What were the 15 Most-Read Articles on Meridian in 2024?
It is always a surprise and considerable fun to pull up the best-read articles of the year on Meridian. Looking at the list we see what you like, we laugh at some or your searches, and we see what you’ll read when you have the choice. We know that any minute you can click off a story if it isn’t compelling, and we’re so glad you keep coming back for more from our remarkable writers.
This list goes from 15 down to number one, so you can almost hear the drum roll as you finally see what the over-all winner for the year is. The list also doesn’t reflect some of the searches. The Come Follow Me podcast button is right near the top of heap for searches on Meridian and First Line News is also a big draw. What was a surprise was that the sign-up page was at number 19, which means you have been telling your friends to come and receive our daily executive summary. Maybe some of the links shown below will remind you of articles you enjoyed and want to read again.
We are glad you loved these articles and look forward to bringing you dozens more this next year! Happy reading.
15. General Conference: Do We See What is Happening Right Before Our Eyes?
by Scot and Maurine Proctor
At this October 2024 General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson, only spoke briefly and once, but with such prophetic power, that his words were inscribed in the hearts of the listeners. With the eyes of a seer, he asked, “Do we see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray we will not miss the majesty of this moment!”
14. A Practical Guide to the Book of Mormon’s Most Neglected Theme: Secret Combinations
by Jeff Lindsay
How is it that one of the themes most emphasized in the Book of Mormon, the danger of “secret combinations,” is among the least discussed topics in the Church? Is it irrelevant for our day? Is the topic too mysterious for any practical purposes? Are we embarrassed by Book of Mormon statements on “secret combinations” and government corruption? Are we afraid that if we took the topic seriously, we might be branded as a “conspiracy theorist”?
Actually, what the Book of Mormon teaches strongly departs from the world’s caricature of crazy “conspiracy theories.”
13. What are You Really Wearing When You Wear Your Temple Garments
by Mariah Proctor
There is an unforgettable poignancy in the image of the early saints standing on the banks of the Mississippi river, ready to begin their journey to some unknown destination in the west. I’m certain they couldn’t help but look back one more time at their beloved temple on the hill. It was a temple that had required great sacrifice and ignited such excitement. An editorial in the Times and Seasons published in May 1842 said:
Never since the foundation of the Church was laid, have we seen manifested a greater willingness to comply with the requisitions of Jehovah, a more ardent desire to do the will of God, more strenuous exertions used, or greater sacrifices made than there have been since the Lord said, “Let the Temple be built by the tithing of my people.”
12. True Story of Dramatic Missionary Escape on the Eve of World War ll comes to Big Screen
by Mariah Proctor
I recently found a special issue of Life Magazine that was dated September 25, 1939; only 24 days after Hitler invaded Poland. It was titled “The War World” and featured articles on “Today’s Most Important Man” Adolf Hitler and poll results to the questions, “Who do you want to win the war?” and “What should the U.S. do?” It was riveting to look through and also clear with every page of that magazine that nobody knew what was really coming.
11. How Fully are Church Leaders Guided by Revelation?
by Duane Boyce and Kimberly White
Several stories demonstrate how apostles have received revelation—in naming patriarchs; watching a man offer a prayer; seeing a man sitting far back in the audience; observing the back of a man’s head; conducting a public meeting; receiving a divine dream; and against all pattern, picking up an old set of scriptures.
10. The Eternal Implications of Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Abortion
By H. Craig Petersen
It was fall 1973 and my wife (Maradee) and I had just moved back to Cache Valley where I was about to start teaching Economics at Utah State University. Maradee was about four months pregnant and we were anticipating adding a second child to our family. The first months had been uneventful, but then things quickly went wrong and she had a miscarriage.
9. On Being Deceived and the Second Coming
by Marilynne Todd Linford
Facts may be different than what we think or hope. Have you rented a vacation condo that looked amazing online only to discover it was a dump in a sketchy neighborhood? Have you purchased an item with five-star reviews and later found out it was a scam? Do you question the accuracy of the nightly news?
8. Restoring the Lost Likeness of Joseph Smith
By Don Bradley and Joseph Brickey
We know those closest to us face to face. For the earliest Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith’s was a familiar face. Indeed, many of them gained a conviction that Joseph was a prophet when they first saw him, particularly noting his piercing eyes that seemed to gaze right into their hearts. What was the face that so impressed these early Saints? How did the Prophet look? The last person to have seen him in life died over eight decades ago, and no known photograph survived at the time, leaving the Latter-day Saints as a people who had not seen their founding prophet’s face.
7. What was the Real Problem with Laman and Lemuel?
by Maurine Proctor
The same journey that made Nephi grateful for his blessings only made Laman and Lemuel more resentful and bitter. The two responses couldn’t be further apart. What did Nephi know that Laman and Lemuel refused to understand?
6. The Real Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
by Mariah Proctor
We have a social media culture that rewards making things bite-sized and evocative. The truth is as complex as it has always been, but now it has to fit on a meme. Unfortunately, we have become accustomed to glancing at something that fleeting and taking for granted that it’s true. As such, though I don’t expect Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives to be their next big hit, I have to refute what’s presented in the trailer because those who never end up watching the show will see the trailer or a reel and believe they now know what a “Mormon wife” experience looks like.
It could not be further from the truth.
5. Results of Large Survey of Church Members and Former Members
by Larry Richman
The B.H. Roberts Foundation recently conducted a large representative survey of current and former Latter-day Saints. It gathered information on basic demographics, beliefs, and practices, and also quantified philosophical differences between these two groups.
4. Jacob’s Answer to Parental Despair
by Joseph Grenny
In the past nine years I have loved and lost hundreds of precious sons and daughters. And I have seen inexplicable miracles in the lives of hundreds more. I know what it means on one day to have “joy and great hopes… that they would walk in the paths of righteousness”[1], and to feel the searing agony of seeing them throw it all away on the next. Through it all I’ve learned that almost all losses are temporary, and that much of my parental misery comes from my misunderstanding of redemptive labor.
3. Unveiling the Truth: The Real Story Behind the CES Letter
By Maurine Proctor
I have known the grief of having friends, with whom I have once known the joy of sweet, spiritual communion, come to me with an announcement that hits like a bombshell. They are leaving the Church of Jesus Christ. It often seems sudden, and when I press to know why, I have heard an answer that goes somewhat like this. “I learned something…”. They go on to explain that their eyes have been opened because now they have studied deeply, they have found something shocking on the Internet, or a big secret about the Church has suddenly been revealed to them—something that crushed their faith.
I know right away what to ask. “Was it the CES letter?”
2. A Detailed and Amazing Vision of the World of Spirits
Heber Quincy Hale (5 Mar 1880 – 18 Apr 1969) was a very spiritual man, sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost given and he desired with all his heart to be a worthy servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. That sensitivity would lead him to a glorious vision of the spirit world, the record of which is not well-known to the Latter-day Saints of our day.
1. An Open Letter of Hope to David Archuleta
by Ty Mansfield
Following the release of David Archuleta’s new song “Hell Together,” inspired by a heartfelt message from his mother expressing that she would prefer to endure hell with him rather than see him in a place devoid of love and acceptance, the response within the Latter-day Saint diaspora has varied widely. The spectrum of reactions has ranged from expressions of celebration to offense. Archuleta’s song poignantly sheds light on the emotional turmoil often experienced not only by sexual or gender minorities within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but also by their families and loved ones.
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