Have I made any effort to “Light the World”? Have you?

Just in case you haven’t already heard the story, here’s an item from the Daily Mail, in the United Kingdom:

“‘Everyone will die’: Blood-soaked man is arrested for stabbing four during Sunday service at LDS church in Brazil”

Not a pleasant event, obviously.  But the news items in this blog entry will get better.  To some extent, anyway.

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Some traditional attitudes among conservative Protestants have been eroding at the very time that the justification for holding them has been growing stronger:

“Have most Protestants in the United States gone soft on drinking alcohol?”

In the meantime, however, the position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on this matter is looking better and better.  In case you missed the news from the end of the summer, I offer a couple of links:

“It’s time to rethink how much booze may be too much: Researchers are changing how they study the risks of alcohol — and it’s making drinking look worse.”

“The ‘safest level of drinking is none,’ says alcohol study: A comprehensive worldwide study of alcohol use and its impact on health concludes that the safest level of consumption is zero.”

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I don’t much care for this defense, but it’s undeniably interesting:

“Is religion better than atheism as a coping mechanism?  Unthinkable: Secular philosophies ‘lack the melodrama of religion’, says Stephen Asma”

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Sigh.  This is the same sort of tiresome, one-sided bilge that I occasionally read about the horrors of life within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

“‘Deconstructing My Religion’ at CBS: Another tiresome diatribe on sex and evangelicals”

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Some of you might find this of interest:

“Injured Latter-day Saint Wins 8 Medals at Invictus Games, Receives Personal Congratulations from Prince Harry”

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Also from England:

“#LightTheWorld ‘GIVING MACHINES’ Open in London During Christmas Season”

“Apostle Gives Copies of the Book of Mormon at United Kingdom Parliament”

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From Cairns, Australia, where my wife and I recently spent some time:

“Cairns ‘Lights the World'”

And from the Queen’s possessions to the north of me:

“Billboards Across Canada Promote ‘Light the World’ Initiative”

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Moreover, in that same vein:

“#LightTheWorld Christmas Initiative Launches in Fiji”

“Fiji Sun: ‘Light Someone’s World Today, Fijians Urged'”

“American Samoan Latter-day Saints #LightTheWorld”

“VIDEO: Church Leader Launches #LightTheWorld in Vanuatu on National Television: ‘Every time we care more about other people than ourselves, we express our love to our Saviour'”