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I took Uchtdorf’s light/darkness talk to mean that it’s not my fault that I’m going through a time of darkness and confusion. It’s not anyone’s fault. I can’t expect to have daytime light my entire life. I know my faith transition is going to make for a rough road ahead, but I now have renewed hope that I can come out of that “night” with a new appreciation for light. I still have prayer and I’m glad I do. I’m glad I’ve been able to see it in a new light and break out of the formality of the structure and the stuffiness of the thees and thous. While I’m no more consistent about remembering to pray than I was before, Heavenly Father has become much more personal to me. Prayer has transcended beyond a habit into a way of building a relationship.
Joni wrote:
While I’ve got my complainy pants on, I really didn’t like the way RMN was talking about grieving families needing a padded room to receive bad news. It was very much “we’re better than them because we’ve got the plan of salvation.” You would think a retired doctor would have more compassion than that.
Doctors are more valued for being dispassionate. They can let nurses do the heavy lifting of nurturing, particularly surgeons.
nibbler wrote:
Man PH session was a letdown. Meh. They can’t all be good.And I feel Uchtdorf’s analogy breaks down (what analogy doesn’t) because I believe darkness serves a function. Half of the earth is in light, half is in shadow. I get the feeling that it would be disastrous for life on this planet if one half of the earth was
alwaysin light and the other alwaysin shadow or if the wholething was in nothing but light all the time. If you move fast enough and in the wrong direction you could inadvertently stay on the ‘dark’ side of earth all the time. Who can say, maybe one strategy is to stay put and wait for the light to encompass you again. Maybe in the meantime sit in the darkness and learn to appreciate what role it plays in the cosmic dance.
And we have faith and hope in the light of a new dawn because we’ve seen it countless times. The earth is on autopilot (ukie-pun) in that regard. Some people have
trialsthat are so sore and so frequent in their lives that they have come to expect them like the sunrise. The talk wasn’t about that but that’s where my thoughts went.
I agree Nibbler. There could not be light without dark, we wouldn’t know the difference. The darkness is not “bad” or “evil,” it just is and it is necessary. I think Uchtdorf was at least implying that, and at least implying that there’s no substance to the Prosperity Gospel.
hawkgrrrl wrote:
Joni wrote:
While I’ve got my complainy pants on, I really didn’t like the way RMN was talking about grieving families needing a padded room to receive bad news. It was very much “we’re better than them because we’ve got the plan of salvation.” You would think a retired doctor would have more compassion than that.
Doctors are more valued for being dispassionate. They can let nurses do the heavy lifting of nurturing, particularly surgeons.
Being dispassionate is one thing. Mocking them in front of an audience of millions is quite another. But maybe I’m just primed to dislike most of the things RMN says.
Old Timer wrote:
Pres. Oscarson’s talk was very good.DON’T listen to Elder Oaks’ talk. It is ultra-orthodox about marriage. It will upset you. It is black and white, and it comes across as deeply condescending, even though he says we need to love others who don’t see things the way we do.
I liked Elder Oak’s talk. Marriage is vital to raising children. We need more commitment and faithfulness toward our husbands or wives and to our children.
richalger wrote:
Old Timer wrote:
Pres. Oscarson’s talk was very good.DON’T listen to Elder Oaks’ talk. It is ultra-orthodox about marriage. It will upset you. It is black and white, and it comes across as deeply condescending, even though he says we need to love others who don’t see things the way we do.
I liked Elder Oak’s talk. Marriage is vital to raising children. We need more commitment and faithfulness toward our husbands or wives and to our children.
I find I can like it too if I filter out all the explicit and implicit language against LGBT issues. But this is a sore spot for me right now and hard (impossible?) for me to enjoy the pro-family message when laced with what I perceive as anti gay marriage rhetoric.
Knowing personally several gay couples who are loving parents with wonderful families – I just don’t accept that their families are also not favored of loving heavenly parents.
In which talk did they refer to loving your enemies and that to others you may be their enemies? DoubtingTom wrote:
richalger wrote:
Old Timer wrote:
Pres. Oscarson’s talk was very good.DON’T listen to Elder Oaks’ talk. It is ultra-orthodox about marriage. It will upset you. It is black and white, and it comes across as deeply condescending, even though he says we need to love others who don’t see things the way we do.
I liked Elder Oak’s talk. Marriage is vital to raising children. We need more commitment and faithfulness toward our husbands or wives and to our children.
I find I can like it too if I filter out all the explicit and implicit language against LGBT issues. But this is a sore spot for me right now and hard (impossible?) for me to enjoy the pro-family message when laced with what I perceive as anti gay marriage rhetoric.
Knowing personally several gay couples who are loving parents with wonderful families – I just don’t accept that their families are also not favored of loving heavenly parents.
Same.
My wife asked me about what I do agree with. Really, I agree with most of it. In two cultures now – one in the US and one in Europe – I’ve seen first-hand what happens when the concept of family breaks down: a self-sustaining system of poverty, loneliness and abuse. Most participants are desperate and miserable. Young men end up in gangs. Young women expect and plan for single motherhood. It takes an amazing amount of self-honesty and strength to break the cycle, and most people aren’t up to it.
It’s a shame to see solid preaching against these ills overshadowed by fear of the gay agenda, and to see solid, loving relationships associated with them.
I see Elder Oaks as teaching about exaltation and our current understanding of what is required for it. To be sealed to your husband or wife and to be faithful to it and all the covenants that lead to it. Perhaps it’s time to open our hearts to include more people in our narrowly defined exaltation. A few hundred years ago we didn’t know that exaltation required being sealed as husband and wife. We needed to open our hearts and our minds to learn that. Perhaps there is more yet to be revealed and yet to learn.
Joni wrote:
hawkgrrrl wrote:
Joni wrote:
While I’ve got my complainy pants on, I really didn’t like the way RMN was talking about grieving families needing a padded room to receive bad news. It was very much “we’re better than them because we’ve got the plan of salvation.” You would think a retired doctor would have more compassion than that.
Doctors are more valued for being dispassionate. They can let nurses do the heavy lifting of nurturing, particularly surgeons.
Being dispassionate is one thing. Mocking them in front of an audience of millions is quite another. But maybe I’m just primed to dislike most of the things RMN says.
I have completely ignored RMN since 2012.
hawkgrrrl wrote:
I have completely ignored RMN since 2012.
:clap: :clap: :clap: Joni wrote:
hawkgrrrl wrote:
I have completely ignored RMN since 2012.
:clap: :clap: :clap:
In fairness, he hasn’t heard a word I’ve said either.
First talk is by a woman, and it’s a decent one, overall. We need to focus more on the Savior and less on how terrible the world is compared to us. (No Primary voice either, if you’re bothered by that – I’m not.) Thanks Donald Hallstrom, I was already going to be a nervous wreck when my husband and son go on High Adventure. Now I won’t be able to sleep a wink. 😯 (Also, I thought he was going to say “the first people who reached him were LDS, and they gave him a blessing!” But no, he’s giving credit to the mountain rangers and EMT’s.
:clap: )This is not a bad talk either – he seems to be contradicting the theodicy that’s been creeping into our doctrine lately.
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