Here’s something which might be interesting to all you Mormon-types out there: the day before yesterday Jeffrey Holland spoke at the spanking new Chapman University Interfaith Center and Jana was asked to cover the event for “LDS Media.” I tagged along as her poorly-endowed but trusty camera sidekick. (Poorly endowed equipment-wise, that is.)
For you Unmormons out there, Elder Holland is a member of the LDS Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This means that he is a lifer (unlike the comparable Catholic cardinal, who retires at 75) and one of the 15 most powerful men/people in the Church (#12 in seniority). He is also young (he was born a year and a week before the bombing of Pearl Harbor–he’s three decades younger than the almost 95 year old President Hinckley, and the second youngest Apostle). This means he has a good chance of becoming prophet himself someday.
Anyhow, meeting an Apostle of the Lord is a significant spiritual event for most believing Mormons, and from almost any perspective, it’s pretty neat to take pictures and interview one of the ultra elite of one of the fastest growing religions in the world and the 4th largest denomination in the United States.
All-in-all, I was impressed with Elder Holland’s energy and congenial nature. The following photos and commentary will fill out the picture a bit more:
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3 responses so far ↓
1 Mosfet // Apr 29, 2005 at 1:03 pm
I’m all for meeting famous people, but my mind on this one immediately screams old conservative white male elite.
Of course, I also believe that the church and beliefs are where you find it, whether it be in the company of others, or alone in a wooded glen. Its inside you and not given to you by appointed officials in official houses.
2 john // Apr 29, 2005 at 3:14 pm
Two of the things I struggle with as a Mormon, besides fundamental belief issues, are its structure and its reactionary nature. I believe that while the leaders are generally well-intentioned and kind people, their values are overwhelmingly not very progressive.
The late admittance of blacks into the priesthood (and they are still not visible in the upper echelons of the Church hierarchy) is a perfect illustration. One would think that a divinely inspired institution would eliminate discrimination ahead of its surrounding culture. Instead, it took until 1978, when the prohibition was hopelessly archaic, before the Church rescinded this racist policy.
Women continue to be locked out of Priesthood, and there really is no place for practicing homosexuals in the Church. From my narrow experience, the majority of American Mormons are jingoistic and materialistic. Which is not to say that most aren’t nice and sincere, but our political values are essentially diametrically opposed. There are exceptions–many of my best friends are found among LDS feminists, pacifists, skeptics, bohemian anti-capitalist types.
Also, not only are the top leaders white and male (and mostly Republican), but most are in their 70s, 80s, and 90s. Decision-making is decreasingly charismatic and increasingly corporate, making the conditions even more ripe for conservative policies which preserve the institution at the cost of diversity and individualism.
3 J // Apr 30, 2005 at 6:37 pm
Good pictures love. And think, now you’ve now got a photo credit in a national newspaper
Oh, congrats on winning the grand prize in the computer contest yesterday. You really do need to write ’bout that….
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