On Monday, Jim Bennett announced the formation of the United Utah Party for which he will serve as executive director.
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who initially sought a career as an actor, I’ve long struggled with the challenge of maintaining high standards in a media landscape that can be openly hostile to the principles of my faith.
Those were called into stark relief when I was a theater student at the University of Southern California. On one occasion, President Gordon B. Hinckley came to speak to the USC LDS Institute, and the topic of his sermon was the evils of Hollywood. At the time, he was a member of the First Presidency, but he was not yet the president of the Church.
After the meeting, President Hinckley took the opportunity to shake our hands, and he made the mistake of asking me what my major was.
“I’m one of those evil theater majors you were talking about.” I smirked with a hint of hostility.
President Hinckley just chuckled and said, without missing a beat, “Well, there’s always time to repent.” And then he moved down the line. I was spoiling for a confrontation, and, with a twinkle in his eye, he disarmed me completely. (He was pretty good at that.)
I have since realized that President Hinckley’s warning was right on target, and he was correct in noting there is much of popular culture that is morally degrading and destructive. Indeed, many members of my church are so disgusted by that reality that they simply throw up their hands and choose not to participate in pop culture at all. That’s certainly their prerogative, but I don’t necessarily think that’s the best approach.
The LDS Church’s 13 Articles of Faith conclude with a sentence that has been one of the lodestars of my life. “If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy,” it reads, “we seek after these things.” The verb in that sentence is instructive. It’s not enough just to like these things or applaud these things; we need to seek after them. Condemning all the bad stuff can be helpful, but I believe it’s just the first step. The next is to go out and find the stuff that’s good. And if there isn’t any stuff that’s good, then we have a responsibility to make some good stuff of our own.
I think this principle applies to people of goodwill of all faiths, not just members of my church. Cursing the darkness can only accomplish so much. Lighting candles can accomplish so much more. Writing this column for the past five years has been my attempt to light as many candles as I can.
Whether I’ve been successful in doing so is not for me to judge, but that has certainly been the goal. The opportunity to share my thoughts and opinions has been a true blessing in my life, and I want to express my profound gratitude to the Deseret News for providing me with this forum. Many people have agreed with me, and many more have not. I have enjoyed the interaction in both cases. I find that I learn a great deal when thoughtful people can express a legitimate disagreement with respect.
I am now setting off on a new adventure that, sadly, will require me to put this column on hold for the next few months. Please know how much I have enjoyed this experience and how grateful I am that you have taken the time to read what I’ve had to say.
As for my next steps, you’re likely to hear about them in the next few days. Stay tuned.