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Church advances in Caucasus country
The church has won the good graces of a country whose government has been accused of bad actions.
The nation straddles Europe and Asia, bounded by the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains. A former Soviet republic, it is home to more than 10 million people, the vast majority of them Muslim. Its largest city, Baku, is also its capital.
From this brief description, did you recognize this as Azerbaijan?
Well, that country has now recognized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Utah-based faith has completed its registration process, according to a news release, allowing it to act “in the Baku region.”
Church leaders have been cultivating relationships with Azerbaijan officials and religious leaders for nearly a decade, the release noted, capped off by a meeting last spring between apostle David Bednar and the nation’s president, Ilham Aliyev.
A year earlier, church President Russell Nelson and his counselors in the governing First Presidency welcomed Sheik ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, described as “one of the most prominent religious leaders of the Caucasus,” and Khazar Ibrahim, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the U.S., in Salt Lake City. The church said the parties discussed “religious freedom, peace and cooperation.”
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Allahshükür Pashazade, the Islamic spiritual leader of the Caucasus region, poses for a photograph with church President Russell M. Nelson during a visit to Salt Lake City. Included in the photo is First Presidency first counselor Dallin H. Oaks, far left, Azerbaijan Ambassador to the United States Khazar Ibrahim, third from left, First Presidency second counselor Henry B. Eyring, second from right, and apostle David A. Bednar, right.
The church, which has a “small group” of members who meet regularly in Baku, the release reported, has provided relief aid, wheelchairs, clean water and more as part of 70-plus humanitarian projects in Azerbaijan.
At the same time, President Aliyev and his government have drawn global criticism for launching a bloody offensive in the bitterly disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in September 2023 that forced 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee.
The U.S. State Department, meanwhile, has added Azerbaijan to its Special Watch List for “having engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom.” And Human Rights Watch has said the government “severely restricted freedoms of expression, assembly and association.”
Participating in a global forum on intercultural dialogue in Azerbaijan’s capital in May, Bednar, citing his world travels as an apostle, said people’s common humanity can help the world overcome those all-too-common conflicts.
“The commonalities I have observed among peoples of diverse backgrounds, faith traditions and cultures are truly remarkable,” he said. “Our commonalities should be more powerful than our differences.”
The latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: Changes for LDS singles
(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.
A young single adult and a former bishop of a YSA congregation discuss the recent changes to age groupings for Latter-day Saint singles and the challenges these members face.
Listen to the podcast.
Baseball blooper
In the Arizona Diamondbacks’ comeback victory Monday over the Washington Nationals, there were 17 runs, 29 hits and one BIG error — in the broadcast booth.
D-Backs’ play-by-play announcer Steve Berthiaume, the New York Post reported, bungled a camera shot of some cheering fans.
“I found my new favorite T-shirt ever,” he said. “The guy on the right [misreading his shirt]. ‘I can’t. I’m a moron.’”
Oops. The shirt, as you no doubt have guessed, actually read, “I can’t. I’m Mormon.”
ADA at church
Friday was National Disability Independence Day, commemorating the July 26, 1990, signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
To mark the occasion, Exponent II blogger Beelee posed a question for Latter-day Saints: How ADA-friendly are your meetinghouses?
For instance: Do the doors have automatic openers? Is there a way to reach the podium other than stairs? Does your congregation livestream its services? Are sign language interpreters available?
Federal law does not require religious entities to comply with the ADA.
From The Tribune
• An early prediction: The Russell M. Nelson School of Medicine. That certainly seems possible (re: likely) after the First Presidency, led by Nelson, a renowned heart surgeon turned global faith leader, announced plans to launch a medical school at church-owned Brigham Young University.
• The 2002 Winter Games never became the “Mormon Olympics” many feared. What might Salt Lake City faith leaders do for an encore in 2034?
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Gordon B. Hinckley, right, then leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and apostle Neal A. Maxwell participate in the torch relay on the eve of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Feb. 7, 2002.
• Orthodox and liberal Latter-day Saints are not all that different. That claim may surprise some, but not historian Matthew Bowman.
• Vice President Kamala Harris’ pastor, who is also a friend of President Russell Nelson, is known for activism on civil rights and Black reparations.
• Judging by the latest General Conference sermons, writes Religion News Service columnist Jana Riess, Satan just ain’t what he used to be.
• Some 177 years ago, pioneer-prophet Brigham Young led the Latter-day Saints to the Salt Lake Valley. Last week, a later apostle, David Bednar, with a cowboy hat covering his impeccably coiffed hair, led the Salt Lake City parade that honors those trailblazers.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle David A. Bednar, grand marshal of the Days of ’47 Parade in Salt Lake City, waves to the crowd on July 24, 2024.