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Thoughts on General Conference


volgadon

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I had some thoughts on general conference, but Moses Hayyim Luzzatto, that preeminent ethical-mystic, beat me to them... =)

I have written this work not to teach men what they do not know, but to remind them of what they already know and is very evident to them, for you will find in most of my words only things which most people know, and concerning which they entertain no doubts. But to the extent that they are well known and their truths revealed to all, so is forgetfulness in relation to them extremely prevalent. It follows, then, that the benefit to be obtained from this work is not derived from a single reading; for it is possible that the reader will find that he has learned little after having read it that he did not know before. Its benefit is to be derived, rather, through review and persistent study, by which one is reminded of those things which, by nature, he is prone to forget and through which he is caused to take to heart the duty that he tends to overlook.

A consideration of the general state of affairs will reveal that the majority of men of quick intelligence and keen mentality devote most of their thought and speculation to the subtleties of wisdom and the profundities of analysis, each according to the inclination of his intelligence and his natural bent. There are some who expend a great deal of effort in studying the creation and nature. Others devote all of their thought to astronomy and mathematics, and others to the arts. There are those who go more deeply into sacred studies, into the study of the holy Torah, some occupying themselves with Halachic discussions, others with Midrash and others with legal decisions. There are few, however, who devote thought and study to perfection of Divine service - to love, fear, communion and all of the other aspects of saintliness. It is not that they consider this knowledge unessential; if questioned each one will maintain that it is of paramount importance and that one who is not clearly versed in it cannot be deemed truly wise. Their failure to devote more attention to it stems rather from its being so manifest and so obvious to them that they see no need for spending much time upon it...

Truthful, desirable saintliness is far from being conceptualized by us, for it is obvious that a person does not concern himself with what does not occupy a place in his mind. And though the beginnings and foundations of saintliness are implanted in every person's heart, if he does not occupy himself with them, he will witness details of saintliness without recognizing them and he will trespass upon them without feeling or perceiving that he is doing so. For sentiments of saintliness, fear and love of God, and purity of heart are not so deeply rooted within a person as to obviate the necessity of his employing certain devices in order to acquire them. In this respect they differ from natural states such as sleep and wakefulness, hunger and satiety, and all other reactions which are stamped in one's nature, in that various methods and devices are perforce required for their acquisition. There is also no lack of deterrents which keep saintliness at a distance from a person, but then again there is no lack of devices by which these deterrents may be held afar. How, then, is it conceivable that it not be necessary to expend a great deal of time upon this study in order to know these truths and the manner in which they may be acquired and fulfilled? How will this wisdom enter a person's heart if he will not seek it? And since every man of wisdom recognizes the need for perfection of Divine service and the necessity for its purity and cleanliness, without which it is certainly completely unacceptable, but repulsive and despised - "For God searches all hearts and understands the inclination of all thoughts" (I Chronicles 28:9) - what will we answer in the day of reproof if we weaken in this study and forsake that which is so incumbent upon us as to be the very essence of what the Lord our God asks of us? Is it fitting that our intelligence exert itself and labor in speculations which are not binding upon us, in fruitless argumentation, in laws which have no application to us, while we leave to habit and abandon to mechanical observance our great debt to our Creator? If we do not look into and analyze the question of what constitutes true fear of God and what its ramifications are, how will we acquire it and how will we escape wordly vanity which renders our hearts forgetful of it? Will it not be forgotten and go lost even though we recognize its necessity? Love of God, too - if we do not make an effort to implant it in our hearts, utilizing all of the means which direct us towards it, how will it exist within us? Whence will enter into our souls intimacy with and ardor towards the Blessed One and towards His Torah if we do not give heart to His greatness and majesty which engender this intimacy in our hearts? How will our thoughts be purified if we do not strive to rescue them from the imperfections infused in them by physical nature?

-The Path of the Upright.

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My favorite quote so far: Women who decide to work outside the home are selfish and materialistic." Love it..that just drove 10,000 to submit their resignation...what a true blessing we have beheld.

Who said that?

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My favorite quote so far: Women who decide to work outside the home are selfish and materialistic." Love it..that just drove 10,000 to submit their resignation...what a true blessing we have beheld.

Is that an exact quote? I need to know. I'm going to display it in vinyl letters on my living room wall.

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My favorite quote so far: Women who decide to work outside the home are selfish and materialistic." Love it..that just drove 10,000 to submit their resignation...what a true blessing we have beheld.

What he actually said was that we should not judge women who work outside the home as selfish and materialistic because we don't know the circumstances. Such decisions are between the husband and wife and the Lord. Geesh, talk about hearing what you want to hear.

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What he actually said was that we should not judge women who work outside the home as selfish and materialistic because we don't know the circumstances. Such decisions are between the husband and wife and the Lord. Geesh, talk about hearing what you want to hear.

Exactley!

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No one said that.

I think you're right!

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My favorite quote so far: Women who decide to work outside the home are selfish and materialistic." Love it..that just drove 10,000 to submit their resignation...what a true blessing we have beheld.

Just like someone in Priesthood session a few years said "I glad I know that my wife and daughters are where they should be; in the kitchen making donuts". But the unless you provide the full quote and context it isn't a very honest presentation of what was said.

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It's interesting to see what the critics here say about conference and ponder what different worlds we live in.

I wouldn't miss it for the world. The comments by Elder Uchtdorf about growing immune to the spirit are right on the money.

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Hard times coming,

Indeed. The prices in the LDS Canneries are going up dramatically tomorrow:

Black Beans $13.20 $16.80 +27.27%

Pinto Beans $17.45 $18.55 +6.30%

White Beans $12.55 $16.00 +27.49%

Dry Milk, NF $41.65 $47.20 +13.33%

White Rice $10.00 $13.85 +38.50%

Sugar $17.35 $21.15 +21.90%

White Wheat $7.65 $11.45 +49.67%

Apple Slices $60.45 $72.55 +20.02%

Carrots $57.65 $66.40 +15.18%

Macaroni $16.50 $20.25 +22.73%

Quick Oats $9.85 $15.95 +61.93%

Regular Oats $9.85 $15.35 +55.84%

Dry Onions $76.30 $88.20 +15.60%

Potato Flakes $30.90 $33.30 +7.77%

Spaghetti $19.95 $23.85 +19.55%

Refried Beans $28.60 $35.90 +25.52%

Hot Cocoa Mix $33.50 $38.95 +16.27%

White Flour $10.30 $13.30 +29.13%

Fruit Drink Mix $27.75 $31.30 +12.79%

$501.45 $600.30 +19.71%

See the new order form here.

According to my sources, prices in grocery stores across the country are going to do the same over the next week or so.

Enjoy (or despair, depending on whether you have prepared or not),

Lehi

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According to my sources, prices in grocery stores across the country are going to do the same over the next week or so.

That is what I'm hearing too. Drastically up. They've already been on the rise.

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I really appreciated Burton emphasizing work and personal responsiblity in the Church's welfare system in contrast with other welfare systems.

He pointed out that is what makes the church welfare program successful.

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I really appreciated Burton emphasizing work and personal responsiblity in the Church's welfare system in contrast with other welfare systems.

I did, too. I thought it he approached the topic wonderfully! As did the following speaker - both emphasized the goal of self-reliance while also reminding us that without charity, we are nothing. Great talks all around!

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Has anyone been watching the shows after conference? Talk about tear-jerkers.

Yes, I was deeply moved by the hour-long piece on the LDS welfare program also. Didn't know it was gonna be on, and caught it by accident because I had left the TV on. Hope it is available for others to see on lds.org or mormon.org .

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