Roland Elliott is a strange person, and everyone on this list should ignore him. I have learned to delete his e-mails without opening them, and ALL others with the same subject. He gets the list going every few months and then we end up losing a valuable resource like Wilmer Kerns!!!! EVERYONE SHOULD IGNORE ROLAND ELLIOTT. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian D Core" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, August 12, 2002 1:13 AM Subject: [WVHAMPSH-L] Intolerance? > I don't think that it's accurate or fair to call LDS members cultists. > Religious intolerance is a certain sign of ignorance. Since this is a > genealogy list, not a spiritual list, it wouldn't be appropriate to > compare the "correctness" of the various religions. As genealogists, what > should we know about the LDS Church? > > The LDS Church sponsors a web site, familysearch.org. Most of the > information in their IGI files is undocumented, and can not be relied on. > That doesn't make it ALL inaccurate, but any information from the IGI > should be documented before it is used. There are many, many mistakes. > The web site also has a catalog for their Family History Library, which > is the largest genealogy in the world, by far. The books do not > circulate, and must be viewed at the Family History Library in Salt Lake > City. Many millions of people have made the journey to Salt Lake to visit > the library, and most probably found it to be a clean, friendly town. > There are comfortable and affordable accommodations near Temple Square. > The Temple in Salt Lake is a beautiful building, and the landscape alone > would make the trip worthwhile. The library handles an incredible number > of patrons, who typically line up at the door an hour before it opens. > Inside, you will find hundreds of thousands of books about history and > genealogy. If that's not enough, there are about three million rolls of > microfilm of state, local, and national records, military records, local > histories, family Bibles, church records from nearly every country, and > genealogical books of every description. If you are overwhelmed by the > volume of the material, there are dozens of volunteers to help you. Your > entrance to the library costs you nothing. Pay for your copies and don't > steal anything, and you're square with the LDS Church. > > Most people are probably unable or unwilling to make the trek to Salt > Lake, so the LDS Church attempts to bring a slice of the Family History > Library to your home town. Most average-sized towns have an LDS Family > History Center (FHC), and most small towns are within a reasonable drive > of one. The size of the FHC varies with locality, but most have a few > books and a modest microfilm collection. Their usefulness largely comes > from their ability to order most of the three million rolls of microfilm > from the library in Salt Lake, and deliver them to you within about a > week (depending on the enthusiasm of their volunteers). For $3.25, you > can view the microfilm for up to five weeks. You can't take the microfilm > from the FHC, but most FHCs have machines that can make copies from the > microfilm. If you don't know how to access the collection, volunteers can > take you through every step of the process. It works whether you are a > beginner or a pro. People of other religions may feel like they will go > to hell for setting foot in an LDS Temple; I'm a flamin' atheist and I've > never been struck by lightning for going there. Volunteers are instructed > NOT to discuss religion with the patrons. They may knock on your door at > home to witness, but they will not attempt to convert you at the FHC. > It's all about genealogy, not about religion. You know, like this list > ought to be. The volunteers I've met have been courteous, and have helped > me to the best of their abilities. They don't have tails and they don't > eat babies, like you would expect from cultists. Just go to a FHC, and > you will probably be amazed at the volume of information at your > disposal. You can find a listing of the nearest FHC at familysearch.org. > > It's just immoral to show disrespect for these people who are willing to > help so much, while asking for little to nothing in return. > > Brian > > Brian D. Core > P.O. Box 1166 > Brighton, CO 80601 > [email protected] Web Page: http://pages.prodigy.net/greenhouseguy > For attachments, use: [email protected] > > ________________________________________________________________ > GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! > Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! > Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/. >