LDS Church Issued A Statement In 2006 Disavowing Any Official Stance On Whether Or Not Jesus Was Married

Most readers of this blog have already learned of the discovery of a double-sided fragment of papyrus no bigger than a business card which has ignited speculation that Jesus Christ was married during his mortal probation. Karen Kelley, a professor at Harvard Divinity School at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, explains "And then Jesus said to his disciples, 'My wife,' and in the next sentence he says she is able to be my disciple". Kelly said that those phrases -- "my wife" and the idea Jesus may have had a female disciple -- have not appeared before in historical writing. The professor was given the fragment by an anonymous collector, and while she is convinced the translation is accurate, she still questions whether or not it is enough to answer the question one way or another. Some historical experts at a Coptic conference currently in progress in Rome think it's a forgery.

Naturally, various Christian denominations have been asked to weigh in. A spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church said, "Let the scholars say what they want, the Church stands by its doctrine, which goes back to the earliest Christians." So what about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? The question about the LDS Church's official doctrinal position on this issue previously arose after the release of the movie "The DaVinci Code" in 2006. According to the Bloggernacle Times on May 17th, 2006, the LDS Church issued this statement by spokesman Dale Bills, published by KSL Channel 5:

“The belief that Christ was married has never been official Church doctrine. It is neither sanctioned nor taught by the Church. While it is true that a few Church leaders in the mid-1800s expressed their opinions on the matter, it was not then, and is not now, Church doctrine.”

This doesn't mean that Jesus wasn't married. It simply means that Church leaders have not received an official answer via revelation to canonize and disseminate to the general membership. Thus members remain free to speculate and debate on this question.

According to FAIRMormon, several LDS leaders including Apostle Orson Hyde and President Joseph Fielding Smith believe that Jesus was married. The Mormon academic community has previously weighed in. In 2006, Andrew Skinner, Ph.D., BYU Dept. of Religion, said "There is nothing in the canonical New Testament, there is nothing in restoration scripture, there is really even nothing in non-canonical sources that you can use as evidence that Jesus was married or he wasn't married. The sources are silent on that aspect."

LDS Apostle Dallin H. Oaks Cautions LDS Members Against Joining Militia Groups Who Form On The Basis Of Latter-Day Prophecy

Many patriotic members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, upon encountering the latter-day prophecies of people like Joseph Smith and Wilford Woodruff, look to prepare themselves against the expected tribulation. Some even go so far as to join militia groups who train to survive and operate in the absence of a civil infrastructure.

However, one LDS member who joined a militia got into serious legal trouble, and though he successfully dodged conspiracy to murder charges, Coleman Barney still faces prison time for various weapons charges. Undoubtedly, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, is aware of this case, and during a regional stake conference held at the Marriot Center at Brigham Young University on Sunday September 16th, 2012, decided to address it indirectly. The Salt Lake Tribune picked up the story, so the cat's out of the bag.

Elder Oaks began his talk by reminding the audience of the Church's position of political neutrality, and urged attendees to conduct their political discussions and advocacy in a civil manner, reminding people that we are all first and foremost brothers and sisters in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Oaks noted that the Church will not always respond publicly to every incident of inaccurate representation because it may give the impression that the Church is promoting or opposing one or another candidate.

But it was about halfway through his speech that Elder Oaks delivered his warshot on militias (the full text of the speech is posted at this YouTube site; since the audio quality is poor, I'm not embedding the video here):

Another example that I understand to be current among some members in this part of this church is the influence of right-wing groups who mistakenly apply prophecies about the last days to promote efforts to form paramilitary or other organizations. Such groups might undermine the authority of public officials in the event of extraordinary emergencies or even in cases of simple disagreement with government policy. The leaders of the church have always taught that we should observe the law and we should not try to substitute our own organizations for the political and military authorities put in place by Constitutional government and processes. We counsel against joining or supporting paramilitary organizations. I have sometimes taught this principle by reminding that the church has counseled the storage of food and water, not the storage of arms and ammunition.

One person took the videographer to task on the YouTube website, writing "Are you aware that posting this is against Church guidelines? See Handbook 2, 21.1.33". Here's what the Handbook states about recording speeches by General Authorities:

Church members should not record the talks or addresses that General Authorities and Area Seventies give at stake conferences, missionary meetings, or other meetings. However, members may record broadcasts of general conference on home equipment for personal, noncommercial use.

The problem is that the deed is done and the cat's out of the bag. Unknowledgable people and anti-Mormons will draw and state inaccurate or unfavorable conclusions about Elder Oaks' speech. Thus it behooves us to be conversant about the speech and be prepared to set the record straight. The speech has already triggered some debate among LDS members on the Tribune's website (after the jump):

40 Days For Life Campaign A Worthy Pro-Life Endeavor For Involvement By Mormons

The life of the average active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints revolves considerably around the local ward. In heavily-Mormon areas such as Utah and Southeast Idaho, this can cause many LDS members to become insular and develop tunnel vision despite their best efforts. Not even a two-year stint in the mission field may necessarily cure this syndrome, since a full-time mission is still "all-Mormon all the time".

Here's an opportunity for Mormons to break out of that insular mode and interact with other people in the community -- all for a worthy political cause. The 40 Days For Life campaign begins nationwide on September 26th and continuing until November 4th. This campaign -- the 11th on record -- will be the largest and longest internationally coordinated pro-life mobilization in history; it will encompass 49 US states, Washington, DC, seven Canadian provinces, Australia, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Uganda. Some of their previous successes include 69 abortion workers quitting their jobs and walking away from the abortion industry, and 24 abortion facilities completely shutting down following local 40 Days for Life campaigns.

The complete list of locations is available HERE. Note that most of the vigils will take place outside of Planned Parenthood facilities.

Although an activist can simply show up at a designated time and place, 40 Days For Life prefers that you register an account like on this vigil calendar so you can sign up for a particular time block. Since some pro-life advocates are under frequent attack by the Southern Poverty Law Center, 40 Days For Life also asks you to certify your agreement with the following pledge:

I testify to the following:

1. I will only pursue peaceful solutions to the violence of abortion when volunteering with the 40 Days for Life campaign

2. I will show compassion and reflect Christ’s love to all abortion facility employees, volunteers, and customers

3. I understand that acting in a violent or harmful manner immediately and completely disassociates me from the 40 Days for Life campaign

4. I am in no way associated with the abortion facility/Planned Parenthood or its affiliates by way of employment, informant, volunteer, client, or otherwise

While standing in the city right of way in front of the abortion facility:

5. I will not obstruct the driveways or sidewalk while standing in the public right of way

6. I will not litter on the public right of way

7. I will closely attend to any children I bring to the prayer vigil

8. I will not threaten, physically contact, or verbally abuse the abortion facility/Planned Parenthood employees, volunteers, or customers

9. I will not vandalize private property

10. I will cooperate with local city authorities

Although the primary purpose in showing up for one of their vigils is to represent THEIR cause, a secondary purpose can be to capitalize upon opportunities to share the fulness of the Gospel as they arise. It's best to wait until asked, but invariably, one of your fellow activists will ask you about your church, and that gives you the opportunity to introduce them to Mormonism. Don't try to spam them with all the missionary discussions at once; answer their questions one at a time. Also be conversant on the official LDS position on abortion, in which abortion is permissible for life or health reasons, and in the case of rape and incest.

Remember, a Roman Catholic's faith is just as sacred to a Catholic as ours is to us.