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As the 186th Semiannual General Conference approaches, I've been conducting an informal survey, asking a range of associates — Mormon, former Mormon, never Mormon — if they tune in and why. Their responses include the following:

Because you have to report back to your Primary teacher. • This is a thing now in a lot of LDS congregations — asking kids to take notes during conference so they can later discuss what was said. If you're too old for Primary, you are officially off the hook.

Because your mom makes you. • Clearly, I have a LOT of associates who are under age 12.

Because your family always gets together to make waffles while listening to a session. • Who can say no to a waffle party?

Because you want to see if it's time to head back to Missouri. • Historically, Mormons have believed that they would gather once again in Independence — hopefully with better results the second time around.

Because it helps you fall asleep. • For the record, more than one person said this to me.

Because you want to listen to certain speakers who particularly inspire you. • A friend who no longer practices told me she loves listening to conference, particularly when President Dieter F. Uchtdorf speaks. Comparing him to the current pope, she calls this member of the governing First Presidency "spiritual, kind, generous of spirit, inclusive." He reminds her of how the church used to feel to her.

Because you want to see if a policy has changed. • No doubt about it. The past few years have been difficult for certain populations inside and outside of the LDS Church because of its positions on a variety of social issues. Conference can either disappoint or not disappoint on this front.

Because you want to understand how Mormons think. • A non-Mormon friend originally from Boston listened to a session when she moved to Salt Lake City so she could understand the religious culture surrounding Mormonism. It helped.

Because you don't want to be left out of the loop. • Listening to conference also helps some former Mormons stay connected to cherished family members who remain active in the faith.

Because. Music! • A reader reported to me that her neighbors while she was growing up loved conference even though they were Scientologists. Why? The music fed them.

Because it gives you comfort and hope. • A few devout Mormons told me that conference actually discourages them. But I had more tell me that the messages they hear uplift and sustain them — especially during times of crisis. It provides them with an opportunity to (in Uchtdorf's words) recall the "things that matter most."

By the way, no active adults told me they tune in because "it's a commandment." The responses (from everybody, in fact) were as varied as the individuals themselves, a reminder that groups of people — Mormon, former Mormon, never Mormon — are not nearly as homogeneous as we sometimes assume.

In fact, the reason I even began asking this question is because of something my friend Holly Mullen once said in passing. Mullen, a former Salt Lake Tribune columnist and current deputy communications director for Salt Lake City Mayor Biskupski, hasn't been a practicing Mormon since she was 16 years old, so I was surprised when she mentioned she listens to one or two talks every session. I recently asked her to elaborate.

"It comes down to a couple of reasons," Mullen says. The first involves her professional responsibility to stay current on the church's counsel regarding sensitive issues and how that advice might shape public policy when the Legislature is in session.

Mullen is also interested in what she calls the official church's evolution. Although change happens slowly, she says, "I have never viewed the church as a monolithic, stuck-in-its-ways institution as many people do." She cites, as an example, the church's changing view of women in the workforce. As it "became clear that two-spouse working families were happening all over Mormondom because truly, few families can live on one income anymore," she saw the faith "soften" its hard line regarding working mothers.

The same holds true for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. "The church isn't home free yet on that topic in my mind," Mullen says, "but we have seen some movement and that can't be denied. LGBT rights groups in the state will even support that."

And then, once again, there's the music. "I love the MoTabs," Mullen says. "Really who doesn't?"

Ann Cannon can be reached at acannon@sltrib.com or facebook.com/anncannontrib.