tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58114757371671232122024-03-13T03:04:59.071-07:00Welcoming the Other"I become a responsible or ethical 'I' to the extent that I agree to depose or dethrone myself—to abdicate my position of centrality—in favor of the vulnerable other." (Emmanuel Levinas)Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-91972278342449565372020-10-30T17:39:00.005-07:002020-10-31T06:57:03.442-07:00Election 2020!: My response to "Why it has to be Biden"<p> A relative recently sent a link to an article in <i>The Economist</i> titled "<a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/29/why-it-has-to-be-biden" target="_blank">Why it has to be Biden</a>" (see <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/29/why-it-has-to-be-biden" target="_blank">https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/10/29/why-it-has-to-be-biden</a>). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ER2euoFskO0/X5yy6yrcJTI/AAAAAAAAJ_c/iviC7fDqmw0YwEFSUM4ilrpqVUfPIMPkACLcBGAsYHQ/s252/the-economist.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="252" height="64" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ER2euoFskO0/X5yy6yrcJTI/AAAAAAAAJ_c/iviC7fDqmw0YwEFSUM4ilrpqVUfPIMPkACLcBGAsYHQ/w135-h64/the-economist.PNG" width="135" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QrWi9MOUiic/X5yzOlVdDCI/AAAAAAAAJ_k/__KhQ74TX50ze0kridMrMgiDSWOkTiUugCLcBGAsYHQ/s696/biden.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="87" data-original-width="696" height="41" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QrWi9MOUiic/X5yzOlVdDCI/AAAAAAAAJ_k/__KhQ74TX50ze0kridMrMgiDSWOkTiUugCLcBGAsYHQ/w332-h41/biden.PNG" width="332" /></a><br /><br /></div><p>Some readers who haven't been following events carefully may wonder how solid the support is for the statements made in the article. It's not standard practice for articles of this sort to be peppered with footnotes--but if it had been, my view is that the support would be solid and abundant. I've been following events intently and observing and listening to the major actors, and I share the article's assertions and conclusions.</p><p>Here's how I responded to the relative's e-mail:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Thank you! I've just read the article you sent. It's impressive--carefully thought out and persuasive. </div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span color="inherit" face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Though I lean toward the Democratic Party out of family tradition and a desire to keep a two-party system alive in Utah, I've never felt my overriding loyalty was to party. There are things I like and don't like in both major parties. Though I didn't vote for John McCain or Mitt Romney, I deeply admire them and would have felt fine about having either of them serve as the nation's president. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span color="inherit" face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span color="inherit" face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As for political ideology, I agree with a statement Dallin Oaks made many years ago: "</span><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I find some wisdom in</span><span style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span color="inherit" face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span class="x_mark90tengmbb" face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">liberalism</span><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, some wisdom in</span><span style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span color="inherit" face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span class="x_mark2kuzdvsv9" face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">conservatism</span><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">, and much truth in intellectualism—but I find no</span><span style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span color="inherit" face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span class="x_mark6md9iqj6g" face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">salvation</span><span style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span color="inherit" face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">in any of them" (“Criticism,” Ensign, Feb 1987, 68ff.). Besides being very slippery terms, "conservatism" and "liberalism" are human inventions. I don't see them really as opposites but as contrasting and complementary, each with elements of truth and value. That's one reason I'm not inclined to extremes in ideology and respect people with different ideologies and from different parties. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But this presidential election feels different from any other I've experienced. It does feel as if the soul of our nation is at stake. Many of the most persuasive arguments in favor of a change of presidents have come from conservatives--by which I mean genuine conservatives, which Pres. Trump is definitely not. Among others I'm thinking of Jeff Flake, a former Arizona Senator who made a powerful statement of support for Biden (<a data-auth="NotApplicable" href="https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1djxXoLbYXEJZ" id="LPlnk" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1djxXoLbYXEJZ</a>). <span color="inherit" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Frank Fox, who helped create BYU's American Heritage course, has made a detailed argument similar to the one in the </span><i>Economist</i><span color="inherit" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> article (see <a data-auth="NotApplicable" href="https://saveourelection.org/letter-to-arizona-mormons/" id="LPlnk" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://saveourelection.org/letter-to-arizona-mormons/</a>). And m</span>any former members of the current administration have revealed their concerns--for instance, Gen. Mattis, Gen. Kelly, and others less well known (such as Elizabeth Neumann, who was an Assistant Secretary in the Dept. of Homeland Security: see <a data-auth="NotApplicable" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF4KcunfvCg" id="LPlnk" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF4KcunfvCg</a>). </span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I have reasons of my own in addition to my central concern about the soul of the nation: for instance, the need for more competent and well-informed approaches to the pandemic and to climate change and more humane policies related to refugees, immigration, and racial justice and harmony. On many issues, I'm open to whatever reasonable and practical solutions can be found--ideally through bipartisan cooperation. Let's hope! </span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But mainly I'm hoping we can be liberated from the daily stream of anger, name-calling, mockery, and disregard for truth that we've been subjected to for the last few years. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Again, thanks for sharing.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bruce</span></div></blockquote><div><span face="Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; color: #201f1e; font-size: 12pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><div>Of course, there's much more I could have said. For instance, how do I feel about the Supreme Court and various moral issues not mentioned here? </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, I'm happy to share my thoughts on those topics--but I'll do that, and try to respond to any questions readers have for me, in a separate post.</div>Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-89781114814219342812020-10-18T09:28:00.006-07:002020-10-19T16:11:36.590-07:00Friendship across political divides<p> A good friend of mine, Jim Lucas, did an online Sunday School class today focusing on the last part of 3 Nephi and on 4 Nephi. A good chunk of the lesson applied insights from the Book of Mormon to our current political divide. Jim acknowledged that the divide is a serious problem--and has grown more serious in recent years. (He showed evidence from the Pew Research Center that Democrats and Republicans have come to have increasingly negative--or as the study puts it, "cold"--feelings toward each other and have few friends of the "opposing" party.)</p><p>But Jim argued not only that it's possible to bridge the divide but that it's crucial we figure out how to do it, lest we suffer something like the fate of those in 4 Nephi who returned to old divisions and eventually to complete social breakdown. Jim used the friendship of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia as an example of such a bridging of the divide and showed video clips that revealed how warm and deep that friendship was. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-THpRM7GOMxo/X4x7cHAI3bI/AAAAAAAAJ-Y/BRWbPuntHZQ1HTjVAJ_q8aD7LHT1ATxugCLcBGAsYHQ/s660/ginsburg-scalia-opera1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="660" height="202" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-THpRM7GOMxo/X4x7cHAI3bI/AAAAAAAAJ-Y/BRWbPuntHZQ1HTjVAJ_q8aD7LHT1ATxugCLcBGAsYHQ/w359-h202/ginsburg-scalia-opera1.jpg" width="359" /></a></div><br /><p>I'm going to offer a couple of clips of my own, one from Lindsey Graham and one from Joe Biden. That friendship has been challenged over the past couple of years, but there's some hope, I think, it can be restored. (As Biden says, he's not good at holding grudges.)</p><p>Here are the clips:</p><p>Lindsey Graham on Biden: <a href="https://youtu.be/kLMYW8jFPHg" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/kLMYW8jFPHg</a></p><p>Biden on Graham: <a href="https://youtu.be/5Qf40Mc3V6Q" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/5Qf40Mc3V6Q</a></p><p>I should explain why Biden starts by saying he's disappointed: Starting 10 months ago or so, Graham started criticizing Biden in ways that seemed hostile, that rose to the level of personal attacks rather than just disagreements. As noted, that has damaged the friendship. But as also noted, I hope the friendship can be healed.</p><p>One key is suggested by a recent letter from the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'll just quote the end of that letter, which was also referred to in Jim's Sunday School class:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">While the Church affirms its institutional neutrality regarding political parties and candidates, individual members should participate in the political process. Please strive to live the gospel in your own life by demonstrating Christlike love and civility in political discourse.</span></p></blockquote>Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-72256703089479822312020-10-17T09:53:00.004-07:002020-10-17T09:58:00.893-07:00"Regeneron" is NOT a cure for COVID 19<p>In fact, "Regeneron" is an experimental treatment, an antibody "cocktail" that may help the immune system. Its safety and effectiveness are still under consideration. It is not generally available, but apparently someone with enough clout may be able to try it out. Even if it is proven safe and if it becomes widely available, it would not be fair to call it a "cure." It might but a useful treatment--but we're still waiting for confirmation on that.</p><p>"Regeneron" was recently used as part of a spoof--a Youtube video that makes a couple of points: that there is currently no "cure" for COVID 19 and that Pres. Trump's history giving celebrity endorsements would come in handy if there were one, with the further implication that his boasts about his treatment and recovery should be taken with a grain of salt. </p><p>Here's a link to the Youtube in question (the spoof itself starts at 1:31)</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/p58I3Xs0v-c" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/p58I3Xs0v-c</a></p><p>(starting point for the spoof: <a href="https://youtu.be/p58I3Xs0v-c?t=91" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/p58I3Xs0v-c?t=91</a> )</p>Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-63888931936476989542020-09-20T13:26:00.000-07:002020-09-20T13:26:09.914-07:00COVID 19 and Teaching at BYU<p> I've started my final year of teaching at Brigham Young University, the end of a career that began in 1983. I'll be retiring next summer. It just so happens that my last year of teaching--or at least the current semester--is taking place in the context of the COVID 19 pandemic. </p><p>I'm teaching two classes this semester, both of them in person--that is, in a classroom in which I am in the presence of students. All of us are to wear face coverings and to maintain safe physical distance. Because members of the BYU community--or let's just say, my students and I--are trying to be safe, some students are not attending in person because they've been exposed to someone who has COVID 19 or who has been exposed to someone who has. Or because they themselves are not feeling well. So far, I've usually had one of the students in my morning class attending via Zoom. (That's one student out of four in that class.) In my afternoon class, with 25 students, between 2 and 6 have been attending via Zoom. So far things are working pretty well. </p><p>Unfortunately, some at BYU have not followed the rules and have contributed to an increase in infection in the university community. Currently (as of Sunday afternoon, September 20, 2020), 911 cases of COVID 19 have been reported. Of those, 443 are active, meaning that 1% of the university community currently have COVID 19 and are supposed to be isolated. (The university community includes about 30,000 students and about 10,000 others--faculty, administrators, staff, etc.) Having analyzed the information they have, the university reports that the cases have not resulted from exposure in the classroom. They have come one of three ways: (1) exposure to someone in the same household; (2) attending a noncompliant gathering (no masks, no physical distancing); (3) someone violating isolation or quarantine instructions.</p><p>The BYU coronavirus website includes this interesting counsel:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Do not attend non-compliant gatherings, regardless of size.</b> There have been cases as a result of gathering with just a few friends. If gathering with people who aren’t in your household, wear a mask, maintain distance and encourage others to do the same.</p></blockquote><p>Rather than tell you more stories at this point, I thought I would share what I have on the COVID 19 page I include on the website for each of my class.</p><div id="page-content-header" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #444444; display: flex; font-family: "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><h1 class="content-page-title content-page-title-instructor" id="page-title" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #003366; display: flex; font-family: "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.7em; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em 19px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 646.25px;">COVID 19 INFORMATION</h1></div><hr id="section-divider" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 0px; border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; color: #444444; font-family: "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 1px; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px;" /><div class="content-page-body" id="page-content" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans", Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 1729px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On this page you'll find information and links that will help you be informed about Covid 19 and the novel coronavirus that causes it.</p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Principles for your protection:</strong></span><br />-indoor vs. outdoor (outdoor is much safer, but duration and lack of distance or face covering is still a problem, even outdoors)<br />-distance (6-8 feet)<br />-duration (less than 15 minutes)<br />-face mask (combined with distance, gives even more protection than a vaccine)</p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Also</strong></span> (see <a href="https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/</a>):<br />- Pay attention to your health<br />- <u>Do not attend non-compliant gatherings, regardless of size</u>. There have been cases as a result of gathering with just a few friends. If gathering with people who aren’t in your household, wear a mask, maintain distance and encourage others to do the same.<br />- Follow isolation and quarantine instructions.</p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BYU's coronavirus page:</strong></span> <a href="https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/</a> (this page includes the latest updates, plus links to more specific information on various matters, including:</p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-classes (requirements for attending, etc.): <a href="https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/academic-information" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/academic-information</a></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-masks (including when and where you are required to wear them): <a href="https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/face-coverings" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/face-coverings</a></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-frequently asked questions: <a href="https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/faq" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/faq</a></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">More details on mask wearing</strong></span> (including how to do it properly): <a href="https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/00000173-ba38-dd6c-a173-be7861960001/class-lab-mask-use-pdf" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/00000173-ba38-dd6c-a173-be7861960001/class-lab-mask-use-pdf</a> (also here as an attachment: <span class="ck_embededFile" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="embededFile_Name" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">class-lab-mask-use-pdf.pdf</span> <span class="embededFile_FileOptions" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="embededFile_Download" href="https://learningsuite.byu.edu/plugins/Upload/fileDownload.php?fileId=5158380f-z2pK-GFxr-t4do-TIe7e17ca759" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Download</a></span></span><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> ) (and note this related article about how <u>not</u> to wear a mask: <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/8-common-coronavirus-mask-styles-don-t-actually-protect-against-ncna1232466" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/8-common-coronavirus-mask-styles-don-t-actually-protect-against-ncna1232466</a> )</span></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Classroom procedures</strong></span> (attachment): </span><span class="ck_embededFile" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="embededFile_Name" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">CLASSROOM PROCEDURES.pdf</span> <span class="embededFile_FileOptions" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="embededFile_Download" href="https://learningsuite.byu.edu/plugins/Upload/fileDownload.php?fileId=2301277f-cj0Y-v7Fg-kGtr-0K2a7d2ba91d" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Download</a></span></span><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Cougars Care" checklist:</strong></span> <a href="https://mcusercontent.com/2ba3f012bcd865407204981a0/files/891536c5-bbe0-45c4-a188-8740052506bc/Covid_checklist_Classroom_Poster_Final.pdf" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://mcusercontent.com/2ba3f012bcd865407204981a0/files/891536c5-bbe0-45c4-a188-8740052506bc/Covid_checklist_Classroom_Poster_Final.pdf</a> (also here as an attachment: <span class="ck_embededFile" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="embededFile_Name" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Covid_checklist_Classroom_Poster_Final.pdf</span> <span class="embededFile_FileOptions" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="embededFile_Download" href="https://learningsuite.byu.edu/plugins/Upload/fileDownload.php?fileId=487e412a-9tb8-UQdq-MM35-HX1f232771a8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Download</a></span></span><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> )</span></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A couple of videos:</strong></span></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-An excellent brief video showing how the virus is spread and how to protect yourself and others: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6QwnzbRUyA" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6QwnzbRUyA</a> </p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-Another video--from WHO, on how to break the chain of transmission (and you get to hear it with a British accent!): <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WHO/videos/304154824371969/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/WHO/videos/304154824371969/</a> </p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Request from the Utah Area Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</strong> </span>(about wearing masks in indoor and outdoor public settings): <a href="http://view.email.churchofjesuschrist.org/?qs=45dba425c0f57eadeeab39c451558470044f8252171390e94467555d238afca03d9814e8a6aa692e2f6223be2b884e44b77a7e0a5b1c12d5485d0e8ca0486f550f36b27ebf02a773" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">http://view.email.churchofjesuschrist.org/?qs=45dba425c0f57eadeeab39c451558470044f8252171390e94467555d238afca03d9814e8a6aa692e2f6223be2b884e44b77a7e0a5b1c12d5485d0e8ca0486f550f36b27ebf02a773</a></span><br /> </p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Items you've probably already taken care of:</strong></span></p><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-size: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1em 0px 1.5em 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background: no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Members of the campus community should self-report<span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0.25em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background: no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0.25em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-cms-ai="0" href="https://support.byu.edu/covid?id=sc_cat_item&sys_id=fae3136d1b62d010f01deb99bc4bcb28" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: no-repeat transparent; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">using this form</a></span><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0.25em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>if they have tested positive for COVID-19 or are awaiting the results of a test.</li></ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-size: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1em 0px 1.5em 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background: no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">All BYU students, faculty and staff are required to complete the "<span style="background: no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0.25em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-cms-ai="0" href="https://welcome-back.byu.edu/#" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: no-repeat transparent; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Welcome Back to the Y</a></span>" safety training.</li></ul><ul style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #141414; font-size: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1em 0px 1.5em 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="background: no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In order to come to campus and access campus services, BYU students and employees are required to download and use the <span style="background: no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0.25em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-cms-ai="0" href="https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/healthy-together-app" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: no-repeat transparent; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;">Healthy Together App</a></span><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0.25em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>or complete <span style="background: no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0.25em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-cms-ai="0" href="https://campus-passport.byu.edu/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: no-repeat transparent; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">an online</a></span><span style="background: no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0.25em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-cms-ai="0" href="https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/00000173-fde5-d884-a97f-ffff03b00002/daily-checkup-byu-pdf-pdf" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: no-repeat transparent; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0.25em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>or<span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0.25em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></a></span><span style="background: no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0.25em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-cms-ai="0" href="https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/00000173-fde5-d884-a97f-ffff03b00002/daily-checkup-byu-pdf-pdf" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: no-repeat transparent; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">hard copy</a></span><span style="background: no-repeat transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0.25em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a data-cms-ai="0" href="https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/00000173-fde5-d884-a97f-ffff03b00002/daily-checkup-byu-pdf-pdf" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: no-repeat transparent; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0.25em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>daily checkup form</a></span>.</li></ul><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What's happening in Utah:</strong></span> <a href="https://coronavirus.utah.gov/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://coronavirus.utah.gov/</a></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What's happening in the US:</strong></span> <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/</a></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Projections by country and state:</strong></span> <a href="https://covid19.healthdata.org/global" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://covid19.healthdata.org/global</a></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">*************</p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">INTERESTING ITEMS:</p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Lessons from 1918" (the "Spanish flu" at BYU): <a href="https://magazine.byu.edu/article/spanish-flu/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://magazine.byu.edu/article/spanish-flu/</a></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Evidence of the efficacy and safety of face coverings:</p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">- BYU research: <a href="https://pws.byu.edu/covid-19-and-masks" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://pws.byu.edu/covid-19-and-masks</a> (also PDF: <span class="ck_embededFile" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="embededFile_Name" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">byu-covid-19-and-masks.pdf</span> <span class="embededFile_FileOptions" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="embededFile_Download" href="https://learningsuite.byu.edu/plugins/Upload/fileDownload.php?fileId=f7af3229-5Ukl-WiVI-5dAB-AH6af954d1a7" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Download</a></span></span><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>) and <a href="https://pws.byu.edu/making-sense-of-the-research-on-covid-19-and-school-reopenings" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://pws.byu.edu/making-sense-of-the-research-on-covid-19-and-school-reopenings</a></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">- <a href="https://www.umms.org/coronavirus/what-to-know/masks/wearing-mask#:~:text=Some%20people%20have%20suggested%20that,your%20nose%20and%20mouth." style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.umms.org/coronavirus/what-to-know/masks/wearing-mask#:~:text=Some%20people%20have%20suggested%20that,your%20nose%20and%20mouth.</a></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">- <a href="https://www.novanthealth.org/healthy-headlines/mask-update-no-4-can-a-mask-make-you-sick#:~:text=No%2C%20wearing%20a%20mask,are%20changing%20it%20regularly." style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.novanthealth.org/healthy-headlines/mask-update-no-4-can-a-mask-make-you-sick#:~:text=No%2C%20wearing%20a%20mask,are%20changing%20it%20regularly.</a></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">- <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-19-masks-new-evidence-shows-cloth-face-coverings-slow-n1233916" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-19-masks-new-evidence-shows-cloth-face-coverings-slow-n1233916</a></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT WORTHEN (see <a href="https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 221, 153); background: transparent; color: #336699; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; transition: background-position 0s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">https://www.byu.edu/coronavirus/</a>):</p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 16.9pt; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #606060; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">For this [return to campus] to succeed, we all have to play our part. The BYU mission statement says that all relationships within the BYU community should reflect "a loving, genuine concern for the welfare of our neighbor." Certainly that can be our motivation for wearing a face covering, washing our hands often, and staying home when we're sick. We can react with empathy when someone we know tests positive for COVID-19. We can fight the virus of contempt with kindness even as we debate how to best respond as a society to the pandemic.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 16.9pt; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #606060; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">That genuine love for each other is what will make this year's BYU experience a remarkable period of growth for each one of us. We look forward to safely gathering soon."</span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 241, 0); border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 14.98px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kevin</span></span></span></span></span><span style="background: transparent; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 14.98px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #606060; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> J </span></span></span></span><span style="background: transparent; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 241, 0); border: 0px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 14.98px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Worthen</span></span></span></span></span></b><br /><span style="background: transparent; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; line-height: 14.98px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #606060; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BYU President</span></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 1em 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </p></div><p><br /></p>Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-92001462398132708302016-11-12T06:10:00.003-08:002016-11-12T06:11:00.761-08:00Abortion and the Supreme CourtSpeaking of controversial (and complicated) subjects, I've pondered and written about abortion and the Supreme Court in connection with the recent US presidential election. I can't help writing about these topics from a personal perspective, and that perspective includes my religious convictions as well as my life's experience and my relationship with and concern about other people.<br />
<br />
As I noted in a recent blog post, "I am religious through and through--a Latter-day Saint, which means also a Christian, a believer in and an aspiring follower of Christ." But for that very reason, I have felt compelled to view things differently from many other Latter-day Saints. For one thing, I think many Latter-day Saints don't have a clear idea of what the Church's official position is on abortion. It is not really a political position--in fact, the Church doesn't take a position for or against specific legislation on the subject. It is, of course, a moral position, and that means it is essentially counsel--very serious counsel--about choices people make in their individual lives.<br />
<br />
The Church has also given counsel about other important issues, including immigration and our response to refugees. Church leaders have also spoken strongly on the need for civility and respect in public discourse, respect for religious diversity, and kindness and compassion in general. There are many issues on which we can expect to consider ourselves under the judgment of God, both as individuals and as a nation.<br />
<br />
Specifically on the issues of abortion and the Supreme Court, here's what I wrote a few days ago in a blog post titled "The Morning After (November 9, 2016)" (see <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-morning-after-november-9-2016.html" target="_blank">http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-morning-after-november-9-2016.html</a>):<br />
<br />
Opposition to abortion and hoping for a Supreme Court that will be more restrictive in response to abortion are among the main reasons many people (including a good number of Latter-day Saints) have supported Trump despite an awareness of everything that is bad and dangerous about him.<br />
<br />
In my opinion, a Trump presidency is a very bad way of hoping for a good outcome on these issues.<br />
<br />
First, <u><b>abortion</b></u>. I am strongly opposed to abortion for convenience--for its use as a form of birth control, as some have put it. I believe abortion that could be avoided has several ill consequences. It diminishes our humanity and our respect for life. It encourages sexual irresponsibility. It also, I think it's fair to say, prevents new and precious life from entering into the world.<br />
<br />
Several things recently have strengthened my feelings about the preciousness of life within the womb. One is our youngest daughter's pregnancy, which has now come to fruition in a beautiful baby girl. Another is a video presentation I saw recently about a couple who learned an almost full term child had died in the womb and would need to be removed. The couple's grief and disappointment, their need for comfort, their deep, mutual love all reminded me of what is best in human beings: our connectedness, our participation in the miracle of conception and birth, and our willingness to welcome and nurture new life.<br />
<br />
Having said that, I know that there are difficult situations in which the possibility of abortion needs to be considered, especially when the mother's life is at stake or when her health could be seriously damaged. I believe such decisions need to be made carefully and prayerfully. I do not believe the possibility of abortion for such reasons should be prohibited by law. Though I believe different people will come to different decisions, I believe law should allow for abortion in the cases of rape, incest, or threat to the life or health of the mother.<br />
<br />
I believe this is essentially the position of the LDS Church. Officially, “the Church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience” but allows for possible (but not automatic) exceptions in cases of rape, incest, severe defects, and serious threats of the life or health of the mother. But “the Church has not favored or opposed legislative proposals . . . concerning abortion” (see <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/official-statement/abortion" target="_blank">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/official-statement/abortion</a>). This is much closer to Hillary Clinton's position than many would suppose.<br />
<br />
She has taken some heat for voting against a ban on late-term abortions. She did so precisely because it did not leave an exception for saving the life of the mother. I've recently become aware of terribly difficult situations people I know have dealt with, which required performing a late-term abortion to save a mother's life. Those involved certainly don't favor abortion in general and found the experience traumatic, even though it meant saving a mother's life.<br />
<br />
The fact that the LDS Church "has not favored or opposed [specific] legislative proposals" may have something to do with the fact that laws may not be adequate to deal with many of the difficult situations people face. I also believe that changing laws, while they may accomplish some good, will not solve the problem of unnecessary, avoidable abortions, with all the spiritual and social damage they can bring. I believe that the best solution is to change minds and hearts, and that can be best done through example, through intelligent and compassionate persuasion, and through encouraging alternatives to abortion (such as adoption) and providing greater support for mothers, including unwed mothers.<br />
<br />
Legal rulings, angry denunciations, and extreme rhetoric are likely to strengthen resistance rather than persuade.<br />
<br />
<u><b>The Supreme Court</b></u>: I'm aware that some good people convinced themselves to vote for a very bad man because they think he will nominate the "right people" for seats on the Supreme Court.<br />
I've written another post partly on that subject. In that post--found here: <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-rise-of-mussolini-and-what-we-can.html" target="_blank">http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-rise-of-mussolini-and-what-we-can.html</a>--I compare our situation to that of good people in Italy who thought that Mussolini would protect their nation's religious and moral traditions. To what I said there, I add these thoughts:<br />
<br />
(1) The Supreme Court is a complicated institution--and you can't simply stack it with the "right people" and thereby save the country, especially if the Court starts departing from the national consensus. I've just read an illuminating book titled <i>The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court</i>, and it makes those complications clear.<br />
<br />
(2) The Supreme Court faces many issues, and on some of those issues I believe justices Trump would nominate would move us in the wrong direction rather than the right direction, particularly on some issues where the Court really can make a difference (including voting rights and immigration). As for the second amendment, I don't believe it should or was ever intended to give everyone unrestricted rights to carry and use firearms, any more than the first amendment gave absolute freedom of speech, including libel or speech that endangers the life or safety of others. I believe that the second amendment can be applied reasonably and still accommodate some degree of gun control. (See <a href="http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2012/07/contrary-view-on-gun-control.html" target="_blank">http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2012/07/contrary-view-on-gun-control.html</a> for some additional light on this issue.)<br />
<br />
(3) Even if Trump were to pick the "right people" as nominees, I don't believe it's worth it to trade a supposedly better Supreme Court for the damage that is certain to be done to the moral and political tone of our nation by the mere presence of Donald Trump in the presidential office. I am certain he will do this sort of general damage--and given his impulsiveness, unpredictability, and anger control issues, he could do much, much worse.<br />
<br />
(4) Given the refusal of the Senate to consider President Obama's sterling nomination for the Supreme Court--and given the threat some Republicans made to turn down ANY nominee offered by Hillary Clinton if she became president--isn't it possible that Democrats in the Senate might engage in similar obstruction of any nominees offered by Donald Trump? I don't think such obstruction is right on either side (and it's certainly not what the Founders had in mind--the Constitution makes it pretty clear how open seats on the court should be filled). But I suspect it will happen.<br />
<br />
(5) Speaking of the Constitution, Donald Trump has shown that he does not understand the Constitution and does not respect Constitutional principles. He has shown that, among other things, by making a number of proposals that violate those principles, including surveillance of American citizens based on their religion, asking for a religious test for immigrants, requiring the armed forces to violate international law (for instance, related to torture), and making threats against the judiciary showing his lack of understanding of the separation of powers.<br />
In interpreting the Constitution, I am not an "originalist"--I think that approach is overly simplistic and ultimately impossible to sustain--but I do have great respect for efforts to understand and apply the actual language of the Constitution. Interestingly, a number of prominent "originalists" (including George Will) oppose Trump on the grounds that he does not understand or respect the Constitution. (See <a href="https://originalistsagainsttrump.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">https://originalistsagainsttrump.wordpress.com/</a> )<br />
<br />
(6) Finally, I don't believe Trump can be trusted to keep his promises. I don't think he has a coherent Constitutional philosophy. And I believe he lacks a genuine moral core.<br />
<br />
In a nutshell, I believe those who (for the sake of the Supreme Court) voted for Trump, despite their hesitation--even revulsion--at much of what they know about him, will come to regret his election.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-22238879469871973632016-03-04T07:37:00.000-08:002016-03-04T07:37:18.080-08:00What kind of people should we try to be?At the moment this is a place holder for something longer I want to write. What I'm feeling my way toward here is an answer to the question, "What kind of people should we try to be?" and the closely related question, "What kind of people should we want to be?"<br />
<br />
For me, scripture offers much in the way of answers. For instance, Alma 7:23-24 offers the following:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.<br />
And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works. </blockquote>
I have to admit that one reason I've asked myself the questions is the troubling display of qualities very different from these we've witnessed recently in the public arena. Last night a political debate took place that was in some ways the distressing culmination of several weeks--to an extent, several months--of public discourse that has descended to a level not seen in US presidential campaigns for generations.<br />
<br />
Earlier yesterday, Mitt Romney--a good man I've had a handful of conversations with in the past but for whom I did not vote four years ago (I voted for another good man)--described and condemned traits that are virtually the opposite of those listed in the scripture I've quoted:<br />
<ul>
<li>Bullying</li>
<li>Greed</li>
<li>Showing off</li>
<li>Misogyny</li>
<li>Absurd third-grade antics</li>
</ul>
I could add to that list mockery of the disabled, stubborn defensiveness, taking pleasure in humiliating, insulting, attacking, and punishing others, and insistence on always being right and always getting one's way. (For Romney's full speech, see <a href="http://time.com/4246596/donald-trump-mitt-romney-utah-speech/" target="_blank">http://time.com/4246596/donald-trump-mitt-romney-utah-speech/</a> or watch it here: <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/romney-calling-trump-phony-urging-republicans-to-shun-him/" target="_blank">http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/romney-calling-trump-phony-urging-republicans-to-shun-him/</a>.)<br />
<br />
We all have faults, and we've been commanded not to judge--or as some translations would put it, not to condemn or not to judge unrighteously. At the same time, we all need to be clear about what constitutes good character and civil behavior and what does not. At the very least, we can invite others as well as ourselves to engage in self-examination, to acknowledge our faults, to seek to become aware of those that we're not aware of, and to desire and try to change. The scriptural language for that project is humility and repentance, and scripture teaches that we can't experience the change we need without divine help.<br />
<br />
We also need to seek for good character and civil behavior in political leaders and other public officials. We must not celebrate bullying, mockery, hatred, or strutting self-importance that tries to pass itself of as "leadership." Certainly, we need strength in our leaders. But true strength is very different from being a "tough guy" or thinking other people will do whatever you order them to do or threatening people who don't comply.<br />
<br />
Amazingly, scripture again provides the perfect response to such a misconception:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.<br />
<br />
Hence many are called, but few are chosen.<br />
<br />
No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;<br />
<br />
By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile (Doctrine and Covenants 121:39-42)</blockquote>
So it appears that ignorance, unkindness, cunning, and the unwillingness to listen or learn do not constitute true leadership, and neither do the will to dominate, the desire to intimidate and humiliate, or other elements of the tough guy persona.<br />
<br />
Being a tough guy is not among the qualities we are advised to look for in a leader:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil. (Doctrine and Covenants 98:10)</blockquote>
We're also told we "cannot always tell the wicked from the righteous" (Doctrine and Covenants 10:37). But we need to do our best, especially in selecting public officials, to look for the qualities of honesty, wisdom, and moral goodness. And we need to cultivate those qualities in ourselves--because if we don't have them, we'll be less likely to discern them in others, or to be aware of their opposite, even when it's staring us in the face.Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-35247359480941219042015-11-13T10:03:00.002-08:002015-11-13T10:13:54.743-08:00What Should I Write About?: Possible Titles and Topics for Blog Posts<br />
Lately, I've had a flood of possible blog post titles and topics flow through my mind:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<b>The difference between compassion and anger</b><br />
<br />
<b>Who is it OK to be cruel to?</b><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>How to destroy a marriage</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>Varieties of doubt</b></div>
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And one of my favorites:
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<b>Once upon a time, before the Internet</b> (I was working on that one through the night last night, while I was half asleep)</blockquote>
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The titles sound more negative than I intend them to. Actually, what prompts me to think of blog post titles and topics is seeing what I think are one-sided, less than carefully thought out statements or attitudes and asking myself, "How could I explain what I think, in a way that could actually get the attention and maybe soften the hearts and enlighten the minds of people who I think are blinded by anger or other kinds of distorted thinking?"</div>
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I also (more humbly) think of writing as a way to work through issues I'm struggling with or trying to understand.</div>
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So . . . I don't feel like I have time at the moment to write at length on any of these topics. But here's a brief hint as to how I might proceed:</div>
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<b><u>The difference between compassion and anger</u></b>: There is a difference.<br />
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<b><u>Who is it OK to be cruel to?</u></b>: No one of course. But especially not the people you actually live with. And not the other people you are closest to. (I've also been thinking about the dangers of viewing yourself as a victim: in your concern for the pain others are inflicting, you may be blind to the pain you are inflicting on others.)<br />
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<b><u>How to destroy a marriage</u></b>: This would look at the kinds of attitudes and behavior--and the kinds of blindness--calculated to destroy or damage a marriage, and by analogy, any kind of relationship that could and should be based on love and trust. </div>
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<b><u>Varieties of doubt</u></b>: Doubt can mean many kinds of things--from uncertainty and questions to fear, anxiety, suspicion, to complaining, criticizing, attacking. We all deal with doubt of some kind, in some degree, and should view others' "doubts," of whatever kind, with understanding and compassion. Recognizing the various meanings of doubt, I thought it would be helpful to see what scripture--what the words of Christ in particular--have to say on the matter. Perhaps the most compassionate thing to do is not just to validate people's inclination to doubt but to help facilitate healing, hope, and trust.</div>
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I came up with some sentences that might fit in the "varieties of doubt" blog post but might need a different setting: "<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "calibri" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Anger is addictive, and doubt is contagious. Actually it's probably fair to say both of them are both addictive and contagious. I know this from both inside experience and from observation."</span></div>
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<b><u>Once upon a time, before the Internet</u></b>: Ah, this would be a good one. I remember a time before the Internet and before cable TV. It was a less exciting time perhaps, and there's much I value in our current interconnected world. But I wonder if the drama is getting a bit out of hand--is revealing itself to be (among other things) seductive and addictive--and is distracting us from our primary responsibilities and relationships.</div>
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So where should I start? Suggestions are welcome.</div>
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Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-13146142240897998982015-10-17T11:27:00.000-07:002015-10-17T11:32:35.203-07:00Should public funds be used to help those in need?I've written about this <a href="http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2013/01/attending-to-poor-and-suffering-should.html" target="_blank">before</a> but feel I need to write about it again.<br />
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On the question of using public funds for assisting those in need, I’m aware of the potential problem of creating dependence and of the issue of agency (that is, should funds I’ve helped contribute be used for things I don’t approve of).<br />
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But I do not see the use of public funds—or even the existence of public funds—as a case of “stealing” what belongs to people. First, I question the idea that anything really belongs to us: we are stewards who have the responsibility to use what we have to serve God and benefit others. (Of course, to truly do that, we need to do it willingly.) I also question the idea that we have earned what we have. Most of it comes by pure grace.<br />
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As Malcolm Gladwell has beautifully demonstrated, success comes as much from circumstances (family background, location, timing, chance) as it does from intelligence and determination. We all benefit from services and conditions provided by those around us. Even intelligence and talent, which are certainly factors, are gifts, not something that gives some people a right to better lives than others.<br />
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I think it’s clear that there is not a direct correlation between how hard a person works and how much money they make relative to everyone else. Yes, hard work is important. But opportunities and calamities over which individuals have no control make for much of the difference. I know people who work multiple jobs and put in many more hours of hard work than I do who make far less and who deal with far more difficult financial stresses, including those related to health. I do not see myself as in any way deserving my comparatively easier life. LDS scripture, the Book of Mormon especially, is persistently concerned with the problems that come with inequality of income and opportunity. (For instance, see 3 Nephi 6:12.)<br />
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Some would grant all of this but argue that all efforts to help those in need should be voluntary. Here’s my problem with that view. Almost no one argues that all our efforts to contribute to the life of the community we’re part of should be voluntary. That is, we don’t support our police force, our fire department, or even our sanitation and transportation systems with voluntary contributions. Most people are comfortable with the fact that taxes are used to build the buildings that house city government offices, even to build a recreation center—and that includes the taxes of those who didn’t vote for those with city government offices and those who didn’t vote for the recreation center. The argument is perhaps that these are things from which all of us benefit, just as we all benefit from the “common defense” provided by our nation. Even those who don’t drive benefit indirectly from the existence of roads.<br />
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I would argue that the same is true of caring for those in need, including providing assistance with housing and health care. We all suffer when a significant portion of our community is suffering—in fact, we suffer to some degree when anyone is suffering. We are interdependent.<br />
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Last year, as expansion of health care benefits for low-income Utahns was being debated, the LDS Church spoke in support of a “principled approach to health care coverage” (see <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-encourages-principled-approach-health-care-coverage-needy-utahns" target="_blank">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-encourages-principled-approach-health-care-coverage-needy-utahns</a>). While not taking a position on specific proposals, the Church statement stressed several principles: the desirability of self-sufficiency, the need for access to health care in order to be self-sufficient (in other words, those too poor to afford adequate health care will be hard pressed “to provide for self and family”), the responsibility to care for the poor and needy, and our interdependence (“we hope the discussion and decisions taken in this matter will be consistent with the God-given principles regarding care for the poor and the needy that in the end benefit all of His children”).<br />
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I know from my service as a bishop that the Church encourages self-reliance and assistance from families but also recognizes, in many cases, the need and value of assistance from the Church <i>and</i> from the community. I see support for the idea of community assistance in the scriptures, for instance, among the people of King Limhi, who were “commanded” to “impart to the support of the widows and their children, that they might not perish with hunger” (Mosiah 21:17). This was apparently something required of “every man” as part of their responsibility as members of the community.<br />
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Yes, I think we should debate what the best approach is to problems of poverty, health care, and education, and I think we should try to design and agree on approaches that will have the best results. But I don’t think it’s stealing from people to require them to contribute to those programs that have been decided on. It seems to me entirely appropriate to use public funds for such purposes, including public funds that are derived from taxes on people’s or businesses’ income, income derived from work, investments, or other sources.<br />
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It can be argued that the Church, within its jurisdiction, does a better job dealing with some of these issues than government does. But until everyone belongs to the Church and is happy with the Church handling such issues, it’s clear that the Church neither should nor would be able to handle all issues of community concern. Nor could any collection of separate voluntary associations currently handle all the problems related to crime, education, poverty, and health care. We need to work together as a community in dealing with these issues. We need to and appropriately can use public agencies and public funds as part of our approach to these issues.Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-7676971011309772142015-08-05T09:56:00.000-07:002015-08-05T10:50:42.796-07:00The American Criminal Justice System--and some needed reforms<div class="tr_bq">
On July 27, 2015, I said the following as I shared the following post:</div>
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Any of us who know much about young people and what's going on in our communities will know that there's a lot of truth in what the President says here.<br />
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<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/WhiteHouse/videos/10153623204879238/">
"These are young people who made mistakes that aren’t that different than the mistakes I made and the mistakes that a...<br />
Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WhiteHouse">The White House</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WhiteHouse/videos/10153623204879238/">Friday, July 17, 2015</a></blockquote>
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The video can be accessed via this link: <a href="http://go.wh.gov/ElReno">http://go.wh.gov/ElReno</a><br />
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Here's some of the discussion that took place after I shared the post.<br />
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<span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055275720060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0"><a class=" UFICommentActorName" data-ft="{"tn":";"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=1553605481&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055275720060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/marta.silver.9?fref=ufi" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055275720060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0.0">Marta Silver</span></a></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055275720060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055275720060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.0"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055275720060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055275720060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055275720060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text0:0">Thank you, </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=506575059&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055275720060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$range0:0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/bruce.young.5872?hc_location=ufi" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Bruce</a><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055275720060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$text0:0">.</span></span></span></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055275720060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.6"></span></div>
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<span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055305660060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055344990060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0"><a class=" UFICommentActorName" data-ft="{"tn":";"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=506575059&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055305660060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055344990060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/bruce.young.5872?fref=ufi" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055305660060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055344990060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0.0">Bruce Young</span></a></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055305660060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055344990060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055305660060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055344990060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.0"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055305660060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055344990060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055305660060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055344990060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055305660060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055344990060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$text0:0">I agree. I've heard some good things on both sides of the aisle on this issue. If I remember correctly, one of those I'm thinking of is Rand Paul. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)</span></span></span></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055305660060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055344990060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.6"></span></div>
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<span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0"><a class=" UFICommentActorName" data-ft="{"tn":";"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=506575059&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/bruce.young.5872?fref=ufi" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0.0">Bruce Young</span></a></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.0"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$text0:0">For additional insight on these issues, I'd recommend Malcolm Gladwell's book "David and Goliath." Also, though they will seem overly idealistic to some, I like some of Joseph Smith's views on prison reform: "Joseph contended that our prisons should be</span></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$text0:0:$text0:0">come seminaries of learning if we expect to rehabilitate those who have violated the laws of our society." And he wanted imprisonment to be used more sparingly as a punishment. See the following:</span><br data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$text0:0:$text1:0" /><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$text0:0:$text2:0">(1) </span><a class="" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$range0:0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.lds.org/ensign/2009/02/joseph-smith-campaign-for-president-of-the-united-states?lang=eng" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.lds.org/.../joseph-smith-campaign-for...</a><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$text1:0:$text0:0"> </span><br data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$text1:0:$text1:0" /><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$text1:0:$text2:0">(2) </span><a class="" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$range1:0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.lds.org/liahona/1978/01/joseph-smith-five-qualities-of-leadership?lang=eng" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.lds.org/.../joseph-smith-five-qualities-of...</a><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$text2:0:$text0:0"> </span><br data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$text2:0:$text1:0" /><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$text2:0:$text2:0">(3) </span><a class="" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$range2:0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V03N03_19.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.dialoguejournal.com/.../Dialogue_V03N03_19.pdf</a><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$text3:0:$text0:0"> </span><br data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$text3:0:$text1:0" /><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$text3:0:$text2:0">(4) </span><a class="" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$comment10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$range3:0" dir="ltr" href="http://www.ldsliberty.org/liberal-or-conservative-joseph-smiths-1844-presidential-platform/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.ldsliberty.org/liberal-or-conservative-joseph.../</a></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055933355060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0"><a class=" UFICommentActorName" data-ft="{"tn":";"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=1474992512&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055933355060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/marlene.austin.9?fref=ufi" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055933355060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0.0">Marlene Austin</span></a></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055933355060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055933355060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.0"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055933355060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055933355060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055933355060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$text0:0">I'm not certain that the society and culture that we face today are the same as the times and situations Joseph Smith was concerned with. Idealism is nice, but we are in a very real situation that requires the recognition of reality and dealing with it appropriately. Hopefully there are those who would rehabilitate, but there are many others (terrorists) whose desire is not to change but to destroy our society.</span></span></span></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153055933355060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.6"></span></div>
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<span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153057474170060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0"><a class=" UFICommentActorName" data-ft="{"tn":";"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=506575059&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153057474170060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/bruce.young.5872?fref=ufi" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153057474170060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0.0">Bruce Young</span></a></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153057474170060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153057474170060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.0"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153057474170060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153057474170060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153057474170060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$end:0:$text0:0">Yes, some are pretty far gone, and we need to deal pragmatically with the threat they pose--but though far gone, they are not (if they repent) beyond the reach of the Lord's redeeming power. As President Packer taught: "Save for those few who defect to perdition after having known a fulness, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no offense exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness."</span></span></span></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153057474170060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.6"></span></div>
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<span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153058151195060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0"><a class=" UFICommentActorName" data-ft="{"tn":";"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=1474992512&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153058151195060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/marlene.austin.9?fref=ufi" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153058151195060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0.0">Marlene Austin</span></a></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153058151195060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153058151195060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.0"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153058151195060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153058151195060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153058151195060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153058151195060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$text0:0">How do we reconcile that with the scriptures that tell of the mighty wickedness and destruction that will be found upon the earth preliminary to the second coming. Current prophets have established that the ending is close upon us. Using Christ as our</span></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153058151195060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153058151195060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153058151195060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text0:0">ultimate example and the scriptures/prophets second, we see many examples where rather than being lenient and kind, men went through torturous times (Paul, several in the Book of Mormon) in order to learn and become true followers of Christ. Perhaps "the reach of the Lord's redeeming power." is not necessarily found in the ways some of today's politicians choose to assume. The scriptures do not show a one-fits-all attitude towards the righteous or the wicked!</span></span></span></span></span></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153058151195060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.6"></span></div>
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<span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0"><a class=" UFICommentActorName" data-ft="{"tn":";"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=506575059&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/bruce.young.5872?fref=ufi" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0.0">Bruce Young</span></a></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.0"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0.$text0:0:$text0:0">Fortunately, God is in charge of dealing with "the mighty wickedness and destruction" you mention. Glen Pace gave a great General Conference talk ("A Thousand Times") on that topic (see</span><a class="" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0.$range0:0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1990/10/a-thousand-times" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.lds.org/general.../1990/10/a-thousand-times</a><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$text0:0"> ). </span><br data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$text1:0" /><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$text2:0">By th</span></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text0:0">e way, I think you're completely right that some attempts to be helpful are unwise or impractical. We need to do our best to figure out what really will accomplish positive results. It would be nice if people could work together in civil and reasonable ways to try to figure such things out--not just accuse, stereotype, and yell at each other. </span><br data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text1:0" /><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text2:0">In the meantime, we have to do our best to help those in need, including those bound in sin, and we must have a sincere desire for their welfare--or else forfeit our own hopes of salvation, which depend more than anything else on possessing as part of our character "the pure love of Christ." </span><br data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text3:0" /><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059091425060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text4:0">Another good example: Alma 26:23-26--check it out. Do you think it still applies in the world we now live in?</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="_3c21"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lds.org%2Fgeneral-conference%2F1990%2F10%2Fa-thousand-times&h=vAQEROdrM&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out; color: #141823; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">A Thousand Times - Glenn L. Pace</a></span></div>
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<span class="_3c21">How many of you parents have had an experience similar to this: You are relaxing for...</span></div>
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<span class="_3c21">LDS.ORG<span class="phs" style="padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;">|</span>BY GLENN L. PACE</span></div>
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<span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059115610060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0"><a class=" UFICommentActorName" data-ft="{"tn":";"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=1474992512&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059115610060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/marlene.austin.9?fref=ufi" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059115610060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0.0">Marlene Austin</span></a></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059115610060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059115610060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.0"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059115610060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059115610060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059115610060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059115610060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$text0:0">I think we are probably talking about different groups of people. You are referring to the one by one group who have been raised with a basic knowledge of good and bad in a culture that foster righteous living. I am referring to the group who have be</span></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059115610060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059115610060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059115610060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$text0:0">en raised to believe terrorism and barbaric behavior is a manifestation of their love of their supreme being, or have been converted to that ideology. I am afraid that too often, our current leaders do not distinguish between those groups and the appropriate ways to "teach" them. Just as Jehovah of the Old Testament used violent means to deal with the wicked, we must acknowledge that there are times when that is needed to deal with current wickedness.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059115610060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.6"></span></div>
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<span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059170310060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0"><a class=" UFICommentActorName" data-ft="{"tn":";"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=506575059&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059170310060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/bruce.young.5872?fref=ufi" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059170310060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0.0">Bruce Young</span></a></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059170310060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059170310060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.0"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059170310060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059170310060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059170310060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text0:0">Yes, you're right. Different groups (and individuals) pose different problems. But please read those verses in Alma (26:23-26). I've written more about my views on these matters here:</span><a class="" data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059170310060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$range0:0" dir="ltr" href="http://english.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/peace.htm" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://english.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/peace.htm</a></span></span></span><span data-reactid=".3.1:5:1:$replies10153055260030060_10153055338670060:0.1:2:$comment10153055260030060_10153059170310060:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.6"></span></div>
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<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">...On the off chance that Facebook doesn't last forever, here's a text transcript of the conversation: </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br/><b>Marta Silver</b> Thank you, Bruce.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Like · Reply · July 27 at 11:02am</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Marlene Austin</b> Not sure I can go along with that totally. And, I do think that some of us that disagree may be as aware of what is happening with our young people and communities as those who support the things O says. Accountability has to be a part of maturity, and I do not see that happening in many of our social structures, in government or by those who are using their power to govern. Providing resources may be helpful to some but enabling, even destructive to others.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Like · Reply · 2 · July 27 at 11:12am</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Ken Hainsworth</b> I am encouraged that prison reform is becoming a bipartisan issue. It would be a great part of the President's legacy.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Like · Reply · 2 · July 27 at 11:29am</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Bruce Young</b> I agree. I've heard some good things on both sides of the aisle on this issue. If I remember correctly, one of those I'm thinking of is Rand Paul. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Like · July 27 at 11:44am</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Bruce Young</b> For additional insight on these issues, I'd recommend Malcolm Gladwell's book "David and Goliath." Also, though they will seem overly idealistic to some, I like some of Joseph Smith's views on prison reform: "Joseph contended that our prisons should become seminaries of learning if we expect to rehabilitate those who have violated the laws of our society." And he wanted imprisonment to be used more sparingly as a punishment. See the following:</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />(1) <a href="https://www.lds.org/ensign/2009/02/joseph-smith-campaign-for-president-of-the-united-states?lang=eng">https://www.lds.org/ensign/2009/02/joseph-smith-campaign-for-president-of-the-united-states?lang=eng</a> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />(2) </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.lds.org/liahona/1978/01/joseph-smith-five-qualities-of-leadership?lang=eng">https://www.lds.org/liahona/1978/01/joseph-smith-five-qualities-of-leadership?lang=eng</a><br />(3) </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V03N03_19.pdf">https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V03N03_19.pdf</a><br />(4) </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.ldsliberty.org/liberal-or-conservative-joseph-smiths-1844-presidential-platform/">http://www.ldsliberty.org/liberal-or-conservative-joseph-smiths-1844-presidential-platform/</a></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Joseph Smith: Campaign for President of the United States - Ensign Feb. 2009 -...</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">LDS.ORG|BY ARNOLD K. GARR</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Like · Reply · Remove Preview · 3 · July 27 at 11:39am</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Marlene Austin</b> I'm not certain that the society and culture that we face today are the same as the times and situations Joseph Smith was concerned with. Idealism is nice, but we are in a very real situation that requires the recognition of reality and dealing with it appropriately. Hopefully there are those who would rehabilitate, but there are many others (terrorists) whose desire is not to change but to destroy our society.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Like · July 27 at 4:42pm</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Bruce Young</b> Yes, some are pretty far gone, and we need to deal pragmatically with the threat they pose--but though far gone, they are not (if they repent) beyond the reach of the Lord's redeeming power. As President Packer taught: "Save for those few who defect to perdition after having known a fulness, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no offense exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness."</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Like · July 29 at 10:56am · Edited</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Marlene Austin</b> How do we reconcile that with the scriptures that tell of the mighty wickedness and destruction that will be found upon the earth preliminary to the second coming. Current prophets have established that the ending is close upon us. Using Christ as our ultimate example and the scriptures/prophets second, we see many examples where rather than being lenient and kind, men went through torturous times (Paul, several in the Book of Mormon) in order to learn and become true followers of Christ. Perhaps "the reach of the Lord's redeeming power." is not necessarily found in the ways some of today's politicians choose to assume. The scriptures do not show a one-fits-all attitude towards the righteous or the wicked!</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Like · July 28 at 5:55pm</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Bruce Young</b> Fortunately, God is in charge of dealing with "the mighty wickedness and destruction" you mention. Glenn Pace gave a great General Conference talk ("A Thousand Times") on that topic (see <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1990/10/a-thousand-times?lang=eng">https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1990/10/a-thousand-times?lang=eng</a> ). </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">By the way, I think you're completely right that some attempts to be helpful are unwise or impractical. We need to do our best to figure out what really will accomplish positive results. It would be nice if people could work together in civil and reasonable ways to try to figure such things out--not just accuse, stereotype, and yell at each other. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">In the meantime, we have to do our best to help those in need, including those bound in sin, and we must have a sincere desire for their welfare--or else forfeit our own hopes of salvation, which depend more than anything else on possessing as part of our character "the pure love of Christ." </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Another good example: Alma 26:23-26--check it out. Do you think it still applies in the world we now live in?</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">A Thousand Times - Glenn L. Pace</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">How many of you parents have had an experience similar to this: You are relaxing for...</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">LDS.ORG|BY GLENN L. PACE</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Like · Remove Preview · July 29 at 9:12am</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Marlene Austin</b> I think we are probably talking about different groups of people. You are referring to the one by one group who have been raised with a basic knowledge of good and bad in a culture that foster righteous living. I am referring to the group who have been raised to believe terrorism and barbaric behavior is a manifestation of their love of their supreme being, or have been converted to that ideology. I am afraid that too often, our current leaders do not distinguish between those groups and the appropriate ways to "teach" them. Just as Jehovah of the Old Testament used violent means to deal with the wicked, we must acknowledge that there are times when that is needed to deal with current wickedness.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Like · July 29 at 9:38am</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Bruce Young</b> Yes, you're right. Different groups (and individuals) pose different problems. But please read those verses in Alma (26:23-26). I've written more about my views on these matters here: </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://english.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/peace.htm">http://english.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/peace.htm</a>i Like · July 29 at 10:21am</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Marlene Austin</b> Balance is important. I think of Moroni's flag, of the many wars fought in the Book of Mormon specifically to protect the righteous and suppress wickedness. Yes, Ammon, through inspiration, was told how to react to one group of Lamanites. If I could trust that our leaders were using inspiration from God to determine our policies, I could agree, but I see men who openly spread falsehoods to gain their way, power and wealth. I haven't found that scriptures on the state of righteousness during the ending times supports that kind of trust.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Like · July 29 at 12:25pm</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Julia Blair</b> I appreciate your thoughtful words. Is there ever a point to "give up?"</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Unlike · Reply · 1 · July 29 at 10:32am</span></blockquote>
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<br />Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-25432177863284019292015-07-25T10:31:00.000-07:002015-07-25T13:01:43.838-07:00A response to Richard Bushman<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if supportFields]><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
12.0pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA'><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-CA style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-CA'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It is dangerous ever to disagree with Richard Bushman about just about
anything. But some recent remarks by him, if accurately reported, leave me
deeply dissatisfied. (The remarks are found here: <a href="http://www.wheatandtares.org/17915/richard-bushman-on-mormonism/">http://www.wheatandtares.org/17915/richard-bushman-on-mormonism/</a> -- and they include lots of remarkably good advice. But still I quibble with some of what he says.) Here’s why.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">His counsel to focus our
faith on Christ rather than Mormonism could be taken by some as an attenuation
rather than a refocusing of belief. I’m entirely in agreement that Christ is
worthy of our faith and worship while systems of thought and even institutions
are not, especially as either of these involves human beings. But I find
problematic the idea that we can follow Christ while suspending or minimizing
our acceptance of his human witnesses and representatives. Jesus himself said
that whoever received his servants received him (Matthew 10:40; John 13:20).
Believing in Christ without believing in “Mormonism” leaves hundreds of
questions that have to be resolved, of which the Trinity and the nature of
Christ’s saving work are only the beginning. In fact, if we try to believe in
Christ without accepting his apostles, that leaves us without the witnesses of
Peter, John, James, and Paul and calls into question the resurrection of
Christ, his teachings, and even his very existence. I’m concerned that if we
focus too much on the fact that the vessels are “earthen,” we may miss the
treasures that they carry (2 Corinthians 4:7). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">My conclusion is that
Latter-day Saints must of course make Christ the center of their faith and seek
to be his disciples. But to be in any sense Latter-day Saint followers of
Christ, it makes sense for us also to believe in the reality of prophetic
calling and inspiration and in priesthood authority and the importance of
ordinances and to “receive”—listen to and accept counsel from—the Church’s
leaders. It also makes sense for us to accept the Book of Mormon as a witness
of Christ and the Doctrine and Covenants as containing the voice of Christ.
Since I believe—not with blind faith but after careful consideration and with
what I believe is strong spiritual confirmation—that the things I’ve listed are
true and real, I believe that truly following Christ also means accepting them.
If others don’t believe these things but want to follow Christ, I certainly
think that is better than not seeking to follow Christ at all—and I hope they
find a way to support that effort that makes Christ a living reality for them
and not just a subjective ideal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m sure Richard Bushman has
respect for the leaders of the Church. He knows many of them well. But the
comments some have made in response to the post in which he is quoted make it
clear that some people—particularly of an intellectual bent or with an interest
in Church history—have a negative attitude toward Church leaders and find in
some of what Bushman has said a rationale for their attitude. I’ve had enough
interaction with Church leaders to be quite aware of their flaws, but I also
know of their sincerity, devotion, and inspiration. One of them once told me, “You
know, the Lord doesn’t hand us things on a silver platter.” Yet I know of and
have witnessed moments of remarkable revelatory power. It saddens me that some
are hyper-aware of the imperfections of Church leaders but seem to have no
sense (or a minimal sense) of the inspiration and heavenly power that at times
is made available through them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">One question (made in the
comments) was that, if Church leaders don’t know the truth of Mormon history,
how can we trust them in anything. My answer would be that, first of all,
knowing the history is not their job—at least not their main job. My second
answer would be that I think the post exaggerates the difference between the “standard
narrative” and “true history” as it has been uncovered by professional
historians. Besides the fact that history is always a reconstruction, it’s
possible to know the factual details of events without understanding their
meaning. Ultimately, I believe it takes spiritual insight to understand
history, as much as to understand anything. There are major gaps and
inaccuracies in some versions of the “standard narrative,” and these should be
corrected. But I don’t think the standard narrative should be replaced,
especially for purposes of religious discipleship, by a washed out version of
the facts that focuses so much on historiographical procedures and unresolvable
questions that it misses the human and spiritual essence. Furthermore, in
matters of religious belief, I believe choosing to trust the witness of those
one considers worthy of trust must work in tandem with, and ultimately take
priority over, strict adherence to the rules currently accepted by professional
historians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m married to someone who is
among a handful of genuine experts on one difficult episode of Mormon history,
namely, the experiences of black Latter-day Saints and their exclusion for a
significant period of time from the full privileges and blessings of the
Church. Because of who my wife is and the work she has done, I have become
intimately acquainted with the history of this issue and even more have gained
some sense of what black members of the Church have felt and experienced.
Though I’ve had to revise some of my thinking, overall what I’ve learned has
strengthened rather than diminished my faith. I have a much richer sense of how
the Lord works with and through imperfect human beings. Though I wish the
history could have unfolded differently in many ways, learning of the struggles
of Church leaders to understand the will of the Lord has been instructive. It
seems clear to me that these leaders acted with authority and inspiration in
doing the Lord’s work, while at the same time not being as fully informed about
some historical details as we are now—not because they were uninspired or
unintelligent in general, but because they lacked access to information or made
assumptions that led to misunderstanding some of the historical record. (And
honestly, they were very busy doing other important and often extraordinarily
hard things.) The circumstances and culture of their time certainly had an
impact. But along with all of this, I have become more clearly aware of the
process by which revelation can come and of the powerful ways it has on
occasion come. There are many unnoted people who are among the most Christlike
who have lived on the earth. But the leaders of the Church, who have the
blessing and burden of being better known, have generally been devoted, sincere
followers of Christ and, in their office and calling, have done many good
things and have generally done them remarkably well. I believe they are worthy
of our respect and gratitude. As President Eyring has said, if we love them, we
are more likely to hear and accept the inspiration that comes through them.
(And I love the passage in the Doctrine and Covenants that Tom Griffith likes
to quote—21:5—that indicates we need patience and faith to bear with the human
weakness of our leaders and hear the Lord’s word through them: “For his word ye
shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.”) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">On the topic of the Book of
Mormon: Richard Bushman knows the Book of Mormon well and has written some
illuminating things about it. But the remarks quoted in this post leave
the impression mainly of some tentativeness about the book’s ancient origin. I
have a number of problems with the way that impression is created as well as
some thoughts about what seems to me a better approach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(1) Though pointing to one
interesting problem (the presence of nineteenth-century religious language in
the Book of Mormon), there’s no mention of the many departures from standard
nineteenth-century language and thought (more on this below).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(2) This leaves in some the
impression that Bushman views the Book of Mormon primarily as a
nineteenth-century document, and those having this impression easily go a step further
to imagine that it was entirely made up by Joseph Smith—despite Bushman’s
statements to the contrary (or at least his statement that the book is so
complex that it must be the product either of inspiration or [credibility
defying] genius). (I added “credibility defying,” because he’s talking not just
about genius on the order of a Shakespeare, but on an order for which it is
difficult to find a credible parallel.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(3) I am dissatisfied with
Bushman’s suggestion that the nineteenth-century language may be the result of “amplification.”
I first heard that theory many years ago and have thought about it as I’ve read
the Book of Mormon another dozen or so times, and it doesn’t make sense to me.
Except for possible amplification at a very local level (in terms of phrasing—where
amplification can arguable be necessary even in quite a close translation), I
see no evidence of it. No one to my knowledge has identified the passages that
are original to the plates and those that were added in the course of translation.
Any extensive additions would seem to play havoc with the narrative or with the
sense we have of particular authors speaking. Furthermore, some of the
rhetorical and narrative structures seem so deliberate and solid that there
doesn’t appear to be much room for additions. I think there are better
explanations for the nineteenth-century language (see below).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(4) Bushman (as quoted here)
doesn’t seem to be aware of the detailed work that has been done by linguists
suggesting that the language of the Book of Mormon is not primarily nineteenth
century—in fact, that much of it displays constructions not found in the
nineteenth century or more usual in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
(These are not, by the way, necessarily constructions reminiscent of the King
James Bible. They often find parallels elsewhere in material from those
centuries, especially in the sixteenth.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(5) I know Bushman is aware
of the studies indicating there are Hebraisms and other ancient stylistic
features. He may not have kept up on the latest in such studies, and he likely
chose not to mention even those he knows of in this interview. But mentioning
them would have nicely balanced the impression the interview gives. I suppose
it’s possible Bushman doesn’t give as much weight to such features as I do. But
this is a case where I trust my own judgment. As a student of language and
literature, I feel quite confident that many (if not all) of the Hebraic and
other ancient features scholars have identified provide genuine evidence for
the ancient origin of the Book of Mormon. Chiasmus, for instance—a feature that
has been much argued over—is clearly present. In some cases, it is so elaborate
and elegant, so expressive and functional, that its presence is
undeniably deliberate. (Either that, or we have to start imagining that the
sonnets embedded in some of Shakespeare’s plays appeared by chance.) I believe
the evidence is very strong that (a) Joseph Smith and his associates knew
nothing—certainly nothing very specific or conscious—about chiasmus; (b) they
were not aware that chiasmus appears in the Book of Mormon. Furthermore, for me
it stretches credibility beyond the breaking point to think that the more
elaborate examples of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon came about as the result
of unconscious influence from the King James Bible (for one thing, these
examples are clearer, more elaborate, and usually more functional than the
biblical examples as they appear in the King James Version). There’s also the
peculiar fact that the chiastic features are mainly in the first half of the
Book of Mormon, including in the first portion of the Large Plates and in the
Small Plates, which were translated last, after the rest of the book. Nothing,
of course, that our rational minds discern is absolutely certain, but this is a
phenomenon that seems to me more solidly supported by the evidence than some
phenomena that science claims to demonstrate. If it were to be shown that the
Book of Mormon is in fact wholly the product of a nineteenth-century mind, the
presence of some of the examples of chiasmus—and certain other remarkable
features of the book—would strike me as a mind-boggling mystery that I would
love to have someone satisfactorily solve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(6) Despite the many years
the Book of Mormon has been studied, scholars have barely scratched the surface
of what would need to be known to understand the relation of the English
translation to the original text. Presumably, the original was in some form of
Hebrew. Furthermore, the written script (“reformed Egyptian”) may have been at
least partly ideographic, which means that a translation could be close but still open to wide variation in precise wording. Much of the book was heavily edited by
Mormon, but it apparently includes large chunks taken directly from his
sources. Even with the little we know, I can think of some factors that could
contribute to a much better theory than the “amplification” one and certainly
than the theory that it is entirely a nineteenth-century fiction. An adequate
theory would need to account for all the evidence, including phrases and longer
passages paralleling the New Testament, some language suggestive of
nineteenth-century religious expressions, some language peculiar to the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and a good deal of language suggesting an
ancient original. It would also have to account for the very strong evidence
that there were plates and for the evidence that Joseph Smith, in translating,
recited words that he saw before him, so that the translation proceeded quickly
and continuously—meaning that, in whatever way his mind and his language may
have been involved, he did not deliberately ponder or puzzle over how he should phrase the
translation. The content seems to have unfolded to his mind as he read the words, not as
something he was previously aware of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Among the factors that have a bearing on the
nineteenth-century language are these:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> (a) Nineteenth-century religious language
was soaked in biblical language and thought. Nineteenth-century readers of course had their
own understanding of the Bible, but their language and thought, especially when
it came to religion, had been shaped by centuries of religious tradition
heavily informed by the Bible, with special intensity during the Reformation
and the religious fervor of early America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> (b) New Testament language differs in some
ways from the language of the Old Testament, but at the same time the language
of the New Testament is heavily indebted to that of the Old—even more so than
appears to modern readers. Much New Testament language comes from the Old
Testament via the Septuagint translation, which differs in some respects from
the Hebrew text. Many phrases in Paul’s epistles are quotations from the Old
Testament, quotations that are not always apparent to most readers. Another
example is “full of grace and truth” from the Gospel of John: it’s a quotation
from Exodus 34:6 (“abounding in kindness and faithfulness” in the 1985 Jewish
Publication Society translation; “abundant in goodness and truth” in the King
James Version).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> (c) Though it’s possible to quibble with
some of the details of Margaret Barker’s work, I think she makes a persuasive
case that the New Testament understanding of Christ is much more continuous
with older Jewish traditions than the Bible as we have it makes obvious. This is
largely because those who shaped later Jewish thinking rejected some of those
older traditions and edited the Hebrew scriptures in such a way as to eliminate
or obscure those traditions. Yet these views (including the idea that Israel’s
God—Yahweh—was the Son of the Most High God) continued as an important part of
Jewish culture and are evident in much extra-biblical literature and have left
traces in textual variants in the biblical text. (Oxford UP’s <i>Jewish Study
Bible</i> notes one example of this last phenomenon: Deuteronomy 32:8 almost
certainly first read “according to the number of the sons of God,” a reading
still found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and some other versions, but was later
revised to read “in relation to Israel’s numbers” “to avoid a polytheistic
wording” [2069].) In identifying Jesus as “Son of God,” “Lord,” “Messiah,” and “Savior,”
early Christians were therefore not creating new concepts out of whole cloth. Jesus was the fulfillment of many centuries of expectation in far more specific ways than those who know the Bible only in its current form would be aware of. It’s probable that Lehi and his family were adherents of the older
traditions at about the time that these traditions were being viewed with
disfavor by those who ended up shaping the biblical text as we have it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> (d) The Christocentric language and thought
of the Book of Mormon appears much less strange once you’ve read some of the
material Margaret Barker draws on. Still, it’s true that the Book of Mormon is
much more explicit in naming names: Jesus, Mary, and John the Baptist, for
example. The only way to account for these, I think, is to take seriously the
New Testament reports that the names “Jesus” and “John” were provided by
angelic messengers (I don’t know what to do with “Mary”) and thus that there
really are angels, as well as a personal God who uses angels as messengers.
Obviously, those who reject the reality of angels have undercut any possibility
of taking the Book of Mormon literally, or the New Testament too, for that
matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> (e) The Book of Mormon itself gives a reason
it is more explicit than the Bible about some aspects of the plan of salvation.
Alma tells the people in Ammonihah that, as the coming of Christ approaches, “Now
is the time to repent. . . . Yea, and the voice of the Lord, by the mouth of
angels, doth declare it unto all nations; . . . wherefore they [glad tidings of
what is to come] have come unto us. And they are made known unto us in plain
terms, that we may understand, that we cannot err; and this because of our
being wanderers in a strange land” (Alma 13:21-23). As I understand it, he is
saying that angels are sharing this news broadly but that it is being shared
more explicitly with the Nephites because they have been cut off from contact
with other nations, including the nation they came from. They won’t see the Savior till after his
resurrection, and their witness of him won’t be made known to the rest of the
world for hundreds of years. For whatever reason, it will be a more explicit
witness, naming names and giving details that will corroborate the biblical
record and be transmitted under more immediate divine direction. I think this
all suggests that the clarity and specificity of Book of Mormon prophecies were
divinely mandated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> (f) It’s possible that some of the language
reminiscent of the New Testament was an accommodation to the language available
to Joseph Smith and his contemporaries. It’s also possible that some was
supplied by Mormon in his editing and abridging. If Jesus really did appear to
the Nephites and taught them much more than is recorded in the Book of Mormon—and
if Jesus also taught much more in Palestine than is recorded in the New
Testament, including instruction during his 40-day post-resurrection ministry—then
it could be that many of the ideas and expressions found in both the New
Testament and Book of Mormon have Jesus himself as their source.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> (g) Finally, there’s the question of how
close the English translation of the Book of Mormon is to the original text.
Assuming the ancient text was in some form of Hebrew, then renderings in
English will necessarily have a different feel than the Hebrew, even if the
translation is quite close. (The use of “reformed Egyptian” writing would also
have an impact.) Someone who knows more than I do—maybe a whole group of people—need
to look carefully at evidence of what a Hebrew text of some kind might have
looked like. From the little I know, I think it’s very possible that some
phrases used as part of nineteenth-century religious discourse (for example, “song
of redeeming love”) could effectively translate the original text—especially
because such phrases, even though they may not appear exactly in the Bible,
have themselves been shaped by biblical ideas and language. (See note 1 for an
example of what I’m getting at.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">NOTE 1: Here’s a little
example based on my very feeble grasp of Hebrew and of issues involved in
translation. Three passages in Alma use the phrase “redeeming love” and
associate it with “song” or “singing.” “Redeeming love” could mean “love that
redeems (purchases, preserves)” or possibly “love by reason of redemption” or “redemption
by means of love.” There are Hebrew equivalents to all of these that would
sound quite normal (as far as I can tell). “Redemption” or “deliverance” is
associated with “songs” or “singing” in several passages in Isaiah, the Psalms,
and elsewhere in the Hebrew scriptures. In those cases, the word for “sing” or “song”
is <i>ron</i> (song, ringing cry, shout of deliverance) or <i>rinnah</i>
(ringing cries of joy , praise, or supplication), rather than <i>shiyr</i> or <i>shiyrah</i>
(ode, religious song, song of Levitical choirs). So Psalm 32:7 has the phrase <i>räNëy
faLë†</i> (“songs of deliverance” in the KJV), which a newer translation might
render “joyous shouts of deliverance.” And Isaiah 35:10 has “And the ransomed
of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs [<i>rinnah</i>] and
everlasting joy upon their heads.” The last part—<i>B'riNäh w'sim'chat ôläm
al-roshäm säsôn</i>—could be rendered “with ringing cries (of joy, praise,
supplication) and joy everlasting on their heads.” I’ll skip over other
relevant verses. With some of what I know or suspect in mind, I would render
the verses in Alma something like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Alma 5:9: And again I ask, were the bands of
death broken, and the chains of hell which circled around [compassed: <i>’atar</i>=encircle
(for attack or protection)] them, were they loosed? I say to you, Yes, they
were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did shout (cries of)
redemption by love (or love by reason of redemption). And I say to you that
they are saved/delivered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Alma 5:26: And now look, I say to you, my
brothers, if you have undergone a change of heart, and if you have felt to
shout the ringing/joyous cry of redemption by love (or: the ringing/joyous cry
of love by reason of redemption), I would ask, can you feel the same now?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Alma 26:13: Look, he has loosed thousands of
our brothers from the pains of hell; and they are brought to shout (cries of)
redemption by his love (or: shout (cries of) love by reason of redemption).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> The phrase translated as “redeeming love” in
the Book of Mormon might have been something like “ringing/joyous cries
(shouts) of deliverance [<i>räNëy faLë†</i>]” or “ringing/joyous cries [<i>riNäh</i>]
of redemption [<i>G'uLät</i> or <i>f'dût</i>] by thy love [<i>B'ahávätô</i>]”
or “ringing/joyous cries of love (lovingkindness [<i>chešed</i>] or love [<i>ahávat</i>])
by reason of [<i>min</i>] redemption [<i>G'uLät</i> or <i>f'dût</i>]). (For <i>chešed</i>
and <i>ahávat</i>, see Jeremiah 2:2, among other verses.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> The point of this experiment is to ask this: Suppose that
the original phrase was something like “shout ringing/joyous cries of
redemption by means of love,” which could have been a fully meaningful Hebrew
phrase, and that it needed to be rendered into English? “Shout” might have been
translated as “sing” (as it usually is in the King James Version), “ringing/joyous
cries” could have been translated “song” (again, as in the King James Version), and “redemption by means of love” (or
“love by reason of redemption”) could have been rendered “redeeming love.” The
fact that “songs of redeeming love” appears in nineteenth-century religious
literature is a result in part of biblical ideas and the language of the King
James Version (where God's redemption and love are as pervasive in the Old Testament as in the New), as well as ways those ideas and that language were modified over
time. As a phrase possibly familiar to Joseph Smith and his contemporaries, it
would have been an appealing and effective translation. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-27630112144146060682014-04-06T12:20:00.001-07:002014-04-06T12:20:15.511-07:00Conference adventures"Conference adventures" could mean many things--for instance, I'll be going to a Shakespeare conference in Paris later this month. But for Latter-day Saints, "conference" means first of all General Conference, the twice-a-year gathering when we listen to Church leaders, along with prayers and music, during five two-hour sessions. ("Church" as used here means "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," the church to which I belong, in which I believe, and in which I currently serve as a bishop.) Elsewhere, you can find much written about the folklore, humor, and cultural trappings associated with General Conference.<br />
<br />
Here I want to talk about my adventures this time around. There's one more session to go, so I may end up writing an addendum. But I feel the need write now while the desire is fresh and active. This is not going to be a detailed summary of what was said. Instead, I want to give a feel for what the experience was like.<br />
<br />
The first session was yesterday, Saturday, April 5. I believe I watched the first session in my pajamas--something that's typical for me, especially for the morning sessions. After a brief opening talk by President Thomas S. Monson, we heard a stirring address by Jeffrey R. Holland--one of my wife's and my favorite speakers and someone we're grateful to know personally. A later speaker, Linda Reeves, gave an exceptionally powerful talk, discussing the beauty of sexual intimacy in marriage, the destruction power of pornography, the help available through the addiction recovery program, and the power of talking and testifying of and rejoicing in Christ. She also talked of how she and her husband tried to deal with the stress of raising young children and their learning that focusing on Christ and on scripture, prayer, and home evening was far more important than many of the other things they were worried about. One of our favorite lines (by "our" I mean my wife's and mine) was, "It's OK if the home is a mess." We may write that down and post it somewhere in the house.<br />
<br />
There were other great talks in that session. But on with the adventures . . .<br />
<br />
Between sessions, I got one of our cars inspected so it registration can be renewed (which was supposed to have happened by the end of March) and then did some shopping. The plan for the afternoon session was different than usual. I had promised my oldest son, Rob, that I would go with him to a chocolate exhibit for which he was getting school credit. (Rob is 27 and is a student at Utah Valley University.) So I needed to get myself ready (dressed, etc.) to leave about 2pm to arrive in Salt Lake at 3pm. Our plan was to listen to the afternoon session of conference on the way. I would be missing part of it, but could listen to that later. Rob would then go with me to the Priesthood session at 6pm, followed by Bombay House (our traditional General Conference dinner). I was grateful Rob had agreed to do this since he no longer considers himself a believer and is critical of some things about the Church. So to agree to spending time with me in a Church-related setting is--I was going to call it quite a concession, but I think I'd rather call it quite an expression of love for me.<br />
<br />
Things did not go entirely according to plan.<br />
<br />
We left a little after 2pm and did indeed listen to conference on the radio--mixing that with a bit of conversation. Rob needed us to stop along the way so he could get something to drink and wash down a pill he needed to take. So we did that--the stop taking a little longer than expected. Rob had told me the museum with the chocolate exhibit was the Leonardo in Salt Lake, and I had looked it up on a Mapquest and gotten a basic idea of how to get there. The directions got a bit mixed up in my mind and so I led us a few blocks astray but then quickly found the Leonardo and found a parking place waiting for us. It was a little after 3pm. Rob was wondering if he had remembered the name of the museum correctly--for one thing, he wondered how chocolate would mix with the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit being featured at the Leonardo. But we walked to the entrance to find out. At the admissions counter we were told that, no, the chocolate exhibit was not there but was at the Museum of Natural History . . . which briefly the young woman at the counter said was at Thanksgiving Point, back in Utah Valley. We had passed it a good while back--and indeed there is a natural history museum there. But then she corrected herself: no, it was at the Museum of Natural History of Utah at the University of Utah. And she gave us the address on Wakara Way, along with the approximate location. <br />
<br />
We headed off. The only problem was that we didn't know how to get to Wakara Way--and the University of Utah Campus blocked a direct drive to the final location. So we spent about a half hour driving around trying to find the museum--and finally found it. We were inside buying tickets about 3:40. We had missed the person Rob was supposed to get a free ticket from at 3:00. And we learned that the chocolatier who was supposed to present at 3:30 (that was Rob's required event to get credit for coming) had not shown up. No free ticket was waiting for Rob, so I bought tickets for both of us, and we had a great time at the museum, learning lots about chocolate and its history. We didn't see anyone from Utah Valley University. If they had been there, they left by the time we were where they had been.<br />
<br />
We found a parking place a few blocks from the Conference Center and got in our seats by about 5:30. (I omit another mini-adventure involving confusion over tickets I was supposed to provide for someone else. I hope they managed to get in.) Rob let me know he might leave if anything was said that he couldn't handle, but it didn't come to that. We heard talks on the priesthood, on our need to change, on the use of technology and the Internet, on "not sleeping through the restoration" (a memorable talk by President Dieter Uchtdorf--another family favorite), on heroes, and on courage. I slept through part of the second to last talk. Sleep deprived and exhausted, I found the gentle voice of President Henry B. Eyring inviting me into slumber--ironic given that the preceding talk, by Pres. Uchtdorf, had discussed the need to wake up. I'll listen to or read Pres. Eyring's talk later.<br />
<br />
After the session, Rob and I left by way of the outside balcony, with fresh air and a beautiful view--but we found ourselves surrounded by a slow-moving crowd, and Rob felt anxious and found it hard to listen to me because of the distraction of the voices around us. I gave a slow account of the time Rob had met Pres. Uchtdorf. I believe Rob was 13 at the time. It was April of 2000. Pres. Uchtdorf was then Elder Uchtdorf of the Seventy, and he along with Douglas Smoot had reorganized our Stake Presidency. I was to be set apart as first counselor to Brian Wolsey. Pres. Uchtdorf set apart Pres. Wolsey; Douglas Smoot set me apart; I don't remember who set apart the second counselor, Steve Park. I do remember that Margaret and our children were there; my parents were there, my mother probably with a walker. Pres. Uchtdorf was solicitous with my parents; he was patient and positive with our rambunctious children. Margaret especially remembers him telling us, "Don't inhale." I especially remember him telling us, "Brethren, be sure to smile. The members need to know that living the gospel is a happy thing." I also gave Rob an extended preamble to another thing I would finish telling him once we got to the car--about a breakthrough I had the other day when I realized why I get so upset when I feel I've performed badly in front of people. (Basically, my parents' high expectations of me when I was a child. But the breakthrough consisted in feeling compassion for them--they were doing the best they knew how--and for myself, the little boy who was growing up with such an intense feeling that he must not mess up in front of other people.)<br />
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Along with this conversation, you should imagine Rob and me walking along with the crowds beyond the Conference Center and then up the hill to where our car was parked. We then decided to go with my memory that Bombay House was somewhere on Foothill Drive. Problem: We didn't know exactly how to get to Foothill Drive. But eventually we found it, but then didn't find Bombay House where I thought it might be, stopped at a mini-mart to ask for information, and were given directions. Bombay House had in fact moved a few blocks away since we had last been there in Salt Lake, but luckily they were still on Foothill Drive, and we managed to get there. It may have been almost 9pm by this time. We had a great time talking--about the history of gender roles, the questionable historical accuracy of a medieval fantasy Rob is reading, mindfulness and T. S. Eliot's <i>The Four Quartets</i>, philosophical ideas found in Buddhism and C. S. Lewis, etc. (some of this was after the restaurant)--and had a great meal, with vegetarian dishes, naan, drinks (rose lassi and mango lassi), and a delicious dessert whose name I forget (sort of pastry balls in a rose scented liquid).<br />
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We did more wandering finding the freeway. (We definitely took the long way getting there.) I had reflected right after leaving the restaurant that one advantage of all the wandering around we had done, despite the stress and frustration, was that it could remind us that, <i>even if we didn't know how to get where we wanted to go, we would eventually get there</i> (as long as we didn't die in the process). However odd that may sound, I was genuinely feeling some assurance that, though it's best to plan and know where we're going and how to get there, the world is not as scary a place as we sometimes imagine it to be. And we have the ability to figure things out along the way.<br />
<br />
We got home (in Provo) about 11:30pm. And had done some wonderful bonding.<br />
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The next morning, after relatively reasonable sleep, I watched the Sunday morning session, again in my pajamas. This was perhaps my favorite sessions so far--filled with light and power and goodness and joy. President spoke powerfully of gratitude. Elder M. Russell Ballard spoke of inviting others to share the gospel and then following through--extending our hands and lifting others up and walking with them (compare Peter and the lame man in the book of Acts). Sister Jean Stevens gave a powerful talk about trusting in God's love (you are not alone; you are not forgotten). Bishop Gary Stevenson discussed three LDS athletes who won medals at the Winter Olympics: Noelle Picus Pace, who wore her Young Women medallion on her neck along with the silver medal; Christopher (I don't remember his last name), who persevered through trails; and Tora Bright, who gave an anxious Kelly Clark a hug to help her calm down, and then went on win a silver medal. When asked why she would help a competitor, she said, "I want to do my best, but I also want my competitors to do their best." Elder David A. Bednar spoke of how our loads help us and how they can be lightened through the atonement. <br />
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And President Monson spoke of love. Some outsiders have spoken ill of him, as if he doesn't deserve to be taken seriously. I feel otherwise, not just because of my respect for his calling as president of the Church, but because I recognize in him a remarkable example of and powerful proponent of what Dostoevsky called "the experience of active love": charity, the pure love of Christ, put into action daily in service to the specific people we encounter. He told moving stories. He spoke directly and simply. His words may not be satisfying to those who seek complexity and ingenuity. But there can hardly be a message more important than the one he gave: our need to view all others as our brothers and sisters and to serve and love them. Speaking of Dostoevsky, there's something in President Monson's approach akin to that the Elder Zosima in <i>The Brothers Karamazov</i>. Read it; I think you'll see what I mean.<br />
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So here we are, now about 50 minutes away from the last session. Let the adventure continue!<br />
<br />Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-91833131201444044852013-10-21T07:09:00.001-07:002013-10-21T09:12:28.116-07:00Names and Titles (part 1)In most of the classes I teach, at the beginning of the semester, I tell students "what to call me"--mostly so they won't agonize over the competing alternatives but also so I'll see or hear more often the alternatives I prefer. When they forget--or don't care--I really don't consider it a big deal. As long as both my students and I know more or less who we're talking to when we communicate--and as long as the assignments they mean to give me actually get to me--I'm OK.
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I've noticed, though, that some of my colleagues prefer different titles than I do. The preference for "Dr. So-and-so" seems to have increased over the years. When the university is giving awards to faculty, I notice that sometimes the commendatory description moves among the alternatives ("Dr.," "Professor," "Brother" or "Sister"), perhaps linking each to different aspects of the honoree's work, different roles--researcher, teacher, mentor, colleague. Some college teachers prefer being called by their first name--something that I'm guessing would have been rare on any college campus before the 60s. <br />
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The teacher of one of the classes I took as an undergraduate at Brigham Young University was Jean Anne Waterstradt. She emphatically preferred--insisted on--the traditional custom not only of being called by her last name ("Miss Waterstradt") but of referring to her students in the same way (I was "Mr. Young" and sat next to a "Miss Wilson"). I called most of my other teachers "Brother" or "Sister"--I think that was the prevailing custom in the 1970s at BYU. <br />
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It was hard for me to make the adjustment to calling these same teachers by their first names when I returned as a faculty member in 1983. I managed to do it--call these respected figures from my earlier days "John" or "Elouise" or "Marden." But my effort to accept my place as a colleague ran into a bit of a wall one day when I was walking across campus with Jean Anne Waterstradt. I said something to her, prefacing my words with "Jean Anne." She responded, "Well, Mr. Young, . . ." Perhaps she was telling me I wasn't yet on her level, perhaps just that I was not yet a familiar friend. I never quite figured out whether she reserved first names for a small circle of friends or for all colleagues who had been around long enough. I avoided using any name or title when talking to her after that.<br />
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Over 30 years of teaching, I've never asked students to call me by my first name, though a handful have on their own initiative. Though I like to think of my students as fellow learners, even people who can teach me in various ways, I guess I've also wanted to remain conscious that my role as teacher and mentor in some ways separates me from them, gives me a different role. I'm not just one of the guys. At the same time, I think almost anyone who knows me--including my students--would say I'm approachable and, most of the time, genial and unassuming. That may be one reason I've been asked, for the past several years, to serve as the department ombudsman--the one who usually handles student complaints against teachers and tries to mediate between the conflicting parties.<br />
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My wife likes her students to call her by her first name--she says that makes the class feel more like a family. At the same time, she says she's increasingly taken on a maternal role with students. They often come to her for comfort or reassurance. I'd like to think I do at least a bit of the same for my students, but it's true I rarely get as close to them as Margaret does with hers. (She has fewer students and has regularly taught creative writing, where students often share their personal stories.) Yet I'm not sure making the class feel like a family requires teachers to be called by their first names. I can't help thinking of how odd it would have felt to me to call my own parents by their first names or of the challenging moments when (during her teenage years) one of my daughters--actually a stepdaughter, though I never felt she was anything less than fully my daughter--would call me "Bruce" sometimes in conjunction with saying, "You're not my real dad."<br />
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I guess my way of trying to have the class feel like a family--or at least like a community--is to be called "Brother Young." To me, that title carries gospel connotations: the reminder that we are all brothers and sisters. Using "brother" and "sister" as titles is a standard practice among Latter-day Saints, as well as in Black churches and many other religious groups.<br />
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So I've made my confession: "Brother Young" is my first choice. But "Professor Young" comes in a close second. (I honestly love the word "professor"--partly because it sounds truly cool but also because of all the traditions and connotations it brings with it.) "Dr. Young" comes in a distant third--yes, I have a hard-won Ph.D., but I generally don't feel a need to remind people of that. (Doing that makes me think me of the kooky self-published books on off-the-wall political or pseudo-scientific topics in which the title page proudly bears the author's name, followed by "Ph.D.") Then, of course, there's "Mr. Young," which I almost never hear, except from an occasional first-year student fresh from high school, where "Mr." and "Ms." (etc.) are probably the common titles for teachers.<br />
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I have reasons for my preference, significant ones (at least in my own mind). I've almost never discussed the question with colleagues--except just recently, when I talked with an esteemed colleague who seemed to feel almost exactly the same way I did and for some of the same reasons. The fact is that "Dr." is NOT the preferred title at many universities, and there are historical as well as cultural reasons it's more common in some places than others. My impression is that some of those who think--erroneously--the only professionally appropriate title (for those with Ph.D.'s) is "Dr." are unaware of the cultural differences among institutions or of the history of academic titles. Whether or not my impression is right, I like to remember that history when I think about the matter.<br />
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So here's why my preferences rank in the order they do. I've already said I like the connotations (ethical and religious) of "Brother" and that I think the word "Professor" is cool. Here are further reasons:<br />
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(1) From the Middle Ages (when the university as an institution was invented) until the nineteenth century, doctorates were offered only in three subjects: medicine, law, and theology (or divinity--as in "a doctor of divinity, who resides in this vicinity"). For everyone else, the M.A. was the terminal degree. (The phrase "Master of Arts" suggested someone had mastered a subject and had authority to teach it; the word "Doctor"--literally "teacher"--implied much the same thing, just in other disciplines.) The Ph.D. was invented in the nineteenth century by the Germans--who also reimagined the university with its disciplinary divisions and other changes. Of course, a Ph.D. is not really a doctorate in philosophy; it's a doctorate in "whatever," as I like to say--or at least in just about anything other than medicine, law, or theology. Apparently, the German Ph.D. was originally the equivalent to an M.A., but it eventually became an additional degree. <br />
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The Ph.D. was soon adopted by Americans. But the British resisted it until the twentieth century when (it appears to me) they started offering it, at least in part, to Americans who wanted a Ph.D. at a British university. Though it was also available to British students, the Ph.D. did not become the standard terminal degree in many British institutions--Oxford and Cambridge in particular--through most of the twentieth century. I don't know what the common practice is in Britain now.<br />
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(2) Because of the fairly recent invention of the Ph.D. and the difference in national practices, some of the great modern figures in the world of scholarship--in particular in literary studies, which is my field--did not have a Ph.D. One of my heroes, for instance--C. S. Lewis--never had a doctorate, nor would anyone have expected him to. The M.A. was the terminal degree in both English and philosophy, the fields in which he studied and later taught. Also, though he was an esteemed teacher, scholar, and critic (not to mention writer of fiction and apologetics), Lewis was not, through most of his career, a "professor." At Oxford and Cambridge, the title of "professor" was reserved for those who were elected to a "professorship." Lewis was passed over more than once by his colleagues at Oxford. His friend J. R. R. Tolkien, on the other hand, was elected Professor of Poetry and so could be called "Professor Tolkien." But neither of them had a doctorate and so no one would have called them "Dr. Lewis" or "Dr. Tolkien."<br />
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Lewis was finally offered a professorship by Cambridge University, and so late in his career he became the "Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature" at Cambridge--and finally could be called "Professor Lewis." But through most of his life, he was "Mr. Lewis" to his students.<br />
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I jokingly tell my students, "So who am I to be called 'Dr.' if C. S. Lewis wasn't?" But, inconsistently, I don't use the same argument against being called "Professor" (nor do I say "don't call me that until I get an endowed chair"). My real point is that "Dr.," because of its idiosyncratic origin and history, has not been a title associated with many of the greatest figures in the broader world of modern scholarship. I like to think of these figures as being among my colleagues and mentors, even if I've encountered them only through their writings.<br />
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(3) So what led to "Dr." being the preferred title in some parts of America in recent decades? My version of the story goes something like this: From the time the Ph.D. was imported into America in the mid-nineteenth century until World War II, only a small fraction of college and university teachers had a Ph.D. After World War II, the practice of getting a Ph.D. as a terminal degree before teaching at a university became more common, and many of those who had one (and who wanted other people to know it) insisted on being called "Dr." The title became a mark of distinction not only with one's students but among one's colleagues. By the end of the twentieth century, almost everyone teaching at most American universities had a Ph.D. (or equivalent terminal degree). An M.A. had come to be considered a sort of half way mark and was no longer considered sufficient by most departments in many (if not most) universities when they considered applicants for faculty positions. So now--in many institutions--virtually ALL the teachers have Ph.D.'s or their equivalents. But in many--though not all--"Dr." still carries a special prestige.<br />
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(4) When I say "not all," I'm thinking especially of Ivy League schools and other major universities in the Northeast. What I'm about to say may be true elsewhere as well, but I speak mainly of what I know from experience. In many of the schools I'm thinking of, simply being a tenured faculty member is prestigious enough. In fact, the distinction between tenured and non-tenured faculty is much more significant than the question of degrees earned, especially in those universities where few junior faculty are given tenure. (New senior faculty slots are usually given to scholars who have already gained a high reputation at another university.)<br />
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When I went to graduate school (at Columbia and Harvard) in the late 1970s and early 1980s, none of my professors were called "Dr." so far as I remember. They were usually called "Mr." or "Mrs." or sometimes "Professor." Of course, we thought of them as "professors." One of my professors--Harry Levin--did NOT, despite his high reputation, have a doctorate. But apparently he had met James Joyce, and he knew Leonard Woolf (Virginia's husband), who (he said) was very upset at Ed Albee for calling his play <em>Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf</em>. In any case, nobody thought Professor Levin was in any way on a lower level than his colleagues because he lacked a doctorate.<br />
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At BYU, we've come to expect a Ph.D. as standard, certainly for anyone we consider hiring in the English Department. Yet one of our greatest professors of recent years, the late Leslie Norris, did not have a doctorate. Of course, even now a doctorate isn't necessarily expected of someone who is primarily a writer of fiction or poetry, but we do expect an MFA. But with Leslie, degrees were really irrelevant: he was a wonderful writer with an international reputation and one of the best teachers we had had at BYU; he mentored a generation of writers and was a valued colleague. Not a Latter-day Saint, he had somehow fallen in love with Utah and BYU (though also capable of being a gentle critic). Wikipedia calls him "one of the most important Welsh writers of the post-war period."<br />
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Students, who were learning that many of their teachers expected to be called "Dr.," often called Leslie Norris "Dr. Norris"--which he wasn't. "Professor Norris" was the appropriate title. I don't know what he thought about being called "Dr." (I suspect he didn't mind). I vaguely recall some discussion I had (maybe with Leslie himself?) about his sometimes being called "Brother Norris," something that would have sounded odd to him, I suppose, given that he came to BYU relatively late in his life, as a non-Latter-day Saint. But I think he wasn't bothered by "Brother" either--didn't mind in a way being adopted into the LDS community.<br />
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I see that my supposed three reasons are really more occasions for reflection. But they can be boiled down to (1) the Ph.D. is a fairly recent invention and even took a while to be considered an essential terminal degree; (2) many of the greatest figures of modern scholarship did not have a Ph.D.; and (3) its use as a mark of prestige has been limited in time and geography to places where it really served that function but even in those places is not necessary for someone who really has earned distinction as a member of the academy through quality of teaching, thinking, and writing.<br />
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And I guess I should add some of my real reasons--by which I mean the ones that matter most to me or have most influenced my preferences. I am influenced by my own experience as a student. When I was an undergraduate at BYU, my teachers (as I remember) didn't insist on being called "Dr."; certainly the best ones didn't. In the graduate programs I attended, "Dr." wasn't commonly used as a title--in fact, I don't remember it at all among the teachers I studied with. It was "Professor Donno" or "Mrs. Fredman" or "Mr. Perkins" or "Professor Bate" or "Professor Evans." So it appears I prefer what I'm used to.<br />
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But I also have a visceral reaction against using titles as a way of setting oneself higher than others, of competing for prestige. Not that I'm entirely immune from the temptation to do just that--but I don't like the way I feel when I'm in the grip of that temptation, and I don't feel good about myself when I yield to it.<br />
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There's one other reason that honestly carries more weight than it probably deserves. But life is filled with these sorts of quirky things. When my children were young and answered a phone call to my home from a student asking for "Dr. Young," they would sometimes say, "Mommy, is Daddy a doctor?" <br />
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No, I'm not that kind of doctor. And given the way language works, especially the wonderful free-for-all that we call the English language, "doctor" to many of us means someone who probes us in ways we wouldn't normally let much of anyone else, prescribes things we take on trust, and (sometimes) delivers us from danger or into life in ways no one else can. If I'm a doctor in that sense, I would have to be a metaphorical one. But I hope that on occasion I rise, at least metaphorically, to that level.<br />
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(P.S.: I call this "Names and Titles (part 1)" because I focus here on academic titles. But there's so much else to say in connection with church, family, and other settings. Part 2 will come . . . whenever, if ever, it does.)Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-56509631868310883182013-01-03T10:34:00.001-08:002013-01-04T09:51:43.632-08:00Attending to the poor and suffering: should it always be purely voluntary?<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Most people acknowledge that we all have an obligation to attend to--to help, serve, comfort--those who are poor or suffering. This obligation is an important tenet of most religions and is central to the teachings of Christ. It is mentioned insistently in scripture, including the Old and New Testaments.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas points to our responsibility to "the Other" as the essence of our humanity, and he argues that this is not a responsibility we choose: this "responsibility is incumbent on me" (<em>Ethics and Infinity </em>96; see also 100-01). It "can not have begun in my commitment, in my decision. The unlimited responsibility in which I find myself comes from the hither side of my freedom, from a 'prior to every memory'" (<em>Otherwise Than Being</em> 10). What makes me human--indeed, what makes me an individual self--is the fact that I am under the obligation to serve "the poor, the stranger, the widow, and the orphan," Levinas's list of those that scripture in particular reminds us we must serve, though (as Levinas notes) all others are in one way or another needy <em>(Totality and Infinity</em> 245; see also 215 and 251)<em>.</em> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">In the face of every other person, we experience the call to service and responsibility. What I choose is how I respond to this call. According to Levinas, "The will is free to assume this responsibility in whatever sense it likes; it is not free to refuse this responsibility itself; it is not free to ignore the meaningful world into which the face of the Other has introduced it" (218-19). It is impossible for me to be deaf to the call that comes from others--yet I can refuse that call: "the separated being can close itself up in its egoism" and "[shut] itself up against the very appeal that has aroused it, but [the separated being--the self--is] also capable of welcoming this face of infinity [the other person] with all the resources of its egoism" (216).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Scriptures that are particular to Latter-day Saints--the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants--repeatedly emphasize our obligation to those who are poor or suffering. (I'll list some of those scriptural admonitions at the end.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Yet Latter-day Saints, with the value they place on agency and responsibility, also wonder how or whether this obligation should be in any way enforced by law. Or to put it otherwise, when faced with political questions about the use of public funding to help people who are in need, Latter-day Saints sometimes engage in discussions about whether such use of public funds is appropriate or whether all assistance to those in need should be purely voluntary. If you listen carefully or look for such discussions in print or online, you can find Latter-day Saints arguing both sides of this question.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I'm on the side of using public funds to help those in need, though doing so needs to be done with care--intelligently and pragmatically as well as compassionately. And I don't believe public (meaning governmentally sponsored) efforts can or should take the place of all the voluntary efforts that also do much good. For one thing, neither private, voluntary efforts nor public ones alone are sufficient to take care of pressing needs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Yet I acknowledge some truth in the contrary point of view. For one thing, if all efforts to help those in need are made as part of institutionalized public programs, the wells of compassion may dry up in us as individuals. We need the face to face experience of concern for specific others and of personal, voluntary sacrifice. We can show compassion indirectly through our contribution to public efforts, but there is something impersonal, even something at times brutal in institutionalized programs, especially when their practices become routine. Our humanity depends most of all on our response to the specific others we encounter each day. Ivan, in Dostoevsky's <em>The Brothers Karamazov</em>, struggles with this truth, finding he can love anonymous humanity, while he cannot find it in himself to love his neighbor: "It's just one's neighbors, to my mind, that one cannot love." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Ultimately, what matters most is the state of our hearts. Each of us must learn to love others and must willingly engage in "the experience of active love" (to quote Dostoevsky again). But one expression of that state of our hearts is our ability to come together as communities to help those in need. And the idea that the only kind of help we can give is private and voluntary contradicts both the scriptures and common sense. Our roads, police forces, and many other services are paid for with tax money, which by its nature is not voluntary. Scripture also supports this idea that we may appropriately be required to contribute to the common good. One scripture I’m thinking of is Mosiah 21:17 (in the Book of Mormon), where King Limhi commands his people to contribute to the support of widows and orphans. These were apparently not merely voluntary contributions, but were expected of everyone as part of their community responsibility.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">And note that in Limhi's case, members of the community were required to contribute--not just to roads that everybody uses--but specifically to the support of widows and orphans. They were required to do it not as a denial of their agency but as a condition of being part of the community. Certainly, it's better not to be compelled to be humble (or to repent or to be charitable). But living in a community means having to do certain things. If one disagrees with those expectations, there are several alternatives: refusing to fulfill the expected obligations and suffering the consequences (civil disobedience means willingly accepting the consequences for breaking laws one believes to be unjust); moving to a different community; or obeying while trying to change the laws. The LDS Church normally advises this last approach and does not condone refusal to pay income taxes (whether for social programs or for the military). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Meaningful freedom does not mean refusal to be part of any community. Despite the high importance of agency in LDS theology, some Church leaders have pointed out that the scriptures don't ever use the term "free agency"--which might imply absolute freedom, without responsibility or consequences. Rather, the concept (explicitly or by implication) is "moral agency," the fact that, through God's grace and by our very natures, we are always free, whatever the circumstances or constraints, to choose between good and evil, to follow the "better" rather than the worse "angels of our natures." We exercise such agency not as purely isolated individuals, but within a context of obligations and expectations, as members of communities, even very imperfect ones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Part of the trick is how to do WILLINGLY and from the heart things that (a) we believe to be good and that (b) we are required by law to do--for instance, obeying traffic laws or contributing to the general welfare by paying taxes, including to help those who are suffering or in need. Jesus said that if you're required by a law court to give someone your coat, you should give him your cloak too; and if someone compels you to go a mile, you should go two miles with him. "Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." Could that mean that the answer to how to be charitable when the law requires us to assist those in need is to meet that requirement and then do EVEN MORE than we're required?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">************************************</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">AN APPENDIX OF SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES (from Latter-day Saint scripture):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Mosiah 4:26: . . . for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.<br />
<br />
</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Doctrine and Covenants 104:18<br />
Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment.<br />
<br />
D&C 49:20: But it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin.<br />
<br />
D&C 70:14: Nevertheless, in your temporal things you shall be equal, and this not grudgingly, otherwise the abundance of the manifestations of the Spirit shall be withheld.<br />
<br />
D&C 78:6: For if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things; . . .<br />
<br />
D&C 56:16: Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved! (See also verses 17-18, which show the dangers of envy, resentment, and greed on the part of the poor: “Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands! But blessed are the poor who are pure in heart, whose hearts are broken, and whose spirits are contrite, for they shall see the kingdom of God coming in power and great glory unto their deliverance; for the fatness of the earth shall be theirs.”)<br />
<br />
2 Nephi 9:30: But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their god. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Mosiah 4:16-19:</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just— <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mosiah 18:27-29:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">And again Alma commanded that the people of the church should impart of their substance,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>every<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>one according to that which he had; if he have more abundantly he should impart more abundantly; and of him that had but little, but little should be required; and to him that had not should be given.<br /> And thus they should impart of their<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>substance<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>of their own free will and good desires towards God, and to those priests that stood in need, yea, and to every needy, naked soul.<br /> And this he said unto them, having been commanded of God; and they did<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>walk<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>uprightly before God, imparting to one another both temporally and spiritually according to their needs and their wants.<br />(Note the paradox in these verses, related to what I discussed above, of being "commanded" yet needing to fulfill this command voluntarily, with one's "free will and good desires"--doing this, as all things, "unto God.")</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Note also this remarkable statement from some early LDS Church leaders: "The experience of mankind has shown that the people of communities and nations
among whom wealth is the most equally distributed, enjoy the largest degree of
liberty. . . . One of the great evils with which our own nation is menaced at
the present time is the wonderful growth of wealth in the hands of a
comparatively few individuals. . . .
If this evil should not be checked, and measures not taken to prevent the
continued enormous growth of riches among the class already rich, and the
painful increase of destitution and want among the poor, the nation is likely to
be overtaken by disaster . . ." (Brigham Young,
Daniel H. Wells, Wilford Woodruff, Orson Pratt, Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D.
Richards, Brigham Young Jr., George A. Smith, John Taylor, Orson Hyde, Charles
C,. Rich, Erastus Snow, George Q. Cannon, Albert Carrington, qtd. in Edward WilliamTullidge, <em>History of Salt Lake City</em> [1886] 728-29). (For the source and a fuller version of the statement see </span><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=fNkBAAAAMAAJ&q=luxurious+habits&f=false#v=snippet&q=luxurious%20habits&f=false"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://books.google.com/books?id=fNkBAAAAMAAJ&q=luxurious+habits&f=false#v=snippet&q=luxurious%20habits&f=false</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> )</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"></span><br />Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-36763028413465389092012-07-12T10:48:00.005-07:002012-07-12T10:48:53.728-07:00Family history indexing<img alt="" src="http://gallery.mailchimp.com/6a13a38a955e01499f3215f48/images/TrophyBadgeNEW_fr.png" width="200" /><br />
<br />
This image symbolizes what happened on July 2, 2012: Over 10 million records were indexed and arbitrated with the help of over 45,000 participants in a project sponsored by LDS Family History Indexing.<br />
<br />
Here's the announcement (found at <a href="https://familysearch.org/node/1726">https://familysearch.org/node/1726</a> ):<br />
<br />
Amazing! We passed the 5 million records goal in less than 16 hours and just kept going! Thank you to the 46,091 indexers and arbitrators who participated in this historic event.<br />
Final Record Count:<br />
<ul>
<li>7,258,151 Indexed</li>
<li>3,082,728 Arbitrated</li>
<li>10,340,879 Total</li>
</ul>
**********************<br />
<br />
I took part, indexing 1940 census records from Washington, DC; enlistment records from the War of 1812; and World War I draft cards from Texas. All were fascinating.<br />
<br />
At some point, I may explain more about my experience, as well as the meaning of "indexing" and "arbitrating" and the point of delving into these records of the past.<br />Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-37302014450402190442012-07-09T11:39:00.002-07:002012-07-12T09:32:30.325-07:00Politics and FacebookI have mixed feelings about Facebook. I'm sure I'm not alone in having such feelings.<br />
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I realize that I've picked my Facebook friends (or let them pick me) and that nobody is forcing me to look at Facebook. But I still want to explain WHY I DON'T LIKE POLITICAL POSTINGS ON FACEBOOK. Obviously, the political season is beginning to heat up, and this is something I'm going to have to deal with for several months. I'm afraid many of the political postings leave me feeling irritated and frustrated--not feelings I like having.<br />
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This morning I got on Facebook. There's much I like about it--it's a great way to keep in touch with friends and family, and people share lots of interesting links. But this morning, as has become usual lately, a good portion of the items I saw were political. Of the first 22 items (mainly from the past 24 hours), 4 were political--and all took a point of view different from mine. (More on this a bit later.)<br />
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Two were simply endorsing Mitt Romney (but also criticizing President Obama). One attacked "liberals" for their views on gun control. Another was a very negative anti-Obama posting. Part of what makes this an unpleasant way to start the day is that I'm reminded that, at least among my Facebook friends, I'm in the political minority. But even more unpleasant is the negative tone of so many of the postings (note the words "criticizing," "attacked," "negative," and "anti" above).<br />
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Despite the many calls for civility, respect, and mutual understanding, these posts on Facebook reveal that the prevailing tone in American politics, even among my Facebook friends, is negative, combative, sometimes mean-spirited.<br />
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So why don't I just join in and critique the criticisms and promote my own views? I feel tempted to do just that, and it sometimes takes me a while to work through the feelings of turmoil as I concoct imaginary counterarguments in my mind and try NOT to have negative feelings toward the people who have posted what I find to be offensive or wrong-headed content. (This morning, for instance, I found ammunition--oops!--for a contrary view on gun control and considered adding it as a comment on the anti-gun control post. See <a href="http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2012/07/contrary-view-on-gun-control.html">http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2012/07/contrary-view-on-gun-control.html</a> for what I wanted to post.) <br />
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But I almost never post my counterarguments for three reasons: (1) I do NOT want to contribute to the negative, combative spirit of political discourse; (2) I don't think Facebook is the right place for political propaganda; and (3) as I understand it, my responsibilities in my church make it inappropriate for me to do political propagandizing among many of the people in my list of Facebook friends.<br />
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This last reason especially sometimes leaves me frustrated because I'm drawn in two directions at once: I want to live up to my church responsibilities but at the same time I want to express my political views. Sometimes to ease the frustration, I do something indirect: I say something about civility and respect (while avoiding a partisan edge) or I write a blog post (as I'm doing now) and provide a link to it on Facebook. Even in these blog posts, at least when I provide a link, I try to avoid partisan propaganda. I save that for other posts that people have to work harder to find. <br />
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(I realize that people who work at it can certainly find the posts where I state my views more directly. One example: A member of my congregation--he also happens to be married to my son-in-law's younger sister--said to me at church one day: "Bishop, I've been reading some of your blog posts. It looks like you and I agree on a lot of things." I said something about how I'd love to talk with him about politics some other time, but I asked him to not spread around what he knew about my views to others in the congregation.)<br />
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Since I've brought it up, I may as well explain more about how my faith and religious commitments are related to my political involvement. I'm a believing and enthusiastically committed member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Though I think it would be "cool," as some people put it, to have a Mormon president of the United States--and though I've had pleasant personal interaction with Mitt Romney (this was when he was a counselor in the Boston stake presidency during the time I was living in the Boston area), and though I think Romney is one of the better Republican alternatives, considering those he ran against in the primaries--he's not my favored candidate. Elsewhere I've written about what I think of him as a politician and what I think about his political views. Let's just say that I don't believe that membership in the same church is a reason I should support him politically. I say this despite the fact that I've been defending him for years against attacks (mostly from the evangelical right wing) based on his religion.<br />
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I've been politically active to varying degrees since about the age of 13. I've been aware for much of that time both of my church's official policy of political neutrality and of the unfortunate and extreme political imbalance among American Latter-day Saints. For 10 years, I was a counselor in the stake presidency in the area of Provo, Utah, where I live, and during that time I did my best to avoid mixing partisan politics with any of my church activities. So that I wouldn't offend any of my neighbors in the stake, I avoided bumper stickers and yard signs. I attended party precinct meetings, but so few of my neighbors were involved--at least in the party of my choice--that my political involvement was not widely known.<br />
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Released from the stake presidency in 2007, I felt freer to express my political views. My church calling was now at the Missionary Training Center, and so I didn't have direct responsibility for people in my area in Provo. I became an enthusiastic supporter of Barack Obama, created a couple of blogs devoted to politics, and even put an Obama sticker on my car. (I devised a way to cover the sticker when I parked at the Missionary Training Center--though, seeing Romney and McCain stickers on other cars there, I wondered if I was being too careful.)<br />
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Then in March of 2009, I was called as bishop of my ward. (For any non-LDS readers, a ward is a congregation consisting of a few hundred members--and it is one of the marvels of the LDS Church: a unit of just about the perfect size to become a real community and one in which everything, from running church meetings and activities to counseling to visiting to compassionate service, is done voluntarily, involving as many people as possible.) Besides being smacked by an intense sense of my inadequacy upon becoming my ward's bishop, I was also filled with a sudden sense of caring for everyone in the ward, especially the youth and also ward members who were struggling in various ways. And I was also filled with intense gratitude for all the good work being done by members and leaders in the ward. I was not in this alone, by any stretch of the imagination.<br />
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At the same time--the week I was called as bishop--I removed the bumper sticker from my car and vowed to avoid mixing anything political with my church calling. There were a couple of bumps on the road during the first months, and both were related to Facebook. One ward member posted some content about the evils of socialism (I should add that I'm not a socialist), and I responded to what I felt were inaccurate implications about the current political situation. (We resolved things and remain good friends.) Someone else posted something else I disagreed with--probably something anti-Obama--and I responded in some way. (This was at the very beginning of Obama's presidency, and he was already heavily under attack from those who felt he could do nothing good.) That ward member dropped me as a Facebook friend. I felt very bad about both of these lapses on my part and was determined to avoid anything partisan or negative on Facebook, knowing that at least some of my Facebook friends were also members of my ward. I've kept to that determination pretty well for about 3 years now.<br />
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I also have relatives--one in particular, someone I love and admire in many ways apart from his political views--who have been relentlessly political in their Facebook postings. I first noticed this when I was listening live to Obama's inaugural address and noticed a series of postings via Facebook from a particular relative, DURING the address, attacking and critiquing what Obama said almost sentence by sentence.<br />
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In 2010, I attended the local political caucus meetings hoping to find someone to replace me as precinct chair. Given my desire to separate my church responsibilities and my political activities, I found it awkward to be the representative of my party in my neighborhood. It turns out, though, that at this meeting I was one of only two from my precinct who attended: the other person was my stake president. So we decided that I'd continue as precinct chair and he'd be a convention delegate.<br />
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Two years later, there were many more who attended the caucus meetings, mainly because the LDS Church strongly encouraged its members in Utah to attend caucus meetings of the party of their choice. A couple of my ward members were there, and I believe one became the new precinct chair. And I was delighted to see many other members of my stake, including stake and ward leaders. As for myself, I felt comfortable giving up any official position--for now. But I plan to remain involved in appropriate ways.<br />
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Earlier this year, official instructions from leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints specified what political involvment would be appropriate for general and local church leaders. These instructions are more explicit than anything I've seen in the past. I'm guessing the reason is that, at the time the instructions came, there were two Mormon candidates for president (Jon Hunstman and Mitt Romney). With the strong possibility that one of them might end up as the Republican candidate for president, there may have been concern that it would be difficult for the Church to maintain its stance of political neutrality if leaders were getting visibly involved in politics. Among the instructions are these: general leaders, who serve full-time in their church responsibilities, are not to endorse candidates or parties or even contribute financially to any candidate. Local leaders are free to make financial contributions and be involved politically in other ways <em>as long as</em> they do not imply that they represent the Church in doing so and <em>as long as</em> they do not engage in political activities (including promoting particular candidates) among those for whom they have direct church stewardship. In other words, as a bishop, I should not be going door to door or making phone calls to promote a candidate or a political position within my ward boundaries. (I interpret the counsel as also preventing me from having a yard sign or bumper sticker.) These instructions are also reason I try to be very careful in what I say on Facebook.<br />
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Over the years I've seen many minor violations of the Church's policy of political neutrality--mainly by members who wax political in a Sunday School class or comments in a testimony meeting. (A few months ago, a member in our ward came awfully close to crossing the line in comments made over the pulpit in testimony meeting, though she spoke in somewhat vague--I would say "coded"--language so as to avoid naming names.) I believe the repeated statements by the Church's First Presidency are sincere attempts to avoid connecting the Church and its worldwide mission of service and spreading the gospel with particular parties, candidates, and political ideologies. In other words, I believe the First Presidency mean what they say.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4NsJJVVQhqE/T_sIhZWRS9I/AAAAAAAAAf4/_4qEnuKKrIg/s1600/whiteboard-political-neutrality.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4NsJJVVQhqE/T_sIhZWRS9I/AAAAAAAAAf4/_4qEnuKKrIg/s320/whiteboard-political-neutrality.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
For those who are interested, I'll provide an appendix with some of the official Church statements and other material.<br />
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For now, just a couple of other things. Why this intense concern with political neutrality? I believe there are several reasons. One, as I've already indicated, is that the Church's mission transcends partisan politics and many other concerns of the moment. Furthermore, associating the Church with particular candidates and positions would certainly make it harder to share the gospel with people who have contrary views. (At the same time, I'm one of those who believe it's entirely appropriate for churches to take positions on moral issues and to promote their views in the public square. But even that needs to be done carefully and respectfully.) Another reason for political neutrality is that the gospel itself--the good news of redemption and all the associated revelations about who we are and what our eternal possibilities are--far transcends the narrow human ideologies over which we spend so much of our time squabbling. A current member of the Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles--Elder Dallin Oaks--put it in a way that resonates for me: "Those who govern their thoughts and actions solely by the principles of liberalism or conservatism or intellectualism cannot be expected to agree with all of the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As for me, I find some wisdom in liberalism, some wisdom in conservatism, and much truth in intellectualism--but I find no salvation in any of them" (“Criticism,” <em>Ensign</em>, Feb 1987, 68ff.).<br />
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Another of the crucial reasons for the Church's stance is the desire to preserve harmony among Church members while inviting all those who are willing to accept the gospel and participate in the Church. Church leaders have expressed deep concern about political divisions within the Church. George Albert Smith, a president of the Church during the mid-twentieth century, warned, “Whenever your politics cause you to speak unkindly of your brethren, know this, that you are upon dangerous ground.” More recently, President Gordon B. Hinckley reminded us that “political differences never justify hatred or ill will,” and added, “I hope that the Lord’s people may be at peace one with another during times of trouble, regardless of what loyalties they may have to different governments or parties” (see “Instruments of the Lord’s Peace,” <em>Ensign</em> May 2006).<br />
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So one of my concerns is how to purify my own heart--how to avoid and extinguish the negative feelings I have when I see political propaganda on Facebook, among other places. An anti-Obama posting by a Church leader with responsibilities for members within the stake seems to me unfortunate and wrong. The same would go for an anti-Romney posting by a leader with similar responsibilities. (I wonder how such a leader can expect members to read a negative partisan posting and then be ready to received help or blessings at that leader's hands.) Even when it comes to someone who has been released from an important calling and who has access through Facebook to many of those he formerly had stewardship for, I wonder whether more bad than good comes from posting a daily dose of political propaganda, especially if it's negative in tone. I think ahead to what I will do after my release and how I will do it.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, I have to consider what approach to take now. Should I drop some of my Facebook friends whose postings regularly disturb my feelings of peace? Is there a way to limit postings to certain circles of friends so that I can follow the instructions I've been given while still sharing my views? Is there some sort of filter that would allow me to admit the positive content posted by my friends but not the negative?<br />
<br />
Who would have thought 10 years ago that we'd be dealing with this sort of challenge? Still, underneath the specific media we're now using are all the old issues of kindness, respect, and self-control. I guess I'll have to keep working on that age-old project of learning to "school my feelings." I also look forward with hope--despite much of the evidence that surrounds me--that people will learn better ways of sharing their thoughts and feelings, ways that don't consist so much of battering one's opponents while congratulating oneself and indulging one's prejudices, but that instead include some elements of real listening and humble sharing.<br />
<br />
<br />
************************************************<br />
APPENDIX (with links and other items related to civility and political neutrality):<br />
<br />
The LDS Church's statements (and related items) on political neutrality--including the assertion that "Principles compatible with the gospel may be found in various political parties":<br />
<br />
> <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/first-presidency-issues-letter-on-political-participation">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/first-presidency-issues-letter-on-political-participation</a> and <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/first-presidency-issues-letter-utah-precinct-caucus-meetings">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/first-presidency-issues-letter-utah-precinct-caucus-meetings</a><br />
> <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/official-statement/political-neutrality">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/official-statement/political-neutrality</a> <br />
> <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-reemphasizes-political-neutrality">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-reemphasizes-political-neutrality</a><br />
> <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/political-neutrality-whiteboard-animation-draws-out-church-position">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/political-neutrality-whiteboard-animation-draws-out-church-position</a><br />
> <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/newsweek-reporter-msnbc-mormon-church-politically-neutral">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/newsweek-reporter-msnbc-mormon-church-politically-neutral</a><br />
> <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/political-neutrality">http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/political-neutrality</a><br />
<br />
President Obama (and others) on civility: <a href="http://faceofother.blogspot.com/2011/01/two-speeches.html">http://faceofother.blogspot.com/2011/01/two-speeches.html</a><br />
<br />
Mark DeMoss (a Romney advisor) on civility (from a forum address at BYU): <a href="http://news.byu.edu/archive12-jan-demosstalk.aspx">http://news.byu.edu/archive12-jan-demosstalk.aspx</a> (see also <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/12/mark-demoss-civility-project_n_808219.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/12/mark-demoss-civility-project_n_808219.html</a> and <a href="http://speeches.byu.edu/index.php?act=viewitem&id=2013">http://speeches.byu.edu/index.php?act=viewitem&id=2013</a> )<br />
<br />
President Hinckley's comments on kindness and civility: <a href="http://lds.org/general-conference/2006/04/the-need-for-greater-kindness?lang=eng">http://lds.org/general-conference/2006/04/the-need-for-greater-kindness?lang=eng</a> (and much that he and other Church leaders have said elsewhere)<br />
<br />
Another beautiful LDS Conference talk on the same issue (more or less): <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2009/07/instruments-of-lords-peace.html">http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2009/07/instruments-of-lords-peace.html</a><br />
<br />
LDS Church leaders on political extremism (you'll find these a ways into my post): <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2009/08/conspiracy-theory-mentality.html">http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2009/08/conspiracy-theory-mentality.html</a><br />
<br />
More of my own views: <a href="http://bruceyoung-election2008.blogspot.com/2008/10/religion-and-politics-especially-for.html">http://bruceyoung-election2008.blogspot.com/2008/10/religion-and-politics-especially-for.html</a><br />Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-6309302754807293822012-07-09T10:26:00.003-07:002012-07-09T17:01:30.186-07:00A contrary view on gun controlThis morning on Facebook a neighbor of mine shared a post with a large and colorful visual (that's the current way one gets attention on Facebook), promoting gun ownership rights and proclaiming: "Gun Control...Liberals want it desperately...and why? What It Does: It makes Law abiding citizens victims. What It Does Not Do: It doesn't disarm criminals." It goes on to assert that liberals are trying to destroy America ("Why They [liberal] Need It [gun control]: Because You Can't Succeed In Destroying America, If the Populace Is Armed") and that gun ownership is a God-given right.<br />
<br />
Gun control is a complicated topic, and there's evidence both for and against stronger restrictions on certain kinds of weapons. I'm sure the founders of the United States, including those who wrote and approved the second amendment, did not have in mind quite what many gun-rights activists favor now. The second amendment clearly has local militias in mind--and not, I believe, private militias run by political ideologues. And I don't think they envisioned people undertaking an armed fight against the legally constituted armed forces of the nation, especially with those armed forces being under legally constituted civilian control.<br />
<br />
But I realize I need to learn more to engage in a well-informed discussion of the subject. What I want to do here is simply report on what I felt when I saw the anti-liberal, pro-gun rights post. I was unhappy (as usual) to see Facebook being used as a medium for political propaganda, especially what I consider to be wrong-headed propaganda with a negative tone. I was tempted to add a comment to the post linking to what I was sure I would find: comments from leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints favoring restrictions on gun ownership. I knew I would find such comments for two reasons: (1) the Church has a strong policy against carrying guns on Church property; and (2) President Gordon B. Hinckley, back in 1999, made some anti-gun comments after an attack at the Church's Family History Library in Salt Lake City.<br />
<br />
President Hinckley's comments quickly became controversial. So many members of the Church have strongly conservative views on this issue that it must have been hard for them to believe that someone they considered an authoritative, inspired leader would make comments they considered so contrary to their own. (This happens virtually every time the Church or its leaders make comments that offend conservative sensibilities. Something similar happens when they make comments offending liberal sensibilities--but given the political imbalance among Church members, bigger waves are stirred up when conservatives feel offended.) I believe the Church responded by saying President Hinckley's comments should not be construed as representing an official Church position on gun control legislation.<br />
<br />
I decided NOT to add the comment on my neighbor's Facebook post. I knew it would not bring good feelings, would likely produce more heat than light, and would, well, be an indulgence on my part that would make me (I felt) a worse rather than a better person.<br />
<br />
But I ended up writing a long blog post on why I don't like the mix of Facebook and politics (see <a href="http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2012/07/politics-and-facebook_09.html">http://welcomingtheother.blogspot.com/2012/07/politics-and-facebook_09.html</a>), and I decided to write about the gun control issue in the present post.<br />
<br />
So here's what President Hinckley said, along with a link to an article with additional context:<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">"A way must be found to keep the mentally ill from senseless acts of violence. You cannot have an indiscriminate allowance of firearms without abuses. All of us cannot be held hostage by a few whose minds are sick and who lack judgment and reason. . . . We cannot live and work in a bunker mentality. . . . It is one thing to let such an individual go about freely in our society, but it is another thing to permit him to arm himself with an automatic weapon with which to cut down and kill, should he feel so inclined." </span></strong><br />
<br />
The article goes on to report that "Police have said that despite having a past conviction on a misdemeanor weapons violation, Babarin was able to legally purchase in 1995 the .22-caliber semiautomatic Luger handgun he used in Thursday's shootings."<br />
<br />
For more detail, see <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/692491/LDS-leader-says-limit-gun-access.html?pg=all">http://www.deseretnews.com/article/692491/LDS-leader-says-limit-gun-access.html?pg=all</a><br />Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-58414412978756584022012-06-17T20:54:00.001-07:002012-06-17T20:54:26.320-07:00Father's Day 2012I got a couple of e-mails, actually three, wishing me Happy Father's Day I'd like to share; I think these are revealing and in a way reassuring (as I'll explain in a moment):<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
(1)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
From coaching basketball to knowing how many Jonas brothers there are, [he's]
a pretty cool dad.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">But more importantly, [he] is a wonderful father and partner. No matter
what's on his plate, he puts the kids first, and they know how much he loves
them.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This Father's Day, I want [him] to know how much we love and appreciate him
back, so I hope you'll join me in wishing him a happy Father's Day. . . .</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Thanks for all your hard work, and happy Father's Day to all the wonderful
dads out there.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
(2)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
Now that I'm a proud father of six (including newborn twins), I've never had
a greater appreciation for the job my dad did raising me and my four younger
brothers. We were lucky kids, and now our own kids are lucky to have "Papa" as
their grandpa. People ask me what he was like as a Dad. I think he was like a
lot of dads in many ways, but the few things that stand out most to me were his
incredible determination, his sense of humor, and the feeling I always had that
I knew he loved and cared for me, my Mom, and my brothers. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
. . .</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
Dad taught us a lot of lessons, including the importance of having fun as a
family, but the most important lesson he imparted to us was the joy in helping
others. Dad, thank you for teaching us by your example.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">And we thank all the fathers who are doing the same across this country.
There's nothing more important to the future of our country than the role that
parents play in raising and teaching their children the values of hard work,
integrity, and love. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Happy Father's Day . . .</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
(3)<br />I can appreciate how long the days can be -- and how wonderful it
feels to know that, no matter how full your father's plate is, you're the best
part of his day and the most important part of his life.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">So I'm joining . . . others all around the country to wish [him] a happy
Father's Day.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
. . .</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
Thanks, and happy Father's Day to every dad out there.</span><br />
---------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
Now here's the punch line: It's 2012, and these e-mails were from political campaigns. I'll let you guess which one came from which campaign (and I'll give the answers in a moment).<br />
<br />
But first, here are ENORMOUS hints in the form of links to the campaigns:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.barackobama.com/fathers-day-video">http://www.barackobama.com/fathers-day-video</a> (This features Michelle Obama talking about her husband as the father of their children)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mittromney.com/forms/happy-fathers-day-mitt">http://www.mittromney.com/forms/happy-fathers-day-mitt</a> (This features Mitt Romney's sons, talking about their father)<br />
<br />
What's interesting, and reassuring, is that--whatever you think of their policies--the two men who will be running against each other for the presidency of the United States are both good fathers, even great fathers, I think it's fair to say.<br />
<br />
So either way things turn out, those of us who are fathers--and those of us who <em>have</em> fathers--will have a worthy example of fatherhood in the White House.<br />
<br />
************************************************<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">NOTE: Here are less edited versions of the messages I started with:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(1) On the President as a father:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bruce--</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">From coaching basketball to knowing how many Jonas brothers there are, Barack
is a pretty cool dad.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">But more importantly, Barack is a wonderful father and partner. No matter
what's on his plate, he puts the kids first, and they know how much he loves
them.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This Father's Day, I want Barack to know how much we love and appreciate him
back, so I hope you'll join me in wishing him a happy Father's Day. . . . </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Thanks for all your hard work, and happy Father's Day to all the wonderful
dads out there.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> - Michelle</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(2) On Mitt Romney as a father: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bruce,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Now that I'm a proud father of six (including newborn twins), I've never had
a greater appreciation for the job my dad did raising me and my four younger
brothers. We were lucky kids, and now our own kids are lucky to have "Papa" as
their grandpa. People ask me what he was like as a Dad. I think he was like a
lot of dads in many ways, but the few things that stand out most to me were his
incredible determination, his sense of humor, and the feeling I always had that
I knew he loved and cared for me, my Mom, and my brothers. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">. . . Dad taught us a lot of lessons, including the importance of having fun
as a family, but the most important lesson he imparted to us was the joy in
helping others. Dad, thank you for teaching us by your example.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">And we thank all the fathers who are doing the same across this country.
There's nothing more important to the future of our country than the role that
parents play in raising and teaching their children the values of hard work,
integrity, and love. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Happy Father's Day,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Tagg Romney</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(3) Reflections on having been a child in the White
House (from Caroline Kennedy):</span><br />
<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bruce --</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I grew up in the White House. I remember as a small child visiting my father in the Oval Office while he worked.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">But really, we could have been growing up in any American home. We were just children, happy to see our dad -- even if he was stepping out of a helicopter that had landed on our front lawn.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">That's why, on Father's Day, I'm thinking of Michelle Obama and the girls, and the time they'll get to spend with the President as a family.</span><br />
<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">I can appreciate how long the days can be -- and how wonderful it
feels to know that, no matter how full your father's plate is, you're the best
part of his day and the most important part of his life.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">So I'm joining Michelle and others all around the country to wish the
President a happy Father's Day.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">. . .Thanks, and happy Father's Day to every dad out there.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Caroline</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*******************************************</span><br />
<br />
P.S.: I should probably add that these were mass e-mails.Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-6304455675760824892011-08-25T14:10:00.000-07:002011-08-25T15:52:16.813-07:00The Latter-day Saint view of evolutionWith two Latter-day Saints running for president of the United States--and with both saying they believe in evolution--the question of the LDS position on the idea has again come into discussion. (By the way, when people say they "believe in evolution," I imagine that usually means either, "I believe evolution as a process has happened and is happening," or "I believe the current scientific theory of evolution is supported by the evidence and is likely the best scientific explanation we can come up with right now." "Theory," as I understannd it in scientific thought, does <em>not</em> mean an unsupported hypothesis; it means an explanation sufficiently in harmony with the available evidence that it is widely held by experts in an area of study to be the best current explanation. One of the points of scientific research is to refine such explanations and correct them where necessary. In the case of "evolution," though many of the elements of the theory have been revised over time, it's been tested rigorously for many years and is held by scientists and many others acquainted with the evidence to be very likely to correspond more or less accurately to reality--that is, to the reality of the development of living beings over time--at least insofar as our human minds can grasp that reality. [End of long parenthetically introductory thought.])<br />
<br />
What I'll present here are links and other information that lead me to conclude that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no official position on the theory of evolution. It does have official positions on some related topics--for instance, holding that humans are in the image of God, that Adam was the first man (meaning the first spirit son of God to live on this planet), and that neither humans nor anything else in the universe were created <em>ex nihilo</em> (out of nothing), but rather were organized from pre-existing materials. I am not aware of any official statements indicating exactly <em>how</em> a physical body was prepared for Adam; I know of one LDS scientist, who also served as a mission president, who liked to put it this way: "In some way that we do not understand, God prepared bodies for Adam and Eve." Some regard official statements as closing the door to the possibility of evolution for humans while leaving it open for other forms of life. But as I've read the statements, I see nothing making it impossible for God to have used some sort of evolutionary process as a means for providing bodies for his spirit children. You should look at the statements and judge for yourself.<br />
<br />
First, some links. <br />
(1) What constitutes official doctrine, according to Robert Millet & the LDS Newsroom: <a href="http://english.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/millet-doctrine1.htm">http://english.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/millet-doctrine1.htm</a><br />
(2) Daily Beast article on the fact that the two Mormon presidential candidates (Romney and Huntsman) are the only major Republicans to affirm their belief in evolution: <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/08/23/jon-huntsman-mitt-romney-s-pro-science-stand-as-mormon-2012-gop-candidates.html">http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/08/23/jon-huntsman-mitt-romney-s-pro-science-stand-as-mormon-2012-gop-candidates.html</a> (note also from 4 years or so ago: <a href="http://bycommonconsent.com/2007/05/03/mitt-romney-believes-in-evolution/">http://bycommonconsent.com/2007/05/03/mitt-romney-believes-in-evolution/</a>)<br />
(3) Material approved to be presented at BYU, including official Church statements: <a href="http://eyring.hplx.net/Eyring/faq/evolution/trustees1992.html">http://eyring.hplx.net/Eyring/faq/evolution/trustees1992.html</a>.<br />
(4) <a href="http://cs.gmu.edu/~sean/stuff/Evolution.html">http://cs.gmu.edu/~sean/stuff/Evolution.html</a> (repeats some of the statements & adds more)<br />
(5) <a href="http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=609">http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=609</a> (a history of the statements)<br />
(6) Two <em>BYU Studies</em> reviews discussing the issue: <a href="http://byustudies.byu.edu/showTitle.aspx?title=7512">http://byustudies.byu.edu/showTitle.aspx?title=7512</a> & <a href="http://byustudies.byu.edu/showTitle.aspx?title=7513">http://byustudies.byu.edu/showTitle.aspx?title=7513</a><br />
(7) Items from an online BYU-Idaho publication titled <em>Perspective: Expressing Mind and Spirit</em> (Volume 4, number 2, Autumn 2004). I list them here in the order I recommend them. <br />
(a) <a href="http://www.byui.edu/Perspective/v4n2pdf/v4n2_williams.pdf">http://www.byui.edu/Perspective/v4n2pdf/v4n2_williams.pdf</a> <br />
(b) <a href="http://www.byui.edu/Perspective/v4n2pdf/v4n2_ott_s.pdf">http://www.byui.edu/Perspective/v4n2pdf/v4n2_ott_s.pdf</a> <br />
(c) <a href="http://www.byui.edu/Perspective/v4n2pdf/v4n2_firestone.pdf">http://www.byui.edu/Perspective/v4n2pdf/v4n2_firestone.pdf</a> <br />
(See also the table of contents-- <a href="http://www.byui.edu/Perspective/vol4_2_contents.html">http://www.byui.edu/Perspective/vol4_2_contents.html</a> --and the introduction: <a href="http://www.byui.edu/Perspective/v4n2pdf/v4n2_bessey_k-ed.pdf">http://www.byui.edu/Perspective/v4n2pdf/v4n2_bessey_k-ed.pdf</a>.) <br />
<br />
And now some content, first, excerpts from the official statements (and related material); second, my own view as formulated in 2007.<br />
<br />
<strong>(A) OFFICIAL STATEMENTS (AND RELATED MATERIAL, incl. an article in <em>The Encyclopedia of Mormonism</em>)</strong><br />
<br />
[From <a href="http://eyring.hplx.net/Eyring/faq/evolution/trustees1992.html">http://eyring.hplx.net/Eyring/faq/evolution/trustees1992.html</a> ] <br />
October, 1992 <br />
<h1>EVOLUTION AND THE ORIGIN OF MAN</h1>This packet contains, as far as could be found, <i>all</i> statements issued by the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the subject of evolution and the origin of man, and a statement on the Church's attitude toward science. The earliest First Presidency Statement, "The Origin of Man," was issued during the administration of President Joseph F. Smith in 1909. This was followed by a First Presidency Message in 1910 that included brief comments related to the study of these topics. The second statement, "Mormon View of Evolution," was issued during the administration of President Heber J. Grant in 1925. Although there has never been a formal declaration from the First Presidency addressing the general matter of <i>organic evolution</i> as a process for development of biological species, these documents make clear the official position of the Church regarding the <i>origin of man</i>. <br />
This packet also contains the article on evolution from the <i>Encyclopedia of Mormonism,</i> published in 1992. The current First Presidency authorized inclusion of the excerpt from the First Presidency minutes of 1931 in the 1992 <i>Encyclopedia</i> article. <br />
Various views have been expressed by other Church leaders on this subject over many decades; however, formal statements by the First Presidency are the definitive source of official Church positions. It is hoped that these materials will provide a firm foundation for individual study in a context of faith in the restored gospel. <br />
<h4>Approved by the BYU Board of Trustees</h4><br />
June, 1992 <br />
<hr /><br />
<br />
<li><a href="http://inbio.byu.edu/home/page/evolve.aspx"><h3>"The Origin of Man" by the First Presidency.</h3></a><h4><i>Improvement Era</i> 13:75-81. Nov. 1909.</h4><hr /><h3>Words in Season From the First Presidency</h3><h4><i>Deseret Evening News</i> Dec. 17, 1910, part 1, p. 3.</h4>In this Christmas message, the First Presidency devoted several sentences to the Church's position with regard to questions raised by science: <br />
<blockquote>Diversity of opinion does not necessitate intolerance of spirit, nor should it embitter or set rational beings against each other. The Christ taught kindness, patience, and charity. <br />
Our religion is not hostile to real science. That which is demonstrated, we accept with joy; but vain philosophy, human theory and mere speculations of men, we do not accept nor do we adopt anything contrary to divine revelation or to good common sense. But everything that tends to right conduct, that harmonizes with sound morality and increases faith in Deity, finds favor with us no matter where it may be found. </blockquote><hr /><h3>Editors' Table: "Mormon" View of Evolution</h3><h4><i>Improvement Era</i>, Vol. XXVIII September, 1925 No. 11</h4>A statement by the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints <br />
<blockquote>"God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them." <br />
In these plain and pointed words the inspired author of the book of Genesis made known to the world the truth concerning the origin of the human family. Moses, the prophet-historian, who was "learned" we are told, "in all the wisdom of the Egyptians," when making this important announcement, was not voicing a mere opinion. He was speaking as the mouthpiece of God, and his solemn declaration was for all time and for all people. No subsequent revelator of the truth has contradicted the great leader and law-giver of Israel. All who have since spoken by divine authority upon this theme have confirmed his simple and sublime proclamation. Nor could it be otherwise. Truth has but one source, and all revelations from heaven are harmonious one with the other. <br />
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is "the express image" of his Father's person (Hebrews 1:3). He walked the earth as a human being, as a perfect man, and said, in answer to a question put to him: "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9). This alone ought to solve the problem to the satisfaction of every thoughtful, reverent mind. It was in this form that the Father and the Son, as two distinct personages, appeared to Joseph Smith, when, as a boy of fourteen years, he received his first vision. <br />
The Father of Jesus Christ is our Father also. Jesus himself taught this truth, when he instructed his disciples how to pray: "Our Father which art in heaven," etc. Jesus, however, is the first born among all the sons of God--the first begotten in the spirit, and the only begotten in the flesh. He is our elder brother, and we, like him, are in the image of God. All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother, and are literally sons and daughters of Deity. <br />
Adam, our great progenitor, "the first man," was, like Christ, a pre-existent spirit, and, like Christ, he took upon him an appropriate body, the body of a man, and so became a "living soul." The doctrine of pre-existence pours wonderful flood of light upon the otherwise mysterious problem of man's origin. It shows that man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal body to undergo an experience in mortality. <br />
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, basing its belief on divine revelation, ancient and modern, proclaims man to be the direct and lineal offspring of Deity. By his Almighty power God organized the earth, and all that it contains, from spirit and element, which exist co-eternally with himself. <br />
Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into a God. <br />
Heber J. Grant, <br />
Anthony W. Ivins, <br />
Charles W. Nibley. <br />
<i>First Presidency.</i> </blockquote><hr /><h3>Evolution</h3><h4><i>Encyclopedia of Mormonism</i>, Vol. 2</h4><h4>by William E. Evenson</h4>The position of the Church on the origin of man was published by the First Presidency in 1909 and stated again by a different First Presidency in 1925: <br />
<blockquote>The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, basing its belief on divine revelation, ancient and modern, declares man to be the direct and lineal offspring of Deity. . . . Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes (see Appendix, "Doctrinal Expositions of the First Presidency"). </blockquote>The scriptures tell why man was created, but they do not tell how, though the Lord has promised that he will tell that when he comes again (D&C 101:32-33). In 1931, when there was intense discussion on the issue of organic evolution, the First Presidency of the Church, then consisting of Presidents Heber J. Grant, Anthony W. Ivins, and Charles W. Nibley, addressed all of the General Authorities of the Church on the matter, and concluded, <br />
<blockquote>Upon the fundamental doctrines of the Church we are all agreed. Our mission is to bear the message of the restored gospel to the world. Leave geology, biology, archaeology, and anthropology, no one of which has to do with the salvation of the souls of mankind, to scientific research, while we magnify our calling in the realm of the Church ... . <br />
Upon one thing we should all be able to agree, namely, that Presidents Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder, and Anthon H. Lund were right when they said: "Adam is the primal parent of our race" [First Presidency Minutes, Apr. 7, 1931]. </blockquote><br />
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<br />
<br />
<strong>(B) MY VIEW AS EXPRESSED IN 2007</strong>:<br />
<br />
From Bruce Young, in response to <a href="http://ndbf.blogspot.com/2007/05/to-bruce-young-re-human-evolution.html">"R. Gary"</a>: <br />
<br />
Thank you for correcting some of my errors. I do not have a great deal invested in this topic, though I find it interesting and it comes up occasionally in my (literature) classes. But I should still be more careful with details. <br />
<br />
Apparently, the BYU Board of Trustees <i>approved</i> the statement, "there has never been a formal declaration from the First Presidency addressing the general matter of organic evolution as a process for development of biological species" (whether in or out of a subordinate clause, it means the same thing). <br />
<br />
The other statement ("The scriptures tell why man was created, but they do not tell how") comes from Evensen's article in <i>The Encyclopedia of Mormonism</i>, which of course is not really an authoritative source, and I don't know the extent to which the Church was involved in reviewing individual articles. But I still believe the statement is true. (And the following would seem to support that view: 1910 statement [see below, about seven paragraphs further on].) <br />
<br />
You make much of the statement that ideas about human "development from lower orders of animal creation" are "the theories of men." No problem. Some theories of men are undoubtedly true, some are false, and most are partly true and partly false. I don't know exactly how the theories in question rank. The statement itself doesn't say. <br />
<br />
Sources like <i>Preach My Gospel</i> talk about God creating a body for Adam "from the elements of the earth." Unless you believe in <i>ex nihilo</i> creation (which I don't think most Latter-day Saints from Joseph Smith on do), that means a body was "organized" in some way from the elements of the earth. That could mean all sorts of things and has been taken by Latter-day Saints in various ways (some earlier leaders saying expressly that the account in Genesis is figurative). A mission president in Boston (about 25 or 30 years ago) said, "In some way we do not now understand, God provided bodies for Adam and Eve." Not that he had authority to define doctrine (though he held the keys of the kingdom at that time in that place), but I've always liked the way he put it. <br />
<br />
Death before the Fall? That (answered negatively) seems to be your banner. For me, making sense of scriptural statements to that effect would require some stretches of interpretation (similar to explaining why we don't yet have a temple in Jackson County). Sometimes the apparently plain meaning of a verse is not its true or authorative meaning (other examples might include scriptures indicating that Joseph Smith would never be harmed by his enemies or that the Jews would first believe in Christ and then gather in the Holy Land). <br />
<br />
It makes sense to me that there was no <i>human</i> death before the Fall because Adam was the <i>first man</i>. He is also called "the first flesh upon the earth," which some have taken to mean there were no animals on earth before Adam; but others have taken "flesh" here to be a synonym for "human being with a body of flesh and bones." <br />
<br />
If Adam was the first man or the first corporeal human being on the earth, could his body have been prepared through evolutionary processes? Speaking in simply practical terms of processes God had the power to use, I (as a non-scientist) would say, yes, I think. Speaking in terms of whether explicit revelation leaves that way of preparing a body open as an option, I'd also say, yes, as far as I understand. Could the body have been prepared in some other, non-evolutionary way--yes (God has the power), and yes (I think revelation leaves a number of possibilities open). Does scientific evidence leave non-evolutionary modes of preparation open? I have no idea, really. I'm not intimately acquainted with the evidence. The main arguments I'm acquainted with (analogy, vestigial organs, embryonic development, the fossil record, etc., etc.) are persuasive, that is, point in a certain direction with some persuasive force. But they are not compelling (so far as I know) in the sense that they do not force a given conclusion upon every honest thinker. And I am aware that the presuppositions anyone brings to the evidence have a great influence on how persuasive the evidence will seem. <br />
<br />
So, having confessed a large degree of ignorance, I should, in wisdom, sit back and listen to what others have to say.<br />
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EXCERPT FROM 1910 STATEMENT FROM JOSEPH F. SMITH ET AL. (i.e., the First Presidency at the time) (from <em>The Improvement Era</em> 13.5 [April 1910]: 70):<br />
". . . These are the authentic statements of the scriptures, ancient and modern, and it is best to rest with these, until the Lord shall see fit to give more light on the subject. Whether the mortal bodies of man evolved in natural processes to present perfection, through the direction and power of God; whether the first parents of our generations, Adam and Eve, were transplanted from another sphere, with immortal tabernacles, which became corrupted through sin and the partaking of natural foods, in the process of time; whether they were born here in mortality, as other mortals have been, are questions not fully answered in the revealed word of God."<br />
**************<br />
P.S. from Bruce Young: However Adam and Eve's bodies came into being--and however our own bodies come into being and operate--I believe we have to take into account the obvious but astounding fact that each of us is a spiritual being. That is, each of us has consciousness, agency, and a capacity for understanding, wisdom, love, and goodness. Our spiritual nature as thinking, experiencing, and <em>moral</em> beings is, as I've said, obvious. It is constantly, immediately part of our experience--in fact, it is of the essence of our experience. <br />
Those who claim human beings are merely material entities are, I believe, ignoring the obvious (and as C. S. Lewis points out, they are also undercutting their own arguments, since--if all humans are merely material entities--that is also true of those who make that argument, and therefore it's hard to see how a merely material entity could have genuine insight and make a valid argument). I think most of those who make such arguments are just not thinking things through clearly or are distracted from the obvious by their very focus on the points they are making. But if anyone <em>really is</em> unaware of our spiritual natures or genuinely denies its reality, I believe that's comparable to being incapable of experiencing love or acknowledging its reality, or of being incapable of experiencing the saltiness of salt. Salt tastes salty, and if anyone denies that it does, there's either something seriously wrong with their taste buds or a serious disconnect between their words and their experience.<br />
The relevance to evolution? Simply that, whatever our physical origins and however genuinely real the physical dimension of our existence, we are <em>also</em> spiritual beings, something that I don't believe can be accounted for simply by physical processes. Revelation indicates that our spiritual nature is eternal and that we are the offspring of God. So whatever we conclude about evolution, those revealed truths must also be taken into account. <br />
<br />
[And that pretty much sums up the current state of my understanding: Evolution, as a process by which the forms of living things, possibly including humans, have come into being, is strongly supported by scientific evidence. It does not seem to me to be precluded as a possible explanation by divine revelation or official Church statements. Yet whatever we conclude about evolution as a process by which the physical natures of living beings have come about, we must also remember the clear, astoudning, and glorious revealed truths about our spiritual natures and our divine origins and possibilities.]<br />
<br />
Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-15332176984051795002010-12-20T07:57:00.000-08:002010-12-20T07:57:08.744-08:00King Benjamin on helping the poorMosiah 4:16-19 (from King Benjamin's discourse):<br />
16And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. <br />
17Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just— <br />
18But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. <br />
19For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind? Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-36881291776287216232010-09-25T09:13:00.000-07:002010-09-25T09:14:27.991-07:00A little bit about this blogI've just created this blog as a place to put things that don't seem to fit in my other ones. My original blog, <a href="http://faceofother.blogspot.com/">"The Face of the Other,"</a> has philosophical (and non-philosophical) musings and reports on personal and family events. It is also fed to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-Wilson-Young/e/B001JRTDYC/">my author page</a> on amazon.com.<br />
<br />
I have a couple of explicitly political blogs, started in the election season of 2008l.<br />
<br />
And I have a blog called <a href="http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/">"Secret Memo"</a> where I discuss odd or controversial matters, or just things I don't want to put in the other blogs.<br />
<br />
So I have plenty of spots to put things. But I felt a need to start this new blog for two reasons. One was that I wanted a generic space that didn't have the suspicious-sounding title or sometimes odd content of "Secret Memo," but also that wasn't being fed to my author page (as "The Face of the Other" is). Also, I like to be careful about what appears at the top of "The Face of the Other," given that it is my prime and original blog.<br />
<br />
The second reason is that it occurred to me I needed a space for more pragmatic concerns. "The Face of the Other" is more contemplative--even though (as its subtitle suggests) contemplation ought to lead to action, given that my encounter with others makes me aware of my responsibility ("In front of the face, I always demand more of myself").<br />
<br />
But I need to go beyond <i>knowing</i> that I am responsible to <i>act</i> responsibly. And so I've titled the new blog "Welcoming the Other." The subtitle of the current blog comes from an interview with Emmanuel Levinas ("Dialogue with Emmanuel Levinas," <i>Face to Face with Levinas</i>, ed. Richard A. Cohen, somewhere on page 26 or 27). The full passage includes the following:<br />
<br />
<i>I am defined as subjectivity, as a singular person, as an "I," precisely because I am exposed to the other. It is my inescapable and incontrovertible answerability to the other that makes me an individual "I." So that I become a responsible or ethical "I" to the extent that I agree to depose or dethrone myself--to abdicate my position of centrality--in favor of the vulnerable other. As the Bible says: "He who loses his soul gains it." . . . It is not that I wish to preserve . . . the idea of a subject who would be a substantial or mastering center of meaning, an idealist, self-sufficient cogito. . . . Ethical subjectivity dispenses with the idealizing subjectivity of ontology, which reduces everything to itself. The ethical "I" is subjectivity precisely insofar as it kneels before the other.</i><br />
<br />
Another passage (this one from Levinas's book <i>Totality and Infinity</i>) illuminates what's involved in <i>welcoming</i> another person:<br />
<blockquote>To approach the Other in conversation is to welcome his expression, in which at each instant he overflows the idea a thought would carry away from it. It is therefore to <i>receive</i> from the Other beyond the capacity of the I, which means exactly: to have the idea of infinity. But this also means: to be taught. The relation with the Other, or Conversation, is a non-allergic relation, an ethical relation; but inasmuch as it is welcomed this conversation is a teaching. Teaching . . . comes from the exterior and brings me more than I contain. (51)</blockquote>And here's another one, harder to figure out if you don't already know something of Levinas's thought: "The relationship between the same and the other, my welcoming of the other, is the ultimate fact, and in it the things figure not as what one builds but as what one gives" (<i>Totality and Infinity</i> 77).<br />
<br />
And another: "[Though the Other calls the I into being, this call] leaves room for a process of being that is deduced from itself, that is, remains separated and capable of shutting itself up against the very appeal that has aroused it, but also capable of welcoming this face of infinity with all the resources of its egoism. . . ." (216).<br />
<br />
And a particularly wild one--but crystal clear, pretty much, once you start to get a feel for Levinas:<br />
<blockquote>It is only in approaching the Other that I attend to myself. This does not mean that my existence is constituted in the thought of the others. An existence called objective, such as is reflected in the thought of the others, and by which I count in universality, in the State, in history, in the totality, does not express me, but precisely dissimulates me. The face I welcome makes me pass from phenomenon [i.e., "a reality that lacks reality, still infinitely removed from its being"] to being in another sense: in discourse I expose myself to the questioning of the Other, and this urgency of the response—acuteness of the present—engenders me for responsibility; as responsible I am brought to my final reality. This extreme attention does not actualize what was in potency, for it is not conceivable without the other. Being attentive . . . presupposes the call of the other. To be attentive is to recognize the mastery of the other, to receive his command, or, more exactly, to receive from him the command to command. When I seek my final reality, I find that my existence as a "thing in itself" begins with the presence in me of the idea of Infinity. But this relation already consists in serving the Other. . . .<br />
. . . This [the face to face] is not a play of mirrors but my responsibility, that is, an existence already obligated. It places the center of gravitation of a being outside of that being. The surpassing of phenomenal or inward existence does not consist in receiving the recognition of the Other, but in offering him one's being. To be in oneself is to express oneself, that is, already to serve the Other. The ground of expression is goodness. To be kath'auto ["in or according to oneself," i.e., having reality in onself] is to be good. (178-79, 183)</blockquote>Well, that's enough Levinas for now, and certainly more than enough of an explanation of why I've started this blog.Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5811475737167123212.post-46789551199022917842010-09-25T08:25:00.000-07:002010-09-25T08:25:33.078-07:00MTC Reunion (French-speaking branches) on October 2For more information see <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=152149834808962">http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=152149834808962</a><br />
(or look at the end of this post).<br />
<br />
I still haven't been able to contact the following:<br />
<br />
Adam Michael Ross<br />
Alexander Williams<br />
Benjamin John Spence<br />
Brady Nicholas Rust<br />
Brett Jackson Riley<br />
Brian Douglas Nelson<br />
Brittany Call<br />
Brock Dennis Rose<br />
Catherine Luz Cerdhe<br />
Christopher Joseph Perry<br />
Christopher Allen Carlsen<br />
Clifton Todd Crosland<br />
Daniel Ray Porter<br />
Daniel Jaymes Skeen<br />
Daniel James Lee<br />
Daniel Guillermo Antivilo<br />
David Cahrles Phillips<br />
David Wesley Olsen<br />
Eric Wesley Wilcox<br />
Geoffrey Tucker Lang<br />
Gregory Alan Garrett<br />
Gyson Delmar Gray<br />
James Matthew Ritchie<br />
James Aarl Sykes<br />
Jason Stuart Walke<br />
Jaysen Varselle Williams<br />
John Aaron Sones<br />
Jonathan Wesley Hales<br />
Jordan Dale Harding<br />
Joseph Brandt Jorgensen<br />
Joshua Michael Barney<br />
Kade Brett Hansen<br />
Kevin Mtthew Dennis<br />
Kyle McKay Poulsen<br />
Laurence James Wynder<br />
Luke Thomas Sherry<br />
Marco Antonio De Leon Jr.<br />
Mark Ryan Wight<br />
Matthew Jay Stokes<br />
Matthew Frank Maylett<br />
Michael Recio<br />
Michael Ray Christensen<br />
Michael Pierce Johnson<br />
Michael Alexander De La Torre<br />
Michael Crosby Long<br />
Miguel Moreira Da Mota<br />
Nathan Samuel Gill<br />
Ninoska Altamirano<br />
Omar Doctolero Ramil<br />
Paul Benjamin McConnell<br />
Richard McKay Childs<br />
Robert Isaac Andersen<br />
Robert Scott Runyon<br />
Ryan Scott Sorensen<br />
Scott Robert McIntosh<br />
Seth Neal Ellsworth<br />
Stephanie Ann Smith<br />
Stephen David Hunter<br />
Stephen R. Crooks<br />
Thomas Cameron Waller<br />
Tonya Michelle Olsen<br />
Tyler Kimble Jestet<br />
Tyler David Kelley<br />
William Thomas Garner<br />
Zachary Mark Bowman<br />
<br />
If you know any of those listed, please invite them.<br />
<br />
**************************************<br />
REUNION DETAILS:<br />
<br />
<table class="uiInfoTable mvm profileInfoTable"><tbody>
<tr> <th class="label">Time</th> <td class="data"> <div>Saturday, October 2 · 12:00pm - 2:00pm</div></td></tr>
<tr class="spacer"> <td colspan="2"> <hr /> </td></tr>
</tbody> <tbody>
<tr> <th class="label">Location</th> <td class="data">Pres. Eliason's home <div>3011 Foothill Drive (not far from the MTC--see link to map below)</div><div>Provo, UT</div></td></tr>
<tr class="spacer"> <td colspan="2"> <hr /> </td></tr>
</td></tr>
</tbody><tbody>
<tr><th class="label">More Info</th> <td class="data">Potluck lunch (You should probably bring food from the countries you served in--like pastries if you were in Paris or Saka Saka if you were in Africa--or whatever.)<br />
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD! (to those who've returned from French-speaking missions during the past couple of years) I don't have contact information for everyone.<br />
FOR A MAP (from the MTC to the Eliasons), see <a href="http://www.mapquest.com/mq/5-AaOtu9dP0Rl0Ecuf" onmousedown="UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this), "50830", event);" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span>http://www.mapquest.com/mq</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>/5-AaOtu9dP0Rl0Ecuf</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Bruce Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975464286394973580noreply@blogger.com0