If I was a curious guy, read that sign under the COJCOLDS metal lettering, and walked in to a "Sunday service", I don't think I'd want to have anything to do with TSCC....

Just sayin'.....

Certainly not after two missionaries descended on you, one sitting on either side of you so that you could not escape. By the end of sacrament meeting, you'd be thinking, "Cult!" The sign actually has no real value or use. It's not like they post the meeting times. I think it's there for the benefit of the members, to give them the feeling that maybe they're not as insular and exclusive as they actually are.

Good point. Someone that wanted to attend would have to know how to find meeting times online...or they'd look up the church in the phone book and call a number that's never answered. You could just drop in, but you might just find a bunch of young men playing basketball...or a SS lesson on bizarre church history.

Contrast that to the churches & cathedrals of Catholicism, where the doors are almost always unlocked, and visitors are almost always really welcome.... without a sign.

"Visitors Welcome" - is that a new initiative?
Noticed it recently here, but thought it a local phenomenon.
If it is more widespread, why, that is interesting.

Another datapoint.

I have no idea what it's like in other areas, but around here, the chapels have always had signs that said "Visitors Welcome". Well, at least since the '70s.

It goes back to Spencer W. Kimball, and initiative to make it seem like a warm and cuddly place.

I think its just to contrast the meeting houses from temples where visitors are not welcome.

agree. The average person is very confused about Meetinghouse vs Temple vs Tabernacle.

There used to be. Up until last year you could look at the main page of any ward's website and see their address, phone number, last name of the Bishop, meeting times and at least a few of the upcoming scheduled meetings before you were prompted to log on to get any other information.

Now you can't get ANYTHING online.

Why are they so secretive they don't even want the public knowing what time their Sunday service is?

Wait, you can't do that anymore?? Why would they take that offline?

On the front page of lds.org is a Meetinghouse Locator link. You can find the building, the ward, and bishop.

A few years ago they got rid of independent web pages... and consolidated local info into the corporate page.

I think it is always because of their half-formed wish (or half-warmed fish, or whatever) regarding so-called "investigators." In other words, I think they may want and hope for new members (so long as they don't have to wrangle them, themselves), but on the other hand they're embarrassed when there ARE visitors. Not very deep inside them, Mormons know it's a weird cult, and are all super-sensitive with the arrival of any visitors. They're always hoping that, while visitors are present, Ol' Brother Jim doesn't get up and talk about the last heavenly visitation he had from his departed wife, or that the priests don't screw up the sacrament prayers. They want new members, sure. But not at the expense of having to put up with walk-ins. And they certainly don't want street people thinking that they can come in and sit in the back and take advantage of the heat or air conditioning, or maybe use the toilet.

onlinemoniker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There used to be. Up until last year you could
> look at the main page of any ward's website and
> see their address, phone number, last name of the
> Bishop, meeting times and at least a few of the
> upcoming scheduled meetings before you were
> prompted to log on to get any other information.
>
> Now you can't get ANYTHING online.
>
> Why are they so secretive they don't even want the
> public knowing what time their Sunday service is?

I've noticed this myself. The most information you can find is yellow pages stuff -- address, phone number -- not much more. They seem to live in the shadows.

The Mormon church is on the main highway coming into town. About5 years ago they put a huge berm around the property on the highway side. They planted it heavy with trees. The church can no longer be seen when driving by. I think its great!

Apparently they realized that they had made themselves disappear. They had a granite headstone placed out by the highway with the name of the church on it.

The highway department had a tree planting program they were doing at about the same time. They came along and planted some trees in front of the headstone. The church has now disappeared again!

In contrast, there's a UU church next door. They are out in plain sight. They post banners of their events on the fence that the mormons put up between the two churches. Their parking lot is very busy almost every time I drive by. I've been tempted to go to church there so I could wave to the mormons in the parking lot next door.

What church DOESN'T welcome visitors? The fact that they feel compelled to announce it just makes them seem weirder and more cultish than other religions. Like so much about TSCC, "Visitors Welcome" is the opposite of what it pretends to be on the surface.

They don't want "visitors." They want fully brainwashed, tithe-paying worker bees.

Many Protestant churches (and Catholic ones, too) have signs announcing the times for worship service, Mass, Sunday School, or whatever. IMHO that's much more hospitable than putting "Visitors Welcome" on the church building and then not telling them what time to show up.

I think the sign is really meant for mormons who happen to be visiting that area. Mormons are the only people I know who pack their church clothes when they go camping. They will then load up the car and drive 75 miles to the nearest church.

I have to say in all of the decades I was a mormon I never saw anyone just walk into the church that wasn't mormon and didn't know anyone. Never. Someone always knew who the visitor was. Where I lived, it was usually someone from Utah. They liked to act like they were going to show us how to be 'real' mormons. I've seen Utah mormons take over lessons, the music, and sacrament meetings, all uninvited.

Maybe the temples should have a sign that says "Frack off if you can't pay 10 percent"

Me: Hello, Methodist church? I'd like to donate some things to your church yard sale. How do I do this?

Methodist: That is nice of you! We can send out a truck, if you need one.

Me: No, they're just small things.

Methodist: You can bring them here any time you want. If no one is here, you can just leave the items in the hallway....

Me: OK, what time are you open?

Methodist: We're always open. We never lock our doors.