Last week I blogged about how apprehensive I was feeling about General Conference. Given the recent hammering on messages in favor of “traditional” marriage and against LGBT members, I was bracing myself for, as I put it then, getting punched in the nose.
It didn’t happen. I’m happy to say that while there were of course some moments when I would have wished for different wording, I didn’t have any of those awful feelings of being totally out of sync with my church.
(However, I didn’t get to see all of Saturday’s talks. So if a church leader said something really awful, can you just not tell me about it? I’d rather stay in this bubble a few days longer . . .)
As always, it’s fun to follow people’s reactions on Twitter, so here are some of the highlights from GC in tweets.
- We have a new Primary presidency!
Ok, we can all go home now. Reddit has the #ldsconf joke of the night. #utpol pic.twitter.com/fZLwGohfH5
— Benjamin Wood (@BjaminWood) April 3, 2016
I look forward to what these women do and say. At least we know from this tweet today that they have an awesome sense of humor:
Un gran sentido del humor #ldsconf pic.twitter.com/giV3M8WcV3
— masfe.org (@Masfe_org) April 4, 2016
2. I guess they put Elder Holland up last sometimes because all the other GAs look at each other and say, “Do you want to speak after that man? I don’t want to try to follow that that man.” Elder Holland’s closing talk was a blend of deep theology and light humor: pitch perfect.
This may be the funniest tweet I’ve ever seen from the official conference Twitter account. It’s a start, anyway, at getting some of the other speakers to lighten up.
"None of us want tomorrow to destroy the wonderful feelings we have had this weekend." #ElderHolland | #LDSconf | pic.twitter.com/ZlI6hBbsN2
— GeneralConference (@ldsconf) April 3, 2016
3. Elder Kearon gave a beautiful talk about the new “I Was a Stranger” program to help refugees around the world. (Don’t remember him? He’s the one who looked like Harry Potter all grown up.)
Mormons know what its like 2 flee homes in search of refuge. Now that we are safe it is our turn to provide safety! #ElderKearon #LdsConf
— Sistas in Zion (@SISTASinZION) April 3, 2016
4. I saw a major emphasis on fatherhood, not just in Elder Christofferson’s talk and the one from outgoing Primary counselor Mary Durham, but also, if you caught it, in the Mormonads that were playing in between sessions. Big-time focus on dads this conference.
https://twitter.com/LDSchurch/status/716692621020647424
5. And finally, throughout General Conference we saw an outpouring of love for President Monson, who looked thin and frail and spoke for only four minutes, but had a photo opp moment of gallantry on Sunday:
It's Mr. Steal yo girl pic.twitter.com/8oqFc74BnP
— Chill Mormons (@ChillMormons) April 3, 2016
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