My two teenage boys needed service hours for a rank advancement in Scouting, so yesterday the three of us spent time picking up trash along a nearby road. As we were doing so, a black SUV pulled over, and two men in suits got out. One was the stake president, and I didn’t recognize the other one. They walked over to us and the one who was not the stake president said to me, “I know you.”

“I don’t think I know you,” I responded.

He said he was Elder So and So, and that his daughter and son-in-law knew my wife and me. Turned out his daughter and son-in law were our closest friends in grad school back in my TBM days. We got together with them frequently back then, and a few months ago, they had come to visit us with their family, and we had a great time reconnecting with them. Elder So and So was a member of the 70 and was in town as the visiting authority for stake conference. He said he’d like to meet with my wife and me, and we arranged to meet after the adult session that evening.

My wife is still very TBM—she played the organ at stake conference. I resigned a few years ago. I went to the church at the end of the meeting, and we met for about 30 minutes. He was very nice; we chatted for a while about our families and such. We talked a little about my leaving the church, although we didn’t discuss any of the issues that caused me to leave. I imagine he didn’t want to discuss them in front of my wife.

He did say that Joseph Smith has taken a lot of heat these days—a lot of heat. He said that if he just used is head knowledge, he would probably be where I am. But he also used his heart knowledge, and because of that, he knew Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Overall, the meeting with him was very pleasant, and worth putting a suit on and going to the church on a Saturday night.

Interestingly, this is not the first time I’ve met with a visiting general authority. Shortly after I resigned my membership a few years ago, a member of the 70 met with me. I posted about that here:

http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,1058776,1058853#msg-1058853

That general authority asked the stake president to start meeting with me on a regular basis to discuss the issues that caused me to leave. Anything the stake president couldn’t answer, he was to send on to the general authority. I was excited about discussing those things with the stake president, but those meetings never took place. The stake president never set one up.

When I had resigned from the church, I had met with the stake president. I posted about that meeting here:

http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,762474

I think the stake president realized that there was nothing he could do to bring me back.

A few months later, I had a struggle with the bishop about interviews with my kids. I posted about that here:

http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,925488

As discussed in the post above, I emailed a letter to several Christian ministers in the area, explaining the practice of Mormon Church leaders regarding sexually invasive interviews with the youth and got feedback from them. I then sent their responses to the bishop and stake presidency. The stake president was very angry with me, and discussed with the bishop the possibility of banning me from ever setting foot on church property. Ultimately they didn’t, and things cooled down. That was my last interaction with the stake president until yesterday. I wasn’t sure if the stake president still held a grudge from that email exchange, but yesterday he was very nice and cordial.

he may have been nice and cordial, but he was on his best behaviour. Any animosity he once felt for you is still there, simmering away under his fake 'countenance'.

Often these people are gripped with delusions of power.

The ONLY power they have is whether you can attend the temple and sunday church activities.

Many moons ago, when I used to work at the COB, we were moving servers from the SLC Data Center to Provo (long long ago...) We had to ditch our suits and tie for jeans and Tshirt. However, despite that being the rule, one of the Apostles (forget which) noticed my coworker wearing a bright red baseball cap.

As I was parking the car and returning the keys, they had a conversation. The baseball cap had to go! It hurt his eyes (ok I'm making that up but seriously????)

Anyway, these people can't just live their lives. They MUST control yours as well.

There is happiness AFTER attending this church. Letting go. Letting other's know they need to get over it.

After all, that was the advice I was given when I used to get crap from these people. Even my letter to the Presiding Bishop was a waste of time. I tell people today to not even bother. Just leave.

Getting over it was the best advice I ever received from a church authority ;-)

"he also used his heart knowledge, and because of that, he knew Joseph Smith was a prophet of God". That makes as much sense as falling for an smokin' hot beautiful ax murderer psychopath. You know in your brain she's gonna kill you but your heart "and your loins" rule the day.

RB

Lethbridge Reprobate Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "he also used his heart knowledge, and because of
> that, he knew Joseph Smith was a prophet of God".
> That makes as much sense as falling for an smokin'
> hot beautiful ax murderer psychopath. You know in
> your brain she's gonna kill you but your heart
> "and your loins" rule the day.
>
> RB

Well, if you knock her up, your genes have done their job at least.

Lethbridge Reprobate Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "he also used his heart knowledge, and because of
> that, he knew Joseph Smith was a prophet of God".
> That makes as much sense as falling for an smokin'
> hot beautiful ax murderer psychopath. You know in
> your brain she's gonna kill you but your heart
> "and your loins" rule the day.
>
> RB


Hey Ron,uh....did you actually hook up with the smokin' hot axe murderer? Now there's a story! :-)

anon11 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> As discussed in the post above, I emailed a letter
> to several Christian ministers in the area,
> explaining the practice of Mormon Church leaders
> regarding sexually invasive interviews with the
> youth and got feedback from them. I then sent
> their responses to the bishop and stake
> presidency.


Yeah, I remember that. That was all kinds of awesomesauce!!

anon11 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> He did say that Joseph Smith has taken a lot of
> heat these days—a lot of heat. He said that if
> he just used is head knowledge, he would probably
> be where I am. But he also used his heart
> knowledge, and because of that, he knew Joseph
> Smith was a prophet of God.
>

Isn't it amazing that using our intellect, an informed intellect, is seen as *bad*?

BYU's motto is "The Glory of God is Intelligence"....(except when it's not apparently)

a person has to factor the MORmON back into the equation.

The MORmON glory of MORmON god is MORmON intelligence.

Now that MORmONIC saying makes a lot more sense.

the knowledge that MORmON founder Joseph Smith really relied on was lower head knowledge, and he also relied on lower head MORmON priestDUD authority to get his way. Joe said "lower head" really rapidly so everyone thought he was saying "lord". Pervert Joe's lower head really was his god.

heart knowledge, that's cute.

OPie had ziller at ~


"a black SUV pulled over, and two men in suits got out" ~















IN B$ ~ another anonimus RfM roll - read