What Did Boyd K. Packer Really Mean When He Said "Some Things That Are True Aren't Very Useful"?

One of the statements by an LDS General Authority which has been frequently used as grist for the propaganda mills of anti-Mormons is the following statement attributed to President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve, namely "Some things that are true aren't very useful". Anti-Mormons impugn the motives of Elder Packer and claim his intent was to cover up controversial LDS history.

President Packer first uttered the statement back on August 22nd, 1981 during a talk entitled "The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than The Intellect", delivered to Church Educational System (CES) educators at Brigham Young University-Provo. The specific occasion was a CES symposium on the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History. President Packer's interest in this issue was prompted by his early work with CES, when he found that a number of teachers had become wholly secularized, leading to confusion by and substantial problems for teachers and students. The full 11-page address is available for free at THIS LINK. Here is the statement, embedded in context:

"There is a temptation for the writer or the teacher of Church history to want to tell everything, whether it is worthy or faith promoting or not. Some things that are true are not very useful."

According to the Mormon Mission blog, President Packer discussed four cautions:

1. There is no such thing as an accurate, objective history of the Church without consideration of the spiritual powers that attend this work.

2. There is a temptation for the writer or the teacher of Church history to want to tell everything, whether it is worthy or faith promoting or not.

3. In an effort to be objective, impartial, and scholarly, a writer or a teacher may unwittingly be giving equal time to the adversary.

4. The final caution concerns the idea that so long as something is already in print, so long as it is available from another source, there is nothing out of order in using it in writing or speaking or teaching.

According to FairMormon, President Packer was not speaking to Mormon historians, but to CES employees. CES employees are not hired to provide a so-called "fair and balanced perspective" on Church history and doctrine, but to provide faith-promoting education by teaching LDS doctrine and promoting faith in its young people. Why would the LDS Church be obligated to give equal time to the opposition on their own flagship campus? One would expect the LDS Church to teach religious history in its seminaries and institutes, which is distinct from secular history. President Packer also pointed out that the historian or scholar who delights in highlighting the weaknesses and imperfections of present or past leaders in the name of so-called "transparency" destroys faith, and that a destroyer of faith -- particularly one within the Church, and more particularly one who is employed specifically to build faith -- places himself in great spiritual jeopardy. Furthermore, the problem with these "true" statements is not that they're not true, but that they're used in such a way or context as to give a misleading or even false impression. Church history can be as misleading as gossip and much more difficult, often impossible to verify. President Packer's concern was strictly with what happens in Church institutions, not with what happens in non-Church venues in which historians may participate.

The passage of time has not changed President Packer's mind. In July 2007, the LDS Church published the transcript of an interview he gave to PBS for their documentary The Mormons in which he reiterated this principle (HW is Helen Whitney, the interviewer):

HW: Is there a conflict between a faith-promoting work of scholarship and factual scholarship? Is there a conflict at all?

BKP: There can be. Some things that are true aren’t very useful. And there are those in the past who have looked at the leaders of the Church, for instance, and found out that they’re human and want to tell everything. There are steps and missteps that don’t help anything. Some think that to be totally honest they have to tell everything. They don’t. If they’ve got the mindset for that, then they’re always grumbling — they have an appetite for it. They’re free to do that, but it isn’t really productive, it doesn’t really make anybody happy.

Someone you knew, say when you were in college, made a terrible mistake. You knew about it, and it was forgiven and lived beyond. There’s little purpose in going back and digging that out and speaking of it when their children might be present — a lot of things that are true historically aren’t very useful and don’t generate happiness.

The second part of this excerpt is important, because it addresses the tendency of the elite to crucify public figures in the media for past indiscretions. What value is derived from dredging up a past indiscretion from which an individual has long since repented? The only purpose such "transparency" can serve is to divide and polarize. Our national obsession with race is an example of this problem; why do some LDS members continue to obsess with the Priesthood ban against blacks when it was resolved in 1978 and we know through revelation that all those who were denied the Priesthood through no fault of their own will be offered it in the spirit world? Either one believes it, or one doesn't. And if one doesn't, is it really wise and productive for one to hold an entire 15 million member church hostage to one's lack of faith?

President Packer was not trying to suppress truth. He merely wants the Church Educational System to fulfill its primary mission -- to help grow faith and develop testimonies. Controversial Church history can be discussed in other venues, in other ways, and at other times. The LDS Church has sought to allay the historical doubts of members by publishing a series of essays about historical events which are more forthcoming than in the past, so the Church clearly has no desire to "cover anything up".

LDS Church Names Area Seventy Kevin J. Worthen 13th President Of Brigham Young University At Provo

Screenshot from KSL

During the weekly Tuesday devotional conducted at BYU-Provo on March 11th, 2014, President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency announced that 57-year-old Area Seventy Kevin J. Worthen has been selected to be the 13th President in the history of the school. He replaces Cecil O. Samuelson, who has led the university since 2003. The Provo Daily Herald included a list of all previous BYU Presidents in their story.

The official change of command does not take place until May 1st. Since Worthen is the current advancement vice president of BYU, the transition between Samuelson and him should be effortless. During his acceptance speech, Worthen said he was both honored and humbled, and noted that he doesn’t anticipate any radical changes under his leadership, since the mission of the university remains the same. At the same time, he finds that no one is really given this kind of assignment merely to maintain the status quo, so he will put his personal stamp on the job, so to speak. His working class background as a coal miner will keep him sensitive to the need to keep BYU education affordable; tuition has been increasing incrementally, jumping from $2,355 LDS/$4,710 non-LDS in 2012-13 to $2,500 LDS/$5,000 non-LDS students in 2014-15.

In his youth, Worthen served as a missionary in the Monterrey, Mexico mission. In their official press release, the LDS Church noted that the search committee, appointed by the university’s board of trustees, considered many outstanding, well-qualified men and women for the position, including internal and external candidates from academe and industry, before settling on Worthen. They did not name the others who were considered. Here's their summary of Worthen's impressive background:

Worthen also is the Hugh W. Colton Professor of Law at BYU and has particular expertise in federal Indian law. He is a former Fulbright scholar and clerked for Justice Byron R. White of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Malcolm R. Wilkey of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Court. He also has been an associate attorney for Jennings, Strouss & Salmon in Phoenix.

A native of Carbon County, Utah, Worthen earned an associate degree from the College of Eastern Utah, where he was co-captain of the varsity basketball team. While at CEU, he also worked during the summer months as an underground coal miner in the Plateau Mine in Wattis, Utah.

Worthen earned his bachelor's and juris doctor degrees from BYU. He is currently serving as an Area Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his wife, Peggy Sealey Worthen, have three children and one grandchild.

According to the Deseret News, rumors about the end of Samuelson's tenure surfaced three years ago when he was 69. He was serving as a general authority of the LDS Church in its Quorum of the Seventy. Quorum members regularly gain emeritus status when they turn 70, and some wondered if that change might also include a change of assignment in the BYU president's office. President Thomas S. Monson granted Samuelson emeritus status in October 2011, two months after Samuelson's 70th birthday. Although no specific reason has been given for the change of command, President Eyring paid tribute to Samuelson's leadership, saying "President Samuelson has served this institution with great distinction and it is important for the faculty, staff, students and supporters of this university to know that the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve and Board of Education unanimously recognize the great work and devotion of President Cecil O. Samuelson to this university. Truly his leadership and influence for good cannot be measured." The majority of previous BYU presidents served less than 10 years, so Samuelson's tenure was at the median.

The BYU Presidency can be a stepping stone to service on the Quorum of the Twelve. Two current apostles, Dallin H. Oaks (1971-1980) and Jeffrey R. Holland (1980-1989), served as BYU Presidents.

LDS Student Ryan Rotela Initially Suspended By Florida Atlantic University For Refusing To "Stomp" On Jesus; School Backs Down And Apologizes

A student who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had been suspended by his school for refusing to "stomp on Jesus", but in the wake of a subsequent furor, the school has now backed down and apologized.

On March 4th, 2013, Ryan Rotela, an active Mormon who is a junior at Florida Atlantic University, was in a class on Intercultural Communications when the professor, Dr. Deandre Poole, told the students to take out a piece of paper, write the word JESUS on it in bold letters, and then put the paper on the floor and stomp on it. According to WorldNetDaily, the exercise was from the textbook “Intercultural Communication: A Contextual Approach, 5th Edition", and here's the synopsis:

“Have the students write the name JESUS in big letters on a piece of paper Ask the students to stand up and put the paper on the floor in front of them with the name facing up. Ask the students to think about it for a moment. After a brief period of silence instruct them to step on the paper. Most will hesitate. Ask why they can’t step on the paper. Discuss the importance of symbols in culture.”

Rotela told Dr. Poole that he was offended and refused to participate. Two days later, Rotela went to Dr. Poole's supervisor, an associate professor at FAU, to discuss his concerns; the school responded by suspending Rotela from the class after a hearing officer accused Rotela of "threatening" Dr. Poole.

After Rotela went public, FAU initially responded with this statement to the media: "Faculty and students at academic institutions pursue knowledge and engage in open discourse. While at times the topics discussed may be sensitive, a university environment is a venue for such dialogue and debate." Nevertheless, the story went viral, with The Blaze and WorldNetDaily picking it up. On March 22nd, FAU finally issued a more detailed statement saying that no student was expelled, suspended, or disciplined for refusing to participate in the exercise, adding that the exercise will not be used again, and apologizing for any offense caused. Rotela accepts FAU's apology, but still insists he was told he was suspended.

A commenter to The Blaze provided more information on Dr. Deandre Poole. Dr. Poole teaches courses in intercultural communication, ethnicity and communication, leadership and communication, and organizational communication. His research focuses on the role mediated messages play in shaping individual attitudes and beliefs concerning issues of justice and inequality, and examines how leaders, organizations, and other influential authorities dominate and oppress marginalized groups of people. Currently, he is authoring the book, Obamamania: The Rise of a Mythical Hero, to be published by the Edwin Mellen Press.

However, FrontPageMag reveals that Dr. Poole is also the Vice Chair of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party, serving as as a precinct captain for Precinct 7021 in West Palm Beach, as a club officer for the Together We Stand Democratic Club, and a member of the West Palm Beach Democratic Club. His political activities involve community empowerment, and working with community leaders and elected officials to insure the needs of all people. This should be no surprise, since the Democratic Party tends to be hospitable towards anti-Christian and anti-White bigots. His party boss, Palm Beach County Democratic Chairwoman Terrie Rizzo, said Poole was merely following an exercise in a textbook used in the course.

This is why Mormons are better off attending college in the BYU system or at Southern Virginia University where LDS standards prevail. Viable alternatives would include solid Christian schools like Liberty University, or perhaps the secular universities in Utah such as the U of Utah, UVU, Weber State, SUU, or Dixie State. No self-respecting member of our Church should attend a secular university unless absolutely unavoidable; professors are almost overwhelming liberal or progressive, and are incredibly bigoted against people of faith and White males. Some campuses refuse to pursue rape allegations vigorously and blame women for causing rape. Our secular universities are cultural cesspools.

LDS Public Affairs Director Michael Otterson Speaks Out On How To Respond To Anti-Mormon Material

Michael Otterson, Managing Director of the Public Affairs Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, recently gave an interview on how to accurately and sensitively react to inquires about the Church. One of the most important segments, uploaded to YouTube, addresses reacting and responding to erroneous information about the Church. Otterson is actually a convert to the Church, having grown up in Liverpool (and retains a healthy trace of the BBC-standard accent):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSUvFTQu5nY



One correction needs to be noted. The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) website referenced in the video is actually available at FAIRLDS.org.

Three points brought out by Michael Otterson:

(1). Be properly anchored in the Gospel; seek for that spiritual conversion that will assure the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.

(2). Be well-grounded in the resources the Church has already made available, particularly on Mormon.org, where FAQs to various subjects can be found.

(3). Read the New Testament for parallels. Many of the accusations levied today are no different than those levied against Peter, James, Paul, etc. when the first church was founded. The history of the LDS Church shows that Joseph Smith and the early LDS leadership encountered the same accusations.

The entire interview is divided into 12 segments, and the remaining segments can be found in audio format at the Mormon Channel Conversations page (episode 42).

And finally, don't assume the person presenting you with anti-Mormon material is the enemy. That person could well have been misled. Presume ignorance first BEFORE malevolence.

LDS Church To Distribute New Relief Society Manual, "Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society"

Update August 29th: The Exponent has published a review of "Daughters In My Kingdom" from a mildly feminist perspective; A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman has published a more faith-promoting review.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced its intention to distribute a new Relief Society manual. Entitled "Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society", the 208-page book is organized by themes such as family, sisterhood and charity. Each chapter includes stories of Latter-day Saint women throughout history and around the world today. It is intended to be an additional resource for personal study, teaching at home, and in Relief Society and other church settings. The manual won't be posted online until paper copies are distributed worldwide.

Sister Julie B. Beck, President of the Relief Society, discusses the manual in the video embedded below. She notes that the history portion is intended to address some of the insecurities and myths many LDS women have felt about themselves and their religion. Those insecurities are frequently expressed and discussed on the two leading feminist-oriented Mormon blogs, Exponent and Feminist Mormon Housewives.



Media stories were also published by the Deseret News and KSL Channel 5, whose video is embedded below:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

One of the major contributors to the book is Susan W. Tanner, the former Young Women general president for the LDS Church who is now serving a mission in Brazil with her husband. Sister Tanner noted that "This work needs to get the women of the world and the women of the church from where they are to where they need to be."

Sister Beck and her two counselors are expected to discuss the book in more detail at the General Relief Society Meeting to be held in Salt Lake City on September 24th, a week before the 181st Semiannual General Conference to be held there on October 1-2.

Distribution Schedule: Each woman in the Church will receive a personal copy.

-- Copies will be sent to English-speaking units of the church by September 30th.
-- Spanish and Portuguese copies distributed by November 30th.
-- Twenty other languages by January 15th, 2012.

LDS Media Talk notes that after the book is distributed, it will also be made available online on LDS.org. This is now the case; it's available HERE (14 MB PDF file, takes a few minutes to load)

Mormons Among The Highest Scoring Groups On Pew Research Center's Religious Knowledge Survey, Eclipsed Only By Atheists/Agnostics And Jews

From May 19th through June 6th, 2010, the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life conducted their U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey, a nationwide poll of 3,412 Americans aged 18 and older to determine overall religious literacy, and they found that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were among the most religious-literate groups in the United States, alongside atheists/agnostics and Jews. Secular media stories from the Washington Post, The New American, and Fox News

To determine religious literacy, Pew administered a 32-question survey to those being polled. Pew found that on average, Americans correctly answered 16 of the 32 questions on the survey. Atheists and agnostics averaged 20.9 correct answers; Jews and Mormons averaged 20.5 and 20.3 correct answers, respectively; Protestants as a whole averaged 16 correct answers; Catholics as a whole, 14.7. Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons performed better than other groups on the survey even after controlling for differing levels of education. It should be noted that Jews, Mormons and atheists/agnostics were deliberately oversampled to allow more meaningful analysis of these relatively small groups.

-- Read executive summary of report HERE
-- Read the full 78-page report HERE
-- Take the Religious Knowledge Survey for yourself HERE

The survey also revealed that while Mormons and Evangelicals know the most about Christianity, Atheists/Agnostics and Jews know the most about World Religions. In addition, the survey also uncovered significant public ignorance about Mormonism; around four-in-ten Americans know that the Mormon religion was founded sometime after 1800 (44%) and that the Book of Mormon tells the story of Jesus appearing to people in the Americas (40%). About half (51%) correctly identify Joseph Smith, founder of the LDS Church, as a Mormon.

Factors contributing to religious literacy: Across denominational lines, the following factors were found to favorably affect religious literacy:

-- Education: College graduates tend to be more knowledgeable, particularly those who take a course on religion.
-- Reading scripture regularly, at least once per week.
-- Discussing religion with friends and family regularly.
-- Attending religious services regularly, at least once per week.
-- Regular attendance at religious education classes or participation in a religious youth group as a child.
-- Private school education promotes slightly greater religious literacy than public school education, even if the private school is non-religious.

One factor not cited in the survey, which is more subjective but just as important, is opposition. People who belong to religions generating stronger public opposition tend to be more religious-literate because they study more in order to rebut public misperceptions. Mormons and Jews tend to attract more public opposition in the United States than others.

How do Mormons specifically promote religious literacy? (not addressed in the survey)

-- Education: The Church-owned Brigham Young University system, with campuses in Utah, Idaho and Hawaii, as well as Church-affiliated schools at Nauvoo University and Southern Virginia University provide a higher education outlet for tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints. Links to these schools are available on the left sidebar of this blog.
-- Church Attendance: The three-hour block on Sunday ensures attendees get thoroughly steeped in religious instruction, particularly in Sunday School, Priesthood Meeting, Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary. All demographics are covered.
-- Weekday Religious Instruction: LDS primary school students attend seminary during each school day, either through release-time in Mormon-dominated areas, or before or after school in other areas.
-- Home Visitation: The Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching programs can provide extra religious instruction, although service to the family is the first objective. Oftentimes it is difficult to convince home teachers to fulfill their responsibilities, though.
-- General Conferences: Held twice yearly in Salt Lake City and viewed worldwide via the LDS Boradcasting System and other media, these enable Church leaders to provide an incredible amount of information and inspiration. This occasion serves to effectively recharge the spiritual batteries of many Mormons.
-- Missionary service: Being thoroughly indoctrinated at a Missionary Training Center and fulfilling a full-time mission significantly increases religious literacy. It is estimated that 30 percent of eligible LDS men fulfill a full-time mission; for men, it's almost considered a rite of passage. The flip side: Our sharpest critics tend to be ex-missionaries.
-- Blogging: Blogging increases religious literacy through research and discourse. The Bloggernacle and the Mormon Blogosphere are portals to dozens of unofficial LDS-oriented blogs.

Speaking of the Bloggernacle, it's been quick to weigh in on this story, with posts from the following sources:

-- Faith Promoting Rumor: A mixed reaction; pleased that Mormons are better-informed than others about these issues, but decries the fact that the "bar" is so low.
-- Mormon Metaphysics: Notes that education is the key factor.
-- The Seer Stone: Finds the religious literacy of Atheists/Agnostics intriguing. Opines that although LDS Sunday School manuals may be dated and over-correlated, they are still obviously useful.
-- The Mormons Are Coming

Southern Virginia University Inundated With 2,500 Student Applications For 2010 Fall Semester, LDS Behavioral Standards An Attraction

There are five universities in the United States where behavioral standards of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are enforced. Three of them, BYU-Provo, BYU-Idaho, and BYU-Hawaii, are owned by the LDS Church.

But the other two, Nauvoo University and Southern Virginia University (SVU), are not owned by the LDS Church. Yet SVU is proving to be a popular attraction, as the Staunton News-Leader (alternate story link HERE) reports that the school has surpassed 2,500 applications for fall semester 2010, representing a 65 percent increase over last year and a 20 percent increase over the all-time high in 2005. Of the projected incoming freshman class, more than 100 have grade point averages above 3.75. To date, the average GPA for incoming freshmen is 3.34, up from last year's 3.2. Only around 700 will ultimately be accepted.

Originally founded in 1867 and renewed as an LDS-oriented school in 1996, Southern Virginia University is the only liberal arts college that embraces the values of the LDS Church, and is dedicated to providing the finest undergraduate education available in letters, arts and sciences in a wholesome Latter-day Saint environment. It is located in Buena Vista, VA.

The LDS-oriented behavioral standards are undoubtedly part of the attraction, particularly for Mormons based in the East who may not want to go to school out West. The school's honor code covers honesty, obedience to the law, chastity and virtue, self-respect, and respect for others. Adherence to the Word of Wisdom health code is required. Missionary standards are prescribed for hair and grooming; mustaches (on men) are the only facial hair allowed. Students, faculty, staff and administration share in the responsibility to personally uphold these standards, so not only do they exhibit the standards, they are also encouraged to make “on the spot” corrections when infractions are observed. The latter practice may be considered oppressive by some.

Naturally, this environment is attractive to Mormons; there are five student LDS wards on campus. However, people from other faiths can attend the school. Just bear in mind that you'll be living in a predominantly Mormon environment (96 percent LDS), and be prepared to accept it in advance. For someone who wants to go to school to get an education rather than to party, it's a good place.

How did SVU become a Mormon school? In 1996, the original Southern Virginia College's board of trustees transferred the school's assets and liabilities to a new board, most of whom were members of LDS Church. They reorganized the school to put forth standards, values, and beliefs of the LDS Church. In 2000 the school was accepted into pre-accreditation status by the American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE), which is separate from regional accreditation bodies and was renamed Southern Virginia University. In 2003 it was granted full accreditation by the AALE.

LDS Church College Of New Zealand To Closes Its Doors At The End Of The 2009-10 School Year; A Local Group Wants To Stop Its Demolition

The LDS Church College of New Zealand is scheduled to close its doors permanently at the end of the 2009-10 school year, after 52 years of operation. This came as a surprise to me; I only learned of this story from an individual who had a LTE published in the Salt Lake Tribune on October 22nd, 2009. Here's the letter:

The LDS Church College of New Zealand is scheduled to close at the end of this year. Sad as this is for many of us, we respect the right of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to make this decision. However, I question its decision to demolish the school buildings and convert the campus to farmland. The school is 50 years old, but its facilities are still vastly superior to most schools here.

The school achieved an excellent academic record, particularly with Polynesian students. Its students are almost all Mormon, and they strengthen the LDS Church here and New Zealand. Our government's educational authorities are willing to discuss taking over the operation of the school as a special character school. All that is now praiseworthy and of good report about the school could continue but would be funded by the New Zealand government.

Governance of the school would be in the hands of a board of trustees that, given the nature of the school, would be Mormon. LDS Church leaders need to be aware that this option exists and explore it carefully before demolishing the school buildings.

Robert Cammock
Hamilton, New Zealand

A brief Google search revealed that the LDS Church announced the decision to close the school back in June 2006. At the time, Elder W. Rolfe Kerr, who was on the Quorum of the Seventy and also the Commissioner of the Church Educational System, explained "This has been an agonizing, multi-year decision which has been made at the highest levels of Church administration. President Gordon B. Hinckley visited the school himself three years ago to make a personal evaluation. The decision is sad in many ways, but it is the right one and will allow the Church to bless others in parts of the world where the need is greater."

Regarding the decision, Church officials also explained at the time that it is the policy and practice of the Church to discontinue operation of such schools when local school systems are able to provide quality education. As of 2006, only 10 percent of eligible LDS youth attended CCNZ; more than 6,000 others were attending other local high schools throughout New Zealand. The strength of New Zealand's educational programs was also cited as a major factor in the decision to close the school. Apparently, New Zealand does a much better job of keeping politics out of their schools than we do in the United States.

The school's aging facilities were also cited as a contributing factor, although no intention to raze the facilities was expressed at the time. Apparently, the facilities are now considered too old to be justifiably maintained; according to this June 2009 story from the Waikato Times, the Church now maintains that the buildings are an earthquake risk even though a local group of LDS wants to buy the facility. The college, which is adjacent to the LDS temple in Hamilton, was originally constructed by volunteer labor missionaries and dedicated April 26th, 1958, by then-Church President David O. McKay, six days after he dedicated the adjacent temple.

Further information about this issue is posted on the Save CCNZ blog.

For The First Time Since 1846, Nauvoo University Opens Its Doors, And Not Under LDS Ownership

According to a press release published by PRNewswire, Nauvoo University will resume operations for the 2009-10 school year after a 163-year hiatus. But it will not be owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The school's website is available HERE. Additional stories can be read at Meridian Magazine and from the Deseret News in June 2008, which also referred to a similar postsecondary school called Desert Valley Academy to be established in the Moapa Valley in Southern Nevada.

The university has been reorganized as an independent coeducational institution that adheres to LDS standards and principles but is not owned, operated, funded, or supported by the LDS Church. The governing body of Nauvoo University will be a Board of Trustees. Admission is open to students of all faiths who meet the following standards: morality and honesty, abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, modest dress and ecclesiastical endorsement. Enrollment is open to everyone.

Students at Nauvoo University will be co-registered as students of NU and at Carl Sandburg College (CSC) in Galesburg, IL, which will allow them to transfer credits and apply for scholarships through CSC. Tuition for 2009-2010 is $2,145 per semester, relatively low as faculty and staff have volunteered to serve without pay so that the university may be restored. The school will use the Manor House of the Nauvoo Family Inn and Suites to house students and staff until it begins construction on a new campus.

Beginning with a faculty of only 16 and an anticipated initial student population of 50, the university plans to start with a small program and have it grow step by step. The first year they will offer classes that will be transferrable to other institutions. Afterwards, they seek to evolve into a community college offering associate degrees in General Education, Music and History, but ultimately becoming a fully-accredited 4-year university offering bachelors degrees.

The mission of Nauvoo University was originally spelled out by the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1841. At the time, he stated, "The University of the City of Nauvoo will enable us to teach our children wisdom -- to instruct them in all knowledge, and learning, in the Arts, Sciences and Learned Professions. We hope to make this institution one of the great lights of the world, and by and through it, to diffuse that kind of knowledge which will be of practical utility, and for the public good, and also for private and individual happiness." Nauvoo University intends to replicate this threefold mission.

Nauvoo University was initially chartered in 1840 by the Illinois State Legislature and began operation in 1841. It became dormant in 1846 after the main body of Latter-day Saints emigrated to Utah. Nauvoo never really recovered from its salad days as an LDS population center during the 1840s, and still has a population of only 1,100. However, it is slowly returning to prominence, particularly with the opening of the second Nauvoo Temple in 2002. You can read more about the history of Nauvoo from Wikipedia HERE, and from the Community of Christ's perspective HERE.

Another similar college is Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, Va., which was formed by a private group of Latter-day Saint businessmen and educators based on the values and standards at BYU. It opened its doors in 1996 with 76 students and has since grown to attract several hundred per year.

Foundation For Individual Rights In Education (FIRE) Report Can Help LDS Students Choose A Secular University Offering Maximum Freedom Of Conscience

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strongly encourages its young people seeking a college education to attend one of the Church-owned schools available. These include Brigham Young University (Utah), as well as BYU-Idaho and BYU-Hawaii. Church members in good standing pay lower tuition at these schools, and because they are Church-owned, LDS students will be able to fully abide the laws and ordinances of the Gospel without fear of being sanctioned out of political correctness.

Of course, there's a tradeoff for this guaranteed freedom of conscience. To remain students in good standing at these three schools, LDS students must remain Church members in good standing as well. This means remaining qualified to possess a temple recommend, and to receive an annual worthiness certification from an LDS bishop or branch president. To some LDS students, this might prove to be too stifling. So many LDS students will pick a different Christian school (like Liberty University) or even a secular school to obtain an academic degree.

But the downside of many secular universities is draconian speech and anti-hate codes which go beyond mere protection and actually oppress those who prefer to live by LDS or other Christian standards, according to the dictates of one's conscience. An LDS student may be required, for the sake of "diversity", to room with a drunken party animal who listens to black metal or some ghetto transplant who listens to loud, offensive, obscenity-laden rap. Or worse yet, an LDS student may be forced to room with a homosexual or transsexual. And an LDS student who resists the advances of a homosexual may even be formally accused of "hate" (although the latter extreme is still admittedly rare).

So what LDS students seeking a secular university should look for is a school that allows them the greatest freedom of conscience to avoid being forcibly exposed to culturally-antagonistic lifestyles. Fortunately, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) comes to our rescue. They've just issued a report in which they rate and categorize most of the secular universities in the United States for tolerance of free speech. Read their press release HERE. On pages 15 and 16 of their 16-page report, they group universities into three categories: Red Light, for universities openly antagonistic to free speech; Yellow Light, for universities with variable or selective oppression; and Green Light, for universities generally respectful of free speech with only a bare minimum of speech codes.

To find out about universities in your state, click HERE to select the state of interest. From there, you can select the campus of interest.

LDS students should first consider universities on the Green Light list. Unfortunately, this is too easy because there are only eight of them. They are listed below:

(1). Alabama A&M University: Individual FIRE report HERE.
(2). Carnegie Mellon University: Individual FIRE report HERE.
(3). Cleveland State University: Individual FIRE report HERE.
(4). Dartmouth College (NH): Individual FIRE report HERE.
(5). University of Nebraska–Lincoln: Individual FIRE report HERE.
(6). University of Pennsylvania: Individual FIRE report HERE.
(7). University of Tennessee–Knoxville: Individual FIRE report HERE.
(8). University of Utah: Individual FIRE report HERE.

Bear in mind that these eight universities merely meet FIRE's standards for supporting free speech; they still may provide a social environment inconsistent with LDS standards. The idea is that if you are LDS and are looking for a university where you have the best chance of practicing your religion unmolested, this is the list you should check first.

If none of the schools on the above list are suitable, then you can start checking the list of Yellow-Light universities on page 15 of the report. They may have only one or two objectionable policies which you can easily trend around.

However, Red-Light universities may have numerous objectionable anti-free speech policies, and you're better off avoiding any of them if possible.