Latest news with #JeffreyR.Holland
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Understanding the ‘nones'
In the U.K. and Europe, the rise of the religiously nonaffiliated, or 'nones,' in surveys and censuses has caused fears that the era of faith is fading fast, if not already past. Some details from the 2018 British Social Attitudes survey on religion in the U.K. placed 'nones' as 52 percent of the British population, those who identify as Christian at 38 percent and as members of non-Christian faiths at 10 percent. The 2021 Official U.K. Census (compiled during the Covid-19 pandemic) was more nuanced, but shows the sharp decline in religious identity from the first decade to the second decade of the 21st century: While Christians dropped by nearly 10 million and other faiths increased slightly, those who identified as 'no religion' grew more than 8 million over 10 years. This also shows a significant change in affiliation being merely a cultural marker, among younger people particularly. More than a third (35 percent) of those over 75 self-identify with the Church of England, whereas only 1 percent of those ages 18-24 do so. In other words, the 'Church of England' — which used to be the default religious category for nonpracticing or none-identifiers — has been simply replaced with 'none.' Moreover, self-identification does not correlate with attendance. In the U.K., for example, less than 1 percent of the entire population worships in the network of Anglican parish churches. The rise of 'nones,' then, is a strong cultural shift — though there are exceptions to the trend. For example, since the visit of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, who is now president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Sister Patricia Holland to Pembroke College Chapel in 2018, attendance at worship where I serve in Oxford, England, has grown significantly. It is helpful to know about 'nones': It reminds us always to find out where people are and start there. I admit that there is sadness for many of us in this: Rejecting religious affiliation can ignore streams of wisdom rooted in the Spirit. It also contributes to conformity to 'none-ness' ('Everyone else is a 'none,' then I must be'). Furthermore, cutting ourselves off from the religious core lays us open to the tyranny of eccentric opinion. For example, the manipulated imagery after the fires in Los Angeles showing devastation surrounding a pasted image of an untouched church or chapel. The faithful are not being offensive or disloyal to call out such practices as propagandist rather than missionary. Such populist, dishonest portrayals of our attitudes, words or works are cited as reasons why 'nones' don't want to belong to institutional religion. Let's continue to connect lovingly with 'nones,' and listen hard, without any embarrassment about our convictions. For without the center holding, there is a lack of cohesion. A commanding and profound challenge to reach across vested interests was issued by President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in October 2024, to collaborate and build trust with groups where there seems little common ground. It sounds simple, but we need to work together. No one group can do everything alone; we need dialogue, and to build trust by showing that our institutions can promote broader understanding. This means deeply engaging with 'nones.' I have to admit that I very much look forward to people who identify as 'nones' asking what faith tradition they might join and how. I can offer practical guidance on the 'how' part, but I do not have the authority to steer anyone else's agency. Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ responded to one such soul who did seek understanding and counsel to grow. When only 14 years old, Joseph Smith Jr. asked which church to join among the competing denominations of his day. At the instruction of divine personages, he became a 'none.' 'I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong,' Smith wrote of his experience. The founding prophet of the church of which Presidents Holland and Oaks are leaders started as a 'none' for good reason — but he did not stay there. He demonstrated an honest and honorable tradition of not claiming affiliation without having a personal, committed testimony. The 'none' phenomenon offers something honest and graceful to believers: helping differentiate cultural identity from the task of nurturing an enduring, authentic relationship with God in our 'none' brothers and sisters. This story appears in the April 2025 issue of Deseret Magazine. Learn more about how to subscribe.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
LDS Church Apostle Jeffrey Holland dedicates Toronto Ontario Temple
TORONTO () — President Jeffrey R. Holland, the acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, rededicated the of the Sunday afternoon. 'Today we are happy to break the lock on the Toronto Ontario Temple and its grounds, to have what we pray will be a continuous flow of faithful recommend holders in this renewed opportunity now open to us,' Holland said to those assembled both in person and across several different digital means. What are Latter-day Saint Temples? Holland told members in attendance that they should take the time to rededicate themselves to the promises of Christlike living. For many Latter-day Saints in Ontario, having President Holland there was what some called 'a beautiful moment.' Following a recent health scare, Holland commented that he is pleased with the improvement of his health. 'I felt great. I am so happy with some improvement in my health, or at least in my movement and the conditions of my health,' President Holland told the Church Sunday. 'I was very, very happy about that and happy to be back in Toronto.' Originally announced in 1984 and finished in 1990, the Toronto Ontario Temple was the second to be built in Canada and the first on the east side of the country. It is currently one of 11 Temples announced, under construction, or in operation in the country. Odette Yu has served in the Toronto temple for over a decade and told the Church that this was 'everything and more than I expected.' 'It was my first time being in the dedicatory session. It was everything and more than I expected. The temple felt different. We've been here during construction. We've been here for the open house. But it was different when the dedication took place. We could feel there was a difference in the temple,' she said. Her husband, Steven said this was probably their most powerful experience in the temple. 'We can hardly wait to serve the Lord here in His holy house,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
President Jeffrey R. Holland lifts spirits of Southern Californians devastated by wildfires
VAN NUYS, Calif. — President Jeffrey R. Holland looked across the faces Saturday of scores of Southern California Latter-day Saints who recently lost their homes and most of their possessions to recent wildfires. He assured them that he and his fellow apostolic leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ are praying for them daily. And then, emphatically, he assured them again. 'We pray for you every day,' he said. 'We pray for you in private. We pray for you in our own apostolic circle. And we pray for you in public meetings like this. 'We know something of the challenges that exist around the world — and there are many, many in distant places, as well as California. 'And we know something about the challenges in each of our own lives.' Last month's devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires consumed the homes of dozens of Latter-day Saint families from the Pacific Palisades and Altadena communities. Many others remain displaced. On Saturday, President Holland visited the capacity-filled San Fernando California Stake Center to share support and spiritual counsel — while lifting the spirits of many who remain physically overwhelmed and emotionally spent. In a nearly hourlong message fueled by emotion, tenderness and humor, President Holland, the church's Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, reminded his vast audience of the vitalness of prayer and service. Find strength in one's faith, he added — and then go look out for one another. President Holland was joined Saturday by Elder Mark A. Bragg, a General Authority Seventy and president of the church's North America West Area — along with Elder Bragg's wife, Sister Yvonne Bragg. Prayer is needed more than ever before, said President Holland. 'An event like we've faced here brings out prayers across the land; across the globe — but it surely will bring them out as family-to-family and friend-to-friend and neighbor-to-neighbor,' he said. 'We can offer those prayers before an event happens — and we surely offer them with you after they happen.' Sometimes during difficult times, all one can do is cry with loved ones — at least at the beginning. 'I don't know whether a meeting like this means anything to you, but it means a lot to us,' said President Holland. 'We cry with you, we pray with you. You're not isolated. You're not forgotten. The brotherhood and sisterhood of the Saints is a real thing — a true promise. 'And we do this across the church.' President Holland shared several 'tips or words of encouragement' that can help sustain the Los Angeles-area Latter-day Saints and their neighbors at an unsettling time. First, he said, 'God loves us.' Next, he added, 'Don't spend needless time asking, 'Why?'.' And why do tragic, heart wrenching things happen? 'Generally, we don't know,' answered President Holland. Questions, he added, often arrive without answers. Perhaps such unanswerable questions seek meaning to wildfires in Southern California. Or they could be questions about Latter-day Saint history. They could be family questions or questions about a job loss and money difficulties. 'When we have questions to which we don't know the answer, then we cling tenaciously and never yield on what we do know,' taught President Holland. 'We do know that God is our Father. God is good. God is merciful. God is kind. God is all those things with all those virtues that we're supposed to reach toward.' Seek patience — and keep one's life 'free from the love of mammon' and be content with what one has, he added. Life can be arduous. It's rarely an easy journey. But 'our Father in Heaven is not going to give us less love — but more,' said President Holland. 'Walk and talk and be and assume and project the life of the Savior in our own. That's the deal. That's what we talked about back before we came here. Christ was the model. Christ was the example. 'He wouldn't ask us to do one single, solitary thing that He had not experienced.' Christ takes his people to the 'great feast in heaven' — and pays for it all. If people follow him, promised President Holland, God will speak to them. 'He whispers to us in our pleasure. He speaks to us through our conscience. He shouts to us in our pain.' The Southern California fires were a megaphone to the deaf world, he added. 'God is asking us to listen. To pray more. To be in communication more. To know more. And to take the steps more and better.' The Southern California fires are also reminders that life is replete with loss, turbulence, challenges and disappointments. 'But what we have to remember is that God loves us,' he said. 'He is good. He is merciful. There is a plan. ... We call it the plan of salvation. We call it the plan of happiness. We call it the plan of mercy. We call it the plan of justice. We call it the plan of the gospel.' A recurring element of that plan often involved being broken, added President Holland. 'It takes broken clouds to generate rain. It takes rain over a broken earth to grow grain. It takes broken grain to make bread. It takes broken bread to feed us. 'These are the cycles of life.' The Lord, he continued, loves broken things. 'The greatest offering we can make to him is a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and he gives us this chance,' said President Holland. 'I don't think he creates them. I don't think he forces them on us. I don't think that when we have a hard day, it's God's fault if we're trying to live the gospel. 'But he turns those to an educational experience. He turns those to accepting a broken dream, a broken heart, a broken home, a broken child — and he says: 'Put it on the altar'.' God's people will stumble up to the altar with their broken elements. 'And if we're honest and pure and contrite and trying — we get back perfect. 'It's worth the journey. It's worth the trip. It's worth the challenge, the sorrow and the sadness, — because it all comes true in the end.' President Holland concluded Saturday by sharing an apostolic blessing with all gathered in the crowded stake center. 'I bless you, everyone, with every righteous desire of your heart,' he said. 'It would seem that almost no age of holy scripture can be turned to in which it does not say: 'Ask and it shall be given. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. 'We don't have a stopwatch on when that will happen — but that is repeated time after time after time after time.' The recent wildfires trigger deep emotions for the Braggs, who are both Los Angeles natives. On Saturday, Sister Bragg called the disaster's aftermath a deciding moment 'where we need to remember to have care, comfort and concern for ourselves — and care, comfort and concern for our friends and loved ones around us. 'This is where we lean on the firm declaration of our faith. Where we put our complete trust in the Lord.' Elder Bragg, meanwhile, said he is watching the Los Angeles-area members bless each other, their neighborhoods and their communities. 'I've never seen a group of individuals go through such trauma — and their first thought was to see how they could bless others,' he said. 'That is what I will remember about this time in our lives: Seeing you take care of one another so beautifully.' Continue to offer empathy and compassion to all in need, added Elder Bragg. 'As we draw close to (Christ), we can be an instrument in His hands to go and bless others — just as Christ has done. Just as He does. Just as He will continue to do, until we are safely home.'
