Faith
Our Eagerness to Scandalize
The events of this last week bear witness to something troubling all right—but it’s not quite the trouble you’ve been hearing about in the national media or on Twitter.
Public Square Staff
November 25, 2022
The events of this last week bear witness to something troubling all right—but it’s not quite the trouble you’ve been hearing about in the national media or on Twitter.
Tired of our current tax structure? I visit with my friend Joseph Addington about Georgism. We nerd out over what it is, what problems it could solve, and possible areas of application.
It takes faith to earnestly consider one another’s stories and courage to examine our own. But how else can we find greater unity amidst mounting discord?
I discuss President Biden’s recent student loan forgiveness policy with a good friend, Dallin Crump. We uncover the ins and outs of the policy, the implications it has, and other potential solutions to the deeper issue.
I sit down with my friend, CD Cunningham to discuss his recent article regarding the associated press article about a case of abuse.
When I read the recent AP article about a case of abuse, I knew that it was something I needed to learn about and understand better.
So many other things seem to be failing to break through the mounting cultural warfare. Maybe it’s time to get back to basics and rediscover the power of finding the right question?
It’s important to raise our voices to defend truth. But especially in confusing and difficult moments, it’s also important to come together to seek a better understanding of the full truth of a matter.
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.
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!
I get together with my friends Thomas Stringham and Meagan Kohler to discuss their opinions on the sexual revolution and what role men play in teaching men proper sexual ethics.
I get together with some friends to discuss Brad Wilcox’s recent comments–and the strong response they received. We talk about intent and circumstances, but also the reason the comments were hard for so many.
Note: we tried to get this right. I guarantee we didn’t manage perfectly. A group of thoughtful people talking it out helped me though. There were some really good moments and insights, and if nothing else, I think we modeled what it looks like to grapple with something hard in as faithful a way as possible. That sounds me as worth doing.