Also: “Normal guy” Ken Jennings of “Jeopardy!’ fame; the coming “Restore” conference; the church’s new trans policies; its annexation push in Orlando; and a message for BYU sports fans.
| Aug. 29, 2024, 1:05 p.m.
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Political parallels and perils
Derek Sainsbury, a professor of church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University, sees parallels between today’s electoral climate and the political conditions that existed in 1844, when the faith’s founder, Joseph Smith, became the first U.S. presidential candidate to be slain during a campaign.
His list, found in a Public Square Magazine essay, includes:
• Twisting truth and pushing falsehoods for political purposes.
• Spewing inflammatory partisan rhetoric in the media.
• Stretching or abusing the law to wound political foes.
• Inciting destructive mobs for political intimidation.
• Denying election results.
“If our problems echo the atmosphere surrounding Smith’s assassination,” Sainsbury asks, “what is the solution?”
The historian sees an answer in an 1844 Smith political tract:
“Unity is power, and when I reflect on the importance of it to the stability of all governments, I am astounded at the silly moves of persons and parties, to foment discord in order to ride into power on the current of popular excitement,” the cleric-turned-candidate stated, “nor am I less surprised at the stretches of power, or restrictions of right, which too often appear as acts of legislators, to pave the way to some favorite political schemes.”
In short, the first Latter-day Saint prophet called for a more united United States.
For more insights on Smith’s pursuit of the White House, listen to our “Mormon Land” podcast with historian Spencer McBride, author of “Joseph Smith for President: The Prophet, the Assassins, and the Fight for American Religious Freedom.”
The latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: ‘Restore’ conference
We preview Faith Matters’ upcoming “Restore” gathering, which attracts thousands of Latter-day Saints with the goal of helping to “inspire, enlighten and nourish” their faith.
Listen to the podcast.
‘The normal guy’ you see on TV
("Jeopardy!" via AP) Game-show host Ken Jennings tells The Mirror US that he is just a "normal guy" who happens to be "Mormon."
Answer: A nerdy, know-it-all Latter-day Saint who gained fame in a game show as a contestant and later host.
Question: Who is Ken Jennings?
Read more about the “Jeopardy!” whiz in The Mirror US.
“I decided that early on the only thing I could do was just be myself. And if there’s some lingering impression that this fairly normal, if not slightly nerdy guy, and yet is Mormon, then I think that’s OK,” Jennings told the news outlet. “That was sort of my goal all along — to be just the normal guy who was also Mormon.”
Check out our earlier profile of the bookish brainiac who loves Lego bricks, long novels and, of course, trivia.
From The Tribune
• The church’s new guidelines for transgender members are drawing flak not seen since the November 2015 exclusion policy regarding same-sex couples. Listen to — and read excerpts from — our recent “Mormon Land” podcast.
• The church seeks to annex more than 52,000 acres from its Deseret Ranches spread into resort-rich Orlando with an eye toward eventual smart-growth development, a move that would expand the Florida city’s footprint by 60%.
(John Raoux | AP) A sign for Deseret Ranches is shown in 2015. The church is seeking to annex more than 50,000 acres of the property into Orlando.
• The plaintiffs in a class-action tithing lawsuit fight back against the church’s efforts to stop discovery in the federal case.
• Utah’s divide between Latter-day Saints and their neighbors is real and, Tribune columnist Gordon Monson writes, just plain dumb.
• The man who oversees BYU sports has a message for Latter-day Saints skeptical of changes in his department.
• Is anti-Latter-day Saint animus fueling opposition to the church’s planned temple just outside of Dallas?
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) An artist's rendering of the proposed McKinney Texas Temple, currently slated just outside Dallas in Fairview, where it is meeting stiff opposition.
• Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance admired the church for its emphasis on community but ultimately found his spiritual home in Catholicism.
