President Thomas S. Monson

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Just heard from a close friend with medical connections that Thomas Monson has passed away this afternoon.


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[Scorcho]

Just heard from a close friend with medical connections that Thomas Monson has passed away this afternoon.


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wow

[LA Ute]

You have great connections, Dwight. Nothing publicly announced yet, but the church PR folks must have been prepared for this.

[Diehard Ute]

You have great connections, Dwight. Nothing publicly announced yet, but the church PR folks must have been prepared for this.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170405/79cc875d70314abfbaa3e45bedf35cfd.jpg

Ben Winslow apparently heard the same things, posted this in the last 10 minutes.



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[Diehard Ute]

KSL and the DNews also stating the reports of his death are incorrect.


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[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Yeah. I haven't seen a confirmation yet. My source is a surgeon, so I'm giving him some time before I give up him. But once I do, he's getting roasted.


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[LA Ute]

Yeah. I haven't seen a confirmation yet. My source is a surgeon, so I'm giving him some time before I give up him. But once I do, he's getting roasted.


SALT LAKE CITY — LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson continued to rest and recover in the hospital late Wednesday afternoon, despite unfounded rumors that he had died.

Eric Hawkins, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said the church was aware of the rumors, but Hawkins confirmed at 3:20 p.m. that President Monson was alive.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865677192/LDS-Church-President-Monson-remains-hospitalized-Wednesday-afternoon.html

What you may do to your friend pales in comparison to what we will do to you. Be afraid.

[concerned]

When rumors like this fly, it usually means they are premature.

[LA Ute]

When rumors like this fly, it usually means they are premature.

It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.

-- Yogi Berra

[LA Ute]

With apologies to Dwight, I revised the thread title so it's a bit more generic.

[Rocker Ute]

Beware the HIPAA violation


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[NorthwestUteFan]

You have great connections, Dwight. Nothing publicly announced yet, but the church PR folks must have been prepared for this.
A newscaster who lived in my aunt's ward told me that he originally wrote Pres. Hinckley's obituary 4-5 years before he died, and tweaked it over time.

When the day finally came he was able to go on camera and report the news with a polished story that he could not have written in the few short minutes between the time the news broke and he had to announce it.

PR and news people are we prepared for the eventuality, despite DS pushing for an earlier announcement.

[Diehard Ute]

And he's been released from the hospital....remind me to not let DS's friend do surgery on me ;)


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[SoCalPat]

A newscaster who lived in my aunt's ward told me that he originally wrote Pres. Hinckley's obituary 4-5 years before he died, and tweaked it over time.

When the day finally came he was able to go on camera and report the news with a polished story that he could not have written in the few short minutes between the time the news broke and he had to announce it.

PR and news people are we prepared for the eventuality, despite DS pushing for an earlier announcement.

This is typical for all major figures, both internationally and locally. There are those who will beat the media to the punch -- I don't think news media as a whole was prepared for Prince's death at all.

[LA Ute]

My roommate during school was a local TV news reporters in SLC. One day he came home and I asked him how his day had gone. He said it had been a slow news day so he worked on "the Kimball obit." This was a few years before President Kimball was ill. My roomie told me that he updated the video obituary regularly to keep it current and ready to go.

[Diehard Ute]

And there have been a handful of occasions when those pre-made obits have been accidentally published. Always funny...and awkward for the person who isn't dead.


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[hostile]

This is typical for all major figures, both internationally and locally. There are those who will beat the media to the punch -- I don't think news media as a whole was prepared for Prince's death at all.
fvQKH1O4Hkw

[mUUser]

President Monson basically homebound....

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=44358841&nid=1016&title=mormon-church-president-thomas-s-monson-to-no-longer-attend-regular-meetings

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

President Monson passed away earlier today.


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[NorthwestUteFan]

President Monson passed away earlier today.


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkGood thing you verified it this time.

[LA Ute]

President Monson was an amazing man. I’ll miss him.


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[UtahsMrSports]

I read the last two talks he gave in General Conference this morning. Both were very short. One was a simple reminder to be more kind. The other encouraged members to read The Book of Mormon more. Both were great.

[Ma'ake]

Respect.

[DrumNFeather]

Sad but not unexpected news. 90 is a pretty darn good run, especially when you spend your life serving others the way he did.

[UTEopia]

I guess Russell M Nelson is the next man up. He's 93 and looking pretty frail. Three years ago I was a Mountain Host at Park City and was asked to take a photo of him with other family members skiing. He did okay. I hope I am skiing at 90.

[Scorcho]

the final "closed quote"

what a great example of serve

[LA Ute]

I don't read Meridian Magazine much but I saw this article from this morning and was very impressed. The author shares some personal experiences he had with President Monson and the piece is very much worth reading:

https://ldsmag.com/life-lessons-from-president-monson/#.Wkzy40-fnEE.facebook

Such an admirable man.

[Rocker Ute]

I guess Russell M Nelson is the next man up. He's 93 and looking pretty frail. Three years ago I was a Mountain Host at Park City and was asked to take a photo of him with other family members skiing. He did okay. I hope I am skiing at 90.

Recently I had an opportunity to interact with President Nelson. He may be getting frail physically but mentally he is as sharp as ever. In the course of the situation I asked him if he had any special requests or something he would like me to do and he joked, "I'll tell you what, I'll trust you to do your job if you trust me to do mine." It immediately put everyone at ease.

The old guard that have been fixtures in the church my entire life are moving on... I think the church will be quite a bit different in some ways a decade from now.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Good thing you verified it this time.

I bet you felt better prepared for the news last night!


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[LA Ute]

The old guard that have been fixtures in the church my entire life are moving on... I think the church will be quite a bit different in some ways a decade from now.

Pres. Nelson will be calling two new apostles. That's four new apostles in the last 2.5 years. Pretty big change -- one-third of the Quorum -- in a short period of time.

[DrumNFeather]

Pres. Nelson will be calling two new apostles. That's four new apostles in the last 2.5 years. Pretty big change -- one-third of the Quorum -- in a short period of time.

Of the current group:

5 are in there 60s (Gary Stevenson is the youngest at 62).
3 are in there 70s
2 in there 80s

And President Nelson is 93.

So you will very likely have 2 more in there 60s or potentially mid to late 50s. Should be interesting.

If you look at the likely pool that they'll fill those spots from (Presiding Bishopric and Presidency of the Seventy) all of those guys are in their 50s and 60s. Bishop Causse is 54. He'd be a fantastic addition, I think.

[Brian]

I'm not too excited about Pres. Nelson...

1. His anti-evolution talk a few years ago.
2. His unconditional love is conditional talk/article
3. His wife's crazy book: "The not even once club"
4. The Nov policy
5. I always feel like a 7 year old when I listen to him speak.

[LA Ute]

I'm not too excited about Pres. Nelson...

1. His anti-evolution talk a few years ago.
2. His unconditional love is conditional talk/article
3. His wife's crazy book: "The not even once club"
4. The Nov policy
5. I always feel like a 7 year old when I listen to him speak.

It will be interesting to see how he changes as he assumes the mantle. In my lifetime, Presidents Smith, Kimball and Benson all seemed to soften when they became president of the Church. I work with surgeons all the time, and Pres. Nelson definitely fits the typical profile. Nothing wrong with that. Surgery -- especially cardiothoracic surgery -- attracts a certain personality type that is decisive, comfortable being in charge, and so forth. No one would want a CT surgeon operating on them who is any other way.

[Brian]

I don't remember #1 or #2. I suspect there is some interpretation at play? I never heard of #3. I guess I have some googling to do.


1. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/thanks-be-to-god?lang=eng
A quote from that talk:
"Yet some people erroneously think that these marvelous physical attributes happened by chance or resulted from a big bang somewhere. Ask yourself, “Could an explosion in a printing shop produce a dictionary?” The likelihood is most remote. But if so, it could never heal its own torn pages or reproduce its own newer editions!"

Strawman much? Nobody who understand evolution is making this claim.

2. https://www.lds.org/ensign/2003/02/divine-love?lang=eng

3. https://deseretbook.com/p/not-even-once-club-wendy-watson-nelson-88683?variant_id=7444-hardcover
From the book description at desert book:
"The Not Even Once Club is an adorable and appealing way to engage children in a story that will help them choose for themselves to keep the commandments and to never break them. Not even once."

[Brian]

It will be interesting to see how he changes as he assumes the mantle. In my lifetime, Presidents Smith, Kimball and Benson all seemed to soften when they became president of the Church. I work with surgeons all the time, and Pres. Nelson definitely fits the typical profile. Nothing wrong with that. Surgery -- especially cardiothoracic surgery -- attracts a certain personality type that is decisive, comfortable being in charge, and so forth. No one would want a CT surgeon operating on them who is any other way.


Good points. It will be interesting to see how things evolve (sorry Pres. Nelson.... (c: )
My only memory is with Benson, and that was when I was in high school, and not paying much attention to these sorts of things....

I just finished reading the Leonard Arrington biography where Benson is a major player. Given that lens, the McKay biography, as well as what I have learned about Benson over the years, he was singing the same tune as prophet, but volume was turned down a bit. A distinction, but how much difference? I don't know.

Interesting times.

[NorthwestUteFan]

I bet you felt better prepared for the news last night!


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkI am happy that he is no longer suffering.

[tooblue]

1. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/thanks-be-to-god?lang=eng
A quote from that talk:
"Yet some people erroneously think that these marvelous physical attributes happened by chance or resulted from a big bang somewhere. Ask yourself, “Could an explosion in a printing shop produce a dictionary?” The likelihood is most remote. But if so, it could never heal its own torn pages or reproduce its own newer editions!"

Strawman much? Nobody who understand evolution is making this claim.

2. https://www.lds.org/ensign/2003/02/divine-love?lang=eng

3. https://deseretbook.com/p/not-even-once-club-wendy-watson-nelson-88683?variant_id=7444-hardcover
From the book description at desert book:
"The Not Even Once Club is an adorable and appealing way to engage children in a story that will help them choose for themselves to keep the commandments and to never break them. Not even once."


https://www.theguardian.com/science/political-science/2017/sep/05/questioning-evolution-is-neither-science-denial-nor-the-preserve-of-creationists


We clearly need to be careful not to assume that when people say they are rejecting “evolutionary science”, they are rejecting all scientific research or indeed all of what we might think of as evolutionary science. ‘Evolution’ as a term has gained a mishmash of cultural baggage over the years, not least a strong association with ‘New Atheist’ movements ...

Furthermore, doubts about evolutionary science frequently appear to be related to the perceived limitations of evolutionary science-based explanations for human origins and human consciousness.

[mpfunk]

Recently I had an opportunity to interact with President Nelson. He may be getting frail physically but mentally he is as sharp as ever. In the course of the situation I asked him if he had any special requests or something he would like me to do and he joked, "I'll tell you what, I'll trust you to do your job if you trust me to do mine." It immediately put everyone at ease.

The old guard that have been fixtures in the church my entire life are moving on... I think the church will be quite a bit different in some ways a decade from now.

I hope you are right, but I think you are wrong. We are the death of a 93 year old man away from having Dallin H. Oaks as prophet. How many years would it take to unravel 1 year of regression with regards to the LGBTQ and women if he is ever prophet. I'd say at least 3-5 years for every year. I bet anything he would advocate for would make the exclusion policy look kind.

[mpfunk]

I'm not too excited about Pres. Nelson...

1. His anti-evolution talk a few years ago.
2. His unconditional love is conditional talk/article
3. His wife's crazy book: "The not even once club"
4. The Nov policy
5. I always feel like a 7 year old when I listen to him speak.

Sure I can see why you aren't thrilled. I'm not sure that anyone except possibly Uchtdorf should generate excitement, and even then it is only in comparison to the alternatives. However, it isn't Oaks and that right there makes a huge difference. So, you should be happy with Nelson for at least that reason.

[DrumNFeather]

I hope you are right, but I think you are wrong. We are the death of a 93 year old man away from having Dallin H. Oaks as prophet. How many years would it take to unravel 1 year of regression with regards to the LGBTQ and women if he is ever prophet. I'd say at least 3-5 years for every year. I bet anything he would advocate for would make the exclusion policy look kind.


Sure I can see why you aren't thrilled. I'm not sure that anyone except possibly Uchtdorf should generate excitement, and even then it is only in comparison to the alternatives. However, it isn't Oaks and that right there makes a huge difference. So, you should be happy with Nelson for at least that reason.

I think you're wrong on this one. I don't think we can possibly know how someone is going to act when they are in the big chair, until they are actually in the big chair. It's like the BYU fans that spend time wringing their collective hands over what might happen to their athletic programs under Bednar. Might as well just wait to see how it all plays out. The likelihood that anything regresses, IMO, seems pretty low at this point. Plus, while I think the church is slow to change on the macro level, the church is absolutely changing for the better on the local level, because the individual members are deciding to not just mail it in, but rather show up and make a positive impact on their ward. Now, maybe that trickles up, maybe it doesn't, but we would all be wise to worry about what we can control, and act accordingly, rather than worry about what we can't control, or, what may never come to be.

[concerned]

I think you're wrong on this one. I don't think we can possibly know how someone is going to act when they are in the big chair, until they are actually in the big chair.


You very well might be right; generally the US presidency changes the president. But people said the same thing about Trump, and he changed the presidency rather than the other way around.

[Brian]

1) You characterized his talk as "anti-evolution," but that is the only paragraph that even comes close to referencing evolution. And even that paragraph is more pro-creation than anti-evolution. I have no idea what Pres. Nelson thinks about evolution. He does praise creation regularly in his talks, especially the miracles of the human body. I think he has a deep appreciation for those things.


Yes, fair point.
I guess the thing that irritated me the most is the horrible strawman argument he used. It's irresponsible, and irrelevant, and feeds the anti-science crowd (whether he intended to, or not).
And I guess it scratches my itch that I feel like I'm in primary when I hear him talk.



3) It's a kids book? Without reading it (and, let's be honest, none of us ever will), I'm not that concerned. The Deseret Book factory churns out a ton of art, books, and music that I can't stand. This one seems relatively harmless.


The thing that bothered me was that this was the wife of an apostle. I have heard from several people (albeit, not first hand) that she is the tail wagging the dog. It's a children's book on perfectionism, which is not something we need more of in the church. Maybe he disagrees with her, but she has his ear.

[LA Ute]

If you ignore the inflammatory headline, this is an interesting story. McKay Coppins is right, I think.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/25411/new-york-times-proves-it-hates-religious-americans-ben-shapiro#

[LA Ute]

McKay Coppins' piece in the Atlantic:

The Death of a Prophet (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/mormon-prophet/549773/)Thomas Monson, the late Mormon church president, stressed the importance of community in an increasingly atomized nation.

[Applejack]

None of these obits mentions the real thing of value that president monson did: his Utes were 8-1 against the cougars during his presidency!

[LA Ute]

None of these obits mentions the real thing of value that president monson did: his Utes were 8-1 against the cougars during his presidency!

How could we have failed to mention that? Thanks.

[Brian]

Nelson is a Utah man.
Hope he makes it to triple digits and a 7-0 run for his Utes.

[mUUser]

How could we have failed to mention that? Thanks.


Don't know if you caught this article, but, it appears Pres Monson's real love was not BYU or Utah, but....Michigan football....

https://www.ksl.com/?sid=43765748&nid=294

[Brian]

Wow, Uchtdorf dropped from FP.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

The Bald Brethren.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180116/0f0c926fc056facfa99b22f852dc9291.jpg


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[Rocker Ute]

The Bald Brethren.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180116/0f0c926fc056facfa99b22f852dc9291.jpg


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I finally feel like I am in good company. The Silver Fox was making us all look bad.

[Sullyute]

Wow, Uchtdorf dropped from FP.

Not sure how I feel about that...

On second thought, I am sure, but will keep it to myself. 🤬

[Two Utes]

I finally feel like I am in good company. The Silver Fox was making us all look bad.

For the record, my wife reminded me over the weekend that the new Prophet married us back in the day.

Does that give me special powers?

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Not sure how I feel about that...

On second thought, I am sure, but will keep it to myself. 🤬

We should form a group.


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[Scorcho]

I'll also miss hearing him speak twice at conference.

I think it's not a bad idea to have the likely next president in the first presidency.

since they cut the Priesthood session down to just once a year, we might only get him twice a year (once per conference) :(

by the way, what am I supposed to do come fall general conference on Saturday Night? I'm not much for crafts? I'll be looking for continued spiritual guidance from Kirk Herbstreit or Yogi Roth

[LA Ute]

Not sure how I feel about that...

On second thought, I am sure, but will keep it to myself. 郎

I won't. I feel bad about it and will miss him as a FP member.

I suppose it's good for President Oaks (now 85?) to be in First Presidency for a while to learn the ropes, since he's the likely successor to Pres. Nelson. On the other hand, I remember when Harold B. Lee became president at the age of 73, I think. He signed my mission call so I was paying close attention to him. I think he passed 18 months later. Everyone was shocked. So you never know.

[Two Utes]

We should form a group.


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The ladies might miss him though.

Word is, if the folks at Deseret Book had the power, they would put Uchtdorf's picture on every book in the place.

[concerned]

The ladies might miss him though.

Word is, if the folks at Deseret Book had the power, they would put Uchtdorf's picture on every book in the place.


He is the closest thing the Church has to a rock star. And there does not appear to be another after him. (Not Bednar, for certain.)

He is 77, the same age as Jeffrey Holland. Where are they in the line of succession?

[Brian]

He is the closest thing the Church has to a rock star. And there does not appear to be another after him. (Not Bednar, for certain.)

He is 77, the same age as Jeffrey Holland. Where are they in the line of succession?

Oaks, Ballard, Holland, Uchtdorf, Bednar, Cool, D. Todd, .....

Opps. Edit, forgot Eyring.

Oaks, Ballard, Holland, Eyring, Uchtdorf, Bednar, Cook, D. Todd, .....

[concerned]

Oaks, Ballard, Holland, Uchtdorf, Bednar, Cool, D. Todd, .....

I did not realize Bednar was that senior. He is 65; could be president for a long time.

[Brian]

I did not realize Bednar was that senior. He is 65; could be president for a long time.

Thanks for the reminder.

[LA Ute]

I did not realize Bednar was that senior. He is 65; could be president for a long time.

Harold B. Lee was 20 years younger than the next most senior apostle when he was called. According to the all-knowing Wikipedia his administration "lasted from July 7, 1972 to Lee's sudden death due to a fatal pulmonary hemorrhage on December 26, 1973 at age 74." You just never know.

[Rocker Ute]

Oaks, Ballard, Holland, Uchtdorf, Bednar, Cool, D. Todd, .....

I was trying to figure out what apostle was nicknamed Cool D.



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[Two Utes]

I did not realize Bednar was that senior. He is 65; could be president for a long time.


He's skinny and healthy. You're right. he could be the guy for quite some time.

[USS Utah]

A few years ago I was working my way through biographies of LDS Church presidents -- something I got away from and really need to get back to. When George Albert Smith was president of the 12, one of his fellow apostles suggested to another that he should listen to President Smith because he would be the next president of the church. George Albert shut that down quickly, saying he knew no such thing about his future. When he was a younger man, George Albert experienced many health challenges, which would lead to months of being bedridden; while in better health later in life, there was certainly no guarantee that he would outlive Heber J. Grant.

While George Albert did survive President Grant and did become the president of the church, L.A. has pointed to another example, that of Harold B. Lee and Spencer Kimball. Lee was a relatively young man, and Kimball was experiencing serious health issues. Perhaps the only person who thought Kimball might live to become president of the church was Lee, who advised Kimball to undergo a risky heart surgery.

When I was on my mission I had the opportunity to meet President Howard W. Hunter. When I shook his hand, I felt inspired that he would be the next president of the church. When I told my companion about this, he suggested that it was rather unlikely. Hunter had given his recent conference talks while sitting in his chair on the dais, and was in a wheel chair the day I met him. Just a few months later he finally stood again at the pulpit . . . and fell down during his talk. At the same time, however, President Benson was beginning his decline -- his last conference address was six months before Hunter stood again at the pulpit. People could be forgiven, then, for wondering who would live longer between the two.

As Churchill once said, the future, though imminent, is obscure. Even when it might not appear to be obscure, the future can still surprise.

[USS Utah]

A good biographical piece on President Nelson (including the surgery he performed on President Kimball using a machine he helped develop):

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865695094/Who-is-President-Russell-M-Nelson-a-man-of-heart-compassion-and-faith.html

[UTEopia]

I might be wrong, but don't most of the new apostles get called from the Presidency of the Seventy? If so, there are 3 currently in that Presidency born outside the US. 1 from Brazil, 1 from Peru and 1 from England. I have enjoyed the conference talks of Patrick Kearon from England. My hope is that the new leadership brings us people from outside of the US. I believe they bring a more well-rounded view of the world and the church then guys who are primarily from the US.

[concerned]

I might be wrong, but don't most of the new apostles get called from the Presidency of the Seventy? If so, there are 3 currently in that Presidency born outside the US. 1 from Brazil, 1 from Peru and 1 from England. I have enjoyed the conference talks of Patrick Kearon from England. My hope is that the new leadership brings us people from outside of the US. I believe they bring a more well-rounded view of the world and the church then guys who are primarily from the US.

By "guys who are primarily from the US," do you mean "guys who are primarily from Utah and SE Idaho?"

[LA Ute]

By "guys who are primarily from the US," do you mean "guys who are primarily from Utah and SE Idaho?"

I think we might be surprised this time. Just a hunch.

[Scorcho]

We're overdue for a guy from the Tempe, AZ area.

Elder Todd Graham? ;)

He's not busy, his suit jacket would cover his wristbands, he just needs a middle initial.

[DrumNFeather]

I think we might be surprised this time. Just a hunch.

Bishop Cause (sp?) was front and center in the crowd when they announced the new FP. He'd be fantastic.