A recent Washington Post article that discussed the origins and history of Mormonism’s racialized teachings and policies has caused quite a stir, launching important conversations. The article’s most controversial element was the inclusion of comments from BYU religion professor Randy Bott in which he denied that the former LDS ban on black persons holding the priesthood or participating in temple ordinances was racist, as God’s actions were for their benefit. They weren’t ready. Through these restrictions, God was acting as a loving parent, keeping them from having to live at a higher level than they were capable of doing. Church reaction was swift–a news release the next day completely distancing the Church’s position from the justification attempts of Professor Bott, and stating unequivocally that no one knows the reasons for the ban and the church does not sanction any attempts at explaining or justifying it.

We all know that the prophets have given counsel on inappropriate music—but what about music that's just plain bad? LDS comedy sketch team Studio C explores this in their hilarious new video called "This Song is My Jam."

Dear Dave,

In Saturday’s Wall Street Journal, Samuel Brown, professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Utah, friend of the JI, and author of the recently-released In Heaven as It Is on Earth: Joseph Smith and the Early Mormon Conquest of Death (Oxford University Press, 2012), penned a short annotated list of “the five best” books on Mormonism, which included the following:

Dear Dave,

After nearly three decades of performances every Christmas season, The Forgotten Carols can definitely claim the status of a holiday tradition for families. This year signals one of the largest run of performances in its history—23 performances covering 13 cities in six western states.

This delicious can easily incorporate food storage ingredients, fresh ingredients, or both. If you are new to using your food storage, this recipe is for you! You will see the quality and convenience of freeze-dried foods. You'll also see how far your food storage buck stretches with dehydrated foods. Enjoy!

What motivated you to start writing?

What a fun way to celebrate the commonalities between our religions. There's nothing quite like food to bring people together.

Over the last six months, BYU has changed policies, implemented new programs, and hired new staff to help improve how they handle sexual assault reporting. And it looks like their efforts are making an impact.