Silas Wright – Lean Not Unto Thine Own Understanding

Strategical Organization

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we preach the good news to all that will hear it. Sometimes, however, there are questions and topics that we feel less than comfortable talking about. Even if we do feel comfortable, sometimes we don’t know what to say. Even worse, many people may think they know what they should say, but it may not be current or accurate to church standards. This can be true on topics like Same-Sex attraction, Mental Health, Women and the Priesthood, and Race and the Priesthood.

My project is to use the skills I have developed as a Communication Student and create a resource guide for all parents, teachers, church leaders, and anyone who is interested to have up-to-date doctrine, and personal experiences from people who have seen these topics talked about in safe and secure manners, along with situations where communication can be improved. This resource is an E-book with quotes and references of the doctrine important to know and understand, and how specific quotes and references can shed some light on common misconceptions, along with my educated recommendations on ways to structure communication when talking about this doctrine. This guide is meant to be a help to those wanting to know how to safely communicate and promote the love and peace of the Savior Jesus Christ, and not meant to be a source of additional idea or beliefs.            

The project consisted in multiple phases. First, I surveyed over 50 individuals on their communication experiences in the church. After gathering that data together, I began many in-depth interviews with individuals to gain their stories, insights, and perspectives on the sensitive topics, and found their experiences. I also did multiple days of research into finding true and relevant doctrine and quotes from modern church leaders. Finally, the big chunk of the project was combining all of this information into one main booklet. This made me practice and grow my design skills to make an educational, but exciting and easy to read guide in order to best communicate the information. The final product is an 80 page guide that can help everyone understand the Lord better, but more importantly, it can help us better understand His love for us, and how we can promote that to each other.

The Story