Wheatley Institute helped to host David French, author and columnist for the New York Times, as a speaker at Brigham Young University's campus forum, where he addressed increased political division and hatred in the United States.

Distinguished Wheatley fellow of religion, Shima Baughman, gave a devotional at Brigham Young University comparing the power of faith in Jesus Christ to the power of our own biological hearts, especially emphasizing the importance of temple covenants.

We were pleased to hear from Rabbi Meir Soloveichik as he discussed Jewish influences on the American founding. When the United States was founded, there were very few Jews in America; nevertheless, George Washington had a remarkable series of written interactions with them. A careful study of this story reveals the way in which Washington himself saw America, what Jewish hopes were for this new nation, and what this tale can teach us about the future of faith in America.

Utahns have a long tradition of showing up with compassion and caring for each other. We each have a role and a responsibility here. We can choose dignity over division. We can disagree better. We can heal together.

A recent article in The New Yorker investigated various AI companion websites, citing a Wheatley Institute report on how dangerous and widespread the use of romantic chatbot services is.

"There are many reasons people choose not to have children or not to get married, but false messages about happiness should not be one of them. The articles I read long ago were right that parenting (and marriage) can often be exhausting. But they ignored the sense of meaning that comes from parenthood and the connection of physical touch at the core of family life."