From the Horse’s Mouth….19 Oct 2008 11:36 am
By Heather O.
For all of you who are wondering what Pres. Packer REALLY has to say, it was told to us today by our Stake President, in ward conference, that our bishop was singled out by Pres. Packer at a meeting this weekend. Pres. Packer asked our bishop what most concerned him about his ward, and the bishop answered that he was concerned at the fear that the families in our ward had expressed about the coming months, with such hard economic times on the horizon. Our Stake President reported that Pres. Packer said that this is not a time to fear, that great good can come from such trials and adversity.
So there.
I have to admit, that is really great to hear!
Comment #1 by LeahOctober 19th, 2008 at 12:20 pmYes! Even though this begins to feel like “a friend of a friend of a friend” (and I couldn’t repeat it myself, for that reason), you have a direct and traceable line to the source of the story (no semi-anonymous “Jen”), and also the statement fits exactly with all the counsel given in Conference. There indeed. Thanks.
Comment #2 by Ardis ParshallOctober 19th, 2008 at 12:38 pmUmmm…am I missing something? Maybe I missed a post or an email? What was President Packer “not” saying before?
I’m all confused, now.
Comment #3 by cherylOctober 19th, 2008 at 1:33 pmThat’s pretty amazing since one of the speakers in our ward (Sierra Vista, Az) spoke of the same thing. He took his talk from one given by one of the GA (sorry, but we have Lots of little ones in the ward & I think they all had “ants in their pants” today!)
Amazing how the Lord works!
Comment #4 by Sues2u2October 19th, 2008 at 3:44 pmCheryl- Check out this thread for the answer to your question. http://www.mormonmommywars.com/?p=1552
Comment #5 by Keri BrooksOctober 19th, 2008 at 3:49 pmOK, so I too have something to post on the Pres. Packer email incident. My husband and I both received that email–the friend who sent it to me swore up and down that it was legit because her sisters family is in that stake etc. (Yes I know, this is definitely friend of a friend stuff, but stick with me here)…so TODAY President Packer’s SON was in my in-laws ward speaking and my FIL approached him and asked about the Pres. Packer email and his response was that yes his father did address a congregation recently about some of those issues, but that some things were definitely taken out of context. Furthermore, it should not have been passed around as any sort of “official/unofficial” document since it was not approved as such and that address was specifically for the people in that stake/ward–not necessarily meant for church wide consumption. He did not clarify the specifics or anything, but yes he did speak and yes somethings were accurate, some were not and it certainly wasn’t intended to be a chain email.
But I did hear that Bill Gates is going to share his fortune with us if we just pass around a simple email….
Comment #6 by MiggyOctober 19th, 2008 at 7:08 pmWell, I for one am glad that the horse has spoken.
Comment #7 by JamiOctober 19th, 2008 at 7:33 pmMy dad just sent me an email about this. He said that it was common several years ago for people to record the testimonies that were giving in F&T meeting. But that the church has since told them to stop. And that if a testimony is shared with a ward, it was for that ward and not a public thing to be shared with the whole church. That anything offical would be sent from SLC.
Comment #8 by ModdyOctober 19th, 2008 at 7:49 pmA-ha! That’ll show me for not reading threads thoroughly!
Yes, I received the Pres. Packer email and I promptly deleted it. Anything passed on from Stake Conference or Ward Conferece, whether by GA’s or not is simply unwise. I’m with Moddy; anything official for the world would be read over the pulpit in official letters from SLC or said in General Conference.
Comment #9 by cherylOctober 19th, 2008 at 8:35 pmNow, as to contextual and local problems/blessings/etc by GA’s? That totally happens. But what needs to happen in small-town Idaho doesn’t really need to happen in, say, France. You know?
A FAIR member contacted Church Public Affairs, and received the following response (the words are the FAIR member’s, not the Church’s):
I was told that while President Packer did indeed speak at the meeting cited, no transcript was made and that the one circulating was done after the talk was given and should not be considered to be authoritative. The following statement was given to me on the matter:
The following First Presidency letter explains the Church’s position on these types of e-mails. The letter was issued on May 13, 2004 and to all Church units and LDS Church leaders. Its subject was:
Statements Attributed to Church Leaders
From time to time statements are circulated among members which are inaccurately attributed to the leaders of the Church. Many such statements distort current Church teachings and are often based on rumors and innuendos. They are never transmitted officially, but by word of mouth, e-mail, or other informal means.
We encourage members of the Church to never teach or pass on such statements without verifying that they are from approved Church sources, such as official statements, communications, and publications. Any notes made when General Authorities, Area Authority Seventies, or other general Church officers speak at regional and stake conferences or other meetings should not be distributed without the consent of the speaker. Personal notes are for individual use only. [emphasis added by FAIR]
True spiritual growth is based on studying the scriptures, the teachings of the Brethren, and Church publications.
President Packer’s secretary indicated further that the real meat from President Packer, and the intended message for the world is in last week’s [i.e., October 2008] General Conference. If members of the Church really want to know what message he would have us hear, we need to listen to THAT talk, and throw THIS account of his talk away. President Packer’s office cautioned that the talk given on 12 October represented President Packer’s personal views, and should not be considered to be doctrine or a statement of the Church’s views.
http://en.fairmormon.org/Rumors,_hoaxes,_and_urban_legends
Comment #10 by richOctober 19th, 2008 at 10:55 pmThis is what the LDS Church said about. This came from Public Affairs Department. Seem to me that the talk was given but the distribution was not authorized. Call to church office and you will get a voice message.
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Please send the following information to all personnel in your area!
The Church Correlation Department has indicated that the report of President Boyd K. Packers talk of Sunday, October 12, 2008, that is being distributed is not accurate. President Packer has not approved the report of his talk or authorized it’s distribution.
Comment #11 by Infosud.infoOctober 21st, 2008 at 8:38 pm> It is recommended that individuals follow the instruction, counsel, and spirit of his recent October 2008 General Conference talk.
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> As a reminder please review the following:
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> A First Presidency letter of May 13, 2004 provides this counsel and official instruction: “…members of the Church [are] to never teach or pass on… statements without verifying that they are from approved official sources… Any notes made when General Authorities, Area Seventies, or other general Church officers speak at regional and stake conferences or other meetings should not be distributed without the consent of the speaker. Personal notes are for individual use only.” (See also: Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 1 (2006), pg. 173.)
I received the email myself and sent back a comment to the person I got it from saying I didn’t think the email was accurate and she whould be weary of these type of forwards. I then received an email from someone she had sent it to practically damning me for ruining people’s testimony with my self righteous bla bla bla. She went on how she was a Stake President, Bishop and Temple Sealer’s wife, a former RS, YW Pres. Seminary for 7 years etc. All I did was say these emails shouldn’t be passed along unless they can be verified. GEESH. From her email to me you would have thought I had just committed the unpardonable sin! The thing is, I just can’t believe she is who she says SHE is. Passing on forwards is a type of modern day gossip!
Comment #12 by ColleenOctober 28th, 2008 at 3:57 amColleen, they read a letter in sac meeting on sunday about not forwarding things like this. You should find that letter on lds.org and forward that to the women who said you were “wrecking” someone’s testimony.
Comment #13 by ModdyOctober 28th, 2008 at 7:22 am