Jared and Heather

Le Temple Mormon en France

2012-01-16T17:02:00.002-08:00

A friend shared this link with me this morning. I could not be more excited. Temples are fundamental to the belief of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I spent 2 years in France sharing my beliefs, including the belief that marriages performed in sacred temples allow families to be together forever, and that family relationships can perpetuate beyond the grave--thanks to temple ordinances and covenants we make therein.

This link provides some information on the temple slated to be built in Le Chesnay, just outside of Versailles, France.

For more on temples, you can click here. Or just contact me.

Deseret Book Coupon

2011-12-14T20:59:00.000-08:00

Hey Friends,

This time of year, it always feels good to get a great deal. With that in mind, I wanted to pass along to you some special offers prepared especially for the “Friends and Family” of Deseret Book.

There are a couple of coupons -- including $5 off your entire purchase or 20% off any calendar or Christmas item.

Just follow the link below, or type it into your address bar to access the coupon savings. All Coupons are good through Saturday December 17th and can be redeemed at any Deseret Book store, online at DeseretBook.com or over the phone at 1-800-453-4532.

I hope that these coupons will provide you with some welcome savings as you complete your Christmas shopping this year.

Have a Merry Christmas!

www.deseretbook.com/friendsandfamily

p.s. If you're on Facebook, be sure to say thanks and "Like" the Deseret Book Flagship Store Facebook page

Jon Schmidt strikes again

2011-12-03T22:05:00.000-08:00

2011-07-14T10:02:00.003-07:00

Real content

2011-04-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

I promised you real content. An occupant for this onesie: coming soon.

Lamb of God

2011-04-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

Heather and I went to see this performance tonight. It was incredibly beautiful! If you get the chance, go!

You can learn more about the music and composer here.

p.s. Great publicity. This video is what made us want to see it. We loved it.

The President watches BYU?

2011-03-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

I know this is old news, but I'm still laughing. Just skip to 0:47 to 1:07. That's my favorite part.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

p.s. I promise we have real content coming. Soon.

For all you job-seekers and concert pianist hopefuls

2011-03-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

It's time to update the blog. I know. At our last apartment, the internet was too slow to upload pictures, and picture-less posts are boring. Several posts are in-the-works, as we say.

For now, check out these videos of a guy who plays two pianos at one time and another who set out to get 50 jobs in 50 states in 50 weeks.

Or view it here

And this one:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Read the story here.
You can also view his blog and web site here and here.

Oh, and one last note: my dad's positive thinking business (he gives seminars and offers personal coaching--he helps people increase their confidence and success levels) has a new web site. But it's pretty rudimentary. He wants some suggestions on how to make it better. You can comment or send me an e-mail/FB message. Check it out: The Positive Thinking Institute

Gracias!

The Newlyweds

2010-08-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

You probably thought we fell off the face of the earth. We kind of did. We have had so much fun this past month (can you believe it's almost been a month!?) just spending time with each other.

Here are a few pictures for your curiosity's sake. Our photographers were great! These are a few photos from the sneak-preview they gave us from our wedding day.

(You can check out more of their work or contact them through their website: hatchphotography.blogspot.com)

We enjoyed a WONDERFUL honeymoon to San Diego. We'll be sure to include more photos soon.

Thanks for all your love and support during our wedding festivities. We have grown and learned a lot and are grateful to have shared in our special day with you!

Shout out

2010-06-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

To cousin "New Mom" Jill Facer who won $50,000 on Wipeout last night.

Congrats, Jill!

(Photo taken from Jill's Facebook profile pic)

The Nearly Weds

2010-06-09T16:30:00.000-07:00

So, I went to the store...

2010-05-20T23:53:00.000-07:00

...and I bought one of these.

And I gave it to this girl.

She accepted it and said she will marry me.

I know, I am the luckiest man alive. Isn't she the most beautiful girl you've ever seen?

Considering my recent graduation from BYU-Idaho and my near-graduation from single life, I guess I'll have to change the name of my blog, won't I. I couldn't be happier.

The Family is of God

2010-05-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard this song? I heard it for the first time tonight and love the words. Check them out:

1. Our Father has a family. It’s me!
It’s you, all others too: we are His children.
He sent each one of us to earth, through birth,
To live and learn here in fam’lies.

2. A father’s place is to preside, provide,
To love and teach the gospel to his children.
A father leads in fam’ly prayer to share
Their love for Father in Heaven.

3. A mother’s purpose is to care, prepare,
To nurture and to strengthen all her children.
She teaches children to obey, to pray,
To love and serve in the fam’ly.

4. I’ll love and serve my family and be
A good example to each fam’ly member.
And when I am a mom or dad, so glad,
I’ll help my fam’ly remember:

[Chorus]
God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be—
This is how He shares His love, for the fam’ly is of God.

Words and music: Matthew Neeley

Click here for a PDF of the music
Click here to hear the song

I know the family is of God. Each person in the family has a divine role and, yes, it's all part of helping us become what our Father in Heaven wants us to become so we can return and live with Him someday.

Book of Mormon YouTube Challenge

2010-05-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

If you get a minute today, please watch this video: Testimony of the Book of Mormon

I received this Facebook message a few weeks ago:

Dear friends,

On May 3, 2010 (perhaps as part of your Family Home Evening program) if all reachable members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints--and any non members interested-- would follow the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkKblIMfmjI and watch the YouTube video of Jeffrey R. Holland bearing testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, we could potentially achieve promoting that video to the YouTube homepage, based on volume of views.

TIPS ON HOW TO ACHIEVE THIS:

1 increased views - multiples views by one viewer count
2 comments - the more comments, the more valuable Youtube sees your video. Comments almost carry as much weight as views.
3 favorites - everyone needs to "favorite" the video.
4 thumbs up - **please take special care to do this as a group of individuals have banned together to "thumbs down" and this can negatively affect the popularity of the video.
5 subscriptions - daily subscriptions have a major impact on popularity. This also has longterm impact on the future videos coming to the channel because they will get emails from Youtube letting them know when MormonMessages posts new stuff.
6 reshare - the more things are shared on Facebook and Twitter the better the video's rankings will be.

The repercussions of this could be great. YouTube reports:

YouTube Stats (US)
(comScore MediaMetrix April 2009)

"The YouTube Homepage is the highest-profile placement on the site... eleven million unique visitors a day in the US [and] 89.7 Million unique monthly visitors."

The exposure that the Book of Mormon could receive in one day is astronomical. Please keep in mind though, while it is ideal that this video be promoted to the homepage, it is the spirit felt from the message wherein the success lies.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints blessed with the knowledge contained in the Book of Mormon I seek to share with the world what I know to be true; what I know to bring happiness and hope in the times of travail; what I know to be the word of God.

For this challenge May 3 is calculated anytime in the 24 hour time period between 12 am to 11:59:59 pm Eastern Standard Time (for those participating from different time zones), but viewing before and after the event is helpful as well. Please invite both member and non-member alike to feel of the Spirit this message carries, mark your calendars and gather round in your families, wards and stakes and join me, May 3.

Temple Worship

2010-01-12T17:36:00.000-08:00

Love this quote from Elder Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Just had to pass it along:

"Service in the temple brings blessings to us in this life as well as in eternity. Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that 'temple work is not an escape from the world but a reinforcing of our need to better the world while preparing ourselves for another and far better world. Thus, being in the Lord’s house can help us to be different from the world in order to make more difference in the world.'"

Russell M. Nelson, “Prepare for Blessings of the Temple,” Ensign, Mar 2002, 17
From Elder Neal A. Maxwell, “Not My Will, But Thine,” 133

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

2010-01-07T21:35:00.000-08:00

I saw this performance live in the Conference Center in Salt Lake last July. I found it on YouTube and had to share. This is my favorite organ arrangement of all time. One day I just might learn to play it. Maybe. If I can just learn actually play the organ first.

Hope you enjoy!

Project 1: Self Portrait

2010-01-06T21:08:00.001-08:00

I'm learning some new skills in my classes this semester. And I'm brushing up on some old ones, too.

I took Visual Media (the beginners course) before I served a mission. That was Fall 2004. Here we are, more than five years later, and I'm brushing up on those skills with the Advanced Course. Oh boy! What a ride. And tomorrow is Day 2.

Here's my project I'll turn in first thing in the morning.

We had to submit a self-taken portrait and then combine it with another image. The colored image you see is a picture of a picture I took on a mission in Southern France. (Another requirement: all pictures must be taken this semester--it is legal to take a picture of a past picture.)

I put a cross-hatch filter on the self-taken photo, then I cloned the wall (it had a thermostat on it before). And I used a mask to put the beach picture on.
So...here's to a new beginning. There will much more (and much better) than this one. I promise!

What Will You Give Christ?

2009-12-20T23:21:00.000-08:00

I love this new video with President Monson. What will you give to Christ? I hope it changes your heart like it has changed mine.

2009-12-19T11:59:00.000-08:00

BYU-Idaho's YouTube Channel

2009-12-15T21:25:00.000-08:00

Just found this online. BYU-I has a YouTube channel. I loved this one.

p.s. I just found out they're extending the voting through the middle of next semester (see post below). So you can vote and tell your friends to vote, too. It takes one minute. Please vote (click here). Pass the link to others.

GRACIAS!

BYU-Idaho's Best Internship

2009-12-14T22:06:00.000-08:00

You should click here to vote for me:

http://www.byui.edu/CareerServices/students/byuis_best/index.html

Word on the street is ANYONE can vote. I am one of the top five internships for the last year. If you vote for me, I might win!

Thanks!

Attention all Bloggers!

2009-11-25T23:11:00.000-08:00

Someone once told me that bloggers are selfish.

But I'm going to give you a chance to be a nice blogger and help me out. Can you help me out?

For one of my classes, I'm required to post something I learn from class on another blog. Then people are supposed to comment on what I write. At the end of the semester, I put it all in a portfolio.

But no one is commenting on my blog lately...

So...you catchin' my drift? Even if I don't know you....write your thoughts. Please! At least something you like about what I've written.

Click HERE

Deal?

Deal.

Thanks--in advance.

What are you thankful for?

2009-11-25T23:02:00.000-08:00

What are you thankful for?

The Portent of Stormy Weather Ahead

2009-11-25T12:39:00.000-08:00

Lest you think I've completely gone over the edge and become an activist, I wanted to share this video with you. It has highlights from April 2008 General Conference. This came from President Monson shortly after he became the senior apostle, prophet and President of the Church.

The person who made the video wrote: "In the April 2008 Priesthood Session, President Monson mentioned "political machinations." Not knowing what that meant I looked up the word and was stunned as I read the definition. This video was inspired to help wake up my fellow LDS members to the dangers we face in America as seen over 40 years ago by President Ezra Taft Benson. It is time for all of us to get our homes in order in preparation of the approaching PORTENT storm that Pres. Hinckley warned us about in 1998."

May the Lord bless this great land built on religious freedoms. I testify its creation was governed by the hand of God. May we

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehD390q9G3k

The War in Heaven

2009-11-25T12:38:00.000-08:00

I came across this video last night. Isn't it great? Take a look for yourself.

December 6: Day of Fasting and Prayer for America

2009-11-25T12:06:00.000-08:00

I received this e-mail this morning:

DAY OF FASTING AND PRAYER FOR AMERICA

"We are becoming firmly convinced that our elected politicians are incapable of representing the will of the American people – and incapable of adhering to the Constitution of the United States of America which they took a solemn oath to uphold and defend.

"We are among the millions of U.S. Citizens who are at our wits end sending e-mails, faxes, telephoning, meeting with elected officials, demonstrating, rallying – and hoping – that those representatives will do the will of the people. They have failed. Have we, as well?

"The United States of America is a choice land, a nation that was founded by our forefathers who were divinely inspired by God the Father Almighty. This choice nation has been the defender of freedom throughout its relatively short history. We have led in the fight for freedom against many tyrants and dictators who have plundered and pillared their citizens and have subjected them to great sufferings through blood and horror. The people of those nations who suffered these great injustices knew that they could always depend upon the goodness, power and righteousness of the United States of America to extract them from their plights. And it was done – many times over. It was not done without expense – the expense of the blood and sacrifice of the members of our armed forces – and the suffering of their families.

"As the year 2009 soon comes to a close, we the citizens of the United States of America finds ourselves facing many of the challenges – which those nations suffered at the hands of their political leaders. We are being attacked from within! Who do we turn to? Which great nation can we turn to help us to keep and maintain our freedom? We do not have the same hope of those nations to whom we were benefactors. We MUST turn to our Savior. If we are a righteous people, we will be deserving of, and receive of His blessings as He has promised. He suffered and died for us – He atoned for our sins; each one of us - individually. We know that - as a nation – we can once again be the choicest of lands.

"However, we cannot achieve that blessing without our willingness to please our Lord and Savior. We are asking that all who read this message that have faith in Christ designate Sunday December 6, 2009, as a day of fasting and prayer for America.

"You do not have to march on the nation’s Capitol nor go to a tea bag rally. From the comfort of your home, you can get on bended knee and with a broken heart and contrite spirit, petition the Lord to bless this nation generously according to His will. Then, keep the fast for that day.

"Make that Christ-like commitment to our Heavenly Father. He will listen, He will answer. That has been promised. 'And whatsoever he shall ask the father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you' (3 Nephi 18-20). 'And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive' (Matthew 21:22)."

Now my thoughts:

I'm not at my wits end, nor do I think there is nothing left to do; I see much we can still do. But I cannot think of a better way to unite our faith in the Lord to call upon Heaven to bless our leaders, our country and its citizens, and guide this great land of America--a land which was built upon religious freedoms the Pilgrims sought when they came more than two centuries ago.

I wish not to be a vigilante, neither to make afraid nor offend. But I see this as a way to unite as followers of Christ to ask the Lord to bless this great nation.

It is on that note I extend this invitation to join on December 6, Fast Sunday. Our great nation is in need of divine intervention. This is the best thing we could do to make our voices heard. Please pass the word.

Bet you wondered what I've been up to...

2009-10-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

My blog posts are coming more frequently--though they're few and far between. Perhaps it's because of my awesome on-campus job that keeps me so busy every day after class.

I plan the university's performance tours--including the performing tour of "God's Everlasting Love." Composed by Robert Cundick and words by Elder Bednar, this is the first music oratorio with wrods by an apostle. It's an epic moment in religious music.

You can click here for more information on the tour (and to learn about what I do at work everyday). Or you can click here to read an article in a Twin Falls area-based newspaper on the upcoming performance there.

And if you still want tickets to the Salt Lake performance (Nov. 14 at 7:30 pm in the Tabernacle on Temple Square), click here. You better click now. Word on the street is tickets are going FAST!

did I mention...

2009-10-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

...i'm working on another blog--for a class? I promise there's some really good stuff over there.

comm250rocksmyworld.blogspot.com

Check it out. You'll like it. You know you will.

Angèle MAUREL

2009-10-17T23:11:00.000-07:00

This is a post dedicated to my French grandmother: Angèle Maurel (second one in from the left). She would disapprove of me posting this picture, but it's the only digital picture of her that I have!

Soeur (Sister) Maurel was 93 when she was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The missionaries had lived on the 2nd floor of her apartment building for seven years before she finally took time to talk to them.

During a difficult time in her life she began asking them questions. That built a friendship that would eventually lay ground for an opportunity to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

When she came out of the waters of baptism, she said she felt as if she had been resurrected.

I met Soeur Maurel a year and a half after her baptism when I became her downstairs neighbor in July 2006 in Cannes. To Soeur Maurel, the missionaries were her children; we were some of her best friends.

We had to stop by every night (or call her if we didn't have time) to let her know we had gotten home safely. Sometimes she would watch from her upstairs balcony. (She even called one day and scolded me when she saw us leave in a rainstorm without coats on. Our coats were in the car.)

Since we couldn't go inside, we would visit briefly on the doorstep an wish her goodnight before heading home. Despite her illness and fatigue, each night she gave us something to take with us and eat once we got home: an apple, a piece of her famous apple cake, pasta, dinner especially for us. Somehow she just knew when we weren't eating enough. Our mothers are very grateful for the way she took care of us.

I always promised I'd go back to visit her once I got home. I wrote her a few letters, called a few times, and learned each time of new difficulties she was facing. She spent much of her last few years in the hospital. But she always cared and recognized my voice whenever I called.

Our last phone call took place a few months ago when she, with great effort softly whispered across the ocean and through the telephone line: "Tu sais que ma porte vous est toujours ouverte! Quand tu viens, tu resteras chez-moi." (You know that my door is always open to you. When you come, you will stay in my home.") She was determined to let me stay there despite her impending maladies. In the end, I promised to come visit and said, "Je t'aime, mamie! Que le Seigneur te bénisse jusqu'à ce qu’on se revoie! Gros bisous! Je t'embrace très fort!" (I love you, grandma! God bless you 'til we meet again! Hugs and kisses!)

Of course, I didn't know it was the last time we would speak.

Our angel grandmother Angèle Maurel died September 4. I learned of her death this past week.

She's probably watching from above, silently scolding me each time I leave in a rain storm without my jacket, and making sure I get home safe and sound.

Of course, I miss her. And I will miss being able to one day visit France again. She won't be there when I run up the stairs to say hello and taste of her delicious apple cake. And I will miss knowing I can call her or send her post cards. And miss her whisper a little louder than normal "Frère SMART!" When she hears my voice on the line when I call.

But oh, what a joyous reunion she must be having with her husband, her family and friends, as they greet each other. And what joyous reunion we will have one day when I get to the other side.

I am so grateful for those "celestial customs" and the opportunity for relationships to extend beyond the grave. She is one of the first people I hope to see once I get to the other side. And maybe, just maybe, she'll have a piece of apple cake, and we'll embrace, and I'll let her know that I got home just fine.

Religious Freedom

2009-10-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

13 October 2009 Transcript of Elder Dallin H. Oaks speech given at BYU-Idaho on 13 October 2009.

My dear young friends, I am pleased to speak to this BYU-Idaho audience. I am conscious that I am also speaking to many in other places. In this time of the Internet, what we say in one place is instantly put before a wider audience, including many to whom we do not intend to speak. That complicates my task, so I ask your understanding as I speak to a very diverse audience.

In choosing my subject I have relied on an old military maxim that when there is a battle underway, persons who desire to join the fray should “march to the sound of the guns.”[i] So it is that I invite you to march with me as I speak about religious freedom under the United States Constitution. There is a battle over the meaning of that freedom. The contest is of eternal importance, and it is your generation that must understand the issues and make the efforts to prevail.

An 1833 revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith declared that the Lord established the United States Constitution by wise men whom he raised up for that very purpose (Doctrine and Covenants 101:80). The Lord also declared that this constitution “should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:77; emphasis added).

In 1833, when almost all people in the world were still ruled by kings or tyrants, few could see how the infant United States Constitution could be divinely designed “for the rights and protection of all flesh.” Today, 176 years after that revelation, almost every nation in the world has adopted a written constitution, and the United States Constitution profoundly influenced all of them. Truly, this nation’s most important export is its constitution, whose great principles stand as a model “for the rights and protection of all flesh.” On the vital human right of religious freedom, however, many constitutions fall short of the protections that are needed, so we are grateful that the United States government seeks to encourage religious freedom all over the world.[ii]

II.

To illustrate the importance of basic human rights in other countries, I refer to some recent history in Mongolia, which shows that the religious freedom we have taken for granted in the United States must be won by dangerous sacrifice in some other nations.

Following the perestroika movement in the Soviet Union, popular demonstrations in Mongolia forced the Communist government to resign in March 1990. Other political parties were legalized, but the first Mongolian elections gave the Communists a majority in the new parliament, and the old repressive attitudes persisted in all government departments. The full functioning of a democratic process and the full enjoyment of the people’s needed freedoms do not occur without a struggle. In Mongolia, the freedoms of speech, press and religion — a principal feature of the inspired United States Constitution — remained unfulfilled.

In that precarious environment, a 42-year-old married woman, Oyun Altangerel, a department head in the state library, courageously took some actions that would prove historic. Acting against official pressure, she organized a “Democratic Association Branch Council.” This 12-member group, the first of its kind, spoke out for democracy and proposed that state employees have the freedoms of worship, belief and expression, including the right to belong to a political party of their choice.

When Oyun and others were fired from their state employment, Oyun began a hunger strike in the state library. Within three hours she was joined by 20 others, mostly women, and their hunger strike, which continued for five days, became a public demonstration that took their grievances to the people of Mongolia. This demonstration, backed by major democratic movement leaders, encouraged other government employees to organize similar democratic councils. These dangerous actions expanded into a national anti-government movement that voiced powerful support for the basic human freedoms of speech, press and religion. Eventually the government accepted the demands, and in the adoption of a democratic constitution two years later Mongolia took a major step toward a free society.

For Latter-day Saints, this birth of constitutional freedom in Mongolia has special interest. Less than two years after the historic hunger strike, we sent our first missionaries to Mongolia. In 1992 these couples began their meetings in the state library, where Oyun was working. The following year, she showed her courage again by being baptized into this newly arrived Christian church. Her only child, a 22-year-old son, was baptized two years later. Today, the Mongolian members of our Church number 9,000, reportedly the largest group of Christians in the country. A few months ago we organized our first stake in Mongolia. Called as the stake president was Sister Oyun’s son, Odgerel. He had studied for a year at BYU-Hawaii, and his wife, Ariuna, a former missionary in Utah, graduated there.[iii]

III.

One of the great fundamentals of our inspired constitution, relied on by Oyun of Mongolia and countless others struggling for freedom in many countries in the world, is the principle that the people are the source of government power. This principle of popular sovereignty was first written and applied on the American continent over 200 years ago. A group of colonies won independence from a king, and their representatives had the unique opportunity of establishing a new government. They did this by creating the first written constitution that has survived to govern a modern nation. The United States Constitution declared the source of government power, delegated that power to a government, and regulated its exercise.

Along with many other religious people, we affirm that God is the ultimate source of power and that, under Him, it is the people’s inherent right to decide their form of government. Sovereign power is not inherent in a state or nation just because its leaders have the power that comes from force of arms. And sovereign power does not come from the divine right of a king, who grants his subjects such power as he pleases or is forced to concede, as in Magna Carta. As the preamble to our constitution states: “We the People of the United States . . . do ordain and establish this Constitution.”

This principle of sovereignty in the people explains the meaning of God’s revelation that He established the Constitution of the United States “that every man may act . . . according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:78). In other words, the most desirable condition for the effective exercise of God-given moral agency is a condition of maximum freedom and responsibility — the opposite of slavery or political oppression. With freedom we can be accountable for our own actions and cannot blame our conditions on our bondage to another. This is the condition the Lord praised in the Book of Mormon, where the people — not a king — established the laws and were governed by them (see Mosiah 29:23–26). This popular sovereignty necessarily implies popular responsibility. Instead of blaming their troubles on a king or tyrant, all citizens are responsible to share the burdens of governing, “that every man might bear his part” (Mosiah 29:34).

IV.

“For the rights and protection of all flesh” the United State Constitution includes in its First Amendment the guarantees of free exercise of religion and free speech and press. Without these great fundamentals of the Constitution, America could not have served as the host nation for the restoration of the gospel, which began just three decades after the Bill of Rights was ratified.

The First Amendment reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The prohibition against “an establishment of religion” was intended to separate churches and government, to prevent a national church of the kind still found in Europe. In the interest of time I will say no more about the establishment of religion, but only concentrate on the direction that the United States shall have no law “prohibiting the free exercise” of religion.

The guarantee of the free exercise of religion, which I will call religious freedom, is the first expression in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. As noted by many, this “pre-eminent place” identifies freedom of religion as “a cornerstone of American democracy.”[iv] The American colonies were originally settled by people who, for the most part, had come to this continent to be able to practice their religious faith without persecution, and their successors deliberately placed religious freedom first in the nation’s Bill of Rights. So it is that our national law formally declares: “The right to freedom of religion undergirds the very origin and existence of the United States.”[v]

The free “exercise” of religion obviously involves both the right to choose religious beliefs and affiliations and the right to “exercise” or practice those beliefs. But in a nation with citizens of many different religious beliefs, the right of some to act upon their religious principles must be qualified by the government’s responsibility to protect the health and safety of all. Otherwise, for example, the government could not protect its citizens’ person or property from neighbors whose intentions include taking human life or stealing in circumstances rationalized on the basis of their religious beliefs.

The inherent conflict between the precious religious freedom of the people and the legitimate regulatory responsibilities of the government is the central issue of religious freedom. Here are just a few examples of current controversial public issues that involve this conflict: laws governing marriage and adoption; laws regulating the activities of church-related organizations like BYU-Idaho in furtherance of their religious missions — activities such as who they will serve or employ; and laws prohibiting discrimination in employment or work conditions against persons with unpopular religious beliefs or practices.

The problems are not simple, and over the years the United States Supreme Court, which has the ultimate responsibility of interpreting the meaning of the lofty and general provisions of the Constitution, has struggled to identify principles that can guide its decisions when government action is claimed to violate someone’s free exercise of religion. As would be expected, most of the battles over the extent of religious freedom have involved government efforts to impose upon the practices of small groups like Mormons. Not surprisingly, government officials sometimes seem more tolerant toward the religious practices of large groups of voters.

Unpopular minority religions are especially dependent upon a constitutional guarantee of free exercise of religion. We are fortunate to have such a guarantee in the United States, but many nations do not. The importance of that guarantee in the United States should make us ever diligent to defend it. And it is in need of being defended. During my lifetime I have seen a significant deterioration in the respect accorded to religion in our public life, and I believe that the vitality of religious freedom is in danger of being weakened accordingly.

Religious belief is obviously protected against government action. The practice of that belief must have some limits, as I suggested earlier. But unless the guarantee of free exercise of religion gives a religious actor greater protection against government prohibitions than are already guaranteed to all actors by other provisions of the constitution (like freedom of speech), what is the special value of religious freedom? Surely the First Amendment guarantee of free exercise of religion was intended to grant more freedom to religious action than to other kinds of action. Treating actions based on religious belief the same as actions based on other systems of belief should not be enough to satisfy the special place of religion in the United States Constitution.

Religious freedom has always been at risk. It was repression of religious belief and practice that drove the Pilgrim fathers and other dissenters to the shores of this continent. Even today, leaders in all too many nations use state power to repress religious believers.

The greatest infringements of religious freedom occur when the exercise of religion collides with other powerful forces in society. Among the most threatening collisions in the United States today are (1) the rising strength of those who seek to silence religious voices in public debates, and (2) perceived conflicts between religious freedom and the popular appeal of newly alleged civil rights.

As I address this audience of young adults, I invite your careful attention to what I say on these subjects, because I am describing conditions you will face and challenges you must confront.

Silencing Religious Voices in the Public Square

A writer for The Christian Science Monitor predicts that the coming century will be “very secular and religiously antagonistic,” with intolerance of Christianity “ris[ing] to levels many of us have not believed possible in our lifetimes.”[vi] Other wise observers have noted the ever-growing, relentless attack on the Christian religion by forces who reject the existence or authority of God.[vii] The extent and nature of religious devotion in this nation is changing. The tide of public opinion in favor of religion is receding, and this probably portends public pressures for laws that will impinge on religious freedom.

Atheism has always been hostile to religion, such as in its arguments that freedom of or for religion should include freedom from religion. Atheism’s threat rises as its proponents grow in numbers and aggressiveness. “By some counts,” a recent article in The Economist declares, “there are at least 500 [million] declared non-believers in the world — enough to make atheism the fourth-biggest religion.”[viii] And atheism’s spokesmen are aggressive, as recent publications show.[ix] As noted by John A. Howard of the Howard Center for Family, Religion, and Society, these voices “have developed great skills in demonizing those who disagree with them, turning their opponents into objects of fear, hatred and scorn.”[x]

Such forces — atheists and others — would intimidate persons with religious-based points of view from influencing or making the laws of their state or nation. Noted author and legal commentator Hugh Hewitt described the current circumstance this way:

“There is a growing anti-religious bigotry in the United States. . . .

“For three decades people of faith have watched a systematic and very effective effort waged in the courts and the media to drive them from the public square and to delegitimize their participation in politics as somehow threatening.”[xi]

For example, a prominent gay-rights spokesman gave this explanation for his objection to our Church’s position on California’s Proposition 8:

“I’m not intending it to harm the religion. I think they do wonderful things. Nicest people. . . . My single goal is to get them out of the same-sex marriage business and back to helping hurricane victims.”[xii]

Aside from the obvious fact that this objection would deny free speech as well as religious freedom to members of our Church and its coalition partners, there are other reasons why the public square must be open to religious ideas and religious persons. As Richard John Neuhaus said many years ago, “In a democracy that is free and robust, an opinion is no more disqualified for being ‘religious’ than for being atheistic, or psychoanalytic, or Marxist, or just plain dumb.”[xiii]

Religious Freedom Diluted by Other “Civil Rights”

A second threat to religious freedom is from those who perceive it to be in conflict with the newly alleged “civil right” of same-gender couples to enjoy the privileges of marriage.

We have endured a wave of media-reported charges that the Mormons are trying to “deny” people or “strip” people of their “rights.” After a significant majority of California voters (seven million — over 52 percent) approved Proposition 8’s limiting marriage to a man and a woman, some opponents characterized the vote as denying people their civil rights. In fact, the Proposition 8 battle was not about civil rights, but about what equal rights demand and what religious rights protect. At no time did anyone question or jeopardize the civil right of Proposition 8 opponents to vote or speak their views.

The real issue in the Proposition 8 debate — an issue that will not go away in years to come and for whose resolution it is critical that we protect everyone’s freedom of speech and the equally important freedom to stand for religious beliefs — is whether the opponents of Proposition 8 should be allowed to change the vital institution of marriage itself.

The marriage union of a man and a woman has been the teaching of the Judeo-Christian scriptures and the core legal definition and practice of marriage in Western culture for thousands of years. Those who seek to change the foundation of marriage should not be allowed to pretend that those who defend the ancient order are trampling on civil rights. The supporters of Proposition 8 were exercising their constitutional right to defend the institution of marriage — an institution of transcendent importance that they, along with countless others of many persuasions, feel conscientiously obliged to protect.

Religious freedom needs defending against the claims of newly asserted human rights. The so-called “Yogyakarta Principles,” published by an international human rights group, call for governments to assure that all persons have the right to practice their religious beliefs regardless of sexual orientation or identity.[xiv] This apparently proposes that governments require church practices and their doctrines to ignore gender differences. Any such effort to have governments invade religion to override religious doctrines or practices should be resisted by all believers. At the same time, all who conduct such resistance should frame their advocacy and their personal relations so that they are never seen as being doctrinaire opponents of the very real civil rights (such as free speech) of their adversaries or any other disadvantaged group.

VI.

And now, in conclusion, I offer five points of counsel on how Latter-day Saints should conduct themselves to enhance religious freedom in this period of turmoil and challenge.

First, we must speak with love, always showing patience, understanding and compassion toward our adversaries. We are under command to love our neighbor (Luke 10:27), to forgive all men (Doctrine and Covenants 64:10), to do good to them who despitefully use us (Matthew 5:44) and to conduct our teaching in mildness and meekness (Doctrine and Covenants 38:41).

Even as we seek to speak with love, we must not be surprised when our positions are ridiculed and we are persecuted and reviled. As the Savior said, “so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:12). And modern revelation commands us not to revile against revilers (Doctrine and Covenants 19:30).

Second, we must not be deterred or coerced into silence by the kinds of intimidation I have described. We must insist on our constitutional right and duty to exercise our religion, to vote our consciences on public issues and to participate in elections and debates in the public square and the halls of justice. These are the rights of all citizens and they are also the rights of religious leaders. While our church rarely speaks on public issues, it does so by exception on what the First Presidency defines as significant moral issues, which could surely include laws affecting the fundamental legal/cultural/moral environment of our communities and nations.

We must also insist on this companion condition of democratic government: when churches and their members or any other group act or speak out on public issues, win or lose, they have a right to expect freedom from retaliation.

Along with many others, we were disappointed with what we experienced in the aftermath of California’s adoption of Proposition 8, including vandalism of church facilities and harassment of church members by firings and boycotts of member businesses and by retaliation against donors. Mormons were the targets of most of this, but it also hit other churches in the pro-8 coalition and other persons who could be identified as supporters. Fortunately, some recognized such retaliation for what it was. A full-page ad in the New York Times branded this “violence and intimidation” against religious organizations and individual believers “simply because they supported Proposition 8 [as] an outrage that must stop.” [xv] The fact that this ad was signed by some leaders who had no history of friendship for our faith only added to its force.

It is important to note that while this aggressive intimidation in connection with the Proposition 8 election was primarily directed at religious persons and symbols, it was not anti-religious as such. These incidents were expressions of outrage against those who disagreed with the gay-rights position and had prevailed in a public contest. As such, these incidents of “violence and intimidation” are not so much anti-religious as anti-democratic. In their effect they are like the well-known and widely condemned voter-intimidation of blacks in the South that produced corrective federal civil-rights legislation.

Third, we must insist on our freedom to preach the doctrines of our faith. Why do I make this obvious point? Religious people who share our moral convictions feel some intimidation. Fortunately, our leaders do not refrain from stating and explaining our position that homosexual behavior is sinful. Last summer Elder M. Russell Ballard spoke these words to a BYU audience:

“We follow Jesus Christ by living the law of chastity. God gave this commandment, and He has never revoked or changed it. This law is clear and simple. No one is to engage in sexual relationships outside the bounds the Lord has set. This applies to homosexual behavior of any kind and to heterosexual relationships outside marriage. It is a sin to violate the law of chastity.

“We follow Jesus Christ by adhering to God’s law of marriage, which is marriage between one man and one woman. This commandment has been in place from the very beginning.”[xvi]

We will continue to teach what our Heavenly Father has commanded us to teach, and trust that the precious free exercise of religion remains strong enough to guarantee our right to exercise this most basic freedom.

Fourth, as advocates of the obvious truth that persons with religious positions or motivations have the right to express their religious views in public, we must nevertheless be wise in our political participation. Preachers have been prime movers in the civil rights movement from the earliest advocates of abolition, but even the civil rights of religionists must be exercised legally and wisely.

As Latter-day Saints, we should never be reticent to declare and act upon the sure foundations of our faith. The call of conscience — whether religious or otherwise — requires no secular justification. At the same time, religious persons will often be most persuasive in political discourse by framing arguments and positions in ways that are respectful of those who do not share their religious beliefs and that contribute to the reasoned discussion and compromise that is essential in a pluralistic society.[xvii]

Fifth and finally, Latter-day Saints must be careful never to support or act upon the idea that a person must subscribe to some particular set of religious beliefs in order to qualify for a public office. The framers of our constitution included a provision that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States” (Article VI). That constitutional principle forbids a religious test as a legal requirement, but it of course leaves citizens free to cast their votes on the basis of any preference they choose. But wise religious leaders and members will never advocate religious tests for public office.

Fragile freedoms are best preserved when not employed beyond their intended purpose. If a candidate is seen to be rejected at the ballot box primarily because of religious belief or affiliation, the precious free exercise of religion is weakened at its foundation, especially when this reason for rejection has been advocated by other religionists. Such advocacy suggests that if religionists prevail in electing their preferred candidate this will lead to the use of government power in support of their religious beliefs and practices. The religion of a candidate should not be an issue in a political campaign.

Conclusion

It was the Christian principles of human worth and dignity that made possible the formation of the United States Constitution over 200 years ago, and only those principles in the hearts of a majority of our diverse population can sustain that constitution today. Our constitution’s revolutionary concepts of sovereignty in the people and significant guarantees of personal rights were, as John A. Howard has written,

“generated by a people for whom Christianity had been for a century and a half the compelling feature of their lives. It was Jesus who first stated that all men are created equal [and] that every person . . . is valued and loved by God.”[xviii]

Professor Dinesh D’Souza reminds us:

“The attempt to ground respect for equality on a purely secular basis ignores the vital contribution by Christianity to its spread. It is folly to believe that it could survive without the continuing aid of religious belief.”[xix]

Religious values and political realities are so interlinked in the origin and perpetuation of this nation that we cannot lose the influence of Christianity in the public square without seriously jeopardizing our freedoms. I maintain that this is a political fact, well qualified for argument in the public square by religious people whose freedom to believe and act must always be protected by what is properly called our “First Freedom,” the free exercise of religion.

My dear brothers and sisters, I testify to the truth of these principles I have expressed today. I testify of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who is the author and finisher of our faith and whose revelations to a prophet of God in these modern times have affirmed the foundation of the United States constitution, which as we have said, was given by God to His children for the rights and protection of all flesh. May God bless us to understand it, to sustain it, and to spread its influence throughout the world, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Notes

[i] Robert Debs Heinl Jr., Dictionary of Military and Naval Quotations (U.S. Naval Institute Press, 1978), 141.

[ii] Final Report of the Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad to the Secretary of State and to the President of the United States, 17 May 1999, 6–7, 30–65. The International Religious Freedom Act, adopted in 1998, 22 USC 6401 et seq., established an office of international religious affairs in the U.S. State Department headed by an Ambassador at Large and the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom. Both of these bodies submit annual reports that assess the status of religious freedom under international standards worldwide and help encourage better implementation of commitments countries around the world have made to respect this fundamental right.

[iii] The information about events in Mongolia was obtained from correspondence with President Odgerel and from Mary N. Cook, former senior missionary and wife of Richard E. Cook, the first mission president in Mongolia.

[iv] Final Report of the Advisory Committee, 6.

[v] 22 USC 6401(a).

[vi] Michael Spencer, “The Coming Evangelical Collapse,” The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Mar. 2009.

[vii] E.g., John A. Howard, “Liberty: America’s Creative Power,” Howard Center, 22 June 2009, 6.

[viii] “In God’s Name: A Special Report on Religion and Public Life,” The Economist, 3 Nov. 2007, 10.

[ix] E.g., The Six Ways of Atheism, which was advertised “to absolutely disprove the existence of God, logically and simply,” was sent free to leading universities and public libraries in all major English-speaking countries in the world. Press release, 26 May 2009.

[x] Howard, “Liberty: America’s Creative Power,” 6.

[xi] Hugh Hewitt, A Mormon in the White House? (Washington DC: Regnery, 2007), 242–43.

[xii] Karl Vick, “Gay Groups Targeting Mormons,” Salt Lake Tribune, 30 May 2009, A8 (Washington Post story).

[xiii] “A New Order of Religious Freedom,” First Things, Feb. 1992, 2; also see Neuhaus, The Naked Public Square (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1983).

[xiv] The Yogyakarta Principles, Principle 21 (Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 2006).

[xv] “No Mob Veto,” New York Times, 5 Dec. 2008.

[xvi] M. Russell Ballard, “Engaging Without Being Defensive,” BYU Commencement Address, 13 August 2009.

[xvii] Among the advocates of this position are Kevin Seamus Hasson, The Right to be Wrong (San Francisco: Encounter Books, 2005); Douglas Laycock, Anthony Picarello Jr. and Robin Fretwell Wilson, Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty: Emerging Conflicts (Rowman and Littlefield, 2008); and Michael J. Perry, “Liberal Democracy and Religious Morality,” 48 DePaul Law Rev. 1, 20–41 (1998). For examples of this kind of advocacy, see What’s the Harm? ed. Lynn D. Wardle (University Press of America, 2008); and Monte Neil Stewart, “Marriage Facts,” 31 Harv. J. of Law & Pub. Policy 313 (2008).

[xviii] John A. Howard, Christianity: Lifeblood of America’s Free Society (1620–1945) (Monitou Springs, Ohio: Summit Press, 2008), 57.

[xix] “How Christianity Shaped the West,” Hillsdale College, Nov. 2008, Vol. 37, No. 11, p. 5.

Alma 29:14

2009-10-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

My friend Nathan shared this scripture with me. It's blog-worthy. And so good, too.

Zion.

14 But I do not joy in my own ^asuccess alone, but my joy is more full because of the success of my brethren, who have been up to the land of Nephi.

Back to school

2009-09-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

Friends,

My blog isn't taking a back-seat. I promise. For those of you who actually follow it, I am committed to giving you more information into my life. Honest. I've just been a little...how do you say...busy. Busy with life, with homework, with work, with school. And my virtual "sociality" has taken a hit by my re-born, real-life "sociality" here at school.

But...never fear. One of my classes is requiring me to keep a blog. Yup. A blog with what we learned.

No, no, no. It's not BORING. It's actually pretty cool. You should check it out. I want to share what I've learned. and I want you to share something with me, too. Deal? I mean, we are friends. I want to learn from you.

So...check it out: comm250rocksmyworld.blogspot.com

The first post is pretty good. And better posts are sure to come.

And I promise...eventually I'll get some pictures posted here. And then you can follow my "happenings" along with "what I'm learning in school."

Last Day...

2009-08-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

...of the BEST internship in the world.

State Capitol on Inauguration Day. (Photo courtesy yours truly)

Today was the last day of my internship:

2 Governors
4 months/15 weeks/47 complete days in the office
5 press conferences
1 Resignation
1 Inauguration (so far)
2 Swearing-in ceremonies
2 Senate Confirmation Hearings
1 Senate vote (so far)
300 + hours of office work, errands, events
1 new internship manual written
3 potential interns interviews
5 days at the White House phone
1 Record-breaking 6-hour date with the copy machine
3 Monthly Reports
100's of letters drafted
1,000 (almost) letters logged
47 days in the office
100 + other tasks completed
A few fiascoes avoided
1 red bracelet saved

1 Incredible Summer

And the BEST internship in the world.

The day before I officially started the job: Press Conference with Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. following President Obama's announcement that he would appoint Huntsman to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China. (Photo Courtesy Office of the Governor)

Me with the first Governor.

Me with the new Governor.

Past Governors and spouses on the day Governor Huntsman resigned as Governor, was sworn in as Ambassador, and Governor Herbert was sworn in as 17th Governor of the Great State of Utah. (Photo courtesy me.)

Governor and Mrs. Herbert, yours truly, Lieutenant Governor-designate and Mrs. Bell. (Due to a new Utah amendment, Lt. Governor Bell has to wait for the Senate to confirm his appointment. I went to his Senate Hearing today; it was great.)

Governor's Mansion. (Photo by me)