“Leaks” Show Church Leaders Well-Informed; Religious Freedom Found Online; and More!
Video “leaks” Show Church Leaders Well-Informed
Following the “leak” of videos depicting LDS church leader meetings, atheist blogger Hemant Mehta remarked on “how sheltered and out of touch these leaders are.” The briefings were on topics ranging from the 2008 housing crisis to the importance of religious liberties, some of the most pressing contemporary issues.
Reports presented at the meetings came from individuals such as Robert P. George, a  professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University and former Rhodes Scholar Dr. Gerritt  W. Gong.
Church spokesman, Eric Hawkinds said of the briefings, “In these committee meetings, presentations are routinely received from various religious, political and subject-matter experts on a variety of topics.”
Hawkins continued, “The purpose is to understand issues that may face the Church and is in pursuit of the obligation church leaders feel to be informed on and have open discussion about current issues. This is an informational forum, not a decision-making body.”
Though the leaks do raise questions about security issues within the Church, Mehta’s comments on the naivety LDS officials seems completely unfounded.
This is the second “leak” the Church has had to deal with in the past two weeks. On September 22, 2016, official Church documents were leaked through social media site reddit. The documents contained such “sensitive” information as how to obtain a missionary badge and meetinghouse blueprints.
Read more at Deseret News.
Jamesthemormon Reps His Religion With Informative Video
On September 30th, just in time for the latest session of General Conference, rapper, singer, and songwriter, Jamesthemormon released a video on key LDS teachings. James covers five important beliefs, including the ability to receive personal revelation and eternal marriage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5xnJU0-N58
Mormon Students Seek Religious Freedom Online
Stay at home mother, Shelly Rowlan, went back to school to get her master’s, but found the classroom climate to be hostile towards religious belief.
“It would happen over and over, actually,” Rowlan told Deseret News. “As soon as they learned I was Christian. The professors don’t support religious believers or provide space for your beliefs. They ridicule you. God was openly mocked in my classes.”
Interactions like these remind members why Church leaders have emphasized the importance of religious liberty lately. As many as 39 talks have been given by Apostles on the subject since 2007. In response to the steady increase in negative attitudes towards religion, Church leaders are offering resources to help bolster your defense of the faith.
The website religiousfreedom.churchofjesuschrist.org was launched this past September by the Church. The website includes videos of members navigating difficult to conversations tactfully while still standing by their beliefs. At this year’s past education week, workshops on defending religious freedom drew large crowds and offered advice on how to become involved in the pursuit of religious liberty. Presentations from the workshops can be found at BYU’s Freedom-of-Religion website.
Read more at Deseret News.
World Report: 2016
The World Report of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is issued semi-annually, during the Saturday session of General Conference. The report contains information on global membership, temple construction, and church efforts worldwide.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pf2lOlriqU