A Survival Guide for General Conference: Saturday Afternoon Session (Oct 2021)
This series will be a cheat sheet guide for people who would prefer not to watch all of General Conference. Now you can have some points to discuss with your TBM family or friends where necessary and gives you the option to choose which talks you want to listen to (if any).
For some reason the afternoon session has been removed from YouTube so the links will go directly to the talks given rather than the full length video where it is available.
Saturday Afternoon Session
Session conducted by: Dallin H. Oaks - First Counselor, First Presidency
Session Choir: Multicultural Choir
Invocation (opening prayer): William K. Jackson
Benediction (closing prayer): Rebecca L. Craven
Songs sung:
Hark All Ye Nations
Consider the Lillys
Redeemer of Israel
This is the Christ
Opening speech: Dallin H. Oaks - First Counselor, First Presidency
Key Points:
reiterated points from the morning session about General Conference taking place back in the Conference Centre (although numbers are more limited due to continued constraints of COVID-19) and that safe medical practices were put in place for the choir members who were all vaccinated and recently tested to make sure the were not infected
First Speaker: David A. Bednar - Quorum of the Twelve Apostles - With the Power of God in Great Glory’ (Skip to 5:07:23)
Topics: exhalation, the importance of temples, honour covenants and ordinances, forgiveness
Key Points:
The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and the great tool of conversion in the latter-days
The purpose of building temples is to make available the holy places wherein the sacred covenants and ordinances necessary for the salvation and exhalation of the family can be administered for both the living and the dead.
Prophet Joseph Smith once said, “After all that has been said the greatest and most important duty is to preach the gospel”. Then almost 7 years later he gave an address (now known as the King Follett discourse) which said “the greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead”.
These two points can be the single greatest duty because the fundamental truth is that covenants entered into through authoritative priesthood ordinances can bind us to the Lord Jesus Christ and are the essential core of the work of salvation and exhalation on both sides of the veil.
Missionary, temple, and family history work are complementary and interrelated aspects of one great work that focuses upon the sacred covenants and ordinances that enable us to receive the power of godliness in our lives, and ultimately return to the presence of Heavenly Father. so these statements are not contradictory.
Bednar tells a story of a woman who was recently divorced that was experiencing “heightened” spiritual and emotional distress due to a “sense of unfairness associated with her spouse's violation of covenants and the breakup of their marriage”. He claims this woman wanted “justice and accountability”, and as she was struggling with all that had happened she studied the Saviours atonement more intently and intensely than ever before. Gradually a deeper understanding of Christ’s redemptive mission distilled upon her soul. His suffering for our sins, and also for our pains, weakness, disappointment, and anguish. She was inspired to ask herself a penetrating question since the price already has been paid for those sins would you demand that the price be paid twice? She realised that such a requirement would be neither just nor merciful. “This woman learned that binding herself to the Saviour through covenants and ordinances can heal the wounds caused by another person's unrighteous exercise of moral agency and enable her to find the capacity to forgive, and receive peace, mercy, and love”.
Quotes:
“Our purpose in sharing the Gospel is to invite all to come unto Jesus Christ, receive the blessings of the restored Gospel, and endure till the end through faith in the Saviour. Helping individuals to experience the mighty change of heart and bind themselves to the Lord through sacred covenants and ordinances are the fundamental objectives of preaching the gospel”
“I have witnessed faithfulness, courage, perspective, persistence and joy that extend far beyond mortal capacity — and that only God could provide.”
“I testify and promise that honouring covenants arms us with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.”
Personal Synopsis:
This is a horrible talk that rings very close to the words used by Richard G. Scott on “Healing the Tragic Scars of Abuse”. This talk also put responsibly to the person who was treated poorly to be the one to forgive and forget - this can lead victims to believe that if they do not forgive their abuser that they are committing some wrongdoing. Whether it is the case someone deals with a partner having an affair, or going as far as someone suffering abuse, no person should ever feel obligated to forgive anyone. Can forgiveness be healing? Yes, but so can seeking therapy and working through your trauma and issues.
No one should ever feel like they are doing something wrong but not wanting to forgive someone who has wronged them. It is possible to move on and be happy without having to offer forgiveness.
Second Speaker: Ciro Schmeil - Of the Seventy - Faith to Act and Become (Skip to 5:20:13)
Topics: becoming a better disciple of Jesus, Work hard to achieve this goal, increase your faith
Key Points:
Schmeil happened to one day have lunch with Russell M. Nelson, during this interaction he asked the Prophet if he had any counsel or advice as he was just starting his calling. The Prophet answered, “You are called for what you can become”. Schmeil has come to realise that the Lord wants him to become a better husband, father, son, and servant. He realised all of this can be accomplished by becoming a better disciple of Jesus Christ.
The Prophet has invited everyone to work to become a better disciple of Jesus Christ, and he has said that to become more like the Saviour we need to strengthen our faith by asking, acting and studying (among other things).
Ask: Schmeil quotes Matthew 7:7-8 (Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened).- We need to ask in faith to know the will of the Lord and accept that the Lord knows what is better for us.
Act: Nephi was seeking guidance from the Lord to know how to get the brass plates from Laban. Nephi and his brothers tried twice without success, but they were acting and the Lord was directing them along the way. Finally, they were successful the third time. Nephi states “I was led by the spirit not knowing beforehand the things I should do”. This is how the Lord works as we put forth effort and act, even when we do not have a clear understanding of what needs to be done. The Lord told Nephi what to do, “go get the plates” - but he did not tell Nephi how to do it, he left it to Nephi to figure out and seek the Lord’s help. This is often how the Lord works in our lives. As we act in faith the Lord guides and directs us.
Study: Prayer and scripture study go hand, they work together for our benefit. This is the process that the Lord has established. in hand and this is the practice that the Lord has established. We should not just study from the scriptures but teach from them
Schmeil quotes Richard G. Scott “Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before answers come, this causes your faith to increase and your character to grow”.
Keep asking and studying as you wait for answers to your questions.
Quotes
“Feast upon the words of Christ for behold the words of Christ will tell you all things you should do”
“As we study the scriptures the Lord will give us the answers or the necessary strength to get through one more day, one more week, and to try one more time.”
“We are all in different states, moving at a different pace. We must keep in mind that this is not a competition and we are here to love and help each other”.
“I am grateful for prophets, seers and revelators; they are the watchmen on the tower and see things we do not see.”
Personal Synopsis:
One very effective way of keeping people in a high control religion is to keep them busy. Keep them looking at church-approved sources, talking with other believers, and telling them if they are not doing these things then they are not a good disciple of Christ. It is a way of keeping people believing they are on a path moving forward when they are just on a treadmill and not going anywhere.
No moral God would ever see people suffering and begging for help and just leave them to suffer to “build character”. Even if I did believe a God existed this one would not be owed worship or admiration.
I might write this a lot in my articles, but faith is not a reliable path to truth. you should not have to continually “increase your faith”, or have to “choose to believe” something is true. There is either evidence for something, or there isn’t. The time to believe something is true is when you have evidence for it.
Third Speaker: Susan H. Porter - First Counsellor Primary General Presidency - God’s Love: The Most Joyous to the Soul (Skip to 5:29:07)
Topics: the importance of Gods love, unresolved questions about the church should not stop you from being an active member,
Key Points:
When you know and understand how completely you are loved as a child of God it changes everything. It changes the way you feel about yourself when you make mistakes. it changes how you feel when difficult things happen. It changes your view of God’s commandment. It changes your view of others and of your capacity to make a difference.
The first great commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. But the first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all his heart, might, mind, and strength.
The Prophet Nephi was shown in vision the most powerful evidence of Gods love. Upon viewing the tree of life Nephi asked to know the interpretation thereof. In answer, an angel showed Nephi a city, a mother, and a baby. As Nephi looked upon the city of Nazareth and the righteous mother Mary holding the infant Jesus in her arms the angel declared “behold the lamb of God, yea even the Son of the eternal Father”. At that sacred moment Nephi understood that in the birth of the Savior, God was showing his pure and complete love.
Sometimes we mistakenly think that we can only feel God’s love after we have “followed the iron rod and partaken of the fruit” (a reference to 1 Nephi 8-10). However, God’s love is not only received by those who come to the tree, but it is the very power that motivates us to seek that tree.
(an anecdotal story about a man who had unanswered questions about the church. He wrote down 3 of the most important questions he could not reconcile and invited 3 of his friends to examine these questions and come over to discuss them. Following this meeting he felt a “manifestation of the love of God” and he had a spiritual impression to return to church and express this love of God in what he did there. This person did wonder about his questions but the feeling he received was that God honoured his questions and not having clear answers should not stop him from moving forward - he should share God’s love with all while he continued to contemplate.
At times it can be difficult to feel God’s love but we can pray to have our eyes opened to see his hand in our lives and to see his love in the beauty of his creations.
The more committed we become to patterning our lives after his, the purer and more divine our love becomes
Quotes:
“When you know and understand how completely you are loved as a child of God, it changes everything.”
“How can we receive the transforming power of gods love? The Prophet Mormon invites us to pray unto the Father with all the energy of the heart that yea may be filled with this love which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son Jesus Christ”
Gods love is not found in the circumstances of our lives, but in his presence in our lives. We know of his love when we receive strength beyond our own and when his spirit bring peace, comfort, and direction”
Personal Synopsis:
I feel that this talk follows on from the general theme of Russell M. Nelsons talk in the April conference that members need to work on increasing their faith, and that they should “choose” to believe. For anyone who takes a moment to think about beliefs and how we come to believe something it is clear that we simply can’t choose what to believe, you either believe something or you don’t. If you say to choose to believe something you are either ignoring truths that you are aware of, or lying to yourself about what you really believe.
It is the same sentiment with this talk. If you have questions about the church it is very important to address them and not allow yourself to be silenced or tricked into submission by non-answers. The reason that this is so important is that the LDS church does actual harm to peoples lives through its beliefs, especially those around LGBTQ+issues and purity culture. It is a high control religion and if you have serious questions about its history or teachings then choosing to put these things aside and continue to participate and perpetuate these teachings and ignore everything else is potentially only going to cause you more pain and suffering later should you choose to revisit these questions.
With that said everyone is on their own path, and there are many things to consider when wanting to leave a religion - especially if you have family still in the church. Speaking as a former member I can honestly say that losing the community, love, and respect when leaving was difficult but I am much happier now than I was in the church because I can love myself for who I am. There is no guilt or shame related to my sexuality, or how I choose to live my life.
On a final personal note, I would say that people should not give credit to God for things they have done themselves. God did not help me when I was working 30 hours a week and going to college, he did not help me graduate university, he did not help me when my father died. I did all of those things myself with the help of friends and family. When times got difficult it was these people I turned to for support. If you have to pray to feel God’s love and have your “eyes opened to see his hand”, then this could arguably just be a confirmation bias rather than him providing any help or assistance.
TW: Mental health and suicide
Fourth Speaker: Erich W. Kopischke - of the Seventy - Addressing Mental Health (Skip to 5:39:33)
Topics: Mental health, suicide, supporting those with mental illness, educate yourself on mental illness
Key Points:
Sometimes Kopischke wonders if the desolating sickness covering the land as mentioned in the scriptures ( Doctrine and Covenants 45:31) might include mental illness.
Jesus fully comprehends the pain and suffering we go through as he experienced these himself.
Challenges often indicate a need for additional tools and support, they are not a character defect
Kopischke shares a story of his son returning from his mission after just 4 weeks due to having severe panic attacks, anxiety, and depression. As his parents, they found it difficult to deal with disappointment and sadness because they had prayed so much for his success. Like all parents they wanted their children to be happy and prosper, and a mission was to be an important milestone for their son. They also wondered what other people may think.
His son battled deep guilt, no longer felt accepted and was spiritually numb. He became consumed by recurring thoughts of death and “while in this irrational state he believed that the only action left was to take his own life”. It took the Holy Ghost and a legion of angels on both sides of the veil to save him. It has taken a long time and much medical, therapeutic, and spiritual care for him to heal and accept that he is loved, valued and needed.
It can be difficult for parents to identify their children struggles, but they need to educate themselves. Parents must help their children to be content with their sincere efforts as they strive to meet appropriate expectations.
Regardless of our mental and emotional well-being, focusing on grown is healthier than obsessing over our shortcomings. The Lord patiently tutors us through times of great uncertainty. His light guided us step by step through the darkest hours. The Lord helped us to see that the worth of one individual soul is far more important in the eternal scheme than any earthly tasks or achievement
Educating ourselves about mental illness prepares us to help ourselves and others who might be struggling. An open and honest discussion with one another will help this important topic to receive the attention it deserves.
These all too often invisible challenges can affect anyone and when we are facing them they appear insurmountable.
Study the topic of mental heal as learning will lead to more understanding, acceptance, compassion, and love. It can lesson tragedy while helping us develop and manage healthy expectations and healthy interactions.
Watch over each other and love one another. Be less judgemental, especially when our expectations are not immediately met. We should help out children and youth feel the love of Jesus Christ in their lives, even when they struggle to feel love for themselves.
Speak less and listen much, much more. Love them, empower them, and praise them often in their efforts to succeed and be faithful to God
Stay close to them as you stay close to God.
Quotes:
“Because mental health can interfere with our perception of perfection it remains all too often a taboo. As a result, there is too much ignorance, too much silent suffering, and too much despair. May feel overwhelmed because they do not meet perceived standards mistakingly believe that they have no place in the church. To combat such deception it is important to remember that the Saviour loves each of his Fathers children”
“There is not a simple cure-all for emotional and mental wellness. We will experience stress and turmoil because we live in a fallen world with a fallen body”
“For all who are personally affected by mental illness hold fast to your covenants, even if you may not feel god’s love at this time. do whatever lies in your power and then stand still to see the salvation of God, for his arm to be revealed”
Personal Synopsis:
This was a hard talk to listen to, and even harder to write about. I feel so much for Kopischke and his family, and I feel that he did the best that he could to try and offer some support to people affected by mental illness. I am sure that it took a lot to speak about.
A huge part of me agrees with a lot of what he has said and encouraging members of the church to work hard to better understand mental health with defiantly help people still in the church to have more support when they are struggling. I understand that Kopischke was trying his best to help people and I appreciate that he told such a personal story. But he is only about halfway there.
It is hard to be tactful when dealing with such an emotional story, but as someone who has experienced a similar feeling of guilt and shame for not being able to live up to the expectations, I feel that it is important to discuss further. Kopischke has put some good advice out there, but he does not seem to understand or recognise that the pressure of church teachings and TBM family members can in part be the reason why people can develop anxiety and feeling of being unworthy.
Rather than speak of Kopischke’s experiences, I will speak more generally. If a child is taught that they have certain obligations, standards, and roles that must be fulfilled it can affect how they see themselves and the world around them - especially when they are constantly held up to these standards using worthiness interviews. When something happens and a young person can’t meet up to these standards it can have a profound effect and they inevitably feel that they have not only let their family down but God.
If you are telling a girl that she is responsibly to keep the law of chastity till she marries a man and that her role is to be a mother and caretaker then what will happen when something derails this path. What happens if she gets sexually assaulted, or if she realises she is gay or doesn’t want/can’t have children? A huge piece of their identity gets ripped away and they have to figure out how to cope with that - this journey is made much more difficult when they are still getting these messages of their role and their worthiness. It is not enough to just understand that mental health issues exist, people need to recognise just how much control in influence the Church has over peoples lives, and how this, in turn, impacts the mental health of its members.
For anyone struggling with their faith or any of the issues mentioned I would recommend contacting Recovering from Religion, or at least having a look at their resources - these helped me when I first started questioning my beliefs.
Fifth Speaker: Ronald A. Rasband - Quorum of the Twelve Apostles - The Things of My Soul (Skip to 5:52:24)
Topics: have faith, listen to the prophet
Key Points:
Quotes President Russell M. Nelson saying “ Take your questions to the Lord and other faithful sources. Study with the desire to believe rather than with the hope that you can find a flaw in the fabric of a prophets life or a discrepancy in the scriptures. Stop increasing your doubts by rehearsing them with doubters.
Rasband states “youth often ask me what I believe and why I believe”, he goes on to say he was once asked by one young woman “what are the most important things I should know". He says he answered her “The things of my soul. The things that prepare me to hear promptings to that life my sites beyond the ways of the world, that give purpose to my work in the gospel, and to my very life”.
Seven things of Rasband’s soul he wants to share:
Love God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Love thy neighbour. These people are
Love yourself.
Keep the commandments
Always be worthy to attend the temple
Be joyful and cheerful
Follow God’s living Prophet
We live in a time when we are tossed to and fro. When spirituality, decency, integrity, and respect are under attack. We have to make choices. We have the voice of the Lord through his prophet to calm our fears and lift our sites, for when President Nelson speaks he speaks for the Lord.
The most important words we can hear, ponder, and follow are the words from our Prophet. I have sat with the Prophet and seen revelation flow through him
President Nelson is a gifted communicator, but more importantly, he is a Prophet of God. That is staggering when you think about it, but it is critical to realise that his clear direction will shield us from the deceit, craftiness, and secular ways gaining momentum in the world today
Invites members to add three additional “things of your soul” to the seven he has shared himself.
Quotes:
“We live in a time when we are tossed to and fro. When spirituality, decency, integrity, and respect are under attack. We have to make choices. We have the voice of the Lord through his prophet to calm our fears and lift our sites, for when President Nelson speaks he speaks for the Lord”
“The most important words we can hear, ponder, and follow are the words from our Prophet”
“President Nelson is a gifted communicator, but more importantly he is a Prophet of God. That is staggering when you think about it, but it is critical to realise that his clear direction will shield us from all the deceit, craftiness, and secular ways gaining momentum in the world today”
Personal Synopsis:
In his talk, Rasband says “youth often ask me what I believe and why I believe” - this is an important question when examining epistemology because know what you believe and if you have good reasons to believe it is key to getting close to finding the truth. Unfortunately in his talk Rasband never actually answers these questions,. Instead, he tries to tell members the feelings of his own soul, and states that we should listen to the Prophets in this time where spirituality, decency, integrity, and respect are under attack.
This sort of claim is not new rhetoric from the LDS Church. In the last few months, there have been several talks and Liahona articles which try and claim that the Church and its standards are under attack, some even taking offence for being accused of bigotry for their stance on LGBTQ+ rights. This thinking helps to maintain the us v.s them divide, one which tells members that they need to be fearful of the world as it advocates against the church. In reality (except for some rare acceptions) many people who speak out against church are those who have been personally affected by its teachings - and no one is advocating for some sort of world without morals or good deeds. He claims that the Prophet shields members from the “deceit, craftiness, and secular ways gaining momentum in the world today” - none of which can actually be demonstrated.
This thinking only leads members to cling to the church for safety and see themselves as victims of discrimination when they in fact are the ones exhibiting discriminatory behaviour that is harming people.
Sixth Speaker: Elder Christoffel Golden Jr. - of the Seventy - ‘Preparing for The Second Coming of Christ’ (Skip to 6:05:16)
Topics: the second coming, the gospel is joyous, those who deny God do not know or understand the scriptures
Key Points:
Samual (a righteous Lamanite) prophesied to the Nephite people (who by this time had mostly become apostate) the signs that would accompany the Saviours birth. Tragically most Nephites rejected those signs as it was not reasonable that a being such as a Christ should come.
Golden Jr. asks us to contrast the following scriptures:
(2 Timothy 3:1-7) This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come for men shall be loves of their own self, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, ever-learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth
(Alma 36:6) Now you may suppose that this is foolishness in me, but behold I say unto you that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass, and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
We live in a modern world filled with great knowledge and much prowess, none the less these things too often camouflage the unsteady foundation upon which they are built. Consequently, they do not lead to the real truth and on toward God and the power to receive revelation, acquire spiritual knowledge, and ever faith in Jesus Christ that leads to salvation.
Golden Jr. quotes John 14:6 and states that we will have to conform to the reality that we are getting ever closer to the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Quotes Gospel Doctrine articles on the Second coming and states that it will be a fearful, mournful time for the wicked and a day of peace for the righteous.
The Gospel is a message of hope and joy
Many sacred experiences are rarely spoken of, in part of their divine origin and the resulting possibility of ridicule by some who do not know better.
Quotes from the Book of Mormon (Mormon 9:7-9) which basically says those who deny God and revelation “knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them”.
Quotes:
For those who have eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to feel, more than ever before, we are required to confront the reality that we are getting ever closer to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.”
In our preparation for the second coming of Jesus Christ I provide a vital comforting note for the faithful, taken from the Old Testament prophet Amos - ‘surely the Lord God will do nothing until he revealeth his secret unto his servants the Prophets’. In this spirit, today's Prophet of the Lord to the world President Russell M. Nelson has given us this recent inspiring council ‘the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of repentance. Because of the Saviours atonement, his gospel provides an invitation to keep changing, growing, and becoming more pure. It is a gospel of hope, of healing and of progress. Thus the gospel is a message of Joy”.
“Many sacred experiences are rarely spoken of, in part of their divine origin and the resulting possibility of ridicule bu some who do not know better”.
Personal Synopsis:
This message seems to be a bit more pointed at the so-called apostates. It tells members that those who speak out against the church have their beliefs build on an instead foundation, and they do not know/do not read the scriptures.
This again ties back to Russell M. Nelsons talk at the last general conference where he said that “lazy learners” or “lax disciples” would struggle to muster faith. However, once again they are really proving to those outside of the religion that they don#t really understand how logic and critical thinking work. I can honestly say that I have read and studied the scriptures and church history more in the last year than I did when I was an active member. My reason for officially resigning my membership was not just that the Church is not true, it is that they continue to do actual harm to people without apologies or repercussions.
Believing that the Church is true based on feelings and faith is simply not good enough for me anymore.
TW: Mental health issues discussed
Seventh Speaker: Elder Moisés Villanueva - of the Seventy - ‘Favored of the Lord in All My Days’ (Skip to 6:14:01)
Topics: death is a temporary separation from loved ones, we should think of others in times of loss, the antidote for worry is work, minister to others
Key Points:
Villanueva has suffered a personal loss due to COVID-19. When speaking of this loss he says that he often wondered why Jesus cried when he saw Mary anguished by the death of Lazarus when he knew that he had the power to bring him back to life.
Villanueva says that he is amazed by the Saviour compassion and empathy for Mary; that he understood the indescribable pain that Mary felt at the death of her brother. We feel that same intense pain when we experience the temporary separation from our loved ones.
The Saviour has perfect compassion for us and does not fault us for our shortsightedness, nor for being limited in visualising our eternal journey - Both God and Jesus Christ want us to have Joy
President Nelson has taught “the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation we can feel joy regardless of what is happening or not happening in our lives”.
Villanueva gives an anecdotal story from his mission when his companion lost their mother and younger brother in an accident, this companion declined to return home and decided to stay out on his mission. Later the same missionary was injured when his bike was stolen. Villanueva felt sorry for the missionary, but when he later saw him in the hospital he was smiling - this missionary spent his time in the hospital sharing the gospel with doctors, nurses, and other patients. He stayed the full length of mission.
During times of trial and adversity, we can recognise the difficulties of others and reach out and lift them. As we do so we are also lifted by our Christlike service
Quotes Gordon B. Hinkley “The best antidote I know for worry is work, the best medicine for despair is service, the best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired”.
We must follow the example set by Jesus Christ and minister to those with every greater burden than our own
Quotes:
“how do we react to our afflictions? Do we murmur before the Lord because of them? Or, like Nephi and my former missionary friend do we feel thankful in word, thought, and deed peace we are more focused on our blessings than on our problems?
“Jesus Christ showed us that during times of trial and adversity we can recognize the difficulties of others.”
“President Russell M. Nelson is the prophet of God on the earth; he is a great example of how we should minister to others during difficult trials”
Personal synopsis:
I feel that this talk shows just how much church leaders love demonstrating virtue signalling in their talks. Can doing nice things for others make you feel good, sure. Can keeping busy sometimes help with depression or worry, maybe. But neither of these things are a cure or antidote for worry, despair or anxiety. “Trusting in the Lord” can’t cure your depression or help you get up in the morning, and claiming that these things in any way cure or treat worry is not only misleading, but it can leave people feeling worse about themselves when these methods don’t work.
The church is happy to put out literature that says that depression isn’t really anyone's fault, or allows leaders to talk about members educating themselves about mental health - yet they are continuously claiming that if people live by the example set by Christ they will always feel joy! This is not true, and this rhetoric can be pretty damaging to believers who may think they are not being “cured” because they aren’t trying hard enough.
Eighth Speaker: Gary E. Stevenson - Quorum of the Twelve Apostles - ‘Simply Beautiful — Beautifully Simple’ (Skip to 6:23:57)
Topics: Follow gospel principles, follow and live gospel principles
Key Points:
Wants to share 2 key elements of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, followed by 4 stirring accounts from LDS members demonstrating the application of these principles
Divinely appointed responsibility’s: As we come Unto Christ and help others to do the same we particulate in God’s work of salvation and exhalation which focuses on divinely appointed responsibilities. These responsibilities align with the priesthood keys ( as restored by Moses, Elias, Elijah and recorded in D&C 110) and include
Living the gospel of Jesus Christ
Caring for those in need
Inviting all to receive the gospel
Uniting families for eternity
Gospel is plain, precious, and simple: The gospel of Christ is “simply beautiful and beautiful simple”, but the world is not. The world is complex, complicated, and filled with turmoil and strife.
Stevenson shares stories from the members to demonstrate the 4 points above.
Quotes:
“We are blessed as we exercise care not to allow the complexity so common in the world to enter into the way we receive and practice the gospel”
“We should all strive to keep the gospel simple, in our lives, in our families, in our classes and quorums and in our wards and stakes.”
“May we keep the gospel simple as we take upon us our divinely appointed responsibilities…Doing so will surely bring joy and peace.”
Personal Synopsis:
This talk is pretty much general conference 101. It is not as terrible as some of the other talks in this session but Stevenson is still adding to the rhetoric that the world is a terrible and complex place. Sure life is complicated, and it isn’t always easy or pleasant, but believing in God, or following the LDS standards of the Gospel does not make these things easier. The world is not a big scary place that requires members to protect themselves against it, the fact is that it actually offers a false sense of security that the church and its members can be trusted.
I never really notices just how much this sort of thinking affected my life until I started waking up and realising exactly what was going on. When I started reading up on all of the tactics that cults/high control religions use to keep their members active I saw so many similarities in the LDS policies and teachings. When I was a member I thought I was making decisions of my own free will, but looking back I know I was making them in part because I wanted to conform and be “worthy” with everyone else (or at least my perception of other members being worthy). I was afraid of the eternal repercussions for myself and the people I love if I did not meet the high standards that were required of me.
The reality is that there is no basis or truth in the teaching of Joseph Smith, and while I can agree that we should look to do good things for other people, that is as far as I can agree with anything said in this talk. You can read more about why this is the case here.
