The First Presidency shared words of comfort, love and spiritual reassurance to the survivors of nine Latter-day Saints — all members of the extended Hansen family — who were killed in a private plane crash over Thanksgiving weekend.
In a letter read by Elder Gary E. Stevenson at the Dec. 18 funeral of Hansen family patriarch, James D. Hansen, Sr., the First Presidency extended “with heartfelt sorrow” condolences to Brother Hansen’s wife, Coralie Hansen, and all their grieving relatives and loved ones.
“We unite our prayers with all who mourn with you,” stated the letter, signed by President Russell M. Nelson, President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring. “Although we do not always understand why such events occur, we do know that God our Eternal Father and His Son Jesus Christ know your needs. They have compassion for you and know the pain in your hearts.
“We are reminded of the words of the Lord to His disciples: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid’” (John 14: 27).
Brother Hansen died in a Nov. 30 plane crash while enroute to Idaho Falls after traveling to South Dakota for a pheasant hunt the Hansen family took every year on the weekend after Thanksgiving.
Did two Apostles attend the funeral of your loved one?
President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, presided at Brother Hansen’s funeral at the Ammon 8th Ward meetinghouse in Ammon, Idaho. He was accompanied by Elder Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
“When we are confronted with evidence that challenges our deeply held beliefs we are more likely to reframe the evidence than we are to alter our beliefs. We simply invent new reasons, new justifications, new explanations. Sometimes we ignore the evidence altogether.” (Mathew Syed 'Black Box Thinking')
I have no problem with the Church trying to provide emotional support to a family who just suffered such a terrible loss. In fact I think it is in bad taste to bring this up as if it were a bad thing for the church to do. Come on, they lost 9 members of their family at once.
"Any over-ritualized religion since the dawn of time can make its priests say yes, we know, it is rotten, and hard luck, but just do as we say, keep at the ritual, stick it out, give us your money and you'll end up with the angels in heaven for evermore."
To answer your question, they didn't go to my grandmother's funeral. However losing 9 at a time is clearly different. Even though one could coldly assume some P.R. motive, I think this is what religion should be about. It exists to calm fears of death and what lies beyond, even though it's invented. So, the church leaders probably should be there. The religious myth that these guys have some sort of hidden knowledge demands they go and comfort those who suffer from this tragedy. It's their job. Also, with $100 Billion in savings and investments, they certainly can afford to drop what they are doing and go up to Idaho.
"Religion is about providing human community in the guise of solving problems that don’t exist or failing to solve problems that do and seeking to reconcile these contradictions and conceal the failures in bogus explanations otherwise known as theology." - Kishkumen
I don't think there is anything wrong with acknowledging that business acquaintances are attending funerals of those they know and work with.
The MLM started by the Hansen family, Kyani, has a foundation that partners with Convoy of Hope. The LDS church partners with this foundation to distribute commodities and cash donations. It would be no surprise that lds church leaders had a business relationship with executives from this family, and would attend their funerals and family's funerals, especially if those executives were LDS.
For those uncomfortable with this thread: I didn’t make the story public, the Church did. It was the Church that made the headline about the letter sent by the First Presidency and the fact that Apostles attended and Presided over the funeral. It was the Church that decided to use the funeral to PR the Apostles. If this was a private moment between friends and acquaintances sharing in the grief of a tragedy and the remembrance of loved ones, the Church shouldn’t be using it as a PR story. However, once that choice has been made, and the Church is using the event to aggrandise the Apostles, then I think it’s fair for me to ask the question as to who merits a First Presidency letter for the loss of a loved one, and who doesn’t.
Why don’t the Apostles preside at the funerals of missionaries?...is another fair question, once the Church has decided to promote publicly that Apostles will preside at funerals.
“When we are confronted with evidence that challenges our deeply held beliefs we are more likely to reframe the evidence than we are to alter our beliefs. We simply invent new reasons, new justifications, new explanations. Sometimes we ignore the evidence altogether.” (Mathew Syed 'Black Box Thinking')
I have a question wrote:For those uncomfortable with this thread: I didn’t make the story public, the Church did. It was the Church that made the headline about the letter sent by the First Presidency and the fact that Apostles attended and Presided over the funeral. It was the Church that decided to use the funeral to PR the Apostles. If this was a private moment between friends and acquaintances sharing in the grief of a tragedy and the remembrance of loved ones, the Church shouldn’t be using it as a PR story. However, once that choice has been made, and the Church is using the event to aggrandise the Apostles, then I think it’s fair for me to ask the question as to who merits a First Presidency letter for the loss of a loved one, and who doesn’t.
Why don’t the Apostles preside at the funerals of missionaries?...is another fair question, once the Church has decided to promote publicly that Apostles will preside at funerals.
Wow, excellent point. I didn’t realize the lds people were in full PR mode over this. That’s distasteful.
I have a question wrote:For those uncomfortable with this thread: I didn’t make the story public, the Church did. It was the Church that made the headline about the letter sent by the First Presidency and the fact that Apostles attended and Presided over the funeral. It was the Church that decided to use the funeral to PR the Apostles. If this was a private moment between friends and acquaintances sharing in the grief of a tragedy and the remembrance of loved ones, the Church shouldn’t be using it as a PR story. However, once that choice has been made, and the Church is using the event to aggrandise the Apostles, then I think it’s fair for me to ask the question as to who merits a First Presidency letter for the loss of a loved one, and who doesn’t.
Unless the family itself expresses a problem with how their tragedy is used, I don't agree. You do realize Ballard is a long time family friend? It actually looks like you're doing exactly what you're accusing the church of doing, that is making a point off of this family's tragedy?
I have a question wrote:Why don’t the Apostles preside at the funerals of missionaries?...is another fair question
Not really, because there is a huge difference between the passing of a single missionary and losing 9 members from a family all at once.
"Any over-ritualized religion since the dawn of time can make its priests say yes, we know, it is rotten, and hard luck, but just do as we say, keep at the ritual, stick it out, give us your money and you'll end up with the angels in heaven for evermore."
I think the Church, as well as any other organizations or individuals, should be praised when they do something good. More good is needed in the world.