This Week in Latter-days

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e cannot avoid coronavirus, or Covid-19. It's shutting down Church facilities right and left, and this isn't the end. We're happy that Josie is here once again to bring as an international perspective on things.

Coronavirus Hysteria

So let's list out all of the Covid-19 madness, shall we? First off, the Church has announced meeting restrictions in Europe. The Rome Italy Temple has also closed earlier than planned and will remain so indefinitely. A meetinghouse in Newcastle, United Kingdom will remain closed after a ward member was diagnosed with Covid-19. The Seattle Washington Temple has also closed its doors, the first temple in the United States to do so.

To add to the fun, a student in attendance at Brigham Young University's universe-altering win over Gonzaga also has the disease! You knew something was going to come around and ruin that sweet victory, didn't you?

It's not all bad. The Saints in Hong Kong are finding creative ways to minister to each other and worship even as they cannot meet in person. The Church also donated 100,000 masks to Daegu, South Korea, an area hard hit by the viral outbreak.

International News

* Latter-day Saint Charities donated water tanks to a primary school property in the Solomon Islands, where the students previously had to walk a kilometer into the forest to retrieve drinking water when they were thirsty.

* Cambodia celebrates the first generation from the BYU PathwayConnect. Twenty-one students completed the program and many are continuing on to other studies.

* A small congregation on Waiheke Island in New Zealand has begun holding Sunday meetings on the island instead of traveling 1.5 hours by car, ferry, and bus to get to a chapel in Auckland. One of the families stopped attending in Auckland because the ferry cost alone for their family of seven was over $100, more than they could spare each week for transportation.

* Elder Bednar becomes the first apostle to visit Sudan. Why Sudan?! It's a fascinating visit, and it's interesting to see where Church leadership engages even when there isn't more th...

Photo: Weekdone

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ell this came as a surprise. Devine Thorpe, our beloved co-host and "resident communist" is running for congress in Utah's 3rd congressional district against first-term congressman John Curtis. We take no formal sides in this intense battle of wills, but at least we get to learn more about what would drive Devin to go after a seat that voted about +40% Republican in congressional elections.

But you are here for the Latter-day Saint news, and such news you shall have. Coronavirus panic continues, and the Church is taking plenty of precautions. Notably, all leadership sessions of General Conference have been canceled. (Geez, conference is only a month away?!) Missionaries across Asia now face serious restrictions on going outside to do the work, and those near the end of their missions are being sent home early. Senior missionaries are being released across the board.

What about elsewhere? The passing of the sacrament represents a serious hygiene challenge when you think about it. By Common Consent has some ideas on that, as well as a history of how we've changed the sacrament to fit the times in the past.

Also on the sacrament, Jana Riess, ever the polemic, was unaware of even the apocryphal—now codified—standard that one is supposed to take the sacrament with one's right hand. Riess is a lefty, and she gives us some research on a world that favors right-handed individuals, in general.

The Washington DC Temple is coming back! The world is thrilled! America is thrilled! Geoff is thrilled to not have to drive to Philadelphia!

http://www.thisweekinmormons.com/2020/02/washington-dc-temple-open-house-and-rededication-dates-announced

Also, the design for the Brasilia Brazil Temple is lovely!

http://www.thisweekinmormons.com/2020/02/brasilia-brazil-temple-rendering-released

McKenna Denson, the woman who accused the Missionary Training Center president of raping her, is going to settle her case out of court, so this might be the last we hear about any of it.

Two brothers in Payson, Utah have been charged with a hate crime for attacking a black missionary.

President Nelson still wants us to care about General Conference! It's still happening, folks, even with coronavirus concerns. As such, he released a video with a new campaign hashtag, #HearHim, asking us if we hear the Lord. Do you? Can you do more to hear Him? Study the First Vision over the next month and see how you feel.

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s weeks go, this was a busy one! Much transpired in Latter-day Saint news, and famed videographer and dancer Ashton Bingham is back with us for the first time in over a year.

Arguably the biggest news is the Church's new General Handbook, which came out last week. We get into the many changes in the Handbook, especially those related to the transgender community. But there are subtle changes, too, such as no longer encouraging white shirts to perform priesthood ordinances. Unfortunately, there does not appear to be any new content on hypnotism or vasectomies.

Around the same time as the new handbook dropped, BYU quietly updated its Honor Code to sort of decriminalize homosexual acts. For some years now, being gay in and of itself has not been an Honor Code violation at the Lord's University, but demonstrating homosexual behavior was. Now, that reference has been deleted, and the university appears to be standing by it.

Keeping with BYU, a young man was arrested for sneaking around the underground tunnels connecting the campus and stealing food from the culinary center. Befriending a Latter-day Saint student is reportedly good for your health. Also, Provo apparently has the BEST dating scene in all of the United States.

But not all dating is good. A new study, as outlined by the Deseret News, discusses how religiously focused dating apps also produce their share of stalkers and abusers.

Mere months after severing ties with the Church, Boy Scouts of America has declared bankruptcy in an effort to basically get through a bevy of abuse lawsuits that have sunk the organization. The problem, of course, is that bankruptcy could prevent many voices from being heard.

We know that the Church is changing its meetinghouse wifi networks, but let's have some fun with some (joke) proposed names for the network other than "Liahona."

The Gospel Living app, sort of a mess from the get go, is getting updates! Yay!

LDS Business College is no more! It's not all about business, and it's certainly not about LDS. So what is it now? Ensign College! Good thing Utah has no navy to speak of, or this would get confusing quickly.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Gospel Living app is here! Much anticipated, the app aims to unify uplifting messaging, goals, and chat into one ecosystem. For now, the app was designed with youth in mind. Does it hit the mark? Miss it? What can be updated in the future to help it achieve its goals?

In the wake of the ongoing $100 billion question—that is, the Church's confirmed massive holdings—Presiding Bishop Gerald Causse sat down with the Church News to offer some more transparency on the issue. The sprawling interview covers many areas, but curiously, notes the Church's many expenditures while not acknowledging that the $100 billion war chest represents savings and investments – not budgeted funds for expenditures, at least as best as we can tell.

We reported recently that the Church was pulling a certain number of missionaries from Liberia because of ongoing economic stress in the West African nation. However, due to the continued dwindling of resources necessary to keep the remaining missionaries afloat, all missionaries in the country will now be temporarily reassigned.

LDSAccess. Pioneer47. You know what it means. It's all about wifi at your meetinghouse. Well, ostensibly as part of the continued effort to use the "correct" name of the Church and not anything "LDS" or "Mormon," even the wireless network is being renamed. Granted, the new name—Liahona—still has little to do with the actual name of the Church, but... OK! Also, those wishing to use the network will now be required to accept terms of service every day. Allegedly, this is to minimize use of the network, though we've spoken with some folks behind the scenes who have said it also aims to stop businesses near Church meetinghouses from sipping the wifi. We're not sure what situation there is that the building's wifi signal is somehow strong enough to make it to the exterior doors, let alone adjacent buildings, but sure!

One of the unofficial reasons—or at least an apocryphal one, depending on whom you ask—that Church leaders opposed same-sex marriage is because it could open the floodgates to other forms of marriage being legalized. After all, if the state says I can marry someone of my same gender, who is the state to deny me the right to marry multiple people?

That's the question now facing the Utah state legislature, as a bill decriminalizing (remember, decriminalizing is not the same as legalizing) polygamy has cleared a major hurdle and moved to the state senate. If passed, this would not necessarily mean that polygamists could legally be wed to as many women as they wish, but it would mean they would be spared prosecution for doing so.

The perplexing saga of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell continues. The couple apparently wed in Hawai...

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hat a week! Latter-day Saints were making waves all over the place, and with one Josie Gleave in our midst, we will also get a nice dose of international news.

Mitt Makes His Move

In the same week that Utahns finally gave Trump a slight overall approval rating, Mitt Romney, Lord of the Forest, Scion of Righteousness, liege to all, white horse jockey, shocked the world by becoming the first senator to vote to convict a president from his own party as President Trump's impeachment trial wrapped up. McKay Coppins sat down with the senator and former Republican Party nominee for president before the vote to discuss his decision and the reasons behind it. Romney now famously invoked his faith as part of his decision, arguing that he is accountable to God as a sworn-in impartial juror. In case you haven't seen his speech on the Senate floor, here it is for your enjoyment (or beratement).

Naturally, Mitt is taking plenty of heat from what I suppose we now call the GOP establishment (i.e. supporters of the president i.e. nearly everyone in the power block of the GOP), but all is not lost. While his vote has proved divisive in Utah, he's garnered plenty of support. What will the future hold for a senator who admits his actions will have serious repercussions? Mitch McConnell was quoted as saying there's "no doghouse" in the Senate, and life will move on. Donald Trump, however, has already gone to work connecting Mitt with the Bidens and Burisma, as if it is all part of one, yuge conspiracy.

Coronavirus

Coronavirus! What fun! It's shutting down entire cities and disrupting global travel and commerce. Our own missionaries are not immune, as those serving in Hong Kong and Macau are being pulled for the time being. But the Church is doing more than protecting the health of missionaries. It is actively engaged in the humanitarian effort to combat the outbreak. President Nelson, speaking as if he just called up his old golf buddies, announced an aid package to China.

Unfortunately, the Asia Women's Conference, a staple of the Latter-day Saint expat community in Asia, has been canceled this year. Josie, who lives in Singapore, is among those changing her plans. She also brings us some insights from the ground about how the coronavirus outbreak is affecting Southeast Asia.

Adventures in Rebranding

We almost named this episode "At Chuh" or "Too Much Chuh," but the phrase makes no sense without context. Here's the context! As part of the ongoing efforts to rebrand everything, the Church is finally abandoning the @ldschurch Twitter handle in favor of "@Ch_JesusChrist." We're, um, not exactly on board with this strange choice, although we recognize that "@ChurchofJesusChrist" is longer than the 15 character limit imposed by Twitter.

[dropcap]P[/dropcap]lease give a warm welcome to Jared Gillins, whom we haven't heard from since our dynamite Christmas stories episode!

Last week, we learned that the Church is combining Handbooks 1 and 2 into a single Handbook. One handbook to rule them all! So what will change in this new handbook? What might be removed? We know what we know and we don't know what we don't know, but we can speculate to no end, as is our specialty.

http://www.thisweekinmormons.com/2020/01/church-announces-new-combined-general-handbook-of-instructions/

We've spoken a lot in recent months (and years) about preventing abuse and Church leaders' responsibilities to in reporting abusive situations to the proper authorities. The Church has rolled out new requirements to protect youth, but a terrible story dating back to 2011 demonstrates the human failings in protecting kids. A father confessed to sexually abusing his children, but his bishop did not report the confession to the authorities. It was not until 2017, and many abuses and victims later, that investigators caught up to the man. Will the new guidelines prevent situations like this?

New research by the Salt Lake Tribune, which our beloved Kurt Francom will decry as being inherently anti-Church just for conducting the research (love you, Kurt!), shows that a majority of Utahns want tax-exempt religious organizations to be required to report income. However, a small minority of self-identified active Latter-day Saints want the same.

Also keeping with the headline-grabbing Tribune, apparently nursing mothers are no longer welcome at BYU Women's Week, a change from years past. Our gut reaction is to disagree with this, but we also recognize some of the rationale behind the move. So is it a fair decision or does it make attendance exclusive?

Who watched the Super Bowl? Who watched the Halftime Show with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez? Who was enraged at the wanton displays of sexuality and filthiness? Let's talk about the reaction among Christian circles in the wake of what many have felt was an overtly sexual production (primarily due to a pole upon with J Lo actually did not dance).

Williard "Mitt" Romney, better known by his excellent pseudonym, has spent the past few weeks sitting in the chambers of the U.S. Senate listening to impeachment arguments. Senate rules dictate that only water and milk - served in a glass - are allowed in the room, but Mitt, ever the rogue, was caught sipping BYU Creamery chocolate milk. And we almost trusted this man with the presidency. SHAMEFUL.

And now, Competing Figures in Mormonism! Alex "The Tattooed Mormon" Carraway

[dropcap]D[/dropcap]evin Thorpe is real. His largess exceeds all things. A giant of men.

That was a haiku.

Speaking of giants among men, renowned thinker, both spiritual and physical, Clayton Christensen, has passed away at age 67. Devin didn't always love some of Christensen's counsel, but his impact has been felt far and wide across peoples and industries.

So, there's going to be a Book of Mormon-focused statue park somewhere in the Salt Lake City area. This is outstanding, absolutely outstanding. It appears to embrace American exceptionalism at its finest.

Let's talk about LGBT and LGBT-adjacent issues. Brigham Young University has capitulated and will allow same-sex couples to complete in an upcoming national championship hosted by the university. Also in Utah, the state has formally banned conversion therapy after hemming and hawing for quite some time.

Hey! So great temple news this week. First off, the Durban South Africa Temple open house is brief, but underway. Next, crews working at the St. George Utah Temple, which is undergoing a long-term renovation, have removed a massive addition put on in the 1970s in one of the first major moves of the project. Lastly, we now have groundbreaking dates for temples in Richmond, Virginia; Layton, Utah; and the second temple in Metro Manila, Philippines.

Oh, and not lastly. Here are some cool photos of the Salt Lake Temple, which is also closed for its renovation.

"Come, Follow Me" is not a home run for everyone. First of all, last week, the Sisters discussed the racist printing error for which the Church apologized. Now, Ben Spackman has an excellent piece on inerrancy, or Latter-day Saints' refusal to acknowledge that anything put forth by the Church could have been done in error... even when an apostle is the one admitting the error. Well worth a read.

Now, Jana Riess, ever the polemicist, calls "Come, Follow Me" a "dumpster fire" before

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]elcome! The Sisters are here to bring us the very best of Idaho, which is much, much bestness!

Assessing New Young Women Structure

With a new year is new goals, but also a new youth structure. Young Women, in particular, have been most affected, as the classes have no defined structure or names, leaving that up to the wards in question. The Sisters decided to poll the community and find out what local units are actually doing for their Young Women classes, and the results are interesting.

First off, according to the survey, most wards are just calling the class "Young Women 14" or "Young Women 15-16," etc.

Also, 35% of respondents said their ward now has two Young Women classes, while 29% have three, and 27% have only one.

Advisers also speak to the struggles to coordinate activities with the Young Men because the class structures don't inherently line up.

Generally speaking, the lack of structure is of concern to many, as there is a fear the Young Women won't follow through on their goals, and putting it on the ward to organize classes on their own - when many in smaller wards had been doing so anyway - unnecessarily complicates things.

Tiffany also struggles to name The Handmaid's Tale.

Other News

This is a screw up that should get someone fired. The printed versions of Come, Follow Me contain outdated teachings on race, particularly the references to the "dark mark" on the Lamanites. The digital versions are fine. Whoops.

The Church has issued a new statement on feminism. Feminism! WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

Excavation works continues on the Salt Lake Temple, with nifty statues being moved off the grounds, and the South Visitors Center now a remnant of the past.

Also temple related, the First Presidency has announced some changes to temple ceremonial clothing. Read on and listen in to find out more.

McKenna Denson, the woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by the Provo Missionary Training Center president while she was a missionary, might drop her case entirely.

A Latter-day Saint was trapped inside a gym overnight, but he escaped in time for his son's missionary farewell. Another happy landing.

Brigham Young University students have started a satirical website about Provo. Yay.

And a heartwarming story out of Romania.

Transcript

[0:00] Hello twin listeners welcome to this week in Mormons the sisters Edition with Ariane Smith,

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he week is here! THE week! Our favorite Singaporean resident, Josie Gleave, is with us from across the world to bring us some international news, as well as her singular form of comedy.

Last month, the Salt Lake Temple closed for its four-year major overhaul. Renovating a temple means, of course, that the temple can no longer be a dedicated building, as it would be unrealistic for construction workers to hold temple recommends and conduct the work in the appropriate reverence. So when does a temple under revamp cease to be a temple? The Church let us know!

http://www.thisweekinmormons.com/2020/01/when-exactly-does-a-temple-cease-to-be-a-temple/

There's much in the world of women's issues this week. First of all, the Herald Extra has been kind enough to let us know that women who serve missions typically develop better leadership skills and gain in overall quality development. That's according to science!

Next up: the forthcoming edition of the New Era magazine has a section on feminism! What could go wrong?! Actually, there's not a ton to it, although it does make a point that feminism = equality is a good thing, but feminism = agitation outside of a woman's divine role is a bad thing. And no, none of this is in response to recent heightened awareness of the Equal Rights Amendment.

And how about some blogs on women's role in the Church? Our good friend, Carolyn Homer, sounds off about her fear of having kids. Elsewhere, the Church's own eternal marriage manual needs some serious updating, as it contains language about women that has been contradicted directly by more recent leadership. The Harvard Political Review also has a thoughtful piece on "More for Mormon Women," weakening the entire argument outright by using such a sinful term as "Mormon."

On a healthy note, the section on unwed mothers and unplanned pregnancies has been mercifully updated in a new Gospel Topics page to reflect the times a bit more. No longer are father and mother encouraged to wed or give up the kid for adoption. Those options remain, but being a single mother is also now considered a respectable choice.

Also, some history of how Utah women received the right to vote when some at the time in Utah (i.e. male leadership) thought such a thing was absurd.

Geoff got really excited when the Church announced an application for a "multicultural" choir at the next General Conference might have revealed the location of the mysterious event.

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s seems to be the case whenever Kurt is in the hot seat, it's a strange grab bag of news this week without a single, dominating headline (unless you want to talk about Iran, which we don't). So let's dive in!

So there's this interesting Tree of Life augmented reality app that the Church just released. For the uninitiated, augmented reality is something like Pokemon Go, where your phone shows you what is around you - as it normally would when taking a photo or video - but other material pops up in the process and you can interact with it. In this case, it's the opportunity to live through the Tree of Life story from the book of 1 Nephi. It's interesting. We had some trouble getting it to play nice on Android, but we'd love to hear what you think of it if you manage to use it.

Also new from the Church is a new podcast focused exclusively on the First Vision, Joseph Smith's experience seeing God the Father and Jesus Christ. It's pretty great and contains interviews with scholars and historians. Certainly the best episode is the one about how the Sacred Grove must have smelled at the time. We're guessing like dirt and leaves.

Our own Jeff Borders wants to talk about how much Latter-day Saints love acronyms. We're not a so-called "corporate church," you say? Tell that to the purveyors of layers upon layers of internal jargon!

Random stuff: learn about the behind-the-scenes process of the new youth video, President Nelson encourages us to think seriously about the Restoration, Kurt wants to talk about the schedule changes at church that come with the new year for some reason, and a submarine commander somehow finds a way to get his church on even in the darkest abyss.

Should Mormons use Medicaid? The idea here is that we preach self-reliance but also have a history of using government programs. A Washington Post article outlines the alleged double standard, while a Times and Seasons piece provides a brilliant takedown of the WaPo story.

Lastly, Church growth is slowing in Utah and actually declining in Salt Lake County - the entire county, not just Salt Lake proper. There's some interesting data here, and it's worth exploring why the nucleus of the Church is not growing as one might hope. It's not only about urbanization and folks moving in from out of state.

Check out that Patreon link! We'd really appreciate just $1 a month! That's it! Don't buy that candy bar (unless it's a Whatchamacallit). Aside from serving up the poorly targeted ads you're likely seeing on this page, Patreon is our main source of revenue.