I will start with the ending. After closing prayer the top 3 get up and shake hands and then wander over to speakers. They looked confused. Dusty Rusty did not look very sure what he should do after shaking their hands. But the three old guys looked confused about how to exit but had smiles at the audience. Dusty Rusty looked very confused when he went to exit point of podium. He stood there looking int the exit waiting for direction. There was a handler there and if you looked closely you could see Wendy is distance waiting. Dusty Rusty did not look in control The crying guy looked like he was not sure where he was and Oaks was just Oaks. he vanished it seemed leaving Dusty Rusty alone. This whole thing was captured for 5 minutes. And these guys guide and direction this 30 billion dollar plus corporation???
Lets talk about the music. It seemed slow and like funeral music. Maybe its just me but the final hymn made me want to kill myself it was so slow and bad. Nothing upbeat like Christmas can be. Its like the choir director, who is usually good got instructions to do something to make it sound like we should think of Christ very carefully. Maybe the message was Christmas is not fun but somber.
Then they had a number really poor camera shots like it was their first time doing it.A couple of times I got dizzy as they moved cameras so fast.
Lastly the speakers. Can't remember content for most talks except Oaks. He blamed us all for peace not being in the world because we may not have peace in our hearts and home. My summary. For a guy that represents the name of Christ he did a really bad job convincing me Christ is truly with him and the brethren. He just did not have the spirit.The woman who spoke first took me back to another ear in her dress and mannerisms. The guy with the ancient, is he trying to be a modern day TV gospel preacher. If he was, he did a good job. But what he said was crap. Bottom line there was nothing inspirational at all in the messages. I honestly could not feel the spirit of the meeting, but that may be me.
I thought the setting or staging was good. Maybe I am too old for Christmas. I am going to Church down the street for mid night candle light service Christmas Eve and know I will leave feeling better than I did leaving last night. Comments.

Thank you for taking one for the team.

I will pray for laughter to quickly re-enter your life.

I can't help you but I had to watch it. Here was my take.
Their Christmas Devotional was by far the worst hour I slept 30 minutes through. It was like General Conference with Christmas stories. The General Primary President kinda scared me. She looked like an automaton in her presentation and showed so much teeth I felt like I was being consumed. The British accent guy wasn't terrible until he brought up the Nelson and the temple. Then I zoned him out.

After I fell asleep during Oak's talk I woke up and noticed something interesting. IT was a SUPER awkward after devo FP wandering around their stage moment. I could easily tell Eyring was their odd man out. Oaks and Nelson walked around like an elderly couple with Nelson leaning on Oaks with his arm around Oaks' arm. At one point Nelson tries to include Eyring but it is a fail. Then as their handlers are patiently waiting for the rock stars to de-stage Oaks give MoTab a couple of thumbs up and then Nelson follows suit.

Think of it like D&D for Christian fantasy lovers who take the rulebooks literally.

The Q15 are the DM. There are more rules than they can each know so they specialize on pet topics.

These DMs are caught up in their own ego trips so they quote each other ad nauseum and proclaim directives of play.

But the DMs have no imagination. They read only from self-published modules and the rule books.

Nelson thinks he's got a fractional revision in mind.

The player handbook is a notecard. "Bow your head and say, "yes""
And sing slowly occasionally.

All player classes are assigned from above. They are largely interchangeable but give notional gender preference to males. Some players(mostly males) get to gossip for prestige more than others.

It's treasure season. Kicksbacks are in order covered up in ritual shame and boredom.

For those who don't have their memories snapped back to 1980 via "D&D" & "DM"...


Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeon Master


The most entertaining video display I've seen demonstrating the ...power... of the game was in an episode of the British comedy, "The IT Crowd."

The last devotional I went to was awful, and meets the description of this year's devotion, right down to the dragging funeral dirges. No feeling, no expressiveness, just a crowd of old people gasping for breath. Staggering the breathing doesn't help, and erases all the musical phrasing. Too many voices make a chorus sound muddy.

The devotional always killed any Christmas spirit I had.

My children started refusing to go to any meetings that weren't "mandatory", so I always went without them. I'm divorced, and did have a Mormon boyfriend for a few years, who went with me, and we would grab a nice dinner, afterwards, but he had died suddenly, at a young age. I was looking for Christmas warmth and neighborliness at the Mormon church. (BTW, the kids and I would go together to the Methodist candlelight service with friends on Christmas Eve--and that always gave us those warm fuzzy Christmas feelings!

I got dressed up and went alone, because it was always crowded. Mormons like big crowds, and watching the devotional was always a stake affair, to cram more people in there, so I went early, to get a good seat. Some men were there, blocking off the first 3 rows with paper, and they said the seats were being saved for some VIP family members, but that the fourth row was free. I found a place, and sat for quite a while. There had been so much "consolidation" of wards, and bringing in wards from outside our area, that I didn't recognize many faces, and I sat for quite some time, watching people come in, in pairs, and family groups. I felt alone in a crowd. Then two men told me to move, because they needed a fourth row for the VIP's. The seats were pretty much filled-up, but I saw some seats in the middle of a row, and took care to ask the people next to me if the seats were taken, before I climbed over everyone's knees to get there. After I sat down, the people behind me said that they were saving those seats, so I stood up, and had to climb over everyone's knees again to get out. By then, the meeting was beginning, and I was the only one standing up. Luckily, there was a large empty space on the aisle next to a neighbor, but the neighbor said she was saving it for her son and his wife I got up, again, and someone was talking at the podium, as I walked up the entire aisle, and out the door, letting it slam behind me. I had paid tithing all my life, gotten married in the temple, and I had been in that ward for 9 years, as an organist and teacher on the ward and stake level, and there was no place for me to sit at the Christmas devotional. God was trying to tell me something, and I never went to another Mormon devotional or fireside again. Really, other congregations, and parents at crowded school events, are not rude like that.

exminion Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The last devotional I went to was awful, and meets
> the description of this year's devotion, right
> down to the dragging funeral dirges. No feeling,
> no expressiveness, just a crowd of old people
> gasping for breath. Staggering the breathing
> doesn't help, and erases all the musical phrasing.
> Too many voices make a chorus sound muddy.
>
> The devotional always killed any Christmas spirit
> I had.
>
> My children started refusing to go to any meetings
> that weren't "mandatory", so I always went without
> them. I'm divorced, and did have a Mormon
> boyfriend for a few years, who went with me, and
> we would grab a nice dinner, afterwards, but he
> had died suddenly, at a young age. I was looking
> for Christmas warmth and neighborliness at the
> Mormon church. (BTW, the kids and I would go
> together to the Methodist candlelight service with
> friends on Christmas Eve--and that always gave us
> those warm fuzzy Christmas feelings!
>
> I got dressed up and went alone, because it was
> always crowded. Mormons like big crowds, and
> watching the devotional was always a stake affair,
> to cram more people in there, so I went early, to
> get a good seat. Some men were there, blocking
> off the first 3 rows with paper, and they said the
> seats were being saved for some VIP family
> members, but that the fourth row was free. I
> found a place, and sat for quite a while. There
> had been so much "consolidation" of wards, and
> bringing in wards from outside our area, that I
> didn't recognize many faces, and I sat for quite
> some time, watching people come in, in pairs, and
> family groups. I felt alone in a crowd. Then two
> men told me to move, because they needed a fourth
> row for the VIP's. The seats were pretty much
> filled-up, but I saw some seats in the middle of a
> row, and took care to ask the people next to me if
> the seats were taken, before I climbed over
> everyone's knees to get there. After I sat down,
> the people behind me said that they were saving
> those seats, so I stood up, and had to climb over
> everyone's knees again to get out. By then, the
> meeting was beginning, and I was the only one
> standing up. Luckily, there was a large empty
> space on the aisle next to a neighbor, but the
> neighbor said she was saving it for her son and
> his wife I got up, again, and someone was talking
> at the podium, as I walked up the entire aisle,
> and out the door, letting it slam behind me. I
> had paid tithing all my life, gotten married in
> the temple, and I had been in that ward for 9
> years, as an organist and teacher on the ward and
> stake level, and there was no place for me to sit
> at the Christmas devotional. God was trying to
> tell me something, and I never went to another
> Mormon devotional or fireside again. Really, other
> congregations, and parents at crowded school
> events, are not rude like that.

Pretty much sums up my experiences with large gatherings of mormons. I remember being in the very last row at the MTC for their mandatory Sunday night devotional. It was end of August and the place was jammed to the max. Went to a whole bunch of them and it wasn't until Oct that I finally got to see the very front from the middle rows. We made it a point to sit four or five rows and we were told that they were reserved. So my group was told to find other seating. So it was to the back again.

I think it was during the hour long prelude part.

It looked like there were two men playing the organ. One sitting down and another one over-reaching the shoulder to play another set of keys.

Is this a regular and proper way to play such instrument?

It looked rather odd, if not qweer or strange.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2019 01:55PM by messygoop.

Well, there's no organization making laws about what's "proper" for organists; if you want to play duets, you can play duets. Not many organists do--I only have twice, once in a formal recital (some of the ricercars from the Art of Fugue) and once at a Halloween "Pipescreams" light-hearted concert (Funeral March for a Marionette). There are a few organists who make duets their regular thing; the Chenaults who recently retired from All Saints' Episcopal in Atlanta, my former teacher and his partner, etc.

I haven't been to a Christmas Devotional or GC in more than a decade, so I can't comment on this instance specifically. But typically, the second organist was playing just a single line or motif on one manual (keyboard) while the primary organist's hands are occupied on two other manuals.

Could the music have been arranged differently so this was not needed? Of course. Does this provide a moment of showmanship to please the sheep in the congregation and make them forget that their tithing dollars are paying for a staff of organists in Salt Lake while their local music is provided by poorly trained volunteers? Also yes.

I haven't seen this program but from reading everyone's account above it looks like the trouble is that the hierarchy is just really really old. I know we are suppose to think there is safety with old men, because of their extreme longevity etc. But organizations run by old old men tend to not be innovative. Many successful start ups are done by people in their 50's and younger, they can give the vigor and enthusiasm that is needed. They can relate a little better to the rising generation.

A good example of a great tragedy is the British monarchy, by the time Charles get's his chance he'll be too old to do anything, and the public would rather see the young handsome William get his chance at leadership, but instead is stuck waiting for the Queen to die.

The First Presidency Christmas Devotional is General Conference with Christmas decorations. Pretty boring stuff.

Eyring didn't cry that I saw. Big difference.

Sounds about par for the course.

I have listened to the music and it is horrendous,with ,for me, the exception of the Hallelulia Chorus.

What struck me in the words were in the part,Wonderful,Counsellor,the Mighty God,the Everlasting Father the Prince of Peace.

Does this not create doubt for members,in all my years in the Church,resigned years ago,I was always under the impression that there was no Holy Trinity,that there are 3 persons separate,am I wrong in some way,could some kind soul let me know if I am right.