General Conference starts tomorrow, and this provides all kinds of opportunities to speculate about what changes in the Church it might bring. Of course we can speculate before every Conference, but this one is particularly ripe given that there will be two new members of the Quorum of the Twelve called, and that it will be President Nelson’s first Conference. President Monson was unwell for years, so there may have been big decisions that the other Q15 members left unmade. Now, with President Nelson appearing to be in good health, he may move forward with some items that had been on hold.
Here’s my speculation about the new Quorum of the Twelve members: They will be white, and will have a strong connection to Utah. Risky speculation, I know! Seriously, though, I was extremely disappointed in 2015 when, even with three Q12 positions to fill at the same time, President Monson still couldn’t bring himself to call a person of color to the Quorum. My guess is that President Nelson will be even less likely to do so. Also, given how much he clearly loves God’s Most Holy and Most Blessed Order of the Eternal and Most Divine Gender Roles, Which Were and Are from All Eternity to All Eternity, I’m betting that he won’t call anyone like Elder Renlund to the Quorum. Elder Renlund’s wife had (gasp) a career, and to make it worse, only one child. I really doubt that President Nelson could see someone like him as being faithful enough. So my expectation is not just two older white men with ties to Utah, but two older white men with ties to Utah who are descended from polygamists and whose wives were SAHMs and had plenty of kids.
A question that might be even bigger than who the new Q12 members will be is whether President Nelson will canonize the Family Proclamation. This seems like the perfect example of an issue that was left in limbo with President Monson’s deteriorating health, that President Nelson might jump to solve. Really, though, after reading a bunch of discussions on the Bloggernacle and on Facebook, I’ve come to agree with those who argue that it doesn’t really matter if he does or not. One of my sisters pointed out that for the FamProc to enter the canon would kind of be a step down. The canon is what we read now and again and pull proof texts out of. The FamProc is what we love so much that we hang it on our walls! It’s better than canon. What I really expect is that, rather than canonizing it, President Nelson will borrow some lines from Joseph Smith and tell us that “The Family Proclamation is the most correct of any proclamation on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man will get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other proclamation.” That’s what he’ll do: cement its place as super-canon.
It also might be worth wondering whether President Nelson, or any of the other speakers, will mention all the fallout from the Joseph Bishop scandal. My guess would be no, both considering the timing–all the news has broken so close to Conference, and talks are planned well in advance–and the content–GAs won’t want to bring the issue to the attention of anyone who hasn’t already heard about it. This is a topic like polygamy, where the Church will probably be sure to keep any of its responses carefully out of the way of most members, to avoid causing more trouble than they solve. Kind of like the Gospel Topics essays.
What do you think will happen at Conference?
I’d love to hear from more than just two female speakers. We don’t get a women’s meeting this Conference, so if it’s just the normal two women speakers this time, the imbalance will be even more pronounced than usual. I’m not saying that I expect this change, but I am hoping.
I agree, Autumn Meadow. That would be great! I’m guessing it’s not an issue President Nelson is too concerned about, unfortunately. I guess I’m just saying I’m with you. I’m not expecting it, but I would be happy if it happened.
Maybe it’s not a conference matter but it would be nice to see the paragraphs in the FamProc numbered, like verses. Then we could cite it, like FamProc 1:3. That would help with its “super-canon” status.
Ooh, good idea, Anne Chovies! When I was in the primary a few years ago, and all the monthly scriptures we recited were FamProc quotes, the reference was always something like “FamProc, Paragraph 4.”
Anne,
Before it gets verses, I would like to see it annotated. Where in the scriptures do we find these eternal truths? If they are, in fact, eternal, let’s use the scriptures to “open our understanding” and see God’s words in it. Scriptural annotation would help overcome the perception that the proclamation is simply made by a committee of men to promote their own cultural ideals.
I predict:
A ton of talk about how wonderful it is to have a prophet.
A minor change to home teaching and visiting teaching along with many people calling it a major and truly inspired change.
Motab will sing the closing song waaay slow.
Three hour block changed to a one or two hour block…. Just kidding! That will not happen in my lifetime.
Okay, those are too easy. Maybe I’ll make some long shot predictions later.
Don’t be too sure it’ll be more of the usual. An announcement such as 2-hour blocks being tested in selected units for potential church-wide phase in, or women being allowed to witness baptisms and other ordinances, or (and?) being allowed to hold their newborns in a blessing circle; something with the appearance of magnitude, but perhaps less actual substance, might create enough buzz to compete with the sexual assault news stories for bandwidth. It’s a tactic we’ve seen working well elsewhere recently.
I really doubt the FamProc will get canonized. Right now the GAs get to have it both ways. Members of the church already treat it as scripture, but in 20 or 30 years when it becomes untenable due to further revelation on women or LGBT members, they’ll have plausible deniability – “No, that wasn’t scripture, and now we have further light and knowledge.”
I think you make an interesting point re: Elder Renlund being an outlier due to his wife having a career and one child. But I don’t think Nelson will necessarily use that as a way to disqualify future apostles. After all, his wife has a career and no children.
My prediction: Saturday will be full of idolatry of the nuclear family, with special mention by Oaks about how single people forgot to get married and should really remember to do that right away. Sunday morning will give lip service to Easter but not enough to make up for missing church on our holiest day. Sunday afternoon will be blandly inoffensive stuff about studying the scriptures and keeping the Sabbath day holy. Three women will speak, and the leaders will expect to be praised for being so progressive as to add an additional female speaker.
Also, a hope more than a prediction. With the recent hits the church is taking for the Bishop abuse, I really hope they take a more charitable tone with those that leave the church rather than paint them all with the “not faithful, want to sin, weak” brushstroke.
Whoops on both accounts…
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.asiawomensconference.org/uploads/1/6/4/5/16455656/01_susan_gong_bio_2013.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjMuumOvJfaAhVH52MKHUKeB8IQFjAAegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw1XowU8l_bpa8UqRSJxa2Fa
I also hope you’re wrong and they will address Bishop head on.
I am super duper happy to have been so wrong on the new Q12 members! Hooray for Elders Gong and Soares!
Hey Ziff, do you have any posts on the chronological ethnic diversity in general authority provenance? Both in-US vs out-US like Elder Oaks used in his remarks this afternoon, and in-North America vs out-North America as well? It would make for an awesome skew-check on his remarks.
Sorry, Jacob, I don’t. Although I agree that that would be interesting to look at.