Uchtdorf’s talk from the Deseret News

[Anonymous]

Here is the shortened edited version of President Uchtdorf’s talk that I pulled from the Deseret News.

“Speaking to “those who have separated themselves from the Church,” President Uchtdorf said, “Come, and add your talents, gifts, and energies to ours. We will all become better as a result.”

He said it is natural to have questions or doubts.

“Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true (Alma 32:21),” he said. “Therefore, please, first doubt your doubts, before you doubt your faith.”

Some, he said, don’t think they fit in with the people in the Church. “If you could see into our hearts, you would probably find that you fit in better than you suppose.”

And some wonder if they can live up to the Church’s standards. ”All the more reason to come,” President Uchtdorf said. “The Church is designed to nourish the imperfect, the struggling and the exhausted. It is filled with people who desire with all their heart to keep the commandments, even if they haven’t mastered them yet.”

He said that in spite of our human imperfections, he is confident that among the members of the Church are many of the finest souls this world has to offer. “In this age of waning faith — in this age where so many feel distanced from heaven’s embrace — here you will find a people who yearn to know and draw closer to their Savior by serving God and fellowmen, just like you. Come, join with us!”

Notice how there is nothing there about the mistakes that have been made? Hard to believe, because to me that was the most cathartic part of his talk. I’m sure that his talk will be printed out without editing when it appears online and in the Ensign, but they really skipped over a large part of it in the Deseret News.

[Anonymous]

They always summarize the talks in that format, and it always is done by someone who focuses on the things that jump out at them. Frankly, that’s why I never read them in that setting.

[Anonymous]

Harmony wrote:

Here is the shortened edited version of President Uchtdorf’s talk that I pulled from the Deseret News.

Notice how there is nothing there about the mistakes that have been made? Hard to believe, because to me that was the most cathartic part of his talk. I’m sure that his talk will be printed out without editing when it appears online and in the Ensign, but they really skipped over a large part of it in the Deseret News.

It will be interesting to see if there is insistence on spinning and editing this talk to death. I was really happy to see all the highlights in the first Deseret News story on Saturday. The 12:00 MDT version included:

“Sometimes we assume it is because they have been offended or lazy or sinful. Actually, it is not that simple,” he explained. “In fact there is not just one reason that applies to the variety of situations.”

President Uchtdorf said some members struggle with unanswered questions about things that have been done or said in the past. “We openly acknowledge that in nearly 200 years of Church history — along with an uninterrupted line of inspired, honorable, and divine events — there have been some things said and done that could cause people to question,” he said. “Sometimes questions arise because we simply don’t have all the information and we just need a bit more patience. When the entire truth is eventually known, things that didn’t make sense to us before will be resolved to our satisfaction.”

President Uchtdorf said there have been times when members or leaders in the Church have simply made mistakes. “There may have been things said or done that were not in harmony with our values, principles or doctrine.

“I suppose the Church would only be perfect if it were run by perfect beings. God is perfect, and His doctrine is pure. But He works through us — His imperfect children — and imperfect people make mistakes.”

[Anonymous]

I honestly believe there are some members of the church who are still trying to pick themselves up off the floor after falling out of their seats while listening to Pres. Uchtdorf. The very idea that church leaders could have made mistakes would be such a shock to some that I know. Likewise, the idea that there is actually room in the church for those who might question some history or doctrine and thereby not fit into the mold of like-mindedness on all counts is very foreign to some. He may have actually shaken some trees of faith for some people.

I did read the summaries in Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune, and was actually pleased that the part about there being room in the church and the disaffected being welcome was emphasized more than the doubt you doubts part. Leaders and mistakes are an issue for me, and I am pleased he addressed it and would have been happy with his talk if that’s all he said. But he said so much more that really resonated with me when he spoke to and about us. I was only casually listening (code for I wasn’t really listening at all) before the line “Sometimes we assume it is because they have been offended or lazy or sinful. Actually, it is not that simple….” So many I have talked to want to try to simplify issues of those who are not active to those few things, and it really is not that simple. There may have been some sort of spiritual prompting that allowed me to hear that line and pay attention, but prompting or not I was glued from that point on, and teared up by the time he finished.

[Anonymous]

I also teared up during that part of his talk. It was just what I needed. It is hard enough trying to find my way right now, but it was so helpful to feel understood by someone like President Uchtforf.

I’m glad the D.N. had more of the talk on it’s site earlier in the week. I was just surprised when I went looking for a quote and couldn’t find the part of the talk that I was looking for. But then, they do have to summarize so I suppose whoever does the summarizing picks what they feel was most important.

[Anonymous]

DarkJedi wrote:

There may have been some sort of spiritual prompting that allowed me to hear that line and pay attention, but prompting or not I was glued from that point on, and teared up by the time he finished.

I walked through our living room about 2 times during that portion of GC. I walked in right at the time he was talking about the why people become dissaffected. I thought that was odd, but I’m not ready to attach a spiritual connection to that coincidence necessarily.

[Anonymous]

SilentDawning wrote:

DarkJedi wrote:

There may have been some sort of spiritual prompting that allowed me to hear that line and pay attention, but prompting or not I was glued from that point on, and teared up by the time he finished.

I walked through our living room about 2 times during that portion of GC. I walked in right at the time he was talking about the why people become dissaffected. I thought that was odd, but I’m not ready to attach a spiritual connection to that coincidence necessarily.

Nor am I, and I have no evidence of a prompting or inspiration of any sort and it could well have been coincidence. I had actually just come into the living room prior to his talk and heard he was next so thought I would stick around and see what he had to say. The very first part seemed to start as most GA talks do, rather on the mundane side, so I had already begun to drift away mentally when I heard that specific line. There was no burning, feeling of peace, etc., I just happened to hear. Could it have been a prompting of some sort? Sure, anything is possible. Do I believe it actually was? Not really, but I won’t rule it out.

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