I don't believe in the Power of Discernment, primarily because I never saw it displayed correctly. In essessence, it never worked. What I saw was at best (only with decent men trying to do the right thing) was a prayer given at the start of a meeting asking god to guide them in making good decisions, but most frequently, I just saw men making decision similar to what you would see every day in business.

And a lot of these leaders had no experience or training in staffing or human resources fulfilment, which explains a lot of the calling failures, like calling someone who constantly overdraws their checking account and writes bad checks to serve as financial clerk.

Now I ask: Where is the Power of Discernment? Where is God's guidance and hand in all this?

Now think about it from the side of what is practical and reasonable. Let's say for argument that you have a ward of around 350 people, with 150 regulars. Let's say there's about 100 ward callings. Is it even reasonable intellectually to even buy the concept that leaders have the time to pray about each calling and that the right person is being chosen for each? This is a ridiculous concept, so why did we EVER accept it?

In short, the truth is that Power of Discernment as it applies to callings, is a complete and utter lie. It is to stop questions about why so and so (who is totally unsuitable) is serving in said calling in the first place. It is for convenience sake because, let's face it, SOMEONE, has to serve as scout master, right? And you don't have a YM's program without scouting, so the end justifies the means.

One only needs to look at all the pedophiles/child abusers and consider their fitness for their calling to see how fradulent and broken the system is. Yet it still carries on...

So can (could!) Gordon B. Hinckley and the rest of the CLUELESS Mormon leaders involved in the Mark Hoffman forgery dealings! Here's a discussion of the disturbing, twisted affair:

http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon322.htm

Yes, the Hofmann scandal and Gordon B. Hinckley's part in it was my first big wake up call.

1. Zero "discernment"; as a matter of fact they bent over backwards to give this sociopathic whatever he wanted.

2. Lied and were arrogant to police and journalists who were investigating the murders.

Actually, just being a member of this cult saps away what little common sense they do have. Anyone with a functioning b.s. meter would at some point have to wonder about why their "prophets" have nothing important to say except "Pay your tithing!"