Today it just popped into my head how much chutzpah it takes to designate someone as a 'General Authority'. And what the title implies about the way the church leads.

I googled it, and apparently this title is almost unique to the LDS church. No small wonder. It's kind of an over reaching and non-specific title.

Mormons hang on every word these guys say, and bend their own opinions to agree with them. Mormons doubt their OWN thoughts and doubts, if a GA tells them to.

It seems so strange to me now. I'm the authority in my own life. I can't imagine giving that up again.

Joe went way beyond GA...up to and including "God" for his manifold titles.
GA is nothing.

We have little idea or concept of his chutzpah...he'd be in an asylum these days.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2016 06:28PM by iflewover.

You can always use the term "General Authoritah" (made famous by Eric Cartman of Southpark) with TBMs.

Isn't a General Authority the same thing as a "know it all?"

Yeah, I think it's like that.

"Isn't a General Authority the same thing as a "know it all?"

Yep. Like Cliff Claven, for instance. Somebody needs to develop a comedy bit with Cliff Claven as a GA giving a conference sermon.

General, as opposed to specific, authorities? I thought the Q-15 were supposed to be specifically prophets, seers, and revelators?

does this beat the pompousness of calling themselves "saints" ?

"Audacity" is a great choice of words here. The word authority was most likely chosen to make the men feel important and to put some good ole fear into the hearts of the peons so they will blindly follow men who are filled with 'authority'.

The word audacity certainly can be used to describe so much of what the cult does and says. It is an audacity to call Monson a prophet, seer and revelator when his record stands as it does. It is an audacity to claim the Book of Mormon is the most correct book on earth given to us by God when it has been corrected umpteen-hundred times and when it has no historicity facts to back up its many claims. And, it is an audacity to claim over and over that the cult is surely now in 'the latter-days' and Christ will soon pop in, when the prophecy does not deliver,



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2016 08:30PM by presleynfactsrock.

...or how about "mendacity"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiiE-h9ZYag

I know what you're saying!

It's presumptuous and hilarious at the same time.

"General Authority" sounds like something that come from a rewrite of Orwell's 1984.

Are you evil speaking of the Lord's anointed? I hope so.

They are just words...and if you attach no authority or power to them...and the people they are attached to, then they mean nothing. The cult wants their sheep to think anyone designated as a GA has almost magical powers and must be revered...but nobody outside the LDS church knows or cares about GA's.

RB

I'm the authority in my own life. I can't imagine giving that up again.

This alone is enough to leave the LDS church. Stand on your OWN two feet, be your OWN person, genuine, authentic, full of integrity.

The sheeple rush to them for a consult about 'special' situations (thus feeding their egos), only reply/response will be a letter from a functionary who rebounds them back to locals..

Then, the locals resent being leap-frogged as if they Couldn't resolve the situation/problem in the first place.


So then, one local will give One 'answer' to a situation, and another, neighboring local will give a 180 Different response to a similar situation; No consistency whatsoever.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2016 10:41PM by GNPE.

From Wikipedia:

"A general authority's jurisdiction is church-wide, in contrast to the responsibilities of a local authority or an area authority, which relate to a particular area, unit, or department of the church."

So it's just referring to their jurisdiction within the church.
I don't really care what they call themselves. I like Grand Poobah, myself.

the word/term/idea of Authority coincides with the LDS culture of deference to leaders.


they could have chosen/used 'General Leader', couldn't they have?

CEO or General Manager would be fitting too.

Upper management.
The twelve could be the board of directors.

Religions love titles. Think about the authority of the title: pope!! General Authority is mild in comparison.

Business uses titles also. It's a long held way to organize people into high to low status.

It's great to remove religious authority from my life. It does not have a place in the way I live.

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. Yes. It's high status and low status thing. We were trained to give deference to the higher up leaders.

And I use the word 'leader' somewhat sarcastically. Very few of them are leaders. They just do what they are told. They are proven followers.

I once asked a GA what he was a general authority of. He just laughed it off. No answer. Hmmmmm.

Once I realized what they truly represent, I started thinking of them as general businessmen. Their so-called spiritual authority is built upon the veneer of a successful career in the everyday world. Big fucking deal. Being born to certain parents, generally being in the right place at the right time, where their unexceptional work ethic happened to pay off due to being lucky. I'd no more take advice on how to live my life from the owner of the local car dealership than some dude working for LDS Inc. Oh wait, that's what they think I should do because they've got a direct line to the almighty.

That's some crazy bullshit, right there.

It was very liberating to realize that men have no magical power and the bishop was some random guy who lived around the corner.

The bishop who interrogated me about masturbation was a genital authority.

The Mormons seem to use similar titles to other churches, but apply them to more junior positions. For example, in other churches that use the title deacon, it would be for someone who is at least an adult and generally for a senior congregation leader. Bishops seem to be a congregation leader, comparable to Rector, Vicar, Priest, Minister in other churches. In other churches, a bishop would be a very senior figure, responsible for many congregations. As would an elder.

I am a SPECIFIC authority.

If you only want general knowledge, ask a general authority.

(Good luck, btw.)

And that outranks any "General Authority" any time. EL-ron says so!