Actually, 71's approach is very savvy

[Archaea]

We are basically a lay organization with some professional bureaucrats, but almost theocrats.

So when General Conference comes around, we have a bunch of lay persons who have adminstrative authority speak on issues which their sphere of influence make apparent to them. So we are only seeing windows into their minds, however influenced by good judgment and spiritual wisdom.

These are not trained professional counselors, not trained professional theologians, but for the most part, ordinary folk, doing their best to run a large bureaucracy of lay persons. Hence, we should expect a disparate quality of talks. In reality, GC is nothing more than a huge, prolonged sacrament meeting with no more expertise than such.

Thus, some talks will resonate and some will be filled with folk wisdom and the like. And it has always been so.

[BYU71]

Originally Posted by Archaea

We are basically a lay organization with some professional bureaucrats, but almost theocrats.

So when General Conference comes around, we have a bunch of lay persons who have adminstrative authority speak on issues which their sphere of influence make apparent to them. So we are only seeing windows into their minds, however influenced by good judgment and spiritual wisdom.

These are not trained professional counselors, not trained professional theologians, but for the most part, ordinary folk, doing their best to run a large bureaucracy of lay persons. Hence, we should expect a disparate quality of talks. In reality, GC is nothing more than a huge, prolonged sacrament meeting with no more expertise than such.

Thus, some talks will resonate and some will be filled with folk wisdom and the like. And it has always been so.

We need to make it clear that I personally consider them of more value than Sacrament talks. The quality, knowledge and spirituality of the lay folks giving those talks are of a higher level than most Sacrament talks.

My point was that they are counsel. Those that get offended I think make the same error as those who treat them as the word of God. They think they are commandments and not counsel.

Since I think of them as counsel, I don't get offended. I listen and then apply the counsel as I see fit in my life.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by BYU71

We need to make it clear that I personally consider them of more value than Sacrament talks. The quality, knowledge and spirituality of the lay folks giving those talks are of a higher level than most Sacrament talks.

My point was that they are counsel. Those that get offended I think make the same error as those who treat them as the word of God. They think they are commandments and not counsel.

Since I think of them as counsel, I don't get offended. I listen and then apply the counsel as I see fit in my life.

Some of them may be better as many of the speakers spend a lot of time giving talks, so they have lots of practice giving talks. But there are plenty of members, who will never give a GC talk, who have lots of wisdom to share with us during sacrament.

So GC speakers are generally more practiced. Whether they are more spiritual depends. It's more like the tribe getting together and the appointed elders speak until it's time to go.

[BYU71]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Some of them may be better as many of the speakers spend a lot of time giving talks, so they have lots of practice giving talks. But there are plenty of members, who will never give a GC talk, who have lots of wisdom to share with us during sacrament.

So GC speakers are generally more practiced. Whether they are more spiritual depends. It's more like the tribe getting together and the appointed elders speak until it's time to go.

We all have differing opinions based on where we are at. At my phase in life, I get a lot more out of conference that I do regular church meetings. Regular church meeting are set up primarily for the married members of the church. I find conference is a more general type setting.

[minn_stat]

Originally Posted by BYU71

Since I think of them as counsel, I don't get offended. I listen and then apply the counsel as I see fit in my life.

I agree wholeheartedly with this approach, with one caveat. Some take this approach as "I'm going to do what I want to do, no one is going to tell me what to do". In my opinion, if a talk hits us is such a way to provoke a reaction like this, we need to take the time to digest it, to consider its meaning and usefulness in our lives (and perhaps the lives of those we have primary responsibility for, i.e., our kids). In other words, to humble ourselves and seek spiritual guidance on the subject. If we do this, then applying the "counsel as I see fit in my life" is absolutely appropriate.

I am generally unable to tell which of these reactions are occurring in other people's lives, but I generally am pretty cognizant of how I react.

When church leaders are talking in GC or a similar broad context, they have to focus on guiding, general principles. They couldn't possibly tailor it to meet everyone's situation, and they don't even try to. So why I would be offended over the fact that there are clearly exceptions to many of the principles espoused?

[BYU71]

Originally Posted by minn_stat

I agree wholeheartedly with this approach, with one caveat. Some take this approach as "I'm going to do what I want to do, no one is going to tell me what to do". In my opinion, if a talk hits us is such a way to provoke a reaction like this, we need to take the time to digest it, to consider its meaning and usefulness in our lives (and perhaps the lives of those we have primary responsibility for, i.e., our kids). In other words, to humble ourselves and seek spiritual guidance on the subject. If we do this, then applying the "counsel as I see fit in my life" is absolutely appropriate.

I am generally unable to tell which of these reactions are occurring in other people's lives, but I generally am pretty cognizant of how I react.

When church leaders are talking in GC or a similar broad context, they have to focus on guiding, general principles. They couldn't possibly tailor it to meet everyone's situation, and they don't even try to. So why I would be offended over the fact that there are clearly exceptions to many of the principles espoused?

I am not going to go into details, but there were some things that really hit me. Some I have heard of before, but at this time in my life they were great reminders. I personally look forward to conference. It is uplifting for me. Maybe that is because I don't think of everything that is said as condemning or some kind of commandment.

[minn_stat]

Originally Posted by BYU71

I am not going to go into details, but there were some things that really hit me. Some I have heard of before, but at this time in my life they were great reminders. I personally look forward to conference. It is uplifting for me. Maybe that is because I don't think of everything that is said as condemning or some kind of commandment.

I have much the same reaction to conference. I came away with three particular areas I want to focus on, both as an individual and as a family. My wife and I have talked about some of these things, and came away seeing pretty much eye-to-eye. Good food for thought came out of it.