Like the "Word of Wisdom," "prepping" also seems to be another post-polygamy attempt to define meaning in Mormonism.

Well, I saw two billboards yesterday in Utah County advertising some big prepper expo down there, so it sounds like there are plenty of them around here.

I haven't been to church for a long time so I don't know if they still preach it. But back in the day I always thought that the end was very close and I couldn't wait. I no longer have tons of food storage, but I have maybe 2 weeks of stuff I could live on if necessary. A fridge full of beer should stay cold for a few days. Got enough Folgers for a month. Three packages of hot dogs and a few old tires to cook over. Yeah, I'm good for a while.

I think the church downplays it and wishes talk of it would go away. They seem to discourage talk of it, but do encourage "emergency preparedness".

I think if they really believed in the "last Days" they never would have made long term investments in Florida,Philadelphia or Salt Lake. They invest as if they expect to be around for some time.

There are plenty of Mormons though that are still "prepping" though. Mainly because it was so ingrained in them. Old habits die hard.

In my experience, it was strong in the 70's but gradually started to fizzle after that. But there are a minority who will never give it up.

These are supposedly the final days of the existence of the world - it's in the name. And yes currently this awful but core belief seems to be being played down.

Years ago I went to a fireside meeting where an LDS former astronaut was the main speaker. When he asked for questions I had some half formed thoughts about asking what he thought the point of NASA was as the conquest of space plays no part in the narrative and prophecies concerning the imminent fate of mankind.

Religions are riddled with people in double-think mode, it comes with the territory.

I expect the world and everything else to end within, at most, 20 years...at the moment of my death.

No more blackberry ice cream. No more NBA playoffs. No more watching my wife's butt while she dances to reggaeton. No more Spanish verb conjugations to memorize. No more cats sleeping on my lap. No more bed, barrio, planet, universe.

Poof. That's all she wrote.

The rest of you are on your own. Perhaps your respective world-ends will come later. But, with all due respect, your End Times can't hold a candle to mine in terms of importance.

Most excellent point! But, I'd add, you'll still have me to deal with. Those of us assigned to the telestial kingdom will still be having one hell of a time!

As to the OP, yes, but I don't think they're prepping for the end of the world. I think most Mormons expect there will be a calamity, they'll survive, and then the church will take care over the government in righteousness and everything will be peachy with no need for Zion curtains because beer will be gone :(

Yes, Mormonism will always be about preparing for the end of the individual's world. It's about living for the day they die. It's all a test, remember? Are they ready to be judged and assigned their position in the afterlife?

I think one of the main reasons my sister will never leave Mormonism officially (she attends a Methodist church currently) is because she expects tscc will provide her with some type of protection in the event of a major world or national disaster. She does not practice Mormonism actively but she's not sure enough to totally give it up. I doubt she worries much about the end of the world because she seems to think she will be dying very soon even though she has no terminal illnesses. She just likes being dramatic about most everything.

I feel for her, Pooped. I know several elderly Mormons who need help from the Morg (snow shoveled driveways, etc) knowing that if they left it, those services wouldn't continue. Best wishes!

The way I see it, having a stockpile of food and other provisions isn't a bad thing. Especially if it is done in a way that the food is organized, stored in a cool place and used before it becomes old.

For me it has nothing to do with what the church has taught in the past or presently as I don't believe any of it anyway. As I said before and to use a familiar quote: “I would rather have it and not need it than to need it and not have it."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normalcy_bias

In Mormonism, is "the end of the world" simultaneous with the second coming of Jesus, or is it a separate event?

I think a year or two before he died, Boyd K. Packer said in a General Conference talk that the second coming wasn't going to be any time soon.

commongentile Wrote:
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> In Mormonism, is "the end of the world"
> simultaneous with the second coming of Jesus, or
> is it a separate event?
>
Mormons and other Christian religions, especially the more cultish ones, see current events and developments through their religious filters/paradigm and equate them with fulfillment of last days and the "winding up events" (Armageddon) before the return of Jesus to usher in the Millennial reign. Cleon Skousen talked about these things quite a bit as I remember.

I see current events as trends and to some extent, a repeat of history. I don't expect any divine intervention regardless what the future hold.

> I think a year or two before he died, Boyd K.
> Packer said in a General Conference talk that the
> second coming wasn't going to be any time soon.

Perhaps BKP was trying to encourage some members to not focus only on the short term perspective and thus fail to plan for a "long term" future as many “last days” preppers tend to do.

Maybe not as loudly. But when I announced that I had left the Church to my still-TBM friend, she said, "Okay, but just promise me that you will still keep at least an emergency kit somewhere near your front door."

I know that she wasn't thinking of a possible disaster, but an end-of-the-world sort of disaster.

Most Mormons I know are not very well prepared for an emergency and that's because they never had to live through one. Most Mormons I know are more concerned with looking nice, wearing the latest fashions, and keeping up with the Joneses. Most I know hate yard work and a garden is too much trouble.

The irony is that many Progressives are looking into prepping. The richest ones buy property in New Zealand. Others are buying vacation/retirement/ESCAPE properties in Idaho, Montana, rural Minnesota, Maine...

I think you have a very low bar for using the term "many". Plus, a lot of them are just hobby ranchers and land is cheap in Montana. Hell, Theodore Roosevelt moved from Long Island to North Dakota to play rancher in 1885. This is nothing new.

"Many," of course, can't be quantified. I'm basing my remarks on various left-of-center blogs and articles. I guess I'd have to define "many" as "more than you would expect."

Also anecdotal, but a bit more objective, is the testimony of a friend who owns a firearms training and sales business. He, and his staff, have heard new-to-them customers remark that they are concerned or frightened about Trump and the "alt-right." And this is Massachusetts!

Well, North Korea is touting better missles.

The world for humans everywhere can end with just a few buttons being pressed. What a crazy world and time to live.

I hope humans get out of the situation of mutually assured destruction at some point.

Even if we get past this point in history, the world will end in a few million years when it gets swallowed in the sun.

Programmed Wrote:
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> Even if we get past this point in history, the
> world will end in a few million years when it gets
> swallowed in the sun.

Try a few billion. :)

Which has been said for decades.

I'm always amused at the "scientific" (hrumph!!) "Doomsday Clock," which has now been moved closer to midnight. They typically move it back with Democrat administrations, and forward with Republicans. How objective!

Oh hell yes. Every week. (I live in Utah county). The "us vs. the world" talk/lesson/comments seems to be getting more serious. Just a matter of time before the "call out". If you don't know what that means then do some research on someone named Julie Rowe and her cult following. They are prepping it up pretty hard for the second coming and/or the call out.

I don't know but they definitely were in the 90s they lived off of that second coming.

There is no money in promoting peace and contentment

While listening to local talk radio this morning, a few TBM's called in, voicing concerns about North Korea,rumors of Trump resigning,the need for being "prepared", and the assumptions that the Second Coming is just around the corner. Some of these folks are just chomping at the bit for Post Toasties soon. I told my DH that if their wishes come true, it'll just be my luck that it will be the day before I receive my retirement money!

Not all of the Mormons I know, but enough for me to conclude that it is a significant Mormon sub-culture. My BIL and his ward friends may not be card-carrying preppers, but they are definitely at the fringe of it. I suspect that my BIL converted to Mormonism because it has elements that appeal to preppers.

I may be an oldie, but I remember it being very strong in the 70's. Ammunition supplies appeared to be just as important as food and commodities. I have always wondered how many of them would have actually found themselves able to shoot off starving children.

I wish they'd hurry up and move back to Missouri (is that still taught?)