church

ABC News Reports on Mormons & Temples

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A few days ago ABC News did about a 9 minute TV report on Mormons, interviewing Elders M. Russell Ballard and Quentin L. Cook, and discussing issues such as polygamy, Prop 8, and also paying particular interest in the temple.  See the video below.  With the Draper Temple open house running from January 15 through March 14, ABC News reporter Dan Harris and other reporters were invited to tour the new temple with the apostles and ask questions.

How do you think ABC did in accurately portraying the Church and our beliefs?  In explaining the temple?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Click here to watch the ABC News report

Living the Law of Consecration – Part 2: The Law & The United Order

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(Continued from Part 1)

One of the common misconceptions concerning the law of consecration is that it is often conflated with the United Order.  When we think that these two are one and the same thing we run into difficulties understanding them.  When we don’t properly understand the law, we can’t live it.  When we don’t properly understand the United Order, we can’t learn from it.  The law of consecration is not the United Order.  The United Order was an economic and administrative method of living the law of consecration, but even as such is commonly misunderstood and blended with the law of consecration.  President Benson explained:  [Read more…]

Elder Maxwell Comments on Proposition 8… 30 Years Ago

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I came across a talk today by Elder Neal A. Maxwell which he gave at a BYU devotional on October 10, 1978, entitled “Meeting the Challenges of Today.”  Some of the things he said are especially relevant “today,” particularly in the midst of all the turmoil over Proposition 8.  Here is some of his talk:

Discipleship includes good citizenship; and in this connection, if you are careful students of the statements of the modern prophets, you will have noticed that with rare exceptions–especially when the First Presidency has spoken out–the concerns expressed have been over moral issues, not issues between political parties. The declarations are about principles, not people, and causes, not candidates. On occasions, at other levels in the Church, a few have not been so discreet, so wise, or so inspired.

But make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters; in the months and years ahead, events will require of each member that he or she decide whether or not he or she will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions (see 1 Kings 18:21).

President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had “never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional, or political life” (CR, April 1941, p. 123). This is a hard doctrine, but it is a particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. [Read more…]

“Latter-day Saints and the Environment” Survey

A couple months ago I was approached by Brandon, author of the blog Latter-day Sustainability, with a proposal to team-up on administering an informal survey about the environment to Latter-day Saints and those familiar with Latter-day Saint teachings.  The goal and objective was to learn more about Latter-day Saint members’ views on the environment, including how the LDS Church informs those views.  I thought it was an interesting project, and so I agreed.  Peter, a member of the LDS Earth Stewardship group, also joined our team.

Over the last couple months we have been engaged in compiling, editing, and reviewing a survey to be taken by anyone who is familiar with the LDS Church or its teachings.  We split up the task of producing questions, and of editing them.  We also each sent out a test survey to several people to get their feedback.  We believe we’ve come up with a good survey which will help us gather good data on LDS views on the environment.  There was no cost to us in administering this survey.

The survey will be open until November 15th.  Comments are intentionally closed to help prevent discussion before taking the survey.  Please feel free to share the link of the survey with your family and friends, or anyone who is familiar with LDS teachings.  After the survey closes we will analyze the results and post those we find most interesting for discussion.  Results will also be available to anyone with a reasonable request.  More information is available on the introduction page of the survey.  To contact the administrators with questions or comments about the survey, please email ldssurvey at gmail dot com.

To take the survey, please click the following link:
http://tinyurl.com/environmentsurvey

16th Century Sculpture of the Marriage of Adam and Eve

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The Garden of Eden or Love by Guillielmus Paludanus. 1567. Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels.

The Garden of Eden or Love by Guillielmus Paludanus. 1567. Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels. (click image for a larger view)

Just a couple days ago I came across a sculpture that caught my attention.  Although unsigned and undated, it is widely believed that it was created by the Flemish sculptor and medallist Guillielmus Paludanus in 1567 as part of a chimney mantelpiece at his home in Antwerp, Belgium.  It is described as espousing the virtue of love:

In the centre of the elongated relief stands God the Father, dressed in a long robe, between Adam and Eve. He is blessing the naked human pair and placing their hands together. The scene takes place in the garden of Eden. . . This scene is a prefiguration of the sacrament of marriage. Not only the hieratic gesture of the God the Father, and Adam and Eve’s joined hands [known in antiquity as the dexiosis or dextrarum iunctio], but also the depiction of the paradise animals, two by two, refer to the God-willed lifelong community between husband and wife. (Web Gallery of Art)

I think this is a beautiful depiction of the first marriage, between Adam and Eve, as solemnized by God the Father.  It recalls the moment in the Garden when it was said, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Gen. 2:24; see also Gen. 3:12).

As it was in the beginning, so it continues today, that marriage is between a man and a woman.  It was divinely ordained so by God, for “neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:11).  It cannot be defined otherwise without serious repercussions on our society as a whole, and on our families and religious freedoms.  For that reason, I am in support of traditional marriage, particularly Proposition 8 in California (see my sidebar).  Watch apostles Elder Ballard and Elder Cook discuss the issue, or apostle Elder Bednar answer questions on the Proposition.  Hear people discuss their reasoning of support for the initiative.  Or check out the Church’s new website in support of Proposition 8 – PreservingMarriage.org.  Read the Church’s explanation for why this is important, and the First Presidency’s letter asking members to support this amendment in California.

Now is the time to make a difference by supporting marriage only between a man and a woman.  Vote yes on Proposition 8!  Visit ProtectMarriage.com for more information on how you can support this cause.