General conference for October 2021 has come and gone. For the next few weeks, each of my episodes will be a breakdown of each session. In this episode, Scott covers the Saturday afternoon session, and in his opinion, this was the best of all five sessions.
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I agree with a big thumbs up on the Elder Schmeil quote. We are all in different parts of this journey.
Agreed on the thumbs up for Elder Kopischke. Mental illness is a subject that needs to be addressed in the Church. I loved the quote you shared (repeated here):
At the same time, our doctrine teaches us to strive to become like Jesus Christ and be perfected in Him. Our children sing, “I’m trying to be like Jesus.” We long to be perfect even as our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are perfect. Because mental illness can interfere with our perception of perfection, it remains all too often a taboo. As a result, there is too much ignorance, too much silent suffering, and too much despair. Many, feeling overwhelmed because they do not meet perceived standards, mistakenly believe they have no place in the Church.
I think Elder Rasband’s talk was a “follow the Prophet” diatribe wrapped in a thin candy shell of “things of my soul”. And, I like that you pointed out that he only wants us to choose our own 8, 9, and 10. My thoughts are: I appreciate your 1 – 7 Elder Rasband, but these are the things of your soul, not mine. I’ll be choosing my own 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 AND 8, 9, and 10.
Near the beginning of his talk, Elder Villanueva says:
At times I have wondered why the Savior cried when He saw Mary anguished by the death of her brother, Lazarus, even though He knew that He had the power to raise Lazarus and that very soon He would use this power to rescue His friend from death. I am amazed by the Savior’s compassion and empathy for Mary; He understood the indescribable pain that Mary felt at the death of her brother, Lazarus.
We feel that same intense pain when we experience the temporary separation from our loved ones. The Savior has perfect compassion for us. He doesn’t fault us for our shortsightedness nor for being limited in visualizing our eternal journey. Rather, He has compassion for our sadness and suffering.
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I couldn’t help but think his line “He doesn’t fault us for our shortsightedness nor for being limited in visualizing our eternal journey.” was a not-so-subtle dig at President Nelson, referring directly to his story of calling his own granddaughter-in-law “myopic” when she was grieving for her dying father. I think Elder Villanueva’s assessment of Christ’s compassion is spot-on, and it stands in stark contrast to President Nelson’s story (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/46nelson?lang=eng).