Hark All Ye Nations: October 2016 General Conference

Bright as the sun, this heavenly ray

Lights ev'ry land today.

Conference time is here again in Salt Lake City!  I am excited and anxious to hear the inspired messages and Prophetic counsel from Church leaders.

Poison Skittles anyone?

The Trump campaign illustrates the Middle East refugee problem with a poison Skittles story, a simple thought experiment.  Doesn't really require over analysis.

Talking heads feign absolute horror!


Illary characterizes half of America as "a Basket of Deplorables".  She gets nod and pass from the media.  Because apparently they already knew she was right.

This is how Trump supporters are painted.

At the same time the news overflows with horrific stories about murderous terrorists, with ties to Middle East countries, slaughtering innocent people.

I am willing to extend every benefit of doubt to Skittles, but terrorist bombers belong in their own country.  We don't need to bring them here, to facilitate their ease and convenience in massacring  Americans.

Some apparently believe the risks of importing refugees are negligible.  Another story on the Skittles angle gives a little different perspective...

Critical review of yet another story reflects the casual attitude some seem to have about death by terrorism.

Another story puts the Skittles analogy in perspective.

Ho hum.  Nothing to see here. Move along...

Speaking of Les Deplorables

Though my impression is that the Liberal-minded (TM) are supposed to be pretending that actual gender is now totally irrelevant, one of the wildly popular gripe sessions currently running on the Bloggernacle purports to complain about BYU and their abysmally disproportionate and execrable "balance" of male/female professors.  It occurred to me that at least optimally, the survey should be listing the more imaginative "gender identity", rather than actual genotypical and phenotypical sex, since that kind of thing is so passe, but apparently data of more contemporary oeuvre was not in hand.

Of course, the moderators of that forum, in a shining example of the virtue of tolerance for diversity, peremptorily banned my obstreperous crude comments years ago, so I expect my observations went unheeded. Without exception, other comments seemed to be participating in the popular hate-fest of condemnations and disaffected gripes for BYU, Provo, Utah, and the Church in general.

Helpful suggestion for those who hate a particular place:  Why not go somewhere else to seek happiness?  There ARE actually several people who do love being here.  Are you so anxious to tear things down?

BTW:   While attending University of California for my Bachelor's Degree, I never encountered any female professors.  I had no idea that it made such difference in the quality of my education.  Never realized how much I was deprived.  As I can recall, I did have at least one female professor at Ricks College when I attended there, so it would appear that Church schools are 100% better than University of California.

PS:  Article appearing in the Salt Lake Tribune follows the Bloggernacle article.  In typical SLTrib fashion, the comments following are mostly either hilarious or quite unintelligible.

April 2016 General Conference: Elder Mervyn B. Arnold, "To the Rescue: We Can Do It"

The Lord has provided all of the tools necessary for us to go to the rescue of our less-active and nonmember friends.  Elder Arnold outlines points that can assist us in this duty.


Principle 1: We Must Not Delay Going to the Rescue

Sometimes many weeks pass as we talk about how to help families or individuals who are in special need. We deliberate about who will visit them and the approach to take. Meanwhile, our lost brothers and sisters continue needing and sometimes even calling and pleading for help. We must not delay.


Principle 2: We Must Never Give Up

President Thomas S. Monson, who has sounded the clarion call to go to the rescue, noted, “Our members need to be reminded that it is never too late when it comes to our … less-active members … who could have been considered a hopeless cause.”


Principle 3: How Great Shall Be Your Joy If You Bring Save It Be One Soul unto Christ

Many years ago in a general conference, I spoke of how José de Souza Marques understood the words of the Savior that “if any man among you be strong in the Spirit, let him take with him him that is weak, that he may … become strong also.”


Principle 4: No Matter Our Age, We Are All Called to Go to the Rescue

​President Henry B. Eyring declared, “Whatever our age, capacity, Church calling, or location, we are as one called to the work to help [the Savior] in His harvest of souls until He comes again.”9

Each day more and more of our children, our youth, our young single adults, and our adult members of all ages are heeding the Savior’s clarion call to go to the rescue.


The Lord has provided all of the tools necessary for us to go to the rescue of our less-active and nonmember friends. We can all do it!