My cousin posted a photo of her son and his "Pioneer Family" in Martin's Point, Wy. and all I could think of was, "How long do these poor bastards have to walk?"

I can't imagine being told as a teen that I had to go to Wyoming and pull a fuck!ing handcart for several days with some other teens that I don't know. Thank goodness I was so blissfully un-mormon culturally (from Colorado).

Did any of you have to participate in this nonsense?

I had to do some stupid shit but nothing as miserable as this. They must stay up late at night looking for ways to suck every last fun drop out of life

I could have gone when I was a teen. I was so glad that we had a family reunion the same week, so I had that excuse instead of just saying "no".

It's very popular. Even YSA wards go on the treks too. My aunt and uncle (in their late 30's) posted pictures of them chaperoning a trek just last week. I had to chuckle when I saw the handcart with 4 Porta Potties on it... although that did answer *that* question for me!

Bottom line: It is meant to be a testimony-building experience for the youth.

I was asked to go on one as an adult leader. I said only if we lived by pioneer rules. 1. No WOW 2. Multiple wives 3. No Blacks w/ the P'hood.

Wasn't asked ever again

Oh that made my day, ha ha!

No but I have participated in a few outrage-inducing discussions regarding the Truth about Trek, here on RfM.

Which has further exposed the Brigand for what he was ... a wanton mass murderer.

He watched his beloved newbie saints were made into popsicles for wolves as he selfishly sent the rescue parties our to rescue his GODDAM WHISKY TRAIN AND HIS GODDAMM FUCKING STEAM ENGINE.

Seriously.

So why you ask, was a steam engine more valuable to him than a 100 or so tenderfoot Brits?

What gave his freight wagons rescue priority?

Not so funny you should ask....

His plans were for a fucking steam boat to paddle around the Great Salt Fucking Lake like a riverboat gambler, that's what.

Vainglorius old fool would be laughable if he weren't so tragically Mansonesque, way beyond even Horny Joseph Smith's sordid rapaciousness.

Look up Will Bagley on utube if you want the rest of the whole sorry story.

Wow, I'll have to take a look at this.

I love the passion you've demonstrated here! I love the use of the f word because it's so versatile.

Take a look at the book "South Pass" by Will Bagley. Fascinating book about immigration through the passes in general with a lot of Mormon info too.

Since he's successfully made-his-escape-from-behind-the-Zion-Curtain, I'll add that Josh who introduced Bagley here is our own josh-the-physicist... David Twede, who gets my vote as the brightest scientist I've ever met bar none, said that Josh's knowledge in his area of specialty exceeded his. Both of these two men are way too smart for me to argue with...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou47dupzoys

My TBM ex when he first converted, participated in one of the Mormon Battalion reenactments as in California, that's what Mormons reenact on occasion. His parents were inactive Mormons, so he was technically a convert since he joined after his dad died when he was 19. His mom returned to full activity after that point as well.

When I was young, and had lots of energy I loved this sort of thing. Reminds me a lot of the guys who do civil war reenacting, people who play paint ball and airsoft, etc. Set up camps, go through scenarios, etc.

We did some hard labor "in church service" when young that was fun and enjoyable. Cut firewood for those who needed it (and learned how to use and sharpen axes and chainsaws),fixed fences, etc. Is this done anymore? It was real service to those in need, we all enjoyed it and looked forward to it.

Honestly, a handcart trek looks to be a lot more fun and interesting than getting up every morning at 4:30am for Seminary, hours of church every Sunday, etc. For the under 25 year olds anyways.

Just my opinion...

I can see your point. In a vacuum, and especially at that age, it's just a unique, fun thing to do I suppose.

I guess my problem is that I see it from a big picture point of view knowing what a fraud the church is and what these people were put through for this fraud.

CTRringturnsmyfingergreen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I can see your point. In a vacuum, and especially
> at that age, it's just a unique, fun thing to do I
> suppose.
>
> I guess my problem is that I see it from a big
> picture point of view knowing what a fraud the
> church is and what these people were put through
> for this fraud.





^ sure sign of the nailed ^

Sometime no other words can come close to the linguistical support that the vernacular form of the reproductive act affords.

. heh heh

I was fortunate to be able to avoid such a thing. Back in the '80s they took really serious and it was pretty much as real as it could be. A friend fractured his foot. Did they bring him home. Nope, put a splint on it and threw him in the cart.....

My daughter went two years ago. She since decided she is done with TSCC. But I was joking around asking what hymns they sang while pushing and pulling their cart. hahahahahah They actually did. Put your Shoulder to the Wheel

I did one back in 1997, which was of course the big 150 year anniversary of the arrival in SLC.

It rained like mad the first day, which was our big walking day.
Our stake had it fairly well organized, and one of my good friends was in our "family." So all and all that was one of my better experiences in the LDS Church. We seemed to have a pretty good system for getting people who were sick or injured out--nobody wanted to be too realistic about it.

I had plenty of other things in my Mormon experience that I didn't like, but this isn't an unpleasant memory. Not all of them have to be in order for the LDS Church to be much less than advertised.

Hey, don't complain....Walking is great, as long as your belly is full.....

I will tell you that in Missouri, our stake took several hundred kids to Adam ondi ahman for this trek. It lasted all day 100% July heat and in period clothing. About 30 were overcome with heat stroke. TSCC was VERY lucky nobody died.

I always though the pioneers did it so we, in the present, didn't have to?

I remember distinctly being taught this concept at a young age. "Sacrifices were made then so the saints now could all be so blessed"

or somesuch nonsense

Anyone know, do the kids (families) have to pay their own way to participate in a trek?

On a tangent, I always thought EFY was even more-so ridiculous.
I refused to ever go, telling my uber-tbm parents "why would I pay for a spiritual experience?" I was promptly grounded for my sass.

I still paid plenty of my 10% for years...

If you really want to do the hand cart reinactment, I recommend in the middle of the winter for about a week. has much more realism in it.

Oh but that'll ruin the youth Christmas/ winter break from school if they did that!!! They might even get frostbite or hypothermia!!

I would prefer a Star Trek re-enactment.

I'm guessing you even speak fluent Klingon.

I went to a planning meeting as for one of these, where they were trying to sell the youth on it, and I replied that it wouldnt be a true re-enactment unless everyone only got a pound of flour per day for food.

Another good book about this subject is Devil's Gate.

It's supposed to be persecution by proxy. A persecution complex is great for developing blindly stubborn faith. I'm surprised the GAs don't volunteer to play the role of evil apostates and fling rotten eggs and fruit at the kids.

This always sounded like hell to me.

It's a stupidity re-enactment.

totally irrelevant to today's living.

my MORmON parents worked me so much through out the summer that the MORmON hand cart re enactment would have been a stroll through the park before a picnic in comparison, granted a picnic with a lot of sickening pretentious boring faith promoting MORmON BS preaching but a picnic hike physically just the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htJ93Mtjnzk

My kids refused to go, and whenever they refused an activity, someone in the ward always offered to pay for it, so we couldn't use the money excuse. My sons were hardy, played contact sports, became Eagle Scouts, did crazy things like aerials on snowboards, bungee jumping, accidentally encountering bears and moose in the wild, injuring their knee, breaking their nose, etc.--but they weren't crazy to deliberately punish themselves for NO PURPOSE. It wasn't even fun. The first year, I told them we had a family reunion, which was true, but was only for an evening. My boys were glad to go to the reunion, and they said, "But what if they try to make us go next year?"

I said, "Whenever the trek takes place, that's when we'll have our family reunion." I was in charge of the reunion, so I could pick the date. Mormons don't take no for an answer.

I know a teen who participated (was forced to participate) in this insanity a few years ago. They make up fake scenarios for testiphony mtg (one of the twins was eaten by wolves...)

She said a few people did all the work, pulling the crap... while the rest complained or hid. One kid hid in a porta potty rather than walk (he claimed he fell asleep in there) ugh. =[

It is an attempt to revive pioneer worship, one of the entrees in the Mormon cafeteria line. If they don't have a testimony of the BoM... maybe they will remember trek! Or.... um, hmmmmmmm, just get them out on a mission, at 18!!!

...sings(pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked)

It popped into my head, now its in yours. :)

Thankfully I don't know that one!

Yeah I had to go on this stupid thing. I already knew the church was a load of crap, so walking 10 miles a day for absolutely know reason was pretty terrible. Everyone talked about how they felt the spirit when all the girls had to pull the carts up one hill by themselves and that it proved that girls could do anything. All i thought was, "Good thing I dont have to do this."

It also seemed pointless and dumb. I mean they did it so why do we have to suffer pointlessly too. If a soldier is shot in the army, the doctor doesnt shoot himself too to understand what he is going through.

I would have been livid if I were made to do this. That's why I can't understand all the smiles from these teens in the photo.

For my son it was an experience from hell.

http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,1595899,1595899#msg-1595899

How come no sound on You Tube video when Pat finally starts to speak?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou47dupzoys

dejavue Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How come no sound on You Tube video when Pat
> finally starts to speak?
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou47dupzoys


Dunno, but I noticed that I'm hearing only the right channel on my desktop.

Based on past years, my predictions for treks nationwide by the Morg for the year 2015 are:

One person dies.

Two have broken bones.

Three are treated onsite for "mild" heat stroke.

Four thousand realize their parents belong to a Cult and vow to quit when they leave home.

Oh sure, while we're at it, let's do a historically correct re-enactment. I'm gonna load up my cart with Brigham Young's whiskey and tobacco from Far West so it doesn't get used by the mormons there.

Last July was the our Stakes 'Cult Trek'. I had 2 kids eligible to go. My son didn't care either way. The oldest very TBM daughter was very resentful that I wouldn't change my vacation time or postpone the family vacation until after Trek. I'm just the apostate so I should have to forgo vacation for the cult. I don't think so.

I told her if Trek and the 'church' was more important then visiting her grandparents (which my father inlaw also took the week off also so he could see his grandkids) then she could skip vacation. She decided to go on vacation.

I received flak from other cult parents for not accomadating the 'Cults Trek' better with 'My Vacation'.

I don't object to kids learning teamwork through hardwork, character building, ect a lot of what Trek has to offer is a good learning experience, but not the brainwashing that goes along with cults message.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2015 09:27PM by Redneck Wonderland.