“If I could only be with her” A significant portion of my reporting during my six years covering The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has centered around the evolving and increasing partnerships between the church and its leaders and the leaders of other faiths and their congregations.
That evolution was underscored again this month when my colleague Kelsey Dallas wrote about the church’s support of a new bill before Congress. The church is part of a coalition of churches and other groups supporting a federal Fairness for All Act.
Of course, such joint efforts don’t mean the cooperating faiths are altering their doctrines or becoming more similar. That was never more apparent than at an event at the Vatican five years ago.
Pope Francis convened an interreligious conference on marriage with speakers from many faith traditions.
During the three-day event, two Christian leaders spoke back to back and presented dramatically contrasting views on the enduring nature of marriage.
The first to speak was the Rev. Rick Warren, the bestselling author of “The Purpose Driven Life,” who gave the evangelical perspective. He was followed by President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. |
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The Rev. Warren spoke about six Biblical reasons God created marriage between a man and a woman:
1. Eliminate loneliness
2. Express sexuality
3. Multiply the human race
4. Protect and educate children
5. Perfect our character
6. Reflect our union with Christ
Then he said something jarring to the ears of Latter-day Saints.
“Jesus said there is no marriage in heaven. (Luke 24:34-36) Why? Because in heaven we won’t need any of the six purposes of marriage.”
President Eyring followed with a tender talk about his own marriage. When he first saw his future wife, Kathleen, he said he thought, “If I could only be with her, I could become every good thing I ever wanted to be.”
President Eyring spoke about the distinctive Latter-day Saint doctrine of eternal marriage when he described their wedding in a Latter-day Saint temple.
“The words spoken in the ceremony included a promise that we might be husband and wife in this life and for eternity,” he said. “The promise included that whatever descendants we might have would be bound to us forever if we lived worthy of that happiness. We were promised that after this life, we could continue to enjoy whatever loving family sociality we could create in life.”
I co-wrote a story about that day’s speeches five years ago last month, and whenever I see faith leaders cooperating, I often think about this stark example. It helps me maintain perspective as a religion reporter as well as appreciate the way leaders overcome differences to cooperate.
Now I also think back to what President Russell M. Nelson said after he met with Pope Francis at the Vatican in March.
“The differences in doctrine are real and they’re important,” President Nelson said standing just outside St. Peter’s Square, “but they’re not nearly as important as the things we have in common — our concern for human suffering, the importance of religious liberty for all of society, and the importance of building bridges of friendship instead of building walls of segregation.” |
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What I’m Reading ... Here are a few interesting pieces to consider after yesterday’s news about one of the church’s reserve funds. First, my former colleague Hal Boyd and Lynn Chapman wrote this highly read opinion piece on the issue with the provocative title, “The Washington Post says the Church of Jesus Christ has billions. Thank goodness.” Second, Forbes published this opinion from a tax expert who quotes other experts who do not think the news merits the attention of the IRS. Finally, I found interesting this 2012 NPR piece on the tithing practices of church members.
A shorter piece on the little things that affect our work relationships.
If you don’t know the name Arthur Brooks, here’s a chance to learn more. He spoke at BYU’s graduation in April on the need for more love and less contempt. Previously, he spoke at a campus forum on civic virtue that I covered. In that talk, he said Joseph Smith taught that all people are made for enlargement. He also spoke at a BYU forum in 2009 on why giving matters. He has been quoted by church leaders, Church Newsroom and “Music and the Spoken Word.” Brooks, who jokes he’s BYU’s favorite Catholic, recently published this column. In it, he argues for optimism, saying the world is getting indisputably better for most countries and most people.
As the House considers impeachment, here is a piece from an incredible storyteller about his experiences as the editor of two of President Trump’s books. I enjoyed it first because of the writing and second because of the look inside publishing a book with a celebrity and his ghostwriters. It ends before the president enters politics, so I offer it as a good read that doesn’t take sides in what’s happening on Capitol Hill now.
I enjoyed this profile by my colleague Lottie Johnson about a BYU professor who appeared today on the TV game show “Jeopardy!” |
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 | This is a photo of the City Creek development funded by the church and opened in 2012. Church leaders said they intended to protect Temple Square and improve downtown Salt Lake City. In August of this year, a commercial real estate expert said the timing of City Creek was fortuitous. “The redevelopment of City Creek Center and its positive effects on Main Street happened at the same time that urban became cool,” he said. One of my colleagues at the Deseret News/KSL previously considered the impact. The flagship Deseret Book store in City Creek now draws 1.5 million people a year and recently finished a remodel. |
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