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I thought everyone here would appreciate something Pres. Uchtdorf said in the world-wide leadership training on Saturday: Quote:Some may be tempted to say, “Just tell us what to do, and we’ll do it. While we commend a righteous desire to be obedient, there is more to.. the Church (and more to life) than simply checking items off an assigned to-do list.
If we stop asking questions, stop thinking, stop pondering, we can thwart the revelations of the Spirit.“ Is it too much information to admit to a spiritual “crush” on Pres. Uchtdorf? Every time I hear him speak it’s spiritual sweet talk…
:clap: 
Pres. Uchtdorfm&g, for you it’s a spiritual crush; for me it’s a man crush. He just is a phenomenal person and so needed right now. Makes me believe in inspiration that he’s in his current calling.
I hope this man will become prophet one day. I’d love that. He’s so inspirational, decent, and he’s also not American. I know the last bit will annoy some people, but it should be borne in mind that a lot of LDS don’t reside in the USA, so it reflects the worldwide spread of the church. I think he would be an awesome Prophet. I see a good deal of changes coming from him already in the church, the softening of certain stances I think are directed by his influence. We need more of him and less of everything else. Glad to see I’m not the only one with a crush. He is truly amazing. In one of the few talks where he didn’t talk about being a pilot, his “lift where you stand” in priesthood several years ago transported me to a different place than I have heard in conference. Here is a man who understands the existential value of being fully in the present. How can we translate that into application at the local level? Yes, we are told to think for ourselves, receive personal revelation, and build our faith without blind obedience. But it is not always appreciated by others that find it more efficient for everyone to toe the line and seek validation through conformity. But it takes courage to question things openly and not shrink. It reminds me of being a new missionary, being scared and unsure of myself, but learning over time to open my mouth and trust in my faith (and realize I would learn from being wrong sometimes). Perhaps it is the same for us now…in church among our fellow saints, we can question, we can think and ponder and develop our own interpretations, and not allow others to make us feel small for being pioneers among our own.
Thanks, Pres Uchtdorf! I shall take this counsel from a prophet, seer, and revelator to heart.
I am so encouraged by this! There is actually more to this quote, and I think the whole thing needs to be posted and quoted over and over and over again. I will post it later when I get some time to look it up – I like what was said in the quote that Ray put up, but I think the part of JS is absolutely imperative to understand what it is that Uchtdorf is saying…
I just pray that the mormon people will listen to their own prophets.
cwald wrote:There is actually more to this quote, and I think the whole thing needs to be posted and quoted over and over and over again.
I will post it later when I get some time to look it up – I like what was said in the quote that Ray put up, but I think the part of JS is absolutely imperative to understand what it is that Uchtdorf is saying…
I just pray that the mormon people will listen to their own prophets.
there is good news in the quote, but it isn’t like he is enciuraging questioning of the guidance given by the church leadership, but rather, thinking you know that policy when you really don’t.the full talk can be found here:
acting on the truths of the Gospel of Jesus ChristDieter F. Uchtdorf wrote:Some may be tempted to say, “Just tell us what to do, and we’ll do it.” While we commend a righteous desire to be obedient, there is more to leadership in the Church (and more to life) than simply checking items off an assigned to-do list.
As you have noticed, the new handbooks do not specify in great detail every action you are to take in your calling. These handbooks were provided for the right amount of structure without regimenting every detail. It might be wise to look at the handbooks and even the scriptures not as checklists or detailed scripts but rather as opportunities to prepare our minds and hearts to receive divine inspiration for our responsibilities.
Unfortunately, we sometimes don’t seek revelation or answers from the scriptures or the handbooks because we think we know the answers already.
Brothers and sisters, as good as our previous experience may be, if we stop asking questions, stop thinking, stop pondering, we can thwart the revelations of the Spirit. Remember, it was the questions young Joseph asked that opened the door for the restoration of all things. We can block the growth and knowledge our Heavenly Father intends for us. How often has the Holy Spirit tried to tell us something we needed to know but couldn’t get past the massive iron gate of what we thought we already knew?
i think the quote cuts both ways. yes, he is encouraging seeking the spirit, but only within the context of following and obeying general guidance in the less-specific manuals and instructions. how will this be interpreted by some leaders who then take this quote and read between the lines, being led by “the spirit” to go beyond the mark and probe into personal matters not required ny the church?it’s good to seek the spirit, but spiritual understanding differs significantly from person to person. An abusive leader may think that their emotional manipulation tendencies are spiritually right, even if the manual teaches a different thing. that is thinking for onesself… that is asking questions of onesself, that is ultimately self justification of abuse, and that could be a bad thing.
no where in this article does it say, “think for yourself” in the context of whether to accept what the brethren tell you. the “dont stop asking questions” and “dont stop thinking” statements have to do explicitly with respect to questioning your own experience and prior judgment.
Boy, I don’t know Wayfarer—-I do see it that way. I hope you are wrong….but, yeah, I can see some members reading it that way. I guess that is why I get grumping about nuanced answers and statements, especially from prophets. If they really want to make a change in the system, they are going to have to speak a little more plainly?
Yeah, the key is in how you read it individually – and that’s the case with pretty much everything, right? My good friend, Mitch Mayne (who is the gay bishopric member in San Francico) posted Uchtodorfs quotes on his facebook and asked for comments. Here is what one gay guy posted and my reply after that: “funny they don’t seem to operate that way anymore. I mean if you thought that the Prophet of the LDS Church today could get answers from God then don’t you think someone in the Quorum of the twelve might have asked why are some people born with no natural attraction for the opposite gender and strong sexual attraction for their own gender when such a state would put them at odds with the plan of happiness? If such a question was asked then we might have a revelation describing the purpose of homosexuality. Clearly Gay people have a place in society and contribute greatly to the richness of the culture in every place where they are allowed to live openly, imagine if Michael Angelo did not have sexual passion for the male form, imagine Broadway without gay men? Even in those cultures where homosexuals have to live in the closet they still contribute their unique talents, imagine the US military before the ban without lesbians or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir without closeted gay men? God must have a purpose for gay people, if only the leaders of the Church would just ask, then they could have explained the special calling in life of Homosexual people before telling them that they are rejected by LDS society and American society as a whole for seeking the same right to the marriage commitment that heterosexuals enjoy.”
Bridget Night wrote: The church I grew up in, used to do that more but not so much today. Hopefully, people like brother Uchdorf will bring it back. As far as the gay issue goes, I think the church leaders bought into the early cultural belief in society that no one is born gay, but got screwed up and became gay. Through science and medicine we are learning more about this issue. I recieved my own personal revelation that my son was born gay for a wise and glorious purpose. I like what a friend of mine wrote me once on just the thing you described: “One day, you may well learn that it was a great gift not only to your son, but to you, that he is gay. There are things as parents that you will only be able to fully learn by having this experience. Sometimes I think we gay ones are not the ones being tested at all — no, we’re the great test of you straight people: can you REALLY truly love “the least of these” who are considered outcasts in god’s kingdom? I suspect it’s not HIS salvation on the line at all… but yours.
We gay ones are created as we are for a purpose. And that purpose is never limited only to ourselves. You have an opportunity — a huge opportunity — to actually live what “unconditional love” is all about. And I think you are already well on your way to truly living it with your son.
If only all parents were as determined to love their gay kids as you are. Sadly, that’s not the experience many of us have. For many of us, at the moment of our life’s greatest crisis — coming to terms with the really hard knowledge that we’re just not like other people — that’s EXACTLY when we need love the very most, and it’s also exactly when many parents choose not to give it.
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