Samoan language ban by church in Brisbane reaches PM

[_The Mormon Report]

For your consideration:

Samoan language ban by church in Brisbane reaches PM | Talamua.com

[_Bazooka]

APIA: TUESDAY 6 AUGUST 2013: A ban of Samoan by a church in Brisbane, Australia, has reached the Prime Minister.

Leulua’iali’i Olinda Woodroffe lawyer for the Samoan members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints – or Mormons – in Brisbane Australia has met Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi twice over the matter.

She will continue to discuss the matter with the Prime Minister, Leulua’iali’i said.

The Mormon Church in Brisbane has banned its Samoan members from reading the Bible in Samoan, sing or pray in the language.

“It is discrimination of a highest level and a violation of our human rights,” Leulua’iali’i said.

“I believe the Mormon Church in Brisbane have trampled on our human rights,” she said.

The lawyer believes Samoan is a “God given right – (a) right to a very special language for us to practice culture and live by.”

“How dare anybody want to take this away from us?”

The New Zealand-based lawyer came to represent the upset Mormon Samoans in Brisbane members after the church had taken the dispute to the Federal Court.

A court decision is awaited.

WTF?

Is this a spoof?

Oh God, it's worth than I thought....

According to Leulua’iali’i, the church believes that Samoan parents living in Brisbane are forcing their children to learn Samoan against their will.

“This is very wrong information because several children made testimonials that although born and raised in Australia and New Zealand, the Samoan language is very important to them,” she said.

The testimonials, which the presiding Judge stopped, were taken before she took the case, she said.

The lawyer said she asked the church lawyers to mediate rather than take court action but was rejected.

“I have been banned from speaking about the issue in New Zealand,” said Leulua’iali’i.

[_futuremissionary]

Something doesn't seem right here. Why on earth would the Church do this? I'm seeing a lot of quotes from this lawyer, but nothing from the LDS point of view. The article is poorly written enough that I wasn't sure whether or not it was a joke.

[Guest]

Something doesn't seem right here. Why on earth would the Church do this? I'm seeing a lot of quotes from this lawyer, but nothing from the LDS point of view. The article is poorly written enough that I wasn't sure whether or not it was a joke.

I still leave room for this to be a spoof.
Or at least very badly misrepresented,

[_TrashcanMan79]

The Church's PR rep denies allegations: http://www.talamua.com/brisbane-ban-on-samoan-untrue-local-mormon-official-says/

“There is no policy in our church to ban any language from services,” said Tupuola George Hunter, Public Relations Officer of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints or Mormons in Samoa.

Their head office in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, makes policy decisions and no language ban in services has been issued, Tupuola said.

He doesn’t believe lawyer Leulua’iali’i Olinda Woodroffe who told reporters that Mormons in Brisbane have banned the reading of the Samoan Bible or the use of Samoan in hymns and prayers.

Leulua’iali’i said she has been hired by Samoan Mormons in Brisbane to represent them in the matter.

“What she said on TV is wrong,” said Tupuola.

“I suspect that perhaps a Samoan stake mission was closed and it’s members have joined a palagi mission,” he said.

It has been a past practice of the church to close one stake mission in order to develop the others.

“Samoan community stake missions are very active and more functional than palagi missions, Tupuola said.

He is unaware the language issue has reached the Federal Court in Australia as Leulua’iali’i stated.

Several elderly Mormons were surprised to hear of events in Brisbane.

Sister Beth said if a mission is closed, it could only be that it has practiced things that are not in line with the Church’s teachings and principles.

“Banning language is not a church practice,” she said.

Tupuola is looking into the situation further.