- \n
- God and Power<\/strong><\/li>\n
- The Church, Priesthood, and Gathering Israel<\/a><\/li>\n
- The Family<\/a><\/li>\n
- Plan of Salvation<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
- Examining the Sources in President Nelson\u2019s Talks<\/li>\n
- Potential Long-Term Impact of President Nelson\u2019s Addresses<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Today\u2019s post will focus on his comments about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and how we can draw access their power in our lives.<\/p>\n
As for the analysis, one approach I took was to create two word clouds to identify the words that come up most frequently in President Nelson’s general conference talks and the titles of his talks.\u00a0 A word cloud is an image that shows words used in a text or series of texts where the words are different sizes based on how often they are used in the text (i.e., the larger the word, the more frequently it is used).\u00a0 Ignoring basic grammar words (the, and, also, etc.), the results are presented below.\u00a0 For words used in his talks, \u201cGod\u201d came up most frequently, with words related to Jesus the Christ (Lord, Christ, Jesus) and \u201cChurch\u201d being the other most frequent words (see Figure 1).\u00a0 In analyzing titles of his talks, there were significantly less words to work with, but the results are still revealing.\u00a0 The words \u201cspiritual,\u201d \u201cpower,\u201d “God,” and \u201cpriesthood\u201d came up most frequently, with \u201clife,\u201d \u201cfaith\u201d and \u201cremarks\u201d also making strong showings (see Figure 2).\u00a0 Together, these word clouds reveal some of the major focuses of President Nelson\u2019s general conference addresses.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Word-Cloud-Nelson-Talk-Words-v2.png\")
Figure 1<\/strong>. Word cloud of words used in President Russell M. Nelson\u2019s General Conference talks up through October 2020. Larger words indicate higher frequency of use.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Word-Cloud-Nelson-Talk-Titles-v2.png\")
Figure 2<\/strong>. Word cloud of words used in the titles of in President Russell M. Nelson\u2019s General Conference talks up through October 2020. Larger words indicate higher frequency of use.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
Since God and the Christ were ranked highly on both word clouds, we\u2019ll start out with some of his thoughts on these topics:<\/p>\n
God:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Looking to God and acknowledging His hand in our lives and in the world are important topics to President Nelson.\u00a0 One of the statements that has been repeated in a few different variations throughout President Nelson\u2019s talks is that: \u201cWe should gratefully acknowledge God as our Creator. Otherwise, we would be as guilty as goldfish swimming in a bowl, oblivious to the goodness of their provider. \u2018Ye must give thanks unto God,; said the Lord, \u2018for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with.\u2019\u201d[1]<\/a>\u00a0 Depending on the context, President Nelson uses this comparison to point to God as the Creator (rather than natural processes alone) or that we need to express gratitude to God and acknowledge Him through prayer.<\/p>\n
As the statement above indicates, attributing the creation of the world to God is something that has come up frequently in the general conference addresses of Russell M. Nelson.\u00a0 While President Nelson doesn\u2019t seem to be openly hostile to the idea that God works through means of natural processes to create the world while speaking in public (i.e., he notes that: \u201cCompared with the omniscience of our Creator, we know relatively little about dinosaurs or the details of the Creation,\u201d but more will be revealed in time),[2]<\/a> he does make statements that disparage the idea that God was not involved in creation at all.\u00a0 For example, on one occasion he spoke of how complex the human body is and then stated that: \u201cSome people erroneously think that these marvelous physical attributes happened by chance or resulted from a big bang somewhere. Ask yourself, \u2018Could an explosion in a printing shop produce a dictionary?\u2019 The likelihood is\u00a0most<\/em>\u00a0remote.\u201d[3]<\/a>\u00a0 My feeling is that his focus here is primarily to \u201ctestify that the earth and all life upon it are of divine origin\u201d in contrast to an increasingly secularized culture.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n
He also frequently points to God\u2019s love for humankind.\u00a0 You may note that in the word cloud presented in Figure 1, love is one of the larger words to be emphasized, along with terms like father and children (which are used, as often as not, referring to our relationship with God).\u00a0 He has stated things like: \u201cWhen I think of the love I feel for each member of our family, I sense, to a slight degree, the love that our Heavenly Father bears for His children. \u2026 We teach that God\u2019s love for His children is infinite. Regardless of race, nationality, or gender, He loves all of them. \u00a0He has done so from the beginning and will continue to do so.\u201d[5]<\/a>\u00a0 His recent comments on Sunday morning denouncing racism and prejudice (\u201ctoday I call upon our members everywhere to lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice. I plead with you to promote respect for all of God\u2019s children\u201d), is really a continuation of his ongoing efforts to teach how we, as children of God, are loved by God and should seek to love, understand and respect each other as brothers and sisters with divine origin and destiny.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n
Yielding obedience to God is also a frequent topic for President Nelson.\u00a0 That\u2019s part of why the definition of Israel as \u201clet God prevail\u201d that he spoke about this general conference was so meaningful to him.[7]<\/a>\u00a0 He began his apostolic career by teaching that: \u201cThe surgeon soon learns the incontrovertibility of divine law. He knows that hopes and wishes are sometimes simply powerless sham. Desired blessings come only by obedience to divine law, and in no other way.\u201d[8]<\/a>\u00a0 He expressed later on that we need to \u201cteach of faith to keep all<\/em>\u00a0the commandments of God, knowing that they are given to bless His children and bring them joy.\u201d[9]<\/a>\u00a0 An analysis by data analyst Quentin Spencer that was discussed at the Sunstone Symposium earlier this year found that President Nelson is the president of the Church who has talked about works (as opposed to grace) the most.[10]<\/a>\u00a0 A big focus for teaching about works in President Nelson\u2019s addresses is obedience to God.<\/p>\n
Jesus the Christ:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Focusing our lives on Christ, drawing his power into our lives, and using his name are all topics that come up frequently in President Nelson\u2019s talks.\u00a0 Most famous are his two talks, \u201cThus Shall My Church Be Called\u201d<\/a> in April 1990 and \u201cThe Correct Name of the Church\u201d<\/a> in October 2018, where he insisted that we need to use the full name of the Church because: \u201cBy divine directive, the title of the Church bears the sacred name of Jesus Christ, whose church this is,\u201d and \u201cwe revere the name of Jesus Christ. He is our risen Redeemer.”[11]<\/a>\u00a0 The latter talk is more forceful, including statements such as: \u201cWhen we remove the Lord\u2019s name from the name of\u00a0His<\/em>\u00a0Church, we inadvertently remove\u00a0Him<\/em>\u00a0as the central focus of our worship and our lives,\u201d and thus using other names for the Church \u201cis a major victory for Satan. When we\u00a0discard<\/em>\u00a0the Savior\u2019s name, we are subtly\u00a0disregarding\u00a0<\/em>all that Jesus Christ did for us\u2014even His Atonement.\u201d[12]<\/a>\u00a0 This reflects both his interest in names (including all the names given to Jesus) and his focus on the Christ as being central to the Church and our lives as members of the Church of Christ.<\/p>\n
After he became president of the Church (prior to the second talk), President Nelson backed this belief up with policy.\u00a0 We see this in the name changes for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Church\u2019s websites, updates to the style guide for how the Church wants to be referenced, the introduction of a logo focused on the Christus <\/em>statue to emphasize the Christianity of the Church, having fewer temples use the Angel Moroni statues on their spires<\/a>, and so on.\u00a0 Between the two talks, of course, there is a bit of controversy because there was a ping-pong game of sorts between members of the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency where there were efforts to walk back his insistence on avoiding the term “Mormon” for the Church and its members as non-negotiable (as well as the whole “I’m a Mormon” ad campaign).[13]<\/a>\u00a0 In the end, it should be observed that all of the Church leaders involved did emphasize that we should<\/em> refer to the Church as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even though they did vary on how acceptable it was to be called \u201cMormon\u201d or use the term in certain settings, and that President Nelson does have some sound doctrinal points undergirding how emphatically he has pursued this agenda during his administration.<\/p>\n
Such things aside, in President Nelson\u2019s addresses, an important concept that has frequently come up is that we need to draw the Christ\u2019s power into our lives and be Jesus\u2019s disciples. \u00a0Russell M. Nelson has repeatedly taught whole lists of ways in which we can draw on the power of the Savior, stating on one occasion that: \u201cThere is nothing easy or automatic about becoming such powerful disciples. Our focus must be riveted on the Savior and His gospel. It is mentally rigorous to strive to look unto Him in\u00a0every<\/em>\u00a0thought.\u00a0But when we do, our doubts and fears flee.\u201d[14]<\/a>\u00a0 Along those lines, he has emphasized that the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ comes through Jesus Christ rather than existing as its own entity.\u00a0 \u201cThere is no amorphous entity called \u2018the Atonement\u2019 upon which we may call for succor, healing, forgiveness, or power,\u201d he said. \u201cJesus Christ is the source. \u2026 The Savior\u2019s atoning sacrifice\u2014the central act of all human history\u2014is best understood and appreciated when we expressly and clearly connect it to Him.\u201d[15]<\/a>\u00a0 Focus on Jesus Christ and the power he can give to us is an important part of President Nelson\u2019s teachings.<\/p>\n
One final concept that I would like to mention is that he brings up the idea of following Christ\u2019s example frequently.\u00a0 A few samples of this: \u201cThe Savior of the world repeatedly asked that we pattern our lives after His.\u201d[16]<\/a>\u00a0 \u201cTo reach your highest destiny, emulate the Savior.\u201d[17]<\/a>\u00a0 \u201cHe is our exemplar and the author of our faith.\u201d[18]<\/a>\u00a0 While this emphasis on imitation of Christ can also be tied into President Nelson\u2019s emphasis on works, it does show that Jesus Christ is central in President Nelson\u2019s teachings at general conference.<\/p>\n
The Power of God in Our Lives:<\/strong><\/p>\n
At this most recent General Conference, Elder Kelly R. Johnson noted that he \u201cfound a word that [President Nelson] has frequently used in many talks.\u00a0 This word is power<\/em>.\u201d[19]<\/a>\u00a0 Indeed, as the word clouds above indicate, the word \u201cpower\u201d is one of the most frequent words to appear in the titles of his talks and is used frequently enough in the text of his talks to be clearly visible in Figure 1.\u00a0 While I\u2019m sure people who are not enamored with our Church president will crack a few jokes about President Nelson being power hungry, most of the time when he brings up power in general conference, he is talking about gaining access to spiritual power (frequently discussed as God\u2019s power or priesthood power) through our connection to the Godhead.<\/p>\n
He has taught that each member of the Godhead plays a role in filling our lives with spiritual power.\u00a0 \u201cThe source of our spiritual power is the Lord! The ultimate source of spiritual power is God our Father. The messenger of this power is the Holy Ghost.\u201d[20]<\/a>\u00a0 His emphasis on seeking personal revelation and a personal relationship with God, as exemplified by his keynote address<\/a> this spring and the subsequent \u201cHear Him\u201d campaign on the Church\u2019s site seem to be outgrowths of this searching for spiritual power.\u00a0 As he noted in that address: \u201cYou can enjoy the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. \u00a0He will guide and protect you. \u00a0It means you will never be left comfortless or without access to the power of God to help you.\u201d[21]<\/a>\u00a0 Over the years, he has repeatedly emphasized the importance of personal revelation, teaching that: \u201cThe privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His children,\u201d and offering advice on how to \u201cgrow into the principle of revelation,\u201d such as his statement that: \u201cGood inspiration is based upon good information.\u201d[22]<\/a> \u00a0Along the lines of what I mentioned above about how he has given entire lists of ways in which we can draw on the power of the Savior (or to prevent blockages of power from God), he has also given lists of things we need to be doing to have greater spiritual\/priesthood power.\u00a0 Important emphases among these lists are powerful prayer from our hearts, fasting, studying the scriptures, serving, etc.[23]<\/a>\u00a0 Developing a strong relationship with God that allows us to have His power in our lives is a central topic of President Nelson\u2019s conference addresses.<\/p>\n
Conclusions<\/strong><\/p>\n
In this section, I\u2019ve focused on President Nelson\u2019s emphasis on drawing the power of God and Jesus Christ into our lives and developing a relationship with the members of the Godhead.\u00a0 There are a lot of actions and choices that he calls on us to make to gain access to that spiritual power, reflecting a strong emphasis on works on President Nelson\u2019s part.\u00a0 Next time, I\u2019ll discuss his frequent discussions about issues related to the Church, gathering Israel, and the priesthood.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Footnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Unless otherwise indicated, conference talks referenced are by President Russell M. Nelson.<\/p>\n
[1]<\/a> \u201cWe Are Children of God,\u201d CR October 1998, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/1998\/10\/we-are-children-of-god?lang=eng<\/a>. See also \u201cJoy Cometh in the Morning, CR October 1986, https:\/\/www.lds.org\/general-conference\/1986\/10\/joy-cometh-in-the-morning?lang=eng<\/a>, \u201cThe Creation,\u201d CR April 2000, https:\/\/www.lds.org\/general-conference\/2000\/04\/the-creation?lang=eng<\/a> and \u201cThanks Be to God,\u201d CR April 2012, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2012\/04\/thanks-be-to-god?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[2]<\/a> \u201cHow Firm Our Foundation,\u201d fn 39, CR April 2002, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2002\/04\/how-firm-our-foundation?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[3]<\/a> \u201cThanks Be to God,\u201d CR April 2012, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2012\/04\/thanks-be-to-god?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[4]<\/a> \u201cThe Creation,\u201d CR April 2000, https:\/\/www.lds.org\/general-conference\/2000\/04\/the-creation?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[5]<\/a> \u201cGenerations Linked in Love,\u201d CR April 2010,\u00a0 https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2010\/04\/generations-linked-in-love?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[6]<\/a> See \u201cLet God Prevail,\u201d CR October 2020, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2020\/10\/46nelson?lang=eng<\/a>.\u00a0 Compare with \u201cTeach Us Tolerance and Love\u201d, CR, April 1994; \u201cListen to Learn\u201d, CR April 1991, https:\/\/www.lds.org\/general-conference\/1991\/04\/listen-to-learn?lang=eng<\/a>; \u201cCombatting Spiritual Drift\u2014Our Global Pandemic,\u201d September 1993, https:\/\/www.lds.org\/general-conference\/1993\/10\/combatting-spiritual-drift-our-global-pandemic?lang=eng<\/a>; NAACP Convention Remarks, 21 July 2019, Detroit, Michigan, Newsroom Church of Jesus Christ.org <\/em>https:\/\/newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org\/article\/president-nelson-naacp-convention-remarks<\/a>;<\/p>\n
[7]<\/a> \u201cLet God Prevail,\u201d CR October 2020, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2020\/10\/46nelson?lang=eng<\/a>.<\/p>\n
[8]<\/a> \u201cCall to the Holy Apostleship,\u201d CR April 1984, https:\/\/www.lds.org\/general-conference\/1984\/04\/call-to-the-holy-apostleship?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[9]<\/a> \u201cFace the Future With Faith\u201d, CR April 2011, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2011\/04\/face-the-future-with-faith?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[10]<\/a> See Peggy Fletcher Stack, \u201cLDS General Conference data reveals who talks the most and what they talk about \u2013 grace, works, porn, drugs and more,\u201d Salt Lake Tribune<\/em>, 6 August 2020, https:\/\/www.sltrib.com\/religion\/2020\/08\/03\/lds-general-conference\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n
[11]<\/a> \u201cThus Shall My Church Be Called,\u201d CR April 1990, https:\/\/www.lds.org\/general-conference\/1990\/04\/thus-shall-my-church-be-called?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[12]<\/a> \u201cThe Correct Name of the Church,\u201d CR October 2018, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2018\/10\/the-correct-name-of-the-church?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[13]<\/a> See Gordon B. Hinckley, \u201cMormon Should Mean \u2018More Good,\u2019\u201d CR October 1990, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/1990\/10\/mormon-should-mean-more-good?lang=eng<\/a>; Boyd K. Packer, \u201cGuided by the Holy Spirit,\u201d CR \u00a0April 2011, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2011\/04\/guided-by-the-holy-spirit?lang=eng<\/a>; and M. Russell Ballard, \u201cThe Importance of a Name,\u201d CR October 2011, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2011\/10\/the-importance-of-a-name?lang=eng<\/a>.<\/p>\n
[14]<\/a> \u201cDrawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,\u201d CR April 2017, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2017\/04\/drawing-the-power-of-jesus-christ-into-our-lives?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[15]<\/a> \u201cDrawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,\u201d CR April 2017, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2017\/04\/drawing-the-power-of-jesus-christ-into-our-lives?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[16]<\/a> \u201cDoors of Death,\u201d CR April 1992, https:\/\/www.lds.org\/general-conference\/1992\/04\/doors-of-death?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[17]<\/a> \u201cSelf-Mastery,\u201d CR October 1985, https:\/\/www.lds.org\/general-conference\/1985\/10\/self-mastery?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[18]<\/a> \u201cCombating Spiritual Drift\u2014Our Global Pandemic,\u201d September 1993, https:\/\/www.lds.org\/general-conference\/1993\/10\/combatting-spiritual-drift-our-global-pandemic?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[19]<\/a> Kelly R. Johnson, \u201cEnduring Power,\u201d CR October 2020, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2020\/10\/56johnson?lang=eng<\/a>.<\/p>\n
[20]<\/a> \u201cProtect the Spiritual Power Line,\u201d CR October 1984, https:\/\/www.lds.org\/general-conference\/1984\/10\/protect-the-spiritual-power-line?lang=eng<\/a>.<\/p>\n
[21]<\/a> \u201cHear Him,\u201d CR April 2020, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2020\/04\/45nelson?lang=eng<\/a>.<\/p>\n
[22]<\/a> \u201cRevelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,\u201d CR April 2018, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2018\/04\/revelation-for-the-church-revelation-for-our-lives?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n
[23]<\/a> \u201cThe Price of Priesthood Power,\u201d CR April 2016, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2016\/04\/the-price-of-priesthood-power?lang=eng<\/a>; \u201cDecisions for Eternity,\u201d CR October 2013, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2013\/10\/decisions-for-eternity?lang=eng<\/a>; \u201cFace the Future with Faith,\u201d CR April 2011, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2011\/04\/face-the-future-with-faith?lang=eng<\/a>; etc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This is the beginning of the second part of my analysis of President Russell M. Nelson\u2019s general conference talks, focusing on his favorite topics and statements.\u00a0 In looking at what President Nelson talks about, I tried to take a few approaches to understand his favorite topics objectively.\u00a0 Approaches included word count analysis of his talks and the titles of his talks, noting topics that come up frequently across his talks as I read them, looking at the focus of initiatives that have come out under his administration, and observing key phrases that come up on a repeated basis.\u00a0 For the sake of post size, I intend to cover these topics in a series of groups, making the overall game plan as follows: Introductory Thoughts President Nelson\u2019s Favorite Topics and Phrases God and Power The Church, Priesthood, and Gathering Israel The Family Plan of Salvation Examining the Sources in President Nelson\u2019s Talks Potential Long-Term Impact of President Nelson\u2019s Addresses Today\u2019s post will focus on his comments about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and how we can draw access their power in our lives. As for the analysis, one approach I took was to create two word clouds to identify the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10397,"featured_media":40940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1284,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-conference-features","category-general-doctrine"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Word-Cloud-Nelson-Talk-Words-v2.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10397"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40938"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40995,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40938\/revisions\/40995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- The Church, Priesthood, and Gathering Israel<\/a><\/li>\n