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I’ll preface my memorial stroll with the comment that these experiences, some of which were terribly embarrassing for me at the time, all remind me how much the Lord loves us and how that love is so often reflected by other members. I’m sure many of you have listened to a priest repeat a sacrament prayer to get it right and felt for him and even prayed for him. The Lord is that way. He doesn’t use commandments and the Church to play “gotcha.” Rather he gives us responsibilities to help us grow spiritually and become more like him. When mistakes are made, we learn and he forgives. Other members also step up to help. Sure, some people are judgmental and criticize, but true saints are quick to help and slow to judge.

Now on to some of the interesting experiences I’ve had with the sacrament….

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Favorite LDS fiction author is a big question because there are many genres of fiction including mystery, romance, science fiction, fantasy, and western.  There is also LDS-oriented fiction which could be considered a sub-category in each genre and in some cases its own category.

To make the question even bigger, consider the huge and growing number of talented and well-known LDS fiction authors.  For example, take a look at the massive list of LDS authors, poets, playwrights, and other artists at the Mormon Literature & Creative Arts website.

Many are nationally known and award winning.  In addition to Orson Scott Card, many other LDS authors have won national awards and recognition according to a Bibliography of Mormon Speculative Fiction.

The first LDS fiction authors I recall reading were Tracy Hickman (the Darksword Trilogy) and Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game).  I was recently returned from my mission and studying at BYU.  I don’t recall if I gave these books a chance because the authors were LDS or if I found out about their religious affiliation afterward.  Either way, these books were amazing and captivating.  It showed me that there are some very talented LDS authors.

I’ll conclude with this thought.  A few members of the Church garnered a lion’s share of media attention this past year raising awareness of the LDS Church and causing many to make a judgment, for better or for worse, about Mormons.  Interestingly, I suspect that a large percentage of the U.S. population has read books, seen movies, or listened to songs that were written by LDS authors and never even knew it.  As peculiar as we may be, we’re also surprisingly mainstream.

I was reviewing my results of this survey, and found myself wondering if this might explain how many Mormons behave during times of conflict. I realize that defining what is a typical Mormon is getting more difficult as time goes on. Perhaps it is impossible. I also realize that much of this will reveal my personal perceptions of what is considered stereotypical Mormon behavior. But I thought it might be fun and useful anyway.

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-“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”

While we don’t need to see scientific proof to know a gospel principle is true, such evidence is instructive and can strengthen one’s testimony of that principle. Scientific evidence was recently published that supports principles declared in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” The headline of a recent scientific news article reads:

“Children who have an active father figure have fewer psychological and behavioral problems”

While there are many reasons, both temporal and spiritual, why children need fathers, this article reviews a number of studies on the effect of fathering on childhood development and identifies several specific benefits children tend to experience when they have an active father in their life.

Swedish researchers reviewed 24 papers that covered 16 studies published between 1987 and 2007. These studies included smaller research from Israel and Sweden as well as large ongoing studies in the UK and USA. Findings include the following:

• “Children who had positively involved father figures were less likely to smoke and get into trouble with the police, achieved better levels of education and developed good friendships with children of both sexes.“
• “Women who had better relationships with partners and a greater sense of mental and physical well-being at the age of 33 if they had a good relationship with their father at 16.“
• “Children who lived with both a mother and father figure had less behavioural problems than those who lived with just their mother.“

One of the reviewers concludes, “our review backs up the intuitive assumption that engaged biological fathers or father figures are good for children, especially when the children are socially or economically disadvantaged.”

These findings appear to support the prophetic warning “that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.”

 Public Relations:  I feel that more than any other leader in the church, that Gordon B. Hinckley has done more to bring the church out of obscurity.  He has done a tremendous amount to help the world see the church in a positive way.

 Temple Building:  I have not checked the numbers, but I believe more temples were built during his time as prophet than the rest of the prophets combined.  What an ambitious pace he has set in this area!  President Hinckley brought the temple to the people.

 Proclamation on the Family:  This is probably the closest thing to recent scripture that we have had in a while.  It is such a timely message that addresses some of the most important social issues of our day.

President Hinckley was a very kind, humorous, optimistic man.  And I will miss him very much.

 Thank you President Hinckley.

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It has been stated by some that Mormons are the Republican version of Blacks for Democrats. Both vote in the party with wide margins and no one pays attention to them because of this consistancy. There is a difference, even if critics haven’t made it a point. Mormons are not afraid to go independent or buck trends if they feel slighted. That is something that the Republican establishment are ignoring at their own risk.
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