http://www.sltrib.com/lifestyle/faith/4117215-155/lds-church-rolls-out-meet-the?fullpage=1

This should be interesting:

http://m.deseretnews.com/article/865657882/More-Mormons-to-meet-LDS-Church-to-release-second-Meet-the-Mormons-film.html?pg=all?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.uk%2F

I liked the first one.

True to their natures, I’m afraid, some particularly cynical critics of Mormonism predicted that the Church would never give a dime to the American Red Cross, notwithstanding its public statements that it would do so.

But, of course, it’s now given the money, just as no normal, reasonable person ever doubted that it would:

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-gives-meet-the-mormons-proceeds-to-the-american-red-cross

Those critics were saying much more about themselves than they were ever saying about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I try, usually quite successfully, to avoid politics on the Sabbath.  This item, however, which was brought to my notice by Steve Oscarson, is so appalling to me that I feel that I have to speak up now:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/meet-the-alt-right-mormons-inside-the-churchs-vocal-white?utm_term=.vpKOyBYP4#.gwdxvqNmV

Besides, it seems to me to go far beyond politics, and certainly far beyond partisan politics.  I cannot begin to express how repulsive I find it.  I’m ashamed that such an article could even be written.

Here are a couple of relevant thoughts on this topic from authoritative Latter-day Saint sources:

“He inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.”  (2 Nephi 26:33)

Miguel Adriano, of Lisbon, Portugal, reminds us of a 2006 declaration from the late Gordon B. Hinckley, who was serving at the time as the much-beloved president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He was speaking in a priesthood session of General Conference:

Racial strife still lifts its ugly head. I am advised that even right here among us there is some of this. I cannot understand how it can be. It seemed to me that we all rejoiced in the 1978 revelation given President Kimball. I was there in the temple at the time that that happened. There was no doubt in my mind or in the minds of my associates that what was revealed was the mind and the will of the Lord.

Now I am told that racial slurs and denigrating remarks are sometimes heard among us. I remind you that no man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ. Nor can he consider himself to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ. How can any man holding the Melchizedek Priesthood arrogantly assume that he is eligible for the priesthood whereas another who lives a righteous life but whose skin is of a different color is ineligible?

Throughout my service as a member of the First Presidency, I have recognized and spoken a number of times on the diversity we see in our society. It is all about us, and we must make an effort to accommodate that diversity.

Let us all recognize that each of us is a son or daughter of our Father in Heaven, who loves all of His children.

Brethren, there is no basis for racial hatred among the priesthood of this Church. If any within the sound of my voice is inclined to indulge in this, then let him go before the Lord and ask for forgiveness and be no more involved in such.

Some additional background information on the sudden crisis in the century-old relationship between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Boy Scouts of America:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/29/us/catholic-panel-urges-churches-to-continue-sponsoring-scout-troops.html?_r=0

I’m sad to see this happen, but it may be unavoidable.

Posted from Victoria, British Columbia

Partially quoted this evening by Sister Joy D. Jones in the General Women’s Session of the October 2017 General Conference:

“Never try to destroy a man. It is our mission to save the people, not to destroy them. The least, the most inferior spirit now upon the earth, in our capacity, is worth worlds.”  (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 9:124)

Wonderful, that.

***

For those who might care and who might be in the vicinity, I’ll be speaking tomorrow night — Sunday night, 24 September 2017 — to a singles fireside.  My topic will be “Mormons and Muslims.”  The fireside will begin at 7:00 PM, at 828 West 1600 North, Orem, UT.

***

We may be approaching the Christmas season — only 93 shopping days till Xmas! — but we’ve most definitely already entered the silly season:

“Australian Retail Giant Removes Mention of Christmas from Christmas Trees”

***

Another fragment for an autobiography:

I came across the work of Hugh Nibley when I was in high school, and I devoured what I could find of it.  I first saw him in person when he came down and spoke at a BYU Education Week event in Covina (or maybe West Covina), California.  That entire Education Week was a life-changing experience for me.  The faculty was impressive:  It included not only Hugh Nibley but, if I’m not mistaken, Daniel Ludlow; the musical trio The Three Ds, who performed historic Mormon folksongs and the like, accompanied by dramatic narration; Robert J. Matthews; Elder Bruce R. McConkie (one of the seven presidents of the Seventy, at that time), and (another pivotal influence for me) Truman G. Madsen.

My attendance for those four days provided my first real glimpse of a serious Latter-day Saint intellectual life.  I decided — I’m not sure that the thought had ever crossed my mind before — that, when the time came, I would include BYU among my college applications.

And it was after arriving at BYU as a freshman that I first actually met and spoke with Hugh Nibley.

A friend down in the Los Angeles area, a former Aaronic Priesthood advisor, wanted me to ask Nibley a question.  (I can no longer recall what it was.)  So I went to his office in the old Joseph Smith Building.  I was nervous and intimidated.  I paced back and forth in front of his door, trying to muster the courage to knock.  (If I recall correctly, he had a sign on the door reading something like “Leave me alone!”)

Finally, I rapped on his door and he opened it remarkably quickly and suddenly, but only partially.  “Yes?” he asked, peering at me.

I stuttered out some sort of request to ask him a question, and he told me to come in.  It seemed that there was only a single chair in his rather large and long office.  Anyway, I never sat down.  I stood there, feeling rather uncomfortable, afraid to knock over any of the scores of little stacks of index cards that were all around me and all over the floor.  “Yes?  Yes?” he kept asking me.  That didn’t make any less nervous.

I can’t even recall what he said.  He wasn’t at all unpleasant, but I was feeling really awkward.

It never would have entered my mind that I would someday feel very comfortable with him and be regarded by him as something of a colleague and, even, as a writer and editor worth his time to read.  I’m eliding a number of experiences here, but one of the opportunities that I treasure is the opportunity that I had, in company with Jack Welch, to give him a priesthood blessing in his home when he was quite ill, not long before he died.  I couldn’t have seen that coming, back when I was a very intimidated seventeen-year-old BYU freshman.

My friend Dr. Bahman Baktiari has called my attention to this editorial in the Salt Lake Tribune:

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/5368991-155/a-common-refuge

I wholeheartedly endorse it.

Posted from Richmond, Virginia

Waiting on the corner of Westwood Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard near the Los Angeles California Temple a few years ago, I was surprised to see that the bus bench by which I was standing bore an advertisement in Persian (aka Farsi) for a local dentist.  But not too surprised.  Because of its very large population of Iranian emigres, the city is sometimes called Tehrangeles.

Quite a number of years ago, I spoke in a ward in Toronto, Canada, where there is also an exceptionally large number of Iranian expatriates.  After sacrament meeting the ward’s Iranian-born mission leader asked me to join him for his investigator class, which consisted of something on the order of twenty Iranians.

Interesting things are happening.

http://www.sltrib.com/blogs/4910620-155/trumps-refugee-order-could-hurt-a

We’re a small group there, with the problems that might be expected from being a small group scattered over a large area.  But we’re there:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-38314831

National Review:  “Mike Pence Comes to Utah. (Yes, Utah.)”

OPB:  “4 Reasons Mormons Are More Skeptical Of Trump Than Other Religious Conservatives”

Washington Post:  “Why Donald Trump could lose red Utah: Mormon America has found another candidate”

Charlie Rose:  “Glenn Beck calls Trump a sociopath”

Newsweek:  “Tim Kaine recounts missionary work to court Mormon vote”

National Review:  “McMullin Scenario a Last-Ditch Hope for Dismayed Voters”

World Religion News:  “Meet the Mormon Candidate Set to Give Trump a Run for His Money”