The first weekend of April 2017 proved to be a busy one for the Church with their bi-annual conference. Once again, the stage was filled to the brim with no shortage of ‘inspired’ speakers. Regrettably, the 39 speeches in all six sessions contained the same message, which amounted to nothing but a reminder to members; obey your leaders.

One major thing struck me as I was looking over the numerous talks. No one spoke of the upcoming Holy Week. Come to think of it…I’ve never hear anyone go into detail about it at any of their conferences, and here they have the perfect platform from which to declare the news of what happened 2,000 years ago. It is the ‘Easter Season’ after all!

Let’s take a look at a few items they had to say, and let us know what you think! If you’d like the comprehensive list of the speakers, see General Conference April 2017.

Talk #5

 General Conference, ‘Brighter and Brighter Until the Perfect Day,’ Saturday Morning Session, April 2017 Mark A. Bragg

…We are children of God. Receiving light, continuing in God, and receiving more light is what we are created to do. From the very beginning, we followed the light; we followed our Heavenly Father and His plan. Seeking the light is in our spiritual DNA. …

TRUTH:

Not everyone is a child of God.

From birth to death, our spiritual DNA is made of a sin nature. Although we can become a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), our natural tendencies will always produce an angst against the Creator. Romans 7

… May I suggest three areas where we will always find light:

1.The Light of the Church

The Church is a beacon of light to a darkening world. … Recognizing the light and seeking after it will qualify us for even more light. …

??? Simply seeking after the Lord doesn’t ‘qualify’ anyone, for anything. You have to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior!

…

3.The Light of Christ

You cannot speak of the light in the world without speaking of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. …”

TRUTH:

That statement was the closest thing anyone said at conference about the Holy Week.

See Full Address for more info.

Talk #6

 General Conference, ‘The Language of the Gospel,’ Saturday Afternoon Session, April 2017  Valeri V. Cordón

I noticed a similarity between preserving a mother tongue and preserving the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. …

One factor that influences language loss is when parents don’t spend time teaching their children the native language. It is not enough to merely speak the language in the home. If parents desire to preserve their language, it must be taught. …

We can therefore conclude that powerful teaching is extremely important to preserve the gospel in our families, and it requires diligence and effort. …

Another way language can be altered or lost is when other languages and traditions are mixed with a mother tongue. …

As families, we need to avoid any tradition that will prevent us from keeping the Sabbath day holy or having daily scripture study and prayer at home. We need to close the digital doors of our home to pornography and all other evil influences. To combat the worldly traditions of our day, we need to use the scriptures and the voice of our modern prophets to teach our children about their divine identity, their purpose in life, and the divine mission of Jesus Christ. …”

See Full Address for more info.

TRUTH:

We’ve provided a list of 20+ words that Mormons have redefined and changed to fit their brand of the gospel. See Mormon Terminology for more info.

This man’s words earned himself a spot in our Worst of the Worst list.

The Mormons are guilty of doing the very thing he warned his audience to avoid!

Talk #7

 General Conference, ‘Overcoming the World,’ Saturday Afternoon Session, April 2017 Neil L. Andersen

“Jesus said, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” [John 16:33].

Later He added, “I will that ye should overcome the world” [D&C 64:2]. …”

TRUTH:

We’re only listing that statement from the beginning of Mr. Andersen’s speech. The reason why is because of its contents. Nothing he had to say afterwards holds any validity because Jesus said no such thing to the so-called Nephites.

See Full Address for more info.

Talk #8

 General Conference, ‘Called to the Work,’ General Priesthood Session, April 2017  David A. Bednar

“… Each mission call and assignment, or a later reassignment, is the result of revelation through the Lord’s servants. …

… Sometimes … we focus so extensively upon missionary preparation for young men that we may neglect to a degree the other vital steps along the covenant pathway. …

In our homes and at church, we should give balanced emphasis to all three elements of the Lord’s pattern of preparation and progression for faithful sons of God: priesthood, temple, mission. All three require us to love being and remaining worthy. Be worthy. Stay worthy.”

TRUTH:

Why wasn’t God one of those ‘three elements’?

And BTW. We agree with Mr. Bednar.

The Church focuses far too much on the preparation of missionaries. They don’t spend nearly enough time teaching truth!

See Full Address for more info.

Talk #9

 General Conference, ‘Prepare the Way,’ General Priesthood Session, April 2017  Gérald Caussé, Presiding Bishop

‘… …The perfect model of the close relationship that exists between the two priesthoods is found in the interaction between Jesus and John the Baptist. Can one possibly imagine John the Baptist without Jesus? What would the Savior’s mission have been like without the preparatory work performed by John? …

Just think of what would take place in our priesthood quorums if the relationships between the holders of the two priesthoods were inspired by the pattern established by Jesus and John the Baptist. …

My dear brethren of the Melchizedek Priesthood, I invite you to strengthen the essential link that unites the two priesthoods of God. Empower your Aaronic Priesthood youth to prepare the way before you…I pray that as you serve with your older brethren, you will hear the voice of the Lord telling you: “Thou art blessed, for thou shalt do great things. Behold thou wast sent forth, even as John, to prepare the way before me” [D&C 35:4].”

TRUTH:

The perfect model of the priesthood is in the very capable hands of Jesus who holds the position of High Priest all on his own. There is no earthly priesthood in the manner this man has presented.

Foregoing the plagiarism and multiple problems from D&C 35:4, one MAJOR PROBLEM plays into this as well.

John the Baptist couldn’t serve as the perfect model of someone in the priesthood because he wasn’t a priest. His clothing, and entire life, disqualified him from being a priest!

See Full Address for more info.