The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, September 23. 1980 Page 3
Mormons join in Crisler
to hear church leaders
-Doily Photo by DAVID HARRIS
CATHY FOJTIK, LAST year's president of the local chapter of the National Organization of Women, leads pro-ERA
chants at a rally held Sunday at Crisler Arena. Approximately 70 men and women marched in protest of the anti-ERA
stand of the Mormon Church, which held a conference in the auditorium over the weekend.
ERA groups rally at Crisler
By JOYCE FRIEDEN
Crying children, smiling parents, and
tales of the Bible filled Crisler Arena
last weekend as members of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
from Michigan and surrounding states
came to Ann Arbor for an area con-
ference.
The two-day Mormon conference
began with separate sessions on Satur-
day for men and women members. The
6,000 women what filled the bottom half
of the arena Saturday afternoon heard
speeches from several church officials,
including Barbara Smith, president of
the Relief Society-a charity
organization all Mormon women over
age 18 are expected to join.
SMITH SPOKE OF the problems
Mormon women face. "More and more
Latter-Day Saint women are having
fewerrcheerful and joyful times," she
said. Citing the nation's economic
slump and looking for a husband as
examples of the women's concerns,
Smith urged the group to get involved in
the Relief Society. "It helps us to
become more task- and family-
oriented," she added.
The importance of the family unit
was stressed by every speaker at the
conference. "What we are attempting
to do is create for ourselves eternal
family units which are patterned after
the family of God, our father," ex-
plained Elder Bruce McConkie, a
member of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles. "This is what sets us apart
from the rest of the world."
The "family of God" mentioned by
McConkie consists of God, the
Heavenly Father, his wife, the
Heavenly Queen, and their son, Jesus
Christ. The "family of God" is a central
tenet of the Mormon faith along with
the Christian concept of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost.
THE MORMON CHURCH, a sect of
Christianity that boasts more than four
million members world-wide, earned
its nickname because of its belief in the
Book of Mormon, a religious tract first
discovered in the early 1830s by Joseph
Smith, founder of the church.
Other speakers at the Saturday af-
ternoon session included Elaine Can-
non, President of the Young Women;
Marion Romney, distant cousin of for-
mer Michigan governor George Rom-
ney and the church's Second Counselor;
and Spencer Kimball, president-
prophet of the church.
Although the church is headquar-
tered in Utah, where most of the Mor-
mon population of the United States
resides, the conference attendees said
they did not feel out of place in their
communities.
"I'VE GROWN UP in Michigan my
whole like and I haven't found it at all
difficult," said Jan Leavitt of Ann Ar-
bor. Leavitt admitted, however, that
"there are quite a few pressures from
outside the Church to be different."
Donna Ladle of Monroeville, Pa..
agreed. "We find we're very well
respected," she said.
On the subject of children, Ladle ad,.
mitted it was sometimes difficult to'
keep her children from drinking cola,,,
and tea like other children. "Of course;
these things do tempt them," she said:
"That's why we have such a high in-
volvement of youth in church.
programs-to help them learn from.
each other."
Lansing high school students Becky,
Flannery and Tracy Waite said being a,
Mormon sometimes offered a unique-
advantage. "Sometimes the other kids-
enjoy being with us just because they.
think we're different," smiled Flan-
iery,
On Sunday, crowds of more than
14,000 people filled Crisler during the-
morning and afternoon sessions.-
According to Jack Combs, Coor-
dinator of the Church's Detroit Area;
Communications Council, this
weekend's conference will probably be-
the last such area conference to be:
held in the U.S. Combs said im-
provements in telecommunications.
technology will enable the Church to;,
broadcast future conventions via,
closed-circuit television to every Mor-
mon church in the country.
By LISA OLIVER NOW president, said the rally was held
While 14,000 Mormons met at Crisler to clear up misconceptions often
Arena Sunday, some 70 men and associated with the meaning of the
women marched outside the arena amendment.
chanting pio-Equal Rights Amendment "THERE'S SO MUCH misinfor-
slogans and carried signs protesting the mation about ERA," she explained. "It
traditional Mormon anti-ERA position. (the amendment) says equal rights un-
The Mormon Church, based in Salt der the law. It has nothing to do with
Lake City, Utah, has been a strong lob- whether or not a guy opens a door."
bying force against ERA in states Fojtik admitted, however, that the
which have not ratified the amen- rally would actually do little to change
dment. the Mormon philosophy.
MARCIA PUPKIEWICZ, president of Shortly after the rally began, Crisler
the Ann Arbor/Washtenaw Chapter of Arena ushers encouraged Mormons
the National Organization for Women, who were watching the demonstrators
said in Utah and Nevada, where ERA to return to the conference. One usher
has not been ratified, "there was a said the crowd was asked to move in-
rumor that the Mormon pressure made side to "not give them (the protestors)
two pro-ERA legislators vote against the benefit of an audience."
the amendment." THE USHER SAID he was concerned
One Mormon woman who attended over a possible confrontation between
the conference explained that the Chur- the two groups. "There are two things
ch was against the ERA because they people get upset over-politics and
felt it would weaken the family. religion, and both are in play here."
"Anything that weakens the family is Ann Arbor police at Sunday's rally
evil," said Sarah Martinson, who came tbld the protesters they had to remain
to the gathering from Cleveland. She on city property and not on the Univer-
said women already have equal rights, sity-owned sidewalk outside the main
but greaters efforts are necessary in entrance at Crisler.
the court system to promote equality. Marcia Federbus, a NOW member,
Pro-ERA protesters carried signs called University attorney William
reading: "Feminists are Pro-Family Lemer on Sunday about the police ac-
Too"' and "Feminists are not moral tion. He said the state, not the city, has
perverts." Cathy; Fojtik,, last year's control Qver. Univ rsity property. She
FILMS
AAFC-Coming Home, 7, 9:15 p.m., Aud. A, Angell.
Cinema Guild-High Noon, 7, 9 p.m., Lorch Hall Aud.
Audio-Visual Service-Free Fire Zone, 12:30 p.m., School of Art Lecture
Hall.
MEETINGS
Biological Research Review Comm-Open Meeting, 4 p.m., 3087 SPH I.
Tenants Union-7 p.m., 4109 Michigan Union.
Undergraduate Political Science Association-Anderson Room, Michigan
Union,7:30 p.m.
PIRGIM-Energy Task Force Meeting, 7 p.m., Michigan Union.
Organization Meeting of Democratic Socialist Organization-7:30 p.m.,
Kunzel Room, Michigan Union.
SPEAKERS
International Center-Luncheon lecture by Alan Whiting, $1, "U.S.-China
Relations," noon, Int. Ctr. Rec. Room.
Undergraduate Political Science Association-Dr. Ralf Dahrandorf, 2-3
p.m., Kuenzel Room, Michigan Union.
Great Lakes and Marine Waters Center-Structure, Function and
Chemistry of Organic Colloids in Lake Water," 3:30 p.m., 165 Chrysler.
Bio Engineering-John Melvin, "Protection of Automobile Occupants in
Crashes," 4 p.m., 1042 E. Engineering.
Chemistry Department Colloquium-Lionel Goodman, "Vibronic and
Other Perturbations on the Two-Photon Spectrum of Benzene," 4 p.m., 1300
Chemistry.
Geology Department-William Cambray, "Plate Tectonics as a Model for
the Environment of Deposition and Deformation of the Early Proterozie of
N. Michigan," 4 p.m., 4001 C. C. Little.
Ann Arbor Public Library-"An Introductory Talk on the Transcendental
Meditation Program,"! Mueling Room, 8 p.m.
PERFORMANCES
Jazz Festival-Peter "Madcat" Ruth, noon, Diag.
Union University Club and WCBN-Concert, David Allen, 8:30 p.m.
MISCELLANEOUS
International Center-Returned Travellers' 'Round-up, 3 p.m., Int. Ctr.
Lounge.
Women's Volleyball-vs MSU, 6 p.m., CCRB.
IM Track Meet-4 p.m., IMSB track.
To submit items for the Happenings column, send them in care of: Hap-
penings, The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynai-d St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109.
LEARN A NEW NON-WESTERN AND NON-INDO-EURO-
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TRADITION AND CULTURE.
Spoken by approximately 60 million people, Tamil is the ONLY modern Ion-
said Lemer said he did not know why
the University was making an issue out
of the rally area.
The local chapter of NOW is in-
vestigating possible police violation of
the demonstrators' first amendment
rights, and may file a formal com-
plaint, according to Pupkiewicz.
"First the government indirectly
subsidizes the political activities of the
Mormon Church by granting a'special
tax exempt status then we're forced off
of public property which is paid for by
tax dollars," Pupkiewicz said.
Mormon missionary:
Hard work and faith
By JOYCE FRIEDEN
Nine hundred of the 14,000 people at-
tending last weekend's Mormon con-
ference at Crisler Arena have
something special in common-they
are all Mormon missionaries.
Nineteen-year-old Mormon men and
21-year-old Mormon women are expec-
ted to do two years of missionary work.
After filling out applications and going
through several interviews, the
missionaries are sent to a city where
they will remain for the next two years.
During that time, the men and women
are not permitted to engage in such ac-
tivities as dating or watching TV, ac-
cording to missionary Richard
Jameson.
JAMESON ADDED that
missionaries must raise their own fun-
ds before they leave. home. He
estimated the venture costs $5,000-
$6,000. "We start saving real young,"
he said. "My brother's only four-years-
old and he's got his fund started
already."
Twenty-year-old Jameson, who hails
from Las Vegas, is working at the In-
dianapolis mission. "We go out there to
meet the people and not necessarily to
convert them all," Jameson said.
"Some of my best friends aren't mem-
bers of the church, and I certainly don't
condemn them."
Jameson described two methods of
converting people: letting them come
to the mission, and knocking on doors
(also called "tracting"). He said few
people actually slammed the door in his
face.
"People pretty much face us with the
attitude that they're not interested," he
said. "I usually leave a pamphlet with
them and hopefully that will spark
some interest."
THE MISSIONARY was
philosophical about the restrictions im-
posed on his lifestyle by his work. "You
don't have to do all the things other
people do, and you can still be happy,"
he said with a smile. They will never
experience the happiness I have ex-
perienced when I convert people."
But Jameson admitted missionary
work is not always happy. "Sometimes
it's hard, like when it's 200 below out-
side and you are knocking on doors and
no one will let yo talk to them. But in
the long run, it's worth it."
Recently, the Church admitted black
Mormons into the priesthood-a move
which Jameson lauded. He said it was
difficult to explain the church's
previous reluctance.
MCHIGAN
STUDENT
ASSEMBLY
MSA & CSJ
Are Now Interviewing
Interested Students For:
Election Court
Student Organizations Court
Court Of Common Pleas
Apply To:
MSA
3909 Michigan Union
Phone: 763-3241
I
nuuress: