Fostering Peaceful Holiday Gatherings in a Time of Fear and Anger
How can we foster kindness and softness in our own extended families and homes these holidays? Here are some thoughts.
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Author: Public Square Staff
Not Giving Up on a Shared Vision of Truth
Unity of heart may be possible even when visions temporarily differ. But continuing to value and strive for growing unity of mind is also crucial to the body of Christ.
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A Unity of Heart Transcending Differences of Mind
Many appeals for peace center on various ways to bring people into greater cognitive alignment. But as highlighted in recent addresses, modern prophets are pointing towards a deeper pathway to peace centered on orienting our hearts collectively toward the great Parent of us all.
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The Conference Themes That Press on Our Mind
This last weekend, we participated in our semiannual General Conference, listening to the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here are some themes that stood out to our staff.
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Mapping Public Disagreements about Vaccine Mandates
The intensity of feelings around vaccine mandates makes clear comprehension of what other people actually believe more difficult, and less likely across the board. Mapping out summary positions held on key questions might help a little, at least as a step in the right direction.
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Beating Ploughshares Into Swords
Recent criticism of Elder Holland’s remarks show us that anyone can be made an enemy, but the tradeoff is a world where the most vulnerable are taught they have very few friends.
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We Are Hypatia
Elaborating the rationale for agreeing to a group pseudonym to be used in select articles in the days ahead.
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What’s the Greatest Threat to Public Discourse?
Would you say the greatest threat to public discourse is misinformation or censorship (or both)? Depending on that answer, we’re drawn to very different “solutions” – taking very different directions for America’s future.
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The Mobs Now Come from Both Sides
In America today, even mobs come in red and blue flavors. This was especially evident in last week’s controversy over a featured Church News article, and subsequent apology.
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Competing Views of “Inclusivity”
One sense of this popular term was used to call for the cancellation of Sister Wendy Nelson’s speech last week. Another sense of the same word was used to defend its occurrence.
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The Doctrine of Christ is Not Racist
Like the accusations against its history, some have insisted the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ has racism “embedded” within it. Are those making this claim aware of what the Church actually teaches?
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Is Latter-day Saint History More (or Less) Racist Than Other Communities’?
Those who claim that Latter-day Saint history is uniquely racist pay insufficient attention to the larger context surrounding early Saints, as well as the meaningful examples of positive race relations in the life of Joseph Smith.
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Five Ways to Explain Away Black Conservatives
As black conservatives have become more vocal and popular, efforts to dismiss them have also increased. If we’re serious about diversity and inclusion we need to hear from all black voices, including those on the right.
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Saving Meghan’s Fairytale
All across the globe, people have different theories of what went wrong with the Meghan and Harry fairytale. Most explanations, however, offer little hope of any redemption from the mess. There is one notable exception.
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Three Public Takes on the BYU Racial Equity Report
A long report on racial equity was released by a BYU committee last week, eliciting widely disparate public responses. We summarize three competing interpretations being taken up here.
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Disagreement is Not Disunion
The inauguration of our new president is almost a week old. There’s one especially striking moment from his speech that can’t and shouldn’t yet slip from our memories.
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Not Who We Are…Right?
If it’s true yesterday “did not reflect the core of who we are as Americans,” the siege of our nation’s capital does say something about who many of us are becoming. Is this just another step on a downward spiral, or could it become a legitimate turning point for our nation’s trajectory?
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Mapping Public Disagreements about Election Challenges
Disagreements over the integrity of our recent presidential election don’t appear to be going away anytime soon. In such a heated atmosphere, there is remarkably little comprehension (on either side) as to the nuances of their opponents’ actual beliefs. That’s where a map like this might just come in handy.
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The Grinch Who (Almost) Stole Thanksgiving
How to celebrate Thanksgiving this year is a challenging question for many American families. Whatever the details of the decision, let’s hold on to the transcendent spirit of the holiday.
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Stop Deleting Your Facebook
More and more of our friends and family are opting out of social media entirely. Honest question: What would Jesus do?
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