The words of songs and the power of melody can help built resilience for the outcast and even assist emotional healing.
That was the message of faith leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who joined virtually in the seventh Windsor Dialogue Conference in London, July 8, 2022. In a meeting held at Westminster Abbey and hosted by the AMAR Foundation, Church leaders discussed how music can help sustain the faith of oppressed peoples and buoy their hearts.
- Leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who joined virtually at a meeting held at Westminster Abbey, London, July 8, 2022.
- Westminster Abbey, London, was the location for the seventh Windsor Dialogue Conference, July 8, 2022, hosted by the AMAR Foundation.
- Sister Sharon Eubank (left), First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, visits with attendees at the AMAR and International Center for Law and Religion Studies seminar held in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 21, 2022.
- Members of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square sing in the tabernacle for attendees of the AMAR and International Center for Law and Religion Studies seminar held in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 21, 2022.
- Members of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square sing in the tabernacle for attendees of the AMAR and International Center for Law and Religion Studies seminar held in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 21, 2022.
- Sister Sharon Eubank (left), First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, visits with attendees at the AMAR and International Center for Law and Religion Studies seminar held in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 21, 2022.
- Baroness Emma Nicholson (left); Sister Sharon Eubank (right), First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency; Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; his wife, Patricia; and other attendees enjoy a luncheon at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building during the AMAR and International Center for Law and Religion Studies seminar in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 21, 2022.
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speaks at the AMAR and International Center for Law and Religion Studies seminar held in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 21, 2022.
- Baroness Emma Nicholson addresses attendees of the AMAR and International Center for Law and Religion Studies seminar held in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 21, 2022.
- Attendees of the AMAR and International Center for Law and Religion Studies seminar enjoy a meal together at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 21, 2022.
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Patricia, enjoy music and lunch at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building during the AMAR and International Center for Law and Religion Studies seminar in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 21, 2022.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
“In every religion, certainly in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, music is a powerful, powerful force,” said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Sister Sharon Eubank, president of Latter-day Saint Charities, described how in 2014 ISIS fighters and local collaborators attacked religious minorities in Northern Iraq, including the ancient Yazidi people who fled their ancestral lands. These displaced people “need the healing and the resilience of their music,” she said.
“Music is the song of God,” said Baroness Emma Nicholson, AMAR Foundation Chairman. “It’s the voice to heaven and back again.” In April, Baroness Nicholson visited Salt Lake City and sang with members of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.
Elder Holland reflected on the Tabernacle Choir’s heritage and early Choir members’ personal experiences of suffering. “Our Tabernacle Choir is known throughout the world,” he said. “That developed because of our dislocation in our Church’s history.”
“I hope we’ll continue this idea of ‘musical therapy’ and a musical contribution in our work with, not just the Yazidis, but any other outreach to any group in need,” Elder Holland said.