Mormons hesitate to watch captivating Game of Thrones series

Tonight at 9 p.m. Mountain Time many televisions tuned to HBO for the third episode of the third season of Game of Thrones, a magical, medieval series based on the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin.

The critically acclaimed series has grown quite popular with many college students across the United States. The season three premiere netted 4.4 million viewers.

“If you don't watch Game of Thrones then you need to rethink your life,” said Sean Cogan, an undergraduate student at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

Jean-Paul Zuhur, a student at Bard College in New York, remarked that it is an unpredictable television program.

“It’s is a crazy show,” Zuhur said. “What a storyline. George R.R. Martin’s books have crazy twists and it’s awesome to see them filmed for the screen so well.”

A sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh, Carly Baird had a similar opinion.

“Well at first I was like this is going to be some super lame dungeons and dragons-type stuff, but then I got to watching it and I was really drawn in by the characters,” Baird said. “No other show kills off main characters without warning like Game of Thrones.”

The hour-long program has also crept its way onto the television screens of Utah residents, but not without hesitation from some viewers due to it’s bouts of graphic nudity and violence, especially for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

“I think a lot of Mormons get squeamish because nudity is kind of something that’s shunned in our religion; it’s not really smiled upon,” said Amy Nelson, a Mormon and a Utah State University sophomore. “Often they are super conservative and they haven’t really been exposed to a lot of that kind of stuff.”

Ryan Johnson, a Mormon finishing his junior year at Utah State, said he was a fan of the show until the nudity came on screen.

“It just wasn’t appropriate to me,” Johnson said. “Even though I was really into the show I had to stop watching it.”

Johnson said he hasn't watched a single episode since.

Brian Allen, a 20 year-old lifelong Mormon and native of Sandy, Utah, said although he doesn’t appreciate the nudity it doesn’t stop him from watching.

“When the sex scenes come on I always look away,” said Allen. “It’s such an interesting show I put up with it though.”

Several non-Mormons said they didn’t object to the nudity.

“The nudity kind of intrigues me, it doesn’t bother me at all,” said Baird, a non-practicing christian. “I actually wish they would show some male nudity instead of just female.”

“I could care less,” said Eddie Campos, a catholic sophomore at Utah State University. “I just see the breasts on screen and think, ‘Oh, those are nice,’ then they’re gone. It’s not a big deal to me.”

“There’s a lot of sex in the world,” said Zuhur, an agnostic. “Portraying it actually adds realism and a sort of primal, human drama to an otherwise fantasy series.”

Fishes and Loaves nourishes Logan community with free meals

Residents of Cache Valley gathered at the First Presbyterian Church in Logan for the monthly Loaves and Fishes community meal. Food was served by volunteers from varying civic and religious organizations free of charge from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The idea for the program was born when the locally-founded organization Global Neighbor held a community Christmas dinner at the First Presbyterian Church in Logan in December 2010.

“After that first dinner everybody felt like it was such a great experience that we wanted to be able to do it every month for people in need in the community,” said Amy Anderson, the contact person for Loaves and Fishes.

The monthly Loaves and Fishes community meal has been consistently held once a month from April 2011 on. Since then, many religious and community organizations have donated time or funds to the event. Beginning in May 2013, it will be held on both the first and third Saturday of each month.

A different organization is in charge of the meal every month, providing its own set of volunteers and gathering food, the majority of which comes from the Cache Food Pantry and the Logan LDS Bishop’s storehouse.

Emmanuel Baptist Church of Hyrum, Utah, organized this month’s meal.

Baptist Sandy Biggs volunteered at Loaves and Fishes for the first time today.

“It was humbling for me,” she said. “Most of us have so much.”

Amy Anderson, a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church who has been the contact person for Loaves and Fishes for a year and a half, said the event averages about 120 people per meal.

The meal is not merely an opportunity for residents to enjoy a free meal; it’s a place for members of the community to get to know one another.

“When we first started coming we thought this was a meal for people who were a little bit down on there luck and things like that, but it’s much more than that,” said Richard West, a member of the interfaith Cache Community Connections council. “It’s a real community celebration.”

The event hosts people of all different socio-economic statuses and backgrounds under one roof.

“Often those who have don’t always see those who have-not,” Anderson said. “And the great thing is it’s all ambiguous here what you’re in need of, if anything. You might have everything materially but have a hole in your heart and need that companionship.”

“People from all different kinds of life experiences come together and sit around the table,” West said. “We would say they break bread together.”

A member of the Loaves and Fishes board of directors, Kathy Chudoba said the warm environment is as big of a draw as the free food.

“The majority of the people who come need the meal,” she said. “And that many and more come for the sense of community and the sense of being welcomed and accepted.”

Several volunteers agreed that the meals strengthen the community.

“If anything sometimes feeding people in this kind of global spiritual sense is more important than actually feeding people the food,” Anderson said.

Michael Jarrett, a Mormon, has been to every Loaves and Fishes meal held for the past year.

“It feels good,” he said. Jarrett said he couldn’t imagine what it would be like if the event stopped happening.

When consistent attendee Gary Jones saw a paper announcement indicating that Loaves and Fishes will now be held twice a month instead of just once, he exclaimed, “Look at this! Aren’t we happy?”

For many of the volunteers, serving the community is a rewarding experience.

“Participating in this helps me see the breadth of people in Cache Valley and to feel more involved in the community,” Chudoba said. “One of the ways I practice my faith is through action. For me action and being here is a form of prayer.”

“It lifts me up every month when I volunteer here,” Anderson said. “That ability to get to know different faces in the community and to see people come back month after month and know their names and know that you’re making a difference.”

Lisa Hancock, the food coordinator for Loaves and Fishes and a member of the LDS Church, came to help prepare food alongside Baptist volunteers.

“It’s a great way for people who would never otherwise meet to get to know each other on the level where they see each other every month and become friends,” she said. “It really touches you.”

Logan Temple authority speaks at Logan LDS Institute

Darrell Gibbons, first counselor in the Logan Temple Presidency, spoke today at 11:30 a.m. in the Logan Latter-day Saint Institute’s cultural hall. The lecture was part of the institute’s weekly Religion in Life Devotional series.

Gibbons has been a dairyman in Lewiston for the past 32 years and served on the Cache County Government Council. Prior to being appointed the temple president, he was a temple sealer, which joins spouses and families for all eternity within the Mormon Church, for 7 years at the Logan Temple.

Speaking to a primarily Mormon audience, he urged the importance of living righteously at all times.

“You should live each day of your life so that you can be worthy for whatever heavenly father would ask you to do,” Gibbons said. “How are you doing? I hope you’re on task.”

He said that members never know when they’re going to be given the chance to assume responsibility within a church leadership position.

“Do you know when the Lord’s going to call on you or need you?” Gibbons asked. “When my mission president asked me that many years ago, I made a commitment that I would be worthy of any opportunity that the lord gave me in the church.”

Gibbons went on to explain the details of proper worthiness for LDS people.

“Worthiness means that you’re always a full tithe payer; that you keep the word of wisdom; that you’re morally clean; that you read your scriptures every day; that you don’t use language that you shouldn’t use,” he said.

Dusty Peterson, a Mormon sophomore at Utah State, said he enjoys the weekly devotional program and goes when he can.

“Every time I’ve went there’s been something that I’ve heard that’s inspired me,” he said.

A freshman at USU preparing to transfer to Brigham Young University’s music program, Jon Kailany said he was enriched by the experience.

“It’s just a great way to kick off the weekend,” he said. “A lot of times it’s easy for people to just forget about their religion and standards on Friday and Saturday. This keeps the spirit strong with you ‘til Sunday.”

Mormons’ stance on energy drinks not phased by church statement

The annual Red Bull Chariot Race at Utah State University was held Monday on 800 East across from the HYPER field. At the event, audience members sipped free Red Bull Energy Drinks as they watched contestants race chariots on a figure-eight course.

One 8.4 fl oz can of Red Bull contains 80 mg of caffeine. Early in the fall semester of 2012 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the dominant religion among Utah State students, released a statement that it does not prohibit the use of caffeine among its members. The church did reaffirm that coffee and tea are still not to be drank by members, though.

Brigham Young University, a private university operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Provo, Utah, does not sell any caffeine on its campus. After the Mormon Church’s statement regarding the substance, students at BYU’s campus have begun campaigning for caffeine to be brought on to campus.

At USU, students are relatively unaffected by the new clarification. The university’s dining halls both already serve caffeinated sodas such as Coca-Cola and Mountain Dew.

Many students said that the statement didn’t change their preexisting opinion on caffeinated drinks and energy drinks, which they said are more based on health reasons that religious reasons.

Tessa Nicolaides, a Mormon junior at Utah State, said she has always thought energy drinks were unhealthy.

“I never thought they were got, regardless of what the church said on the matter,” she said. “I just think that a ton of caffeine is not good for you.”

Some students brought up that energy drinks in particular are a way for people to change the way the act and feel, whether for good or bad.

“I think they are so popular in Utah because it's almost like carrying around a beer,” said Heidi Smith, a  It's a substance that slightly alters some ones mood, and the closest some people get to being drunk

Ronnie Keller, a freshman at USU who is preparing to leave on a two-year mission for the LDS church, said it’s because of the altered state of being they cause that he chooses not to partake of energy drinks.

“When I was a kid and told my mom I wanted to buy an energy drink, she asked why and I said it was because I liked the way it made me feel,” he said. “She told me my uncle had liked the way alcohol made him feel, and he became an alcoholic and committed suicide. That really stuck with me.”

Keller said he tries to just be himself and avoid things that alter the way his brain works.

A returned missionary and Utah State sophomore, Matt Kearl said he doesn’t think there’s a problem with energy drinks unless you use them in excess.

“It’s the same with anything else,” he said. “If you eat a ridiculous amount of popcorn, it’s horrible for you. Moderation is the key. I think energy drinks are fine once in a while when you need a little boost.”

Keller agreed, saying he wanted to avoid relying on substances to get by.

“If people drink them I have no problem with that. I just don’t want to get hooked,” he said. “Sleep is key. Energy drinks can’t substitute for that forever. It will eventually catch up to you.”

Elizabeth Smart speaks of trials and gratitude at USU

Elizabeth Smart was 14 years-old when she was kidnapped from her Salt Lake City home 2002 and held captive for nine months. Today, nearly 10 years after her rescue, she came to Utah State University to speak during common hour.

Many students waited in line early to secure a seat in the Taggart Student Center Ballroom, which was seated to capacity.

“We filled the ballroom and there were about 800 people in the lounges,” said Luke Ensign, the director of Art’s and Lectures for Utah State University, who organized the event.  “I think it’s probably one of the biggest speeches USU has ever seen.”

Early in her talk, Smart said the news reports of abducted children she had seen prior to her own kidnapping all seemed the same.

“A week or a month after being kidnapped their bodies would show up,” Smart said. “And they would be able to tell from the marks on their bodies that they had been tortured, they had been raped and ultimately they had been murdered.”

On June 5, 2002, as her kidnapper took her from her bedroom and led her up the mountain behind her house, Smart said the danger of the situation occurred to her.

“I realized that’s what this man is going to do to me,” she said. “He’s going to rape me and he’s going to kill me.”

She said she decided it would be best to be killed closer to home in order for her parents to have at least one consolation.

“In my mind, I wanted my parents to know that I hadn't run away and I wasn't upset with them,” Smart said. “I wanted them to know that this was completely outside of anything I had chosen to do.”

At one point during their hike up the mountain she stopped her abductor and asked “If you’re just going to rape and kill me, could you please just do it here?”

This was not the first time Smart thought of other people’s peace of mind before her own.

Before being abducted she shared a bedroom with her little sister. When her kidnapper woke her with a knife pressed against her throat Smart obeyed his instructions, mostly in order to ensure he didn’t hurt her sister, she said.

Throughout the 9 month ordeal, Smart was at the mercy of her captors, Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee. She was raped by Mitchell many times, who told Smart she was now his wife hours after abducting her.

Smart said when she was reunited with her family after 9 months, her mother gave her the best advice she had ever received.

Smart said her mother told her “The best punishment you can give him is to be happy; to move forward and follow your dreams and do exactly what you want to do. By reliving what’s happened to you, that’s only giving him more power and more control over your life that he doesn’t deserve.’”

Her mother also told her that regardless of whether the punishment Mitchell receives during this life, God is the ultimate judge and justice will be served eventually.

Smart said though she didn’t enjoy it, she is grateful for the experience she had.

“It’s allowed me to go out, to make changes, and speak for so many children, men, and women who haven’t been able to speak for themselves yet. I’m so grateful it’s allowed me to make a difference,” Smart said. “You never know the difference that you can make. The difference only you can make because of what you’ve experienced.”

Several students remarked at how humbling Smart's gratitude was.

"It's really inspiring to see how people can overcome a huge trial in their life," said Nike Cleverly, a sophomore at Utah State. "I think that's really helpful for this age group to see in particular."

Alexa Lund, a sophomore at Utah State, said when she was a young girl and heard about Smart's story, she became afraid to spend the night at her friends' houses for fear of getting kidnapped.

"It was incredible to hear her story from her and talk about it without breaking into tears," said Alexa Lund. "To see that she's just like me but she was able to overcome a huge tragedy like that gives you so much hope."

Logan functions as conservative safe haven for Muslims

The Logan Islamic Center held an open house Saturday which several dozen Muslims and non-Muslims attended. Guests conversed over curried lamb and rice and listened to presentations about Islam given by members of the center, which is the only mosque in city.

Muslims are a small minority in Cache Valley. There are roughly 160 Muslims in Cache County, compared to more than 70,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A Fulbright scholar from Egypt studying at Utah State University, Mohammad Hussein coordinates the religious affairs for the center. He said although the Islamic community in Logan is small, it is a good place to be a Muslim.

“Some American friends warned me Utah was one of the most conservative places in the USA,” he said. “But I thought, well, that is sort of an advantage for me because I am conservative myself.”

The conservative demographic of Utah attracted other Muslims at the event when they were considering moving to America as well.

Mohammad Ali, a Muslim from Rajasthan, India, gave a presentation at the open house about his religion. He said that when he fell in love with a Mormon tourist he met in India, his parents were wary of him moving to Utah to live with her.

“I had visited before, so I told them ‘You don’t understand. Utah, it is a holy place,’” Ali said.

Hend Al Daleel, a Muslim from Qatar who moved to Logan, Utah in 2008 to attend Utah State University, said her parents were hesitant to send her to the United States of America. The way American culture was portrayed in the media especially worried her father.

When she got to Utah, Al Daleel found it easy to adjust to the culture.

“It’s kind of easy to be Muslim here. People in Utah are pretty conservative,” said Al Daleel. “I always call them half-Muslims.”

Born in Lebanon, Randa Yassine said it was easy for her to get used to American culture because of how young she was when she came to the United States. She visited her aunt and uncle in the US when she was 13 and decided to stay.

“Lebanon is very open and westernized. My family was comfortable sending me to America because they know they raised me well,” Yassine said. “Now it’s my turn to practice what I’ve learned. There hasn’t been any negative influence in Utah so far.”

Al Daleel said there isn’t much temptation in Logan for Muslims.

“You don’t see drunk people all over the town here in Utah,” Al Daleel said. “The people are so nice and it’s just easier to live in this environment. It would be hard to be in Cali for example, where there are different kinds of things going on.”

Yassine said she thinks the ways of dealing with the new culture depend on what country the person is from when they come to America.

“A lot of Iranians have been pushed into being Islamic extremists back home so when they get here they retaliate against that push somehow,” she said. “That’s why a lot of them drink here.”

Yassine said that despite her freedom from Islamic societal pressure in Utah, she still practices Islam in her own way. She just doesn’t follow certain practices because she doesn’t want to be hypocritical, such as wearing a hijab, or veil.

“I cannot properly wear the hijab if I do not pray 5 times a day, and currently I honestly don’t,” Yassine said. “You have to deserve it and be pure inside and out and do all these things, and I feel like I’m not ready.”

She said she does want to wear the hijab eventually when she feels she is worthy.

“Once I purify myself from all things of the world then I will wear the veil and be satisfied with myself and be proud of myself,” Yassine said.

Hussein, Ali, Yassine and Al Daleel all said they were satisfied with the environment in Utah.

“I have never encountered a problem with acceptance here,” Hussein said. “I feel it is an advantage being Muslim in this community because people are always asking me questions and having enriching discussions with me.”

Ali declared he has no plans to leave the state.

“It’s a great place to be a Muslim,” he said. “The Mormons are great. So great I even married one. They’re a good people to live among."

Relay for Life at USU brings cancer survivors, their supporters and mourners together

Hundreds of people gathered Friday in the Nelson Fieldhouse for Utah State University’s annual Relay for Life to raise funds to fight cancer and create a supportive environment for those battling cancer. Many of the participants knew someone who had cancer. Some even had cancer themselves.

After the Luminaria Ceremony with candles lit in honor of those who were fighting or lost the fight to cancer, the relay around the track began with the Survivors Lap. The rest of the participants then took to the Fieldhouse track, joining the survivors in a continuous relay that lasted all night.

Many people at the event had their faith and world view altered by cancer. The majority of attendees did not directly fight cancer, but had loved ones or friends who had dealt with it.

Tylar Glenn, a sophomore at Utah State, had a grandfather who won his battle with bladder cancer. Although his grandfather emerged victorious, Glenn said when his grandfather was initially diagnosed it was hard to deal with.

“It was definitely one of the low points in my life,” he said. “I just went and drove for two hours blasting my music. It didn’t seem fair to me.”

At the event, friends and relatives of those who had cancer often said it influenced whether they thought bad things happen to good people.

“It showed me it’s all subjective, it’s all random,” Glenn said. “I don’t think there’s a grand scheme behind everything.”

Ben Dansie, a Utah State senior, was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had a private trombone instructor he was close with who died of cancer when he was 13 years old.

“It felt so helpless. She was such a wonderful person; like an anchor to me,” he said. “She never did anything wrong, she had a healthy lifestyle. She didn’t deserve it.”

Dansie said that when she died, he had never felt so helpless.

“Karen gave so much to me, and she pushed me to places I never thought I’d be at such a young age,” he said. “And I can’t give it back to her. That’s why I come to Relay for Life, because it’s a way to give back something.”

Dansie said his instructor’s death made him realize that good people were vulnerable to bad things, despite the common idea in Mormon culture that if you do what you’re supposed to you will receive blessings for it.

Glenn isn’t religious, but most people with a belief in God said they had an easier time coping with the effects of having or knowing someone with cancer.

“Death sucks, and there’s going to be pain and suffering in this life,” said Zach McEntire, a USU sophomore and returned LDS missionary whose uncle was diagnosed with cancer. “But it’s comforting to know that after this life, I will see my family again. That gave me the comfort to carry on when my uncle was diagnosed.

Despite living a healthy life and being diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Lori Peterson, a survivor from Tremonton, Utah, never asked ‘Why me?’

“I’ve never been sick, never broken a bone, never had stitches,” she said. “I had been healthy my whole life so I thought okay, this is my challenge.”

An active Mormon, Peterson said although she accepted it, the diagnosis still shocked her initially.

“I remember driving home and looking at things on my way home, just thinking ‘I might not be seeing this soon,’” Peterson said.

The shock faded eventually and she said that in the long run, the ordeal strengthened her faith tremendously.

“Everything that I believed in before I really feel like I know to be true now,” Peterson said.

Peterson insisted that she was grateful she for being diagnosed with cancer and wouldn’t want to change that if she could.

She said that the experience has helped her to appreciate everything in life to the fullest.

“I used to be a clean freak and have to have everything my way,” Peterson said. “Now I can let things go and be happy with them. I don’t worry anymore. It’s a wonderful blessing.”

After battling it for a few years, Peterson’s cancer went into remission, but then it came back. She wasn’t phased.

“We’ve all got to live and die,” she said. “You’re going to go somehow.”

Peterson’s cancer is currently in remission once more. She said she loves every minute of every day, no matter what happens.