Ask Mormon Guy

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will sever its ties with the Boy Scouts of America beginning in 2020, the church announced Tuesday.

“As announced publicly today in a joint statement with the Boy Scouts of America, effective on December 31, 2019, the Church will conclude its relationship as a chartered organization with all Scouting programs around the world,” LDS public affairs announced Tuesday.

A new program that begins in 2020 will pull youth of the church -- both boys and girls -- under the same umbrella, the announcement read. Full details can be found at childrenandyouth.lds.org.

The church announced in 2017 that it would replace Varsity and Venture Scouting -- the organization for male youth ages 14-18 -- with a program of its own, and the change went into effect Jan. 1, 2018.

Less than 48 hours after addressing members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the 187th annual General Conference (#LDSConf), President Thomas S. Monson was hospitalized in the Salt Lake City area, a church spokesman said Tuesday.

The news was first reported by the Deseret News, came after President Monson delivered two brief sermons during conference. 

"President Monson was not feeling well last evening and was admitted to the hospital," Eric Hawkins, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told the Deseret News. "He has received treatment and fluids and will hopefully be released soon."

The 87-year-old Prophet addressed men of the church during the semiannual general priesthood session Saturday evening, followed by a few brief remarks about the Book of Mormon after announcing five new temples Sunday morning. He did not attend the Sunday afternoon session, but was said to be an good health save for the typical effects of aging by a church spokesman.

“My dear associates in the work of the Lord, I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day,” President Monson said during his Sunday sermon. “As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives.”

Sister Fanny Clain has already been through so much in her nearly year-long mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

And she hasn’t even left the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. 

But Clain, who lost a portion fo her hearing and had several burns and shrapbel wounds from the bombing, has plenty of miracles for which to be grateful, she said in an interview with the Deseret News and KSL-TV in Salt Lake City.

"First of all, that I am still alive," Clain said. "The second one is that they took care of me really fast. I am not as burned as I thought. I can walk. I have all my members. I still have my hands, my head, even my ear. I have met a lot of nice people. I wasn't in the hospital too long, and I was able to go back on my mission fast. All of this is a miracle."

Missionaries serving for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints haven’t always had the most fashionable choices of apparel, but that’s hardly a surprise: fashion isn’t supposed to be the focus of their two-year (men) or 18-month (women) missions.

But the church has recently updated their dress standards for active full-time missionaries, including allowing sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats in certain situations.

Now, pants. Specifically, dress slacks for sister missionaries.

© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Courtesy: Mormon Newsroom.

The church will allow sister missionaries in serving in ares with mosquito-borne illnesses such as Zika and Dengue fever to wear dress slacks and long skirts on a seasonal basis, LDS public affairs announced Friday.

Previous dress and grooming standards limited sister missionaries’ apparel to skirts that “should fully cover the entire knee (front and back) when you are standing and sitting,” including slits. The previous guidelines specifically mentioned “do not wear floor-length skirts, pants or pantsuits.”

In areas of the world where culture or societal expectations prove it unacceptable for women to wear pants, long dresses that cover the legs will be acceptable.

© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Courtesy: Mormon Newsroom.

The changes come as the church is preparing to protect its missionaries from mosquito-borne illnesses, such as the rapid spread of the Zika virus. As such, the new guidelines will only be in effect during seasons when such illnesses are commonly spread, such as during the wet season in parts of Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mexico, Pacific, Philippines and South America.

New temple announcements became something of a tradition in the Sunday session of General Conference of the LDS Church.

But as the church approached No. 150 with the dedication of the Provo, Utah City Center Temple, the announcements faded. In recent years, some conferences have gone without an announcement, while others have had just 1-2 new temples.

Pres. Thomas S. Monson announced plans for FOUR new temples in April 2016, including th second temple in Lima, Peru.

Harare, Zimbabwe will cover the territory of 4.2 million people and more than 26,000 members of the Church in Africa. It is the first temple in Zimbabwe, and third operating temple in Africa, alongside Aba, Nigeria; Accra, Ghana; and Johannesburg, South Africa; as well as currently announced Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire; Durban; and Durban, South Africa.

Quito, Ecuador becomes the second temple in the state with Guayaquil, dedicated in 1999. The new temple will serve more than 230,000 church members in the country’s capitol and second-most populous city.

Belem, Brazil could become the sixth operating temple for the 1.3 million church members in Brazil (Campinas, Curitiba, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, and Sao Paulo), as well as another under construction in Fortaleza and one announced in Rio de Janeiro.

Lima, Peru espouses nearly 30 million people and 557,000 members of the church, and will now get two temples, joining the original Lima, Peru temple dedicated in 1986. The country also has a temple in Trujillo, and previously announced plans for Arequipa.

With the new announcements, 27 temples are currently announced or under construction, with more more currently being renovated.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the LDS church’s First Presidency officially released the current Primary general presidency consisting of Sister Rosemary M. Wixom, Cheryl A. Esplin and Mary R. Durham.

We join with the First Presidency and other general officers in thanking them for their service.

Sister Joy D. Jones was called to serve as the new Primary general president, with Jean B. Bingham as first counselor and Bonnie H. Cordon as second counselor.

Sister Jones was serving on the Primary general board at the time of her call. Born and raised in Oregon, she received a bachelor’s degree in home and family sciences from BYU, where she met her husband Robert. They are the parents of five and grandparents of 13.

Sister Bingham is a native of Provo, Utah, and received a master’s degree from BYU. Her and her husband, Bruce, are the parents of two daughters.

Instead of written commentary, here are a few of the things that stood out most to one Mormon guy during the Saturday morning session of the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, April 2, 2016.

Elder Duncan’s talk hit me particularly strong. The Atonement is not just a source of forgiveness for our sins, but a source to whih we can turn to learn to forgive others. Gratefully, God … has taught us that we can forgive! Even though we may be a victim once, we need not be a victim twice by carrying the burden of hate, bitterness, pain, resentment, or even revenge. We can forgive, and we can be free! 

“Forgiveness is the very reason God sent His Son, so let us rejoice in His offering to heal us all. The Savior’s Atonement is not just for those who need to repent; it is also for those who need to forgive. If you are having trouble forgiving another person, or even yourself, ask God to help you.”

Check out the latest from friend of the blog James Curran, aka James the Mormon (and not a rapper) is a brilliant compilation with Junior Maile and the Genesis Choir.

The Genesis Group is a social organization for African-American Mormons that was active in Salt Lake City from 1971-78, then reorganized in 1991. The group also has chapters in Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Rochester, New York; and other cities across the United States. 

Devin G. Durrant, 1st Counselor, Sunday School General Presidency.

D. Todd Christofferson, Quorum of Twelve Apostles