Comments on: Gen Conf: Sat Afternoon Notes

By: Bryan in VA

Bryan in VA — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 02:09:09 +0000

Clay Cook (5) – “With the continual bombardment of the so called “traditional family rhetoric” we marginalize all the other types of families…” I’m divorced and don’t feel marginalized in the least by the rhetoric you’re referring to. I say preach the Lord’s will early and often regardless of my own personal situation. Ultimately I do do not want to end up with the same marital status as Lucifer and want to be in a church that boldly and frequently reminds me of the Lord’s will. Please, no sugarcoating!!

By: Frank Pellett

Frank Pellett — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 15:32:13 +0000

Clay Cook (5) – “Was it not Lucifers paln to make people belive in only one specific way?”

Um, no, it was not. That’s God’s plan; go through mortality to see if you’ll listen to His commands. Lucifers’ plan was to have everyone return no matter what. (Moses 4)

By: fbisti

fbisti — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 14:59:13 +0000

The post says, “[Wearing “Easter egg colored clothing,” according to the people sitting in my front room with me]” My immediate thought was how much those colors, in an LDS context, called to mind all pastel-colored dresses the women and girls were shown wearing in the TV coverage of the FLDS community in Texas.

Not a positive image

By: Clay Cook

Clay Cook — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 14:50:02 +0000

” I find conference talks about the blessings of traditional families with mothers, fathers and children to be both refreshing and encouraging.”
Not all families are consistently made up of ” mothers, fathers and children” there are a lot of single parent families, families with adopted children, families with surrogate parent or parents. With the continual bombardment of the so called “traditional family rhetoric” we marginalize all the other types of families and hold them to a bar that they may not want to reach for. I have seen many so called traditional families that are not safe places for people be they children or spouses. Was it not Lucifers paln to make people belive in only one specific way?

By: jsg

jsg — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 13:58:39 +0000

In response to Geoff, I agree that the persistent comments on marriage can become tiresome, but there is of course something very deliberate going on here. Church leaders are declaring that the Church will not trend with the rest of society in embracing and celebrating sexual behavior not approved by God. The message is that church members can maintain an opinion on sexual morality that is more and more associated with bigotry and hate. When general authorities give these sermons on traditional marriage and children, they are targeting the under-30 membership of the Church, who are immersed in the new sexual culture that devalues marriage and is almost completely homo-normalized.

When I go to work each day at a prestigious university in New England (where I am a visiting scholar), I am greeted with a semi-permanent rainbow-patterned sticker on the glass surface of each interior door, which reads “You are welcome here.” I occasionally smile to myself as I consider publishing a handsome sticker with identical text, but with a beehive or a cross on it. I wonder how that would be received. Regardless, the message is literally in my face throughout my workday: Stop merely tolerating homosexual love, but proudly welcome it. Do not just serve us in your restaurants, but cater our weddings with pizza, or else you will find yourself in a heap of legal trouble.

The Church is fighting aggressive with aggressive. The Church is actively conserving an alternative culture. I support these conservation efforts. I find conference talks about the blessings of traditional families with mothers, fathers and children to be both refreshing and encouraging. Our struggle is changing, from preventing the “devolution” of the dominant culture, to the conservation of a godly culture in Zion–even if this means losing out on potential converts. The role of the Church is the teaching and administration of the gospel in its fulness and truth, not winning as many converts as possible.

By: Geoff - A

Geoff - A — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 10:38:02 +0000

Bedinar says we live in hard times. I can not think of many ways in which we are living in hard times. Are we really? How?

It seems like at least 50% of talks so far are all or part about marriage (between a man and a woman). Is this conservative politics being taught as Gospel. And so much of it.

I had hoped once gay marriage was legal un Utah we could move on and leave this alone.

Do the leadership not realise that most of what they say applies to all marriages, not just the ones they approve of. If you look at the blog on church growth, we are having trouble with our message, and this is a large part of the problem, we are trying to sell conservative politics with the gospel. Judging from the talks so far about 50/50 mixture.

In my country 80% are pro gay marriage, and will not respond well to this, so who do we expect to convert?

When we have a speaker with the pure Gospel it is so refreshing, it could go to all the world.

By: Last Lemming

Last Lemming — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 23:21:01 +0000

Never heard of Wilford Andersen before, but he wins what was a pretty good session.

Lots of quotes from nonmembers this time: Pope Francis in the morning, then Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Nelson Mandela, and an unnamed medicine man in the afternoon. Has anybody quoted Joseph Smith yet?

By: Dave

Dave — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 22:59:24 +0000

Yeah, that list of releases and callings is getting pretty lengthy.

I really enjoyed Elder Christofferson’s quotations and tone and content. He is sort of the new Elder Maxwell.