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Deseret News
MEET AUTHOR Deseret News
The Deseret News (www.deseretnews.com) is the first news organization and the longest continuously-operating business in the state of Utah. Owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Deseret News offers news, information, commentary, and analysis from an award-winning and experienced team of reporters, editors, columnists, and bloggers. Its mission is to be a leading news brand for faith and family oriented audiences in Utah and around the world.
Author's Published Articles
Perspective: What J.K. Rowling got wrong about Joseph Smith and the golden plates
The âHarry Potterâ author tweeted that Joseph Smith never showed…
Latter-day Saint leaders join interfaith coalition letter supporting LGBTQ rights in Florida
âNow is the time to set aside political motives, malice…
Why the âBYU for Orthodox Jewsâ is asking the Supreme Court for help
Yeshiva University argues that religious freedom law protects it from…
BYU police report details what happened during BYU-Duke volleyball match
Police report and an ESPN interview with a Duke volleyball…
Perspective: The vandals who desecrated Latter-day Saint chapels are wrong â abuse is not welcome here
The faithâs doctrine, policies and culture work together to provide…
Donât believe the headlines. Few people suffer trauma from religion in childhood
People who regularly attended religious services as children are more…
Is the Joseph Smith picture real: Next steps and reaction from historians
Historians, experts weigh in on image.
The sacred scroll restoration taking place at this Utah Jewish synagogue
âOur Torah scrolls are really the most important item in…
Do American Christians complain too much?
A new report from Lifeway Research notes that many Americans…
Opinion: Itâs Utahâs time. Why the stateâs Olympic bid is destined to succeed
Utah is poised to stage the Olympics again, and to…
8 Church History Insights to Learn From the Latest Volume of the Joseph Smith Papers
âDocuments, Vol. 13â provides information about a kidnapping, letters to…
Minerva Teichert: A pioneer in painting
Teichert believed she had a divine commission to paint the…
Tabernacle Choirâs master of logistics and planning retires after 21 years of service
See an example of how logistical wizard Barry Anderson got…
Church rededicates Hong Kong Temple following renovation, scheduled to reopen in July
The Hong Kong Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ…
The pivotal decision that led Tabernacle Choir organist Richard Elliott into his music career
Tabernacle Choir principal organist Richard Elliott almost didnât go into…
Stopping Porn Means Ending Sexual ExploitationÂ
From Congressional briefings, to corporate offices and even on the…
What This Soap Opera, the Supreme Court and a New COVID-19 Vaccine Have in Common
The latest developments involving faith-based objections to the COVID-19 vaccines…
Why Pope Francis calls sexual abstinence before marriage a true sign of love
In new guide on premarital counseling, the pope says chastity…
How the fight over school prayer became a battle for the soul of the nation
Two Supreme Court decisions from the 1960s ignited a battle…
Latter-day Saint folk tales to tell around the campfire
Austin and Alta Fifeâs âSaints of Sage and Saddleâ collects…
BYU cracks the top 10 â in law school graduates passing the bar exam
For generations of would-be attorneys, passing a state bar exam…
How Elder Quentin L. Cook, Robert Abrams model interfaith friendships for Jews and Latter-day Saints
Friendship includes positive action, sharing a Jewish Sabbath meal together…
Latter-day Saint apostle calls New York interfaith group a model in its influence for good
N.Y. Commission of Religious Leaders helped stop a proposal to…
How one Latter-day Saint mother worked her way through medical school with 9 kids
Following graduation, Sarah Merrill is starting 7-year neurosurgery residency at…
âA Dream Deliveredâ: New film tells story of lost letters reuniting relatives of man born into slavery
Inspiring family history journey featuring actor Anthony Anderson and historian…
Will RootsTech return to hosting in-person events? FamilySearch says yes in 2023
The global family history conference will offer both a virtual…
Meet the tech titan who started Mormonr to answer the âhard questionsâÂ
Utah tech mogul Josh Coates has the technological chops and…
See Photos of the Urdaneta Phillipines Temple Receiving Its Angel Moroni Statue
An Angel Moroni statue has been placed on the steeple…
What a new study learned about Latter-day Saint missionaries returning to college sports
An academic study examining the experiences of 10 Latter-day Saints…
How people of faith can offer comfort â and fight for change â after mass shootings
Recent tragedies cannot be ignored, and members of the Catholic…
Why Former BYU star Trent Whiting says wife Amber is prepared to lead the womenâs hoops program
More than 20 years after Trent and Amber Whiting played…
Gunman at Hill Cumorah fires 22 shots, no one injured at Latter-day Saint visitorsâ center
Early reports say two bullets struck the center. Police are…
50 years ago, Jack Anderson â Deseret News alum and Nixon nemesis â buried a Pulitzer Prize in his closet
In an era of contentious politics and journalism, Jack Andersonâs…
Does corporate America hold the keys to religious inclusion?
Making workplaces religiously diverse and inclusive boosts the bottom line;…
How a unique student housing project at the U. could generate $1B in student aid over 99 years
The Clark and Christine Ivory Trust, the University of Utah…
Exclusive: Why Brenda Laffertyâs sister says âUnder the Banner of Heavenâ is âabsolute fictionâ
Series is âabsolute fiction,â Sharon Wright Weeks says, while the…
Latter-day Saints and the many other religions helping Ukrainian refugees
Volunteers are providing food, clothing and assistance to Ukrainian refugees…
Are school prayer rules about to change?
During oral arguments Monday, the Supreme Court wrestled with what…
Easter, Ramadan and Passover overlap this year. Hereâs why that matters
The rare alignment of major Christian, Muslim and Jewish holidays…
How to fix a broken world, according to this rabbi
The world is falling apart. But we have the tools…
Surgeon hopes to create Utah garden featuring Book of Mormon, patriotic sculptures
Meridian Magazine has been a longtime supporter of Steven Neal's…
What Latter-day Saints prioritize in spouses â and 3 other faith-related romance trends
Lots of recent research has shown that the countryâs relationship…
See what is happening as the Salt Lake Temple renovation enters its third year
The latest monthly update features a video describing the operation…
âTremendous achievementâ: Church publishes photographic record of original Book of Mormon manuscript
The Joseph Smith Papers team has pieced back together what…
The worldâs smartest man lived in the Salt Lake City library and memorized every verse of Latter-day Saint scripture
Kim Peek â the real âRain Manâ â was both…
Why Religious Freedom Will Be in the Spotlight at the 2022 Olympics
Hours after securing a spot at next monthâs Winter Olympics,…
Perspective: Keith Olbermannâs attack on Mitt Romneyâs large family is indicative of a deeper cultural rot
The sad reality is that photos with large families are…
Former Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, one of the highest ranking Latter-day Saint elected officials, dies at 82
âI am heartbroken to announce the passing of my husband,…
What makes families flourish or flounder? 5 studies you might have missed
From where people want to live and why it matters…
Why Americaâs therapist shortage canât be divorced from its crisis of faith
Of all the shortages caused by the pandemic, the therapist…
What David Archuleta wants you to understand about his faith journey
Itâs been six months since the former âAmerican Idolâ star and popular…
BYU students stand, cheer as Rev. Dr. William Barber II calls for a moral march on Washington
During a campus forum at the Marriott Center, the Rev.…
With Christus statue removed, crews begin to demolish North Visitorsâ Center at Temple Square
The business end of an excavator ripped open the roof…
Opinion: The untold stories of Latter-day Saint âreconversionâ
Weâre inundated with loss-of-faith narratives, but what about the ones…
What COVID-19 revealed about Americaâs approach to religious freedom
Cases involving COVID-19 gathering restrictions and religious groups showed why…
Opinion: BYU issued a âStatement on Belonging.â Will it succeed?
Belonging based on truth seeks to transcend walls by ascending…
Opinion: Elder Holland is right, BYUâs heritage of faith is its strength
BYUâs godly mission means fidelity to commandments and orthodoxy. It…
A Latter-day Saint behind enemy lines: The untold story of the man who spied on East Germany
Bob didnât see any way out. He didnât know if…
Lindsey Stirling is returning to the stage where judges once ripped her apart
âYouâre not good enough, I donât think, to get away…
Why donât colleges help faculty know what woke lines shouldnât be crossed?
Many schools remain mired in a kind of woke fog…
Opinion: Finding truth in a world of fiction
If there is a definite, right way to understand the…
The New Culture War Battleground is You
The shifting definition of identity is changing American society and…
How religious is your county? This new tool holds the answer
PRRIâs Census of American Religion offers a county-by-county look at…
IRS reverses decision denying Christian group tax-exempt status
Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Utah Rep. Burgess Owens expressed…
Religion at the Supreme Court: What happened this year and whatâs coming next?
The Supreme Court is now on summer break, but, before…
Opinion: The trouble with claiming 1 in 5 Latter-day Saints is nonheterosexual
One college professor got excited about some new statistics about…
Gov. Cox called on Utahns to pray for rain. Some criticized him. He responded
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox made national headlines last week when…
Why BYU, other church schools rejected tens of millions in COVID-19 relief
Four Latter-day Saint-owned colleges and universities now have turned down…
Here are 5 interesting documents and images from the latest Joseph Smith Papers volume
Joseph Smith preached more Sunday discourses during his final years…
What Elder Holland is studying each morning in 2021. One book may surprise you
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, of the Quorum of the Twelve…
Can we replace cancel culture with âaccountability cultureâ?
While cancellation is a swift and relentless blacklisting, accountability allows…
The stamp President Nelson is putting on Latter-day Saint language
Each prophet-president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day…
Church will try to preserve Manti Templeâs Minerva Teichert murals
As part of a planned renovation of the Manti Utah…
The Washington Post says the Church of Jesus Christ has billions. Thank goodness
Mondayâs Washington Post story about the finances of The Church…
James Huntsman files lawsuit seeking return of tithing; church calls fraud claims âbaselessâ
James Huntsman, son of the late billionaire Jon Huntsman Sr.…
The âunbelievableâ story of forgiveness Netflix doesnât tell in âMurder Among the Mormonsâ
Mark Hofmannâs ex-wife tells the true story of how a…
4 times President Eyring, Elder Holland and other leaders were quoted in a âPicklesâ comic strip
A quote by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum…
Utah smokes California in latest ranking of top performing U.S. cities
When it comes to the top performing economies in the…
Utahâs refreshing message after Lee and Romney vote their separate ways
Party leadership in Utah has responded in a unique, refreshing…
Granddaughter credits âguardian angelâ grandpa for saving family
Kylee Keele-Blackburn felt her grandfatherâs spirit throughout the party, but…
Supreme Court bars restrictions on religious services during pandemic in New York cases
âIt is time â past time â to make plain…
Study finds religious freedom is an area of unity in a divided America
While the country is polarized on many levels, Becketâs second…
âThe Real Housewives of Salt Lake Cityâ might not be your cup of Swig
âReal Housewives of Salt Lake Cityâ is not the show…
President Dallin H. Oaks tells BYU audience to âheed our prophetâs callâ to end racism
âOf course, Black lives matter," said President Oaks, "That is…
What it means to enlist and what we are enlisting to do
As the general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ…
At 25, The Family proclamation looks prophetic in addressing a 2020 society
The carefully written document outlining the churchâs doctrines and principles…
For Ruth Bader Ginsburg, oneness never was meant to be sameness
It is Ginsburgâs friendship, not her court opinions, that the…
Gen Zâs looking for religion. Youâd be surprised where they find it
With religious services taking place online, this might seem like…
Why the newly renamed Ensign College is the only Latter-day Saint school without the BYU name
The churchâs other higher ed institutions all use the name…
Some missionaries reach their international assignments as pandemic travel restrictions ease
The number of Latter-day Saint missionaries in some areas of…
Church announces these Utah temples are moving to Phase 2 of reopening plan
Ten Latter-day Saint temples in Utah are among 17 worldwide…
Opinion: Pandemic shaming wonât work. Try civility, instead
Of all the pandemic-fighting tools at the countryâs disposal, civility…
Tad Callister: The Founding Fathers â heroes or villains?
âToday, it is common to criticize the founders of America.…
Newly renamed Red Cliffs Temple honors St. George landmark
The temple was announced with a generic name, Washington County…
First six months of Salt Lake Temple renovation reveal the projectâs enormity
One by one, workers have delicately removed ornate finials on…
Supreme Court rules in favor of religious schools receiving taxpayer-funded scholarships
The Supreme Court has issued a 5-4 ruling in a…
Utah Area Presidency Member Joins Other Faith Leaders in Admonishing Utahns to Wear Masks
âWe pray for the end of this devastating pandemic. However,…
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland hospitalized, âdoes not have COVID-19,â church says
âElder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve…
BYU, other Latter-day Saint colleges and universities turn down $54 million from CARES Act, start private aid for students
BYU announced it will not make a decision until July…
Church of Jesus Christ releases guidelines for returning to Sunday worship
Based on local situations, some congregations may be able to…
17 Latter-day Saint temples to open for sealings on Monday, others to open in four phases
Limited opening of temples in Utah, Idaho, Germany and Sweden…
New Joseph Smith Papers volume features âimpostors,â plural marriage and poetry
One of the most interesting documents in the newest volume…
Pioneer Day celebration canceled in Salt Lake City
All of the annual Days of â47 Pioneer Day celebrations…
Opinion: Criticism of the churchâs COVID-19 aid was premature
We believe that itâs important to hold institutions to account.…
United Arab Emirates leaders welcome Latter-day Saint temple in series of tweets
The United Arab Emirates embassy in the United States sent…
How will the coronavirus affect Easter, Passover and other major religious events this month?
As if the cancellation or postponement of March Madness, baseballâs…
Church announces 9 new General Authority Seventies, new Young Men general presidency
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of…
Workers will remove Angel Moroni statue, damaged stones from Salt Lake Temple for renovation work
Workers at Temple Square are installing a mobile crane on…
200 years later, the story of the Restoration is the story of overcoming adversity
A wildly contagious flu with no vaccine in sight. Missionaries…
Coronavirus: Church is helping Iran, Italy, China and 13 other countries with medical supplies, ramps up food production
âDue to its global reach and long trajectory, this emergency…
Earthquake caused structural damage to three important Latter-day Saint buildings, 12 meetinghouses
Several Latter-day Saint buildings, including a dozen meetinghouses, were damaged…
First Presidency: All church meetings temporarily canceled worldwide
All meetings and activities of The Church of Jesus Christ…
LDS Business College renamed Ensign College on âanother day never to be forgottenâ
âThis name change will be a catalyst for reintroducing the…
Church finances: Presiding Bishopric offers unique look inside financial operations of growing faith
The bishopric gave a unique look at the breadth and…
Deseret News Op Ed: Romney and the paradox of political courage
The fallout after Sen. Mitt Romneyâs vote on Wednesday to…
Coronavirus outbreak prompts church to remove missionaries from Hong Kong
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is transferring…
Inside the churchâs donation of masks, coveralls and goggles to China over the coronavirus outbreak
The coronavirus is a new virus with no vaccine or…
Clayton Christensen, guru of disruptive innovation and Latter-day Saint leader, dies at 67
Clayton Christensen, whose theory of disruptive innovation made him a…
A Supreme Court justice, an apostle and the power of faith and reason
The modern and increasingly secular world continues to attempt to…
Woman who inspired âThe Blind Side,â âcleanâ comedian Ryan Hamilton will be keynote speakers at RootsTech
Leigh Anne Touhy, who helped inspire the book and movie…
How to overcome âFOMOâ and commit to the Savior, Elder Christofferson explains
Donât let âFOMOâ â the fear of missing out â…
Latter-day Saint Human Trafficking Victim Returns to Her Family in Miraculous Reunion
The feeling of anticipation was eating through Belle Barbu. It…
Some churches move toward armed security during services
A shooting at a Texas church in which two armed…
Itâs the start of a new era as Salt Lake Temple begins its 4-year renovation
Conference Center will play host to visitors as Temple Square…
The Washington Post says the Church of Jesus Christ has billions. Thank goodness
Mondayâs Washington Post story about the finances of The Church…
Church responds to allegations made by former employee in IRS complaint
David A. Nielsen, a former employee for the investment arm…
What you need to know about a new bill that tries to balance religious freedom and LGBTQ rights
Amid growing conflict between LGBTQ rights and religious freedom, a…
What a conservative New York Times columnist had to say to BYU students
A changed, emotionally vulnerable David Brooks, the popular conservative New…
âA new movementâ: Pray for the country, its leaders, church official urges Latter-day Saints
President M. Russell Ballard urged members of The Church of…
Carbon monoxide poisoning at Provo church serves as reminder of cold weather risks
60 people were treated after meetinghouse was evacuated.
Latter-day Saint Appointed as National Security Advisor to the President
Robert C. OâBrien, the administrationâs top hostage negotiator and a…
Why Utah Congressman Ben McAdams says heâs âuniquely situatedâ to bridge Equality Act, religious liberties
With a federal LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill stalled in the U.S.…
How Utah is showing the world why faith, self-reliance can combat poverty, create âupward mobilityâ
Church leaders, Utah-based vocational training school highlighted on panel during…
How the Supreme Courtâs sex discrimination cases could affect BYU and hundreds of faith-based colleges
A diverse coalition of faith-based college leaders say they feel…
Inside the monumental task of focusing on the name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
When President Russell M. Nelson announced a year ago that…
The story of Harper Lee, a bizarre true crime story and a thank you note that ended up at BYU
Ten years ago, Sheralyn Belyeu opened an Encyclopedia Britannica that…
‘The Book of Mormon’ musical arrives in Salt Lake for the third time. Here’s a look at its history, fans and critics
This week, the Broadway musical that skewered The Church of…
Call for a new church hymnbook generates 17,000 submissions, suggestions
Two small committees have begun to wend their way through…
When the Word of Wisdom Becomes Trendy: The Rise of Boozeless Bars
In a culture that celebrates alcohol, an oxymoron of a…
What 3 BYU church history professors learned as they wrote ‘Dreams as Revelation’
"Our Heavenly Father communicates to his children in various ways,…
VIDEO: NAACP leader who introduced President Nelson explains the ‘wow moment’ he had
The Rev. Amos Brown says he had a "wow moment"…
Church announces replacement for Boy Scouts, Personal Progress: ‘Children and Youth’
The new initiative to replace the Boy Scouts and Personal…
Fire crews put out large blaze at Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Utah
Firefighters were called out at 2:45 a.m. to 3625 Doverhill…
Christian family details crackdown on church in China
The Sunday service this week at an unassuming church in…
Jewish and Latter-day Saint scholars just had an interfaith dialogue in Jerusalem. Now they’re going to publish a book
At the beginning of June, an event at the BYU…
What rising anti-Muslim bias could mean for the future of religious freedom
In recent years, people have called the police on Muslims…
Millions of people suffer from religious persecution. Here’s how America’s religious freedom ambassador is trying to change that
In China, the government uses artificial intelligence to track and…
Church announces cost increase for Latter-day Saint missions beginning in 2020
The cost of serving a mission for The Church of…
How the Hobby Lobby ruling helped and hurt religious freedom
Just over 25 years ago, Congress nearly unanimously passed new…
6 Latter-day Saint missionaries held at gunpoint in Utah, police say
"The individual that they were meeting with brandished a firearm…
Why the Supreme Court sent a new case on same-sex wedding cakes back to lower courts
Justices announced that they wonât hear a new case on…
VidAngel ordered to pay $62 million to Disney, others for copyright infringement
VidAngel offers a service that filters out content of movies…
President Nelson meets with Pulse nightclub owner prior to addressing Latter-day Saints in Orlando
Before addressing a crowd of more than 15,500 members of…
What’s going on with faith-based adoption agencies? And what will happen next?
Four years ago, the Supreme Court said LGBTQ couples could…
How social media fuels attacks on sacred spaces
Houses of worship have always been a perennial target for…
Q&A: Why Latter-day Saints loom large in the history of religious freedom law
America would be a more violent place without religious freedom…
President Russell M. Nelson’s Pacific Tour: Where will he visit?
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ…
President Russell M. Nelson speaks at Golden Spike anniversary extolling the virtues of ‘oneness’
President Nelson called the transcontinental railroad "a gargantuan accomplishment" that…
How the U.S and other governments are failing people of faith around the world
Religious freedom is deteriorating around the world and efforts to…
BYU Named No. 1 Best Value College by Forbes
If youâre looking for the best bang for your buck…
Rabbi says gun ‘miraculously jammed’ in California attack
In the minutes after the gunman fled the scene of…
Church hopes to complete Tooele Valley Temple during Salt Lake Temple construction
The Temple Department's executive director, Elder Larry Y. Wilson, told…
How will Utah officials protect the iconic Salt Lake Temple from a fire like at Notre Dame?
Firefighters saved the majority of the structure of Notre Dame…
How a new religious freedom lawsuit affects Michigan’s faith-based adoption agencies
A recent settlement between LGBTQ couples and the state of…
Religious freedom on death row: How a new lawsuit affects a growing debate
A new lawsuit could resolve growing conflict over the religious…
Church to allow baptisms, blessings for children of LGBT parents, updates handbook regarding ‘apostasy’
Children of parents who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual…
Woman set fire to 2 Utah churches, causing $600K in damages, police say
A Lindon woman was arrested Friday after police say she…
How Trump’s executive order on campus free speech affects religious students
President Donald Trump didn't reference religion in his new executive…
Once sanctuaries, houses of worship struggle with security
A rabbi who packs a gun. A church installing security…
Families of Detained Latter-day Saint Volunteers React to their Release and Return from Russia
Two Latter-day Saint volunteers detained for nearly three weeks for…
New rules about how Boy Scouts can recruit Latter-day Saints issued by church
Beginning June 1, community-based Boy Scout packs and troops may…
Why President Nelson took all Latter-day Saint apostles to Rome, and what they said about it
The question is on everyone's minds: Why did the First…
DNA Testing Confirms Ted Bundy was Responsible for Death of Missing Latter-day Saint Teen
Renewed interest in notorious serial killer Ted Bundy led police…
