General Confrence 2004

[Guest lt]

For those who cannot make it to confrence here is a link to listen to it online.

I remember many times where we have had to miss it do to a sick child, work or

it being to far to go.

Laureltree

http://www.lds.org/conference/oct2003/arch...,4560-1,00.html

Here is also a link to the audio scriptures, they are great to listen to while cleaning house or at work.

http://www.lds.org/broadcast/scriptures/0,...5393,48,00.html

[Behunin]

Originally posted by LaurelTree@Mar 15 2004, 09:38 AM

For those who cannot make it to confrence here is a link to listen to it online.

I remember many times where we have had to miss it do to a sick child, work or

it being to far to go.

Laureltree

http://www.lds.org/conference/oct2003/arch...,4560-1,00.html

Here is also a link to the audio scriptures, they are great to listen to while cleaning house or at work.

http://www.lds.org/broadcast/scriptures/0,...5393,48,00.html

Great resources, thank you.

[Guest Taoist_Saint]

I'm more interested in what the protesters will be doing...if there will be any changes this time.

Didn't the Church take some legal actions this year to stop them from doing certain things (like displaying garments)?

I thought I read something about that.

Anyway, I'm hoping to see some real excitement on the streets this year.

Also, the protesters (unintentionally) do alot of good for the Church...

http://www.fairlds.org/apol/antis/200303.html

[AFDaw]

There's no such thing as bad publicity.

[Guest lt]

people can only hurt you if you let them.....take away there target and they run out of ammo

[Snow]

Originally posted by AFDaw@Mar 15 2004, 07:12 PM

There's no such thing as bad publicity.

Then that explains the sudden rise in the sales of Martha Stewart related merchandize - whoops, except sales have go down. Remember how many choice roles Pee Wee Herman got after being caught with his hand in the, um, cookie jar?

[AFDaw]

Well let me make it clearer then.

There's not such thing as bad publicity FOR THE CHURCH.

Better Snow?

[Snow]

Originally posted by AFDaw@Mar 16 2004, 06:05 AM

Well let me make it clearer then.

There's not such thing as bad publicity FOR THE CHURCH.

Better Snow?

Better? Yes better though I think the Church disagrees. They agressively fight to protect their image and control the publicity and spin. There's a rumor/myth that whenever the Church receives some onslaught of media/public negative attention that baptisms go up. That may have happened in some cases but I doubt it is the rule.

I'm thinking that the Mountain Meadows Massacre or the polygamy trials and government interventions at the turn of the century (last century) really didn't help the Church all that much.

[AFDaw]

Then all the bad press the church recieves, membership shouldn't be rising. But it is. For every bad publicity the church gets, someone out there is interested and investigates further. Some end up joining. And conversions should cease to exist in the South. Everyone around here pretty much thinks we're all going to hell. I've had people I call close friends bring me anti-mormon pamplets, not out of disrespect, but out of genuine concern for my soul. Yet we still have baptisms and a rise in membership every year.

When the Dell spokesman was arrested for drug sales, Dell's sales saw an increase. How many times have you heard people say "I heard something about it in the news, but don't know what's going on." Studies have even shown that candidates who are in the news for scandals, end up getting an increase in support because people voting or polled recognize the name (without knowing why) and vote for them.

[Lindy]

I have often wondered how many people have taken an active interest in learning a little more about the church when they hear something negative on the media. I know that it stirs up questions, which can be a good thing, and I know that it stirs up doubts...which can be a bad thing.

I have also wondered if those that leave the church because of what they have heard (and dove deeper to find answers to their questions) ever kept a small piece of the truth that that they had learned in the LDS faith?

[AFDaw]

When Spencer and I were getting married we had a church wedding and a friend of the family was the one who was going to be marrying us and so we had to have 6 pre-martial counseling sessions with him. One the first one he met us at my parent's church bldg and to make what could be a long story VERY short, he didn't want to marry us because I was Mormon. He said that perhaps I was just telling my parents I was active when in fact I wasn't (because I didn't live in the same town as they did) and then he goes on to preach to Spencer about how un-Christian we were, how we didn't believe in God and we were on the pathway to hell and he gave Spencer some reading material and told him to seriously think it over before he even married me.

Needless to say he did preform the ceremony. Also needless to say he's no longer a friend of the family. I had never pressured Spencer into joining the church (though I knew deep down he would) and I never forced him to go or anything. He later said that while Todd was sitting there talking all this anti nonsense, it made Spencer more curious about the church and made him think that there must be something to it.

I should send him a thank-you note for convincing him to investigate further :)

[Snow]

Originally posted by AFDaw@Mar 16 2004, 10:53 AM

Then all the bad press the church recieves, membership shouldn't be rising. But it is

Except that bad press or the lack of bad press is not the only drives of membership increases. Theres:

-Live births,

-good press,

-desire for the positive family/social benefits of the Church

-the gospel being true

-etc.

[AFDaw]

Yes...but there's a lot of conversions. I'm willing ot say that most converts that heard all the anti dribble prior to joining. And like I said before, at least in my area I'm willing to bet that.