[Videos] Complete footage of Eyring, Monson, Uchtdorf not praying during conferences

Here you go folks -- footage of conferences from April 2009 to October 2014 that shows that all three First Presidency members will open their eyes and look through their notes during General Conference prayers. Of all the times to do it, this is probably one of the silliest, when over 20,000 people there - and the world - are looking at them.

Also, keep in mind, there were two conferences that Eyring laughed at the words "Thomas S Monson", whatever the reason behind it, as you'll see below.


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Key for links below:

[c] Camcorder only

[cb] Camcorder+broadcast, side-by-side

Same camcorder footage in both.

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April 2009, Saturday morning
[cb] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_lQp6MkUao
[c] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvDqyg9s_kY

Notes: Eyring looks out to audience. Looks up. Looks down. Rummages through his pockets. Monson actively turning pages in his notes. Clipped in cb: Uchtdorf constantly open his eyes, moves his folder and goes through his notes 3/4s through the prayer as well.

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April 2009, Sunday morning
[cb] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0rsG9yxxqc
[c] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0Q7rLOsuxU

Notes: After a few seconds, Eyring looks up and then just straight ahead. Man praying very slightly mispeaks, "President s... Thomas S. Monson". 2.5 seconds after that 's' was said, Eyring laughs to hiself. 15 seconds later, he still thinks it's funny and shakes his fist, chuckling to himself.

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October 2009, Saturday morning
[cb] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFSa8e4hHl0
[c] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfYAeyWIQGo

Notes: Eyring is still doing his jacket buttons through the beginning of the prayer, and then continues to rifle through his papers. Uchtdorf constantly opens his eyes briefly, then closes them. Monson then opens his folder. Eyring consistently looks through his notes through the entire prayer.

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April 2010, Saturday morning
[cb] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwELLYXDDqg
[c] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wepIjSERkT8

Notes: Eyring obviously not praying. Uchtdorf opens his eyes briefly at different moments. Is Eyring bored? That's a boredom stretch [0:37].

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April 2011, Saturday morning
[cb] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzM-H09FvSg
[c] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXedOY8bTP4

Notes: Uchtdorf blinking through beginning of prayer. Eyring goes through his notes. Uchdtdorf goes through his notes too but stops for a moment. Eyring very actively turning pages.

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April 2011, Sunday morning
[cb] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCQVPuNaZDs
[c] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6ktZOQ6PIc

Notes: Eyring constantly looks at his folder and up. Uchtdorf blinking, so his eyes aren't really closed. Eyring laughs while in the middle of turning a page and the man praying says, "President Thomas S Monson". Note, Monson is not there during this conference. Eyring fixes his tie (just adorable). Christensen (?) next to him has his eyes closed the entire time.

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October 2011, Saturday morning
[cb] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox4-OZLSpTs
[c] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3CRfbXMPkg

Notes: Eyring constantly looks up. Christensen eyes closed. Eyring laughs at the words, "President Thomas S Monson." Eyring does his tie. Monson is not there. Eyring leans forward and looks into the audience and at his notes.

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April 2012, Saturday morning
[cb] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKhQP2gw6dE
[c] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q-vaaAkZfw

Notes: Eyring constantly looks through his folders. Uchtdorf removes his pen and opens his folder. Monson looks between his seats. Eyring constinues looking through his notes, pulls some papers out. Uchtdorf is impatient (but he's the one getting up next).

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October 2012, Saturday morning
[cb] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysZ1WC3d68M
[c] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdGRl2f75-0

Notes: Eyring constantly looking through his notes. Uchtdorf rubs his eyes.

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April 2014, Saturday morning
[cb] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMqjda5-JBA
[c] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv4WV37cM3E

Notes: Eyring constantly looks up and down, and starts turning pages in his notes. Uchtdorf eyes open and close. (Shaky footage =/)

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April 2014, Saturday afternoon
[cb] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HDq7W8oCbs
[c] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozNXJaG7zv8

Notes: Eyring constantly flipping through his pages of notes. (Shaky footage =/)

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October 2014, Saturday morning
[cb] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7UROCIny6o
[c] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSLckxdHHSo

Notes: Woman prayer! Has Christensen in it. Eyring looks up later than usual, but then turns pages in his notes. Uchtdorf opens his eyes too.

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I have nothing against Eyring. I really like him and Uchtdorf.

While there may be bigger things that have happened recently, including the lds.org essays that confirm Joseph Smith's 40 wives, some of which were 14 years old and others who were married to other men before Joseph was sealed to them, this is as important to me.

This is something that I feel like I could actually bring up to my family, that has adaquate and simple proof, without feeling threatening to them. They can justify it. This is something that could change the attitude towards being holier than thou in the LDS church -- because if the prophets don't close their eyes during prayers, because that's not what really matters, then do all of the silly little rules and judgement calls that people put on others really matter?

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As to whether Eyring laughed directly because of Monson being called a prophet, I believe he did for the following reasons:

1) He doesn't laugh during other prayers for no reason. If he was a laugher / read something funny, he would have laughed at other times.

2) He did it *twice*, during *two* conferences two years apart. I would put money on finding other footage of him doing the same thing at least one other time, if we had all conference footage available to us.

3) The timing is funny. If he was laughing at the mispoken "s" (2009 conference footage; for "Ezra Taft Benson" or "Spencer Kimball" or "S. Monson"?), it still wasn't funny enough to laugh a good twenty seconds later about it. You can barely hear the "s". If he was laughing at something funny he read (2011 conference footage), then why were his eyes looking at the audience just before? He was in the middle of turning a page too. There can't be that much funny stuff in his notes. This time Monson wasn't there for him to have to shield his feelings.

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Mightiest of all modern day mormon malaprops has to be Hinko's classic casual utterance,

"Jesus Smith".

Nice work, thanks for posting the complete set!

BTW, I've tried to imagine how the conversation would go between the underling bringing this to the attention of eyring.

Underling: Uh president eyring can I talk to you for a few minutes?

eyring: What about? I'm tired from my trip to Rome and have lots of meetings and items to catch up on.

U: Well, um, you see, ummm, it's something about general conference

E: What? I've already got my speaking topics, and don't have to turn them in until March.

U: Uhh, well, ummm it's kind of about the last 5 years in general.

E: Excuse me?

U: president, you see, well . . . there's video footage of you during the opening prayers showing you with your eyes open looking around the conference center, playing with your notebook and even laughing while thomas s monson gets referred to as a true prophet.

. . . it's all over youtube

E: Who is your superior again? Who else knows about this?

HA! That's got to be the funniest thing I've seen in a while. Eyring just doesn't care about anything. But it's not just Eyring!

Here's my take, and I can certainly be wrong (wouldn't be the first time)!

Eyring's "laugh" seems to me to be more of a "Yes!"/fist pump type of response. Now, whether he does this for show (in one clip, it seems he's scanning the congregation, maybe to see if he's being watched), or really believes in Monson as prophet, is up for debate. This now really opens the can of worms regarding how deeply into the scam the Q12+3 really are.

In my mind, these clips do not persuasively demonstrate to me Eyring's true feelings, since I can envision his responses to be "both ways."

I doubt whoever posted this meant it as a complete rebuttal of the church or Eyring. It seems like the more persuasive argument is 'Hey! These apostles are really funny during prayers. Here's something that may or may not mean anything.'

So much for bow your head and close your eyes. Kids of TBM parents everywhere take note. President Eyring has given you permission to open your eyes and laugh during the prayers!

Well so much for the edited tape theory.

Wow this blew me away. Eyring acts very much like this Atheist pretender when listening to a Mormon prayer. I always thought his talks were more show than substance with all the sobbing and heartfelt pleas but now I know he is full of shit. Laughing at the mention of TSM as a prophet?!? I'm pretty sure there is a broken temple covenant in there somewhere.

Do they allow cameras inside? They have metal detectors at all the entrances.