Welcome to the Public Square Bulletin, where we’ll bring our search for civility to the daily in the public square. As always, we’re particularly interested in the intersection of faith and the public square. And we’ll bring our point of view as Latter-day Saints to it all.
We hope you enjoy this new feature and join us in the conversation!
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Dallin H. Oaks pairs law with love, showing humility, outreach, and a call to hold truth with tenderness.
Along with scientific and historical reasons for concern, the words of modern prophets have consistently warned about the destructive potential of unbridled anger.
Can Latter-day Saint theology answer Nietzschean critiques? Both emphasize agency, power, and rejecting passivity.
A viral article about Latter-day Saint female influencers and abortion advanced a claim that stretches the truth while raising important questions about the status we continue to give the influencer class.
Actor and activist Sean Penn can certainly never be faulted for the passion or sincerity of his convictions. Much the same could be said for entertainment commentator Sean Hannity. But civility is hardly a word often associated with either. So I wanted to point out an important conversation between the two Seans that occurred last night on Fox News. Hannity had learned that Penn was filming a documentary in Ukraine when the conflict began. And reached out for an interview, and while Penn started the interview by telling Hannity that he didn’t trust him. But Penn eventually discusses how as an American he has a luxury “to indulge my lack of trust, which it becomes a petty thing.” But that witnessing the resistance of the Ukrainian people he noted that they didn’t have that luxury. The two merely agreed to disagree about the role President Biden has played in the conflict, and focused instead on their shared commitment to the good of the people of Ukraine. While it might be sad that a simple civil conversation is worthy of note, the reality is that this level of discourse is something which we would do well to aspire to more often. Perhaps it’s good we are gaining the perspective to see it.
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