The Next Mormon Schism

[Sleeping in EQ]

There's a decent chance that you could see a serious hardline approach with a binary outcome: you're onboard or you're out.

This GC may have been the roll out, although there are reasons to think otherwise:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/50413221-76/church-lds-packer-speech.html.csp?page=1

[Indy Coug]

I'm not blaming BYU football and I always take responsibility for my faith. I'm just lamenting the lack of joy on Friday night, followed by the disaster that was GC.

General Conference was a disaster? A disaster?

Is the object going into General Conference to have your rabbit ears up searching for as much as possible to get bent out of shape about?

Don't bother answering that question. This forum is answer enough.

[Moliere]

General Conference was a disaster? A disaster?

Maybe it's the morsel of poop in the brownies metaphor. You hear one talk that rubs you wrong and it spoils all 5 sessions.

[pellegrino]

General Conference was a disaster? A disaster?

Is the object going into General Conference to have your rabbit ears up searching for as much as possible to get bent out of shape about?

Don't bother answering that question. This forum is answer enough.

I didn't watch much of conference, we took the opportunity to get out of town and see a football game with some friends. I did catch a good portion of Sunday morning session, but I missed Packer's talk. After having seen snippets online, I don't think I'll read it, not worth the effort.

Indy, I think you're completely misunderstanding people here. Here's the best analogy I can think of at the moment. Let's say that membership in the church is like climbing a tree. Sometimes you're able to find a good path on a strong branch where you're able to get your feet under you and balance well enough to move on and explore other areas of the tree. Other times, you're just hanging on, hoping that you can find a more secure hand hold and then someone comes along and instead of offering you a hand they take a club and beat your hands with it, which, because of the pain, causes you to either let go completely, hoping that you'll find that solid branch beneath you, or that the fall doesn't hurt badly enough to prevent you from climbing the tree again.

I'll ask you a question that begins with a couple of postulations. If, on a broad scale, the purpose of the church is to bring people to Christ, and if the purpose of GC is the same, then how, if at all, does a talk condemning homosexuality (and in turn those who vote to legalize same sex marriage) further that purpose? Why beat the hands of those who are just trying to hang on?

[Sleeping in EQ]

General Conference was a disaster? A disaster?

Is the object going into General Conference to have your rabbit ears up searching for as much as possible to get bent out of shape about?

Don't bother answering that question. This forum is answer enough.

The answer to your question is "no."

Thank you for your kind consideration.

[Indy Coug]

If, on a broad scale, the purpose of the church is to bring people to Christ, and if the purpose of GC is the same, then how, if at all, does a talk condemning homosexuality (and in turn those who vote to legalize same sex marriage) further that purpose?

Part of bringing people to Christ entails clearly delineating what is and isn't acceptable behavior.

[byu71]

Part of bringing people to Christ entails clearly delineating what is and isn't acceptable behavior.

I agree with this. There are ways of doing this that seem Christlike and there are ways of doing this that remind me of the Witchhunts (a little over the top but I couldn't think of another comparison without taking too much time).

I have made it quite clear on this board I am not for gay marriage. That being said, I found Elder Pakards talk taking me back into another time. A time when we had reasons why blacks couldn't hold the priesthood (fence sitters), a time when we loved the Lamanites (so much so we told them if they were good enough some day they could be white), a time when we told the Catholics they belonged to the great and abomnible (sp) church and a time when we told those who used birth control they would reap the wrath of God.

While most of the brethern have moved on, I don't think Elder Packard has.

[pellegrino]

Part of bringing people to Christ entails clearly delineating what is and isn't acceptable behavior.

Agreed, so what did Christ have to say about homosexuality? Feel free to cite your scriptural references in the standard form (i.e. chapter and verse).

[Indy Coug]

Agreed, so what did Christ have to say about homosexuality? Feel free to cite your scriptural references in the standard form (i.e. chapter and verse).

So you intend to completely dismiss modern revelation? Shocker.

[Flystripper]

So you intend to completely dismiss modern revelation? Shocker.

The Proclamation was modern revelation?

[Indy Coug]

The Proclamation was modern revelation?

Hardly. Undoubtedly, it was the end result of intensive market research and focus groups.

[Flystripper]

Hardly. Undoubtedly, it was the end result of intensive market research and focus groups.

Ha!

But seriously, when The Proclamation came out I never thought of it as something new or something revealed. It didn't seem like revelation to me. Sure it came from the First Presidency and they "solemnly declared" but was it modern revelation? It didn't seem that way to me at the time (this was a time when I was active) but what do I know? I am a hopeless apostate.

[statman]

I thought the addiction talk was very positive. It also doesn't hurt to remind yourself that it is your church too.

My wife the pharmacist was very glad to hear Elder Ballard's addiction talk (recorded - since she was working on Saturday and Sunday!). She sees all kinds of addiction problems here in Utah to a degree that's not even been approximated in other places she's worked. WAY MORE people taking WAY MORE painkillers in northern Utah County.

[Sleeping in EQ]

Hardly. Undoubtedly, it was the end result of intensive market research and focus groups.

So the process was the same as for the mall? Got it.

[Indy Coug]

So the process was the same as for the mall? Got it.

The common thread is that they didn't pray over any of these decisions and wait for that pesky spiritual confirmation.