LDS Church Response: BSA Voting Members Approve Proposal Amidst Controversy

Within minutes of The Boy Scouts of America releasing the victorious news that voting members have made history with the passing of their controversial proposal, which will allow openly gay youth to participate in the scouting program, effective Jan 1, 2014, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the Mormon Newsroom, promptly released an official statement of support for the the policy vote; clarifying how the moral standards of the Church will be maintained. 

(excerpt) 

The Church’s long-established policy for participation in activities is stated in the basic instructional handbook used by lay leaders of the Church: “young men … who agree to abide by Church standards” are “welcomed warmly and encouraged to participate” (Handbook 2: Administering the Church [2010], 8.17.3). This policy applies to Church-sponsored Scout units. Sexual orientation has not previously been—and is not now—a disqualifying factor for boys who want to join Latter-day Saint Scout troops. Willingness to abide by standards of behavior continues to be our compelling interest. 

These standards are outlined in the booklet For the Strength of Youth and include abstinence from sexual relationships. We remain firmly committed to upholding these standards and to protecting and strengthening boys and young men. 

See complete Newsroom release

This statement should not only make it clear to any media who are interested in knowing how the LDS Church will address the new BSA policy, but also be comforting to many members who have been concerned about how the Church would uphold standards of morality while at the same time allow openly gay youth to participate in the scouting program; which to my surprise, after writing this post: Boy Scouts of America Propose Brilliant Plan: Upset Pretty Much Everyone -- were more than a few. In fact, my referring to the proposal as brilliant went so far as to elicit a friend to message me and ask if I was smoking crack? And yes, that actually happened. 

Worth Repeating Weds: Already Breaking the Rules!

Okay, it's only the second week of Worth Repeating Wednesday and I just know it, someone is going to, right off the bat, accuse me of breaking my own rules! So let's just make this perfectly clear, right up front, I make the rules and I didn't make any rule that said how far back I had to go before a post could be a 'legitimate' repeat; and there's no fine print. So, I'm certain we're good to go!

Last week (you heard right), late on Thursday night, I posted a heartfelt tribute to an Apostle of the Lord, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, who earlier that evening had received the prestigious Canterbury Medal for his lifetime service in promoting ReligiousFreedom! Early the next morning, our dear prophet's wife, Frances, passed away; turning our attention immediately in that direction as we have mourned together, as a faith community. Tomorrow, we will honor her life and continue to offer up prayers of comfort and support for the entire Monson family.

However, today, I'd like to take the opportunity to, once again, bring it to your attention, and share with you my personal thoughts and feelings about Elder Oaks. And because I wrote the post less than a week ago, I will not repost it, but simply add some thoughts about the family, which is why I've decided to do #WRW. I will share an excerpt here and invite you to follow a link to read in its entirety: 

I am a proud ‘student’ of Elder Oaks', nearly beaming with delight on his behalf. It must be such a satisfying feeling to have spent so much of one’s energy in life teaching these righteous principles of truth, but also feel humble to then receive such an honor. “The free exercise of religion is the basic civil liberty because faith in God and His teachings and the active practice of religion are the most fundamental guiding realities of life," Elder Oaks said.

Story Media Doesn't Want YOU to Know: Moral Modern French Revolution!

A brilliant story has the delegates at the 2013 World Conference of Families buzzing. I mentioned the French rally’s for marriage and family briefly in the first day’s report but I have some more detail that is absolutely fascinating and worth going into detail. As many of you may know, a gay marriage and adoption bill is being presented to French Parliament but the people took to the streets in protest in unprecedented numbers (1 million people marching Paris at EACH rally). In fact, these rallies are historic in that they are the largest in French history, and likely world history for this particular social issue. Maxime Lagorce, a young Frenchman I had the opportunity to speak with in between sessions, was a significant player in the French rallies in Paris and around the world. Lagorce gave several speeches on his experiences and one was titled, “The French Movement for Defending Marriage and Leadership in the 21^st Century.” I hope my reporting does it justice, and more importantly, I hope Maxime’s morally courageous story of the La Manif Pour Tous (“Demonstration for All”) pro-family movement gets shared around the world. It is inspiring!

The organizers of these highly successful rallies in France, along with other French citizens around the world, were predominantly made up of young people. This is fascinating not only because they are young but also because they live in a relatively agnostic and secular country. When people heard about these pro-family movements around the world, they were shocked and couldn’t figure out why the French youth would be so passionate about marriage and the family unit. But this is proof that there is much “hope smiling brightly before us” with the rising French generation.

Why were these high school and university age youth the driving force for protesting gay marriage and gay adoption? The answer lies in the history of their parents. The May 1968 French “Sexual Revolution” created a generation of mass divorce, abortion, broken homes and families, euthanasia, drop in education and so forth. The young people of 2013 have experienced firsthand these negative social “freedoms” did to their families and home life. They were damaged by their parents’ and grandparents’ destructive social behaviors that they wanted to get rid of it. With the mass divorce, these children felt that they were the victims and needed to take action. They are taking a stand against the very things their parents fought for in the 1960’s.

How did the cause for marriage and family in France gain so much support and traction? Lagorce said that the movement was all carried out through the power of social media and people who were passionate about this cause. Here are a few things they did that made it so successful:

Social Media: Very low cost advertising and potential to go viral very quickly. Where we used to have to place ads in the newspaper or on television at great financial expense, they are able to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other French social media outlets to get the word for countless rallies and demonstrations of support very quickly to a lot of people. The “La Manif Pour Tous” Movement Facebook Page is highly successful and there are a lot of neat photos that inspire people to get involved.  https://www.facebook.com/LaManifPourTous?fref=ts

1.     They used creative ways to engage people. For instance, one movement included encouraging everyone to change their Wifi name to “No Gay Marriage”. Whenever neighbors would be searching for Wifi access or logging into their system, anyone who made this change would show up. Maxime said he changed his one night and the next day his neighbors all changed theirs. It created an underground resistance movement.

Day Two I: World Congress of Families Get Serious

Whew! I have so much to share that it will just take time to sift through everything. There are incredible stories of sacrifice, strength, courage and resilience with these remarkable people. All of them have made personal sacrifices in order to follow promptings and desires to support and defend the family.

Looking around the auditorium today, I felt that I was sitting at the feet of giants and great leaders. There were about a dozen (or more) members of the LDS Church from all over Australia and the USA. They are doing incredible things at the United Nations and have fantastic organizations. These people have started by walking out into the unknown with one single step, placing one foot over the cliff...but it is the second step that really takes faith because you're truly committed.

Gosh, so much to write! I come back exhausted and it's a lot of walking back and forth on the subway and all over the place. Whew. Definitely not a relaxing vacation (and I didn't expect that one bit).

More to come! ( Just got word, right before I hit publish, that I have a part two of this report, coming later tonight! Whoa! ~ Kathryn)

Plenary Opening Session – Main Auditorium *Packed to capacity, standing room only = exciting!

Patrick Parkinson (Family Law Attorney, Consultant to Family Law – London). Speech: The Economic Rationale for Governments to Invest in Family Stability

There is a rapid increase in the fragility of families around the Western world. There is a tipping point in which it is likely too late to reverse the trends. Unfortunately, social calamity is the result of the collapse of the natural family. There are intergenerational impacts such as poverty, diminished educational opportunities, and downward mobility in socioeconomic status. This is all manifested in a rise in parental stress, neglect, abuse, poor mental health and so forth. Ultimately, the public costs for fragile families are very high.

 There is a growing crises in mental health with adolescents and the trend is correlated with divorce in all cases (the data proves it). There is an alarming crisis in particular with teenage girls of divorced, broken homes. Of all the girls ages 12-14, ¼ have some serious mental disorder and attempt self harm and binge drink, at a rate of SIX times greater than boys. There is a 90% increase in the rate of self harm for girls aged 10+. Reasons: Fragile families have serious impacts on children’s wellbeing.

·       Implications: How much family instability can we cope with before we finally get serious about reversing the trend? It is an inconvenient truth, but it needs to be addressed.

Peter Meurs, Area Seventy, distinguished businessman. Speech: The Impact of Work on the Family

·       The LDS Church is a tremendous part of the World Congress of Families and always has been.

·       There is a shift and change of even the most basic values in society. This was illustrated in a personal experience he had. He shared story of a business dinner he was at with a group of colleagues.  His phone rang and it was his daughter’s boyfriend calling to ask for her hand in marriage. Elder Meurs returned to his business dinner and shared the conversation he had just had with his colleagues. These men (who considered themselves family men) were utterly SHOCKED at 1) the young man asking for his daughter’s hand in marriage; 2) his daughter wasn’t already living with her boyfriend; and 3) they were actually going to get married. This story illustrates the change in our culture. 

Elder Meurs shared the stories of his company working to employ the Aboriginee people of Australia and showcased the incredible changes that hard work and family values made in their lives. Pulling people out of poverty and getting them to work rather than be on welfare is key.

Dr. Miriam Grossman, Psychiatrist, author and UN Status on Commission of Women. Speech: A Brief History of Sex Education: Where Today’s Madness Comes From.

Sex education used to be about the facts of sex and something more special and bigger: the relationship between husbands and wives. Things have changed. Now we have sexuality education which involves complex issues such as gender identity, sex, abortion, non-discrimination policies, gay sex and children are taught that they are sexual as soon as they are born. The terms “husband and wife” are never used. They also teach that gender is a complicated matter and to them, a boy might turn into a man or he might turn into a woman, or something else. 

Frances B. Monson Loving Wife of President Monson Has Died

Sadly, the Mormon Newsroom has reported that Frances B. Monson, President Thomas S. Monson's loving wife and eternal companion, passed away this morning, at 6:35 am, in a Salt Lake City hospital surrounded by her family. Although we as Mormons believe in life after death, we still mourn the temporary separation from our loved ones that death brings. Our hearts go out to our dear Prophet at this time, knowing the deep love that he has for his sweet wife, and to the entire Monson family at this time we send our prayers of comfort and peace.


From the Mormon Newsroom:

Dallin H. Oaks: Teacher, Tutor, Recipient of Prestigious Canterbury Medal for Religious Freedom

All of us have a certain teacher, those who we look to who have influenced us and taught us the most important lessons about those things in our lives which we become passionate about. Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has become, for me, a sort of tutor from afar, on the topic of religious freedom. The Mormon Newsroom reports “Elder Oaks was presented the prestigious Canterbury Medal for his lifetime service in promoting the cause of religious freedom. The medal recognizes individuals who demonstrate courage in the defense of religious freedom and is named for Canterbury Cathedral, where Thomas Becket stood in defense of religious freedom against King Henry II.”

I heard late last night, that Elder Oaks was receiving this well-deserved award, and could not help myself from “noising it abroad” via social media as fast as my fingers could make it happen. As I said, Elder Oaks, to me, is my virtual tutor on this topic: religious freedom. I have spent many hours reading and re-reading many of his articles/speeches over the last few years as I’ve desired to better understand the principles of religious freedom, and how to best fulfill my covenants, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to defend my beliefs in the public square. His counsel and instruction is the foundation upon which I have conducted myself in much of what I do in speaking out on many sensitive issues with confidence. His CES fireside address, given in September of 2011, "Truth and Tolerance" is among my favorites.

World Congress of Families: Interview with Shelly Locke Founder of The Power of Mothers

Angela Fallentine while attending day one, World Congress of Families 2013, had the opportunity to sit down and, not only have dinner with Shelly Locke, founder of The Power of Mothers, but interview her. In Angela's own words...

At dinner I had a wonderful opportunity to interview Shelly Locke, former Utah's 2007 Young Mother of the Year and delegate to the United Nations and The Howard Center for Religious Studies, humanitarian and attendee of nearly all the World Congresses.

Locke spoke about the power and courage of all of the people (presenters, speakers, organizers, etc) involved with the World Congress of Families. “They have all experienced persecution, death threats, hostility and have made incredible personal sacrifices in defending the traditional family and religious belief."

When you look around this auditorium, you need to know that these people are incredible. They are highly educated scholars, legal minds, policy makers, politicians, sociologists, church leaders and so forth, and they have been targeted by the opposition for their pro-family and pro-religious work.” Shelly continued, “There are hundreds of people here with amazing stories that need to be told. They are on the front of the battle lines and the rest of the world needs to know about their sacrifices and what they have done to protect and defend the family. I think there is potential for a huge story here. Each of their stories needs to be told.”

In my interview with Shelly, we came to the conclusion that we need to feature these inspiring people in the blogging community and put a human face on this fight for faith and family. She later went on to tell me about the persecution and protests that the World Congress and the presenters and delegates have experienced throughout the years.

Several years ago, the World Congress of Families was held in Amsterdam, and she recalled, with great detail, the paint bombings and protests outside the speakers' hotel and the congress venue.

She was in the hotel lobby with Elder Russell M. Nelson and Sister Nelson, Sheri Dew and other LDS Church leaders. They were waiting to get into a cab to take them to the WCF sessions when they were met with screaming, intimidating and vulgar protesters. At one point, she was followed and her path was blocked from entering the building. Dodging the force of one particular protestor, she made it into the building and on went the Congress.

That must have been quite the dinner conversation! Well, until tomorrow when Angela sends us her report of day two, happening right now, from the World Congress of Families. If you happen to of missed her full report from day one, don't!

World Congress of Families Gather to Inspire on Day One!

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs

Photo Source: Deseret News

WBMW Latest: There's a NEW Normal? I Think NOT.

Mormon.org: The Family

World Congress of Families Gather to Inspire on Day One!

Hundreds of the world’s best and brightest pro-family scholars, religious leaders, anthropologists, sociologists, educators, doctors, policy makers, government officials and legal minds have converged in Sydney, Australia for the World Congress of Families 2013. Their goals include presenting powerful data and discussion to help further defending, preserving and maintaining the family as the fundamental building block of society. It’s about shifting key debates surrounding preserving and maintaining the natural family unit.

Because I am so grateful for the opportunity to attend and because I want everyone to experience it and learn from these incredible people, I’m obtaining video and website link to all the presentations and will be sharing it as soon as it is available. Trust me, you will want to pour over them and share them. They are outstanding!

Here are brief recaps from each of the speakers I heard at World Congress of Families on my first day. It’s approaching midnight here in Sydney, so I hope my notes are reasonably coherent. J

My initial impression was that this is a gathering of righteous people who are fearless in defending faith and family. The power in this Congress is that it's tangible and real. One thing that became immediately apparent, was the caliber of the presenters: they are sharp, educated, articulate and powerful public speakers. The media tend to show a very different picture of those who have strong religious and pro-family belief. Far too often they paint them as uneducated, inarticulate, redneck bible thumpers (for lack of better terms). This is what the media would have us believe but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

The World Congress is about children and the future of the family. Essentially, this is a “family of families” and a fight for the family. We can’t do it alone and this is why WCF is so critical. Allan Carlson, founder of World Congress of Families, talked about the debates in the UN and about the nature of the family and said that:

“The World Congress of Families envisions a culture of marriage where young women are growing into wives, homemakers and mothers. Where young men are growing to be husbands, home builders and fathers.”

Worth Repeating Weds: There's a NEW Normal? I Think NOT.

It seems that we continue to have before us, as a constant barrage, many of the same important issues that I've previously addressed here on WMBW, and other places online, multiple times over the last few years; and not surprising, they all, ultimately, come back to the breakdown of the family, as God has ordained. 

I've decided to begin doing something new, on an 'occasional' Wednesday, when time permits, of reposting (And when necessary updating.), past entries that continue to be relevant and categorize them as: Worth Repeating Weds; hashtag #wrw. Also included will be written into updated or following post, an explainer as to why I think still relevant, and original source information; such as in today's post, which is one I actually wrote on a friend's blog, to celebrate The Family: A Proclamation to the World, originally titled: There's Nothing Normal About the New Normal.



Curiosity got the cat last year when I caught wind that a new sitcom; The New Normal -- the one that a Utah television studio had decided not to air -- was premiering, following a TV show that I did watch. I had only to view the first ten minutes to understand why that decision was made. That was more than enough. It’s really bad. A show like that is further evidence, not that we need more, of why the Proclamation is necessary, for our times. And most important, why each of us must stand ready to defend the positions that the Church does take, publicly, on moral issues that affect the family.

Motherhood and Mothers Who Long to Have Children

Happy Mother's Day! To every woman, I honor this divine nature, which God has placed within us, to mother, and to be mothers. It is truly what is beautiful about being a woman, and what makes us unique, and distinct, from our male counterpart. It's the part of me, that I love best about myself -- now. It's the part of me that has made me stretch the most, because it has exposed the parts of me where I was my weakest; and thank God, those weak fibers were malleable, when the pressure of humility was forced upon them long and hard enough; though painful at times. Mother as student: you don't want to go backwards and do it again, but you wouldn't give back the lessons either, if you had to give back what you've learned; the value beyond measure. Twenty six letters are not adequate to express my thoughts and feelings about my own, five beautiful children, and the joy they bring to my life. They are my everything... along with my eternal companion; my husband.

I often think... how could anyone who believes in God, possibly imagine that He would create this beautiful world, allow us to fall in love, bring children into this world, form families and love them enough to give our lives for them, and then... done. What? No. That's not how it goes. 

Eternal families are what Heavenly Father intends for our families to become. Our relationships are to last beyond this life, because they began before this life. Every mother who holds her new infant child, in her arms, knows that she is not meeting some foreigner. The depth of love we feel from the very beginning for our children, began long ago, and will continue throughout eternity, because families are forever...

I've thoroughly enjoyed the overwhelming response to the invitation that I extended to the incredible women who have graced this blog over the last few days; in total, 12, including my own. (links to other entries included at the bottom of this post) I've been touched by their insights, faith and humor, but also their unwavering commitment to home and family, above all other endeavors. To me, that is what sets this group of women apart and is why I chose to bring them before you, to honor womanhood and mothers.

Along with each of their posts, they have included a small bio, which was intentional. I hope that you've taken note of what these women do in their lives; alongside of raising their families as their number one priority. In each case, these sister's lives are living testimonies of the principles that they profess. Not one of them would ever presume to make an example of themselves. Nevertheless, they are willing to be 'out there' and stand for the right, in their own unique way.

My final guest blogger, by now, should be familiar to most of you, Angela Fallentine. What you don’t' know about Angela though, is that she has not, yet, been able to conceive; making Mother's Day, as it is for many women, who, for various reasons, are not able to have children, a very difficult day. This woman continues to give me cause to be grateful that we have become friends.

Angela's courage, strength and faith in the Lord, stand alongside the likes of Esther. It truly is a privilege to know her. She is currently preparing to attend The World Congress of Families in just a few weeks, and as many of you know, WBMW is a strong supporter of her attendance and will be receiving her reports from Sydney, Australia, and posting them here on this blog.

On this Mother's Day, I honor Angela Peterson Fallentine, in her walk along the path of discipleship...