VOA标准英语2012--France's First Mormon Temple Sparks Controversy

France's First Mormon Temple Sparks Controversy¹

Until recently, Chesnay was mostly known because of its proximity² to Versailles, the dazzling 18th-century palace that was home to French "Sun King" Louis XIV. But today, this small town west of Paris is making news because of another monument, a 7,000-square-meter Mormon temple, expected to be built here in the next few years.
From his office window, Chesnay Mayor Philippe Brillault points to an abandoned, asbestos-filled energy plant. This is the property the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has acquired for its temple. Further away, the spire³ of the Versailles palace church sparkles in the sun.
Brillault admits he was not thrilled to receive the church's request to acquire the property. He says the Mormons have a negative image in predominately Catholic France, even if they may not deserve it. Brillault says he granted the building permit after an investigation⁴ he commissioned found no reason to refuse it.
With 36,000 members, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in France is among the oldest and largest of Mormon churches in Europe. Missionaries⁵ arrived from the United States in the 1850s.
But only recently have ordinary French become aware of the Mormon faith, partly through media reports about U.S. presidential candidate Mitt⁶ Romney, who spent time in France as a young Mormon missionary⁷. And partly because of the controversy surrounding the Chesnay temple.
Political analyst⁸ Michelle Bacharan says that unlike the United States, French history has shaped a public deeply wary⁹ of any religion invading public space.
"Mormon temples tend to be really big, you can not miss them. You can have some architectural disagreements with that and some people in a particular town may not like it. And only real Mormons can attend ceremonies in temples, so that can create suspicion of what is going on there," Bacharan said.
Today, France's Mormon community gathers in ordinary churches, like one in the neighboring town of Versailles. But church spokesman Christian¹⁰ Euvrard says there are special services that can only take place in temples.
"A temple is a place for communion. It is a place for spiritual retreat. It is a place where families will come once or twice a year," Euvrard said.
For now, Mormons like 40-year-old American Darla Pape, who attends the Versailles church with her family, must travel to Britain or Germany to go to temple.
"For us, going to the temple is a wonderful experience ... so I think that for church members in France to have a temple close that they could go to more regularly, they will see many blessings¹¹ in their lives from that regular attendance," Pape said.
But opposition¹² to the temple project is growing. An Internet petition circulated by a Chesnay group has gathered 6,000 signatures, although Mayor Brillault says most are not local residents. The mayor's opponents criticize the project, mostly it appears, for political reasons.
Others, like Marie Drilhon, local chapter head of UNADFI, a group fighting religious extremism, view the Mormon faith with skepticism.
Drilhon says the Mormon church demands a lot from its members, both financially and spiritually. It uses marketing¹³ methods to proselytize¹⁴, which Europeans are not used to. And she doubts the temple will benefit the local community.
But Michelle, another local resident, has no objections to a Mormon temple in Chesnay.
Michelle says she has visited Salt Lake City in Utah, the headquarters of the Latter-day Saints, and she knows about the religion.
Church spokesman Euvrard says the Chesnay temple will allow other French to discover his faith.
"For us, it is a great opportunity to explain who we are, to introduce ourselves and to say 'yes,' we have been here for a long time, we are here and we are very present in society," Euvrard said.
Euvrard says the temple project includes gardens that will be open to the public. With time and greater awareness¹⁵, he believes, French fears about the Mormons will disappear.

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

3 spire   

n.(教堂)尖顶，尖塔，高点

参考例句：

• The church spire was struck by lightning.教堂的尖顶遭到了雷击。
• They could just make out the spire of the church in the distance.他们只能辨认出远处教堂的尖塔。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 missionaries   

n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时，从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

7 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

10 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

11 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

13 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

14 proselytize   

v.改变宗教

参考例句：

• I assured him we didn't come here to proselytize.我向他保证我们并不是来改变他的信仰的。
• Christians were arrested for trying to convert people,to proselytise them.基督徒因为试图改变他人信仰而被捕。

15 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。