An add popped up on my google page a few minutes ago. It is a youtube speech by Gary Stevenson, apparently some type of general authority.

As the add played it showed children if various ethnicities and even a few handicapped kids.

Across the bottom of the add the words "I belong to the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints" appeared.

I just stared at that. Kid saying they "belong" parents reading the kids "belong" to the church.

I noticed it didn't say a member of but said belong.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it. But in my experience the church believes you belong to them. As in they consider you a possession, a servant, something to be uses for their gain.

First time in a long time anything church related has raised my hackles.

maybe they think they're tapping into the deep ju-ju of "Belonging"?

Doesn't everyone want to "Belong"?

LDS Inc.'s PR team at work. "Belonging" is more emotionally powerful than just being a member. One can be a member but feel like they don't belong. One of the reasons I left the Mormon church was because I no longer felt I belonged to the organization. Now LDS Inc. is trying to convince members that they belong. Very manipulative and controlling.

Yes, it does convey an impression of emotion. But doesn't it also imply ownership: "the LDS church owns me."

I don't think it's a good advertising slogan.

You are right. "We own you" is not a good slogan but "You belong" is. Everyone wants to belong.

There's a difference between "I belong in" and "I belong to." I don't know which preposition the advertisement uses, but if they used the latter formulation they are implying ownership.

I think you're right, but 'I belong to' can also be used to mean 'I'm a part of" as in "I belong to the 1980s UK diaspora" ;-)

Yes, but the UK diaspora, complete with English Education, is not an organization with a command structure.

"I belong to the Jewish Diaspora" doesn't carry the same connotations as "I belong to Mossad." And "I belong to Generation Z" isn't the same as "I belong to Amway" or "I belong to the IRS."

Beautifully put, LW.

As I said, I agree with you - although are you 100% SURE that the the British Diaspora doesn't have a command structure? ;-)

I've heard they call the leader "k" (lower case) but I cannot of course confirm rumours that he has been seen to comment on this board... I leave you to jump to any wild conclusions you wish :-D

Seriously, though, I was just pointing out where they will seek wriggle room, as in "of course we didn't mean that", when of course they did :-D



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2021 03:15PM by Soft Machine.

Soft Machine Wrote:
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> As I said, I agree with you - although are you
> 100% SURE that the the British Diaspora doesn't
> have a command structure? ;-)

When it comes to power structures, I would never question the word of a former Head Boy.


-------------------
> I've heard they call the leader "k" (lower case)
> but I cannot of course confirm rumours that he has
> been seen to comment on this board... I leave you
> to jump to any wild conclusions you wish :-D

Ah yes, the k-ish leader of the British diaspora. Be careful, Tom in Paris, for you are being watched.

It is an institution and many of them belong in an institution.

+∞

It sounds like they’re trying to reboot the “I’m a Mormon” campaign without offending God, or Rusty.

First: If you belong to the "church" that indicates that you are the property thereof and by definition a slave.
Second: I would exhort you to read Michael Tellinger's book The Slave Species of God.
Third:Many of the theorums therein proposed relate directly to who belongs to whom.
Forth: Now don't go off on me about Tellinger. I am just saying that the concept of belonging is ancient and varied in interpretation.
Current employment of the word BELONG is frequently used to captivate the member of the organization mentally. This precludes the right of the member to think and/or express.
The above are 5 out of 3,247,862 and 1/2 paragraphs I have in my mind
Aren't you glad I didn't post all of them?

So B-Long isn't a size measurement for Mormon underwear?

Shinehah Wrote:
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> So B-Long isn't a size measurement for Mormon
> underwear?
That joke is almost as bad as some of mine

Whenever I get those kinds of ads, I report them as false advertising.

They do believe that all members BELONG to them. They believe that our children BELONG to them.

When we had gone inactive, the primary presidency came by to talk to our 8-year-old twins. The whole presidency including the secretary. They told our kids (with us standing there in shock) that since we were not doing out job by not taking them to church, they would come by and pick them up every week to take them to church.

My son told me later that he knew then and there the church wasn't true, even though he always doubted it even at age 8.

Of course, there was no way in hell I was ever going to allow them to do that.

But, yes, the OWN US, every damn one of those who are still baptized mormons. At least they think they do.

Wicked weird to what lengths people will go regarding intruding into your life when they think it's for your own good.

How dare we complain!