The story behind the day
General Conference is the twice-yearly worldwide gathering of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held in Salt Lake City over the first weekend of April and October. Church leaders address the members in a series of sessions, members sustain their leaders by raising a hand, and the proceedings reach Latter-day Saints around the world by satellite and the internet.[1–3]
What it marks
General Conference is not the anniversary of an event but a gathering for teaching and for the sustaining of the Church's leaders. An official reads out the names of the general leadership, and members in attendance are asked to raise a hand in a sustaining vote. Latter-day Saints do not choose their leaders by election: the Church teaches that leaders are called, and members are asked to support them. A reference entry notes that members do not nominate or elect the Church president.[2, 5]
How it came to be
The Salt Lake Tabernacle was conceived by Brigham Young as a meeting place for the General Conference. It was begun in 1862 and finished in 1867, and from 1867 to 2000 almost all sessions were hosted there. Between 1877 and 1882 a second hall on Temple Square, the Assembly Hall, was built to take the overflow from conferences held in the Tabernacle.[4]
How it is kept
The conference meets on the first weekend of April and October, and members gather in Salt Lake City or follow the sessions at home. Members of the Church throughout the world are reached by television carried by satellite, and the Church says the proceedings are also broadcast by radio and the internet. At the sustaining vote, those present raise their right hands in support of the Church's General Authorities and General Officers.[1–3]
Sources
Each statement above was checked against published sources; the verdict says whether it stood as written, was corrected or was hedged.
- VerifiedUSU Digital Exhibits; Mormon Newsroom.
- Verifiedexhibits.usu.edu, General conference; Newsroom topic.
- VerifiedGale, Contemporary American Religion, J. K. Riess, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Encyclopedia.com; Mormon Newsroom.
- CorrectedNational Park Service, National Historic Landmark nomination, Temple Square; Church History Topics.
- CorrectedGale, Encyclopedia.com; Church Liahona.