There were quite a few notable things that happened this weekend either by what was said or not said. Here are a few things I found tweetable[1]:
- The Women’s Leaders opened #LDSconf by putting the Relief back in Relief Society, and Elder Kearon spread the message to the rest of the Chruch. Sure the need was already known, but many saints were finding reasons to ignore it (a refugee fundraiser in Rexburg was deemed by some neighbors as “too political” to participate in last year), I think we won’t have as many of those problems now. Although on the flip side we’ll end up with a lot of bad, bumbling attempts at help/conversion in the process. Either way, it’s a plus.
- Apparently there is no such thing as “loyal opposition,” which I would say in some ways is a straw man. Sure there are some people in the church trying to take it down, but most of us just disagree on what the word sustain means, you know? If it doesn’t bother anyone too much, I’m going to take what he said at Claremont’s Religious Freedom Conference the week before and combine the messages.
- To go along with opposition, it’s still in style to sit and listen to sermons about loving people wherever they are at spiritually and then 30 minutes later rain all judgmental hellfire down on people who opposed during the sustainings. I understand that people take it personally, but I’m hoping we could just all let people be where they are at. I’m trying to train my heart to respond in love even when I don’t agree or condone the action–whether the action/decision comes from the top or the bottom.
- Fatherhood and Celestial marriages was a big theme this time around; well, we always talk about it, but this time a little bit more than usual? I don’t mind any attempts to elevate the role of fatherhood. I think I’ve seen enough men who feel their duty is priesthood and then phone it in at home because #itwasmom. One thing I liked about the Priesthood Session is that while focusing on the topic, most of them could also be summarized as: Be More Christlike
- A few other highlights on doubt:
- Family Councils:
- and Priesthood Keys:
In addition, there were quite a few talks that were doctrinally meaty and not quite as easy to respond to in 140 characters or less. I look forward to rereading Elders Andersen, Bednar, Renlund, and Uchtdorf. A lot to unpack there. Of course I saved my favorite for last, Elder Duncan:
Maybe he’s a Utes fan, huh?
Notable things that weren’t talked about overtly: the policy, the gays, women are totes equal, etc.
What were your favorites? Was there anything else you noticed was missing that you expected? I was expecting retrenchment big time – so I feel like I dodged a bullet a bit. All in all #nottooshabby
[1] yes I’m a heathen who takes notes on twitter during conference. It helps me not zone out, stay engaged, and remember what was said. I get it doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me.
Wheat & Tares 
Elder Andersen’s was hard not to tie to the policy, since he touched on the part most people find objectionable: denying baptismal access for kids. One of his big arguments was that kids can still be fellowshipped and feel included, even when baptism is unavailable.
Funny enough, Duncan is a BYU alumnus. Perhaps a reaction to the majority of the FP+Q12 as University of Utah alumni?
Do you really think there’ll be conversion attempts on the refugees? I figured the video at Women’s conference showing the friendship between a Mormon and a Muslim was pretty clear about separating the humanitarian effort from the missionary effort. We wouldn’t look as fondly on Quincy, Illinois, if we viewed them as trying to change our religion.
On the heels of the women’s session, I was expecting more than just one talk about refugees. Elder Kearon’s talk seemed to be a call for all members to take action, but the #iwasastranger initiative is clearly directed to female auxiliaries. I was hoping Ballard’s emphasis on LDS scholarship would be referenced, but I guess Ballard’s point was that CES needed to take the helm. The smaller emphasis on religious freedom was nice. Overall the conference felt much less politically-charged (Kearon had to bend over backwards to separate his call to action on refugees from political stances, so maybe it was better others steered clear).
These are some great tweets. Let’s be honest – the soundbites are what we all take away from conference, for good or bad.
Elder Duncan was my mission president. He’s a BYU guy all the way.
Mary Ann, I agree that Elder Andersen’s is the closest thing we got to addressing the policy. I was afraid we’d get Nelson pushing it, though.
And I agree that Ballard had the perfect opening to give hisCES talk message aimed at everyone. It seems like they don’t think the worldwide membership is ready for meat over milk yet. And Duncan’s a Cougar? I’m even more impressed who’s call for tolerance, then.
Hawk I think v few people study the conf talks v deeply. We mostly try to remember a summary and what we felt during it. We’ll see if I end up reread ing the ones I want to.
Of course we now know what sacrament meeting topics are for the next six months. I really wish we could vote online for which TFoT lessons we get in RS/PH.
I loved that President Uchtdorf went back and talked about grace again (Sunday morning). His analogy of the church in Dresden that was rebuilt with some original stone after being destroyed in the WWII bombing was excellent! And +1 for it being a Lutheran church. It’s great when we can admire other religions instead of sneering at them.
“He does not prevent all disasters, but He does answer our prayers to turn them aside, as He did with the uniquely powerful cyclone that threatened to prevent the dedication of the temple in Fiji; or He does blunt their effects, as He did with the terrorist bombing that took so many lives in the Brussels airport but only injured our four missionaries.”
–Dallin Oaks
I found this statement a bit odd. Does he mean that all the people who died (including other missionaries who’ve died on missions) were somehow *not* good enough in God’s eyes?
If one of you fine bloggers wants a topical question to discuss, here’s one I wonder about (in saying “Mormons believe”, I am simplifying for brevity):
1. Mormons believe in levels of glory (Celestial, Telestial, etc.) and they also believe in ministering Angels.
2. Mormons believe those who reach Celestial glory will rule over others. Not sure, but I think they also plan to populate a planet or something…
3. I am curious how these and similar beliefs affect the lives and behavior of Mormons, and also what cultural beliefs have sprouted from this theology.
4. (No offense, just asking) do Mormon men think if they are wealthy and powerful on Earth, they will remain so in Heaven? Do they think if they own a company, for example, they’ll be in charge in Heaven, but if they are an employee they’ll be a servant in Heaven? Do Mormon men (and women) eye each other (and non-Mormons, minorities, homeless people, etc.) and think about their relative status in this regard?
5. Discuss, and prefer honesty over “faith affirming”.
Elder Anderson, there’s a good convrsation about that Oaks quote going on at By Common Consent. https://bycommonconsent.com/2016/04/06/belgian-theodicy/
First off, guest posts are always welcome, so you can tackle any of those yourself. Second, the brethren have really backed off in more official venues speculating about those doctrines, so the most recent authoritative statements will probably be 40+ years old. What members believed about those doctrines in the 1800s, 1950s, or today vary, which means the implications in their daily lives and interactions will also be highly variable. People in high-Mormon concentration communities will likely still have a stronger residual effect from folk beliefs associated with those doctrines.
yes Elder Anderson, if you would like to do a guest post, you can email me at mormon heretic at gmail dot com.