The October 2025 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

At this point, I've deconstructed so much from the LDS Church that I barely remembered General Conference was going on this weekend, and I wasn't interested enough to put much effort into finding out what happened. I put on a recap of the first session during lunch yesterday and promptly zoned out for most of it. I'm so proud of me. Three years ago, I was still so entrenched in my Mormon upbringing that I watched General Conference to keep up with the church even though I'd already resigned from it.

I've only heard three things about this one. First, that Ronald Rasband gave an awful talk about the Family Proclamation where he doubled down on gender roles and heteronormativity - you know, the things that Mormon God is concerned about instead of real problems like climate change, fascism, school shootings, and genocide. This is the Family Proclamation's thirtieth anniversary. The church still peddles the fiction that it was prophetic about the social changes that have happened since 1995, when in reality, it was not only reactionary to the social changes that were already well underway, but also clearly inspired by the right-wing evangelical "Family Manifesto" published in 1988. The LDS Church has really painted itself into a corner with its myopic social views, but since the Family Proclamation hasn't been canonized, future prophets and apostles can still quietly phase it out and hire scholars to quietly publish an anonymous essay explaining that it was never doctrine. Doubling down on it now just because the US is temporarily going backward on women's rights and queer rights is very unwise.

Second, I heard that there was increased security and a veiled reference to the shooting at a Mormon chapel in Michigan last week by an evangelical Trump supporter. In case it doesn't go without saying, I am appalled and disgusted by violence against people in any place of worship except the Westboro Baptist Church. Some Mormons are blaming "anti-Mormon" podcasters for inciting the hate that led to this act. Baloney. I've watched several podcasters who are critical of the LDS Church, and not one of them has said anything that would lend support to a violent act like this. Beliefs are not people. Just because you feel personally threatened when someone criticizes your beliefs doesn't mean that person wants you dead. Anyway, if "anti-Mormon" podcasters are responsible for this violent act, then Mormons are responsible for every anti-LGBTQ hate crime.

Third, I heard that prophet-in-waiting Dallin Oaks - who, by the way, is not the kind of person I have the slightest interest in emulating or spending eternity with - didn't announce any new temples. No surprise there. I used to get so excited about temple announcements because they were a tangible measure of the church's global growth. Then Russell Nelson came along and started announcing temples in random places where the membership is too small to even staff them, let alone use them on a regular basis, just because he had a grudge against Gordon Hinckley and wanted to beat his temple announcement record. Congratulations, Nelson, you won your pissing match, and Mormons who don't do any research outside of what they hear from you probably believe that the church is growing and really needs a temple in Belgium. Oaks, at least, seems to be more pragmatic and less concerned about appearances. Oh yeah, Nelson died a week ago, in case that wasn't clear. I think he was a self-absorbed tool, but I didn't hate him, but I'm not sad that a 101-year-old man died in his sleep. It was just a thing that happened and wasn't important enough for me to mention at the time.

And that's all I know about General Conference, and I'm not going to learn anything else about it on purpose. I'm so proud of me.