I think his method would work for any cult but here is what it basically means if you are a Mormon:

A TESTIMONY is when you listen to the missionaries, a Mormon talk, a Sunday school lesson or maybe even read a scripture/article from the Mormon books of scripture/magazines, etc. Then you feel good about it and find some practical or personal application that seems uplifting or you just feel warm and fuzzy and decide that Mormonism is the place for you. Or you are a child that wants to make his Mormon parents happy so you decide you have a testimony because it seems the right thing to do.

CONVERSION is when you are so totally brainwashed that you wouldn't think of letting a day go by without reading your BofM, praying the Mormon way, attending all your meetings, bearing a church approved testimony every month or whenever asked to do it, doing all your cleaning assignments, holding family home evening regularly, watching and rereading General Conference talks, having and doing home teaching/visiting teaching, keeping a temple recommend, attending the temple regularly, attending all Sunday classes, never questioning any Mormon church authority or doctrine, never reading anything that would answer questions on Mormon church dogma in a way that would actually enlighten you, never engaging in an open minded conversation with an apostate or questioning Mormon, never even considering marrying a non-Mormon, paying tithing/fast offering even if you are deeply in debt or are about to lose your home, submitting to intrusive interviews, prioritizing Mormon activities (even if they are announced or assigned at a moment's notice meaning you have to welch on a previous made promise) and basically doing just about anything any Mormon authority figure asks you to do mindlessly and not do anything a Mormon authority figure tells you not to do. (This list can go on pretty much without end and can include even silly things like thinking you must always prepare foods for members' funerals, bake your own bread, dress exactly as you are told to dress, etc, etc, etc.) And if you go against any of the above you must feel guilty, anxious, and immediately repent so you can get back to being fully "converted" ie. TOTALLY controlled and not even realizing it. This usually means involvements in outside organizations become a real strain because you are so totally "converted" to Mormonism.

Bednar says it is easy to live as a convert and hard to live as a lost and depraved non-Mormon. I guess being/staying converted is easy if you have no sense of self and no ability to question authority. But as a questioning, curious, truth seeking person who has abundant self-love I can only say that as a non-Mormon I am deliriously happy compared to how I felt as a converted Mormon. (Well, maybe I never really was converted.) I'm sure Bednar would counter with, "You only THINK you are happy." Well, yes, I do think I'm happy. And if this isn't happiness I don't know what is. It certainly wasn't Mormonism.

I could never be happy with all the lies, happy with the doubts, happy with the fake people and the fake friends and all of the crazy doctrine that just doesn't add up. How can anyone be truly happy living a lie?

You're saying, I think, that "testimony" means responding to dogma the way they want you to. And "conversion" means that they can use you, and you'll like it. I agree with your points.

Bednar is half-baked and misguided. Of course freedom is easier than slavery. Nothing in this life is completely easy, but the stress of knuckling down to a slave-driver really takes a toll on the human psyche. Thus the record use of anti-depressants in Utah.

You know who's really blessed? Those of us lucky enough to live and thrive in California. San Francisco is our Tel Aviv. You gotta love it.

Take way your ability to say no.
No I won't go
No I won't do
No I won't tell
No you can't have my kids
No you can't have my money

It's impossible to be happy under those circumstances. Impossible.