Why Family History is Important

General Conference mini - analysis

I'll admit, I am choosing Elder Bednar's talk, "The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn" because I am a family history major.

I think that Elder Bednar appealed most to the listeners sense of logos during his talk. It seems like a lot of speakers begin by clearly stating their chosen topic. Elder Bednar, however, chose a different tactic. He began with the ambiguous statement that, "As we study, learn, and live the gospel of Jesus Christ, sequence often is instructive."I believe that he chose not to blatantly state his topic as a means of keeping his audience engaged longer - as his listeners might feel that they already know everything that they need to know about family history (or, if they aren't interested in the topic, they might tune out right then and there). He outlines the restoration, and claims that, "the introductory events of the Restoration revealed a correct understanding of the Godhead, emphasized the importance of the Book of Mormon, and anticipated the work of salvation and exaltation for both the living and the dead." Bednar is setting up a sort of sequence of events hierarchy, his main point being that family history is "up there" on the list, and should therefore be important to church members.

He also uses a strong quote from the first LDS prophet, Joseph Smith, to bring credibility to his argument. The quote he chose leaves little room for speculation, as Joseph Smith said, "The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead". If Elder Bednar's listeners did not agree with his claims about the importance of sequence, they would certainly have a hard time ignoring the straight forward wording of Joseph Smith's statement.

Elder Bednar continues his talk by emphasizing the fact that young people are fully capable of doing family history work. He logically argues that young people's fingers "have been trained to text and tweet" and that their ability to easily use technology is a blessing to the work of family history. His choice to bring young people into his intended audience was a conscious one, and an effective way of reaching the audience that family history general fails to sway.

I enjoyed listening to Elder Bednar's talk.



This seems as good a time as any to put in a plug for people to visit Gilgal Gardens in Salt Lake City. Designed by sculptor Thomas Battersby Child, the Garden is an interesting (and very strange) collection of sculptures, carvings, and quotes. Entrance is free. My husband and I went last year as a sort of joke, as the garden is famous for its Joseph Smith Sphinx (a replica of the sphinx that has Joseph Smiths' face and a carving of the SLC temple on the front). The garden in no way claims to be an official representation of LDS beliefs. It is, however, extremely interesting and a little bizarre, and it is a fun free way to spend an afternoon. The image above is of a sculpture in the garden that is supposed to represent the turning of the hearts of the children (red) to the hearts of the fathers (white). I got this photo from their website, http://www.gilgalgarden.org/.