Jeffrey R. Holland - Saturday p.m. Session


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It is believed that Christ in his adult life was homeless.

 

The Great Redeemer has issued no greater call than lifting people from this burden

 

Even in the infancy of the church the members were told to look to the poor.

 

What we do is nothing but a drop in the ocean (Mother Teresa)

 

How might we do what we can?

 

Cease withholding our means because we look to the poor as having got themselves in their situation.

 

Don’t we all beg for forgiveness, for mistakes we’ve made, for troubles we’ve caused?

 

We should pray for those in need.

 

After you have prayed and you turn away the needy, your prayer is vain and availeth you nothing and you are as hypocrites that deny the faith.

 

Rich or poor, we are to do what we can when others are in need.

 

We are always expected to help ourselves before we seek help from others.

 

God will help you and guide you in righteous discipleship.

 

All who are physically able are to observe the law of the fast.

 

Miracles come to those who observe the law of the fast.

 

Cherish that sacred privilege at least monthly and be as generous as circumstances permit in fast offerings and other donations.

 

God will be generous to you.

 

Your name will be called blessed forever.

 

Because I have been given much I too must give.

 

President Monson has done all he could for the widows, the poor and the oppressed.

 

When I see the want among so many... I know that though I may not be my brothers keeper, I am my brothers brother.

 
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I pinkpuffyheart LOVED this talk. The whole "Why should we help poor people who are poor because of their own choices?" came up in my Sunday School class recently (I teach the 14-15 year old class, all boys). I pointed them to King Benjamin's address, and how "we're all beggars". And I loved what he said near the end: "I may not be my brother's keeper, but I AM my brother's brother."

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Elder Holland seems like a straight forward kind of man to me. If he has something to say, I think he'll say it. However, I wonder about a hidden meaning for his talk.

 

Does anyone think he was referencing the illegal children that came over this summer? That they are 'homeless' (now. they came from homes...) and we should do more to help them?  Maybe I'm entirely off the deep end here. You guys are the experts here. Could this be code?  I have my own views on the situation and hope my Church leadership isn't asking me to do something that I'm unwilling to do. We have enough poor and needy right here, and right in my own ward, that I don't need to go looking for them.

 

Yes, I am a terrible person. I admit that straight up. I'm just curious if the Church leadership would speak in code or indirect language when telling people to do something they might find unpalatable or that might be a politically hot potato. If I am crazy, please let me know. My feelings won't be hurt.

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Elder Holland seems like a straight forward kind of man to me. If he has something to say, I think he'll say it. However, I wonder about a hidden meaning for his talk.

 

Does anyone think he was referencing the illegal children that came over this summer? That they are 'homeless' (now. they came from homes...) and we should do more to help them?  Maybe I'm entirely off the deep end here. You guys are the experts here. Could this be code?  I have my own views on the situation and hope my Church leadership isn't asking me to do something that I'm unwilling to do. We have enough poor and needy right here, and right in my own ward, that I don't need to go looking for them.

 

Yes, I am a terrible person. I admit that straight up. I'm just curious if the Church leadership would speak in code or indirect language when telling people to do something they might find unpalatable or that might be a politically hot potato. If I am crazy, please let me know. My feelings won't be hurt.

 

I didn't get that at all from the talk, but Conference talks are interesting things.  They're pretty straightforward, with very little, if any hidden meaning.

 

That said, there are vast and numerous shades of meaning that the spirit will speak to you and tell you what you need to do.  I listened to a talk by Elder Uchtdorf a couple of years ago where it seemed to me that he was strongly implying that the temporal difficulties I was having wouldn't end until I was able to forgive certain people who had wronged me. Now since I'm fairly certain that I've never gotten closer to Elder Uchtdorf than perhaps being in the same city at the same time (Salt Lake).  There's no way he could have been giving me a specific message like that, even in code words, but I still heard them.

 

I can't say that YOU need to go help the children that came from Mexico recently, I'm not commenting on the morality of that, I don't have enough information on the situation to make a judgement on what to do about the issue, if I did decide to help, I'm not in a position to do so, so I am unlikely to get any revelation to effectively run faster than I have strength. That isn't the point. I'm saying that PERHAPS you were hearing the spirit speak to your mind and give you instruction.  It does happen.  I wasn't there in your head, so I can't say for sure.

 

Listen to the talk again as soon as you can, and read it when it's published. Pray about it, and do what you're prompted to do, if anything.

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Post deleted. My original response to the OP's comments was too snotty to remain posted.

 

Hmmm now I'm wondering what I said in the OP that would elicit a snotty response.

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My apologies Pam, not you. Got so wrapped up in my response to someone else that I totally forgot that you were the OP. Duh me....I reckon that's why the spirit of contention is so bad...makes one not think straight...

At least that's what I'm blaming it on

Edited by Silhouette
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Dahlia, I don't think Elder Holland was speaking specifically about the children coming from Mexico, but they are probably included.

I think one of the implications of his talk was that we need to be careful not to let the political dogma and dogmatic theology interfere with practical religion. Yes, it is true that the best long term solution for the poor is to get them work and self sufficient. But we need to be more compassionate and empathetic in how we get people there.

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My apologies Pam, not you. Got so wrapped up in my response to someone else that I totally forgot that you were the OP. Duh me....I reckon that's why the spirit of contention is so bad...makes one not think straight...

At least that's what I'm blaming it on

 

Whewwww. I'm so relieved.  :)

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Just when I thought President Uchtdorf gave the best Conference talk I wake up this morning and play this! (I'm visiting family so I'm watching it on DVR slowly and a little delayed).

Wow. Just as people saw and heard Joseph Smith when Brigham Young spoke outside the Nauvoo temple, I'm pretty sure I saw and heard King Benjamin when Elder Holland spoke!

But in all seriousness, my biggest complaint about my year as a Mormon so far was the apparent lack of discussion on charity and help for the poor and less fortunate. It may just be me, but I can count on one hand the amount of times they were mentioned. As a Catholic, that was most of what was talked about next to Christ.

My main question I wrote before conference was, How can I live a Christ-like life in this Church especially when it comes to helping the poor and needy? Then I heard Elder Holland's talk.

Like classylady, I couldn't help but cry with him too. This, for me, is a call to do what I can to help those around me and in need no matter who they are.

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I will add this thought from someone outside the Utah culture. I'm on a few LDS boards now and see some very sad posts about how people are treated in some wards. Ignoring problems, looking down on people because of how they are dressed at church, RS cliques based on economic status, not helping those in need, especially single moms.  These are all foreign to me, I live in such a wonderful ward.

 

Could Elder Holland be talking to some of these MINOs (I  just made it up - Mormon in name only), who don't do what they should be doing for those around them. It's easy to talk about giving money to some charity - but what are you doing, how are you acting, toward the people in your own little part of the world?

 

Just a thought...

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No he's not.  I have experienced this in Utah and have seen some parents not allow their children to attend a birthday party because the people are not Mormon.

 

I saw this so much when my kids were small.  I was appalled having grown up in San Diego.

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I will add this thought from someone outside the Utah culture. I'm on a few LDS boards now and see some very sad posts about how people are treated in some wards. Ignoring problems, looking down on people because of how they are dressed at church, RS cliques based on economic status, not helping those in need, especially single moms.  These are all foreign to me, I live in such a wonderful ward.

 

Could Elder Holland be talking to some of these MINOs (I  just made it up - Mormon in name only), who don't do what they should be doing for those around them. It's easy to talk about giving money to some charity - but what are you doing, how are you acting, toward the people in your own little part of the world?

 

Just a thought...

Yes, absolutely.  That could very well be ONE of the groups he is speaking to.  As I said before, I don't think he is speaking on any one particular topic or instance or circumstance.  The challenge to each of us is to evaluate in what ways we are refusing to give help for the poor excuse of "it was their choice" and modify our behavior appropriately.  There isn't going to be any one right answer to that evaluation for any one person, let alone for a large group of people.

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I will add this thought from someone outside the Utah culture. I'm on a few LDS boards now and see some very sad posts about how people are treated in some wards. Ignoring problems, looking down on people because of how they are dressed at church, RS cliques based on economic status, not helping those in need, especially single moms.  These are all foreign to me, I live in such a wonderful ward.

 

Could Elder Holland be talking to some of these MINOs (I  just made it up - Mormon in name only), who don't do what they should be doing for those around them. It's easy to talk about giving money to some charity - but what are you doing, how are you acting, toward the people in your own little part of the world?

 

Just a thought...

 

It's interesting to me how we all view things so differently.  You heard undertones of immigration and social exclusion.  I heard political themes that made me wonder if Elder Holland is a Democrat (help the poor and needy -- it doesn't matter why they're poor; help them anyway).  Sometimes it bothers me that the Brethren (and Conference talks in general) skirt around issues and are so vague.  Sometimes I yell at the screen like a football fan, "Just come out and say it already!!"  But the fact that so many of us found different interpretations in this one talk, yet so many of us really enjoyed it and felt the Spirit so strongly, makes me glad that it was somewhat ambiguous.  We each hear what we need to hear.

 

And on that vein, I noticed several talks about personal revelation as well.  :)

 

 

No he's not.  I have experienced this in Utah and have seen some parents not allow their children to attend a birthday party because the people are not Mormon.

 

I saw this so much when my kids were small.  I was appalled having grown up in San Diego.

 

This is problematic enough, apparently, that it warranted specific discussion in a different Conference talk (Elder Oaks, I think?).

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  • 3 weeks later...

Elder Holland is a great speaker and full of the Spirit. I will never forget the day when I was singing in the Stake choir. Now, I am not an emotional sort of person so I was shocked at myself when he opened his mouth and started talking and I just couldn't contain the tears from the moment he started talking until the very end.

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