Take a look at these stunning images from around temple square--some of them unexpected--that will make you see it in a whole new way. And can you believe Christmas lights are already up on temple square!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is deeply concerned that the ongoing conflicts between religious liberty and LGBT rights is poisoning our civil discourse, eroding the free exercise of religion and preventing diverse Americans of good will from living together in respect and peace. Lawmakers across the nation, including members of Congress, are working to enact or strengthen laws that ensure LGBT persons fair access to important rights, such as nondiscrimination in areas like housing, employment and appropriate public accommodations. The Church is on record favoring reasonable measures that secure such rights.

“I want to start with the common belief we have that African-American personal histories are unknown and unknowable. Indeed, this is a common idea both among professional historians and among those of us who do genealogies,” stated Dr. Leslie Harris, keynote speaker at the 9th annual African-American Genealogy Conference held March 9 at the Harlem LDS meetinghouse. Sponsored by the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society and the Church, the conference drew many attendees from the greater New York metropolitan area.

Our album for this war year is sadly lacking in pictures of Sunday Schools and Relief Societies from Europe. Here’s what the cameras did catch:

As a 9-year-old girl, Mary Ann Mele Wong Song traveled with her family from their home in Kauai to Oahu for the dedication of the Laie Hawaii Temple in November 1919.

In this Mormon Matters episode, we have the privilege of having a wonderfully fresh and engaging discussion with Richard Bushman, a well-known and distinguished historian who from 1989 until a few years ago also served as a stake patriarch. He, in interaction with podcast host Dan Wotherspoon and panelist Jared Anderson, generously offers his perspectives on just what patriarchal blessings are–and what they are not. In what way are they “prophecy”–and he does not back down from that term!–but also what are our responsibilities in working with all words of God, even prophecy (which, he is very adamant about, are all mediated by human minds)? How might someone re-frame what they see as a patriarchal blessing’s promise–such as being alive at the time of Christ’s return–that has “failed”? He also shares much about his own calling to be a patriarch and what the experience of giving patriarchal blessings is like for him. He explores his sense of what it means to declare someone’s “lineage” through one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jared Anderson, in this section as well as an earlier framing of biblical precedents for patriarchal blessings and prophecies offers a wonderful reminder of the history of Israel and the “lost tribes,” along with fascinating insights into certain lines of argument in today’s biblical scholarship that both complicate and possibly free up for some people expectations about literal descent or what is going on when the Bible seems to contain passages that predict the future. Finally, the panelists discuss the idea of pre-existence in Mormon thought that often finds its way into patriarchal blessings through the words of some patriarchs who declare things about recipients’ “valiancy” during the War in Heaven or refer to some other aspect of pre-earth existence. If some people are declared to have been especially valiant, is the flip-side true that many others were not? Evil has often been done with such ideas, so this notion offers a good opportunity for an important wrestle–one that this discussion delivers.

MR says: If you have had a loved one leave the Church, here are five important things to remember that can help you find hope and comfort.

The Church released the following statement on Friday, January 26, regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA):

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will soon have unprecedented free access to family history records, including obituaries.

Everyone feels pressured and is busy. No one likes to waste their time or at least feel like their time has been wasted. So why not put our time to the best use possible? This is a rhetorical question that puts most of us to shame. Either we believe there is nothing more important to learn than the word of God or we don’t. If we do believe it, why aren’t we spending more time studying His word and less time online in social media, in gaming, or with other fun activities?