2023 Fall LDS Conference Guide

CONFERENCE

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Fall 2023 General Conference

Forward-Facing Faith

Church of Jesus Christ taking on modern issues

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speaks during the morning session of the 189th Annual General Conference held April 7, 2019, at the church’s Conference Center in Salt Lake City.

MADAR, Standard-Examiner file photo)

A ‘true and living’ church and what that means in 2023

By Genelle Pugmire Daily Herald

On Nov. 1, 1831, it is believed by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that the Lord revealed in his preface to the Doctrine and Covenants — considered scripture by the church – that the church is the “only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth.”

Then He added, “with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually.” (D&C 1:30)

The Merriam-Webster dictionary

defines “true” as being factual or factually accurate, conforming with reality. It defines “living” as something that is alive, something that can grow, move, reproduce, respire – meaning recover hope, courage or strength after a time of difficulty.

Members of the church often use “true and living” in the same breath when they speak of the church or share testimony of it.

Hence, it appears that members believe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a factually accurate church that grows, moves and has hope, courage and strength after difficulty.

The “Mormon” pioneers are an example of “true and living,” as were the first leaders, including Joseph Smith Jr., the first prophet. He always testified to the reality of God and His son as two separate individuals as he saw them in the Sacred Grove. The church grew, moved forward and had hope, courage and strength in difficult times.

But that was nearly 200 years ago — what about now? Is the church headed by President Russell M. Nelson still “true and living”?

This special publication in advance of the church’s fall general conference looks at the “living”

church and its modern-day forward movement.

Like other Christian religions, The Church of Jesus Christ believes Christ will come a second time and it is now that we prepare for him.

In the past five years, Nelson has encouraged Latter-day Saints to “hear Him,” meaning God, and in the 2020 October general conference he encouraged church members to “let God prevail” in their lives. Add to that, he has said members should always live so the Holy Spirit can direct them through the uncertainty of the times.

Much has happened in this living

This undated photo shows the Bangkok Thailand Temple at dusk surrounded by skyscrapers. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

and moving church that would fill scores of pages, such as the church’s global outreach to various political and spiritual leaders, including a meeting with Pope Francis in Rome.

Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are constantly in the air flying to distant lands, dedicating temples and growing the church’s name. They speak at symposiums, organizational gatherings and universities on a variety of subjects.

Nelson has announced 133 temples worldwide since he became prophet and president of the church.

Latter-day Saints, even 50 years ago, would be astonished at the global growth, temple building and humanitarian efforts.

In his talk titled “Our Earthly Stewardship,” Presiding Bishop Gerald Causse said, “The Creator has entrusted the earth’s resources and all forms of life to our care, but He retains full ownership.”

Members of the church believe they have a sacred responsibility to care for the Lord’s creations.

The church has become involved with issues related to climate, water,

clean air and the environment and has organized a department of sustainability at the faith’s headquarters in Salt Lake City.

Moreover, Nelson has built a biding relationship with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People — speaking at the group’s national convention July 21, 2019. He has made close friends with numerous members of the Black community and the church has supported many projects, including a strong support for education, food pantries and genealogy services.

This is fulfilling the commandment to love one another and to love our neighbors as ourselves that Jesus taught in the New Testament.

The General Handbook of the church has been made available online for anyone to read. In this “living” church, that means there are continual updates and changes in policy and procedures, though doctrine does not change.

In 2020, a section on “transgender” individuals was added to the handbook, as well as church teachings on same-sex attraction. The

Georgetown’s Center on Education & the Workforce recently recognized WSU as having the best return on investment for higher education in Utah. Students with a WSU bachelor’s degree earn a median starting salary of $67,266.

(Based on fifth-year median wages of 2017–18 bachelor’s degree graduates)

weber.edu/quality

Pope Francis welcomes President Russell M. Nelson to the Vatican on March 9, 2019. (Courtesy the Vatican via Intellectual Reserve)

church has acknowledge the extreme importance of loving all of God’s children.

In 2018, the church supported limited uses of medical cannabis as approved by the Utah Legislature.

These are just a few of the things that testify to the “true and living” concept of the church. It is constantly moving forward, though not always without difficulty, lawsuits, protests, loss of members and more. But the trajectory is the same as it was in the earliest day of the church and Joseph Smith: Latter-day Saints are preparing for the day of Christ’s return and for His millennial reign.

The stories herein will delve deeper into some of these subjects as the Daily Herald examines the modern day Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints greets Dr. Mohammad Abdulkarim Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League, on Nov. 5, 2019. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

From right, Elder Ulisses Soares; Geraldo Alckmin, the vice president of Brazil; and Elder Joni Luiz Koch take a photo after touring the Brasília Temple during an open house in Brasília, Brazil, on Aug. 9. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

Sister Sharon Eubank, director of the church’s Humanitarian Services, leads a tour of Welfare Square for Michael J. Nyenhuis, UNICEF president and CEO, and other UNICEF representatives in Salt Lake City on Jan. 12. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

If You Are Their Home We Are Your Village

What a JOY it has been to be a foster parent for the last 25 years!

Some days are hard, some are mundane, and still others are what makes it all worth it. Our whole family has been blessed by this decision as we have learned inclusivity, awareness, compassion and curiosity. So many adventures have become cherished memories and so many opportunities to learn have become areas of growth for us and the individuals that we welcome into our home.

Our Colin has been with us for 19 years now and is completely part of the family. We started out wanting to serve our community and make an impact. What we found was fulfillment and purpose.

Our Professional Parents make someone feel like they are part of a family, they provide structure and guidance, and help an individual become an active participant in their communities.

Become

The earth: A sacred stewardship

By Genelle Pugmire Daily Herald

President Russell M. Nelson, leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, once remarked: “As beneficiaries of the divine Creation, what shall we do? We should care for the earth, be wise stewards over it, and preserve it for future generations.”

As a church, the leadership has started putting a new, more robust emphasis on caring for the planet that was created for mankind’s use and given to us as stewards and caretakers of it.

“Our approach to the environment must be prudent, realistic, balanced and consistent with the needs of the earth and of current and future generations,” said Elder Marcus Nash of the Seventy.

“What we understand of who are and why we are on this earth can (and should) have a profound effect upon how we choose to relate to the earth and all life there on,” Nash added.

So, it appears that hugging a tree is OK, growing a garden is good for man and for the soil, and cleaning the air is necessary.

Latter-day Saint scripture the Doctrine and Covenants 104: 13-17 says:

“13 For it is expedient that I, the

Lord, should make every man accountable, as a steward over earthly blessings, which I have made and prepared for my creatures.

“14 I, the Lord, stretched out the heavens, and built the earth, my very handiwork; and all things therein are mine.

“15 And it is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine.

“16 But it must needs be done in mine own way; and behold this is the way that I, the Lord, have decreed to provide for my saints, that the poor shall be exalted, in that the rich are made low.

“17 For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves.”

Water

Speaking at the 28th annual Wallace Stegner Center Symposium at the University of Utah on March 17, Bishop W. Christopher Waddell of the Presiding Bishopric noted, “A severe drought has gripped much of the western United States for many years. Researchers at Brigham Young University say that without a dramatic increase of water, the (Great Salt Lake) could be gone in as little as five years. And that disappearance could cause significant damage to Utah’s public health,

environment and economy.”

“We (the church) are committed to be a part of the solution to help the Great Salt Lake and have made some initial efforts to contribute,” Bishop Waddell said.

Those efforts include a donation announced March 15 of the church’s water shares in the North Point Consolidated Irrigation Co. — possibly

the largest permanent donation of water to benefit the Great Salt Lake that Utah has ever received. The 20,000 acre-feet donated are equivalent to a water supply for 20,000 single-family homes.

Waddell mentioned several other ways the church is using water wisely. For example, on its farms, the faith uses soil moisture probes to

Members of the church gardening and making their surroundings more beautiful. (Courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

inform irrigation decisions. They are also developing water management plans for all the church’s agricultural properties.

At its meetinghouses, temples and other facilities, the church has installed smart controllers, hydrometers, rain sensors and drip irrigation systems.

From 2018 to 2022, these practices have saved nearly 40 million gallons of water a year at church headquarters in Salt Lake City.

Beginning in the early 2000s, the church moved away from lawnheavy landscaping at its meetinghouses. This shift (from as much as 90% grass to as low as 35% grass), along with other water-saving practices, led to a 35% reduction in water use at meetinghouses in Salt Lake County in 2022 compared with 2020, according to Waddell.

In the past 20 years, BYU has cut its use of culinary water by two-thirds, even with an increased

building footprint. The university also conducts regular water audits and uses smart irrigation and water-wise landscaping, including drought-tolerant plants and mulch comprised of campus green waste, which reduces water use in flower and shrub beds by 30%.

In addition to all this and more, Waddell said, the Presiding Bishopric created a Sustainability Office and Sustainability Leadership Committee to develop key cross-functional initiatives within church operations.

Along with its efforts to help save the Great Salt Lake and conserve water at its Utah facilities, The Church of Jesus Christ continues to study how to implement water-wise practices globally.

“Our aim is to understand more fully what sustainable landscaping should be based on local climates and identify opportunities to conserve water and natural resources,” Waddell said.

Registration $129.

President Russell M. Nelson of the First Presidency encourages peacemaking during the morning session of general conference at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, April 2. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

People will notice some of these changes when Temple Square reopens in coming years. The new grounds will feature more perennials, less grass and 30% more trees. Turfgrass is being reduced by 35% and annuals by 50%. All turfgrass will receive 35%-40% less water from June to September.

Climate

U.S. Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), a member of the church, cares about the climate enough that he has decided to do something about it and is in a position to make change. While holding several get-together dinners in his home in Provo to discuss options, his greatest work on the climate is coming from his established Conservative Climate Caucus in Washington, D.C., that has grown from just him to 84 members — one of the largest caucus groups in Washington.

“Everyone is born with a desire to keep the world better when you leave,” Curtis said. “It’s a real thing. I used to be uncomfortable when ‘climate’ was said.”

For some, it doesn’t resonate that conservatives and climate can partner, but Curtis has proven that’s not true. Curtis has traveled across six continents to find best practices and worldwide movements on climate.

Everyone can do something, according to Curtis, even if it’s changing lights bulbs to be energy efficient or putting your trips to town together at one time.

At the Oct. 10, 2018, environmental stewardship symposium at Utah State University, Elder Steven E. Snow of the Seventy said, “As Latter-day Saints, we believe that God created this earth to provide a place for the human family to learn, progress, improve and find joy.”

“God expects every one of His sons and daughters to act as good stewards of the land He created. It causes me much grief when I look outside my window and see a hazy

inversion or when I hear consistent reports of Utah’s poor air quality,” Snow said. “I am concerned for the families affected by wildfires and for the schoolchildren forced to stay indoors because of smoky skies. Algal blooms are breaking out in Utah’s lakes. We are experiencing unusually dry seasons and record-breaking warm winters.”

President Dallin H. Oaks shared some of these same concerns in an address in February 2017. He said: “These are challenging times, filled with big worries: wars and rumors of wars, possible epidemics of infectious diseases, droughts, floods and global warming. Seacoast cities are concerned with the rising level of the ocean, which will bring ocean tides to their doorsteps or over their thresholds. Global warming is also affecting agriculture and wildlife.”

As one commentary on the church’s newsroom says, “The earth is vulnerable. ... Excessive consumption sullies God’s seas; wanton waste blackens His air. The creation groans under the weight of recklessness and indulgence that neglects both the poor earth and the earth’s poor.”

“Climate change is real,” Snow notes, “and it’s our responsibility as stewards to do what we can to limit the damage done to God’s creation.”

So what does it mean to be a good steward?

Presiding Bishop Gerald Causse said, “Our Heavenly Father allows us to use earthly resources according to our own free will. Yet our agency should not be interpreted as license to use or consume the riches of this world without wisdom or restraint.”

Beyond being simply a scientific or political necessity, the care of the earth and of our natural environment is a sacred responsibility entrusted to us by God, which should fill us with a deep sense of duty and humility. It is also an integral component of our discipleship, Causse added.

A rendering of the new Church Office Building plaza. The new grounds will feature more perennials, less grass and 30% more trees. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ first solar panel meetinghouse, located in Farmington. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

Bishop W. Christopher Waddell of the Presiding Bishopric speaks at the 28th annual Wallace Stegner Center Symposium at the University of Utah on Friday, March 17. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

Going global: Church’s welfare efforts stretch far beyond Rocky Mountains

By Laura Giles Special to the Daily Herald

In February, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints partnered with the NBA, Utah Food Bank, Volunteers of America and hundreds of volunteers to put together over 6,000 boxes of food and over 2,800 hygiene kits for people in need. This — just one example of the welfare efforts of the church — helped those close to home. But, outside of Utah where the church’s headquarters sit, God’s children from all over the globe are helped as well.

At the time of that NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service, Elder Ronald A. Rasband, an apostle in a leadership position for the church,

said, “This of course harkens from the Lord Jesus Christ who invited his followers to follow the two great commandments to love God and one another. That’s what we have tried to do today.”

That is what the church tries to do elsewhere and all yearlong as well. In fact, in 2022, the church supported 3,692 humanitarian projects in over 190 countries and territories, according to Samantha Butterworth, director of product management for the church. “Our efforts reach people of many nations, races, religions,” she said. “While we are certainly engaged in efforts here in Utah, including finding solutions to homelessness, efforts to support refugees, combating food insecurity

and more, we are simultaneously working with organizations and governments throughout the world to identify needs and priorities.”

Butterworth said contributions that come through church members and friends allow for a lot of good in the world to be done. “We are working to address jaundice in Mongolia; eliminating malaria in young children through a new, long-awaited vaccine; improving hospitals and clinics in Cambodia that are resulting in a decrease in newborn mortality rates; improving educational resources in rural parts of the Philippines; and providing aid to victims of war in Ukraine and many other places,” she said.

The church’s organized relief

efforts began in 1985 when church members were asked to fast for 24 hours and donate the funds they would have used for food to help Ethiopians who were desperately in need of food, according to Elissa McConkie Gifford, international welfare and self-reliance consultant for the church.

“It’s true that we work to make sure that our church members are cared for, but we certainly don’t stop there,” McConkie Gifford said. “You’ll see wells and hospitals throughout the world that have been built or renovated using donations from the church. We are all God’s children; thus, we are all brothers and sisters. Our church members are part of a larger community, and

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Child Nutrition Program was piloted in the Philippines, helping children and mothers to be healthy. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

we are interested in lifting all of our brothers and sisters.”

To that end, getting food into the mouths of the hungry is a constant task. In the United States and Canada, those in need due to unemployment, health issues or a variety of other adversities can get food from the more than 100 bishops’ storehouses. But, elsewhere, the hungry are also fed.

What many of us who are not suffering from hunger may not realize is that more than 3 million children will die this year due to malnutrition, according to the World Food Program. More than half of all children globally suffer from essential vitamin and mineral deficiencies. In August, the church donated $44 million to support the wide-ranging global hunger relief efforts of CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Helen Keller International, The Hunger Project and several other organizations. Last year, the

Supplies from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are unloaded in Haiti after a devastating earthquake in 2010. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints partnered with the NBA, Utah Food Bank, Volunteers of America and hundreds of volunteers to put together over 6,000 boxes of food and over 2,800 hygiene kits for people in need on Feb. 17. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

church donated $32 million to the World Food Programme and $5 million to UNICEF’s No Time to Waste initiative.

Hunger is not a new problem. In 2013, Feeding America, a national hunger-relief organization, announced a more than 1 million-pound food donation by the church. That donation provided the equivalent of 625,000 meals.

In 2021, the church partnered with Convoy of Hope to deliver 30 million meals to schoolchildren in nine developing countries. “Hungry children need food,” said Elder Gerrit W. Gong, a church apostle, at the time.

Hunger is just one need that people across the globe have. “The world is a big place, and the needs are different from one area to the next. Because of this, each area is asked to identify the priorities in their area and where there are gaps in current services that the church can help fill,” McConkie Gifford said. “In one area, it might be water and sanitation, in another it could be

food insecurity, and another might be education. Often, area leadership holds discussions with government leaders to understand their priorities and find ways the church can support local priorities and efforts.”

McConkie Gifford said that in addition to the planned priorities of humanitarian relief efforts that areas prioritize, the church responds to disasters. “Whether the disaster is a typhoon in the Philippines, a volcanic eruption in Tonga or fires in Maui, we look for opportunities to fill in where there are needs. We can’t meet all the needs, but we try our best to do our part in a meaningful way,” she said.

Recently, the church donated $1 million to support the American Red Cross’ efforts in Maui after the devastating wildfires in August. The donation will help to provide shelter to survivors, meals, bedding, hygiene kits and other needed items. The funds will also be used for medical, mental health and family reunification services.

Other examples of emergency

response efforts include the flooding in western Washington and Oregon in 2007. Food, water, cots and other supplies were delivered to community shelters from local church storehouses. An additional three semitrucks were also dispatched to the area carrying a total of 5,300 cleaning kits, 1,500 hygiene kits and 1,500 blankets.

In 2010, a devastating earthquake occurred in Haiti. In response, the church immediately sent a team of doctors and medical supplies to help

care for the injured. Two airplanes, each loaded with 80,000 pounds of supplies, including filtration bottles, food, blankets and tents, all donated by the church, were also sent to Haiti.

In May 2017, the Indian Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined with other humanitarian organizations to provide COVID-19 pandemic relief to India. At the time, the country was experiencing a surge of cases and the church donated oxygen concen-

An African toddler receives a measles vaccination. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

Funds known as fast offerings, donated from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, support significant church welfare efforts, like these at the bakery on Welfare Square in Salt Lake City. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

trators, ventilators and other medical equipment worth a combined $4.15 million.

The humanitarian work that the church is engaged in is much more than donated funds. “Our most successful humanitarian work is locally planned, locally run, grassroots and leverages existing community systems,” Butterworth said. “And the way the church itself is organized is a strength in how we can care for those in need — there is a lot of good happening in communities worldwide through local ward councils and Relief Societies, as well as through the ministering program.” Those programs are all part of the church’s organizational system.

Current humanitarian projects include providing a much-needed vaccine. In 2021, in Africa alone, it is estimated the 475,000 children under the age of 5 died of malaria — making it the leading cause of death of children on the continent. Until recently, there has not been a malaria vaccine available.

On June 15, the church donated $3 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to support a historic malaria immunization campaign in

Africa. An estimated 39,500 African children will receive the four doses required for immunity against malaria as a direct result of this donation. This is part of a large, multiyear campaign to vaccinate 4.5 million children through 2025, McConkie Gifford said.

The church has 17 million members, who live and raise their families in communities all around the world. “Every day they are volunteering to help their neighbors at disaster sites, serving at schools, reading books to children, beautifying their neighborhoods,” Butterworth said. “Because this service between neighbors is so critical, and also so effective, the church has provided JustServe as a gift to many communities as a place where anyone can go to find nearby needs and opportunities to serve.” JustServe.org is a website where the needs of organizations are posted so volunteers can search for opportunities to serve. The website is provided as a service from the church.

“When I think about these donations, I think of the combined love and generosity of the church’s mem-

bers,” Butterworth said. “I am able to give my small offering and combine it with the offerings of members around the world to respond in big ways to big problems.”

A great way to learn more about the church’s global humanitarian efforts and how to be involved is to check in from time to time at Caring. ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Destroyed buildings and homes are pictured in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii, on Aug. 11. (Paula Ramon, AFP via Getty Images)

Sisters in the Relief Society paint furniture at Caritas homeless refugee center in Friedrichsdorf, Germany. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

Church of Jesus Christ evolves in matters of NAACP, medical marijuana, LGBTQ+ people

By Nichole Whiteley Daily Herald

Policies within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have long been debated, evoking high emotions from those in support of current guidance and those pushing for a change. Among some of the more controversial policies that have arisen to the forefront in modern times are medical marijuana, priesthood ordination for minority groups, and the LGBTQ+ community’s place in the church.

Over the years, and especially in 2019 with updates to the church’s General Handbook, many of these policies have progressed to allow greater participation in church activities and blessings. While the church remains firm in what leaders designate as doctrine, general policies are continually evolving.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said during the April 2014 general conference, “The Restoration is an ongoing process; we are living in it right now. It includes ‘all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal,’ and the ‘many great and important things’ that ‘He will yet reveal,’” quoting the ninth article of faith.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

In recent years, support for medi-

cal marijuana has spread across the nation, but one of the most unexpected states it was legalized in is conservative Utah, supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In 1915, the church banned cannabis for its members, and within two months the state as a whole also banned the drug.

But 100 years later in 2018, Proposition 2 was passed by voters, legalizing the use of certain forms of non-smokeable cannabis.

Initially, the church joined a coalition in publicly opposing Proposition 2 and called on its members to vote no on the proposition. By December, a compromise bill was signed into law that changed wording and rules for the use of medical cannabis. The church was part of negotiating these changes, and after they were added, the church publicly supported the legislation.

In 2022, there were 57,139 active medical cannabis card holders, a 51% increase from 2021, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services’ 2022 Annual Report for the Center for Medical Cannabis.

“The Proposition 2 initiative ‘goes far beyond what we consider the appropriate use of medical cannabis,’ said Elder Craig C. Christensen, a General Authority Seventy and President of the Church’s Utah Area,” the church stated in a September

2018 article from its newsroom.

Utah Business explained some of the changes from the version of the law as originally proposed and its final iteration, saying it was amended to not allow personal cultivation of plants, edibles were restricted, patient records would not ever be erased, and fewer patients would qualify for medical cannabis use.

The church news reported on a discussion with 20 online influencers; Sister Lisa Harkness of the church’s Primary General Presidency; Enedina Stanger, a medical cannabis user and Latter-day Saint; and Marty Stephens, director of government relations for the church.

Stephens said the reason for the changes were to protect children who are not in medical need of the drug from having access to it.

Despite the church changing its position on supporting Proposition 2 after changes were added, the church, throughout the time the issue was being discussed, stayed firm on its stance on medical marijuana.

In a letter sent to church members in August 2018, the church stated, “The Church joins a coalition of medical experts, public officials, and community stakeholders in calling for a safe and compassionate approach to providing medical marijuana to those in need. The Church

President Russell M. Nelson and his wife, Wendy, are accompanied by the Rev. Theresa Dear prior to his speech at the NAACP’s 110th annual national convention in Detroit on July 21, 2019. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

does not object to the medicinal use of marijuana, if doctor prescribed, in dosage form, through a licensed pharmacy.”

While the church publicly stated its support for medical marijuana when used correctly in 2018, a section on medical marijuana wasn’t published in the church’s General Handbook until July 2020. In the handbook, it states that the church supports the use of medical cannabis when “the use is determined to be medically necessary by a licensed physician or another legally approved medical provider” and if the dosage and method of consumption is authorized by a medical provider.

The Word of Wisdom is a set of guidelines for church members that prohibits the use of addictive substances such as alcohol, coffee, tea and marijuana. However, in 2019, sections were updated and clarified, including on the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Under the guide-

lines, the church prohibits the use of illegal substances, and until Proposition 2 was passed in 2018, medical marijuana was illegal in Utah. The new guidelines state, “Marijuana may be legal for medicinal or even recreational use in a lot of places now, but that doesn’t mean that any use is suddenly not against the Word of Wisdom. Medical uses are being studied, but just like many pain medications such as opioids, marijuana is an addictive substance. Such habit-forming substances should be avoided except under the care of a competent physician, and then used only as prescribed.” This is the most current guideline for medical marijuana and is what church members are supposed to follow today.

Recreational use of marijuana is still prohibited in Utah, and the church does not approve of smoking marijuana for recreational or medical purposes.

NAACP SUPPORT

In 1978, it was announced that African Americans and all other races could receive the priesthood of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints if they were worthy males. At that point in history, the NAACP did not have a working relationship with the church. However, before the policy change for the priesthood, the NAACP, continued to ask questions about the issue to keep it on the forefront of the public’s and church leaders’ minds.

Another issue that separated the church and the NAACP from working together occurred in 1974, when the NAACP sued the Boy Scouts of America “because of a Mormon Church policy prohibiting black youths from holding key leadership positions in church sponsored scout troops,” The New York Times reported.

Jeanetta Williams has been a

member of the NAACP for over 55 years and became the president of the NAACP Salt Lake Branch in 1993. Gordon B. Hinkley became president of the church in 1995 and Williams said she worked closely with him and James E. Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency at the time. While the relationship between the church and the NAACP struggled in the past due to certain policies in place, it is now a thriving relationship. The church provides donations for scholarships, educational trips and other resources the NAACP provides. As members have seen the church providing support, Williams said members of the church have reached out to become members or see how they can aid the organization in other ways.

The turning point for the NAACP having a working relationship with the church was when a former member of the church’s public affairs department, Stuart C. Reid, began

Elder Jack N. Gerard of the Seventy speaks to journalists on Aug. 23, 2018, at the Utah State Building Auditorium. The church joined a coalition seeking a safe and compassionate alternative to Utah’s medical marijuana initiative. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

serving on the NAACP executive committee. “I think with him serving on (the committee), he was kind of the in-between person, seeing the good work at the NAACP that we were trying to do, and he was kind of that bridge for us, fostering better working relationships,” Williams said.

Explaining her relationship with church leaders, Williams said if she had an issue, she would bring it to the church leadership, and her letters did not go unnoticed. “President Faust, he would call me on my cellphone, and we would talk about the issues,” she said.

This same relationship exists with the leaders of the church today. “They all call me friend,” she said. She remembered taking a picture with the church’s First Presidency after a meeting in 2018. She laughed, recalling President Russell M. Nelson, prophet of the church, saying, “I want Jeanetta to stand next to me because she’s my friend.” Then two others started saying, “No, she’s my friend” or “I knew her first so I want her to stand next to me.” She said they all laughed about it and she told them she would stand in the middle.

This friendly relationship between the church and the NAACP has created an avenue to discuss issues or concerns that are brought to the NAACP in relation to the church. She explained a past instance when a member filed a complaint to the NAACP about a controversial statement from a stake president that was against the church’s beliefs. She contacted someone in church public affairs, explained the issue, and the church corrected the stake president and had him issue an apology letter. While not all issues can be resolved through the NAACP, she said there is support from the church when these types of things happen and the church takes it seriously.

A time of support for the church

Williams recalls was in 2000 when legislation was submitted to change Utah’s Human Rights Day to be named Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Utah was the last state to adopt the new name, and in the process, Williams and others at the NAACP asked for the church’s support. The church responded by saying it could not take a position on the matter. However, the Deseret News, which is owned by the church, released several positive editorials in support of the bill to change the name being passed. “They were in support of it, you could tell, and that they didn’t oppose it,” Williams said. She explained that the way she approaches controversial issues or concerns, in relation to the church or anything else, is through collaboration. “A lot of times, it’s how you

try to work to foster relationships and not be something that is always opposite of what everybody else wants to do, but try to see ‘how is it that we can work together?’”

LGBTQ+ MEMBERS

As a former bishop then stake president for 15 years and senior architect for over 40 temples and church buildings, Laurie Lee Hall worked closely with the First Presidency and 12 apostles, to whom she voiced in 2012 her desire to express what she says is her true gender as a female.

This happened four years before she left church employment and five years before being excommunicated. In 2017, Hall saw her support system diminish when she was ejected from

the faith for socially transitioning from her biologically assigned sex at birth, a male, into a female. Through her transition, she said, many friends and family continued to support and love her. But eventually, she added, it came to a point where “I was not to be supported if people valued their membership; that’s the line that excommunication seems to draw. ... My former spouse was threatened with church discipline for staying with me, so she didn’t.”

Now living in Louisville, Kentucky, Hall attends church activities and sometimes attends church meetings, where she said she has found people who accept her and her new partner for who they are.

At the time of her excommunication, Hall was using outward expression to identify as female but had not

In this Oct. 7, 2010, photo, gay rights activists lay on the sidewalk near The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ temple in Salt Lake City. A sermon by a high-ranking church official on Oct. 3 denouncing homosexual attraction as unnatural and immoral exacerbated the troubled relationship with many lesbian, gay, bixsexual and transgender church members who have come out. LDS-based gay activists said the sermon was also dangerous, coming as it did in the midst of the national furor over a Rutgers University student who jumped to his death. (Jim Urquhart, Associated Press)

elected to receive transition surgeries. Meanwhile, the church handbook only made clear that elective medical surgery was against church policy. As such, the grounds for Hall’s excommunication may no longer be in place, according to church policies today. A section clarifying the church’s policies and stance on transgender people was added in 2019.

The General Handbook states that gender-neutral ordinances and church participation, including being baptized or partaking of the sacrament on Sunday, are open to most transgender members.

Although it is discouraged by the church, social transitioning — the expression of the opposite biological gender through clothing choices, pronouns and other expressions — still allows for baptism.

However, someone who elects to change their biological sex through medical surgery cannot be baptized, but they are still welcome to attend church and participate in other activities.

Someone who has already completed gender-affirming surgery must have First Presidency approval to be baptized. Like all transgender members, they are still restricted from being ordained to or exercising the priesthood, receiving and using a temple recommend, and participating in some church callings.

While Hall recognizes the church has progressed over the past few years to include wording in its handbook encouraging members to show love toward people of the LGTBQ+ community and changed policies to allow church participation, she said there is still work to do.

“A line has been drawn in the sand, and although there’s a more welcoming tone in some ways, it’s still a line that ultimately excludes us from full participation,” Hall said.

As for membership support of the LGBTQ+ community today, she said she believes those who do not

support them and instead judge them are a “dying breed.”

Support from students and young adults for transgender and queer Latter-day Saints has been growing and is especially strong at Church Educational System universities.

Hall is vice president of Affirmation, which has chapters at all of the CES schools that advocate for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

As Hall has met with the students who are part of Affirmation, she said she has seen support from students and commented that the BYU-Hawaii Affirmation chapter has been especially “open and easy to work with.”

Hall explained that at the time she was excommunicated, the church handbook was vague and silent on the topic of transgender members and the LGBTQ+ community, leaving it open to members to be negative and punitive toward transgender and queer church members.

“The way the church handbook is now written, leaders and therefore members can choose to be welcoming and can choose to support you attending all your meetings and so forth, although there are member restrictions,” she said. While members can still choose how they act toward queer members, she said it is better that the handbook states the church’s view instead of remaining silent.

The church handbook’s section for transgender individuals states, “Members and nonmembers who identify as transgender — and their family and friends — should be treated with sensitivity, kindness, compassion, and an abundance of Christlike love.”

In 2015, a policy was put into place to restrict children of gay couples from getting baptized or being blessed as babies. The policy was met with pain, backlash and members leaving the church. The policy was put in place to take children out of a position that may create conflict

between child and parent, Elder D. Todd Christofferson said in an interview with Church News.

Since then, the policy was changed to again allow children of gay couples to become members of the church. This change was made in 2019 along with other revisions of sections added to the handbook in 2015.

Church News reported in 2019, “The Church will no longer characterize same-gender marriage by a Church member as ‘apostasy’ for purposes of Church discipline, although it is still considered ‘a serious transgression.’”

Acceptance for those in the LGBTQ+ community has grown on a member-by-member level, and the handbook now states, “We affirm that those who avail themselves of laws or court rulings authorizing same-sex marriage should not be treated disrespectfully. The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to love and

treat all people with kindness and civility — even when we disagree.”

Although support for the LGBTQ+ community has grown, the church has not wavered in its stance that same-sex marriage is against the teachings of the gospel. In “The Family,” which Oaks during the October 2017 general conference said was doctrine, states “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God.”

Church policies state that those feeling but not acting on same-sex attraction can fully participate in church activities, attend the temple and receive church callings.

A news release by the church in 2019 quoted Nelson saying, “‘We can adjust policy when the Lord directs us to do so. You have recently seen such examples. Because the Restoration (the process of fully establishing the Church of Jesus Christ) is ongoing, policy changes will surely continue.’”

How the church defends religious liberty

By Sarah Harris Special to the Daily

Herald

Leaders of The Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter-day Saints have long emphasized the importance of religious liberty.

The church’s 11th Article of Faith, first published in 1842, states: “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.”

A statement by Joseph Smith in an 1841 ordinance for the city of

Nauvoo, Illinois, said “the Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Latter-day Saints, Quakers, Episcopals, Universalists, Unitarians, Mohammedans (Muslims), and all other religious sects and denominations whatever, shall have free toleration, and equal privileges in this city.”

And two years later, Smith told a group of Saints in Nauvoo that he was just as ready to die in defending the rights of “a good man of any denomination” as he was for a member of his own religion.

“For the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample

upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves,” Smith said, according to Willard Richards’ report on the 1843 discourse. “It is a love of liberty which inspires my soul — civil and religious liberty to the whole of the human race.”

The church continues to hold this position today, supporting religious freedom legislation and discussion.

LEGISLATION

The church has supported both federal and state bills in recent years

that promote religious liberty and nondiscrimination.

After reaffirming its doctrine of marriage between a man and a woman, the church expressed support for amendments adding religious freedom protections to the Respect for Marriage Act, signed into federal law last December.

“The law states that it can’t be used to harm religious or conscience rights for faith-based institutions. It protects the tax-exempt status of religious organizations. It protects the grants, licenses, contracts and accreditation of religious schools. And it ensures that religious organi-

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert displays Senate Bill 296, which balances religious freedoms and LGBT rights, after signing it into state law March 12, 2015. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

zations, religious schools and their employees do not have to perform or host same-sex marriages or celebrations,” said a church statement on the federal law. “No law is perfect. But putting such protections in the federal code is a big step forward.”

President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, clarified the church’s position on the law at a February meeting in Chicago with local church leaders and their spouses.

“The Respect for Marriage Act did restate same-sex marriage as the law of the land, but that added little because that law was already in ef-

fect under the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision,” Oaks said.

“The focus of the church’s efforts was not on same-sex marriage, but on ensuring the act contained the necessary protections for religious freedom.”

The church also voiced support in December 2019 for the Fairness for All Act, a federal bill that “prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, while providing certain benefits and exemptions to religious providers.”

“The nation is more united when diverse individuals and groups can work cooperatively to advance

sound policy,” the church said in a statement about the federal bill.

“Alongside other religious organizations and denominations and important leaders of the LGBT community, the Church endorses this balanced approach that fosters greater fairness for all.”

At the state level, the church supported a bipartisan religious freedom and nondiscrimination bill in Arizona in 2022.

“The Church is pleased to be part of a coalition of faith, business, LGBTQ people and community leaders who have worked together in a spirit of trust and mutual respect to address issues that matter to all members of our community,” the church’s statement on the Arizona bill reads. “It is our position that this bipartisan bill preserves the religious rights of individuals and communities of faith while protecting the rights of members of the LGBTQ community, consistent with the principles of fairness for all.”

The church also applauded the Utah Legislature in 2015 for passing Senate Bill 296, which “modifies the Utah Antidiscrimination Act and the Utah Fair Housing Act to address discrimination and religious freedoms,” including housing and em-

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Utah Congressman Chris Stewart explains the importance of his Fairness for All Act at a news conference at the Utah State Capitol on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson, far left, joins a panel discussion at the 2023 Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Summit in London on July 13, 2023. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

ployment protections for LGBTQ+ people.

“It reflects the very best of collaboration and statesmanship from groups and individuals who may not always agree on all things but who have passed landmark legislation that balances religious freedom and antidiscrimination,” the church said in its statement on the Utah bill. “While other states may find a different solution, we hope this fair, balanced approach shows that fairness for all is possible.”

DISCUSSION

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is also an active participant in the worldwide discussion on religious liberty.

Just this summer, Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Sister Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society general president, traveled abroad to speak at religious freedom conferences.

Soares spoke in August at the Brazilian Symposium on Religious Liberty in Brasília, Brazil, about how religion fosters good.

“The more generous religious freedom laws are, the more broadly religion is empowered to perform good works,” Soares said in his remarks.

“This partnership between religion and society engenders more peace.”

Johnson shared a message in July at this year’s Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Summit about the church’s humanitarian efforts and approach to protecting religious freedom.

“Protecting religious liberty in a rapidly evolving society is surely an extraordinary occasion and a pressing call,” Johnson said.

Leaders also regularly address church members about religious freedom in general conference.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared four ways society and individuals benefit from religious freedom in his April 2022 general conference talk, “To Heal the World.”

Rasband said religion inspires people to help others, and freedom of religion honors the first and second great commandments; fosters expressions of belief, hope and peace; and acts as a unifying and rallying force for shaping values and morality.

“Religious freedom brings balance to competing philosophies,” Rasband said. “The good of religion, its reach and the daily acts of love which religion inspires only multiply when we protect the freedom to express and act on core beliefs.”

U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, center, joins former U.S. Sen. Gordon H. Smith of Oregon, left, and Elder Jack N. Gerard of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, right, for a photo prior to the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act by President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 13, 2022. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency hugs his daughter Sharmon Ward at the Wilmette Illinois Stake Center in Wilmette, Illinois, 14 miles north of downtown Chicago, on the morning of Feb. 11, 2023. Sister Ward and her husband, Jack D. Ward, serve as president and matron of the Chicago Illinois Temple. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, left, visits with Sheikh Mohamad Al Bukai, director of Islamic Affairs of the National Union of Islamic Entities in Brazil, and Sheikh Jihad Hassan Hammadeh of the Abu Bakr Mosque at the second Brazilian Symposium on Religious Liberty, held in Brasília, Brazil, on Aug. 8, 2023. (Courtesy Intellectual Reserve)

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With over 150 stores and restaurants, year-round activities and events for the entire family, it is no wonder University Place is the center of it all!

With over 150 stores and restaurants, year-round activities and events for the entire family, it is no wonder University Place is the center of it all!

With over 150 stores and restaurants, year-round activities and events for the entire family, it is no wonder University Place is the center of it all!

Come visit The Orchard at University Place, one of state’s premier urban outdoor spaces. With events year round, shaded pavilions, water fountain show, and an indoor/ outdoor Kid’s Place—this will be your family’s favorite place to have fun!

Come visit The Orchard at University Place, one of the state’s premier urban outdoor spaces. With events year round, shaded pavilions, water fountain show, and an indoor/ outdoor Kid’s Place—this will be your family’s favorite place to have fun!

Come visit The Orchard at University Place, one of the state’s premier urban outdoor spaces. With events year round, shaded pavilions, water fountain show, and an indoor/ outdoor Kid’s Place—this will be your family’s favorite place to have fun!