August 16, 2023: Grassroots activism, FBI kills Utah man, Confronting #exmormon, Election reform

Real Mormonism

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let’s start with our new segment which I have renamed “The Thought Provoker”. This segment will explore the ideas and concepts that someone has to say. We focus on learning new things and challenging our own viewpoints. After each story, we will decide if someone had an interesting or unique take on something, and whether they were able to persuade others to see things their way.

First up, Matt:

A couple of months ago, the church announced a new policy requiring background checks for leaders who will work in certain callings. The new structure helps keep the church in compliance with local laws, but the impetus for change came from local members of the church who used grassroots activism to bring the issue to the attention of local leaders and promote changes in policy. We have talked before about activism in the church, but this seems like a good example of using activism to bring about positive changes in policy. Perhaps then, activism can be a good thing. Lobbying certainly has a place in the church. Where do we draw the line between faith-promoting activism and faith-deadening activism?

Next up, Sam:

What's our moral obligation to this former ward clerk who was shot by the FBI after making threats against President Biden?

Finally, Shawn:

There are over 2 billion posts on instagram and TikTok with the hashtag #exmormon . This is a very active group who relentlessly tries to persuade faithful Saints to reject the church using all manner of tactics. Many places in scripture urge us to “Faithfully contend for the faith” (Jude 1: 3…exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints). Aaron contended with an Amalekite in Alma 21, Jacob with Sherem in Jacob 7, Alma & Amulek with Zeezrom, Paul actively contended for the faith with many in Jerusalem, Greece, Syria and generally to all Gentiles. The Latter Day Lens encourages saints to civilly and faithfully contend for political ideas. What about civilly and faithfully contending for our religion with those who actively try to tear others away? Do we have a duty to respond to those 2 billion posts and contend for the faith? Or to engage publicly with those people?

Big Question:

A group in Idaho would like to change the process for selecting candidates for the general election. Right now candidates run in a primary election for their parties nomination. Whoever wins the primary runs on the ballot for the general election as the party nominee and whoever gets the most votes in the general election wins (majority voting). The new proposal would create an open primary system in which all candidates run regardless of party. The top four vote getters in the primary would complete in a general election with the winner determined by rank choice voting. Here’s how it works: The last-place candidate will be eliminated and each vote for that candidate will be transferred to the voter's second choice. This process repeats until only two candidates remain, and the candidate with the most votes is declared the winner. Some argue that this kind of electoral system leads to better representation and fewer extreme candidates winning office. Others argue that