SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 24, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — A YouTube channel has released a statement made last week by Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Nelson was recorded while speaking to a gathering of teenagers in Las Vegas on Feb. 17, three days after the mass shooting of students and teachers at a high school in Parkland, Fla. Seventeen died and 14 were injured after an expelled student returned with a semi-automatic weapon.
The YouTube channel Thinker of Thoughts — which describes its content as “Thoughts on spirituality, Mormonism, and media” — released an excerpt from Nelson’s speech, titling it “President Nelson: Gun Control.”
It says, in part:
“I know your hearts are heavy as are (wife) Wendy’s and mine as we contemplate those ruthless killings in Florida this last week. I think of Alaina Petty, 14-year-old Latter-day Saint, her life snuffed out by that sniper’s bullet…. (Causing) you and others to say, ‘How could God allow things like that to happen?’
“Well, God allows us to have our agency, and men have passed laws that allow guns to go to people who shouldn’t have them.”
Contacted for a statement on Russell’s talk, LDS Church spokesman Eric Hawkins told Gephardt Daily “no comment.”
I have yet to see anyone mention that this was not a church authorized video and that his words are most likely his opinion, not a church policy, doctrine or position. In our most recent stake conference where an area authority presided the stake presidency read a statement asking members to not make unauthorized video or sound recordings of the meetings. Though I agree with President Nelson’s statement, I think people need to put it in context and stop spreading it around because it should have never been recorded. It was meant for that audience only and was not an official statement.