More Mormon Christmas Events
Ann Arbor, Michigan: The annual crèche exhibit of local congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “Mormons“) will be held November 30 through December 3. This year the exhibit will feature more than 1000 nativity scenes from 111 countries. The event is free and visitors from the community are welcome.
According to the Ann Arbor News, the event began in part to help the community understand that Mormons are in fact Christians. It has become the Church’s “gift to the community” for 25 years.
However, this year will be the last. All of the work is done by volunteers, and the labor involved in setting it up and taking it down is intensive and there is no chairperson available beyond this year. So if you’re in the Ann Arbor area, you’ll want to stop by this year. More details on the event, as well as some photographs of a few of the displays, can be found at www.crecheexhibit.com.
I posted a blog covering a similar event not long ago. Again, if you’re able to attend these or a similar event held in your own community, I highly recommend it.
Kensington, Maryland: The 30th Annual Festival of Lights at the Washington, D.C. temple of the LDS Church officially began the evening of November 28. According to the Deseret Morning News, 450,000 lights will shine on the temple grounds through the holiday season. More than 250,000 visitors are expected to visit the display during December.
“These lights are our holiday gift to the nation’s capital,” said Ann Santini, director of international affairs for the Church.
Congressmen, ambassadors, and other guests were on hand for the official lighting. The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat, was among those who made remarks. Parnohadiningrat, a Muslim, said that peace on earth is “not only possible but imperative,” as reported by the Deseret Morning News.
“I believe we can make peace on earth more than just a slogan,” he said.
Musical numbers were also presented by soprano Lisa Hopkins Seegmiller and the Mormon Choir of Washington, D.C. Other musicians and musical groups will perform throughout the holiday season.
Mormons Discuss Missionary Work with Protestant Group
I thought this story was interesting, and it’s worth sharing. In Murietta, California, members of the United Church of the Valley were preparing to serve their first mission, and they turned to an unusual source for help: the Mormons, or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Asking missionaries of another faith for help in preparing to teach may seem odd, but when you think about it, it really does make sense. After all, Mormons have a very active and successful worldwide missionary program. So whether or not you agree with the specific religious beliefs, you’ve got to admit that the LDS Church probably does have some good insights into missionary work and sharing the gospel of Christ with others.
According to the North County Times, the Reverend Randy Leisey, pastor of United Church of the Valley, had become interested in the Mormon approach when he heard President Gordon B. Hinckley, then the prophet and president of the LDS Church, speaking in a local conference.
“He said ‘You 77 million baby boomers, don’t get a motor home. Go on mission,’” Leisey said to the North County Times. “I thought, ‘Wow, wouldn’t that change the world?’”
Leisey had been more interested in the LDS Church’s humanitarian efforts, since members of his congregation would be serving humanitarian missions themselves, helping to build houses in an impoverished country. But Larry Slusser, second counselor to the Temecula Stake (group of local congregations) president of the LDS Church, gave them a challenge in their meeting: “Is there any plan to teach them about Jesus Christ?”
Members of the United Church of the Valley were not completely comfortable with this idea, as they were afraid of appearing pushy and self-righteous. However, President Slusser gave them some ideas for sharing the message of Jesus Christ that would not be overbearing, such as bringing them videos to watch, holding devotionals before work, and staying in contact with the people after the projects were completed.
The important things, as LDS Church leaders will tell you, is to truly become their friends and to not be afraid to share your knowledge of Jesus Christ and the gospel when appropriate.
“The house is going to care for … one or two generations,” Slusser explained. “The faith affects many future generations. . . (Christianity) is life-changing, to give them peace of mind, direction … .”
“The task of missionary work used to be to make them like you,” Leisey commented. “But if you get intellectual about it, you realize how egocentric that is. Our denomination and many denominations started rethinking what mission is all about — building relationships.”
Elder M. Russell Ballard, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has said: “Our opportunity and responsibility are to care, to share, to testify, to invite, and then to allow individuals to decide for themselves. . . At the very least, we have a rewarding relationship with someone from another faith, and we can continue to enjoy their friendship.” (M. Russell Ballard, “Creating a Gospel-Sharing Home,” Ensign, May 2006, 84-87)
And, in the meantime, we will have given someone we care about the opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it can change their lives. Having received the gift ourselves, we naturally want to share it with those we love.
Youth Helping Others: Pulling Weeds and a Trip to the Dentist
At a time when we hear so much about troubled teens and the problems they cause in society, it’s good to call attention to young people who are making good choices. Following are two accounts of youth who have gone the extra mile to help others.
In one instance, a youth conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly called “the Mormons,” in Sun City, California, brought more than 200 young people together to help senior citizens with yard work and home maintenance. (In the LDS church, youth conferences typically gather the youth of several LDS congregations in an area where they can work together and build friendships. Activities may include social interactions, service projects, and motivational speakers.)
Teams of 6 or 12 youth visited 40 homes in a planned community for senior citizens. They pulled weeds, trimmed hedges, helped with minor home repairs, and performed other household chores.
The youth conference there is an annual event, as it is in many stakes (groups of several local congregations) throughout the Church. This particular group usually uses Saturday mornings for charitable activities. “Every year we go and do service,” Debbie Yokshas, one of the youth involved, said to the Californian-North County Times. “Sometimes it’s hard to get kids to do it but once you’re doing it, you always enjoy it.”
“This is phenomenal,” Bill Mosteller, one of the recipients of the labor said. “Bless your hearts.” Mosteller himself uses a wheelchair; he and other seniors like him can have a difficult time performing the tasks that the youth took care of in a few hours.
Mosteller added that it’s common to hear about troubled youth of today and their problems, “but you don’t hear about things like this.”
In another amazing story, a young man who collected donations for children in the Dominican Republic for his Eagle project unexpectedly got to go and hand out the gifts himself.
Jeff Rowan, of Merced, California, collected small toys and school supplies and put them together into packets for children having work done at a free dental clinic. “We started out by getting school supplies like crayons and colored pencils, along with (stuff like) bouncy balls, baseball cards and wristbands that say ‘I love baseball.’ ” Jeff said to the Modesto Bee. “Baseball is their favorite sport in the Dominican.”
He had planned to send the packets with a group of dentists, including his father and uncle, as they made a visit to provide dental care to children in the impoverished country. But, in an unusual turn of events, Jeff’s uncle was unable to make the trip. And Jeff got to go in his place.
Prospective Eagle scouts who gather donations to send to other countries don’t always get to meet the recipients of their gifts. But Jeff was able to personally hand out the packets he’d put together. “People started lining up and waiting in line two to three hours to see a dentist so they could get a packet,” he said to the Bee.
It was a humbling experience. “I felt grateful for the things that I have,” he said to the Bee. “When people get so excited about small gifts like colored pencils and bouncy balls, it makes you realize how much we all take for granted in this country.”
Jeff is expected to receive his Eagle in April. His troop is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The book “True to the Faith” states that “one true key to happiness is to labor for the happiness of others.” These youth and many others are finding that this is true.
Testifying of the Book of Mormon in Ghana
An article by Edward R.K. Dwemoh about why he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the “Mormons“) recently appeared in the Accra Daily Mail, a leading private newspaper in Ghana.
Brother Dwemoh begins his account by explaining that many people have asked him why he joined the Church. In his own words, “To set the minds of those who have asked the question at rest, and (this may surprise some of you) to quench my own burning desire to go public with the story of my conversion to Mormonism, let me now place on record why I am now a Latter-day Saint.” (”Why I Joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Accra Daily Mail, February 21, 2008).
He describes some early visits he had with missionaries from the Church. The things they taught him made sense to him. “Something out of this world hung in the air – something fresh and sweet and gentle and kind,” he says. The missionaries invited him to find out for himself if the Book of Mormon and the things they had taught him were true. They showed him the promise the prophet Moroni made at the end of the Book of Mormon:
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. (Moroni 10:4-5)
“I thought that this was the most noble challenge I had ever been thrown!” says Brother Dwemoh. He recognized that, although the teachings of the missionaries made sense to him, his faith and salvation needed a stronger foundation. He needed to know the truth of them from God Himself. “And it is He who has manifested to me that this Church is true!” he concludes.
Some of the people who have questioned his decision to be baptized into the Church have shown him the scripture in Revelation 22:18-19 that says, “If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” They wonder how the Book of Mormon can be true if the Bible itself says not to add to the book.
Brother Dwemoh gives a clear answer to this question: “God did not say in Revelation 22:18-19 that He would not add to His own words. God rather warned us against man adding to (or subtracting from) His word…God commanded the Prophets of the Bible to write just as He commanded the Book of Mormon prophets to write.”
He also points out that a similar directive is given much earlier in the Bible, in Deuteronomy 4:2. If God meant in this scripture that He would not reveal any more of His word, then the rest of the Bible beyond Deuteronomy could not be the word of God.
Going back to Moroni’s promise, Brother Dwemoh explains that this is the sure way to establish the authenticity of both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. “For those of us who would sincerely want to know (and not just brush off the testimony of whoever God might use to bring forth “scripture”…) we would ‘ask God.’ Only He can reveal to us that what we hold in our hands is ‘authentic,’ true.”
Of the Book of Mormon, President Gordon B. Hinckley, the fifteenth prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said:
It is the only book that contains within its covers a promise that by divine power the reader may know with certainty of its truth…The same book that converted Brigham Young, Willard Richards, Orson and Parley Pratt, and many others of the early leaders of the Church is also converting people today in Argentina, in Finland, in Ghana, in Taiwan, in Tonga, and wherever else men and women are reading it prayerfully and with real intent. The promise of Moroni, written in his loneliness following the destruction of his people, is being fulfilled every day.
If they read it prayerfully and with a sincere desire to know the truth, they will know by the power of the Holy Ghost that the book is true.
From that knowledge there will flow a conviction of the truth of many other things. For if the Book of Mormon is true, then God lives. Testimony upon testimony runs through its pages of the solemn fact that our Father is real, that he is personal, that he loves his children and seeks their happiness. (”The Power of the Book of Mormon,” Ensign, Jun 1988, 2)
Mormon Missionaries Share Food Stories
We all have “food stories” that we could share–tales of strange foods that we’ve tried, or even of foods that we really, really did not want to eat. As for my own food stories, the time we went to a Chinese wedding banquet and found ourselves at the “authentic Chinese food table” as opposed to the “Americanized Chinese food table” stands out in my mind. We ate some unusual dishes that evening–most of which I will be fine with never trying again.
People who travel abroad for an extended period often have the opportunity to try a myriad of new dishes. Some of them will be wonderful, and others will seem very strange. And missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly referred to as “the Mormons“) who serve in foreign countries often have a plethora of food stories to share when they return home. Not only do they stay abroad for nearly two years, but when possible they eat meals prepared by other people. They follow the counsel of the Savior to His early disciples: “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? …for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)
So that they can concentrate on teaching the gospel and serving the Lord during the two years that they serve their missions, Latter-day Saint missionaries do not have paying jobs. Their financial support comes from money they earned and saved prior to leaving on their missions, their families and friends who are financially able to help support them, and from the funds of the Church when necessary. To help with their support, members in local congregations are encouraged to provide dinners for the missionaries serving in their areas. This not only saves the missionaries the expense of paying for these meals, but it also allows them to spend more time in service instead of in meal preparation.
When possible, members are invited to have the missionaries in their homes to eat with their families. This can be a blessing to these members, as the missionaries bring a special spirit with them and are generally happy and enthusiastic about the gospel. The missionaries also share a spiritual thought with the family from the scriptures, and share their testimonies of the gospel. (As a sidenote, my family enjoys having the missionaries in our home and feel that doing so has blessed our lives many times over.) Visiting with the local members also helps the missionaries get to know them, and can spiritually uplift the missionaries as well.
For missionaries who are uncertain about local food, however, this system can pose a challenge. Rather than getting to choose which foods they feel comfortable eating, they must eat the foods prepared for them–or risk going hungry or offending those who prepared the food.
A columnist for the Deseret Morning News in Salt Lake City, Utah, recently invited returned missionaries to share their “food stories.” Following are just a few of the interesting stories he received:
“Eating live baby octopi is… a treat. Imagine trying to eat something that is desperately trying to get back out of your mouth and has the strength of survival in it.” (From a returned missionary who served in South Korea.)
“While welfare service missionaries in Thailand, we were served a basket containing little leaf-wrapped packages. We began to unwrap the packages held with string. I am sure my eyes widened as my stomach lurched. They were filled with fried crickets, ants and ant eggs… We did learn as the months went on that the adding of insects to scrambled eggs or to soup made the meal extra special.”
“The most interesting thing I ate on my mission (in Ecuador) was ‘ubre,’ which is cow udder. It was rubbery and not very flavorful.”
“We were invited to the home of a member of the branch presidency (local church leader) to have dinner (on our mission in Argentina). As we sat at their humble but clean table, a rolled meat dish was served to us. We asked what type of meat it was. The branch counselor asked us to just eat it and he would tell us at the end of the meal…With some trepidation we ate it and discovered it was really very good. Still, the host would not tell us what was in it until the end of the meal. Finally, he informed us the meat roll was made of pickled muskrat.”
At the head of the article, a scripture in Luke is quoted: “And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.” (Luke 10:8)
Perhaps this scripture describes it best. But many missionaries experience a miracle of sorts–they really do learn to love the food of the people they serve.
And many of them just do the best they can, and then share their “food stories” when they return home.
The entire article with food stories contributed by returned missionaries can be accessed at deseretnews.com.
Mormon Missionary Helps People Stop Smoking
One thing that many people know about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or “Mormons”) is that they don’t smoke. According to the Word of Wisdom, received by the prophet Joseph Smith in 1833, “tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.” (D&C 89:8)
Since that time, medical science has proven that smoking is in fact hazardous to one’s health. And there are numerous people out there who have become addicted to nicotine and would like to stop smoking — but they just haven’t been able to.
Two missionaries, David Bresnahan and Rudiger “Rudy” Van Hove, created a program to help people do just that in 1983. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the 15-step program includes prayer and visits and calls from “friendshippers” who are there to help and support the individual throughout the seven-day process. Bresnahan began printing and distributing the manual for the program at his own cost after he returned home from his mission.
The program is not formally used or endorsed by the Church. But, according to a press release of the LDS Stop Smoking Program, it has been successfully used by thousands of missionaries and church leaders to help people stop smoking. Since 1983, lesson manuals that guide these people in implementing the program have been distributed to LDS missionaries and leaders free of charge. However, because the program has been run as a volunteer effort, it has sometimes been difficult for these people to get the materials.
This has all changed recently. The LDS Stop Smoking Program has now made its manual available electronically. Missionaries and Church leaders may request copies at www.LDSStopSmokingProgram.org. Additionally, anyone who is interested in the program may request a free lesson. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, this will include a visit from the missionaries who can help the individual with their efforts.
Regardless of the exact methods used, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will tell you that the Lord has told us through His prophets that smoking is dangerous and members of the Church commit not to smoke upon baptism. And taking our problems to the Lord is one of the best ways to solve them. “When we have the Lord as our partner, we can succeed at many things,” Bresnahan said to the Tribune. (“Maverick expands longtime effort to help smokers kick habit,” Salt Lake Tribune, December 28, 2007)
Photographer Helps Families Heal After Infant Death
Julie Williams’ volunteer duties include taking pictures of babies at hospitals throughout Utah. But these aren’t the traditional baby pictures of the little ones visitors come to view through the nursery windows. These are the babies who didn’t make it.
I learned how meaningful pictures of these babies can be for their parents when friends of ours lost their child shortly after his birth. Their hospital only took a couple of Polaroids, but these photos found their way into a framed collage that the parents hung on the wall of their home. For them it was a connection with this child they had lost.
And that’s where the work of Julie Williams comes in. Featured in an article in the Salt Lake Tribune, she has been told that she has a “gift…to see these babies as God sees them.” As Heather May, the author of the article, put it: “For parents forced to return home childless, Williams captures everything she can — little hands and feet, curled up legs, peaceful faces. Moms and dads saying hello and goodbye.”
Williams, a photographer by profession, takes these pictures as a volunteer through Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. The organization is a network of approximately 3000 volunteer photographers throughout the country. Williams oversees the team in Utah.
According to the article, parents in times past were not encouraged to see or name their babies, and certainly not to create any kind of lasting bond with them. But opportunities and pictures such as these validate the family’s experience with the little life that came to bless them — however briefly — and gives them something tangible they can keep with them.
“These parents, they won’t go home and have first birthdays and first steps and first smiles and giggles,” said Williams to the Tribune. “This is something that they can have.”
Her work isn’t always easy. As the requests from hospitals increased, Williams prayed for help from a higher source. “I knelt down one day and I said, Father in heaven, I will do as many of these babies as you need me to do,” Williams said to the Tribune. “You just need to give me the strength and the ability to do it.”
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormons, Williams believes in the eternal nature of families. “That really helps to know these parents will have those children again,” she said to the Tribune.
Elder Robert D. Hales, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church and a modern-day witness of Christ, has explained it this way: “Through making and keeping the sacred covenants found in the temple ordinances, individuals can return to the presence of God and will be reunited with their families eternally.” (Robert D. Hales, “The Eternal Family,” Ensign, Nov 1996, 64)
The promise that our families can be together forever is one that is precious to Latter-day Saints. It’s particularly reassuring at times such as these when one of our family members has returned home to our Father in Heaven. Through His grace and our faithfulness, we can be reunited with all of our family in the eternities. For more information on this wonderful promise, visit www.mormon.org. You may also be interested in a couple of other recent blog entries at LDSBlogs.com: “Children Feel the Pain of Death” and “The Death of a Baby.”
Mormon Congregation Remodels House for Christmas
Many of us think of ways to help those in need during the holiday season. We might present musical programs to people in nursing homes, bring goody bags to shut-ins, or contribute to “Sub for Santa” programs.
According to the Kitsap Sun, a local congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “Mormons”) found a different way to help a family in need. They worked together to remodel the home of a family who had lost their husband and father years ago.
The father and husband of the Gaudio family of Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, Washington, was killed in 1980 by a drunk driver. The family had been building their own house, but it had not been completed. Liz Gaudio was left to raise the family’s six boys alone. The family also faced other challenges, and the house fell into disrepair.
Members of the Bainbridge Island Ward, the local Mormon congregation and the Gaudios’ church, visited and helped the family occasionally through the years, but eventually they decided to work together to fix the house as a whole. Work on the project began in September, and members contributed in various capacities. Businesses in the community also donated services and materials. By Christmas, the driveway had been graded, a concrete walkway had been put in, and the exterior had been painted. And that was just the exterior work done while the weather was still good.
The congregation also gutted much of the interior of the house. New floors, plumbing, appliances, and walls were put in. A local hotel housed the family while the work was being done.
The Gaudio family was thrilled with the results, and greatly appreciated the efforts of all those who helped. But there were other benefits as well. One of these was a greater friendship among those who worked on the project. “You get to know people a lot better, and you feel close to people when you are working with them,” said Bruce Nowjack, a community work-project coordinator for the Church, to the Kitsap Sun.
And other blessings come to those who serve others, sometimes in unexpected ways. “Along the way, you realize the permanent change is you,” said Ross Boundy to the Kitsap Sun. “It’s just wonderful.” Boundy is a former bishop (similar to a pastor) of the Bainbridge Island Ward (local congregation) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said:
To followers who were vying for prominent positions in his kingdom, the Savior taught, “Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.” (Matt. 20:27) On a later occasion, he spoke of ministering to the needs of the hungry, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned. He concluded that teaching with these words: “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matt. 25:40) (Dallin H. Oaks, “Why Do We Serve?,” Ensign, Nov 1984, 12)
Elder Oaks concluded this thought with a reference to Mosiah 2:17, in the Book of Mormon: “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”
Mormon Holiday Celebrations 2007
Here’s a sampling of what some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been doing to celebrate the holiday season this year.
Walkerton, Ontario: The local congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the “Mormons“) sponsors an annual nativity scene display at the local meetinghouse. The event began six years ago with 73 scenes and has become one of the world’s largest non-commercial nativity collections, this year featuring 2000 nativity scenes. The response from the community has been overwhelmingly supportive. Nativity scenes representing a plethora of cultures and sent from all over Ontario and even the United States were on display for the 11-day event.
“In all the commercial voices that surround Christmas, something special is happening here,” said Flora Nabrotzky to the Toronto Star. “People are finding this soothing to their souls, and it’s such a tribute to the community to have this happen right here.”
I have not attended this particular nativity display, but our stake in Salt Lake City used to host a similar (much smaller) event. Walking among all the many representations of our Savior’s birth is one of the most peaceful activities I have experienced. Such an event is one not to be missed during the holiday season.
MSNBC: The network’s listing of “trees, lights, and marvelous displays” around the United States this holiday season includes the display at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. This is a display that I highly recommend to anyone who has a chance to visit it. The lights are always spectacular, and the feeling of peace there is second to none – particularly as you walk by the Christus statue with His arms outstretched, and view the nativity display. What a beautiful way to celebrate the Christmas season.
Holladay, Utah: An interfaith Thanksgiving service was held in an LDS stake center on November 18. Representatives from the Jewish, Lutheran, and Mormon communities participated; about 500 people were in attendance. This kind of interfaith gathering reminds us that all of us, regardless of specific religious beliefs, have much to be grateful for.
Around the United States: Several Mormon individuals are spotlighted at the www.lds.org newsroom for their efforts in helping the needy during this holiday season. Among those listed are two Mormons in Huntsville, Alabama who contributed to a mural at the Salvation Army depicting Christ feeding the 5000. Others have contributed to community projects such as knitting winter hats, collecting food and funds for local food banks, and assembling care packages for military personnel serving in Iraq.
Evangelical and Mormon Student Discussion
It just goes to show that people from different faiths can discuss their beliefs and differences together rationally and each come away enriched from the experience.
Discussing deeply-held convictions can all too easily degenerate into arguing when each party believes that their views are the correct ones. I remember as a college freshman I was friends with several traditional Christians who enjoyed arguing over points of doctrine in our respective religions. Each of us tried to simultaneously defend our own beliefs while attacking the beliefs of the others. It was an interesting way to pass the time, but the emphasis was on winning the debate and not on really trying to understand the others’ beliefs. And of course, no one would ever admit defeat. So no one ever really won, either.
I later understood what was wrong with this approach. In the Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 11:29 we read: “For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.”
So all my friends and I were really doing was stirring up contention. As we did this, we also destroyed much of the groundwork we’d laid for real friendship, understanding, and cooperation. We were too busy disagreeing and trying to win.
But here’s a recent story about some people who have approached this same situation in a much more productive way. On October 19 and 20, 2007, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Evangelicals met in a conference to promote dialogue between the two faiths. The conference was held at the Salt Lake Christian Center and was hosted by Standing Together Ministries, in conjunction with the Salt Lake Theological Seminary.
The conference included five plenary sessions over two days, each including a Latter-day Saint and an Evangelical speaker. Latter-day Saint speakers included Dr. Robert Millet, Dr. Truman Madsen, and Dr. Camille Fronk. Topics centered around facets of interfaith dialogue.
There were also breakout sessions, student discussions, panel discussions, and workshops. There were also opportunities for students to direct questions to the speakers.
Participants interviewed for BYU NewsNet agreed that there was a real “spirit of friendship” about the conference. Many came away feeling that they had a better understanding of the beliefs of others. “I would recommend this to every Christian and Latter-day Saint because there are so many miscommunications and errors,” said Megan Falese, an Evangelical from Colorado.
I’m glad to see that there are people with different beliefs out there who are taking steps to get along and understand each other. Because we have a lot of common ground we can work with and use to make the world a better place – together.