In 1888, speaking about the possibility of Mormon literature, the church leader Orson F. Whitney made an audacious promise to his fellow Mormons: “We will yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own.” Yet 125 years later, there is no Mormon Milton. There is no Mormon Milosz, no Mormon Munro.Mormons are, on average, better educated than most Americans, and they have written popular fiction. But Mormon authors tend to cluster in genre fiction, like fantasy, science fiction, and children’s and young adult literature. Orson Scott Card, who wrote “Ender’s Game,” the sci-fi novel on which the country’s current top-grossing movie is based, is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So is Stephenie Meyer, author of the “Twilight” series.

When an LDS mother's little boy passed away, she found a vital way she could help sick newborns in the hospital even while holding onto her faith. "We have our faith and we believe we will have him again and that he is an important part of this world and now finally the world is seeing that," Demi Frandsen shared.

Elder Glen L. Rudd, the author of Pure Religion, the Story of Church Welfare Since 1930, made a great impact on the Church's welfare program. In a personal letter, President Gordon B. Hinckley wrote, “No one knows the history of the welfare program more thoroughly than do you.”

People across the world are suffering from persecution. "And why are they suffering?" John Graz said. "Are they dangerous for their country? Are they bad people? No, most of the time they are good people. But they are suffering, they are discriminated against, they are excluded only because of their religion." Graz is the public affairs and religious liberty director for the Seventh-day Adventist world church and is secretary general for the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA). He carries the message of religious freedom across the world — speaking in conferences and with politicians, religious leaders and scholars. He spoke recently at BYU at the 22nd annual conference of the LDS International Society about the global challenges and trends affecting religious freedom.

Elder Lance B. Wickman, the general counsel for the LDS Church, said Thursday that believers have to prioritize religious freedoms, defending those at the innermost core of importance and compromising when needed on those that aren't as critical.

"We must be careful that news of the refugees’ plight does not somehow become commonplace when the initial shock wears off and yet the wars continue and the families keep coming," Elder Patrick Kearon said in his April 2016 general conference address. "Millions of refugees worldwide, whose stories no longer make the news, are still in desperate need of help."

"I mean under the guise of religious freedom, anybody can do anything," Gary Johnson told a reporter from The Washington Examiner. "Back to Mormonism. Why shouldn't somebody be able to shoot somebody else because their freedom of religion says that God has spoken to them and that they can shoot somebody dead?"

The story of young Jesus teaching in the temple is special in many ways. It is the only story we have about the Savior beyond His infancy and before His adulthood. It helps us see that even when He was as young as 12, He had an understanding of His life’s mission.

MR says: For more great insights into womanhood and its divinity, check out President Nelson's and Elder Holland's last conference talks.

Despite what you may have heard on Broadway, there is no way to succeed in business without really trying. Even if you really try, however, you aren't necessarily guaranteed to succeed. There are certain things you need to know and understand. Provo resident Stephen W. Gibson, 72, knows those things and, nearly 15 years ago, made a decision to share that knowledge with some people who desperately needed it. In 1999, Gibson and his wife, Bette Gibson, temporarily moved to the Philippines to pursue the self-appointed task of teaching business principles to Filipinos who had served proselytizing missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but hadn't been able to move ahead with their professional ambitions after returning home. The Gibsons, both Latter-day Saints, considered becoming missionaries themselves in order to advance their plans.