The Book Of Mormon is full of directives about how to deal with specific property disputes among the Latter Day Saints. And there are zoning fights all over the country. But this story brings both rather wonderfully together. A new missionary training center would ruin some Provo residents' views of the Wasatch mountains. Some resisted and protested – and then the Stake President related the views of one of the LDS apostles, and the game was over:
Paul Evans, a Provo resident who was spearheading the efforts against the building, … told BuzzFeed that his Stake President, a local ecclesiastical leader, told him that Mormon apostle Russell M. Nelson — one of the highest-ranking officials in the church — was now "inviting" him and other activists to abandon their effort as a matter of faith. For Evans, that was enough. "I absolutely believe they are servants of God and that I should listen to them," he said of Nelson and other church leaders. "I very carefully considered that counsel, and acted on my personal beliefs not to go forward."
Other local opponents to the building received the same "invitation" to defer to the church's general authorities, and the following Sunday the Stake President urged faithful obedience from the pulpit. "The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve have made this a matter of fasting and prayer in the temple, and they consider it to be an ecclesiastical decision," said the Stake President, according to one member who was present. "They feel like this was the right decision for the Church."
A spokesman for the Mormon leadership denied any undue pressure. Mitt Romney was once a Stake President in the LDS church – making him the lay Mormon equivalent of a church figure in charge of a diocese – a rare example of a presidential candidate who has also been a religious official. For some reason, no one in this campaign has asked him to describe his activities as such a religious and moral authority figure – and how or if they interacted with the secular sphere.
Maybe when Rick Warren repeats his faith forum, we could get more details. Or maybe Rick Warren will be uninterested this time around.
The Dish 