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By Kent Larsen
Church Promotes Hinckley Conference Address
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- In an unusual move, The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints is promoting Church President Gordon B. Hinckley's Sunday
morning address to media throughout the U.S. and around the world. The
Church has released his remarks as part of a news release titled, "President
Hinckley Offers Counsel in the Face of War," and put the release on the new
service P.R. Newswire, in addition to its normal submissions of releases to
local media. The Church uses the news service only occasionally, for its
most important press releases.
President Hinckley's address came at a unique time. For the first time since
1949, when General Conference was first broadcast on television,
church-owned KSL-TV interrupted the broadcast for breaking news. Television
viewers in Utah seeing General Conference on KSL saw General Conference
interrupted to hear U.S. President George W. Bush announce the U.S. attacks
on Afghanistan, and were directed to BYU's television station, KBYU, for the
rest of the session of Conference.
But for those attending conference or listening to conference through the
Church's satellite system or Internet broadcast, President Hinckley's
remarks were the first they heard of the attacks, "I have just been handed a
note that says the United States missile attack is under way," President
Hinckley said at the beginning of his remarks.
The balance of President Hinckley's remarks addressed the attacks and the
war that had just started. He said that the war could impact the work of the
church in various ways, citing its possible effect on the Church' welfare
system because of the decline in the U.S. economy. The war could also affect
the missionary program and the church's ability to administer the church.
President Hinckley advised church members to be tolerant of Muslims, who
some might blame for the attacks, "This is not a matter of Christian against
Muslim," he said, and soon added, "We value our Muslim neighbors across the
world and hope that those who live by the tenets of their faith will not
suffer. I ask particularly that our own people do not become a party in any
way to the persecution of the innocent. Rather, let us be friendly and
helpful, protective and supportive."
He went on to compare terrorists to the Gadianton Robbers in the Book of
Mormon, and condemned the use of religion to justify evil, "Religion offers
no shield for wickedness, for evil." President Hinckley also recalled the
counsel of previous church leaders to store food and supplies, and recalled
the prophecies about the last days, but added, "I am optimistic. I do not
believe that the time is here when an all-consuming calamity will overtake
us. I earnestly pray that it may not. There is so much of the Lord's work
yet to be done."
Sources:
The Times in Which We Live
LDS Church News Release 7Oct01 N1
President Hinckley Offers Counsel in the Face of War
PRNewswire 7Oct01 N1
President Hinckley Offers Counsel in the Face of War
LDS Church News Release 7Oct01 N1
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