Cody, Wyoming's christians and mormons at odds over 'McTemple'

Update: McTemple off again.

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Update.

Cody’s controversial Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple project was finally approved on Tuesday after four city Planning and Zoning meetings to consider it. At the last meeting, church representatives said they could turn off the tower lights from 1 a.m. until 5 a.m., but at the August meeting, church officials suggested they could turn off the tower lights from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. each day, and might reduce the tower height from 100 feet to 85 feet. [Wyoming Public Radio]

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Reading through newspaper websites serving the Mountain West every morning often leaves this blogger shaking his head over stuff found among the electrons. 

Back in 2015 the Casper Star-Tribune covered a meeting of the Cody, Wyoming school board where teabaggers were resisting teaching truths to American students.

That agenda, they say, includes discussion of global warming and a disproportionate focus on the stories of minorities. Aligned to the controversial Common Core State Standards, the readings cover a variety of subjects including global warming, evolution and race. Material for high school students also focuses on British, American and contemporary literature. Many opponents of the readings, such as trustee William Struemke, are active in the local Tea Party. Struemke said the materials presented "a very liberal, very slanted view of the world." He complained that stories within the texts are disproportionately about minority groups and that he would like to see more "white leaders" included. [Complaints about global warming, race stall Cody school board]

The Cody Enterprise covered the story, too.

Little has changed.

Cody's evangelical christians and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are quarreling over the erection of a temple. One respondent to a Cody Enterprise story quipped, "they're called McTemples. The only thing missing is a sign out front saying 'Billions Extorted.'" 

But seriously, what is the LDS church if not a white supremacist cult? Mormons are, of course, not christians at all so it's been front page news at the Cody Enterprise for months.

The Preserve Our Cody Neighborhoods Group, which opposes constructing a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple off Skyline Drive, has asked to “intervene” in the church’s lawsuit to ensure its interests will be represented throughout the proceedings. The motion was filed by the group’s attorney, Debra Wendtland of Sheridan. The LDS Church sued the city planning and zoning board on a voting technicality, arguing that when the board voted 3-2 in favor of the site plan at its June 15 meeting, the site plan passed rather than failed. [Cody Enterprise]

The brouhaha has spilled over into neighboring Powell.

There is no reason we cannot agree with each other on the things that concern some of you and us. If you just don’t like us, I am very sorry. If this is the case, I would like to meet you personally so we can become friends, like three of my many Cody friends, Mac Taggart, Glenn Nielson and Sen. Alan Simpson, and in Powell, Dick Jones and Keith Bloom. Please, let us get together, without a large crowd, settle our questions and continue on in peace, harmony and unity. We want to please the people of Cody so they will be happy for us to come join them in the temple, shop or whatever. 

Thank you, 

S. Mads Cottrell,  Powell, Past Stake President of the Cody Wyoming LDS Stake (1983-93)

Pastor Shane Legler at Garland Community Church of God wonders why religionists can't all get along.

Two appeals are pending in Park County District Court. 

LDS is not so much a religion as it is a social contract: probably why there is so much suspicion from Calvinists. Just seems like another pyramid scheme exacting pounds of flesh while employing tax-exempt status to me.