The rest of the time we mostly listen to drivel, preceded by a lengthy explanation about how somebody in the branch presidency called them and what they asked them to speak about, and how they couldn't come up with anything to say (so sit down already!), and how last night they finally got some inspiration (are you sure it was from the right source?) and then they proceed to read a few quotes from a General Conference talk, interspersed with rambling personal commentary. Many times their reading is difficult to understand because of their illiteracy. One brother prefaced his talk saying "I don't know anything about the Atonement. Now if I'd been asked to speak about NASCAR or football I could talk for two or three hours." A sister, convert of just over a year, gave a talk lifted from some protestant preacher about the infallibility of the bible. I was speechless! And the one counselor in the branch presidency didn't correct her or offer any scriptures or instructions to counter her false teachings. One sister spoke for forty minutes and said absolutely NOTHING. She rambled on about her family, her journey to this branch, her gratitude for everything under the sun, her trials, etc. But there were no gospel teachings, no doctrine from the scriptures, no lessons learned, just disjointed ramblings.
So, I LOVE high council speakers and get really tired of others making fun of them. Come spend some time in "outer darkness" and I'm sure you'll come to love them too. It's said that hunger is the best sauce--I'm spiritually hungry every week and enjoy the delicious offerings of the HC speakers.
