Saturday evening General Conference is canceled

[blazerb]

I think a part of the issue is that there are only nine women GAs (relief society, YW, and primary presidencies) and something like 150 men GAs. I'd be tempted to think that they didn't want to task all the women with giving a talk every conference but I'd also be tempted to shoot that theory down by saying that they don't have any issue with having each person in the Q15 give a talk every conference (or more than one in the case of the FP).

Also, they broke with tradition a few sessions back and had that YM and YW speaker, so you're right. If they wanted more women speakers they could go outside of the GA pool to get them (or god forbid have 75 men and 75 women GAs).

You're right. They could go outside of the GA pool, or create more positions for women. Really every apostle gives a talk every conference. If they had the 15 apostles and 9 female authorities every time, I think it would be a start. A very small start, to be sure.

[Reuben]

Each of the Q15 must speak at least once. Each of the First Presidency must speak at least twice. (Unless completely incapacitated.) Those are the rules.

I don't know whether there are rules for other GAs.

If they're not intentional about how they allocate talks, there will be fewer female speakers in both spring and fall. The priesthood session male speakers, if regarded as essential, would displace female speakers in other sessions.

I hope they're intentional about this.

[2bizE]

I suspect this decision was met with open satisfaction from the other brethren. I wonder if they all even like general conference. Maybe the newer ones and Bednar. I would grow tired of the constant preparation and writing of talks. These are old guys too, who one day dreamed of retiring and spending time with kids, but instead were called into lifelong servitude.
Notice how far in advance they decided to hold it all virtual again? Many months, which is probably how long it takes to prepare for GC.
The Bacon backdrop from the last GC must have taken some time to develop. These men are getting old and wondering if they can eliminate some of the unnecessary filler. Normally, they have meetings all during this conference week with leaders who fly in for training and brainwashing. It has to be tiring. Maybe a Saturday session will be eliminated next.

[blazerb]

I suspect this decision was met with open satisfaction from the other brethren. I wonder if they all even like general conference. Maybe the newer ones and Bednar. I would grow tired of the constant preparation and writing of talks. These are old guys too, who one day dreamed of retiring and spending time with kids, but instead were called into lifelong servitude.
Notice how far in advance they decided to hold it all virtual again? Many months, which is probably how long it takes to prepare for GC.
The Bacon backdrop from the last GC must have taken some time to develop. These men are getting old and wondering if they can eliminate some of the unnecessary filler. Normally, they have meetings all during this conference week with leaders who fly in for training and brainwashing. It has to be tiring. Maybe a Saturday session will be eliminated next.

Has anyone tried to project the asymptotic number of Mormon meetings? Weekly meetings get shorter from the pioneer period to the mid 20th century to the block schedule to the 2 hours we have today. General conference gets shorter with the elimination of the welfare session, the elimination of half the yearly priesthood and women's meetings, now their entire elimination. This does not even account for, what seems to me, to be a decrease in the length of the meetings from when I was a kid.

Will this end with the entire elimination of meetings for the Mormon church? Or are they headed for a 45 minute weekly meeting and enough time to listen to the Q15 once a year. That would take us from 18 - 20 hours of general conference per year to about 5 hours, assuming 20 minute talks. (On a side note, I strongly suspect that they use speech writers to decrease their workload.) Maybe they end up with no meetings, just a weekly email from Salt Lake extolling the wonders of the gospel. Or maybe the church does just evolve into a hedge fund with no other function. Temples become artifacts of a bygone age.

[Hagoth]

I knew a person once who believed that Jebus would return during a Saturday evening stake meeting because that’s where the true believers will be.

When, in reality, it's the last place he'd be likely to show up. Look for him at the homeless camp on Rio Grande.

[Reuben]

I knew a person once who believed that Jebus would return during a Saturday evening stake meeting because that’s where the true believers will be.

When, in reality, it's the last place he'd be likely to show up. Look for him at the homeless camp on Rio Grande.

I wrote the following a few years ago but didn't have enough motivation to dig it up until just now.

***

If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to share a vision with you.

Jesus arrives again, surrounded by the hosts of heaven. Mormons in their Sunday best pack the Conference Center and tune in to the worldwide broadcast, eagerly waiting for him to claim his kingdom. But Jesus is out doing good: freeing slaves, feeding the poor, healing the sick, visiting LGBT support groups, mending families torn apart by religious differences. Eventually, the disappointed Mormons tune out and go home.

Many days later, those who need no physician finally begin to catch up with him. They always ask, “Lord, didn’t you come to visit us, too?” He always answers, “I tried to visit you, but you weren’t where I expected to find you.”

[hmb]

I knew a person once who believed that Jebus would return during a Saturday evening stake meeting because that’s where the true believers will be.

When, in reality, it's the last place he'd be likely to show up. Look for him at the homeless camp on Rio Grande.

I wrote the following a few years ago but didn't have enough motivation to dig it up until just now.

***

If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to share a vision with you.

Jesus arrives again, surrounded by the hosts of heaven. Mormons in their Sunday best pack the Conference Center and tune in to the worldwide broadcast, eagerly waiting for him to claim his kingdom. But Jesus is out doing good: freeing slaves, feeding the poor, healing the sick, visiting LGBT support groups, mending families torn apart by religious differences. Eventually, the disappointed Mormons tune out and go home.

Many days later, those who need no physician finally begin to catch up with him. They always ask, “Lord, didn’t you come to visit us, too?” He always answers, “I tried to visit you, but you weren’t where I expected to find you.”

There are a few honorable members of the church in each ward. The ones who fulfill callings (not at the last minute), serve others willingly, and give a crap even when it's hard (I wanted to be like that, but just wasn't). They are truly Christlike. I like to think that those few number of LDS would repent, from their black and white thinking, and follow Jesus.