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It's my personal random thoughts that this is, at least in small part, a stand in what sometimes seems like a heck of a lot of vaccine confusion. Similar in tone with from when the church made a stand against energy healing, etc. I have witnessed a subset of church members who are very much into natural healing to the point it's a religion in itself. I've seen church members condemning those who do vaccinate, stating they're praying the church bans vaccines, etc. A small group, to be sure, but it's out there.

Of course not. But I do think the Church needed to clarify its stance.

Not all of us non Covid vaccineites are in that crowd.

Well, started out the day rather negatively about conference. The Priesthood Session, especially President Nelson's talk, gave me a boost I needed and I am feeling so much better.

An interesting update on this front: The new Church Handbook updates strongly encourages vaccination and advises that un-vaccinated missionaries will most likely serve in their home countries. https://www.deseret.com/faith/2021/3/31/22359997/vaccinations-protect-health-and-preserve-life-latter-day-saint-handbook-update-mormon-lds While neither of these are really new updates (the Church has been pro-vaccine for decades), it is a very potent and timely reminder.

In the scriptures we often see the Lord commanding his people to flee. If he gives this command he has prepared a place for them to go. The saints simply need to be faithful and obedient. In rarer instances the Lord commands his people to fight. If he gives this command it will come with a promise that he will fight our battles. Thus the saints simply need to be faithful and obedient. No matter how it goes every prophet ever has been trying to prepare us for it. The only real question we should be asking is are we being faithful and obedient?

I was saddened to learn that of the 200 countries in the world the United States is one of only seven countries that allows abortion after twenty weeks of pregnancy. The majority of the United States has also become a quite accepting of wicked sexual perversions. Consequences and or judgments will follow when the majority of a nation accepts and chooses sin.

If any of them are avid readers, having them go through the Work and the Glory series is an excellent start.

Regarding testimony, the primary function of a parent is to provide opportunities for your children to feel and recognize the Spirit. Then (as Moses did on the mount) they will know the difference between the glory of God vs the weakness of Satan. The pitfall of "introducing" anti stuff too early is that the methodology tends to be one of mortal logic and temporal evidence. If they learn to depend on that too early, how can they ever learn to depend on the Lord? Man's logic is fine for temporal matters. But the things of God are learned through the Spirit. And that is about being in tune enough to feel and recognize its promptings. Have they learned that yet? If not, they aren't ready for apologetics. Certainly as general principles, it's fine to explain that basic gospel truth to them. And it is healthy to teach them about the law of witnesses. We need to hear the same message from other apostles to validate the word. Then we need to pray on our own to confirm that what we just heard was true. That way we know that it isn't just rhe fallible man speaking. It is the words of a prophet. This of course goes back to teaching them to feel and recognize the spirit.

Presidents Oaks talk was loaded with knowledge and direction for these last days. From political affiliation (or the lack of it), being willing to change our political positions as needed, don’t follow a single political leader, and members can vote in different ways at different times and still be faithful Saints. Most of all no politics at church and make the gospel teachings the center of life, not politics. If my Facebook feed and Deseret News comment section over the last few years is any indication, this talk just hit a lot of nerves.

Smackdowns to both the hard left and the hard right; and comeuppance to me over my doom-and-gloomism regarding this country’s future . . .

First time, I've heard such discussion about the Constitution in GC. (cf Pres Oaks)

Ahem. Pres Oaks delivers.

“And so we see that Jesus Christ is the light of the world because he is the source of the light that quickens our understanding, because his teachings and his example illuminate our path, and because his power persuades us to do good.” – Dallin H. Oaks, October 1987

Happy Easter, @SilentOne.

As I've noted before, at the time I turned 18 there were some serious issues going on with my family to where my attempting to go on a formal mission would have been a hardship on my parents. Instead, I spent the next decade getting laid into by local and stake priesthood leaders and even largely shunned by many local members. This is because at the time, the mantra was "all young men must serve missions, and all young women are to only date returned missionaries". I was in defiance of this mantra, and so there were consequences. When I was in high school, most leaders were of the opinion that outside of e-mail and the barely-functional church website, the internet was literally nothing but porn. What they didn't understand was that this kind of mentality was keeping members off of the internet at a time when members online were few and far between. As such, those of us who were online were often the only member on any given internet forum. 20 - 1 odds in a "discussion" were depressingly normal, and this made critics of the church so brazen in displaying their overt hatred that "getting your first death threat" was a rite of passage. Talking to hundreds of people at once from all over the world? Being the personal bogeyman of an entire counter-cult ministry? Getting a writer for an alt-media platform to knuckle under with a single carefully-worded e-mail showing at length how badly out of date his research was? Didn't mean anything to the folks who thought that a mission involved a name tag and a bike. Then once the Bloggernacle somehow just "magically appeared out of thin air", suddenly the internet was a glorious place to be and a ready tool for missionary work. Forgotten were the people like myself who drew the lines in the sand and built the defensive fortifications that allowed it to thrive in the first place. Folks, you don't need a name tag to go on a mission. You being a member of the church means you're on a mission, and that mission is to be out there in the world as best as you can be. And even if it looks like you're not having any success, you could be laying the groundwork for more than you'll ever know.

Because the flu vaccine is a crap shoot every year... Given the amount of time it takes to create a vaccine the vaccine makers have to "guess" which strains of the flu are most likely to be making the rounds in the up coming flu season... And often they are wrong. So you take a vaccine which is designed to trigger your bodies reaction (aka make you safely sick for a bit) and it does nothing against the flu that is going round because they got the wrong strain.. Vaccines can be wonderful and powerful tools but they are not a magic bullet.

"For thousands of years from the time of Adam up to Christ’s crucifixion, millions of people had entered the dark grave and suffered death and the end of life. For thousands of years, no one had ever returned. When our Redeemer arose from the tomb with his resurrected and immortal body, he robbed death of its sting and the grave of its victory. Man was freed from sin’s dark prison. Death was conquered; Christ won the victory. He had opened heaven’s gate." – George P. Lee, October 1982

One thing I do not love is the unreasonably long prayers. the person giving the closing prayer in This previous session spoke extremely slow and used as many words as he could to ask for very ordinary blessing and giving thanks. I am all for spending hours on your knees in personal prayer to wrestle with the spirit, and even thoughtful and drawn out prayers among groups when seeking to overcome and issue. but opening and closing prayers during meetings and conferences should be fervent, specific, and to the point. This isn’t an opinion either... definitely doctrine.

Yes it did. FTR, I am pro vaccine, just not flu vaccines. I've never had one.

I ran into the quote on the Internet by another Christian church talking about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is a quote that is pulled out of context to make Latter-Day doctrine appear weird and bizarre in my opinion I notice when many other preachers talk about Latter-Day Saint doctrine they like to call us "Mormon" and do not like to focus on how we place Christ at the center of our faith for redemption and hope in eternal life.

I thought the Saturday morning talk by Henry B Eyring about temples was great. I thought the story about his sudden need to move was interesting, he testified of the Prophets' power of being a seer and the need to heed his counsel.

I thinking about this when I read Doctrine & Covenants section 45 recently. Perhaps there will be several places of refuge the Saints and other moral and Christian people can flee to that the LORD will protect them at in the future.

Funny how we are inspired by different talks at different times, and how different people affect us. I was really touched by Elder Mutombo's talk, much more so than I was expecting.

"The postmortal ministry of the Lord continued in other realms. Jesus ministered unto the dead in the postearthly spirit world. Peter testified that 'the gospel [was] preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." John taught of this as well: 'The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.'" – Russell M. Nelson, April 1987

General conference is supposed to be relevant for the time, not to please us with deep teachings or things WE think is important... so no, I don't see it as boring but important spiritual instruction/insight However, general conference has barely begun, we'll see what else is in store for us

"On that Friday the Savior of mankind was humiliated and bruised, abused and reviled. It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God. I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday was the darkest. But the doom of that day did not endure. The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind." – Joseph B. Wirthlin, October 2006

"Under the Father’s great eternal plan, it is the Savior who suffered. It is the Savior who broke the bands of death. It is the Savior who paid the price for our sins and transgressions and blots them out on condition of our repentance. It is the Savior who delivers us from physical and spiritual death. There is no amorphous entity called 'the Atonement' upon which we may call for succor, healing, forgiveness, or power. Jesus Christ is the source. Sacred terms such as Atonement and Resurrection describe what the Savior did, according to the Father’s plan, so that we may live with hope in this life and gain eternal life in the world to come. The Savior’s atoning sacrifice—the central act of all human history—is best understood and appreciated when we expressly and clearly connect it to Him." – Russell M. Nelson, April 2017

"You will at times have your faith challenged by Satan; it happens to all disciples of Jesus Christ. Your defense against these attacks is to keep the Holy Ghost as your companion. The Spirit will speak peace to your soul. He will urge you forward in faith. And He will bring back the memory of those times when you felt the light and the love of Jesus Christ." – Henry B. Eyring, April 2017

Interesting and meaningful wording. Based on the description in Moses, we as a Church body often say that Jehovah "volunteered" for the position, as if the Father held an open tryout to cast the part, received two affirmatives, and chose between them. This is understandable but not accurate. On reflection, would the Father truly have made the central element in his plan of salvation for countless children hinge on who might raise his hand when asked who wants to be The Guy? God's way is to call people to action and allow them to accept or reject, not ask for help and canvass the results.

"The Son, the greatest of all, was chosen by the Father to carry out the Father’s plan—to exercise the Father’s power to create worlds without number and to save the children of God from death by His Resurrection and from sin by His Atonement. This supernal sacrifice is truly called 'the central act of all human history.' On those unique and sacred occasions when God the Father personally introduced the Son, He has said, 'This is my beloved Son: hear him'. Thus, it is Jesus Christ, Jehovah, the Lord God of Israel, who speaks to and through the prophets." – Dallin H. Oaks, April 2017

One of the latest mass shootings hit VERY close to home for me- metaphorically and literally. The shooter lived within a quarter mile of me, I delivered newspapers to his house growing up, he was on the same sports team as my husband (years removed in time), my best friend drove the shooter's bus to events, the shooting place was within a mile of my grandma's house at her grocery store (obviously I've been there too). I listened to all of the "let's defund the police!" local news last summer, and now an officer is dead and many others. I... have a lot of thoughts on this, which I will have to figure out how to write down later today. No, the reaction shouldn't be "DC needs tighter gun control!"- such really seems to be ignoring the very real pain the local community is feeling. These aren't about the need for more regulation, they aren't about race, they aren't about drugs, they.... they're about real people really really hurting, before and after.

"Reverence flows from our admiration and respect for Deity. Those who are truly reverent are those who have paid the price to know the glory of the Father and His Son." – L. Tom Perry, October 1990

"The sacred events between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday are the story of hosanna and hallelujah. Hosanna is our plea for God to save. Hallelujah expresses our praise to the Lord for the hope of salvation and exaltation. In hosanna and hallelujah we recognize the living Jesus Christ as the heart of Easter and latter-day restoration." – Gerrit W. Gong, April 2020

"We must always keep in mind that God’s greatest gift is eternal life. Eternal life comes from knowing God and from knowing Jesus Christ. Jesus said, 'If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God; for there is no gift greater than the gift of salvation.'" – Bernard P. Brockbank, April 1972

I would also add that a major catalyst for mass shootings is broken families. I have heard a few times that the large majority of mass shootings are done by people who grew up without a father figure or an abusive father. As the US starts moving further away from the nuclear family, this problem will continue to grow

"Down through the generations of time, the message from Jesus has been the same. To Peter by the shores of beautiful Galilee, He said, 'Follow me.' To Philip of old came the call, 'Follow me.' To Levi who sat at receipt of customs came the instruction, 'Follow me.' And to you and to me, if we but listen, shall come that same beckoning invitation, 'Follow me.'" – Thomas S. Monson, October 1996

"We have a knowledge of these things, but do we believe them? If these things are true, then we have the greatest message of hope and help that the world has ever known. Believing them is a matter of eternal significance for us and for those we love." – Bonnie L. Oscarson, April 2016

Thanks for the clarifications. I figure we don't have much to disagree about here. Heh - you've been right for at least several decades there. But not for nonconservative folk, they are rebelling in different ways. I'm watching nonconservatives, including some pretty dang woke progressives, take firm and rebellious stands on the following: - No, if I choose to not date a transgender person, that does not make me a transphobe. - Yes, I do get to be a straight person who prefers the opposite sex, no, that doesn't make me a homophobe, or in denial. (Or a fascist - for some reason, that word is the new insult of choice for a lot of people.) - There are two sexes, with a tiny number of abnormal aberrations. Biological sex is not a spectrum. They're taking lots of flak for stating such perspectives, and they're absolutely in the minority in some circles. It's an out-and-out brawl, happening in facebook groups and other platforms like TikTok. (Google #SuperStraight if you want a taste at how angry and contentious it's getting.)

"The effects of this redemption include the overcoming of physical death for all of God’s children. That is, temporal death is overcome, and all will be resurrected. Another aspect of this redemption by Christ is the victory over spiritual death. Through His suffering and death, Christ paid for the sins of all mankind on condition of individual repentance." – LeGrand R. Curtis, Jr, October 2011

"Essential to the plan is our Savior, Jesus Christ. Without His atoning sacrifice, all would be lost. It is not enough, however, merely to believe in Him and His mission. We need to work and learn, search and pray, repent and improve. We need to know God’s laws and live them. We need to receive His saving ordinances. Only by so doing will we obtain true, eternal happiness." – Thomas S. Monson, October 2016

My contribution from 'For the Strength of Youth':

I have to admit, I would have thought this Elder's claim and video would have resulted in some responses, especially given the topic of the thread...

I agree. The same should go for the young men administering the sacrament. However, sometimes we need to reach out and be more concerned for the safety and well-being of the one over the ninety and nine. We have a less-active young man who only wears a blue shirt when he comes to church. If he comes, and says he is worthy, we allow him to bless the sacrament with the others who are in white shirts. Now that doesn't mean that we should always be catering to the one, or lower our standards long-term/permanently. But, this sister in particular perhaps needs to be in the temple as it is likely the best thing to prevent her from going down a path that will not lead to happiness. If she fades away later in life, she can't say that she wasn't given every opportunity. Sometimes bending the standard down a bit to help others reach it is the best route to take. Then once they do, the spirit has an opportunity to lift them up higher up. These cases truly are exceptions though, and many latter-day saints that I see day to day need to stop trying to make themselves into an exception.

"...[A]ll of us will, at some time or another, have to traverse our own spiritual wilderness and undertake our own rugged emotional journeys. In those moments, however dark or seemingly hopeless they may be, if we search for it, there will always be a spiritual light that beckons to us, giving us the hope of rescue and relief. That light shines from the Savior of all mankind, who is the Light of the World." – L. Whitney Clayton, April 2015

"The thing that is needed more than anything else today is a return to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the gospel plan that he gave. Today, as perhaps seldom if ever before, civilization is in need of a knowledge of the true and living God. Yes, the cure for the ills that beset the world today is true religion. We need the humility of prayer, and a determination to learn God’s will and to keep the commandments that he has given. We need faith that our Savior lives, faith in his redeeming sacrifice. In other words, Christ and his teachings should become the center of our lives." – Joseph Anderson, October 1971

"The submissive soul will be led aright, enduring some things well while being anxiously engaged in setting other things right—all the time discerning the difference. Required, in particular, is meekness of mind which recognizes God’s perfect love of us and His omniscience. By acknowledging these reassuring realities and accepting that God desires our full development and true happiness, we are readied even as the learning experiences come." – Neal A. Maxwell, April 1985

I get queasy at the the idea of a political secession, and suppose I will have to take some time with that blog to see what, if anything, the author is actually advocating. But, yes; I agree with the excerpts you posted about the world United States being “too much with us” as believers.

2 points for Me 1 2 points for Me 2 I guess that makes it a tie.

Please note: https://babylonbee.com/news/so-close-biden-gives-speech-denouncing-violins