Stack attempts to portray why Mormons don’t consider Mary, the mother of Jesus, a central figure in their worship, unlike some other religions.

Mormons will drag Mary out of the shadows of their faith again this season and plop her into the annual Nativity scene. They’ll gush about her beauty in the various crèches they’ve been collecting from Mexico, Poland and Nigeria. They’ll read about her on Christmas Eve as the family gathers around the fire before bed.

During December, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrate the “fairest of all virgins” who they believe was chosen before this life to be the Messiah’s mother. They herald her acceptance of that role and willingness to sacrifice herself and her reputation for the good of the world. To these believers, Mary is both noble and human, glorified but real. In some essential ways, she is just like them.

For most of the year, though, Mary is largely tucked away – respected for her submissiveness, admired for her faithfulness, but largely invisible. She does not adorn their chapel walls, nor stare down from stained-glass windows. She is not part of their weekly worship or routinely mentioned in prayers.

Ms. Stack then goes on to pontificate as to the possible reason why Mary exists in the “shadows of [our] faith”:

It could be that LDS leaders are uncomfortable with powerful female figures, as its ecclesiastical authority is limited to men. Or it could be an attempt to distance the church from more traditional brands of Christianity, especially Catholicism.

With no supporting evidence for the former sentence and a weak one for the latter, these reasons are unsubstantiated and worthy of correction. Ms. Stack, obviously somewhat familiar with LDS doctrine, is walking on thin ice with statements such as these.

Peggy Fletcher Stack can be contacted at pstack@sltrib.com or 801-257-8725. Send comments about this story to religioneditor@sltrib.com.