The Philosophy of General Conference: Value Beyond Measure
My favorite talk in the last General Conference was "Value Beyond Measure" by Joy D. Jones. The most poignant part of the talk for me was when she talked about the difference of worth and worthiness. Worth is an integral part of who we are. An analogy commonly used is that a dollar bill is beat up and crinkled. It doesn't look very pretty, but the worth of the dollar bill is still the same. This is a perfect example of how Heavenly Father looks at us. That our worth is never lessened in his eyes. Life may leave us a little worse for the wear, but our internal worth is integral to who we are.It can not be taken away or changed. Worthiness on the other hand, is achieved through obedience.
Sister Jones uses pathos by telling the story of three women at the beginning of the talk. The first woman was brought into the church through learning more about the law of chastity and the Prophet Joseph Smith. Sister Jones talks about how interesting it was that this woman was brought to Christ by two things that the world tends to look down upon. The second story is about the Singh sisters who felt obscured by the vast amount of people in the world. They were brought to the church because they were able to feel Christ's love and feel special and wanted. The last story talks about a girl who died of cancer. This story would have been especially heart-wrenching to Sister Jones as the day before conference she had to bury her son who had died of cancer. I admire her courage and faith to stand before the world only hours after doing something she never should have had to do. The little girl with cancer was always so optimistic and ready with a kind word. She knew that she was a daughter of heavenly parents and nothing could sway that. Sister Jones relied very heavily on the personal stories of these women to show the faces of people who knew their worth in the eyes of God.
She uses logos by telling different stories, and showing examples of how we show that we have worth in our lives. She tells of a four year old child praying and the strong spirit you feel from that experience. She says that that is a moment that you know that you and that child have worth. For how could God send such a special experience to someone who did not have worth. She also uses logic in the scriptures to show her point. She uses the powerful scripture, "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.."
Sister Jones also uses ethos by using the words of past prophets and leaders to bolster her position. She quotes President Spencer W. Kimball as saying, "God is your Father. He loves you. He and your mother in heaven value you beyond any measure. You are unique... Let there be no question in your mind about your value as an individual..." This greatly helps her main issue that your worth in the eyes of god can never diminish. She also quotes Brigham Young, and the Prophet Joseph Smith to help add validity to her statements.
This talk was incredibly special for me. I had been dealing with feelings of inadequacy and loneliness for a while so it was a wonderful wake up call to the love I have around me.
Sister Jones uses pathos by telling the story of three women at the beginning of the talk. The first woman was brought into the church through learning more about the law of chastity and the Prophet Joseph Smith. Sister Jones talks about how interesting it was that this woman was brought to Christ by two things that the world tends to look down upon. The second story is about the Singh sisters who felt obscured by the vast amount of people in the world. They were brought to the church because they were able to feel Christ's love and feel special and wanted. The last story talks about a girl who died of cancer. This story would have been especially heart-wrenching to Sister Jones as the day before conference she had to bury her son who had died of cancer. I admire her courage and faith to stand before the world only hours after doing something she never should have had to do. The little girl with cancer was always so optimistic and ready with a kind word. She knew that she was a daughter of heavenly parents and nothing could sway that. Sister Jones relied very heavily on the personal stories of these women to show the faces of people who knew their worth in the eyes of God.
She uses logos by telling different stories, and showing examples of how we show that we have worth in our lives. She tells of a four year old child praying and the strong spirit you feel from that experience. She says that that is a moment that you know that you and that child have worth. For how could God send such a special experience to someone who did not have worth. She also uses logic in the scriptures to show her point. She uses the powerful scripture, "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.."
Sister Jones also uses ethos by using the words of past prophets and leaders to bolster her position. She quotes President Spencer W. Kimball as saying, "God is your Father. He loves you. He and your mother in heaven value you beyond any measure. You are unique... Let there be no question in your mind about your value as an individual..." This greatly helps her main issue that your worth in the eyes of god can never diminish. She also quotes Brigham Young, and the Prophet Joseph Smith to help add validity to her statements.
This talk was incredibly special for me. I had been dealing with feelings of inadequacy and loneliness for a while so it was a wonderful wake up call to the love I have around me.
It was an amazing talk, and she spoke to many hearts that day. I see you as quite capable and quite lovely. Thanks for giving blogs a try.
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