This afternoon concluded the 184th annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For those unfamiliar, each April and October, thousands of Mormons gather in Salt Lake City to receive counsel from Church leaders. Millions more tune in from across the globe. Though I was involved in the Church in my youth, this marks the first conference I have watched in its entirety since my baptism last November. It would be nearly impossible, if not tedious, to recap every message from the conference. Even so, what I find inspiring about General Conference is not so much the content of every message, as it is the Spirit behind the message. As a religion that stresses the importance of human agency (free-will), Mormons are not obligated to receive every word from leaders in General Conference as infallible dogma. Instead, we are taught to meditate on the words spoken, after which we are encouraged to seek to apply in our individual lives that which has been confirmed in our hearts as true. This, in my opinion, is why the Spirit conveyed through the messages of General Conference supersede the content. The words are valuable, but the spiritual force behind them, inspiring us to act with greater charity and kindness toward our fellow man, is of inestimable worth. While the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is certainly a tradition of faith that does not shy away from teaching the evidences of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1), I have found its pragmatic approach to be one of the most beautiful aspects of the religion. It is a faith that does not shy away from responsibility and work. It is a tradition that emphasizes the scriptural admonition that faith without works is dead (James 2:17), and advocates the pure religion defined by the New Testament author James - to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction. I recently came across an essay I wrote when I was twelve years old in which I said that I would like to see humans stop destroying the environment, crime brought to a halt, and a world united by peace and joy. This reveals, from a young age, my natural inclination toward idealism. While there are many positive aspects of my inclination toward idealistic thought, I have lived long enough to see how this tendency, when left unchecked, can impede daily, pragmatic progress. As such, I am content having settled into a tradition of faith that brings me spiritual fulfillment while stressing the importance of turning thought into deed and doing good to all men, regardless of kindred or creed. Christ, in his Sermon on the Mount, pointedly asked: if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? (Matt 5:46) In the same vein, at his closing remarks of this weekends General Conference, the President of the Church, Thomas S. Monson exhorted the faithful to be kind and loving to those who do not share our beliefs and standards. The Savior brought to this earth a message of love and goodwill to all men and women. There were many words and opinions shared by a host of leaders at this weekends conference, but the inclusive message of kindness and love toward those with whom we differ is the Spirit I felt this weekend. For that, I am grateful.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 02:53:59 +0000