David NoyceThe Mormon Land newsletter is The Salt Lake Tribune’s weekly highlight reel of news in and about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Join us on Patreon to receive ad-free podcast episodes, the full newsletter and access to all of our religion content.
Thus saith
You can catch up on the weekend’s General Conference by reading our complete summaries of the Saturday and Sunday sessions, along with highlights and a deeper look at President D. Todd Christofferson’s blistering condemnation of gambling.
And here is a sample of notable quotes from the dozens of sermons:
“Never let your secular learning limit your spiritual horizons.”
— President Dallin Oaks.
“[Prediction markets] could be tied to anything: interest rates, elections, sports, wildfires or even, if you can imagine, the timing of the Second Coming. Where do you go to collect on that bet?”
— President D. Todd Christofferson.
“I see you. More importantly, your Heavenly Father sees you.”
— Primary President Rosemary Chibota.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Primary General President Rosemary K. Chibota speaks during the Sunday morning session of General Conference at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Oct. 4, 2026.
“It takes courage to stand for truth. It takes even more courage to stand for truth with love.”
— Apostle Clark Gilbert.
“We’re all going to get rained on. And sometimes we’re going to get pelted.”
— Young Women leader Tamara Ruina.
“Some may ask, ‘How can I teach everything in 25 minutes?’ Perhaps the better question is ‘How can I help those I teach connect to the Savior sooner?’”
— Sunday school leader Gabriel Reid.
“It is not our political views, culture or personal interests that unite us. It is our love for God and neighbor.”
— Apostle Dieter Uchtdorf.
“A few weeks ago, President Uchtdorf took me aside and said, “Patrick, your talks — they’re OK. But where’s the aviation?’”
— Apostle Patrick Kearon.
“A faithful spouse may ask, ‘Can the unrighteous exercise of moral agency by another person rob me of what God has promised?’ The answer to this question is an emphatic no!”
— Apostle David Bednar.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Apostle David Bednar and his wife, Susan, after a session of General Conference.
“Never, never, give up on those you love.”
— Apostle Ronald Rasband.
“Any use of the internet to bully, destroy a reputation or place a person in a bad light is reprehensible.”
— Apostle Quentin Cook.
“[Christ] turned ordinary encounters with people into extraordinary moments of healing, encouragement and transformation. To Jesus, these people were not interrupting his mission. They were his mission.”
— Seventy Timothy Farnes.
“Let us never speak of a temple as big or small, elaborate or plain.”
— Apostle Gerrit Gong.
Latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: Risk and religion
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) President D. Todd Christofferson speaks about the evils of gambling.
Scholar Matthew Bowman, chair of Mormon studies at Claremont Graduate University and co-author “Game Changers: AJ Dybantsa, BYU, and the Struggle for the Soul of Basketball,” discusses the theological underpinnings and potential cultural impact of the church’s amped-up opposition to sports betting and all forms of gambling.
Listen to the podcast.
Around the world
(Screenshot) Douglas Stilgoe, a British YouTuber, announces he had received notification that the church was withdrawing his membership.
• British YouTuber Douglas Stilgoe, aka Nemo the Mormon, may have been booted from the church, but he hasn’t kicked his habit of abiding by the Word of Wisdom.
Coffee, tea and alcohol remain off-limits for him, Stilgoe tells social media publisher LADbible. “I’m still really Mormon in just so many ways. You could describe me as Mormon still, even though they’ve taken my membership away, in just so many parts of my life.”
See his story in this new LADbible documentary: “Nemo vs. the Mormon Church: The Cost of Speaking Out.”
Said the Utah-based church in response to the show: “We understand the right of individuals to criticize our faith; however, we strongly disagree with the way important facts and circumstances were misrepresented in this production.”
• The church recently donated more than $7 million to help the American Red Cross collect blood and respond to U.S. disasters.
The faith remains the largest contributor to the relief agency’s blood drives.
• Enticingly headlined “Are Mormons Losing Their Distinctiveness,” this Atlantic article notes the difficulty the church faces being — in Mormon-speak — “in the world but not of the world.”
And the faith’s falling retention rates may be evidence of that.
“Many Americans seem to want churches to offer some combination of retreat from mainstream U.S. life and assimilation in it,” the writer says. “But, as [a Latter-day Saint scholar] said, “‘that is a very, very tricky sweet spot to hit.’”
From The Tribune
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Missionaries pose for a photograph next to the Salt Lake Temple over conference weekend. A church program seeks to help missionaries when they return home.
• A church program aims to help missionaries with one of their toughest tasks: returning home.
• With next year’s Salt Lake Temple tours looming, the church teams up with the feds on security.
• A religion scholar asks: Are Latter-day Saints heeding the prophetic call to lead out against racism?
• Tribune columnist Gordon Monson agrees with the church about the price and perils of sports betting, but he wonders if it’s a sin.
(Nic Antaya | The New York Times) Hasan Piker, a leftist influencer, speaks at a rally in support of Abdul El-Sayed's campaign for U.S. Senate in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The popular streamer praised a Latter-day Saint leader's denunciation of online betting.
• D. Todd Christofferson’s denunciation of gambling drew praise from an unlikely influencer. “It’s hard,” socialist streamer Hasan Piker said, “for me not to give a shoutout to the Mormons on this one.”
• Issues about sex aren’t the same for older, single Latter-day Saints, so should the rules be different? Listen to the “Mormon Land” podcast. Read the excerpts.
• How Latter-day Saints shaped conservative Christian ideals around womanhood. Listen to the “Mormon Land” podcast.
• A Catholic saint graces a lovely little corner of Brigham Young’s city.
• Why does the church get so defensive about data? asks Religion News Service columnist Jana Riess.
• A man accused of murder in a shooting at a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse can argue self-defense, judge rules.
David is a managing editor at The Tribune, where he has worked since 1984. He oversees coverage ranging from local government and west-side issues to growth, development and housing. In addition, he directs religion reporting, co-hosts the award-winning “Mormon Land” podcast and writes the Mormon Land newsletter.