April 2005 Conference Report: Day One

[Previous Conference Reports: April 2004 Saturday | Sunday, October 2004 Saturday | Sunday]

Thoughts from the first day of April 2005 LDS General Conference...

(1) Hours of conference talks: 6
     Mentions of the word "pornography": 1
     Mild surprise...

(2) Word of the day: "resplendant"

(3) Pres. Hinckley's statement about how he's "Still Here" despite everything that's happened could be applied to the Church in general.  In fact, it might even be more appropriate...

(4) Talk of the day: Pres. Packer's opening talk (after Pres.Hinckley's brief message)  He did a number of things right, including specific scriptures from the Book of Mormon to prove his point (Cardinal Sin #1 of conference talks: being too general)  He also articulated a very important principle: that 'Joseph Smith doesn't need us to defend him'.  The Book of Mormon does it for us.  The mere existence of the Church, let alone its growth and success, defends him for us.  It's easy sometimes to start feeling as though any attack on the Prophet (from without or within the Church) is an attack on us personally--and we have to bear the weight of 'proof' on our own shoulders or else the foundation of the Church will fall.  Sometimes it's easy to get into 'apologetic' mode, without really needing to.  If you don't want to accept the testimony of the Prophet Joseph, okay--then the burden of proof is on you to explain the existence of the Church and the Book of Mormon without him being a prophet.  Don't feel the Book of Mormon is 'accurate' enough as a history of an ancient people somewhere in the Americas?  Okay...then explain the parts that are accurate.  Think Joseph Smith was just a charismatic liar with a vivid imagination?  Okay...then explain why other people besides Joseph happened to see visions and other miraculous things at the same time.  Or explain why many of the early Saints converted to the Church before ever having met Joseph Smith.   Joseph Smith doesn't need my defense--the burden of proof is on everyone else to prove his testimony is false...

(5) Is it un-PC to ask why the brethren in choirs have to wear more or less exactly the same thing, but the sisters can wear whatever they want?  The 'rainbow effect' is kind of interesting on screen, but seriously...has anyone pointed out the double standard?  Does anyone care?  (Not to mention the ear piercing thing, too...  Okay, I'll shut up.)

(6) I understand the point of Pres. Monson's paper boy suicide story, and I don't know how exactly the 'petition' in question was phrased...but, seriously, if he's suicidal because people complained about how he delivers papers, doesn't that indicate he had some serious emotional problems even before the petition was created?  That if it wasn't the petition right then, something else would simply have triggered the suicide sometime in the near future?  Nobody in this life can escape criticism and judgment from others...  Isn't handling it--justified or not--part of the purpose of life?

(7) Hours of conference talks: 6
     Mentions of 'traditional families are under attack', or something similar: 2
     A little bit of a surprise, here, too...

(8) I don't know what to think about the new missionary program.  When I was a missionary, we memorized the six missionary discussions, as everyone did--very useful in learning vocabulary words in Chinese.  But...I never recited them word-for-word when teaching investigators.  No one did...  We always phrased everything in our own words, but still used the organization of the six discussions as the guidelines for which principles to discuss in which order.  I would have to think any good missionary would still be dynamically teaching by the Spirit despite having pre-written discussions--it never occurred to me to do otherwise.  So, I guess the increased emphasis on dynamic teaching is better, although I'm not sure it's all that different than what missionaries were doing already.  (I may be wrong...anyone from other missions want to comment?)

My other concern is that the conversion rate has really dropped the last few years--which may have been what prompted the change.  From 1995 to 2001, the average number of convert baptisms per year was around 304,000.  Since 2001, the average is down to 255,000 per year.  Now, raw numbers aren't that meaningful because you have to factor in activity.  If the baptisms are down, but activity is up, then that's great!  If not...well, we'll have to see how this new system works...

(9) One of the Seventy (don't remember the name) quoted President Hinckley saying, essentially, instead of complaining about something in the Church, try it first and then see how you feel later.  Goes right along with John 7:17 and (gratuitous link alert) my essay on Faith and the Triangle Offense.

(10) Re: Elder Robbins talk on tithing:  I can sort of understand how some Church members justify the R-rated movie thing, but the 'net tithing' idea put forward by some of the liberal Church members really blows my mind.  You have essentially two concepts for paying tithing:
One: you pay the Lord first, and pay everything else out of what's left.
Two: you pay some or all of the other things first, and then pay the Lord with what's left (if anything...)

Now, seriously...which one sounds like the right doctrine?  You're seriously going to take [Two] and defend yourself with it before the judgment bar of God?  Um...okay.  There is some gray area in tithing and 'increase' (like when you own your own business and have employees under you), but not nearly as much as people seem to think.  Elder Robbins' talk should set everything straight. (yeah, right...)

(11) Big emphasis on financial matters from both Pres. Hinckley and Pres. Monson.  I'm going to save that for a separate essay next week, though...

Continued tomorrow...