Every U.S. president has dealt with criticisms from the press of their day. Being able to influence public narratives has often been an important task for any politician or public personality. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, for example, were so concerned with the way the newspaper Gazette of the United States was shaping opinions against their Democratic-Republican Party that they covertly established a partisan editor and newspaper of their own, the National Gazette, to counterattack their rivals in The Federalist Party.

Conference Talk:

One of the most frequently asked doctrinal questions since the early days of the Church concerns the history and whereabouts of the Israelites sometimes called the "lost ten tribes." Yet "Where are the lost ten tribes?" is not a Latter-day Saint question at all. It was brought into the Church by early converts from other denominations, who were already speculating concerning it. It was asked more commonly in past generations, but even today the question still arises. It is unfortunate that it should be asked at all, however, because latter-day revelation gives clear teaching on the subject—as does the Bible. The expression "lost tribes" is found in only two verses of scripture—both in the Book of Mormon (see 2 Ne. 29:13; 3 Ne. 17:4). Both passages refer to members of the house of Israel outside their ancestral homeland. Nephi indicates that the word lost shows the perspective of the Israelites in Palestine: the "lost" tribes were simply "lost from the knowledge of those who are at Jerusalem" (1 Ne. 22:4). Thus those people are Israelites who were removed from Palestine and whose history was unknown to those who remained, including to the writers of the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

You might recognize Christopher “Topher” Clark as the actor who played Paul in the Church’s Bible videos. So it is only appropriate that at his funeral, after his mortal battle against ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease was over, his sister Stephanie Nielson said she had been studying the life of the Apostle her brother portrayed.

Editor’s Note: Tammy Uzelac Hall is the host of LDS Living’s newest podcast, “Sunday on Monday,” a weekly Come, Follow Me focused podcast that dives into the hidden treasures of the gospel. Here are five questions readers might have while reading the first chapters of the Book of Mormon in their studies this week, accompanied with Hall's insights that add new meaning to the beloved verses.

Scripture is a hallmark of religion, and we believe that regular scripture study is a key to spiritual progress and protection. The Latter-day Saint scripture library includes the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. The Lord also instructed us to treat the teachings of living prophets as scripture: “For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith” (D&C 21:5). How can we maintain a course of study that draws upon both sources and gives them the attention they deserve? Here are four ways you can seamlessly integrate your study of the standard works with your study of the teachings of living prophets.

This article is part of a series called “12 Days of Christmas: A daily study guide to bring the Savior into the season.” See the full list of days in the study guide and learn more about how it’s formatted here.

This article is republished with permission from Book of Mormon Central. For more inspiring and instructive content on the Book of Mormon visit Book of Mormon Central, subscribe to our mailing list, see our YouTube videos, and follow us on Facebook.

The life story of Newel and Lydia’s son Jesse Knight raises a familiar but provocative question: How far will the temple’s sealing power reach out to rescue the wandering children and grandchildren of faithful, temple-married parents? Some Church members believe that eventually, regardless of when or how far some of their posterity may stray, the sealing power will bring them back. The answer to their question rests on the central issue of agency. It may help to ask it this way: If God extends redeeming grace and exalting power through the full blessings of Christ’s Atonement and the priesthood ordinances, why must each of us still engage the process so willingly?

All my life I have been taught to accept Church callings, knowing that despite my inadequacies, with the Lord’s help I could do my best. However, in September 2009, the bishop of our ward came over to our home for what my husband and I assumed was a friendly, get-to-know-you-better kind of visit. We were both completely stunned when he asked me, at age seventy-eight, to be the Primary president in the Bloomington Seventh Ward. My first response was, “Bishop, what are you thinking?” Why the surprise? My age aside, I informed him that I don’t see very well, I don’t hear very well, and I certainly don’t breathe as well as I did when I was younger. The bishop explained to me that as he reflected upon a new Primary president, my name kept coming to his mind. Although he tried to dismiss the feeling, after praying about the matter, he still felt impressed to call me. He even went to the temple to pray about who should be Primary president, and the impression continued that I should be called to this position. And so when he came to my home and offered his explanation as to why I was being called, I knew I could not say no. Could you say no, with such an explanation? Of course, when I told my daughter about the conversation, she said, “But did you tell him that you can’t sing?”