptions of their rich and powerful patrons. Second, in a pluralistic society they have targeted a group already misunderstood and discriminated against.

I am no Mormon, but I have witnessed bigotry and ignorance directed against this American community. The LDS Church is placed in the difficult position of seeing their most sacred beliefs mocked in a nation that murdered their prophet in a shameful lynching. Broadway has given aid and comfort to the mob of ignorant folk who know nothing of modern Mormonism outside of their prejudices.

No wonder Mormon politicians like Jon Huntsman, bob and weave when asked by bigots if they are part of the LDS church. Few of us have the Mitt Romney courage to stand by our people when the cost is high. For his steadfastness, Romney was linked to the play in a Newsweek parody cover that left only his profile, but a profile in religious courage.

I write this in Istanbul, a city awash in lies told about religious minorities by powerful interests. Here Christians and Jews face “amusing” pop cultural stereotypes, some quite clever, but a wicked cleverness that feeds hatreds. Against this my Turkish friends fight for a respect that goes “beyond tolerance” and voluntarily restrain themselves from inciting prejudice to score cheap gains. It is the only hope for a peaceful republican future for this land.

The same is true for the United States. Theater has an ugly record of pandering to the prejudices of ticket buyers. Minstrel shows produced catchy music and made New Yorkers laugh, but they were shameful and wrong.

The Book of Mormon is a minstrel show for our present age with Mormons as the joke.

Ugly plays did not by themselves produce the Klan or keep some Americans from voting for African-Americans. Original sin was enough for that, but minstrel shows did give racism an artistic and comedic whitewash. When Americans were hurt by the cruel stereotypes, they were told it was “just a joke” and were painted as petty for not laughing along.

Of course no group has been as cruelly treated as African-Americans, but Mormons have a history of being persecuted. They have been exiled in their own land, but have returned unfailing devotion to our Constitution.

This new play will pander to our prejudices and treat our Mormon neighbors as we would never wish to be treated. Some Americans will allow it to confirm unthinking prejudice, while cowardly Mormons will applaud it hoping for crumbs of respectability.

Meanwhile the actual Mormons in our midst will keep paying taxes, making strong families with children, and dying to protect the rights of a decayed and decadent theater “elite.”

I stand in solidarity with my Mormon neighbors
.

Steve Robinson's recommended article by LDS Public Affairs Chief

Head of Public Affairs, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Michael Otterson

» All Posts by Michael Otterson

Evangelicals, Mormons and the beliefs of the president

A week or so ago I read an essay by evangelical journalist and author Warren Cole Smith, suggesting that voting for a Mormon – any Mormon – was a less than responsible thing to do. I found its logic profoundly disturbing.

Some very good conversations between evangelicals and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been going on for years. I hope there will be more, and that they’ll be instructive and mutually respectful. Conversation is the beginning of understanding. But too often we see reactions to old stereotypes, like this one. So here is my open letter to Warren Cole Smith in response to his assertions.

Dear Warren:

We’ve never met. I hope we might have a chance to do so.

I read your symposium essay and it got me thinking. I hope you won’t mind if I avoid discussing particular political candidates. My church is serious about its neutrality in party politics, and as a church spokesman I am always careful not to tip my hat in the direction of either an incumbent president or any of his opponents.

In fact, this letter is emphatically not about the candidates at all, but about how differently you and I understand what it is to be an American.

I hope I can fairly summarize the salient points of your essay. It seems to boil down to this:

1. Any Mormon, regardless of qualifications for office, is unfit to serve because his or her religion is somehow “demonstrably false.” By false, I assume you mean different from yours, or from how you define “biblical Christianity.”

2. Because Mormons believe in continuing revelation, they could “believe one thing today and another thing tomorrow.”

3. The election of a Mormon president would give the religion a boost because it would seem like an endorsement. And that would be a bad thing.

To be honest, Warren, I don’t really know how good or bad any of the likely candidates – Latter-day Saint or otherwise - might be as president of the United States. I’ll try to figure that out for myself before I enter the voting booth in 2012. But whoever might be elected, I expect the judgment that this nation and history will eventually render about him, or her, will have little to do with where they worshipped on the Sabbath. It will have much to do with their grasp of economics, of foreign policy, of education and health care, of their skills as commander in chief. It will likely reflect how they responded to crises, their core values and ability to unite and rally the American people.

I admit, I’m struggling just a tad with your logic that the very fact of being a Mormon disqualifies a person from high public office. That would be news to Senator Orrin Hatch, who has served his country and constituents for 34 years. And to Senator Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader - one of the most powerful positions in government.

It would also be news to former Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, who as a member of President George W. Bush’s cabinet ran a department that accounts for almost a quarter of all federal outlays. Or toLarry Echo Hawk, who heads the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior, in the present administration. And, of course, to the dozen-or-so other currently serving senators and congressmen who are also Latter-day Saints, as well as the thousands of non-Mormon voters who recognized their merits and helped elect them to office. If there is anything “demonstrable” it’s that Mormons have been serving most capably in national government for over a century.

I’m trying hard to figure out how and why belief in “continuing revelation” has or could compromise the performance of any of these legislators and public servants, since that is what your essay implies. “Continuing revelation” means two things to Mormons. First, it means we look for answers to personal prayers – a practice that you and I probably share. Second, it means church leaders receive inspiration and guidance to lead the church worldwide. It doesn’t mean, as you assert, that we “believe one thing today and another thing tomorrow.” As evidence for that, you offer a theological caricature and cite two changes in church policy, which occurred over 120 years. Something of a stretch, don’t you think?

To your third point, there’s your assertion that the election of Mormons to high office would be a tacit endorsement ofThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This argument, while not new, is frightening in its implications. Substitute the word “Jew” for “Mormon” and see how comfortable that feels. We may reasonably hope that most people vote on the basis of policy positions and not of denomination. I never thought of the election of John Kennedy as an endorsement for Catholicism, or that Richard Nixon’s election “legitimized” Quakers (as if these groups needed legitimation). I think most Americans saw their religious affiliations as incidental to their policies and platforms.

In reality, the church that I belong to embraces a membership with views across the political spectrum, and maintains its independence and neutrality from party politics. If I know anything about my church, it’s how carefully it distances itself from the actions of party politicians and government, and respects the autonomy of any political office holder.

So let’s move beyond these questionable assertions to the premise in your post that really disturbed me, stated by you this way:

“I believe a candidate who either by intent or effect promotes a false and dangerous religion is unfit to serve.”

Who decides, Warren, that one religion is acceptable and another “false and dangerous”? Do you? Does the church that you attend? Since you aren’t calling for Mormons to be legally barred from the highest office in the land, is your idea just to effectively marginalize Mormons and make it impossible for them to run for office? Do you feel the same way about other faiths that are different from yours? Catholics, perhaps? Isn’t there something called Article VI, a constitutional provision that forbids a religious test for political office? “…No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” What does that mean – what has it ever meant – if it doesn’t apply in a case like this?

What it seems you would like me and six million other Mormons in the U.S. to do is concede a fundamental right granted to all Americans because we don’t fit within your definition of what is theologically acceptable. Fortunately, that’s not what the Constitution says, and it’s not what America teaches. I should hope that I can sit one of my grandchildren on my knee and tell them that in our religiously diverse society they are as good as anyone else, and that they will be judged by the fruits of their lives and not by discriminatory interpretations of their faith.

With the greatest respect, Warren, your position is unreasonable, un-Christian and untrue to American ideals. Neither is it typical of the Christians I know, or of those writing at your venue. Mormons across the country live side by side with evangelicals as neighbors, work associates and friends. There is much that they share. And by the way, despite my clear disagreement with some of your theology, I would have absolutely no problem voting for an evangelical who was in every way qualified to be president of the United States.

It’s time to overcome unfounded fears, to stop propounding them, and to start trying to understand each other better. If you want to talk theology, then let’s get beyond the laundry list of trivia that typically crops up in the news media, and get to the substantial issues – interpretation of the Bible, additional scripture, the purpose of life. Hopefully our next interaction can be a personal one. If you ever come to Salt Lake City, please drop in. I’d welcome a meaningful discussion.

Respectfully,

Mike Otterson

The Mormon Moment - Newsweek

The Mormon Moment - Newsweek

So Sad to Miss

Norm and I were so sad to miss this past Study Group meeting. I went to school with Jackie though I think she might know my sister better (being a year behind). We were already scheduled and had reservations to take our four oldest grandchildren to Mesa Verde and Durango, Colorado where we took the train ride to Silverton. We had a great time but unfortunately it meant missing last Friday. I'm glad everyone who came had a wonderful time and thanks so much to the Hammers for hosting and having the Leavitts come speak to us.

Resurrection of the Study Group Blog

Sue Robinson talked to me about bringing back our blog. I checked and it is still here, although a bit rusty from lack of use - the last post was in September of 2009. Her idea is to open up posting to everyone in Study Group and have everyone do a little bit in creating a lasting record of our experiences together. To that end, I have entered your names (via your email addresses) as authors of this blog. That should enable each of you to post blog entries that we all can share. So I make a post and open it up to you. Let me know how it goes and if you encounter any problems along the way I'd be happy to TRY and help. (no guarantees). So along those lines, here's a new post.

Last night, the Groupers were treated to an especially lovely event courtesy of groupers, Doug and Karren Hammer. They hosted us at their lovely home with guest speakers Mike & Jackie Leavitt. That is former Utah Governor, former US Cabinet Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency, former US Cabinet Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt and his lovely wife, the former first lady of our state. It seems that years ago, Doug was their home teacher. They had traveled together in China. We talked at great length about their experiences on the national scene as members of the LDS faith. And then discussed what effect the presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman meant for the Church nationally. The success of Tony-award winning play, "The Book of Mormon" entered into the conversation, also. Personally, I cannot imagine more wonderful representatives of Utah and the LDS faith than the Leavitts. It was inspiring and delightful to be with them. Karren had confiscated all the most beautiful fresh fruit from the Salt Lake valley and arrayed strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, & peaches among meringue and ice cream for our enjoyment. It doesn't get any better than this! Thank you, Hammers!

God Be With You Till We Meet Again

We were on the bus first thing this morning en route to Carthage. We arrived there to find the jail amid sun-drenched flower gardens surrounding the bronze statue of Joseph and Hyrum. Here we toured the jail and saw the upstairs dungeon room where John Taylor's wounded body was hidden by Willard Richards, saving his life. We looked down from the window where a bullet hit John Taylor's watch and threw him back into the room. It was from this same window that Joseph's body fell, landing near the well. It is a peaceful place. Here we said farewell to Brent & Eddy's kids, Matt and Sarah, who had been our traveling companions in Nauvoo.

The three-hour bus ride down to St. Louis went quickly as information and presentations from the group continued. I loved hearing Brent quote Brigham Young’s response to the trial of Joseph & Hyrum’s assassins; “I'd rather have a six shooter than all the lawyers in Illinois.”

As we approached the airport. We all sang, “God Be With You Till We Meet Again”. Brent & Eddy accompanied us on the harmonica and violin. My eyes filled with tears as the song came to an end. Once again, it has been a privilege to share a spiritual feast with dear ones.

It Takes a Long Time to Grow an Old Friend

9-11-2009

Our day in Nauvoo began with a visit to the properties that were owned by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo. The RLDS Church now owns them. Kevin Bryant, a very congenial and competent guide took us though. We first passed the Nauvoo House which Joseph had envisioned as a 5 story structure, made of limestone like the temple, that would house 300 guests. It was intended to be an L-shaped building but because it was in competition with the temple for time and resources to build, it was never more than 2 stories high. Widowed Emma remarried; she and her husband, Lewis Bidamon lived there and it was here that Emma died. She renamed it the Riverside Mansion.

We went on to the Smith burial ground just outside the Homestead, Joseph and Emma's first home in Nauvoo. After the martyrdom Emma secretly buried the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum under the Nauvoo House to protect them from desecration. Later the graves were moved just outside the Homestead under a small wood frame building they called the “B” house. After Emma and her children had died, the location of the unmarked graves was forgotten. In 1928 there was heightened concern in the Smith family that the graves be found because a new dam had been built at Keokuk and the Mississippi River at Nauvoo was rising some 20 feet. No one knew exactly where the graves were and feared the bodies would be washed away. Fervant prayer and searching helped in finally locating the graves. At that point the Smith family reburied Hyrum, Joseph and Emma side by side in their current resting places with lovely markers and maintained by the Smith Family Association.

Most of their time in Nauvoo, Joseph and Emma lived in the Homestead, which at that time was only two rooms with an upstairs. Joseph earned nothing as president of the church. His income came from his job as recorder of deeds for Nauvoo. He was paid 12 ½ cents for every 75 words on a deed he wrote and two dollars for every deed recorded. It wasn’t until he became mayor of Nauvoo that he earned the significant amount of $400 a year. As he and Emma found themselves constantly giving housing and meals to visitors, they decided to build the Mansion House in hopes that visitors coming to see them at a hotel would be willing to be charged for food and lodging. They moved into the Mansion House the winter before Joseph’s death. In their upstairs bedroom closet was a false wall to allow Joseph an escape or hiding place in the attic. He had another very well hidden hiding place in the cellar/foundation. It was so well hidden in fact that the those restoring the building didn’t realize what is was and destroyed it in the re-building. It was here during a Christmas Ball that Porter Rockwell showed up, unshaven and disheveled. Party guests thought he was a Missouri mobber until suddenly Joseph recognized him with a hug and warm greetings.

After lunch we headed to the 70’s hall which they said was like the first MTC since it was used in training the missionaries that were sent from Nauvoo to some 50 countries in the first ten years of Church existence. From here we walked along Parley Street’s Trail of Tears, which has been re-named, “Trail of Hope.” Most of the 12,000 residents of Nauvoo left to go West; one in ten of them died along the way.

The day’s highlight was going together to an endowment session at the Nauvoo Temple. It was our way of celebrating Richard and Kathy Black’s fortieth wedding anniversary. Temple President and Matron – Wayne and Joan Peterson, treated us royally. President Peterson told us some history of the temple as we met together in the chapel before the session. I had forgotten some of the beautiful architectural details on the interior; sunstones atop each column, a wonderful circular stained glass ceiling piece with a sunburst in the center, the phases of the moon encircling the middle and a border of stars along the outside edge.

Afterwards, we were invited to see the spiral staircases, the baptistery, and the president and matron’s offices. Encased on the main floor are the apron and slipper worn by Mary Fielding Smith when she was one of the 6000 endowed before the temple was abandoned. Joan took me to the main floor Assembly Room and showed me the arched window above the priesthood pulpits. Here the saints wrote upon the wall of their abandoned temple, “The Lord has accepted our sacrifice; Come after us!”

Our last supper together was at the Nauvoo House buffet, where we gave our wonderful guides, Brent and Eddy, a statue of Joseph and Hyrum at Carthage to commemorate our appreciation to them for making this experience together possible. We all commented on how nice it was to travel without worrying about where to go, when where and what we would eat, what reservations/tickets had to be obtained. Doug Hammer summed it up by saying, "It's great! I just get on the bus, get off and eat, get on the bus, get off and eat. . . ." It was so great for us because Brent and Eddy had done all the work - and our meals were excellent! I only had one turkey sandwich the entire trip! As we left the restaurant I saw a plaque hanging on the wall that said, “It takes a long time to grow and old friend.” It reminded me of the strong feeling I had that evening at the temple, that one of the profound blessings in my life is the friendship of these lovely friends.

Nauvoo!

We awoke to sun shining on the Mississippi this morning. We made one quick stop in Quincy to see the site of the Lincoln/Douglas debate. Jeff, Gary and Bob paused long enough to strike an appropriate Lincolnesque pose. Then we headed up river towards Nauvoo.

It was a special treat to hear about Darcy's ancestor, Jonathan Browning, on the bus from Darcy and Gary and then from the tour guides at the Jonathan Browning restored home in Nauvoo. As we entered the building there is a plaque recognizing Browning's family contribution to the restoration. Below the names of many of her aunts and uncles was Darcy's mom's name, Janet Southwick. At Brigham Young's request, Brother Browning stayed behind for 6 years in Winter Quarters and worked diligently supplying Mormon immigrants with firearms in preparation for their journey to the Rocky Mountains.

Jeff and I used our free time this afternoon tracking down the location of Hyrum Smith's home. We learned that he had a home on Water Street and a farm in the area above and behind the temple. His home is believed to have been built up on a raised wooden foundation. Thus, no foundation or archeological remnants have been found.

Brent and Eddy had made special arrangements for us to have a private meeting in the upper room of the Red Brick Store. We had costumes borrowed from a Nauvoo production and did our own re-enactment of the brethren organizing the Relief Society directed by Eddy. Rich, Jeff and Jon took the opportunity to bear their testimonies to us and we sang "Praise to the Man!"

We ended our day with a catered dinner in the park followed by entertainment at the Cultural Hall where the Nauvoo missionary couples put on a musical stage production. We stopped to see the glowing, beautiful temple at night on the way to our hotel.

When we visited the Wilford Woodruff home today our guide told of his departure from Nauvoo. He finished his home only a month before leaving it to head west. He never expected to see the city, his home or the temple again. As he gazed back on the temple he said a prayer that God would remember the sacrifices of his saints. The sister guide said she believed that prayer has been answered by the restoration of Nauvoo.

Spiritual Highs Amid Persecution

The day began with a smile as Brent related how he had mistaken the hotel’s gravy (as in biscuits and gravy) for oatmeal at breakfast. Yummy!

We left in a rainstorm but found ourselves at Far West in lovely, cool summer weather. Here we found a plaque commemorating the birth of Jeff’s great-grandfather. Joseph F. Smith, son of Mary Fielding and Hyrum who was born in a cabin nearby. A lovely monument and well-maintained grounds mark the site designated for the Far West temple that was abandoned when 5000 saints were forced to leave their homes here and relocate in Illinois. Detailed accounts were given of their experiences here, perhaps the most touching was Peggy Wade’s about Emma Smith.

Joseph had prophesied that the twelve would leave for a mission to England from this spot April 26, 1839. Before that prophecy could be fulfilled Gov. Boggs had issued the extermination order and the Mormons were driven out of Missouri. In order to fulfill the prophecy the apostles traveled back the 200 miles to Far West and under cover of darkness at 1:00 am the morning of April 26^th, set the final cornerstone at the temple site and pledged themselves to fulfill their mission. (Each of the four cornerstones represents a group of priesthood: the First Presidency, the Melchizedik priesthood, the Aaronic priesthood, and the 12 Apostles) Wilford Woodruff and George A Smith were ordained apostles in this setting and joined Brigham Young, Heber C Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E Page, and John Taylor as missionaries. The guys stood by the final cornerstone and waved to us to commemorate the apostles’ farewell.

Adam-ondi-Ahman was the scene of a picnic lunch under the trees in this lovely natural garden. We met John Bundy, whose restaurant provided our lunch. He was leaving after delivering our food but felt impressed to come back and talk to us. The result was discovering that John Bundy owns lands in nearby Seth that were previously owned by Jon Dibble ‘s ancestor, Philo. Later Jon recounted a story for us. Philo was one of many of the saints who watched their dream of Zion dissolve in the face of persecution. One night however, during the time they were being driven from Missouri, Philo was rewarded by seeing a vision of the city of Zion, it’s gates, it’s flower beds, it’s celestial beauty.

The group walked down to the overlook and saw part of the 3,500 acres owned by the Church. From this vantage point we could see Spring Hill and Tower Hill. We were told that the soil here is exceedingly rich and that water is abundant. The church is putting in water wells able to support the needs of 300,000 people. We spent some time sitting on the lawn overlooking the valley. Lori told us the story of Heber C. Kimball and Brigham Young leaving for their second mission to England. They and their families we ill from fever bred in the swamps of Nauvoo. Still, as Brigham & Heber's wagon approached the crest of the hill leaving the city, both with great effort stood up in the wagon, waved goodbye to their wives & children and called out, "Hurrah for Israel." Lori's family has shared this story through the years and as their daughter Melissa left them at the MTC for her mission, she turned and called to them, "Hurrah for Israel." We ended by signing Scott’s favorite song, “Adam-ondi-Ahman”.

Jeff talked the bus driver into stopping at an Amish bakery for treats as we got on our way. We saw lots of hard working Amish women and tasted some of their baked goods. Doug gave us a fascinating report on Joseph Smith’s presidential campaign en route to Hannibal. We stopped briefly and found everything here closed.

Our evening meal in Quincy included dinner guests, David and Mary Costigan.

David is a retired professor of history at Quincy University. He shared with us some of his vast knowledge of the civil war, the Lincoln-Douglas debate that occurred here and the generosity of the people of Quincy towards the exiled Mormon refugees who had been driven out of Missouri. I was especially impressed when he told of Lincoln’s concerted efforts to develop his style of oratory. How he drew extensively from the Bible and from Shakespeare. Lincoln was able to quote long passages from Shakespeare’s plays. Many of his now-famous phrases come from the bible. For example, “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. Lincoln taught himself and learned out of the best books.

The Titans Assemble - Again

Thanks to Study Group chairs, Rich and Lori Boyer and to our tour guides, Brent & Eddy Ward; we're back on another Mormon Heritage Tour. This time in Missouri and Illinois. And our numbers have grown. Everyone has returned from last year's group - Wards, Dibbles, Cannons, Blacks, Sandbergs, Hammers, and Bryce are back. This time Bryce has his new bride, Peggy, with him. First timers, Camerons and Boyers are here joined by Brent's sister, Claudia Ward, and Gary's brother-in-law, Robert Taylor.

Brent and Eddy wasted no time getting us on the road. First stop - Independence, Mo in Jackson County. Brent accompanied our singing with his harmonica and we learned that the site dedicated here for the temple actually encompassed 63 acres of land in anticipation of some 24 buildings. After checking out the "temple lot" we went into the uniquely cone-shaped temple of the Community of Christ (formerly RLDS). The entry to the spiral dome is through a doorway that represents the Sacred Grove in Palmyra. The glass is 3/4'' thick and carved like Lalique. It is spectacular.

Then we were on our way to Richmond to see the statue of Alexander Doniphan and the site of Joseph's imprisonment before being transferred to Liberty Jail. Here also we saw Oliver Cowdery's grave in a lovely little cemetery with a section commemorating the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon. David Whitmer's grave was in another cemetery nearby.

At Liberty Jail, our guide told us to watch for symbols in the room. On our way out we pressed her about the symbols. She told us that if we noticed, there is no doorknob on the interior of the jail. Therefore, the jailer would be imprisoned in the building as well as the prisoners until someone came to let him out. What in our lives imprisons us? Can we let ourselves out? There are bars in two walls of the jail. If one looks through them, the picture of the Savior in the next room is aligned perfectly to be seen through the bars. She believes that whatever kind of prison we may be in; we are not there alone. The Savior will be there with us. Lastly, she had us take note of the ceiling. Above this "prison temple" are symbols of the sun, the moon, and the stars. These are symbols found on the Nauvoo and Salt Lake Temples.

The Deathly Halloween Harry Potter Party

.  J.K. Rowling November 1, 2008 Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore (Jeff) and Gryffindor House Headmaster, Minerva McGonnagall (Janet) welcomed various luminaries from Harry Potter Lore to Hogwarts for the "Deathly Halloween Dinner".  J.K. Rowling (Freddie) herself showed up to lend a hand in the kitchen where Professor Sprout (Kathy) concocted a mixture of fabulous greens for the occasion.  Lord Voldamort (Gary) was again matching wits with the "brightest witch of her age", Hermione Granger (Darcy).  Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Quirrel shared serious secrets with Potions Professor  Severus Snape.  Muggles (Rich & John) of course, aren't always aware of what goes on in the wizarding world but we're delighted to have them with us anyway.  Ever the gentleman, Arthur Weasley )(Jon), escorted Moaning Myrtle (Colleen) to the festivities giving her a much-needed break from the endless tedium of haunting the girl's bathroom.  

Luckily, the brilliance of Study Group was evident as they passed their 5 courses with flying colors - the first course, being dinner, was not too challenging.  But Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, and Arithmancy saw some put their academic skills to the test.  The line of the night award went to Jon Dibble, who, went faced with eating either a "juicy pear" or a "booger" Bertie Botts jelly bean exclaimed, "I win either way!"