PR Committee Speaks

The most ironic thing about this is that the two examples sited (BSA and immigration) are near opposite ends of the political / orthodoxy scale.

Seriously, that is a job that is a no-win situation. :silent:

I’m going to give some unfiltered commentary if that’s alright. Some of this will be amateur night at the Apollo.

Otterson was responding to critics who, he said, may not like church statements on the Boy Scouts or immigration reform, for example, and would prefer to believe those messages come from PR staffers, not from their ecclesiastical leaders.

I haven’t seen the statement on immigration reform, I’m almost scared to, but I have seen the statement on the Boy Scouts. Maybe people prefer to believe that the PR department went rogue because they didn’t want to believe that such an unprofessional response could have come from their ecclesiastical leaders. The most recent statement about the Boy Scouts was kind of rough around the edges. The stone needed to roll a little more before releasing a statement.

His department answers to a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ committee, made up of two apostles, a senior member of the Seventy, the presiding bishop, the church’s legal counsel and a female officer.

I’m glad to see women get a say but they need better titles than “female officer.”

He was converted to Mormonism at age 19 in Liverpool, England — and, no, he never met the Beatles — where he read plenty of books about his new faith, most of which were written by anti-Mormons.

So he likes to read books written by historians. Cool. :angel: I kid, I kid. It’s unclear from the article who assigned the label but I’m not sure how I feel about how we like to toss around the label “anti-Mormon.”

His LDS “patriarchal blessing” said he would have opportunities to “defend” the faith.

And mine says “People will think that your beliefs are weird.” Patriarchs going out on a limb, news at 11. :angel:

He was married and working as a business editor of the Liverpool Daily Post in 1974, when he was tapped to help the church with its public relations. Thus began a 40-year sojourn in that arena, 24 of which have been at LDS headquarters.

My deepest sympathies.

He views “habitual criticism of the Brethren as one of the pernicious of pastimes.”

I love the phrase “pernicious of pastimes.” I can’t remember, was that the title to a SWK or a BKP talk? (yes, it’s safer to add an I’m kidding emoticon to the end of all my sentences)

Can a member be a Democrat and a good Mormon?

For once, just once, I’d love someone to ask the Brethren… Can a member be a Republican and a good Mormon? I think it makes the same point only better.

No “factions” exist among the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. There is no Boyd K. Packer camp or Dallin H. Oaks group.

They might want to fact check. Recently seen at the City Creek Center Cheesecake Factory:
[attachment=0]team_packer.jpg[/attachment]

Laughing till my sides ache Nibbler. I want an Uchtdorf shirt. DJ wants one, too. He’ll wear it to the book signing of Uchtdorf’s unpublished book.

Even TBM’s are on team DFU because after he speaks they feel motivated

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I’m on Team PC. Team Personal Conscience. Everything else is mere advice.

I’m on Team PC. Team Personal Conscience. Everything else is mere advice.

I am on team PC too. Team Political Correctness. How will I differentiate my T-shirts from yours?

Quote: “Our language has changed in order to speak to an evolving audience even as our standards of chastity have remained constant. … A strident voice from the church is going to do nothing to change behavior.””

It sounds like he establishes the PR department does not make statements that are not vetted and corrected by the apostles.

So…apostles can’t hide behind the PR then…if things were said in the past that were harsh or not worded right, that’s on the apostles.

Just so that is clear. Apostles are softening their language, and they should not have been so harsh in the past.