1990

A. PEACE, WAR, & STRATEGIES OF VIOLENCE TO SETTLE DISPUTES [1216]

F. EXCLUSIVISM, INCLUSIVISM, SOCIAL/ETHICAL ISSUES [1209] [1210] [1211] [1212] [1213]

[1209] April 3, 1990 Singles Ministry Task Force

Whereas, The Church of Jesus Christ is concerned with the worth and eternal value of each individual; and

Whereas, It is the calling and responsibility of the church to minister to the needs of its members and reach out to all; and

Whereas, An increasing number of church members and society in general are experiencing a single life-style with particular needs and concerns; and

Whereas, The previous Task Force on Single Life-style was completed in 1978; and

Whereas, There is potential for greater missionary outreach in the area of single ministry; therefore, be it

Resolved, That the First Presidency appoint a World Church Singles Ministry Task Force to explore present and future specific needs and concerns of single persons and develop means by which effective ministry can be given by and for single persons; and be it further

Resolved, That the Task Force on Singles Ministry have adequate representation of a variety of single persons (e.g., widowed, divorced, single parent, never married, etc.); and be it further

Resolved, That a report be made to the 1992 World Conference on recommendations made by the Singles Ministry Task Force

[1210] April 6, 1990 Urban Ministries Task Force

Whereas, The church has historically and traditionally focused its ministries primarily in rural, town, and suburban settings; and

Whereas, A significant and increasing percentage of the population is found in large cities, and a significant amount of the most problematic special issues are engendered and sustained in the urban setting; and

Whereas, The church's programs do not address many of the needs and life-styles of persons living in the urban environment; therefore, be it

Resolved, That leaders responsible for the development of programs and strategies throughout the church be encouraged to give specific attention to the needs of urban ministries; and be it further

Resolved, That a task force be formed by the Council of Twelve to study needs and strategies for urban ministries and report back to the 1992 World Conference.

Resolved, That the task force be directed to generate a series of at least six informational articles over the next two years related to issues pertinent to urban ministries to be submitted to Herald House for publication consideration in the Saints Herald.

[1211] April 6, 1990 Stewardship of Ecology

Whereas, The report of the Committee on Peace and Justice Issues to the 1990 World Conference raises the preservation and enhancement of the material environment as an issue of major and immediate concern; and

Whereas, Economic systems affect the ecology; therefore, be it

Resolved, That major attention be given to the study and development of recommendations related to the stewardship of preserving and enhancing the ecology of the planet; and be it further

Resolved, That this work be assigned to the Committee on Peace and Justice Issues.

Superseded by WCR 1224 in 1992

[1212] April 7, 1990 Towards More Environmentally Sound Practices

Whereas, The environmental crisis is a fundamental threat to all life on this planet; and

Whereas, Our belief in God's intimate concern for the well-being of all, here and now, and our sense of stewardship and discipleship (to "be in the forefront") all mandate suitable response at all levels of the church to such life-threatening processes; and

Whereas, The Temple is intended as "a shining symbol of my love and my desires for my creation" (Doctrine and Covenants 157:8); and

Whereas, To view assets and expenditures solely in terms of monetary implications is to ignore their quality-of-life implications now and for future generations, particularly in the Third World; and

Whereas, Many concrete actions are well known and can be applied as soon as is practical, thereby suggesting the need for a tandem approach of immediate action coupled with longer range study and efforts; therefore, be it

Resolved, That the following be investigated and implemented, if not already in place:

1. Regarding World Church Headquarters:

a. Recycling programs for all types of paper and other recyclable products.

b. Conservation of programs for water, heat, air conditioning, and other energy uses.

c. A sound preventative maintenance program for all potentially environmentally hazardous equipment, such as air conditioners which usually contain ozone-destroying chlorofluorohydrocarbons.

d. The purchase of environmentally friendly products, including the use of recycled paper for all World Church correspondence and internal usage. If this is more costly than current supplies, then altering the budget to reflect this.

e. An analysis be made of World Church long-term investments as to their life-promoting suitability.

f. The appointment of a small committee to monitor progress on the above and to make reports in the Herald, one or two times per year, to provide concrete tangible gauges of progress, to raise up success stories, and to share problems and the need for further study.

2. Regarding the Temple:

a. A thorough analysis be made of Temple-building plans as to their environmental appropriateness, to specifically include consideration of energy sources, sources of energy consumption, materials used in construction, maintenance of potentially environmentally damaging equipment, use of outdoor land as well as other areas of evaluation as they become evident.

b. An analysis be made of appropriate global environmental perspectives for Temple program plans.

c. A report of findings in 2(a) and 2(b) be published in the Herald within one year. Included should be proposed changes to existing plans, should current Temple plans be found lacking any currently best-known environmental standards.

3. Regarding the World Church at large:

a. Encourage points 1(a-e) above at all levels.

b. Appoint a committee to develop more holistic approaches to our support of life on this planet, specifically by providing resources to help increase our advocacy for and commitment to Third World poverty and justice issues as well as life-promoting actions locally. The committee should interact with other committees, such as those dealing with world peace, justice and hunger, as appropriate.

[1213] April 7, 1990 Our Common Future–A Sustainable Global Perspective

Whereas, There is a growing recognition that acute problems concerning the world economy, deployment of armaments, ecosystems, and justice are inextricably linked and that we as a World Church have a special responsibility to be among those who are seeking to resolve these problems at each level (Doctrine and Covenants 150:7); and

Whereas, We recognize that our total global environment is rapidly deteriorating and that important natural resources vital to human life and livelihood such as ozone, trees and soil, and pure air and water are being depleted and polluted at an increasingly dangerous rate such that the future of humankind and of all life on this planet is in grave jeopardy; and

Whereas, We recognize that there is deep-seated disorder in our national and international economic structures particularly in relation to the way in which the human and economic development of the poorer nations of the world are crippled by their debts to richer nations leaving increasing numbers of people poor, unemployed, underemployed, and vulnerable while at the same time degrading the environment; and

Whereas, All of the above issues have been considered in the report of the 1987 Brundtland Commission to the United Nations entitled, "Our Common Future" (Appendix) which identifies the need for global action to address environmental and developmental problems, the need for more resources for development, the need for the restructuring of the global economy, the need for global disarmament initiatives, and the need to restore and protect basic human rights; and

Whereas, The Brundtland Commission Report concludes with the following words concerning the urgency with which the above problems ought to be addressed: "We have been careful to base our recommendations on the realities of present institutions, on what can and must be accomplished today. But to keep options open for future generations, the present generation must begin now, and begin together, nationally and internationally;" and

Whereas, We as a people sustained by a loving creator have a responsibility to empower persons to fulfill their human potential individually and collectively and to unite communities, religions, and nations in the common purpose of preparing the earth for a nondestructive, peaceful, safe, pollution-free, and just future, in short to exercise a Zion-centered stewardship over the earth (Doctrine and Covenants 59:5a, 101:2c); therefore, be it

Resolved, That the First Presidency refer this matter to the Peace and Justice Committee of the World Church, which will be responsible for the preparation of a major statement to the 1992 World Conference concerning the role of the church including Temple ministries in response to the 1987 Brundtland Commission Report; and be it further

Resolved, That the Committee on Peace and Justice Issues, which prepares the statement to the 1992 World Conference, have among its membership one member of Native American heritage; and be it further

Resolved, That in the interim period each jurisdiction of the church be encouraged to establish study and worship programs aimed at increasing the awareness of its members and associates to the issues that require resolution; and be it further

Resolved, That in the interim period each jurisdiction be encouraged to set aside specific periods for prayer and meditation, seeking strength and commonality of purpose for these tasks.

Appendix

The Brundtland Report: Our Common Future

Why: The United Nations asked an independent World Commission on Environment and Development in late 1983 to set priorities for the world into the 1990s and the next century.

Who: The Brundtland Report, as it is known, represents the collective wisdom of twenty-one experts from east and west, north and south* who met together over a period of three years under the chairing of Norway's Mrs. Gro Harlem Brundtland, the first politician in the world to proceed from the post of environment minister to prime minister. The group—ministers, scientists, diplomats, and lawmakers of all political persuasions—held public hearings in five continents. The Report is entitled "Our Common Future" and is available from Oxford University Press.

What: They published their report to the United Nations in 1987. The foreword said: "Our message is directed toward people, whose well-being is the ultimate goal of all environmental and development policies. Unless we are able to translate our words into a language that can reach the minds and hearts of people young and old, we shall not be able to undertake the extensive social changes needed to create the course of development." [*Algeria, Brazil, Canada, Peoples Republic of China, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Guyana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United States, USSR, West Germany, Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe]

Three objectives are set:

1. to reexamine the critical environment and development issues in the world today and to formulate realistic proposals for dealing with them;

2. to propose new forms of international cooperation on these issues

3. to raise levels of understanding of individuals and governments.

The recommendations:

1. Sustainable development: changing the mandate of multilateral trade forums, expanding codes of conduct for transnational corporations, and encouraging developing nations to expand their technological capabilities.

2. Population and human resources: encouraging all countries to develop population policies to limit growth, broadening the WHO's "Health for All" strategy, overcoming illiteracy, and empowering local groups.

3. Achieving food security: producing better world pricing policies for food crops, protecting the agricultural resource base of all nations, encouraging land reform and water management schemes, finding alternatives to chemical fertilizers, exploring better agro-forestry systems.

4. The urban challenge: strengthening local authorities; developing national urban strategies; developing new tenure systems, public housing, and neighborhood assistance programs.

5. Energy—new choices, new constraints: encouraging energy-efficiency, conservation, and aggressive development of new and renewable resources; improving monitoring of climate change, adopting strategies needed to minimize dangers and cope with the climate changes and rising sea levels.

6. Industry—producing more with less: broadening environmental assessments, dealing effectively with industrial hazards.

7. Species and ecosystems—resources for development: setting up an international species convention and a trust fund to which all nations could contribute, encouraging better wildlife management.

8. Managing the oceans: improving fisheries management, reinforcing cooperation, strengthening control of ocean disposal of nuclear and other hazardous wastes, advancing the Law of the Sea convention.

9. Antarctica: finding an international consensus.

10. Space—a key to planetary management: preventing any further development and deployment of space-based weapons.

11. Conflict and environmental degradation: eliminating the threat of nuclear war; defining threats to security more broadly (beyond political and military threats to national sovereignty) to include environmental degradation, failure to provide trade and assistance, and preemption of development options.

12. Institutional and legal change: seeking a universal convention on environmental protection and sustainable development setting out the sovereign rights and reciprocal responsibilities of all nations.

Each commissioner was convinced that the security, well-being, and very survival of the planet depend upon such changes, now.

[1216] April 7, 1990 Temple Ministries for Peace and Justice

Whereas, A primary purpose of the church is to fulfill Christ's mission of preaching good news to the poor, proclaiming release for the captives, and setting at liberty those who are oppressed; and

Whereas, Section 156 instructs that "the temple shall be dedicated to the pursuit of peace" (5a) and shall be "a place in which the essential meaning of the Restoration as healing and redeeming agent is given new life and understanding" (5e); and

Whereas, The presence of poverty in our world calls for institutions to be sensitive to the basic human rights of all people so that the poor and oppressed are not denied the opportunity to experience the peace, justice, and wholeness of body, mind, and spirit which Temple ministries are designed to foster; and

Whereas, Actions of justice and compassion among the poor will extend and validate the spiritual growth of wholeness, which the Temple will bring to the church, therefore, be it

Resolved, That in harmony with instructions already received, the Conference requests the First Presidency to include in the ministries of the Temple creative initiatives for peace and justice on behalf of the poor and oppressed peoples of the world, including initiatives designed to facilitate nonviolent efforts on the part of peace-loving persons to reconcile oppressors and oppressed; and be it further

Resolved, That the Temple Ministries Division is requested to include, as resource persons, international persons who have training and/or experience in working on human rights issues in the planning of these ministries; and be it further

Resolved, That the First Presidency is encouraged to provide sufficient funds for this purpose in the operating budget for Temple Ministries