Editor's Note

Elder L. Whitney Clayton and his wife, Kathy, provide readers with a methodology for successful parenting that focuses on teaching children to respond to the Spirit, along with cautions against overuse of external rewards and punishments. This relevant article, “On Grocery Shopping with Children: Nurturing Spiritual Self-Reliance,” will assist parents and educators as they help youth to stand on their own and make wise decisions. Even with 1.2 billion followers and a worldwide influence, Islam remains a mysterious religion to many members of the Church. In a clarifying and instructive article, “What Every Latter-day Saint Should Know about Islam,” Brian H. Hauglid and Kent P. Jackson, BYU professors of ancient scripture, help readers better understand this influential and rapidly growing religion. President David O. McKay’s unique philosophy of education makes him a powerful mentor and role model for educators, as Mary Jane Woodger, assistant professor of Church history and doctrine, demonstrates in “Recollections of David O. McKay’s Educational Practices.” This delightful insight into President McKay’s teaching personality will inspire and instruct teachers. Many of us remember the feelings associated with the 1978 announcement that the priesthood was to be extended to all worthy men. In a study of Official Declaration 2 and events surrounding its pronouncement, Richard E. Bennett, professor of Church history and doctrine, examines the personal attributes of President Spencer W. Kimball and interprets this prophet’s experiences as a lesson on the process of receiving individual revelation. While multiple studies seek to find the forces behind self-image, religion has “largely been ignored” as a factor shaping teens’ feelings about themselves. But now, after a decade of surveying nearly six thousand LDS high school students, BYU professors Brent L. Top, Bruce A. Chadwick, and Richard J. McClendon can more accurately assert the role of religion in shaping teens’ self-worth. Even though some of the findings may surprise readers, the article offers sage advice on ways parents and educators can positively influence young people. We hope you enjoy this excellent issue, especially the emphasis on working with youth.

Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Editor-in-Chief

Ted D. Stoddard, Associate Editor

R. Devan Jensen, Executive Editor