Times are hard for LDS stars

Case point #1:


Case point #2 (yes, i had a little fun with photoshop):

Actor in several LDS comedies arrested

July 14th, 2008 @ 4:54pm

By Sam Penrod

He's had a leading role in several LDS comedies, but he spent this weekend in jail on theft charges.

Michael Birkeland was arrested on Friday after police say he stole a computer from Utah Valley University. The man, who is used to being in front of the camera, was actually caught because of a camera built in the computer.

The computer was stolen in April, and police have been trying to catch up with the suspect since then. They did on Friday and arrested him on charges of felony theft.

From "The Singles Ward," to "The Home Teachers" and "Church Ball", Michael Birkeland has become a familiar face to moviegoers in Utah in these LDS comedies.

But his face was also familiar to an art instructor at Utah Valley University. The instructor's computer disappeared after class on April 3, a class that Birkeland was visiting.

Two days later, the victim logged onto Skype and, thanks to the built in camera in his MacBook Pro computer, he could see exactly who was using his stolen computer over the Internet.

The instructor contacted Birkeland online and also by phone, asking for the computer back, which is valued at $2,128.

Court documents state that Birkeland then covered up the camera on the computer to conceal his identity.

Instead of directly returning the computer, police say he dropped it off at the gift shop at Thanksgiving Point.

Investigators have been looking for Birkeland ever since and found him on Friday. He was arrested and booked into jail on charges of felony theft and was there until he had a bail hearing this morning.

Birkeland's bail was set at $3,000, and he posted bond this afternoon. He will be back in court next Monday.

{Source: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3763763}

interesting quote...

“I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken that influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way. Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not.” (Journal of Discourses, 9:150 [quoted by James E. Faust, “Continuous Revelation,” Ensign, Nov 1989, 8].)

- Brigham Young

Harry Reid said it...

It is not uncommon for members of the Church to ask how I can be a Mormon and a Democrat. Some say my party affiliation puts me in the minority of our Church members. But my answer is that if you look at the Church membership over the years, Democrats have not always been the minority, and I believe we won't be for long. I also say that my faith and political beliefs are deeply intertwined. I am a Democrat because I am a Mormon, not in spite of it.

- Harry Reid

I've been reading a lot of interesting blogs on Mormonism today. It feels great to know that there are other Mormons out there who, strangely, feel and think very similarly to me. My relationship with the LDS church has grown and developed throughout the last six years or so. Although at times I question my faith, I feel that my membership has been a great blessing to my life. Much of my time now is spent reconciling my ideas with popular ideas in Mormon culture. I rarely agree with mainstream conceptions of Mormonism. My testimony (conviction) of Mormon teachings is highly personal to me. At times it can be difficult to articulate why I feel like my not-so-mainstream testimony has been responsible for the retention of my faith. Here are some sites that I have enjoyed reading:

http://withinthebubble.blogspot.com
http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/
http://www.mormonblogs.org/
http://www.mormonapologetics.com
http://www.fairlds.org/

Additionally, I found the following article, written by my grandfather's friend, incredibly helpful also:
http://www.signaturebookslibrary.org/history/chapter1.htm#church