In the stillness of the budding spring of Sharon, Vermont, Kimberly Jo Smith stood in the quiet forest for the first time, looking down on the remaining moss-covered foundation stones of the home where her great-great grandfather was born. Standing at Joseph Smith’s birthplace last May, she completed the circle of her family’s story. After Joseph’s death his children all chose paths outside of the Church, leaving their children and grandchildren in various places and various faiths. In Kimberly’s generation some of them started to come back. When Kimberly was twelve years old she first learned of Joseph and Emma, beginning a twenty-four year journey into the Church that Joseph restored.

Remember the emotional faces and powerful words of African Americans four years ago, as the country was voting whether to elect the first black president? You won’t see much of that among Mormon Americans, regardless of Tuesday’s outcome.Sure, there will be celebrating or mourning among Mormons who describe themselves as political conservatives (which is to say, most of them). But most members of Mitt Romney’s faith won’t even be at results-watching events; church officials are barely acknowledging Tuesday’s vote (the top item on the LDS Web site says: “members invited to share the gospel through magazine subscriptions”); and even at the Northwest D.C. Mormon church a President Romney would attend, regular weekly classes are all that’s scheduled Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, August 22 and Thursday, August 23 “World News with Diane Sawyer” aired a two-part report “Inside the Mormon Church” from ABC’s Dan Harris. In introducing the series Diane Sawyer said — “It’s a time of change in America. In the last 12 years alone we have seen the election of the first black President, the first Jewish candidate on a major ticket — Senator Joe Lieberman, and next week, another breakthrough – the first Mormon nominee for President, a profound and historic moment for the Mormon faith, which is a still a mystery to a lot of people. So tonight, Dan Harris begins a two-part series, answering questions about this uniquely American religion.”

Nish and Emily come from two completely different backgrounds.

Understand the potential pitfalls that are laid out by those who are so critical of the church whether they do so intentionally or not.

Lunch and Learn Series with Deseret Book Artists and Authors11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Downtown Deseret Book Store, SLC, Utah

Whether or not you have a loved on who is LGBT, it is important we talk about homosexuality and LGBT issues in our wards and in our homes in lovely and considerate but also faith-affirming ways. As we come to better understand what our fellow brothers and sisters are experiencing, we can better know how to support them in the ways that are most needed.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf and his wife, Harriet, recently visited Church members in Paris and Brussels on a Church assignment in Europe. Following devastating terrorist attacks in both countries earlier this year, President Uchtdorf remarked, “It is incredible how they reach out to those around [them] . . . When bad things happen to us, it’s always a time to reach out to those who need help.”

How relevant is religion? It’s a question each new generation asks itself. As times change, new circumstances present new challenges and possibilities. And yet, through it all, this immemorial longing we call religion continues on. In the 1960s, sociologists came to a consensus that religion was fading. As knowledge and freedom increased, they theorized, so modern society would outgrow religion. Thirty years later, however, that hypothesis was reversed. One of these sociologists, Peter Berger, explained the miscalculation this way: “Religion has not been declining. On the contrary, in much of the world there has been a veritable explosion of religious faith.”[2] He concluded that just because the world is becoming more modern doesn’t necessarily mean it is becoming less religious. Religion, it can be said, is just as relevant now as it has ever been.

On Dec. 19, Mitt Romney appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman to read “The Top Ten Things Mitt Romney Would Like to Say to the American People.” He gazed into the camera and deadpanned, “Isn’t it time for a President who looks like a 1970s game show host?” He also poked fun at his helmet hair and took a jab at Newt Gingrich. One thing absent from the list: his religion. In speeches, Romney often talks about faith and prayer but rarely mentions that he is a devout Mormon. Perhaps that’s because national polls show many Americans—particularly evangelical Christians he needs to win—know little about the religion and are suspicious of it. A June Gallup poll found that 18 percent of Republicans wouldn’t vote for a Mormon for President.