They act like they are Santa Claus. They act like they- and they alone- have been granted by God the power to decide if you are good or bad, worthy or unworthy, and to tell you so to your face. That's the field of battle currently. The women believe their husbands have that power. The children believe they must submit to that power. Brad Wilcox and Dallin Oaks and Russell Nelson and everybody else are unreachable because they really and truly believe they are above mere human constraints. Thank you.

I do love me a good polemic, but I'm afraid it's worse. The church has absolutely no defense against covert psychopaths taking positions of power. They tell their lies using their body language so the so-called discernment of any gatekeepers routinely fails.

Wolves in sheep's clothing are held up as sheep because of magical thinking and an astounding naivete.

Show me a psychopath who doesn't love obedience. And just in case you're dumb as Mormons, these people are not your friends.

The Brethren are like the Politburo in the former Soviet Union. They all have dirt on each other. The internal power struggles take place behind the scenes. That's what restrains them, and that's why you won't have a single person take power -- psychopath or not.

David Bednar: I have a particular set of skills.

Just to be fair, while they don't believe in Santa Claus, they do believe in Santa Clara . . . Utah

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Hamblin_House#:~:text=Jacob%20Hamblin%20was%20a%20Mormon,now%20open%20as%20a%20museum.



Obviously (or maybe not!) I did this as a spoof...  The cited Wikipedia article turns out to be hilariously inept!  

"Jacob Hamblin was a Mormon pioneer and missionary who founded Santa Clara in 1854. After a flood destroyed the town, a group of missionaries constructed a new home for him on a hillside. It is now open as a museum."

I'll just build a town in this here dry river bed.