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The 1918 Flu and the Sacrament:
"On November 19, 1918, President Joseph F. Smith died of pneumonia—a lung inflammation caused by the influenza virus. Religious services were still banned at the time of his death, and no public funeral was held." 1/
https://rsc-legacy.byu.edu/archived/byu-religious-education-student-symposium-2011/all-progressive-wards-are-buying-individual">https://rsc-legacy.byu.edu/archived/...
"On November 19, 1918, President Joseph F. Smith died of pneumonia—a lung inflammation caused by the influenza virus. Religious services were still banned at the time of his death, and no public funeral was held." 1/
https://rsc-legacy.byu.edu/archived/byu-religious-education-student-symposium-2011/all-progressive-wards-are-buying-individual">https://rsc-legacy.byu.edu/archived/...
"Heber J. Grant was not sustained until June 1919, the Spanish Influenza having delayed the Church’s semi-annual general conference in April. This conference in June was held outdoors as a precaution against the flu epidemic." 2/
"The influenza outbreak proved to be a wake-up call to the Church. Before Heber J. Grant, the First Presidency had been reluctant to change the administration of the sacrament and dismiss the use of the common goblet." 3/
"They slowly implemented the individual cups over six years between 1912 and 1918, but the cups had hardly spread outside of Salt Lake City. However, the Church immediately took a different position on the use of individual sacrament cups after the passing of Joseph F. Smith." 4/
"During the June 1919 general conference, Grant revealed that over 1,000 members had died from the influenza outbreak in just nine months. Later statistics showed that over 2,600 Utahns alone died from the disease between 1918 and 1919." 5/
"Additionally, both Grant’s father, Jedediah M. Grant, as well as his immediate predecessor, President Joseph F. Smith, died of contagious diseases, and although their illnesses were not directly linked to the common sacrament cup..." 6/
"...Grant had more motivation than anyone before to make the ordinance more sanitary and to accelerate the spread of individual cups Church-wide." 7/7
