{"id":62198,"date":"2018-06-22T17:13:40","date_gmt":"2018-06-22T23:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=62198"},"modified":"2018-09-05T09:53:30","modified_gmt":"2018-09-05T15:53:30","slug":"as-loneliness-rises-among-americans-experts-warn-its-making-many-sick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/06\/as-loneliness-rises-among-americans-experts-warn-its-making-many-sick.html","title":{"rendered":"“As Loneliness Rises Among Americans, Experts Warn It\u2019s Making Many Sick”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

An image for \"loneliness:<\/a>
Is this really progress? Is it really healthy? \u00a0 \u00a0(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

From the inimitable Stephen Smoot:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cZelph on the Shelf Just Accidentally Proved that Mormon Stories is a Cult\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The latest incarnation of the biweekly Hamblin\/Peterson column has now appeared in the Deseret News<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDeification in the \u2018Conference of the Birds'\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

You can now watch a presentation that was given\u00a0on Mesoamerican ecology and cosmology in the Book of Mormon by Dr. Mark Wright at the Book of Mormon Central 2018 Conference:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the Fields and in the Forests\u201d (BMCC 2018)<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The actor Chris Pratt was pretty reckless the other day. \u00a0I wonder whether his career will survive:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWatch Chris Pratt\u2019s MTV speech on God\u2019s love, learning to pray\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m happy to hear this:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally! A new Mormon hymnal, designed for a global church\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not a very pleasant story:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cUtah couple says foster agency denied them due to their Mormon\u00a0faith\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The agency, the\u00a0Ukrainian Resource Center<\/a>, is a Christian organization \u2014 I assume that that means an Evangelical Protestant organization \u2014 based in Virginia.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

They are, of course, within their rights to bar members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a> from helping the Ukrainian orphans whom they\u2019re trying to assist. \u00a0But that doesn\u2019t mean that they\u2019re beyond criticism.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Feel free, if you\u2019re so inclined, to contact them. \u00a0(I may write them a note myself.) \u00a0Please, though, if you do so, be kind and . . . well, Christian<\/em> about it. \u00a0Their contact information is available here:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.ukrainianresourcecenter.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I would suggest emphasizing to them our belief in the deity, atonement, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that his is the only name through which salvation is possible. \u00a0In other words, point out to them that they are fundamentally wrong in declaring us to be non-Christians.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

A kind reader called my attention to the following item:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Loneliness Rises Among Americans, Experts Warn It\u2019s Making Many\u00a0Sick\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I find this information striking and significant. \u00a0Many studies have noted the rise of the religious \u201cnones,\u201d particularly among younger people. \u00a0Is it likely that the recent notable surge in religious disaffiliation is completely unrelated to the rise in loneliness described in the link just above?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I very much doubt it. \u00a0And, even apart from my personal spiritual beliefs, I don\u2019t think that an increase in atomistic individualism is something to be celebrated. \u00a0It seems, in fact, to be profoundly unhealthy. \u00a0And virtual relationships via social media don\u2019t come anywhere near compensating for the harm done.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Others have pointed out that it\u2019s not only religious affiliation that\u2019s declining, especially with the younger generation. \u00a0Service organizations in general (e.g., Kiwanis, Rotary, the Lions Club) are on the decline<\/a>, fraternal organizations such as the Masons<\/a> are shrinking, and, for that matter,\u00a0the U.S. volunteer rate is at its lowest level in years<\/a>. \u00a0And the American marriage rate is substantially lower<\/a> than it was within recent decades.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

To say that this trend is socially healthy seems to me to fly in the face of the evidence.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mark your calendars!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The twentieth annual FairMormon conference<\/a> will be held 1-3 August 2018, in Provo, Utah.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s an early warning: \u00a0There will almost certainly be a public event on the evening of 21 September 2018 to celebrate the publication of two new (and exceptionally important) books in Royal Skousen\u2019s epochal Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, on\u00a0The Nature of the Original Language.<\/em> \u00a0Don\u2019t miss this!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 From the inimitable Stephen Smoot: \u00a0 \u201cZelph on the Shelf Just Accidentally Proved that Mormon Stories is a Cult\u201d \u00a0 *** \u00a0 The latest incarnation of the biweekly Hamblin\/Peterson column has now appeared in the Deseret News: \u00a0 \u201cDeification in the \u2018Conference of the Birds’\u201d \u00a0 *** \u00a0 You can now watch a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n"As Loneliness Rises Among Americans, Experts Warn It\u2019s Making Many Sick"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    From the inimitable Stephen Smoot:   "Zelph on the Shelf Just Accidentally Proved that Mormon Stories is a Cult"   ***   The\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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