Something is weighing on my mind.

Do you think the Apostles and Profit really want to defraud people or do you think they are like us? I mean they were born and raised BICs that believed everything all the way up the ladder to the upper echelons of Mormondom. Is it plausible that the Apostles really just rely on the "fact" that the Profit talks with God. Then when you become the Profit he just relies on all the "facts" that in 1820 Joseph Smith saw god? Or do you think they are in it for the lifestyle e.g. celebrity status, first class airline seats, retreats, limos, credit cards, perks etc.. etc.?

The more I think about it I tend to believe they are like us, born and raised as cog-dis, believing Mormons. I doubt any of them take a Kings salary (say more than 500k a year) so its not like they are scraping the multi-billion dollar coffers. So money doesn't seem to be a true motive. Maybe they are just like us BICS.. duped by a con they grew up in.

What say ye?

I have no idea.

But could you imagine believing it all and becoming the prophet... and one day you get on the batphone and there's no one at the other end? heehee!

You are right.I remember Monson's first conference as profit. He looked like death warmed over, very let down, and highly beat up. He looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders..very worried and disturbed. He must have known something.

I think someone on the board mentioned it was the first conference where the profit never bore testimony of the truth of the church. It must have been a real lifelong let down for him. He just looked totally off from his normal behavior.

On the one hand, when you get an "apostle" who says of historical facts proven to be bogus "It doesn't matter," then you know he's in on the con and deceiving the sheeple; on the other hand, they come from a long line of self-deluded sheeple themselves, so they are easily deceived. What a mess Joe Smith has wrought.

I'm still not sure about the whole christianity thing, having junked Mormonism in one outraged shove, I'm taking my time.

But that is a quote about prophets which has always struck me as rather good.

Their works: The Great and Sacred Mall, gays oppressed, members not helped with their questions, women undervalued, children cross-examined, huge funds not accounted for, doctrine fudged and politicians truckled to.

I don't reckon it matters what they believe - it's what they do that counts

For some reason, I sat and listened to the testimonies of past Church presidents as far back as Heber J. Grant on YouTube yesterday. I was thinking that they really do sound sincere. Listening to them, I truly believed that they believed what they were saying.

But then, as I listened to President Hinckley, I remembered his outright denials of, "I'm not sure that we teach that," and his trying so hard to cover-up what he thought was truly damaging materials during the Mark Hoffman affair, and I was left wondering again.

I don't know, but I think their brains must be truly messed up.

$500,000 to spend as you choose when everything is provided for you??? And you don't have to hit a lick to get it!!! What woman would let her man give that up? They already sold out to the devil, and the $$$ just keeps' em lying for the "Cause". Cause they won't give up the fame/money for even their souls...

It's the power of the spiritual witness that cannot be underestimated.

As a convert, from a long line of Christian ministers, I know this religious essence first hand. It is not unique to Mormonism.

It's important to understand that it's ancient and universal.
The religious believer is more common throughout the history of humanity than any other trait. The power of the long practiced religious traditional rituals are alive and well today in every society on earth.

In general most people act from 2 places either consciously or subconsciously. From a point of pain or pleasure. There is most likely a mix of both.

Something is either pleasurable enough to make the apostles or profit not spill the beans. Or they really believe its true and that gives them the ability to play along.

Or on the flip side (pain), it may be like some of NOM crowd. Its too much pain/damage to come out with the truth. Whole families would be destroyed, many people would suffer, etc.. Sometimes keeping up appearances is a coping strategy to prevent something too painful from occurring.

Likely, it is a mix of both. I thinking more toward they really internally do believe but at times have quiet doubts that are never publicized and quickly put to rest. Very interesting to think about.