The Ethos of Elder Cook

Last weekend was General Conference, and it was great!   I loved Elder Ardne’s talk about time management, and I really, really enjoyed President Uchtdorf’s talk about how man is nothing compared to God’s power and the universe, but we mean everything to God.   However, if I had to choose a favorite it would probably be Elder Carl B. Cook’s talk about looking to God when life becomes overwhelming.  I just wanted to write a little about how Elder Cook used a good story and the scriptures to develop strong ethos in his talk (not yet titled), which gave power to his message, which was that strength can come from looking to God. 

Elder Cook started his talk with a story that strengthened the ethos of his talk and gave power to his message.  The story he shared was about his experience as a new general authority.  At the end of his first week, he felt very overwhelmed.  During an elevator ride with President Monson, he received the counsel that “it is better to look up” (1:10-1:15).  He explained that this counsel means to “look up to God, where [we] can be healed and strengthened though Christ’s atonement” (2:06-2:16).  Using this story built ethos in two ways.  First, along with making the beginning of his talk interesting and even slightly entertaining, the story shared by Elder Cook allowed the congregation to feel that they could relate to him.  Sometimes people feel like prophets and apostles are perfect and always have been and so they can’t really understand what our discouragement feels like.  Elder Cook sharing that he has felt overwhelmed like normal people do, helped every normal person in the audience to be receptive to his message and believe that it could really apply to them.  Secondly, the story tells that the message Elder Cook tried to convey to the audience originally came from President Monson, the prophet.  This detail gave more credibility to his main message.  Therefore, the ethos established by Elder Cook’s story gave power to his message that strength comes from looking to God.

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Elder Cook also cited a scriptural story and scriptural commentary on that story to credibly support his message.  Addressing the question of why people might not look up to God for support, Elder Cook answered, “Perhaps we lack the faith that such a simple act will solve our problems” (3:30-3:40).  To support this answer and to support the promise that looking to God does help, Elder Cook referenced the story of Moses and the brass serpent.  In this story, having been poisoned by fiery serpents, the Children of Israel were promised healing if they would look up to a brass serpent.  Although many looked and were healed, many others did not look and were not healed.  Elder Cook cited commentary on this story by the Book of Mormon prophet Alma, in which he noted that, “the reason [those who died] would not look is because they did not believe that it would heal them” (Alma 33:20).  He then continued to quote application and instruction from Alma.  Alma applied the story to faith in Christ asking, “if ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes that ye might be healed, would you not behold quickly?” (Alma 33:21)  Alma then continued to instruct, “then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God” (Alma 33:22).  Alma’s commentary clearly applied to Elder Cook’s message. It identified unbelief as the reason why some might not heed his counsel to look up, and encouraged the congregation to overcome disbelief and look up.  Quoting these verses from Alma, not only incorporated the logos of Alma’s application, but added ethos to his counsel to overcome disbelief and look up because he showed that the same counsel was given by the well known Book of Mormon prophet Alma.  Thus Elder Cook’s citation of the brass serpent story and Alma’s interpretation thereof strengthened the ethos of his talk, and gave more power to his message.

Elder Cook’s story about his experience with President Monson and his use of the brass serpent story and Alma’s commentary from the scriptures strengthened the ethos of his talk, and gave more power to his message to look to God for strength.  Personally, I felt like I could relate to Elder Cook thanks to his story.  The scriptures he chose were especially powerful for me because they are among my favorites.  That is why, despite the many wonderful talks at conference, I would have to call Elder Cook’s talk my favorite.

Works Cited: The Best I Can Do

Cook, Elder Carl B., (Talk untitled), General Conference October 2011, http://lds.org/general-conference/watch/2011/10?lang=eng&vid=1194937426001&cid=8, October 6, 2011

Smith Jr., Joseph (translator of scriptural text by multiple authors), The Book of Mormon, Intellectual Reserve, Inc. 1981