2+ hour, 30+ min ago (189+ words) Apostle's words and love "brought hope and comfort to us all,' local leader says Elder Kearon visits Latter-day Saints, friends in disaster-stricken Cebu, Philippines Apostle's words and love "brought hope and comfort to us all,' local leader says Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently visited Cebu City, Philippines, meeting with and ministering to members and friends of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following a pair of devastating typhoons in early November. Joined by his wife, Sister Jennifer Kearon, Elder Kearon met with more than 100 individuals at the Cebu Philippines Liloan Stake Center on Nov. 21. The Kearons were accompanied by Elder Carlos G. Revillo Jr., a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church's Philippines Area, and his wife, Sister Marie Revillo. "I bring you the profound love of President Dallin H. Oaks, the First…...

3+ hour, 15+ min ago (441+ words) The newest member of the First Presidency issued an invitation Tuesday to Brigham Young University students to follow Jesus Christ by confidently sacrificing "the lesser for the greater." The lesser is the fallen mortal world and the greater is the salvation Christ prepared during his condescension from heaven, said President D. Todd Christofferson, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Christofferson said BYU students should see themselves as engaged in their own personal condescension. An angel showed Christ's birth to the prophet Nephi in the Book of Mormon after asking him, "Knowest thou the condescension of God?" "Nephi then understood that the Son of God would come to earth to rescue fallen man," President Christofferson said. President Dallin H. Oaks became the church's 18th president and prophet in October and called President Christofferson as…...

3+ hour, 20+ min ago (879+ words) Welcome back to the State of Faith " and I hope everyone had a restful Thanksgiving! I had a much-needed break and am excited to get back to making sense of how people understand, and live out, their faith and spirituality. In Ohio, lawmakers passed a new bill that authorizes public school and state university teachers to instruct on the "positive impact of religion on American history." The bill doesn't mandate the positive instruction and framing, but aims to remove fear of violating the church-state boundary that teachers might feel when they discuss religion in class. The bill originally referred specifically to Christianity, but an amendment in the House Education Committee expanded the language to include the Judeo-Christian tradition. Known as the "Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act," the bill passed on Nov. 19 and honors Kirk, a conservative Christian, who was assassinated…...

5+ hour, 20+ min ago (599+ words) Pope Leo XIV concluded his six-day visit to the Middle East " his first foreign trip as pope, with stops in Turkey and Lebanon. On Dec. 2, thousands gathered along Beirut's waterfront for a Mass, many arriving before dawn. In Turkey, he visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul and led prayers at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Istanbul, signaling solidarity with efforts toward unity with other Christian minority communities in Turkey. Throughout the trip, Pope Leo preached a message of peace and reconciliation, especially in Lebanon, as Israeli strikes continue to threaten the fragile truce with Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim political and militant organization based in Lebanon. In Beirut, Pope Leo visited a psychiatric hospital and silently prayed at the site of the 2020 port explosion, which killed over 230 people and wounded about 7,000, according to the Catholic News Agency. He met with families…...

1+ day, 8+ min ago (439+ words) Less than five months after the Philippines" fourth Latter-day Saint temple is dedicated in January, the island nation"s fifth temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will open for tours and be dedicated by Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This temple, the Davao Philippines Temple, will first open its doors to the media next year on March 23, after which invited guests will tour the building March 24-25, according to a Monday release on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Then, starting March 26, guests of all faiths and ages will be welcome to tour the two-story building during a free public open house period that will run every Monday through Saturday until April 10. Guests visiting the temple during this time can expect the experience to include an introductory video, followed by a guided walk-through with explanations of…...

1+ day, 1+ hour ago (115+ words) The Davao Philippines Temple will be dedicated in May 2026 by Elder Dale G. Renlund Dedication announced for southernmost temple in Philippines The Davao Philippines Temple will be dedicated in May 2026 by Elder Dale G. Renlund The dedication ceremony " which will be broadcast to all units in the temple district " will be 10 a.m. local time. It will then be rebroadcast at 2 p.m. Leading up to the dedication, a public open house will run from Thursday, March 26, through Friday, April 10, 2026, excluding Sundays. A media day will also take place March 23, and invited guests will tour the house of the Lord from March 24 to March 25, 2026....

1+ day, 21+ hour ago (930+ words) Priestly sex abuse scandals, scammy televangelists and partisan pastors. In today's environment the list of reasons why people don't trust religion like they used to is on the tip of the tongue of every pundit, and there is no shortage of people willing to armchair quarterback their own take on the problem with a seemingly ailing religion in America. And they may have a point " to a point. Confidence in religion is not what it used to be. Every year the General Social Survey asks respondents about their trust across different areas of society, including "organized religion." In 1973, only about 16% of Americans exhibited "hardly any confidence" (the lowest option offered) in religion. Nearly 50 years later, in 2024, over one-third or 35% of Americans had this same lack of confidence. So what happened? One thing that data shows is that the decline of…...

1+ day, 21+ hour ago (1469+ words) I don't know any little old ladies," Chris Hanna observes about stepping away from religious participation 20 years ago. And I don't know kids or teenagers whose lives I can celebrate and contribute to as they grow." Lack of what he calls the forced familial relationships of a ward" doesn't mean he's without friends. But it leaves a community gap when I only hang out with who I want," he says, not people who differ in interests, ages and in other ways." Not so fast, say Hanna and others who've gone down the secular road and discovered that other questions, along with unforeseen challenges, arise. Hanna has friends, a graduate degree, a successful job and a girlfriend. But with loss of faith comes difficulty finding meaning and transcendence, a sometimes challenging search for community, and forfeited opportunities. But still, she writes,…...

1+ day, 21+ hour ago (116+ words) The Church's Light the World initiative invites all to add Christ's light to Christmas traditions See the 2025 Light the World video featuring children telling the Nativity story The Church's Light the World initiative invites all to add Christ's light to Christmas traditions Each year, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites everyone to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ by sharing His light with others during the Christmas season. On Sunday, Nov. 30, the Church released the 2025 Light the World video, titled, "The First Christmas Story, Retold by Children." The video features the story of the first Christmas, taken from Luke 2, and performed by children around the world....

2+ day, 7+ hour ago (1088+ words) Though it was always possible that her husband, being at the time the second senior apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, could become the next prophet president of the church, Sister Kristen Oaks recently recounted the shock and solemnity that fell upon her and her husband, President Dallin H. Oaks, when they received news of then church President Russell M. Nelson's death. "I never thought my husband would be the prophet," Sister Oaks told Sheri Dew, executive vice president and chief content officer of Deseret Management Corporation, in a recent interview for the Church News podcast. "He'd been such a devout counselor," she explained. In fact, President Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles "told me that he'd never seen anyone who was so loyal or so supportive. And he just loved the prophet." But President…...