The Book of Mormon is a scripture that tells the story of a group of Hebrews who migrated from Jerusalem to the Americas around 600 BCE. It describes their history, including their division into two main groups: the Nephites and the Lamanites. The book emphasizes the appearance of Jesus Christ to these people after his resurrection, where he teaches them and establishes his church. It also discusses various doctrinal topics such as the fall of Adam and Eve, the nature of God, baptism, and the importance of faith and repentance. The book ends with Moroni's testimony and an invitation to readers to come unto Christ and be perfected in him[1][3][5].
In 'Bowling Alone', Robert D. Putnam presents extensive data showing how Americans have become disconnected from family, friends, neighbors, and democratic structures. He argues that this decline in social capital has significant negative impacts on physical and civic health. The book explores various factors contributing to this decline, including changes in work, family structure, suburbanization, and the influence of technology such as television and the internet. Putnam also discusses historical precedents and potential solutions for reviving civic engagement and social connections.
Back in 2022, we published an original essay from our outgoing editorial intern Audrey Moorehead, who wrote about the experience of transitioning from her hometown in Lynchburg, Tennessee, to Harvard University. Audrey has remained a part of the Tangle family since the end of her internship, and last year, she recommended a Harvard classmate of hers, Sophia Downs, as a candidate for our associate editor position. We brought Sophia on over the summer and since then, she’s been an invaluable member of our team.
As part of our offer of employment, and in keeping with our mission of providing you with a diverse range of perspectives, we offered her a capstone project: a personal essay (like Audrey’s) about any relevant topic that mattered to her. Today, we’re excited to share the final product with you — a thoughtful assessment of the evolving role of family, community and government in modern American life, grounded in Sophia’s experience as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the midst of an unrelenting news cycle, we think it’s a great change of pace that offers a contemplative, measured look at the challenges facing U.S. society.
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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul.
This podcast is written by Sophia Downs and edited and engineered by Jon Lall. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall.
Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Hunter Casperson, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.
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