Just having a conversation with my son, even the child that I sired, and we are being light minded and using loud laughter to discuss the use of Jesus, Even the Christ within Mormonism.

The question we have is, when did this start being a thing?
I don't ever recall it being used while I was a believer, and that ended in 2004. Maybe it was used prior to that, but it was sparing and I never noticed it.

So which great and illustrious Mormon leader decided to emphasize this enough that all and sundry had to copy to ensure they appeared to be in the highest levels of pretentious spirituality within the cult? Where did it originate from?

Curious minds want to know.

When thus sayeth Nelson brought The Lord's tender mercies to pass with even on word in uttering the name of The Lord's truest church.

It’s a play on the hypnotic drone used by GC speakers.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2018 11:51AM by babyloncansuckit.

How "even" came to be GA speak is a really good question although I actually don't care, even a little bit.

Not every question asked has to have great importance, sometimes I'm just curious, even the interested to know something new.

Well, we have to establish first that it has "taken off"--which I don't think it has.

The church posts recordings of all GC talks going back to 1971. Comparing the Sunday morning session from April 2018 to the Sunday morning session of April 1971 reveals that no GA in either year closed their talk with that dreaded "even Jesus Christ," but with a simple "name of Jesus Christ, amen"--and that includes the entire current First Presidency.

I don't have time right now but may look through other decades later to get a better comparison and build a data table (I'll post back here if I do). I suspect what's happening is people like yourself notice it once or twice and extrapolate this personal anecdote to a generalization which isn't true. Remember, personal experience is not representative of reality, much as we like to think it is!

Anziano Young Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, we have to establish first that it has
> "taken off"--which I don't think it has.
>
It has reached the usage of the regular member, the kind that try to be more pretentious in their talks and prayers. It has gone beyond Conference and GAs.

It's been around a long time. I remember it from my youth in the 60s.

Nelsen is over 90 years old so he probably picked it up somewhere along the line.

Lately its "taken off" more as a joke among ex mos and probably as an imitation by TBMs.

"And then the God of nature intervened, even Jesus Christ. A storm began such as had never before been known in all the land. Lightning flashed and thunder shook the earth. Violent winds carried people away, never to be seen again."
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1987/04/the-saviors-visit-to-america?lang=eng

I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone
All Jesus, Even the Christ pass before my eyes, a deity
I'm Apostate in the wind
All apostates are dust in the wind
Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see
I'm Apostate in the wind
All apostates are dust in the wind
Oh, ho, ho
Now, don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all…

Credit: Kansas (the band)

Suffer the little children to come unto me - right after I killed their parents.

Sounds like MMM.

Like Heartless I heard it in the fifties and sixties too. It isn't new but somehow it is being said with more "relish" nowadays.

Mormons love to slip into 16th century English when they need to up their game of spiritual one-up-manship. Just one of the tricks up their sleeves.

A quick search on lds.org of General Conference talks (since 1971) turned up some variations of "even the Christ". The first one is "even our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ":

God Is at the Helm - By Elder M. Russell Ballard
Elder M. Russell Ballard
... This is my testimony and prayer for all of us in the name of Him for whom the Old Ship Zion is named, even our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen ...

“Made Like unto the Son of God” - Ray H. Wood
Ray H. Wood
... to save” (2 Ne. 31:19), even our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In His sacred name, Jesus Christ, amen. Left Russell M. Nelson ...

Spiritual Mountaintops - Jack H Goaslind
Jack H Goaslind
... 22:6). The belief, and finally conviction, that Jesus of Nazareth, the carpenter's son, the Redeemer of Israel—even our Lord and Savior, Jesus the ...

Heed the Prophet's Voice - L. Tom Perry
L. Tom Perry
... He is the Lord's servant. Of this I testify in the name of Him whose church this is, even our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. ...

The Divine Gift of Gratitude - Thomas S. Monson
Thomas S. Monson
... sins, who showed us the way to live and how to pray, and who demonstrated by His own actions the blessings of service—even our Lord and Savior ...

Another, more frequently used variation is "even the Lord Jesus Christ":


“For Thy Servant Heareth” - S. Dilworth Young
S. Dilworth Young
... of the Holy Ghost, you will not rest until you have come into the kingdom of God and into the rest of the great Jehovah, even the Lord Jesus Christ ...

Can There Any Good Thing Come Out of Nazareth? - George ...
George P. Lee
... upon the earth. Prophets and Apostles, even the Lord Jesus Christ, have met such adversity and challenges. The true gospel ...

Eternal Life through Jesus Christ - John M. Madsen
John M. Madsen
... 11:9), that all who will may receive Him, even the Lord Jesus Christ, and know Him, that they may come unto our Heavenly Father, and know Him ...

Duty Calls - Thomas S. Monson
Thomas S. Monson
... The greatest battle of all, however, is for the souls of mankind. Our Captain,even the Lord Jesus Christ, declared: “Remember ...

“Remember … Thy Church, O Lord” - Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon B. Hinckley
... May you be happy as you walk with faith, I humbly pray, in the name of Him whom we all love and serve, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. ...

Our Rising Generation - Ronald A. Rasband
Ronald A. Rasband
... each of us do all things that lie in our power to teach our youth what source they may look to for a remission of their sins, even the Lord Jesus Christ. ...

Your Personal Influence - Thomas S. Monson
Thomas S. Monson
... As we follow that Man of Galilee—even the Lord Jesus Christ—our personal influence will be felt for good wherever we are, whatever our callings. ...

A simpler and also quite common variation is "even Jesus Christ":

Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God - John M. Madsen
John M. Madsen
... be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the ...

Seeking to Know God, Our Heavenly Father, and His Son ...
Robert D. Hales
... As a special witness of the Only Begotten Son of our loving Heavenly Father, even Jesus Christ, I testify that God lives. I know He lives. ...

“Come unto Christ” - Ezra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson
... Both father and son were seeing a whole Christian civilization fall because
its people would not serve the God of the land, even Jesus Christ. ...

Brighter and Brighter until the Perfect Day - By Elder Mark A. Bragg
... our Heavenly Father. I so testify in the holy name of the Light of the World, even Jesus Christ, amen. Left Ulisses Soares ...

The Safety of the Gospel Law - William R. Bradford
William R. Bradford
... This is the law of the Son of God, even Jesus Christ, “The light and the Redeemer of the World; the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because ...

Irony:The Crust on the Bread of Adversity - Neal A. Maxwell
Neal A. Maxwell
... Glory be to the Father, in the name of Him who can succor us amid all our ironies and adversities (see Alma 7:11–12), even Jesus Christ, amen. ...

Isn't it wonderful, yea, verily, even marvellous, this multiplication of words? One writer had this say about this phenomenon:

"In contrast, brothers and sisters, we often see in our unnecessary multiplication of words not only a lack of clarity, but much vanity. Our verbosity is sometimes a cover for insincerity or uncertainty, whereas the subtraction of self reduces the unnecessary multiplication of words."

The writer of this was Neal A Maxwell. I might be a bit uncharitable to say he was a master of the art of multiplying words. Perhaps he was preaching to himself when he said this in 1983.

Another variation I just found uses "even" to refer to church presidents. Here are three examples from Thomas S Monson:


The Paths Jesus Walked - Thomas S. Monson

... we gathered into this historic Tabernacle to pay honor and tribute to a man whom we loved, honored, and followed—even President Harold B. Lee. ...

Conference Is Here - Thomas S. Monson

... to you my witness that God does live, that Jesus is the Christ, our Redeemer, and that we are led today by God's prophet, even President Ezra Taft Benson...

If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear - Thomas S. Monson

... sisters, my witness that Heavenly Father lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that we are led today by a prophet for our time—even President Gordon B Hinckley...

Can you do a comprehensive search of conference talks ... I've heard there are files that you can access of all the text and not have to rely on church or google indexing?

One of the things I notice about mormons in general, is that they often use phrases that sound archaic to me. I'll give an example.

Recently, there was a class reunion held in my home town. It was not my class so I didn't attend, but saw reports of it on various people's facebook pages. One of the people who attended is a mormon. He did a travel log basically, of sites from back in the day. Every single comment to a picture he'd taken was "this was the church I attended in my youth" "this was the preschool I attended in my youth" "this was the home I lived in in my youth"

It was kind of strange. Most people would have simply said "here's my childhood home" and left it at that.

It's just as trite as when the baptists (like dave ramsey) get on the radio and say "Christ Jesus." over and over.

Like fidget spinners, or saying "Yeet".

"[A]nd unto all the elders and people of my Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, scattered abroad in all the world; For thus shall my church be called in the last days, EVEN The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." (Caps are mine for emphasis - the word is there) D&C 115:3-4

I don't remember general church members using this in prayers when I was reluctantly active. At my father in law's funeral a few years ago the stake president gave a talk where he used "even" for dramitic emphasis many many times. He used it so much my wife and I got the giggles, this was OK, my father in law hated the pompous SOB. My guess it's become a pompous prayer thing in the last 15 years. Since I'm rarely in church meetings for the last several years I may be mistaken. I seem to remember there was one GA who used this often when I was a missionary many years ago. I don't remember who it was. I imagine if someone wants to do a computer analysis of phrase frequencies in conference talks the culprit will be revealed.

I know in a certain time period there were celebrity GAs like Maxwell and McConkie, Featherstone - many of lesser gods began to mimic their phrases and speech patterns trying to sound more spiritual and with a deeper knowledge of the doctrine.

I think they need to reaffirm and emphasize their churchiness to continue with tax exemption.

I had heard it used sporadically through the years, *even* as canuck guy did such a great job of pointing out, it is just another (LAME) way for MORmONS to attempt to be more emphatic (as a cover for the fact that they have nothing of real substance)

EVEN god's almighty prophets and their eager assistants must scramble to find a way to stand out, to have their talk, well you know, "talked" about and EVEN adored.

I don't remember when the addition of this word at the ending of prayers began, but I do remember thinking that it was becoming more and more of a thing to get to the end of a big whig's talk and for me to start wondering how long before the ENDING WOULD EVEN END!? And, noticing the use of that silly word yet again.

And, I actually did not listen to all that many talks, just a few here and there at conference time, EVEN a select few.