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Joseph’s short-lived presidential run
In the wake of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, it may be of interest to note the first U.S. presidential candidate ever to be slain during a campaign.
It was church founder Joseph Smith.
A fringe candidate for the White House, Smith was gunned down 180 years ago by a mob — with his brother Hyrum — on June 27, 1844, at a jail in Carthage, Illinois.
He was 38 years old.
Joseph’s platform during his quixotic quest centered on securing the constitutional rights of religious minorities, abolishing slavery, expanding the nation’s borders, reestablishing a national bank and eliminating prisons.
Learn more about Smith’s short-lived, revolutionary and renegade campaign for the Oval Office and why it still resonates today in this previous “Mormon Land” podcast with historian Spencer McBride, author of “Joseph Smith for President: The Prophet, the Assassins, and the Fight for American Religious Freedom.”
And gain new insights to his martyrdom — why the killers felt justified; why it was about more than religion; and what Smith’s death says about faith freedoms in the U.S. — from this “Mormon Land” podcast with historian Benjamin Park, author of “American Zion: A New History of Mormonism.”
YSA gets ‘older’
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The Church of Jesus Christ has adjusted the range of ages for what it considers young single adults (YSAs) and single adults (SAs). “Young single adult” now refers to unmarried members ages 18-35. “Single adult” now describes unmarried members ages 36 and older.
If you are 34 years old, unmarried and a Latter-day Saint, you are now considered a “young single adult” in the church.
Yes, church leaders have adjusted the age groupings for single members.
The term “young single adult” now refers to unmarried members ages 18 to 35, according to a news release and a letter from the church’s Priesthood and Family Department. Previously, young single adults referred to those 18 to 30.
Consequently, the label “single adults” now describes unmarried members ages 36 and older. Before, it covered those 31 and older.
Areas with large numbers of young single adults can form separate wards for members ages 18 to 25 and those 26 to 35, the letter explains. In addition, Latter-day Saints who are 18 to 35 are encouraged to attend institute classes, “where they will find friends, feel a sense of belonging, and experience Christ-centered teachings.”
The latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: When church is hard
Church can be painful for members. Questions sometimes arise about the faith’s history, culture, doctrine, policies and finances. But this week’s guest, physician Tyler Johnson, a former bishop of a young single adult ward, offers words of healing in his new book, “When Church Is Hard.”
Listen to the podcast.
Dueling Biden reactions
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney, shown in 2022, had sharply different reactions to President Joe Biden's exit from the 2024 presidential race.
• Utah’s two Latter-day Saint U.S. senators took different tacks in their response to President Joe Biden’s momentous decision to exit the 2024 presidential race:
Wrote Mike Lee on X, formerly Twitter: “Biden’s choice to step down was neither heroic nor brave. He was backed into a corner after lying to the country for at least a year, probably much longer. He acknowledges only what he must, ignoring the fact that if he’s not fit to run, he’s not fit to be president.”
Said Mitt Romney: “I’m a classic Republican and he’s a classic Democrat; obviously, President Biden and I usually didn’t see eye to eye. I opposed many of his initiatives. But we did find common ground on infrastructure, Ukraine, the Electoral Count Act, adding religious liberty protections to the marriage bill, gun safety measures and chip manufacturing. Others will judge his presidency. However, having worked with him these past few years, I respect President Biden. His decision to withdraw from the race was right and is in the best interest of the country. Ann and I send warm personal wishes to the president and first lady.”
Second Vegas temple gets go-ahead
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) An artist's rendering of the proposed 70,000-square-foot Lone Mountain Nevada Temple.
• After going the rounds with a number of neighbors, the church gained City Council approval to build its Lone Mountain Temple in Las Vegas, KTNV reported last week. The single-spired, three-story, 70,000-square-foot building will be the faith’s second temple in Nevada’s largest city.
The church did agree to lower the steeple by 20 feet — to 196 feet, down from 216.
From The Tribune
• If a retooled tithing lawsuit from multiple states — now consolidated in federal court in Salt Lake City — ultimately wins class-action status, it could lead to millions of members or ex-members suing the church.
• The latest court filing is evidence, Tribune columnist Gordon Monson writes, that the church needs to be transparent about its finances.
(Tribune archives; St. Meinrad Archabbey). The story goes that polygamous Latter-day Saint prophet Brigham Young proposed a platonic "sealing" to Mother Augusta, leader of the Holy Cross Sisters in early Utah, so the Catholic nun would have a place in Mormonism's highest heaven.
• Polygamous prophet Brigham Young proposed a platonic “sealing” to a beloved Catholic nun so she would be assured of a place in Mormonism’s highest heaven — or so the story goes. Tribune guest columnist Michael Patrick O’Brien explores the story.
• Vice President Kamala Harris and church President Russell Nelson share an influential mutual friend, who lauds both as “followers of Jesus.”
• The church donated $1 million to help expand a supportive housing complex for seniors and veterans in Salt Lake City.