When you're a kid, you think adults -- especially leaders -- know what they're doing and have all the right answers (which is one reason LDS indoctrination starts when you're young).

So there I was, a Second Class Boy Scout, and we were going on a week-long hike. My fellow Scouts and I were anxious about being properly equipped. "Be Prepared," right? According to the Scout manual, it would disastrous if we didn't have proper hiking boots. But none of us had the money for hiking boots. One guy did, though. He got the officially branded Boy Scout boots and diligently broke them in, following the instructions of experts -- because hiking boots in the early 1960s were rather primitive things.

So off we went, walking about ten miles a day in whatever shoes we had -- our "play" shoes as opposed to school shoes or church shoes. Our scoutmaster scolded us for showing up in sneakers and beat up oxfords.

But a curious thing happened. The guy with the official Boy Scout hiking boots was practically crippled up with blisters. The rest of us had hardly any blisters at all. The adults, the leaders, the experts had been wrong. Ordinary shoes could work just fine, and specialized shoes could fail. If grownups could be wrong about hiking boots, what else could the be wrong about? Hmmmmm...

I love these stories. Keep 'em coming.

As a young woman, I only got to go on one serious hike and I remember those with boots often had blisters while my ten dollar sneaks worked just fine. I could have used a bit of prophecy about the critical need for sun screen on a youth snow shoe activity. I'm sure someone said to use it, but as it was the 70's and my family was poor, I didn't have any. Several of us blistered our faces. Lovely.

Oh yes I recall childhood, looking up to adults & leaders as the wise ones who we could trust for guidance. Didn't take long before that illusion was shattered. I've gone through so many paradigm shifts in my lifetime, learning who/what to trust. The ultimate lesson I've learned is to always seek the truth, but trust no one. Because even those who claim to espouse the truth are still human, and humans have a neverending tendency toward self-serving motives, no matter how good their intentions may be.

The most important thing about that situation was the the BSA got money for the boots (and blister creme too, I'd wager) and the "leaders" had an opportunity to yell and smaller persons.

I learned to doubt my church leaders by becoming an Elders Quorum President. By the time had served in a second Bishopric, I knew deep inside that as far as inspiration was concerned, we the membership were entirely on our own.

Elder What's-his-face Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> as far as inspiration was concerned, we the
> membership were entirely on our own.


And that's the BIG secret. I you know your leaders are faking it -- even all the way to the top -- you don't need them.

Great example of Mormon leadership. I was given some hand me down hiking boots from a family with more money than us as a scout and hated them because of the blisters. Ditched them after the one and only hike I took in them. To this day I have no idea why they existed. But I was NOT cut out to be a Mormon leader because I didn't take approved ways in life - like with hiking boots. Most of the kids I grew up with didn't have the money for them. But some of the kids stuck it out and kept hiking in them.

They are probably in high priest callings today.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2014 05:44PM by Elder Berry.

I converted to the Church at 18. I first became doubtful of Mormon leadership when I was told, as a young "Prospective elder" that if I paid tithing and attending my meetings and lived morally God would send me a beautiful woman to take to the temple. I just KNEW that wasn't true. Don't ask me how I knew that wasn't true. I just knew. Of course, 35 years later, after viewing Mormon mating and dating behavior for the last 35 years (I've remained single), I KNOW I'm right, that wicked men GOT the beautiful Mormon women all the time, and, infact, beautiful Mormon women preferred such men.