Church ends saturday evening sessions for general conference

[MustardSeed]

I'm very late to this party, but to answer the original question -

My thoughts are "good."  This last year has done more for my testimony of the Savior than all my previous years in the gospel.  I'm more grounded, more clear, less clouded by social traditions and nonsense.  

I love the prophet's focus on reducing the noise and recovering basics. 

I believe in a living prophet, and the truth that the lord has does and will yet reveal many great and wonderful things pertaining to the kingdom of God. It must be really difficult for folks who love continuity, tradition and culture.  I feel for them.  For me, I love the challenges that change incurs and I love being stretched.  I cannot be stretched with sameness.  

I love change.  As the world changes, as humans change, our needs change. Not all change in the world is bad, and as we have survived change in the past, we will survive this and will likely experience the good.  It was not created on a whim.  I trust. 

[JLHPROF]

Just now, MustardSeed said:

I believe in a living prophet, and the truth that the lord has does and will yet reveal many great and wonderful things pertaining to the kingdom of God. It must be really difficult for folks who love continuity, tradition and culture.

These are not mutually exclusive.  I am a traditionalist for sure, but I believe in continuing revelation.  You can be both.
I just don't believe in contradictory doctrinal revelation (truth doesn't change and God cannot lie).  I do however believe in situational revelation (those to suit the purpose of current circumstances).

[The Nehor]

18 hours ago, juliann said:

Yup. And it sounds as off key as this one does, 

Call me regressive but I am not convinced my gender is ready for that kind of responsibility.

[juliann]

4 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

Oh. Maybe I’m wrong. 
 

Added later:  But didn’t the article say they won’t yet be admitting the general public for the in-person meeting? If so, what would be the point of moving it back into that immense space?

To fill the  stands (like, with some women!) and seat the choir? There should be no reason the choir couldn’t sing by October. It makes sense to make it look like a “real” conference. The audience wouldn’t matter as much if nothing else was different.  

[JAHS]

2 minutes ago, juliann said:

To fill the  stands (like, with some women!) and seat the choir? There should be no reason the choir couldn’t sing by October. It makes sense to make it look like a “real” conference. The audience wouldn’t matter as much if nothing else was different.  

Chances are they have made sure the entire choir and church leaders have ben vaccinated or are otherwise immune. 

[Scott Lloyd]

5 minutes ago, juliann said:

To fill the  stands (like, with some women!) and seat the choir? There should be no reason the choir couldn’t sing by October. It makes sense to make it look like a “real” conference. The audience wouldn’t matter as much if nothing else was different.  

I think it would be quite glaring and obvious not to have a congregation present. But they’ll do what seemeth them good. 

[MustardSeed]

1 hour ago, JLHPROF said:

These are not mutually exclusive.  I am a traditionalist for sure, but I believe in continuing revelation.  You can be both.
I just don't believe in contradictory doctrinal revelation (truth doesn't change and God cannot lie).  I do however believe in situational revelation (those to suit the purpose of current circumstances).

Indeed.  And what "truth" is, for many things, we will not know in its completeness until the end. 

[JustAnAustralian]

My guess is that they'll have the general authorities and officers there. They should have all been vaccinated by now.

[jkwilliams]

1 minute ago, JustAnAustralian said:

My guess is that they'll have the general authorities and officers there. They should have all been vaccinated by now.

I know for a fact that some general authorities have not been able to get vaccinated because the countries they are assigned to are not up to speed on vaccination. 

[JustAnAustralian]

31 minutes ago, jkwilliams said:

I know for a fact that some general authorities have not been able to get vaccinated because the countries they are assigned to are not up to speed on vaccination. 

I'll make an addendum to say GAs and GOs in the USA. 

[jkwilliams]

Just now, JustAnAustralian said:

I'll make an addendum to say GAs and GOs in the USA. 

I have a good friend who is a GA who has been quarantined 5 times in 3 countries in the last 6 months. 

[Scott Lloyd]

6 hours ago, jkwilliams said:

I have a good friend who is a GA who has been quarantined 5 times in 3 countries in the last 6 months. 

Some folks can’t seem to get along no matter where they go. 

[jkwilliams]

3 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

Some folks can’t seem to get along no matter where they go. 

Fortunately, he has been able to do a lot over the Internet. But I don't envy them spending 10 weeks in quarantine like that. In one country, they weren't allowed to leave their tiny "quarantine hotel" room. Food and bedding were left outside their door, so they pretty much had no face-to-face human contact. Meanwhile, I don't know what his wife has been doing to keep busy. And it looks like they won't be able to get vaccinated until they come back to the USA for the month of July, as GAs have that month off.

Edited June 9, 2021 by jkwilliams

[JamesBYoung]

"Church ends saturday evening sessions for general conference" is a relief for me.

The women say they will miss the messages from the women's leadership.

[JustAnAustralian]

24 minutes ago, jkwilliams said:

In one country, they weren't allowed to leave their tiny "quarantine hotel" room. Food and bedding were left outside their door, so they pretty much had no face-to-face human contact

That's pretty much how the ones here run, and even then it still manages to spread within the quarantine hotels.

[jkwilliams]

Just now, JustAnAustralian said:

That's pretty much how the ones here run, and even then it still manages to spread within the quarantine hotels.

Somehow they've managed to not get Covid. I believe they're in quarantine again now. 

[Teancum]

15 hours ago, JLHPROF said:

You want the current policy answer or the my doctrinal opinion answer?
Not that you'd accept either so it's not particularly pertinent either way.

Do I have to accept it for you to discuss it?  Do both.

[Scott Lloyd]

2 hours ago, jkwilliams said:

Fortunately, he has been able to do a lot over the Internet. But I don't envy them spending 10 weeks in quarantine like that. In one country, they weren't allowed to leave their tiny "quarantine hotel" room. Food and bedding were left outside their door, so they pretty much had no face-to-face human contact. Meanwhile, I don't know what his wife has been doing to keep busy. And it looks like they won't be able to get vaccinated until they come back to the USA for the month of July, as GAs have that month off.

I was joking, of course. 
 

But General Authorities earn every penny of the relatively modest stipend they receive. 
 

 

[jkwilliams]

5 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

I was joking, of course. 
 

But General Authorities earn every penny of the relatively modest stipend they receive. 
 

I knew you were joking. You may be surprised that I agree with you: the general authorities put in an amazing amount of hours, seven days a week. I remember Rex Pinegar telling me that a study had shown that general authorities work an average of 104 hours a week. 

[Scott Lloyd]

4 minutes ago, jkwilliams said:

I knew you were joking. You may be surprised that I agree with you: the general authorities put in an amazing amount of hours, seven days a week. I remember Rex Pinegar telling me that a study had shown that general authorities work an average of 104 hours a week. 

True. 
 

But it isn’t enough just to work hard and long. You have to produce value to show for it. The General Authorities succeed in both ways. 

[jkwilliams]

Just now, Scott Lloyd said:

True. 
 

But it isn’t enough just to work hard and long. You have to produce value to show for it. The General Authorities succeed in both ways. 

Most of the GAs I've known fit that description. 

[mgy401]

17 minutes ago, jkwilliams said:

I knew you were joking. You may be surprised that I agree with you: the general authorities put in an amazing amount of hours, seven days a week. I remember Rex Pinegar telling me that a study had shown that general authorities work an average of 104 hours a week. 

I have no doubt that the GAs work long and hard, and do an excellent work.  But 104 hours/week shakes out to a hair under fifteen hours per day, seven days a week.  Or seventeen and a half hours per day, if you give them an “off” day once a week.  
 

It’s not impossible, of course; but I find it highly unlikely—especially given the Church’s emphasis on family life and work-life balance.  With all due respect and admiration, my money would be on the “104 hours” figure being the result of a miscommunication. 

[jkwilliams]

4 minutes ago, mgy401 said:

I have no doubt that the GAs work long and hard, and do an excellent work.  But 104 hours/week shakes out to a hair under fifteen hours per day, seven days a week.  Or seventeen and a half hours per day, if you give them an “off” day once a week.  
 

It’s not impossible, of course; but I find it highly unlikely—especially given the Church’s emphasis on family life and work-life balance.  With all due respect and admiration, my money would be on the “104 hours” figure being the result of a miscommunication. 

All I know is that's what Elder Pinegar told me. The GAs do not have a day off, so they work seven days a week. I am assuming Elder Pinegar wasn't factoring in the month of July, which they have off.

ETA: I'm reminded of the time I worked late at the Church Office Building. It was around 7:30 p.m., and I'd been there since 6:30 a.m. I shared an elevator with Robert D. Hales, who I knew was just back to work after a major heart attack and surgery. I asked what he was doing there so late, and he said, "My doctor tells me to work only half-days, so that's 12 hours."

Edited June 9, 2021 by jkwilliams

[JLHPROF]

1 hour ago, Teancum said:

Do I have to accept it for you to discuss it?

No, you don't have to accept it.  But it does mean you'll  respond with your usual "that's just your belief, other people believe different" response or a variation on that theme (like your dogma argument).
Which isn't as much a discussion as a dismissal.

Quote

Do both.  (Why can't they? They gave it to those of African descent.)

Ok - Church position - It's God's priesthood he can give it to whoever he wants.  It's not up to us.  I even had a Church member on this board say God could ordain cats and dogs if he wanted.

My doctrinal belief - Priesthood is an eternal order with specific offices and callings, limitations and restrictions of office, potentially originating in premortality.
Ordination to offices like Deacon, Teacher, Priest, Elder, High Priest, Apostle aren't given to women not because God doesn't currently authorize it, but because they are literally not able to hold these offices.
God himself actually can't authorize it, any more than he could approve of adultery. 
Certain offices and callings are axiomatically male and certain ones are female, not discretionary.
There are priesthood offices women can and do hold.  But you can no more ordain a woman a Bishop than you can ordain a man a Queen and Priestess.  It simply doesn't work.

Edited June 9, 2021 by JLHPROF

[secondclasscitizen]

On 6/8/2021 at 3:41 AM, sheilauk said:

Which may not be so congenial or easy to do for single members who are the majority of members in some places. I want to take the Sacrament weekly.  One of the things I love about this church.  Why should I impose on friends every other week to be able to do so?

It would not be you imposing, that would be the church.