Learning through life's trials (march 2010!):
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=a66dea00a8bf6210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Apostle Orson F. Whitney (1855–1931) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.”


rhetoric like this makes me cringe. let's put these words into some real-life context shall we?
case: a small girl is raped by her father. we'll call her Mary. let's say Mary is 9 or 10 years old, or maybe she's 4 or 14, does it really matter?

let's use those same words and apply them to this situation:

"No pain that Mary suffered during her rape, no trial that she experienced, even rape, is wasted. It ministers to her education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that Mary suffers and all that she must now endure, especially when she endures it patiently, builds up her character, purifies her heart, expands her soul, and makes her more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that she gains the education that she came here to acquire."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2010 05:52AM by TechAdmin1.

and others who had/have the attitude that life is a trial (in the hardship sense of the word), and that we are here for hard work and testing.

This is where the Mormon cliche "endure to the end" originates I'm sure. We are here to be tested, and if that means that little kids are hurt and tortured then so be it.

I find this attitude offensive and defeatist. There is no attempt to improve many things that could be improved both within and outside the church.This attitude is beneficial to the higher ups who are able to spew ludicrous nonsense and demand more and more time and money from church members who believe God likes it when they are so busy the need pills to cope.

There is a constant undertone of guilt with many church members, especially the rank and file, who I believe avoid activities designed for simple leisure or fun.

My mother has never in her life done anything (since joining the church at 16) that could be construed as frivolous or unproductive. This includes just sitting down for 5 minutes with the family.

I believe she instilled guilt in my siblings and I since we find it uncomfortable to spend money on luxuries. Even our gifts are all practical.

It's a very unhealthy way to live,to feel guilt every time you enjoy anything. The defeatist attitude results in the unwillingness to address any problems that might challenge authority. My Mother is always opposing or undermining efforts by myself and my siblings to challenge authority figures that have wronged us. This is probably the only way she can function as a Mormon, since the church is run by men who are clearly not receiving guidance from God.

There are a few attitudinal problems with the LDS mindset. "Endure to the end" is one. Another is making the individual the problem, never the organization. They don't seem to understand that when half the women are on Zoloft, the problem might not be theirs.

...the LDS outlook is that you're supposed to "learn" to be passive, to just submit to whatever crap the church throws at you rather than learning to stand up for yourself, or learning to avoid their crap.