It's always sad to see good men pass away. I may not agree with the beliefs, but I admire those who live so fully to their convictions. The passing of a religious leader is always hard for those of the faith -- much like the passing of a family member.

My heartfelt condolences to those of the LDS faith on the boards.

Gordon B. Hinkley, Mormon Leader, is Dead at 97 (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/us/28hinckley.html)

I agree. RIP. He's always struck my as a good man, much like his predecessor Ezra Taft Benson.

For those unaware, the President of the mormon church, also referred to as "the Prophet," is essentially the Mormon Pope. His passing is a big deal. I expect Mitt Romney will offer some kind of statement.

This is the passing of a great man, and the world is poorer for it. I appreciate the sentiments, T2 and DR.

If Romney says anything his enemies will pounce on him like dogs on a bone and state that any mention at all constitutes a Satanic violation of church and state and shows that Romney has a secret agenda to enslave all non-Mormons. (As you can see, I'm a little jaded about the level of hostility Romney's religious beliefs has generated in some of his opponents.)

LDK: Romney is in a touchy situation. I believe it will be worse if he does not say anything. But I do agree, what Romney does say must be very carefully worded. I believe McCain will come out and express remorse at Hinkley's passing -- there are a lot of Mormons in Arizona and McCain has always supported them.

Well, living in SLC, the news cut into our late night shows with "breaking news" as soon as news of his death was released.

G.B.H. was a good man, and even towards the end of his and his wife's lives he still had a sense of humor and wit as sharp as a sword...a rare thing in older folks. I respect him for saying that many people are not meant to serve church missions, as I used that to get my parents off my back, but that's something no other Mormon would ever say. :rolling:

Even though I knew how old he was, it still came as a surprise that he did pass away. But I draw comfort in the reunion that he will have with his wife, and likely many ancestors in the next world.

I don't have access to catch the funeral over any media forum, but may look for the talks online Thursday night...

May he rest in peace. I didn't know much about him, though he sounds like a very active and dedicated man.

I've never heard of the guy, but he's had a good innings at 97 so fair play to him. This isn't the thread to voice my 'opinion' on this.. religion. RIP.

I was rather surprised that this didn't make the front page. The head of one of the largest, fastest growing religions in the country dies, and the USA today doesn't even put a little blurb on the front page about it so you know to check page 3? Heath Ledger got front page treatment, Clemens' most recent publicity stunt got front page treatment, but not this? Iowa papers were even worse. At least half of them didn't cover it at all. Ridiculous.

I think that part of the reason for such reduced coverage is the fact that President Hinckley was a rather low key and quietly did his thing with little to no fanfare or scandal. It would make for a boring read for those that really don't care. Meanwhile, a popular Hollywood Actor dying suddenly and scandalously, or an American sports hero in a steroid scandal makes for a very sensational read...

I think that part of the reason for such reduced coverage is the fact that President Hinckley was a rather low key and quietly did his thing with little to no fanfare or scandal. It would make for a boring read for those that really don't care. Meanwhile, a popular Hollywood Actor dying suddenly and scandalously, or an American sports hero in a steroid scandal makes for a very sensational read...

It would appear you are quite right. He seems to have led a long life of devotion and good works, as he understood then, without a major scandal to make him in any way newsworthy. It's sad, in a way - foolishness and infamy are held as more interesting than the end of a worthy life.

Come to think of it, how many religious leaders except the Pope are in any way famous outside their congregations for anything but their grandest successes or most infamous missteps? I'm pretty sure I haven't heard anything about, say, the Armenian Patriarch - and he's the heir of one of the oldest Christian traditions.

The Mormon Church has a president again. Thomas S. Monson is the new president of the church, with Henry B. Eyring as first counselor, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf as second counselor.

On the local TV stations here, it was considered "breaking news" important enough to cut into whatever was currently on. Only in Utah... :rolleyes: :rolling:

The Mormon Church has a president again. Thomas S. Monson is the new president of the church, with Henry B. Eyring as first counselor, and Dieter F. Uchtdorf as second counselor.


Another sign of the foreign expansion of this church, a German is in their head leadership block.

Yeah, President Uchdorf was just called into the Quorum of the Twelve a few years ago when two of the older apostles passed away. I think it may have been 2004.

I'd have to do some research to find the order of seniority of the remaining members of the Quorum of teh twelve...

Some research? It take about two seconds on the internet. Of course, the current lists are one short right now.

You forget that Gnarf has dial-up :lol:... unless he actually did end up getting high speed, which now that I think about it, he very well may have.

Bruno: We will be one short until Spring's General Conference, when they will name the twelth member of the Quorum of the Twelve.

Chicken: No High Speed yet. Somewhere between April and June now...

Ummm... didn't I say that Gnarff. There are only eleven members right now, I'm fully aware of why and when a replacement will be named.

You would be, but you didn't say that in your message...

To the casual observer (assuming that there are any), that would be a question...

It would be a very lame and bad joke to say that I doubt there was coffee on the reception.

LMAO. No, there wouldn't be coffee at the reception, but there may be this stuff called Postum, which is a hot drink made from some kind of grain. It tastes horrid. I'll stick with Hot Chocolate (and likely go inactive again if they ban it too).