Talon Shumway had something to say.

KSL TV has been busy creating all-new, original programming for general conference weekend. The programming will air between LDS general conference sessions on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The focus for these programs will be on faith, family and miracles.

Some Mormons have fasted and prayed for Mitt Romney. Others have donated piles of cash. And busloads have traveled to Nevada and Colorado to campaign for the Republican presidential nominee or spent hours calling potential voters. So what happens if Romney — the first Mormon heading a major-party ticket and the faith’s best shot at the White House so far — loses the Nov. 6 election?

Many years ago, tracting during my first weeks as a missionary in German-speaking Switzerland, my companion and I were finally admitted into an apartment. The family who lived in it were eastern Europeans, and devoutly Catholic. In fact, it soon became apparent they were unusually devoted to the Virgin Mary; their living room was decorated with several statues and images of the mother of Jesus. They weren't very receptive to our message, and so my companion (a relatively recent convert and — it must be said — a diligent and committed missionary who has since passed away) effectively launched into an attack on Mary.

One of the more intriguing questions posed by Mitt Romney's presidential run is whether a Mormon can win the Oval Office. Now that former Utah governor John Huntsman Jr. (also a Mormon) has announced his candidacy, a new question emerges: What sort of Mormon might be elected president?

Those who reject the claims of Joseph Smith often dismiss him as merely a shallow fraud who lurched from one crisis or opportunity for exploitation to another, improvising as he went. His unbelieving 1945 biographer, Fawn Brodie, set the tone with her depiction of him as (in Hugh Nibley’s summary of her position), a “chuckle-headed, pipe-dreaming, glory-mongering” charlatan. . . . The notion of Joseph Smith as a lazy, scheming, yarn-spinning ne’er-do-well without a single serious idea in his head simply can’t withstand scrutiny. He was anything but that.

Mexico's dutiful Latter-day Saints would be recognizable to fellow members across the globe. They are diligent, temple-going people who worship, serve and raise their families in faith despite the troubles sometimes found just outside the doors of their homes. Yes, they have worries — but they also live purposeful lives fueled by optimism and gospel principles. That was the observation made by a trio of General Authorities who recently spent several days touring Mexico. Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve, along with Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy, traveled to Mexico to conduct an annual review of the Mexico Area and also meet with thousands of local priesthood leaders, members, missionaries and Church employees in a variety of gatherings and training sessions across the country. At times the three were together, but they also split up to visit members in several different Mexican cities.

LDS artists Monica Scott and Kristin Hodson collaborated to create a Primary song commemorating Sariah's strength and her faith. Scott, who is a pianist, wrote the music for "Sariah's Faith" while Hodson wrote the lyrics. About the song, the two say they wanted to "share a song about the strength, courage, and faith of Sariah, the first woman of the Book of Mormon. You've heard about Nephi's courage but what about Sariah's faith? Together, they bring Sariah to life."

“Steadfast in the Spotlight” aired between General Conference sessions on Sunday, April 5, focusing on famous Mormons and their testimonies that keep them strong no matter their place in the limelight.

A rough contemporary of Jesus, Philo of Alexandria had enormous influence on the development of religious thought not only among his fellow Jews, but in Christianity and Islam as well. Yet he's little known, except among specialists. Philo Judaeus, as he's sometimes called, received a superb education in Greek literature and philosophy and rose to prominence in the large Jewish community of ancient Alexandria. He dedicated his life to the service and defense of Judaism. Indeed, in A.D. 40 he was chosen to lead a Jewish delegation to Rome, where he appealed to the emperor Caligula to intervene on behalf of Egyptian Jews who were being persecuted by their Gentile neighbors and leaders.