A sense of belonging can make a real difference in your education. But you have a lot more control over whether you feel you belong than you think.
When someone hears something that wasn’t said, it could be revealing a deeper pain. Recognizing that might provide a pathway to greater healing together.
A retrospective on Elder Jeffrey Holland’s BYU staff talk and what the fierce response by some suggests about this distinctive school’s place in the ailing American university system.
BYU Studies is out with its newest edition. https://byustudies.byu.edu/journal/61-1/ The entry, titled “The Restored Gospel and Good Government” includes an article from Thomas B. Griffith, one of the judges who recently testified on behalf of Ketanji Brown Jackson. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, and Dallin H. Oaks, also contribute. Important scholars such as Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye, and Susan Madsen add to the conversation. Among the topics are the legacy of the late Senator Harry Reid. And across the board, the pieces are provocative additions to the important conversation we also engage in at Public Square. We recommend reading it. The Mormon Women for Ethical Government have stepped in as guest editors for the issue. MWEG has played a tremendous role in amplifying the voice of Latter-day Saints in public discourse. And their steady call for increased civility comes at an important time. But the organization has often failed to create those kinds of conversations within its own community, which has often been described as rancorous and uncivil towards anyone but those within the center-left politics of the organization. And the organization has also been criticized for representing itself as being more representative of Latter-day Saint women than it is in fact, an issue that their role as guest editors here may amplify. Latter-day Saint commentator Cassandra Hedelius writes, “I’m a Latter-day Saint woman, anti-Trump, and I love ethical government. But I disagree with them.” Perhaps the most noteworthy criticism of the organization and issue is that MWEG sees itself as a neutral voice for political civility, and yet its positions are often explicitly left-wing. Ivan Wolfe, a rhetoric instructor at Arizona State University has said, “While on the surface this is fine, the links in the footnotes indicate a pretty solid and unwavering support for progressive, Democrat (capital D partisan) changes.” For example, the solutions posited for increased civility in this issue include reparations, praise for the Chinese communist school system, and changes to voter laws entirely in line with proposals from the Democratic party. When viewed as a thoughtful, but largely partisan, call for increased civility from a non-representative group of Latter-day Saint women, the issue is a resounding success.
I chat with Greg Matsen of the Cwic show about Elder Holland’s BYU talk. We talk politics, CRT, religion and teaching policy. Fun to agree-and disagree-with him!
In Faith Matters’ podcast, “Elusive Unity at BYU,” Church teachings about sexuality and the family are characterized as in profound conflict with the “real experiences” of Latter-day Saints identifying as LGBT+. In what ways might unexamined assumptions about identity be contributing to this same divide?
A BYU-Idaho professor writes to his students about the role of belonging, safe-spaces, and pride imagery.
In the wake of Elder Holland’s BYU talk, I can’t help but wonder—what would LGBT+ Advocacy “bathed in the light of the gospel” look like?
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.
An open letter to Pro-CRT Latter-day Saints at BYU and beyond—inviting a good-faith dialogue that honestly engages some of our meaningful disagreements.
Across the country, and within Utah, there’s been a great deal of fear and frustration directed at Critical Race Theory. For a faith community dedicated to “seeking truth no matter where it comes from,” are we open to doing that even with CRT?
Searching for Christianity in the latest BYU Equity Report. Eleven theses toward a more productive conversation on race.
