The church's request for a variance was denied, but they can resubmit an application.

    Church leaders hope the city realizes the risks they face now, starting with a plague of frogs, expected this weekend...


https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/proposal-for-lds-temple-struck-down-in-fairview-20117137

Which would be more bothersome? A plague of frogs or a plague of Mormons?

Mormons

The irony of the Mormon holding the no to religious persecution sign, when they are threatening a town is not lost on me.

I a feeling that Russ is going to have to turn both the Colorado AND the Rio Grande to blood before Fairview gives in.

Google "Support for the LDS Temple in Fairview" change dot org
14000 members have signed.
EOD you can even watch members little videos there to support the temple.

Are these people signing actual local Fairview folks? I can just see them handing around a petitions at church to make sure everyone signs.

If Mormons get all their hive mobilized to meddle into other states, it doesn't seem fair to the locals. It's bad enough a local town has to fight all the money and resources available to the church international corporation.

Sheesh Mormons. Take a hint already!

>Are these people signing actual local Fairview folks?

Not a chance.

The population of Fairview was 10,372 in 2020 per US Census Bureau

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairview,_Texas

One comment reads
Molly
1 day ago
"The construction of such a temple would bring numerous advantages that could enhance our area's social, economic, and cultural landscape. 1. **Economic Boost**: The construction of an LDS temple involves significant investment in the local economy. This includes job creation for construction workers, architects, and engineers, as well as long-term employment opportunities for maintenance and operation staff. Additionally, the influx of visitors to the temple often leads to increased patronage of local businesses, such as restaurants, hotels, and retail stores, providing a sustained economic stimulus. 2. **Community Development**: LDS temples are known for their beautiful architecture and meticulously maintained grounds. These structures often become landmarks, contributing to the aesthetic appeal of the community. The presence of a temple can also encourage further development and improvement in surrounding areas, fostering a sense of pride and communal identity. 3. **Social and Cultural Benefits**: Temples serve as places of worship and gathering for members of the LDS Church, promoting values such as family unity, service, and community involvement. The presence of a temple can lead to increased charitable activities and volunteer efforts, as church members are often actively engaged in service projects that benefit the wider community. 4. **Interfaith and Cultural Exchange**: The LDS Church often engages in interfaith dialogue and community events that foster mutual respect and understanding. Having a temple in the area can facilitate greater cultural exchange and promote an inclusive atmosphere where diverse beliefs and traditions are respected and celebrated. 5. **Enhanced Property Values**: Communities with LDS temples have often experienced a rise in property values. The well-maintained grounds and increased desirability of the area contribute to this positive trend, making it a beneficial development for property owners. In summary, the addition of an LDS temple to our community would bring significant benefits, from economic growth and job creation to enhanced community spirit and cultural enrichment. I believe that this development would be a positive step forward for our area, providing opportunities for growth and fostering a stronger, more vibrant community."

I live in Texas and will not sign it incase anybody wonders. Nemo the Mormon has some fun videos about it on YouTube.

> Temples serve as places of worship
> and gathering for members of the
> LDS Church, promoting values such
> as family unity . . .

    ...as long as you have a temple recommend...

    From my perspective, the one value that a temple most exemplifies is "Pay to Play."

    As the Right Reverend Judic West has always parrotted, "No tickee, no washee!"

Every last one of these so-called benefits would accrue if the steeple were shorter.

    Yes, you can say with certainty that the blessings would still accrue, but they wouldn't be as tall!!

Isn't the size of the priesthood proportional to the size of the steeple?

I hope the residents of Fairview are successful in every step of this fight. They should be victorious.

They - and their zoning regulations - were there first. An accommodation to 68' has been made. Saying "no" to a behemoth, overly-lighted religious building to be placed on a small lot in a neighborhood of homes is well within their rights.

COJCOLDS threatening to sue them into submission is wrong.

There is no demonstrated necessity in having a spire that tall. None. In fact, a spire isn't even needed at all for two (or more) people to gather in His name, right?

"Religious bullying" indeed. I hope that Fairview can continue to stand up to the Mormon bullies.

Increased property values mean something very different for the actual homeowners.

The excellent folks in Salt Lake are all business developers. They see the world in terms of what they can suck out of it. For this group, increased property values are what it is all about. They live their whole lives based on returns on investments, and they see houses as just another commodity like soybean futures. Any sentimental or emotional interests are meaningless to them and are a distraction from the real goal of getting more money.

For the homeowners, their houses are the centers of their lives, and the selling price is irrelevant. They don't want money. They want security and stability in their lives. They want a place for roots. They want memories. The folks in Salt Lake just don't care.

Here's a question for the Q-15: how much money is enough?

Thank you.

It strikes me that outside of the Mormon heartland the church is selecting small and disorganized communities that lack the wherewithal to mount strong defenses.

Hence Fairview instead of Dallas.

A plague of lawyers is more likely.

    A flock of seagulls
    A murder of crows
    A festoon of lawyers
    etc.

The correct collective noun for seagulls is ‘colony’.

There is no agreed upon collective noun for lawyers, though ‘eloquence” and “disputation’ are pretty good. ‘Bar’ and ‘connivance’ are ok.

What's the collective noun for Mormons?

A gaggle of Mormons?

> What's the collective noun for Mormons?

Same as for crows.

Can someone tell me why the LDS church insists on that particular spot with that height/size?

I really don't understand. Fairview wasn't saying "You can't have your temple!" They said, "You're welcome to build one that's either shorter at that spot, or the size you like at another spot of the town." Why does the church insist on breaking their rules and try to sue them? What's so particular about that spot? And that size?

That reminds me of my kids when they were little throwing temper tantrums, "I want it! I want it! I want it!"

Am I missing something? Maybe there's something I didn't see?

It's what some people would call, "pick me" energy. The church wants to be noticed and to be dominant.

Church higher-ups built temples without steeples before (i.e. Paris, Cardston, Laie, and Mesa,) or with a relatively low steeple (i.e. Newport Beach at 90 ft.,) so it's not like they can't do it. They just don't want to where they don't have to. It's bullying behavior.

The church could build a temple on the lot as long as it meets existing building codes. This is about ego and not ordinances. Would a less tall temple be just as functional for the purpose? Yes. Look at the Dallas temple. It’s basically a roof on the ground. It’s a church with a big ego and the money to feed it. They want to be the big lit up dick in town.

I thought everyone knew that you're not supposed to mess with Texas.

"And it came to pass in the last days that the Church of Jesus did cause an army of lawyers to gird up their loins and go forth to fight battles for the church..."

Really? What would Jesus do?

"If the town of Fairview and its residents are somehow forced to accept this misplaced, gigantic building, thousands of folks from this area passing by that building every day will only see and remember the legacy of LDS arrogance,” he said. “I suspect that is not the legacy you want to leave.”-Fairview Resident.


"The legacy of LDS arrogance..." This poor person has no idea that Mormons have raised arrogant behaviour to the level of sport. After just my first few days at BYU as a nevermo years ago, "arrogant" was the one-word description that fit most of the Mormons I had met.

I grew up in Texas. Just got back from a 4 day trip in Houston. "The" church is getting increasingly aggressive and bullying in their McTemple building campaign. What they don't get, but soon will, is that people in small town Texas and other places the church is forcing their crap, are going to push back. They are out gunned by church lawyers, church bankroll and church PR garbage, but sooner or later, some Texans are going to have had enough, get pissed off and retaliate. Mormons will get hurt, or worse. Pretty soon, that temple will be empty due to mormons fearing to go there and identifying as mormons. ChurchCo can get away with it in Utah, because they run Utah. But other states aren't run by mormon politicians. Those neighbors will make them wish they forced their temples down someone else's throats.

    You're writing out/saying what most of us are thinking.

    There are no guardian angels who will protect, first, the building sites, and then, second, the actual temple structures...

    Kamikazee drones loaded with reddish-orange paint slamming high up into the sides of these sacred buildings...

    If a drone can lift a balloon full of paint, what else can it lift up to the roof of a temple?

    That will make 'radio jammers' part of the temple blueprints, but so what?  The church and its paid hirelings will always be a step behind the people they antagonize . . . especially outside of Utah.

    
    Hey, when's the Russia temple going to have its ground-breaking?  What?  They haven't even selected a site?  But it was announced in April of 2018!!!

    

Yep. I can prophesize better in Texas than "the" Prophet. People, that have grown up proud, honest and with grit are going to push back. Just not in court where they know they're outgunned. The payback will be ugly.

TBM after dealing with an angry mob

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9cHLoHou8uY

I'm frankly a bit surprised that one of those popular Texas-based evangelical TV preachers (think John Hagee or Kenny Copeland) hasn't picked up on this and begun fulminating against the mormons for picking on these small towns. That would really get the attention of Christian Nation and result in serious blowback against the church from the very people they're trying to curry favor with.

I rather like the idea of having a laser project messages onto the temple from a distance. The messages can be on the order of

F*** THE MORMON CHURCH
THE MORMONS ARE A CULT
TODAY'S NEW NAMES ARE [x] AND [y]
HEALTH IN THE NAVEL, MARROW IN THE BONES etc. etc.

and many others!

It's not vandalism, because it's only light and the structures aren't affected, and the local sheriffs can either look the other way or conduct "investigations" that take forever and go nowhere.

I honestly don't think the church cares one bit if there are actual member there. It is about parking their money in investments, especially any town that has growth potential.

Agreed.

But that makes the fights over steeple heights more curious still. In what sense is a real estate investment among angry neighbors better than a real estate investment among indifferent neighbors?

There is some irrational phallus envy at work here as well as financial strategy.

    I think it's them 'imposing their will' on those not blessed to be members of the one true church.

    What's the point of having power if you don't use it?











    (Amazingly, not one single personal slam at you!!  But just you wait, missy...)

Well that's a relief. I was feeling ignored!

I suppose the steeple thing is about the "appearance" of being a dominant religion like other religious buildings signify.
It also serves as a constant eyesore to remind everyone who has more power to get what they want.

I'm sure the church members think it attracts positive attention.

However IMO, it's more like the Seinfeld episode called The Chicken Roaster. In the show, a Kenny Rogers' Roasters sets up shop across the street from Jerry and Kramer's apartments. Unfortunately, their unusually large chicken sign causes problems for everybody.

I see that the Angel Moroni statue was struck by lightning this spring at the Star Valley WY. temple in Afton.

The bolt hit his backside.

Here's a link to the article about its replacement.

https://svinews.com/blog/2024/08/08/angel-moroni-statue-replaced-on-star-valley-lds-temple/

I visited Disney World back in the late 80s, and was underwhelmed. I've always loved amusement parks, and I thought that DW's rides were over-rated and weak. Space Mountain? Blegh. And as an adult, the entire Disney shtick wasn't working for me. I can see how a young child would love it, however. My favorite ride at the time was the old-fashioned "It's a Small World" with the amniatronics. I found it charming (I think it's since closed.)

A family could take what they spend on Disney and go pretty much wherever in the world they want to go. I can't see dropping thousands of dollars on an amusement park.

Preface: My thoughts are not intended to suggest that earlier church leaders were good and benevolent, but rather to speculate that the church perceived that bad PR was a black eye and was to be avoided.

I think the principal or church policy of "let's try to get along and be good neighbors" vanished after GBH finally passed away. And after the church inherited a mentally challenged president (Monson); the church began taking more risks and throwing a dementia suffering man under the bus when the public and members called out their abuse of power.

I think Nelson has figured out the church has enough money and power to fuck everyone over. Their Jesus brand will not compromise in any form. They don't care if their temple design breaks existing building/zoning codes. LDS Corp like Disney is absolute corporate power. They will get their way.

"I think Nelson has figured out the church has enough money and power to fuck everyone over. Their Jesus brand will not compromise in any form. They don't care if their temple design breaks existing building/zoning codes. LDS Corp like Disney is absolute corporate power. They will get their way."


Unfortunately, I think that you're right. They're at the point now where they're too big to be stopped, so "No more Mr. Nice Guy". They'll still spend 10's of millions each year (a pittance) on "Golly gee- we're awesome" Goody Two Shoes PR campaigns, appear to play nice in most cases, but will be openly ruthless in all things business. Australia and Canada know what's coming, and eyes them with suspicion, but America won't until it's too late.

+1 Finally realized the power of God pales in comparison to the power of money. Or, was there ever a difference?

EOD

https://www.fairviewunited.net/

I know you are not on tiktok but the Fairview temple has sparked a huge debate on tiktok. The lds church is being called "a bully". One person even said that she is an active LDS member and she suggests that the lds church builds another Paris temple like they did in France without a steeple.

    Thank you, Subeam.  You are correct, I am not on tiktoktoe; Gladys somehow got me banned...

EOD, my dear Subeam, was the business model for TikTok.

He proved to science and Chinese entrepreneurs that there are people who process the universe in ten-second intervals punctuated by jokes from red-headed women who speak Spanglish.

And no, having submitted the contract without remembering to sign it (see above regarding ten-second attention spans), he does not receive royalties for his work. More's the pity.








*Legal Disclaimer: No Lamanites were harmed in the creation of this post.

EOD is a model on his own no tiktok needed.

:-)

"The lds church is being called "a bully"."

They could bring back the whistling brigade.

One lady compared the size of the tempple to the size of the white house.

https://www.tiktok.com/@generallyunquotable/video/7403315242232565022?lang=en

It would take over 350 yellow school buses.