When a friendly man in Hawaii rented her a life jacket so she could try floating on a surfboard for the first time, Kennedy Ann Hansen thanked him with a hug.

Most Americans believe religious responses to gay and lesbian issues is an important reason young people are leaving organized religion. But researchers who have dug into this topic have discovered some findings that might surprise you.

There’s no such thing as fitting the “mold” of the Church, although it might sometimes feel that way.

“I’ve found that the more you rely upon God and your faith, you find that you have the tools to overcome anything," A.J. Edwards said.

“There will be a convergence of discoveries (never enough, mind you, to remove the need for faith) to make plain and plausible what the modern prophets have been saying all along…[I] do not expect incontrovertible proof to come in this way…, but neither will the Church be outdone by hostile or pseudo-scholars.” (Neal A. Maxwell) In 1997 a group of Latter-day Saints who frequented the Mormon message boards of America Online found that they were responding to the same LDS-critical arguments over and over. They decided to form a non-profit organization so they could share information and create a repository of responses. That organization was The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, or FAIR. In 1999 FAIR held their first conference in Ben Lomond California. A large percentage of the few who attended this first conference were the speakers themselves. Two weeks ago FAIR held their fifteenth annual conference in Provo, Utah, with about 400 attendees.

In ticking off his credentials on the campaign trail — management consultant, businessman, governor — Mitt Romney omits what may have been his most distinctive post: Mormon lay leader, offering pastoral guidance on all manner of human affairs from marriage to divorce, abortion, adoption, addiction, unemployment and even business disputes. Bryce Clark was a recipient of Mr. Romney’s spiritual advice. Late one summer night in 1993, distraught over his descent into alcoholism and drug use, Mr. Clark, then a 19-year-old college student, decided to confess that he had strayed from his Mormon faith. So he drove through this well-heeled Boston suburb to Mr. Romney’s secluded seven-bedroom home.

Grief and heartbreak are a part of life. We have all experienced loss in one way or another, but that doesn’t soften the blow when we lose a loved one or experience tragedy.

Like millions of others worldwide, the terrorist attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 left Avais Ahmed with a feeling of great sorrow. For all of us, it was a tragedy beyond comprehension, but for Ahmed, it was doubly painful, because it was another incident that shed a negative light on his faith as a Muslim.

Two decades ago, Michael R. Collings bought a house that quickly became a homeowner's nightmare.

Okay, let's take a second to send a big, heartfelt thank you to Corianton. It's not easy to have a parent call you out for the sins you've committed, let alone have those sins immortalized in the scriptures—ouch. But because of Corianton, and other teachings recorded in Alma 39–42, we learn very important lessons about what it means to be converted to Christ. In this week's study group, we are going to dig into those lessons and learn the foundational doctrines we need nourish our testimony of the gospel.