FAITH
Friday, December 22, 2017
LIMEY PASTOR
The love of money
and ephemeral
matters
J
esus said that “The love of money is the
root of all evil.” The money in Jesus’ day
had Caesar’s face on it. “What is Caesar’s
belongs to Caesar,” Jesus said, “what is God’s
belongs to God.”
About ten years ago I became fascinated
by the idea of the imaginal nature of money,
the artifice and pretense of
money. I became particularly
fascinated by the new
invention of the bitcoin,
without any real inherent
value other than that of the
personal belief of the owner
that it had some value.
Each bitcoin had a serial
Colin
number corresponding to
Brown
a prime number. There are
Faith
infinite prime numbers and
they cannot be predicted,
only generated; they are manufactured by
performing calculations to discover the next
prime number, for which computer buffs
would search with their computer. It is an
endless production line.
I taught my son how to generate new
primes on his home computer, and by letting it
buzz and grind away he made more bitcoins,
approximately 30 new bitcoins with new
prime numbers. Then, both he and I lost
interest in this apparently inane pursuit.
A few weeks ago I heard that the bitcoin
had reached $8,000 in value per individual
bitcoin. I asked my son what had happened
to his collection of manufactured bitcoins. He
told me that he had made 30 of them fairly
quickly over several weeks back then he had
sold them all for $50. He thought that had
been a good profit for his effort, until I told
him about the current value. Had he kept
them he would have had $240,000 in valuable
bitcoin currency.
He was, as you may imagine, as surprised
as I was. He and his new wife had just moved
into a little house for which he paid a down
payment. Had he kept his phantom bitcoins he
could have bought his house twice over.
Well, no one can copyright prime numbers,
and I believe the next step of this lunacy is that
the same mad spiral will catch other financial
instruments with the same insanity. And these
coins will also reproduce with a prime number
stamp. I am thinking that the great bitcoin
crash will happen as soon as people really
think about the illusory nature of money.
In our dollar bill we place the language
“in God we trust” — a reminder that money
with faces is essentially a great work of our
imagination.
We should also remember that we trust our
family and friends, as it is in our relationships
and the relationships of the community that
our security is truly made real.
Jesus traveled the countryside and never
worried about money. The disciples did carry
a common purse and this was refilled as they
traveled. Jesus’ heavenly father was all the
coinage needed — all the gold of the spirit that
was needed.
I pray in 2018 that you find confidence
in your life, confidence in our brothers and
sisters, and give out of the abundance that
comes naturally to Jesus’ people.
Be well and wealthy, give incessantly!
Amen
■
Colin Brown is the former pastor of Good
Shepherd Lutheran Church in Boardman.
210 NW 9th, Pendleton ELCA
Join us Sundays
9:30 am Sunday Worship
9:30 am Sunday Worship
10:30 am Fellowship
11:00 am Sunday School & Adult Class
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By BRADY MCCOMBS
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY —
Mormons are posthumously
baptizing Holocaust victims as
well as grandparents of public
figures like Donald Trump,
Hillary Clinton and Steven
Spielberg, despite church rules
intended to restrict the ceremo-
nies to a member’s ancestors,
according to a researcher who has
spent two decades monitoring the
church’s massive genealogical
database.
The discoveries made by
former Mormon Helen Radkey
and shared with The Associated
Press likely will bring new scru-
tiny to a deeply misunderstood
practice that has become a sensi-
tive issue for the church. The
church, in a statement, acknowl-
edged the ceremonies violated
its policy and said they would
be invalidated, while also noting
its created safeguards in recent
years to improve compliance.
Proxy baptisms are tied to
a core church teaching that
families spend eternity together,
but the baptisms do not auto-
matically convert dead people
to Mormonism. Under church
teachings, the rituals provide the
deceased a choice in the afterlife
to accept or reject the offer of
baptism.
The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints is the only
major religion that baptizes the
dead, and the ritual has contrib-
uted to struggles by the faith to
combat the mischaracterization
of its beliefs.
The church’s stance on
family and the afterlife is
behind a massive collection of
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
In this Monday, Nov. 6 photo, show Helen Radkey at her
home in Holladay, Utah.
genealogical records the Utah-
based church compiles from
around the world and makes
available to the public through
its website www.familysearch.
org. Proxy baptisms are recorded
in a password-protected part of
the database accessible only to
church members.
The ceremonies first drew
public attention in the 1990s
when it was discovered they were
performed on a few hundred
thousand Holocaust victims,
which Jewish leaders condemned
as grossly insensitive.
The posthumous baptizing
of Holocaust victims reopens
Jewish wounds from being
forced in the past to convert to
Christianity or face death or
deportation, Jewish genealogist
Gary Mokotoff said.
After discussions with Moko-
toff and other Jewish leaders, the
LDS church in 1995 established
a rule barring baptisms of Holo-
caust victims except in rare cases
where they are direct ancestors.
It also bars proxy baptisms on
celebrities.
But periodic controversies
erupted when new proxy
baptisms were found listed in
the church’s genealogical data-
base, including Radkey’s 2012
discovery of one performed
on Anne Frank. The church
apologized then, sent a letter to
members reiterating its guide-
lines and announced the creation
of a firewall aimed at preventing
the inappropriate use of proxy
baptisms.
“The church cares deeply
about ensuring these standards
are maintained,” spokesman Eric
Hawkins said.
In recent years, it has imple-
mented additional safeguards,
including adding four full-time
staffers who watch the database
and block baptisms on restricted
names, he said. That includes
a list of Holocaust victims sent
each month by a Jewish human
401 Northgate,
Celebration
of Worship
Pendleton
Sundays 10:00am
CELEBRATION
Youth: 0-6th grade OF
WORSHIP
Midweek 10:00
Service am
Sundays
Youth:
Wednesdays
6:00pm
0-6th
grade
Youth:
0-6th
grade
Overcomer’s Outreach
MIDWEEK
SEVICE
Tuesday’s 6:00pm
Wednesdays
6:00 pm
In the
Annex
Youth:
A Christ
Centered,
12 Step
0-6th
grade
Recovery Support Group
Pastor
Sharon Miller
Pastor Sharon Miller
541-278-8082
541-278-8082
www.livingwordcc.com
www.livingwordcc.com
rights organization in Los
Angeles.
Ryan Cragun, an associate
professor of sociology who
studies Mormonism at the
University of Tampa, said
Mormons are striving to baptize
everyone who has ever lived to
help get non-Mormons out of
“spirit prison” in the afterlife and
receive exaltation.
One reason for performing
the ritual on Holocaust victims
is that their names are easy to
find in government records,
which creates an efficient way
to quickly baptize more people,
said Cragun, who was raised
Mormon but no longer belongs
to the church.
The baptisms of public figures
are likely based on two factors,
he added. First, people naturally
think about celebrities more
often because they see them on
TV and in movies or hear them
on the radio. Secondly, Mormons
are similar to other social groups
in that they like to claim famous
people as their own.
Radkey, who left the LDS
church in the mid-1970s and
was later excommunicated
after publicly criticizing it, has
dedicated countless hours to
researching proxy baptisms
because she believes people’s
religious preferences should be
respected even after they’re dead.
Prozy baptisms have been
performed on deceased family
members of celebrities, including
Humphrey Bogart and Marilyn
Monroe; the mother of Queen
Elizabeth II; and grandparents
of Kim Kardashian and Carrie
Fisher and U.S. politicians Joe
Biden, John McCain and Mike
Pence.
CHRISTMAS SERVICES
Pendleton
Episcopal Church of the
Redeemer
•241 S.E. Second St.
•Sunday: 4 p.m., children’s
creche service; 5:30-9 p.m., rectory
open house; 9:30 p.m., carol sing-
ing; 10:45 p.m., Christmas Eve can-
dlelight mass
•Monday: 10 a.m., Holy Eucharist
Living Word Christian Center
•401 Northgate
•Sunday: 4 p.m.,
communion
candlelight
First Christian Church
•215 N. Main St.
•Sunday: 10:40 a.m., worship
service; 5 p.m., Christmas Eve can-
dlelight service
Peace Lutheran Church
•210 N.W. Ninth St.
•Sunday: 9:30 a.m., worship with
holy communion
First Presbyterian Church
•201 S.W. Dorion Ave.
•Sunday: 10 a.m., worship ser-
vice; 11 p.m., Christmas Eve candle-
light, communion and music service
First Church of God
•712 S.W. 27th St.
•Sunday: 8:30 a.m. & 10 a.m.,
Christmas Eve morning services
Pendleton First Assembly of
God Church
•1911 S.E. Court Ave.
•Sunday: 10:30 a.m., Christmas
Eve morning services; 6-7 p.m., can-
dlelight service with Christmas car-
Seventh-Day
Adventist
Church
Saturday Services
Pendleton
1401 SW Goodwin Place
276-0882
Sabbath School 9:20 am
Worship Service 10:45 am
Christmas Eve service features youth singers
STANFIELD — “A Simple Christmas” at Crossroads
Community Church in Stanfield will feature music by the
church’s youth. The special service is planned Sunday at 10:30
a.m. at the church, 350 N.W. Sherman Ave.
Youth from the Missionettes and Royal Rangers will perform
several songs under the direction of Jacob Looper. Also,
several special stories and relevant Bible verses will be read to
encourage all to celebrate Jesus in Christmas in today’s world.
The service is free and open to everyone. For more
information, call Rev. Michael Kinlock at 541-449-3434 or
email stanfieldag@eoni.com.
Redeemer
Episcopal
Church
241 SE Second St. Pendleton
(541)276-3809
www.pendletonepiscopal.org
Sunday Holy Communion 9:00 a.m.
Wednesday Holy Communion Noon
Weekly Adults Spiritual Life Group
All Are Welcome
555 SW 11th, Hermiston
567-9497
Nursery provided for all
services
Sunday School - 9:30 AM
Worship - 10:45 AM
6:00 pm
Wed Prayer & Worship -
7:00 PM
“Proclaiming God’s word,
growing in God’s grace”
To share your worship times
call 541-278-2678
Echo
Echo Community Church
•21 N. Bonanza St.
•Sunday: 6 p.m., candlelight
Christmas Eve service
Milton-Freewater
First Christian Church
•518 S. Main St.
•Sunday: 10:45 a.m., Christmas
Eve morning worship; 5:30 p.m. &
7 p.m., Candlelight Christmas Eve
candlelight service.
Grace Baptist Church of
Hermiston
Stanfield
Hermiston
•555 S.W. 11th St.,
•Sunday: 6 p.m., Christmas Eve
service
Stanfield Baptist Church
Assembly of God Church
•730 E. Hurlburt Ave.
•Sunday: 11 a.m., Christmas in
Hermiston
Free, but people are encouraged
to reserve tickets to ensure a seat
(www.christmasinhermiston.com or
541-567-5831).
First Christian Church
•775 W. Highland Ave.
•Sunday: 9:15 a.m., coffee &
mingle; 9:45 a.m., message “A Most
Unusual Christmas Story”
First United Methodist Church
•191 E. Gladys Ave.
•Sunday: 10:30 a.m., advent wor-
ship service
Hermiston Church of the
Nazarene
•1520 W. Orchard Ave.
•Sunday: 10:30 a.m.,
Christmas service
family
Living Faith Church
•1611 Diagonal Blvd.
•Sunday: 4-4:55 p.m., Christmas
Eve candlelight service
New Hope Community Church
•1350 S. Highway 395
•Sunday: 10:45 a.m., morning
service; 5:30 p.m. & 7 p.m., Candle-
light Christmas Eve services
St. Johns Episcopal Church
•665 E. Gladys Ave.
•310 N.E. Wheeler Ave.
•Sunday: 10 a.m., morning wor-
ship; 6 p.m., candlelight Christmas
Eve service
———
Friday’s faith page features
local, national and international
faith-related news. Send informa-
tion about local faith-related news
and events, including concerts,
special speakers and activities to
community@eastoregonian.com or
drop off to the attention of Tammy
Malgesini at 333 E. Main St., Herm-
iston or Renee Struthers at 211
S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton. Call
541-564-4539 or 541-966-0818
with questions.
Worship
Community
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
-Presbyterian Church (USA)-
201 SW Dorion Ave.
Pendleton
Service of Worship - 10:00 am
Children’s Sunday School -
10:20 am
Fellowship - 11:00 am
www.pendletonpresbyterian.com
Open Hearted...
Open Minded
Faith Center Church
Worshiping God
Loving People
108 S. Main • 276-9569
Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church
LCMC
Worship Service: 10:30am
Sunday School: 9:30am
Sunday worship at
11:00 AM
Sr. Pastor,
Ray O’Grady
420 Locust St. • Boardman, OR
pendletonfaithcenter.org
Colin Brown, Pastor
541-481-6132
Come meet Jesus at
First United
Methodist
Church
PENDLETON BAPTIST
CHURCH
Pendleton
Behind These Stone Walls Beat the Hearts
of Some of the Warmest Most Sincere,
Most Caring People in Pendleton.
We Invite You to Come Get Acquainted!
Sunday Worship 9am • 541-276-2616
Worship Broadcast on KUMA 1290 @ 11am
Sunday School: 9:30am
Worship: 10:40am
Fellowship to follow
Worship Livestream at
www.facebook.com/FUMCPendleton/
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
Rev. Dr. Jim Pierce, pastor
The Salvation Army
Center for Worship & Service
Sunday Worship Service
9:30 - Sunday School
10:30 - Worship Service
Grace Baptist Church
•Sunday: 9 a.m., advent service;
7 p.m., carols service; 7:30 p.m.,
Holy Eucharist, special music
ols, special music and a brief word of
encouragement from the pastor
352 SE 2nd Street, Pendleton OR
401 Northgate, Pendleton
Page 7A
Mormon baptisms of Holocaust victims draw ire
FIRST SERVICE 8:30 AM
SECOND SERVICE 10:30 AM
712 SW 27 TH ST.
541-276-1894
www.fcogpendleton.com
P eace L utheran C hurch
East Oregonian
Wednesday Bible Study
5:30 Family Fellowship Meal • 6:00 Bible Study
COME AS YOU ARE
Offi ce 541-276-5358 M-F, 8:30-12:30
www.fccpendleton.org
PENDLETON
LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH
Sunday Service: 10am & 6pm
Tuesday Kingdom Seekers: 7pm
Wednesday Bible Study: 7pm
We off er: Sunday School • Sign Language
Interpreters • Nursery • Transportation • & more!
Pastor Dan Satterwhite
541.377.4252
150 SE Emigrant
(541) 276-3369
417 NW 21st St. • Pendleton, OR 97801
www.facebook.com/
PendletonLighthouseChurch
Community
Presbyterian Church
FAITH LUTHERAN
CHURCH
14 Martin Drive,
Umatilla, OR
922-3250
in Mission for Christ LCMC
Sunday Worship.........9:00 AM
Bible Study......10:00 AM
Worship: 10 AM
Sunday School at 11:30
3202 SW Nye Ave Pendleton, OR
541-276-7590
Sunday Morning Worship 11:00 AM
Sunday Bible Classes 9:45 AM
Sunday Youth Group 6:00 PM
Mon. Community Women’s Study
9:30 AM & 6 PM
Awana Kids Club (K-6th grade)
Wed Men’s Study 6 PM
MOPS meeting the 1st Thur of the Month 6 PM
Red Lion Hotel
( Oregon Trail Room )
www.faithpendleton.org
OPEN HEARTS – OPEN DOOR
www.graceandmercylutheran.org
Sunday Worship 8:45 a.m.
Sunday School 10:00 a.m. (Nursery Provided)
Fellowship, Refreshments & Sunday School
Check Out our Facebook Page or
Website for More Information
541-289-4535
Tom Inch, Pastor
Grace and Mercy Lutheran Church, ELCA
(First United Methodist Church)
191 E. Gladys Ave. / P.O. Box 1108
Hermiston, Oregon 97838
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Join Us
Join
On Our Journey
With Jesus.
Scripture, Tradition and Reason
Family service 9am Sunday
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
PH: 567-6672
We are an all inclusive Church
who welcomes all.
SUNDAYS
Morning Celebration - 10am
Morning Kids Place - 10am
Evening - 6pm
Adult - Study
Youth - Small Group
Kids - Rangers & Girl’s Ministries
THURSDAYS
Celebrate Recovery - 6pm
Celebration Place - Kids - 6pm
The Landing - Teens - 6pm
WEEKLY
Groups For All Ages
AN ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH
1911 SE Court Ave.
541.276.6417 • pendletonfi rst.com