Consider

"We need more than civility, empathy, and good will. We need courage." -Braver Angels We need the courage, curiosity, and humility to talk to those different than us. Those who may even feel like our enemies. Especially now that the election is over and a new administration begins, we need to listen to those who lost as well as those who won. We need to listen to what matters to…

"Perhaps the Mormon experience—which was in its initial phase a protest against the world of harsh capitalist individualism, but then through much of the twenty century became an increasingly adaptation to that world which it originally rejected—perhaps that experience could give food for thought, not only for Mormons, but for all of us who live in this nation. Mormons often criticize the larger society in which they live and contrast…

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him. Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets." -3 Nephi 14: 11,12 I was reading these passages the other day…

“I personally commit and ask all leaders—elected officials, business executives, media personalities, and civic and faith leaders, and others—to promote peace and patience as election tensions grow. We call upon you to speak out explicitly against violence and threats of violence that undermine our American ideals and aspirations. America is bigger than any single election.” -Condemn Election Violence Petition My friend, Joan Blades, cofounder of MoveOn.org and Living Room Conversations…

“We the undersigned will work separately for what each of us believes is right, but we will also work together to protect the land we all love — to lift up American citizenship and the American promise in a time of peril and to find in ourselves the understanding that our differences don’t simply divide us, but also can strengthen and complete us.” -Braver Angels Citizen Letter   Two former…

“Emmaus LGBTQ Ministry envisions a community of heterosexual/cisgender and LGBTQ Latter-day Saints who are called to ministry for the safety, well-being, and happiness of LGBTQ people in and adjacent to The Church of Jesus Christ.” -Emmaus LGBTQ Ministry   Earlier this year two former Think Again-Faith Again presenters, along with some other stellar individuals, formed Emmaus LGBTQ Ministry. John Gustav-Wrathall, former executive director of Affirmation, and Erika Munson, co-founder of…

Did you really want to die? No one commits suicide because they want to die. Then why do they do it? Because they want to stop the pain. -Tiffanie DeBartolo   It is a dark place when people see no escape except to permanently turn out the lights. This is where my 51 year old friend has been for the past few days. For weeks the light in his life…

"Why is covid-19 killing more black people than white people in America? For many on the left, the answer is easy: “systemic racism.” That answer drives conservatives bonkers. Covid-19 comes from a virus; it does not care whether victims are white or black and, indeed, doesn’t have eyes to distinguish. Conservatives, I understand why you feel this way. But on this issue, the left is, well, right." – Megan McArdle,…

'"Responding to ideas you disagree with by belittling the other person or shutting them down can push them further towards hate. 'Far too many human beings of all backgrounds and political beliefs see kindness as weakness, as if it’s capitulation, it’s rolling over,” said Michaelis. “When really it is a weapon. And one of the most powerful weapons against hate that we have.'” -Deseret News: Can people be ‘converted’ out…

Some Faith Matters Discussions that explore racism in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and what members can do to eliminate it. "Racism is intoxicating and racism mixed with religion can be particularly pernicious. The Latter-day Saint message has always included a universal foundation. “All flesh is mine” Jesus told Joseph Smith in 1831, “and I am no respecter of persons” (D&C 38:16). It also included universal male…