The Mormon Land newsletter is The Salt Lake Tribune’s weekly highlight reel of news in and about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Join us on Patreon and receive the full newsletter, podcast transcripts and access to all of our religion content.
Calling out a U.S. senator
Sen. Mike Lee, a Latter-day Saint Republican from Utah, has been roundly rebuked — by both sides of the political aisle — for spreading callous misinformation about the slaying of a Minnesota Democratic lawmaker and her husband.
Now, more than a few observers are asking whether it’s time for the church, as an institution, to do some rebuking of its own.
After all, top church leaders — including President Russell Nelson — have condemned uncivil online behavior.
“The present hostility in public dialogue and on social media is alarming,” Nelson said in the latest General Conference. “Hateful words are deadly weapons.”
Moreover, the faith’s position on political neutrality calls on members to demonstrate “Christlike love and civility in political discourse.”
Indeed, the church’s General Handbook encourages Latter-day Saints to “exemplify civility in all online interactions” and not resort to “threatening, bullying, degrading, violent, or otherwise abusive language.” And it cautions against sharing unreliable sources that “seek to promote anger, contention, fear, or baseless conspiracy theories.”
In an effort to “protect the integrity of the church,” the handbook warns that members could be subject to discipline if their conduct “significantly harms” the faith.
While Lee’s actions have certainly done the church’s image no favors, a prominent Latter-day Saint blogger nonetheless opposes any church censure of Utah’s senior senator.
“If the church held potential discipline over the heads of Mormon politicians, that would represent an inappropriate imposition of religious authority over democratically elected officials,” law professor Sam Brunson argues in a recent By Common Consent blog post. “That would be bad.”
Brunson calls Lee’s conduct “inexcusable and indefensible,” but he maintains it would be “un-American and inappropriate” for the faith to “involve itself in his political decisions by hanging his official standing in the church over his head.”
He does, however, urge the church and its members to, “in no uncertain terms,” denounce the “dehumanization of political opponents and the celebration of others’ suffering.”
Mormon Women for Ethical Government also criticized Lee’s comments.
“His words masked and minimized the devastation of the shootings,” the nonpartisan group states on its website. “He capitalized on a tragedy to score political points, and he demonstrated a callous indifference to the loss of life. ... We cannot discount or condone words that are dismissive or permissive of political violence if we wish to have a peaceful society.”
The latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: A conversation with Tom Christofferson
(Jed Wells | LDS Living) Tom Christofferson was the first-ever guest on "Mormon Land."
As “Mormon Land” approaches its 400th episode, noted gay Latter-day Saint Tom Christofferson, the first-ever guest on our podcast, discusses how far the church has come and has yet to go on LGBTQ+ issues.
Listen to the podcast.
New questions for missionary wannabes
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Latter-day Saint missionaries spread their message in Paraguay. Prospective proselytizers will hear new questions from their bishops in their premission interviews.
Before missionaries are called to serve, they are called to answer questions from their bishop. And those queries have again been tweaked since they were standardized in 2017.
Now, prospective proselytizers are asked to reflect more on their personal understanding of — and commitment to — the faith’s teachings.
Missionaries-to-be are not only asked if they obey the law of chastity, for example, but also: “Why would striving for cleanliness before God include avoiding pornography?”
Leaders ask not only if the candidate heeds the Word of Wisdom but also: “From your understanding, what does it mean to live the Word of Wisdom?”
Gift for an Ethiopian church
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) St. Mary’s Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church hosts a celebration on Saturday, June 28, 2025, to express gratitude for their new worship location in North Salt Lake, It was made possible through donations from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other sponsors.
Two former church warehouses in North Salt Lake have been donated and converted into a worship space and an auxiliary building for members of St. Mary’s Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
“Our previous church was so small that I would cry,” Melake Tsion Aba Feseha, St. Mary’s administrator, said in a news release. “But today, if I cry, I cry because of happiness.”
From The Tribune
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sophie Fredrick in her sleeveless wedding dress at The Courtney Shop in Salt Lake City.
• With the new garment styles, more Latter-day Saint brides are hot for sleeveless wedding gowns this summer.
• An emeritus general authority Seventy says the church needs to become “more inclusive” with its LGBTQ+ members.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Emeritus general authority Seventy Steven Snow answers questions at the Gather Conference on LGBTQ+ issues.
• Lion House rolls are back (we can hear your mouth watering from here) at a newly refurbished restaurant in the renovated Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City.
• It appears that Jake Retzlaff has taken his last snap as BYU’s star quarterback.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostles Patrick Kearon, left, Dieter F. Uchtdorf and Dale G. Renlund.
• Three apostles stand out, writes Tribune columnist Gordon Monson, with their messages of hope, grace, inclusion and, above all, love.
• Monson also warns that it’s possible to do too much service.
