As of the time I am writing this (Aug. 27), over 150,000 Palestinians have been injured as a direct result of Israel. Another 61,158 have been murdered.
One thing worth mentioning is that all these casualties and injuries occurred after Oct. 7, 2023.
Following Oct. 7, the LDS Church released a statement, saying, “We are devastated by the recent eruption of violence and loss of life in the Middle East. Violence of this nature is abhorrent to us and is not in harmony with the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is a gospel of peace. At such times, our hearts ache for all victims of this atrocity. As servants of God, we affirm that He calls upon all of us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and we pray for a peaceful resolution of all conflicts.”
For the time, this was honestly a great statement. It did not take a position, but instead simply called for peace.
However, they did say “violence of this nature.”
Now, in what nature is the church OK with violence?
It would seem that as of today, they are OK with the violence Israel is committing daily. They have not made a statement since this one nearly two years ago, and have yet to condemn the genocide Israel and Netanyahu are committing. The church has been donating to “Middle East relief funds,” but in their statement, they do not mention Palestine once.
What the church may have against Palestine is something I am not aware of. I do know, however, that we cannot sit here and watch this happen for any longer. This is not an instance where the genocide is being kept a secret.
This genocide is being shown straight to our faces through social media, news outlets and articles like this. Ten years from now, we do not want to be one of the many Christian churches that did not condemn Israel for the monstrosities they are committing.
If the fear is that we will lose members or popularity by doing this, I say, who cares?
Joseph Smith strived to teach the truth, not what made him popular. Joseph Smith was so unpopular for this that he was murdered, but he could die knowing he did everything in his power to help spread the gospel and what was right.
Joseph Smith was human, just like the rest of us, and he made mistakes, just as we, as a church, have made. Please, however, do not let this genocide go on unnoticed. Call out Netanyahu, Israel and America for helping fund the murder of innocent Palestinians.
Kiernan Thompson, Logan
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