The third annual IRF Summit starts tomorrow and Chris Seiple on RNS suggested that we consider just how the United States advances religious freedom abroad. Religious freedom globally is getting worse. Until we can get past the barriers dividing groups we won’t be able to move forward and progress. At least not to the level we should.
When we seek to blame others for tragedy, it ultimately coarsens our souls and destroys our peace. The antidote is to take responsibility and reject blame.
Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Terryl Givens of BYU’s Maxwell Institute writes for LDS Living grappling with the implications of the Holocaust on human nature and the reality of God. If God Allows us to make choices, why didn’t he create us to have more beautiful souls? The article comes from Givens’ book “Let’s Talk About Faith and Intellect,” where he explores these questions further.
We often go directly from stimulus to reaction, but we can learn proactive approaches we can take to respond to temptation with a little bit of time and practice.
Deseret News recently shared an article by Kelsey Dallas regarding a new ad campaign titled “He Gets Us” to be shown during the NFL playoffs. Religion News Service reported this campaign launched with a $100 million dollar budget. The focus is to introduce people to Christianity and to show how Jesus Christ is relevant to things in our modern everyday life. Their goal is to have people associate Jesus Christ with love instead of hate. Isn’t that what we all want? That would be the ultimate touchdown.
President Biden and other leaders were recently sent a letter from numerous religious organizations pleading with them not to pursue or enact the proposed “asylum ban.” This proposal would ban asylum seekers unless they were registered prior to entering the U.S. or sought asylum in other countries along their travels. Per the Biden administration an app would be developed that would allow travelers to register prior to entering. An app that most would not be able to use due to lack of financial resources. One comment from the religious leaders in the letter states: “Our diverse faith traditions compel us to love our neighbor, accompany the vulnerable, and welcome the sojourner—regardless of place of birth, religion, or ethnicity. Importantly, our faiths also urge us to boldly resist and dismantle systems of oppression.”
Politico recently featured an article written by Amanda Ripley that focused on a woman who wants to make politicians accountable for the way they speak. Tami Pyfer uses the Dignity Index which rates a politician’s rhetoric on an 8 point scale. She recently introduced it in her own state of Utah. Her goal is to make politicians aware of the vitriol and push them towards a nice and kinder political conversation. Will this help? We certainly hope so.
A response to Patrick Mason on gender and sexuality, with suggested readings for those unfamiliar with the robust rationale for Biblical marriage provided by Latter-day Saints and many scholars.
Last week a Federal Judge dismissed the case of LGBTQ students in Oregon who filed a lawsuit in Oregon against the Department of Education. Their claims were that religious affiliated universities weren’t protecting them against discrimination. After hearing evidence, the judge determined that the plaintiffs didn’t show enough evidence to prove they were discriminated against perTitle IX exceptions. Title IX provides protections for religious universities to hold to religious freedom and their beliefs.
When most people think of worship, it’s something happening in a chapel or church building. A deeper appreciation of worship that can also happen at home has been transformative for many families
Kevin Singer recently wrote an article for Religion Unplugged where he discusses whether spirituality could have anything to do with the mental well-being of our Gen Z population. He shares new research showing a strong connection between religiosity and emotional and mental health well-being. While the percentage of those questioned who consider themselves religious or spiritual is quite high, the number of those who belong to any kind of religion is low. Could the loss of meaning and community associated with organized religion be partially responsible for our present mental health crisis? Could organized religion be a key component to our well being? And how can church leaders, help the young recognize the mental health benefits of ongoing faithfulness?
