Stokes Sounds Off: Elder D. Todd Christofferson Observes His 75th Birthday Today

Search This Blog

Leaderboard

Friday, January 24, 2020

Elder D. Todd Christofferson Observes His 75th Birthday Today

Hello again, everyone! I am back this morning for the purpose of posting a birthday tribute to Elder D. Todd Christofferson, who is today observing his 75th. As with the posts I have written for every other apostle, I will be sharing a biography herein with highlights about his life. Let's get right into all of that. David Todd Christofferson was born to Paul Vickery and Jeanne Swenson Christofferson in American Fork, Utah (a place I proudly claim as my hometown) this day in 1945 He spent his formative years in Pleasant Grove and Lindon, and his family subsequently relocated to Somerset New Jersey. While there, he participated in the annual Hill Cumorah Pageant, and, having been urged by his bishop to do so, he earnestly sought a personal testimony of the gospel. Although he felt for a while that his prayer at that time had not been answered, the witness he was seeking came about a month later. At around this same time, his mother was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery for it. While his father learned later that he had gathered his brothers to pray for their mom, it would be years later before Elder Christofferson learned about his father's personal sacrifices to supply what his wife needed to help her with the housework. Young Todd Christofferson also stepped in to help his mom by making homemade bread for his family, after being taught how to do so by his grandmother. After graduating from high school, he studied for a year at BYU prior to serving full-time in the Argentina North Mission, where he had two mission presidents, Ronald V. Stone, and his future colleague in the Quorum of the Twelve, Richard G. Scott. Following the conclusion of his missionary service, Elder Christofferson returned to BYU, and there he met Kathy Jacob, whom he married in May 1968. He earned his bachelor's degree from BYU, and went on to get a doctor of law degree from the School of Law at Duke University. During his years as a young attorney, he clerked for Judge John J. Sirica at the time the Watergate hearings were occurring. When his clerkship ended, he took active duty with the US Army for a year, after which he served in the Army reserves for 8 years, by which time, he had achieved the rank of Captain. His professional career took his family to Washington DC, Nashville Tennesee, and Charlotte North Carolina. During that same period of time, he would serve as a bishop, stake president, and in the now-defunct calling of regional representative to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

After being called as a general authority in April 1993 (at the same time as Elder Neil L. Andersen, alongside whom he now serves in the apostleship), he served in a variety of capacities (including as a member of area presidencies outside the US) until his call to the Presidency of the Seventy in August 1998. During his service in that presidency, he first served as the executive director for the Church's Family and Church History Department (which have since been split into two departments), where he worked to negotiate with Jewish religious leaders on the matter of performing temple ordinances for Holocaust victims, which in turn shaped the policy of Church members only being allowed to perform such ordinances for direct-line family members. In 2004, the First Presidency announced that the Presidency of the Seventy would be relieved of responsibility for the Church Departments and would instead oversee areas in the United States and Canada. Elder Christofferson was given responsibility for the North America Southeast Area of the Church, holding that assignment from August 2004-August 2007, at which time he was reassigned to oversee the North America Northwest and North America West Areas. He continued that assignment for 8 months, then, as we know, he was the first apostle called by President Thomas S. Monson in April 2008. At the time of his release from the Presidency of the Seventy, which came in conjunction with his call as an apostle, he had become the second-most senior member thereof.

During his time as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as noted, Elder Christofferson served alongside his former mission president, Richard G. Scott. Since his ordination as an apostle, Elder Christofferson has filled a wide variety of assignments, and he was serving as the senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve assigned to oversee the Church Public Affairs Committee when he was asked by President Nelson to introduce the new First Presidency in a worldwide broadcast on January 16, 2018. He has given 30 addresses in General Conference so far, 1 of which was given in the conference following his call as a General Authority, with 5 others given during his near decade in the Presidency of the Seventy. Elder Christofferson currently ranks as the fifth most senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and he is also the fifth oldest.

He remains the ninth in overall apostolic seniority and the seventh oldest among all of the apostles. I am grateful for the life and ministry of Elder Christofferson. I had a couple of choice opportunities to meet him. His niece and her family lived in my parent's ward, so when their newest baby was blessed, Elder Christofferson presided at our Sacrament Meeting. A few years later, our paths crossed again while I was a temple worker, and he was the speaker at our yearly devotional. As one who has had the opportunity to chat informally with him on these two occasions, I testify that his call as one of the Savior's special witnesses is divinely inspired.

I greatly appreciate the chance to share these thoughts with you. That does it for now. Any and all comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated, on any post at any time, as long as such comments are made in accordance with the established guidelines. 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.

35 comments:

  1. St. George Utah Temple Renovation News: https://www.cedarcityutah.com/news/archive/2020/01/21/mgk-temple-demolition-draws-crowds-as-west-end-torn-down-as-part-of-renovation-project/?fbclid=IwAR1f8CCnbiKD-yqovbawdIaoJhTW9m3ndO1Xsv-83F2XwQhD4sWdEdLWbgs#.XitBOjhlA0M

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chris, thank you for taking time to share that article. The information contained therein more or less confirms what KSL reported in that respect 3 days ago:

      https://www.ksl.com/article/46707136/temple-demolition-draws-crowds-in-st-george-as-west-end-torn-down

      I thought I remembered sharing the KSL article here not long after the update on that temple was first shared on KSL during their live newscast, but I could be mistaken in that respect. Thanks again for taking time to share the information. I always appreciate hearing from you.

      Delete
  2. Hello again, everyone! The Church News has published some additional content throughout today. FIrst up is an article paying tribute to Elder D. Todd Christofferson on this, his 75th birthday:

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-01-24/elder-christofferson-birthday-75-years-172749

    The Church News also paid tribute today to Elder Clayton Christensen, who previously served as an area seventy and coined the definition of “disruptive innovation”, which he taught in relation to business management. Elder Christensen passed away yesterday at the age of 67, and the Church News tribute provided a link to a more extensive tribute article in the Deseret News:

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-01-24/clayton-christensen-dies-disruptive-innovation-harvard-172739

    https://www.deseret.com/faith/2020/1/24/21079323/clayton-christensen-harvard-disruptive-innovation-lds-mormon

    And finally, the latest edition of “This Week on Social” (which was another shorter one) featured posts from the following five Church leaders: Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Quentin L. Cook, Ronald A. Rasband, and Gary E. Stevenson (all of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), and Sister Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency. You can find summaries of those posts (and links to help you find the posts themselves online) in the following article:

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2020-01-24/this-week-on-social-mother-eve-young-women-naacp-religous-freedom-rasband-stevenson-uchtdorf-cook-172768

    I continue to monitor all Church news and temple updates and will keep doing my level best to bring word of those to you all here as I become aware of such things. In the meantime, thanks again, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello again, everyone! On this Sabbath Day, I am pleased to share with you all here one additional Church news article and another update on the Salt Lake Temple. First, the Church News report. Sister Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency and president of Latter-day Saint Charities, spoke at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Friday January 24, during the J. Reuben Clark Law Society Annual FIreside. Her remarks addressed the topic of how those who practice law can improve society by lending their legal expertise to assist others to find the best in themselves:

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2020-01-25/sister-eubank-revolution-zion-unifying-hearts-minds-peaceful-progress-172781

    In the meantime, not far from the Conference Center, renovations on the Salt Leke Temple continue, with a new report noting that a majority of a the South Visitor's Center has been demolished, and that a wooden construction barrier is being put up in place of the recently-taken-down chain-link fencing material. It looks as though the renovation process for that temple continues to stay on track as scheduled.

    I should mention here that I have a few projects coming down the pike within the next 3 weeks. I will be noting in some form or other the conclusion of the open house for the Durban South Africa Temple, which will wrap up this Saturday, February 1, at 8:00 PM Durban time, which will be 11:00 AM that same day here in Utah time. Then, on February 6, I will be publishing a post in honr of Elder Ronald A. Rasband, who will be marking his 67th birthday on that day. Roughly 1.5 weeks later (on the weekend of Saturday and Sunday february 15 and 16), I will be providing coverage on the youth devotional and dedication for the Durban temple, and that will also be the day on which I publish my first 2020 apostolic milestone update.

    Any other Church news or temple developments that will be covered on this blog within the next few weeks will be based on anyting new that may be reported in that respect, including (if my hope is justified) several unexpected and breaking news developments.

    With that noted, there will be something else that might potentially impact what I report and when I report it here on this blog within the next month. My sweet wife Amy is scheduled to have a surgical procedure one week from tomorrow, and depending on the extent of that procedure and what is involved in her recovery, there may be a period where my reports here will not be as regular as has usually been the case. We will be finding out more about what that process will look like at the end of this week. To the extent I will be able to do so, howwever, I will monitor all such developments and continue to do my best to bring you all word of those here as I receive it. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all for your continued interest and ongoing support.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello again, everyone! The Church News continues to share brief biographical sketches for those couples called to lead missions of the Church around the world. Another 16 such biographies were released again this week, and for the first time of which I am aware, today's article included a link back to the first set of 16 biographies published on that subject:

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2020-01-26/16-new-mission-leaders-england-brazil-california-venezuela-mexico-temple-square-172497

    Among the latest 16 whose biographical sketches have been shared in the above article is 1 GA Seventy (Elder Peter M. Johnson) and two current area seventies (Elders Joel Martinez and William B. Woahn), along with severaL current or former mission presidency counselors, MTC presidents or counselors in an MTC presidency, and a few currently-serving stake presidents.

    Lately, the topic of those biogaphies for new mission presidents has been discussed more fully on recent threads of the Church Growth blog, which you can find at the following web address:

    https://ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com

    My thanks once again to you all for your continued interest and ongoing support.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Also, due to media inquiries, a Church spokesman, Daniel Woodruff, released the following statement about missionaries and the Coronavirus:

      https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/missionary-precautions-regarding-coronavirus

      Thanks again, everyone!

      Delete
  5. The Church News also shared two reports illustrating how the newly-mimplemented Bishop's Youth Council blesses the youth of the Church to influence their congregations in their stewardship in a similar manner to the way each congregation's welfare is maintained through the regular Ward Council"

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-01-29/prophets-apostles-quotes-capacity-youth-lead-172744

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-01-29/ward-youth-council-young-men-young-women-172544

    My thanks once again to you all for your continued interest and ongoing support.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello again, everyone! This morning, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles represented the First Presidency in introducing a new handbook that will be released to the public in mid-February. This handbook will replace Handbooks 1 and 2, and will have content applicable to all members of the Church. Elder Christofferson described the handbook as another important step in the ongoing porcess of the restoration of the Gospel. You can find more details on that handbook at the following web address:

    https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/new-general-handbook-coming-in-february-2020

    My thanks once again to you all for your continued interest and ongoing support.

    ReplyDelete
  7. And the Church News also recently reported on a ministry visit made by Elder Neil L. Andersen to the Saints in Thailand, where he also visited the site of the Bangkok Thailand Temple:

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-01-30/elder-andersen-thailand-bangkok-temple-173024

    My thanks once again to you all for your continued interest and ongoing support.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello again, everyone! The Church's official Newsroom has reported on how attendees at the Silicon Slopes Tech Summit here in Utah banded together to pack 1 million meals for the Utah Food Bank. Among those assisting in that project was Elder Craig C. Christensen, Utah Area President:

    https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/silicon-slopes-aims-to-pack-1-million-meals-for-utah-food-bank

    And the Church News has published the following articles, which speak for themselves:

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-01-31/lds-mother-homeless-son-addiction-recovery-faith-service-171386

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2020-01-31/mental-health-puerto-rico-earthquake-natural-disasters-173154

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2020-01-31/bible-translation-hebrew-scripture-robert-alter-173189

    Also, the latest edition of "This Week on Social" has been published, which you can find at the following web address:

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-01-31/this-week-on-social-testimonies-restoration-snickerdoodle-recipe-173217

    This latest edition featured posts from the following leaders: Church President Russell M. Nelson and his First Counselor in the First Presidency, President Dallin H. Oaks; Acting President M. Russell Ballard and Elders Dieter F. Uchtdorf, David A. Bednar, Dale G. Renlund, and Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Young Women General President Sister Bonnie H. Cordon and her respective First and Second Counselors, Sisters Michelle D. Craig and Becky Craven; and Primary General President Sister Joy D. Jones.

    Just a quick additional note on that latest edition: In reference to Elder Renlund's post, the Church News described his visit to the graveside of Thomas B. Marsh as being to the resting place of the first apostle of the Church. As some of you may be aware, Joseph Smith commissioned the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon with the task of selecting the members of the original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (with the possible exception of Joseph's brother William, who was appointed to the Quorum on Joseph's recommendation; the witnesses originally had been impressed to recommend both Brigham Young and his older brother Phineas).

    Anyways, when the original 12 apostles were appointed by the Three Witnesses, under the direction of Joseph Smith, the rules of seniority were not established the same way they are now. The original 12 of this dispensation were ordained in a different order than their eventual apostolic seniority. And apostolic seniority in that first case was determined by age. At the time of the original Quorum members' ordinations, David W. Patten did not know his age. It has since been verified that he was nearly a full year older than Thomas B. Marsh.

    Above and beyond that, however, with Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery having been ordained apostles in conjunction with their appointments as First and Second Elders of the Church, and with David Whitmer and Martin Harris being ordained apostles in conjunction with their commission to seek out the original membership of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Church News, in that latest edition of "This Week on Social", mistakenly describes Thomas B. Marsh as the "first apostle" of the Church, which, based on the facts I have laid out here, is a misnomer.

    That aside, the Church news updates are well worthy of your attention. I will be back shortly with some temple updates as well. In the meantime, my thanks again to you all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello again, everyone! I am back with the temple updates I promised. Tomorrow night at 8:00 PM local time (11:00 AM here in Utah), the open house will wrap up for the Durban South Africa Temple, which will then undergo a two-week cleaning and final preparation period before the youth devotional and dedication occur on the weekend of Saturday February 15 and Sunday February 16. Unless subsequent information indicates otherwise, per the available known factors presently, it appears that Elders Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Carl B. Book of the Presidency of the Seventy will be the featured speakers at the youth devotional, with Elder Rasband dedicating the temple the following day, unless a more senior apostle handles the dedicatory sessions. Hopefully in the next week or less, the open house and dedication information will be provided for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple, with information following on the open house and rededication plans for the Tokyo Japan Temple within the next month or two. I also anticipate an announcement soon on the groundbreaking arrangements for the Auckland New Zealand Temple, with that groundbreaking occurring before the weekend of the April 2020 General Conference.

      Above and beyond that, however, the following adjustments have been made to my general completion estimates for the following temples listed:

      Mid-2022: Urdaneta Philippines Temple
      Mid-to-late 2022: Belem Brazil Temple
      Late 2022-early 2023: Bangkok Thailand Temple
      Early-to-mid 2023: Saratoga Springs Utah and Richmond Virginia Temples
      Mid-2023: Alabang Philippines and Layton Utah Temples
      Mid-to-late 2023: Lima Peru Los Olivos and Puebla Mexico Temples

      In relation to any of those estimates, that is subject to official verification by the First Presidency, baaed on the progress (or the lack thereof) that may move these temples ahead in their likely completion order. But based on what I currently know, these estimates seem safe for now. Above and beyond that, new information on the Mesa Arizona Temple's renovation process indicates that the west reflection pool has been filled; that a new parking lot entrance has been poured; and that crews are installing windows, ornamental fence, and bollards. It may still be too early to tell whether that temple will be dedicated before the end of this year, or whether that might instead be delayed until early next year. But I continue to monitor all such updates, along with any new Church news, and will bring word of those developments to you all here as I become aware of them. In the meantime, thanks again, everyone!

      Delete
    2. Somehow, in the midst of sharing those updated estimates yesterday, I managed to forget to pass along another update that has been provided on the renovation process for the Mesa Arizona Temple, where the west reflection pool has been filled, a new parking lot entrance has been poured, and work is underway on installing windows, a new ornamental fence, and bollards. It remains far too early to know for sure whether that temple will be rededicated before the end of this year, or in the early months of next year, but time will tell in that respect. I continue to monitor all such developments and will be sure to pass along any new updates in that regard as I become aware of them. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all.

      Delete
  9. Hello again, everyone! The Church News has reported on a new Church History Library exhibit that focuses on the First Vision, which is very appropriate for this period of time when the Church is preparing to honor the major bicentennial events of the Restoration of the gospel:

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2020-02-01/church-history-first-vision-bicentennial-joseph-smith-documents-wentworth-172983

    My thanks once again to you all for your continued interest and ongoing support.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello again, everyone! The following additional Church News article was recently published:

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2020-02-01/president-ballard-apostle-quorum-of-the-twelve-173069

    My thanks once again to you all.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hello again, everyone! The Church News has shared three new articles today. The first is from retired Church News editor Gerry Avant, who continued to look back on her storied career covering developments for the Church. The latest reflective piece she wrote that was published this morning shares her recollection of how the book “Roots”, written by Alex Haley, helped to ignite interest in family history and genealogical efforts, but within and outside of the Church:

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2020-02-02/gerry-avant-alex-haley-roots-family-history-rootstech-genealogy-172904

    When I started to put this update together to share, I had thought that there would only be one other article to pass along. But in the midst of assembling those resources and preparing to pass them along (and, where needed, to provide additional context thereupon), another report was also published, which I want to share now as well. According to a statement from Church spokesman Daniel Woodruff, Church leaders have made the determination to reduce the missionary force in Liberia due to current economic concerns that are being experienced by the people in that nation. Here is the article highlighting the key details of that statement:

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2020-02-02/liberia-missionary-force-reduce-economic-concerns-173265

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The details of that statement were further reiterated by the official Newsroom:

      https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/missionaries-liberia-february-2020

      As noted therein, 23 young missionaries who are nearing the conclusion of their assigned call will be sent home, even if that means some will be returning home 2-6 weeks or so earlier than anticipated (not sure on the specifics there).. And 8 other missionaries originally scheduled to begin their service in that nation will be temporarily reassigned to other fields of labor in the meantime. That will leave the remaining 99 missionaries serving with sufficient supplies and resources given the circumstances that are currently impacting Liberia.

      Just another quick observation on that same article: Unless I am mistaken, I anticipate that, unless and until the nation of Liberia can work out the economic situation whereby it is currently afflicted, it could very well be that the prospect of a potential temple in Monrovia or any other Liberian city may be deferred for the time being, which means I will almost certainly be moving that prospect down on my priority list for the Africa West Area for the time being as well.

      Delete
    2. The final Church News article shares the biographical sketches of 16 ad ditional new mission leader couples, which brings the total for whom biographies have been published so far to 48 (out of the 130 new presidents called). If the Church News continues to publish the biographies of the same number of leaders each time, there could be anywhere from 5-7 more articles on that subject in the coming weeks. This week’s published biographies can be found at the following web address:

      https://www.thechurchnews.com/callings/2020-02-02/mission-presidents-companions-leadership-california-japan-georgia-mexico-congo-172832

      Among those featured this week, the following significant details stood out to me: Elder Ricardo P. Gimenez, who was called as a GA Seventy in the most recent April General Conference, will serve as president of the California San Diego Mission (likely for only a 2-year period); one previously served as an area seventy; another who has been called is currently serving as an Executive Secretary to one or more Area Seventies in the Europe Area of the Church (Note: Although it makes sense that the Area Seventies of the Church would have Executive Secretaries, I was somehow not aware before now that that was the case); and many others who have served or are serving as stake presidents, others who are currently or have previously served as counselors to a stake or mission president, and others, both male and female, who have filled a variety of other Church callings over the years.

      Delete
    3. It is always wonderful to learn more about newly-called leaders, and I am grateful that the Church News publishes these biographies to introduce them on a Church-wide basis. The fact that this is done fulfills the scriptural mandate found in the following passage:

      https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/42.11-12?lang=eng#p11

      Additionally, the mandate found in the previously-mentioned passage of scripture also has a biblical precedent, which is found in the following passage:

      https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/1-thes/5.12-13?lang=eng#p12

      To borrow part of a frequently-used phrase in the Book of Mormon, “and thus we see” how the Church, through resources that cover the developments thereof, is fulfilling that twice-given scriptural instruction to ensure that those that labor among the Saints around the world are known to them, and have been appointed to so serve by the proper lines of authority on a Church-wide basis, and on down through to the very most local leaders within the Church.

      Delete
    4. The final development I wanted to note here relates to two new developments reported through the Church’s Official Communications Library. The first is a notice sent out on January 27 of this year. Sent by the Utah Area Presidency, with information specific to those living within that area, it mentions the Feed Utah Food Drive, It appears that the Church is championing this cause now partially in view of the fact that, as the Church has disassociated with the Boy Scouts of America organization, there is no longer a Church-sponsored opportunity for leaders and members to contribute to the annual Scouting for Food Drive.

      The second is an official letter from the First Presidency that has been addressed to all Church members (of which some of you have received or may yet receive a copy. The letter covers the topic of how to protect the children and youth of the Church from the devastating effects of pornography. For anyone wanting to read any of the most-recent communication from Church leaders that is published in the Official Communications Library, you can do so at the following web address:

      https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/letters?clang=eng&lang=eng&source=all

      Please note that, in order to access that Library, you will need to sign in with a valid Church Account, and if any of you don’t have such an account yet, getting one is a matter of relative simplicity. Having noted all of this, I continue to monitor all Church news updates and temple developments, and will do my level best to keep bringing word of those things to you all as I become aware of them. In the meantime, my thanks once again to you all for your continued interest and ongoing support.

      Delete
  12. James, The Illinois Nauvoo Mission is officially kaput. Look it up yourself. Quit changing my Wikipedia edits. You don't know everything.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. First of all, the issue on Wikipedia is that the removal of the information was not accompanied by a source for verification that would qualify as a reliable source according to Wikipedia standards and policies. There is longstanding precedent that, for removal of relvenat information from such Wikipedia articles, a reliable source is required for verification. If you don't want me reverting your edits, then make sure that the edits in question do not violate those policies. Secondly, as I have stated before both on Wikipedia and here, unless I have knowledge of who I'm dealing with in dialoguging efforts about such edits, I find it almost impossible to take the feedback seriously. If you want to give me a name, either here or on Wikipedia, to address you by, then we can talk. In the meantime, raising issues about my WIkipedia conduct outside of Wikipedia may also violate Wikipedia policies, so any further discussion on this or any other Wikipedia issues should be taken there. But what I can say here is that, relating to the entire situation, the onus is on you to provide that verification. It is not on me to look up a change that you claim has taken place. And anyone who knows anything about Wikipedia, or who wants their contributions there to be taken seriously, should know all of this. The ball is in your court here. Inform me of your next play if you have a mind to, but bear in mind what I have laid out here. In the meantime, since I don't have your name, I can't thank you by name for your comment here.

      Delete
    2. That said, I actually agree with you on one point. I don't know everything. But on this matter, I'd echo Elder Neil L. Andersen, who gave a talk with an appropriate title that I will paraphrase here: "I don't know everything, but I know enough." And it appears that, based on the tone of your response, I may know a bit more about Wikipedia than you appear to. But again, I can only compare my 12 years of editing experience to whatever experience you might have. Most of my edits during that time happen to be on articles about Church-related subjects, so you can do the math based on what my list of contributions show. But again, without knowning with whom I'm dealing, it is difficult for me to draw any comparison about the extent or level of your experience against mine. But if you didn't know anything about what I have laid out here, you might not be in the best position to call my Wikipedia conduct into question, here or on Wikipedia itself. I will leave any further commentary to take place on Wikipedia, and I strongly suggest you do the same.

      Delete
  13. Oh Lord, get over yourself James and get a fricking life. I could not care less what you think of me or my Wikipedia conduct and you certainly don't need to know my name. Go ahead and delete my edit while I change it back again and again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let me get this straight: You don't care what I think of you or your Wikipedia conduct, but you expect me to take an opinion you voiced on my conduct seriously while you continue to harass me outside of Wikipedia, and I'm the one who needs to "get over [myself] and get a fricking life?" Perhaps you'll care about this then: I hhave reported your attempt to harrass me off Wikipedia (which is a clear violation of Wikipedia policies) to a member of Wikipedia's Arbitration Committee, and unless that committee member chooses to hand this issue over to someone else, that member will be thoroughly investigating this matter, including the clear public evidence of your misconduct on this matter that is in the public domain on and off Wikipedia. I will let them deal with this matter, including your clear policy violations, and once that action is concluded, that part of this thread will be expunged from the history here. I will also be taking steps to report your harrassment to blogger administrators, and they will hopefully see to it that you never comment here or elsewhere again until you can do so in a civil manner and a way that cannot be construed as harrassment. But I don't need your name to deal with any of that process. In the meantime, I'd strongly recommend you not comment here again until you can do so in a civilized manner, according to the parameters I have set for those who comment here.

      Delete
  14. I'm shaking in my boots. You win. Not worth my time or energy. Please delete my edit. I beg you.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I hope I may be forgiven for what I believe is my understadable skepticism about whether or not you, whoever you are, have made your above comment in genuine sincerity. As for myself, I don't make a habit of negotiating with online trolls that call out my conduct while their own violates both Wikipedia and Google policies. If you didn't want things to come to this, then your conduct in this matter should have made some attempt to be above reproach. You've made your bed. Now you'll be forced to lie therein. Maybe your next interactions on and off Wikipedia will be more civilized on your end as a result. In the meantime, I'm not going to lose any sleep over this.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Different anonymous reader, Susan:

    This is probably why so few people comment here... though I agree after the first comment the other anonymous guy became too much (though your reaction to his first comment was quite rude. If you did not mean to be rude, you need to take a hard look at the tone you are writing with and make adjustments). Here's the point where I remove my bookmark for this blog, it isn't work my time reading anymore.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan, I am sorry to hear that you seeing me at my worst was enough to drive you away as a reader. I had the unenviable task of trying to regain control of a situation where someone I worked with elsewhere (on Wikipedia) somehow tracked my personal website down and chose to vent his frustration about the issue we were disputing here, rather than keeping the discussion civilized and having that take place on Wikipedia, which should have been the case. Unfortunately, desperate times called in this case for desperate measures, and I was left with no other option than to handle it the way I did. It was not my finest moment, to be sure, but a moment that was thrust upon me that I was forced to deal with in a manner that I hope is not typical of my usual interactions here.

      I had been hoping at some point in the next couple of days to publish a new post with a general apology to anyone outside of the situation that may have been negatively impacted by seeing me at my worst. But in this case, I had to resolve the situation yesterday before accompanying my wife in for surgery today. Dealing with that was stressful enough as it was, so when the unfortunate situation occurred, my initial and subsequent reactions were definitely not my finest hour.

      Delete
    2. am particularly sorry that you personally were negatively impacted by this, and I don't blame you for not wanting to return to read more here in the future. That is why I tried to explain my stance on and response to comments in the comment form below, which is something that other anonymous editor either didn't bother to read about, or didn't feel compelled to make an effort to comply with those parameters.

      In view of the fact that my deIaling with my wife's recovery for the next few days will eat away from my ability to post an apology as newly-published content, I hope those who read this response to Susan and who may have also been negatively impacted by my exchange with the editor in this or any other case will please forgive me for breaking more than a little in terms of my usual calm and polite demeanor when it comes to interacting with anyone who tries to post earnest feedback on this blog.

      I apologize again, Susan, to you specifically for driving you away inadvertently in this case, and pray that the Lord will bless you and look kindly on you in all your future endeavors going forward. Thanks for letting me know what my lapse in judgement has cost me. It is a price I will have to live with paying for the remainder of the time I operate this blog, which I also deeply regret. Thanks again.

      Delete
    3. Good grief. When it comes to commenting on my blog here today, I'm batting the proverbial thousand here. I have made numerous attempts to post these replies, and always had to wind up deleting them promptly after they had been posted, due to several typos. Hopefully that gives some insight into my own numerous human frailties, especially during this period of time when my wife is in surgery just one day after I had to deal with that internet troll. In my previous comment just above this one, I was missing the crucial first word therein. The sentence should have read "I am particularly sorry" not just "am particularly sorry". I need to remind myself to not post comments when my brain is en absentia, which is unfortunately the case today. I have so much to apologize for, and so little time to do it. Hopefully any subsequent comments I may post later today are slightly more coherent the first time I publish them. Again, my apologies to you all, and to Susan especially. The last 24 hours have been fraught with far too much stress, and I regret that any readers, old or new, have had to see that side of me today. Thanks to any of you who, after reading all the latest comments on the threads of this post, are still willing to stay with me. Hopefully I will get back to normal in a day or two when all the brain fog associated with my situation and the trauma of the resulting stress has died down fully. In the meantime, I should probably apologize in advance as well for any comments of mine posted over the next little while that likely won't be coherent either. What a way to begin a week! Sorry, everyone!

      Delete
  17. Hello again, everyone! For those of you still with me after I botched things so spectacularly, I think I am now sufficiently coherent enough and that my stress has diminished to the point where I can briefly share some Church News updates provided by the Church News and the official Newsroom, which largely speak for themselves:


    https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/renovation-work-underway-st-george-utah-temple

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2020-02-03/st-george-utah-temple-renovation-update-173311

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2020-02-03/familysearch-black-history-month-family-history-african-american-173281

    My thanks once again to you all for your continued interest and ongoing support.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hello again, everyone! The Church News has published the following article

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/history-revisited/2020-02-03/church-historian-recorder-first-vision-huntington-library-conference-200-years-173370

    Additionally, another update has been noted on the Salt Lake Temple as renovation work progresses. It is easier for now to share the web address through which the update can be found rather than the update itself:

    https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/salt-lake-temple/

    My continued and ongoing thanks to you all for your interest and support.

    ReplyDelete
  19. James,

    I want to jump in to the earlier conversation with the anonymous person. You do come across very high and mighty when you disagree with someone. As a regular reader of your blog I know that is never your intent but others may not realize it. Unfortunately it is one of the disadvantages of written communication, you can't always communicate the tone behind what you are trying to say.

    As far as the wikipedia page I would take the higher ground and not engage in a back and forth edit battle over sources. In the church news article announcing the new missions being created this year the number reflects the Nauvoo mission as still existing. However, the statistics listed on the newsroom page show one less mission. To fully verify I checked on the CDOL for the mission and it now lists it as Historic Nauvoo Visitors center. The director is the same individual who was called as the Nauvoo Mission President. The Nauvoo stake and visitors center are both assigned to the Iowa Iowa City Mission. I can't find any date that this changed, but I would have to agree that it is not a mission anymore.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hejy, Scott. Sorry for my delayed response. I've been taking time to both take care of my wsife and also deal with the increased stress and physical symptoms that are the fallout of dealing with her surgery on Monday, her overnight hospital stay that night, and her post-surgical recovery here at home, which will eat up a good portion of my focus for the next few days, or perhaps even the next week or more. I want to provide a response as thorough, objective, and well-reasoned as was your comment above, and I have tried 2-3 times since reading your comment originally to craft that reply, but I will hold off on that until I can get my wife through the more crucial part of her at-home recovery. For now, though, just know that I appreciate your always thoughtful and objective comments, and I respect every bit of feedback you have ever given me. Thank you, dear friend, for your input on the matter at hand.

      Delete
  20. Hello again everyone! I tried to post this comment earlier, but part of it got removed, so I am trying again. As I mentioned in my reply to ScottS above, my wife underwent surgery on Monday, was kept overnight in the hospital, and has been recuperating here since noon yesterday. She has a 1-2 week home recovery process ahead, during which time, aside from pre-prepared content (which includes a post to be published tomorrow in honor of Elder Rasband's birthday, and the latest apostolic statistics update, which will be published as schedule on Sunday February 16), since my attention will be focused where it should be on helping her, aside from some acknowledgement of comments and reporting on major or breaking news or temple updates within that time, I am putting myself on a temporary hiatus from this blog. Anyone curious about any of the developments I would otherwise have covered during this period of time can find coverage thereon at the following web addresses:

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/
    https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/
    https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news?lang=eng
    https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/
    http://ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com/

    My thanks to you all for your continued interest and support, and for the understanding you have extended or may yet extend to me while I step away to focus on helping my wife recover from her recent medical ordeal. May the Lord bless and keep you all until I can resume my normal degree of reports on this blog, and may His Spirit also guide discussions in this and other thread of this blog that may take place during my hiatus. I appreciate your continue interest and ongoing support.

    ReplyDelete

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.

At the same time, however, I recognize that we live in a time when incivility, discourtesy, unkindness, and even cyber-bullying has regrettably become part of online interactions. With that in mind, while anyone who wishes can comment on anything if they choose to do so, I hereby reserve the right to immediately delete any comments which are critical, unkind, lack civility, or promote prodcuts, services, and values contrary to either the Church, or to the rules of online etiquette.

I'd also like to remind all who comment here that I try to respond personally to each individual comment as I feel is appropriate. Such replies are not meant to end the conversation, but to acknowledge earnest feedback as it is submitted.

And in order to better preserve the spirit and pure intentions for which this blog was established, I also hereby request that anyone not commenting with a regular user name (particularly those whose comments appear under the "Unknown" or "Anonymous" monikers, give the rest of us a name to work with in addressing any replies. If such individuals do not wish to disclose their actual given names, a pseudonym or nickname would suffice.

Any comments made by individuals who opt to not give a name by which they can ber identified may, depending on the substance and tone of such comments, be subject to deletion as well. I would respectfully ask that all of us do all we can to keep the dialogue positive, polite, and without malice or ill-will. May the Lord bless us all in our discussion of these important matters.