LDS Church Statement Reader

"...the portrayal is a gross misrepresentation that could have real-life consequences for people of faith." A statement by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reads, "...it depicts lifestyles and practices blatantly inconsistent with the teachings of the Church and irresponsibly mischaracterizes the safety and conduct of our volunteer missionaries."

We understand the fascination some in the media have with the church, but regret that portrayals often rely on sensationalism and inaccuracies that do not fairly and fully reflect the lives of our church members or the sacred beliefs that they hold dear.

A trad wife is a woman who believes in and practices traditional gender roles and marriages. Some may choose to take a homemaking role within their marriage and others leave their careers to focus on meeting their family's needs in the home.

Apostle Urges Students to Use New Media 200 graduating students at Brigham Young University Hawaii were urged today to use the internet, including blogs and other forms of new media, to contribute to a national conversation about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Elder M. Russell Ballard, an apostle in the church, told the Mostly Mormon student body that conversations about the church would take place whether or not church members decided to participate in them. We cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the church teaches, he said.

While some conversations have audiences in the thousands or even millions, most are much, much smaller. But all conversations have an impact on those who participate in them. Perceptions of the church are established one conversation at a time.

Church leaders have publicly expressed concern that while much of the recent extensive news reporting on the church has been balanced and accurate, some has been trivial, distorted, or without context.

Elder Ballard said there were too many conversations going on about the church for church representatives to respond to each individually, and that church leaders can't answer every question, satisfy every inquiry, and respond to every inaccuracy that exists. He said students should consider sharing their views on blogs, responding to online news reports, and using the new media in other ways.

but he cautioned against arguing with others about their beliefs. He said,