15 chemin des Colombettes
Nations, Geneva, Switzerland 1202
January 26, 1997
Elder Richard G. Scott
Church Headquarters
47 East South Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84100
Dear Elder Scott:
Lola and I were lucky enough to be home for October Conference and much enjoyed your talk. As I sat on about the tenth row of the Tabernacle I began detailing to myself the background and qualifications of the Lord's chosen. I was more impressed than I can say with the quality and diversity of those he has chosen as his special witnesses. From a purely secular standpoint I don't think you could find a more exquisitely qualified group to constitute the board of directors of the best corporation on earth. And the Lord gets his representatives for no more than a cost-of-living allowance.
I am writing you because to me you are the Lord's scientist on his contemporary board.
In Bonn recently on TDY with Lola, I happened to tune in to Vatican Radio early one Sunday morning. It was announced that the Vatican is organizing a symposium of scientists and representatives of various Christian churches to ventilate what effect the pending discovery of extraterrestrial life will have on human society and Christian beliefs. It struck me that it would be a tragedy if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were not included in such a meeting. A member of the Presiding Bishopric addressed my missionary group at Conference time and said that LDS/Catholic relations had never been better in the Salt Lake Valley, and the thought arises whether someone at Church HQ might make the suggestion to the local Catholic Bishop that he drop a note to Rome to make sure we're included in the group examining this issue. I've just been reading Hugh Nibley's Temples & Cosmos and wish he were able to represent the Church. But I'm sure you brethren will be able to come up with an equivalently knowledgeable individual.
Second item is something I perhaps shouldn't mention. But you'll remember from Washington High Council days that I've never been known not to speak my mind. We just picked up on the Church News Internet that it's been decided to call the new building to be constructed north of Temple Square The Great Hall . Given all the publicity attending the death of Chinese leader Deng Xiao Ping the 1989 events at Tiananmin Square have been replayed on television ad nauseam and are fresh in everyone's mind. Everyone, I think, is aware that The Great Hall of the People is located right on Tiananmin Square. I beg you to reflect upon the negative image which will be conveyed to the world when The Tabernacle Choir, General Conference, and The Spoken Word originate from the Mormon Great Hall. (And even if they actually continue to be broadcast from the old tabernacle, there will inevitably be an association in the minds of those visiting Temple Square and are told the name of the large building across the street).
Surely we can come up with something less negatively suggestive: The New Tabernacle; Temple Square Annex, Tabernacle Annex, Temple Square North. If people are fixed on calling it a hall, let's at least call it The Great Assembly Hall to put people in mind of the original Temple Square Assembly Hall and not Peking.
With prayers and best wishes,
David Timmins
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |