Richard Dawkins, the world-famous author of The God Delusion, has criticized GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his Mormon faith, calling him a "massively gullible fool" for belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"No matter how much you agree with Romney's economic policy, can you really vote for such a massively gullible fool? He is a Mormon Bishop!" Dawkins said during a series of Twitter messages on Sept. 9, as he attacked several past and present tenants of the LDS Church.

The atheist professor's outburst was seemingly prompted by an interview he did for a Swedish television show alongside Brandon Flowers, the frontman of the band The Killers and a prominent Mormon, the Telegraph revealed. more >>

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in America is reportedly bringing in $7 billion a year from donations alone, an analysis into the church's finances has revealed,. The analysis also reveals that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is one of the top donors.

The Latter-day Saints church owns about $35 billion worth of temples and meeting houses around the world, according to Reuters. However, because the Mormon Church owns farms, ranches, shopping malls and other commercial ventures, its exact fortune is difficult to estimate precisely on a global scale.

The research was conducted by University of Tampa sociologist Ryan Cragun and Reuters, and used data from church records in countries that provide more transparency than the Mormon branch in the United States. more >>

The Utah State Board of Education voted last week to end its relationship with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), one of two companies that provide testing services based upon the U.S. Department of Education's "Common Core State Standards Initiative" (CCSSI). The action was the result of grassroots activism in the state to bring attention to federal government efforts to enforce national standards for K-12 education. There are currently grassroots activists in at least eight other states raising similar concerns.

Board members who voted in favor of withdrawing from the SBAC said the relationship created a conflict of interest as they consider all the assessment options for their state. Utah will soon request proposals from other companies wishing to work with Utah to provide testing services.

The final vote was 12-3 in favor of withdrawing from SBAC. A similar vote in February failed on a 4-10 vote. Eight of the 12 board members had switched their vote to pass the measure. more >>

One of the biggest Christian rock shows in recent times is set for May 3 at the Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah, and will be headlined by multi-platinum-selling Christian rock band Third Day, while the opening act will be Catholic singer-songwriter Matt Maher.

Maher, who is a Dove Awards nominee and winner, expressed to the Salt Lake Tribune that the rock concert is set to attract a large crowd of Mormons, as the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is found in Utah.

"I would love it if [Abravanel Hall] was filled with Mormons, so we can worship together," Maher explained, noting that he writes songs that he hopes will appeal to all Christians. He said that the upcoming performance is aiming to inspire and comfort listeners, but both he and Third Day want to encourage the feeling of inclusiveness for all. more >>

Gabrielle "Elle" Devenish, a 30-year-old single Christian woman, was told by doctors that she has 6 months to a year to live.

"My heart, lungs, bones and muscles have all deteriorated beyond repair, according to doctors. My white blood cell count continues to match that of a last-stage chemo patient and my electrolytes are always on the edge."

For Elle's full Bio, click here. more >>

Gabrielle "Elle" Devenish, a 30-year-old single Christian woman, was told by doctors that she has 6 months to a year to live.

"My heart, lungs, bones and muscles have all deteriorated beyond repair, according to doctors. My white blood cell count continues to match that of a last-stage chemo patient and my electrolytes are always on the edge."

For Elle's full Bio, click here. more >>