Hello again, everyone! Some additional Church news has been reported within the last 12 hours or less, which I wanted to pass along today. Most notably, an official statement has been released by the Church in response to this weekend's shooting at the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Jewish mosque. Though only two paragraphs in length, the strongly-worded statement expresses prayers and support for those impacted by the tragedy, addresses the violation of the sanctity of houses of worship (which is what happened here), provided a strong and unequivocal condemnation of anti-Semitic attitudes and actions, and spelled out our mutual obligation to protect the rights of people of all faiths to worship as they choose.
This statement appears to me to be the most strongly- and forcefully-worded reaction to such a situation I have seen in any of the wide coverage on this tragic event. The idea that anyone would interfere with another's God-given and (in the United States) constitutionally-protected right to worship as they choose rightly ought to be repulsive to people of all religions or no religion.
We have also seen a sharp increase in politically- and religiously-motivated attacks, and I appreciate the First Presidency issuing this statement, which makes the Church's position on this matter clear. President Nelson has echoed the invitation previously issued by President Hinckley: "Bring all the good you have, and let us see if we can add to it." That invitation still stands, but it is coupled with the doctrine found in the 11th article of faith (which is the only one that does not begin with "We believe"),
That article states the following: "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." As the statement capably observed, a threat to the rights of anyone to practice their religion is a threat to the rights of all those who practice any or no religion. The Church's statement is yet another in the series of recent examples demonstrating just how much our apostles and prophets are aware of what's happening in the world, and are thus able to appropriately and unequivocally condemn such behavior.
Moving on to other Church news that has come in, a couple more articles have been released in relation to yesterday's dedication of the Concepcion Chile Temple. President Nelson spoke to media representatives following that event, and he made some very interesting observations about how he views the Church, his recent South American trip, and regarding what's ahead for him. Among the things he said was that the Church is still in the process of being restored, and that "there is much more to come."
After sharing the history of the Church in Chile (including that of the Concepcion Chile Temple), the article goes on to talk about how rapidly the Church has expanded in South America since his birth in 1924. There were also insights shared from members whose families were among the first to join the Church as Chilean natives. It was also observed that the Concepcion Chile Temple was built with the view to protecting it from future natural disasters, and the article noted that, in the temple, an earthquake ranking at 10 on the Richter scale would, within the temple walls, only have an impact of 2 on that same scale.
President Nelson then made another remarkable statement. After reiterating the idea that prophets and apostles are called to serve the world, and not just to be special witnesses of Christ to the members of the Church, he said that the 5 countries he visited on this trip were just a "drop in the bucket", or, in other terms, he has barely scratched the surface. He announced his intention to do another leg of his Global Ministry Tour in the near future, and said that, while he may not get a chance to visit each of the over 200 nations in the world, he will get to as many as he can.
Noting that, I ran some calculations, and with President Nelson having visited Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, South America, and various areas of the United States and Canada, about the only regions he hasn't visited as Church president yet are the Pacific Islands (which, by extension, may include the Philippines) and Brazil. If I have any of that information incorrect, please feel free to let me know.
In the meantime, the man who wrote a recent biography for Pope Francis had the opportunity to sit down with and interview President Nelson during this leg of his South American trip, and noted some insights he gained through both scenarios about why leaders need to get close to the people they serve. And a photographer has provided some insight into what it is like to travel with the prophet. All of these news stories are well worthy of your time and attention, and I can recommend them to you all without reservation. I do continue to monitor any and all Church news stories and temple developments and will keep doing my level best to pass those along to you all as I receive word of it.
That does it for this post. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time. Thank you for the privilege of your time. If you enjoyed what you read here and would like to stay informed of newly-added content, please feel free to subscribe. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless you all in everything you do.
Monday, October 29, 2018
Additional Church News Reported (Including Official Statement on Pittsburgh Tragedy)
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
6 comments:
In addition to my life-long love for the subjects which I cover in the posts of this blog, I have long held the belief that we can disagree without becoming disagreeable. Differences of opinion are natural, while being disagreeable in expressing those differences is not. And in that sense, I have no desire to close the door on anyone who earnestly desires to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on subjects covered in the posts on this blog.
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I think you are correct on the geographical areas of the world that President Nelson hasn't visited yet as prophet. The Pacific Islands/Oceania is the last big area essentially from Indonesia/Singapore down through Australia, New Zealand, Papa New Guinea, the smaller island nations (Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Tahiti, etc.), and the Philippines. I think that area might be the next big ministry tour.
ReplyDeleteMicronesia is another area as well. I could see President Nelson visiting Guam especially with the announcement of the new temple.
London is the only place in Europe he has visited since becoming church president, so I see a big Europe ministry tour happening soon perhaps around the time of the Rome temple dedication.
Other than that there is Brazil like you mentioned, mainland Central America (Mexico-Panama), Western Africa, central/eastern Asia (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Mongolia), and Russia.
It is exciting and thrilling to see our prophet ministering to people all over the world. Thanks for your reports.
Thank you for taking time to comment. While I don't quite understand how the Church draws boundaries of wards and branches, stakes and districts, missions, temple districts or geographical areas, it is interesting to me that nations, territories, or areas which may fit more within a certain continent or region of the world than with the area of the Church to which they are assigned.
DeleteA classic example of that is Cape Verde, While the world recognizes Cape Verde as just off the coast of Africa (which it is), it falls within the defined boundaries of th Europe Area of the Church.
In a similar way, though the world designates the Pacific Islands/Oceania in the manner you described, Indonesia and Singapore fall under the Asia area of the Church.
The Pacific Islands and the Philippines may indeed be the next target for President Nelson's ministry tour. Although sites have been selected for the Urdaneta and second Manila Temple, official announcements are pending on the locations for the Cagayan de Oro and Davao Temples. And with temples announced for Yigo Guam and Auckland New Zealand, there are those sites to scout out as well (although if my information is correct, the site for the Auckland New Zealand Temple has been held in reserve for a while now, and that means that temple could potentially get construction started before the renovation process is complete on the Hamilton NZ temple.
And if he is considering other potential temple locations for an announcement, there may be a good reason for him to visit those areas as well.
I know that the visit to Bengaluru was announced about 3-4 weeks before President Nelson was impressed to announce a temple there, and I know that there are likely still around 70 locations on the list of 80 referenced by Elder Wilson in April of 2017 as being under consideration for an announcement by the end of April 2032 (which will mark the 15-year deadline Elder Wilson referenced for the announcement of those 80 locations during that same interview).
So there is no shortage of places President Nelson could go. If he does not do so before, I would anticipate him planning a big trip to Europe next year, which would culminate in the dedication of the temple in Rome Italy.
And South America tours are also possible in conjunction with December's planned dedication of the Barranquilla Colombia Temple and next year's anticipated dedication of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple.
It is also possible that another African tour could occur next April in conjunction with the scheduled dedication of the Kinshasa DR Congo Temple. So there are certainly options.
Technically, even though Brazil is a separate area of the Church, it geographically falls under South America. That said, I am sure a visit to Brazil will be part of the plan, and when that happens, he will likely tap Elder Soares to accompany him for that, as I imagine he will invite Elder Gong to visit Asia with him the next time he goes.
And if a visit to the Pacific or the Philippines is in the works, I could see him tapping President Oaks to accompany him for that, since he served as president of the Philippines Area between 2002-2004.
Whatever might occur in that regard, you can count on my reporting on it here. And we are very blessed to have a prophet at this time who, despite being the second-oldest man ever appointed, is healthier than any Church President we have had in 30-40 years or more. And since his companions report that his vigor continues, and that he appears 20-30 years younger than he is, he is sure to be around for a while, and I am sure that continuing his Global Ministry Tours regularly will be part of that plan. Thank you, Scott, for taking time to comment.
The Church News just now published an article expanding on the statement through sharing thoughts given by President Nelson during an interview while he was in Uruguay, and some additional comments from Elder Christofferson, who spoke at a gathering of the Freedman's Bureau. The address at which that article can be found follows below. Thanks again to you all.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2018-10-29/church-offers-statement-of-grief-and-solidarity-following-pittsburgh-shootings-48335
As a missionary I was in Ecuador just a week or two in February of 1997 when the then Elder Nelson visited the country. He used a translator in the missionary meeting and afterwords took the time to shake every missionaries hand. I was assigned to a city a few hours away and did not get to go to the member meeting that day. But I later heard that he stopped by his interpretor and spoke Spanish. I heard from some how the spirit felt in that meeting.
ReplyDeleteThank you, L. Chris Jones, for that comment. With a temple announced for Quito Ecuador (which has not, to my knowledge, made any progress in the almost-3-years since its' announcement), Ecuador would be a high priority for President Nelson to visit at some point, and that could occur in conjunction with a future visit for a temple dedication. President Nelson has criss-crossed various Church areas in a single visit. Last April, for example, his journey took him to Africa (where I believe he visited locations in both the Southeast and Western portions of that continent), Asia (but not the northern parts of it), and Europe (but not the Europe East countries). He has also visited the Caribbean and Central America Areas, I believe. And if I am correct, this was just the first leg of his many prophetic visits to South America, which technically includes Brazil, but which also comprises those countries in the Northwest and Southern parts of that continent as well.
ReplyDeleteThere are also 30 temples announced (which have not gone beyond a site announcement and will need to progress to a groundbreaking), with a total of 10 currently under construction (though 1 other will have a groundbreaking 1.5 weeks from now). So in light of all of that, I am sure that part of President Nelson's agenda during those trips will be to scout out temple locations (for those that have not had a site announced) or to see what can be done to expedite construction on those which have not yet had a groundbreaking.
Given the increased emphasis President Nelson has placed on temple worship, I am sure he will be open to seeing how he can either quickly select a site or else see what more might need to be done to get construction kick-started in those areas.
And perhaps most exciting, the 19 announced temples and increased emphasis on the high importance and vital role of temple worship means we are almost surely in for another windfall of such announcements in the near future.
As I observed above, I am excited to see what President Nelson meant when he said that the restoration is still unfolding and that there will be much more ahead as the world draws closer to the time of the Second Coming. If what we have seen thus far is any indication, we are in for ongoing unprecedented developments in the near more distant future. And all of that will be amazing to see. Thank you, L. Chris Jones, for taking time to comment.
Hello again, everyone! Around 1.5 hours ago, the Church News published the dedicatory prayer written and read by President Nelson yesterday. We live in a remarkable time where, within 31 hours or so following the conclusion of the final session of a temple dedication, the prayer is available to read online. It is beautifully written and well worthy of your attention. The address at which you can find that prayer follows below. Thanks again to you all for your time and attention to the subjects covered both in the posts of this blog and the comments thereon.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2018-10-29/heres-the-dedicatory-prayer-for-the-concepcion-chile-temple-48337