Latest from Mormon Land: From texting to temples to tolerance — quotes to note from LDS General Conference

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A who’s who of who said what

“Without priesthood keys, the church could serve only as a significant teaching and humanitarian organization but not much more.”

— President Russell Nelson

“As the plane lifted from the ground, the 82-year-old Milton [Wright] got so caught up in the exhilaration of flight that all fear left him. Orville rejoiced as his father shouted with delight, ‘Higher, Orville, higher!’ This was a man after my own heart.”

— Apostle Dieter Uchtdorf

“God is in relentless pursuit of you. He wants all of his children to choose to return to him, and he employs every possible measure to bring you back.”

— Apostle Patrick Kearon

“I had started praying for this blessing when I was in Primary, and I received it when I was a grandmother.”

— Primary President Susan Porter

“Most people who are struggling know that they are struggling. We should not be judgmental; our judgment is neither helpful nor welcome, and it is most often ill-informed. … After all, we are all struggling in our own way. None of us earns salvation.”

— Apostle Dale Renlund

“To do the most good, we must be good.”

— Apostle Gerrit Gong

“Some are so focused on keeping the commandments that they show little tolerance of those they see as less righteous. Some find it difficult to love those who are choosing to live their lives outside of the covenant or even away from any religious participation.”

— Apostle Gary Stevenson

“We are instructed to wear temple garments continuously, with the only exceptions being those obviously necessary. Because covenants do not take a day off, to remove one’s garments can be understood as a disclaimer of the responsibilities and blessings to which they relate.”

— President Dallin Oaks

“[Members] wear the garment of the holy priesthood, both during temple worship and in our everyday lives. … Our temple garment reminds us that the Savior and the blessings of his Atonement cover us throughout our lives. As we put on the garment of the holy priesthood each day, that beautiful symbol becomes a part of us.”

— Relief Society counselor J. Anette Dennis

“I have tried to take up my cross more earnestly, with more resolve to find where I can raise an apostolic voice of both warmth and warning in the morning, during the day and into the night. … Against that backdrop of Christ’s victory over death and his recent gift to me of a few more weeks or months in mortality, I bear solemn witness of the reality of eternal life.”

— Apostle Jeffrey Holland

“In the heat of the moment, words can sting and sink painfully deep into the soul — and stay there. Our words on the internet, texting, social media or tweets, take on a life of their own. So be careful what you say and how you say it.”

— Apostle Ronald Rasband

The latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: Conference revisited

The newest apostle spoke. An absent apostle returned. A Black authority rose. And aging leaders adjusted. We look back at General Conference and look forward to what it all may mean.

Listen to the podcast.

From The Tribune

• Two Latter-day Saint border congregations — one in Arizona and one in Mexico — are separated by a mere 40 miles, but they couldn’t be further apart in many other ways.

• The church can’t hide behind religion in James Huntsman’s tithing lawsuit, lawyers argue in the latest court filings.

• Read full summaries of the Saturday and Sunday sessions of General Conference.

• Church growth picked up pace last year in significant ways but still lags behind the heady days of, say, 30 to 40 years ago. Total membership at the end of last year: 17,255,394, up nearly 1.5% since 2022.

• Tribune columnist Gordon Monson’s response to the conference sermons of Dieter Uchtdorf and Patrick Kearon: Amen. And amen.

• Ace researcher Ardis E. Parshall sings the praises of unsung Relief Society heroes, including a brave widow who stared down a gunman, saving a group of members and missionaries.

• President Russell Nelson capped conference by announcing 15 new temples, including two more in Utah. He has now named 168, or 48%, of the faith’s 350 planned or existing temples.

• The Taylorsville Temple opens to visitors ahead of a June 2 dedication by apostle Gerrit Gong.

• Apostle Ronald Rasband will rededicate the renovated Manti Temple on April 21.

Quotes of the week

“It’s pretty much a white bread ward.”

— Shaye Rohn, a Latter-day Saint convert, on her Arizona congregation near the Mexico border.

“I am very blessed to have his grave to cry on.”

— Beatrice Elena Fontes Garcia, a Latter-day Saint in Mexico, on the recovery of her son’s body after he was gunned down in cartel violence.