The exTBM spouse gave our adult kids some "survival" emergency gifts the other day. A survival multigadget, dehydrated food, flash nights, etc. In the past he has given them glow sticks, dried fruit, etc. Our kids asked him why he gives them things like this that they have no use for.

He will ramble on about how "just in case" there is a disaster.

Even when we were together, my ex collected odd things. Our food storage was really weird. We would have the cracked wheat, but he refused to get a grinder bc it was too costly. He would get enough dried apricots and apples to last 6 mos.
He would have such a mish mosh of poorly planned items, I finally had to take it over and make sense of it. I taught him about rotation, and first aid, and items to deal with emergency situations that would pertain to the most LIKELY things we would deal with in our area.

He was obsessed that in the LDS realm there would be some huge catastrophic disaster involving LDS members and only those who prepared would survive. I had to point out to him that based on the kind of chaos he was predicting, he needed to increase his skill level.

Did he know how to shoot a gun or hunt? Did he know how to prepare food he hunted, caught or fished for? Did he know how to raise crops? Did he know self defense? First Aid? How to build a fire? etc.

Nope. So I asked him...how do you think you will survive? Just by the possession of these things? He gave an answer that the church/God would see he was faithful and help him with what he needed and didn't prepare for.

Mmmkay....did anyone else have similar circumstances of "magical thinking" in church Inc members and their preparations for Armageddon, WW3 or the Zombie apocalypse?

RMM

We were going to be ready when the Last Days came and society was falling apart. I was expecting 3-Nephi-sized earthquakes, drought, pestilence, and general Zombie Apocalypse. Supposedly the saints were going to gather in the mountains as the only place of safe refuge when the SHTF. The faithful near temples would gather inside the temple grounds for refuge and fight off the heathens outside the fence. They would then sneak out in groups through secret tunnels to begin their journey on foot to the safe haven in the IMW. Well, it sounded perfectly plausible at the time.

Your scenario sounds like a post-apocalyptic TV show.

My parents have spent a ton of money on food storage, most of it purchased from the church. I will admit that it's a good idea to be prepared for a disaster, but what exactly are members of TSCC preparing for?

are the mormons buying walking boots for their trek to missouri ?

We still have food storage from 23 years ago; maybe I'll keep it for barter for the Zombies. ;)

We had the best mutual leader ever.

He was a search and rescue pilot in Vietnam.

Our "young mens" activities were. Fire building, finding food, escape and evasion (I used his techniques to dodge the cops once), morse code, self defense, knife fighting and shooting.

The bishop complained once. The guy told him odds were we'd be drafted so the bishop backed off.

My father raised me and my brother with a strict 'walk to Missouri' prophecy. The last time we asked him about it (a dozen years ago) he said, "oh, some fellow may have suggested that at some time." He took himself right out of the loop like a ratfink of the first water.

My TBM sister's husband has a stock of rifles to go hunt deer to feed his family when the end is at hand.

Like that's going to work long (short) term........

It's always smart to have some water and food stored up.

I remember 10+ years ago, we had an ice storm so bad that it knocked out power for almost 3 weeks, and made travel very difficult.

It was pointless to go anywhere because all the stores were closed for a good while.

We got down to bare cupboards, and we had to learn the hard way.

Just don't go crazy and fill up your entire house for the "doomsday" scenario... that's a bit much.

Agreed

HAHAHA. My folks (especially my mum) have always bought heavily into the whole "last days" schtick. Dad's PB says that he will help the Saints with their material needs as they gather to Zion. You would think that the fact that they have lived out most of their lives and still no Jesus might give them pause. Nope.

Of course I don't discount that some cataclysmic event could happen in my lifetime. I hope that's not the case. I would like for my children to grow up and enjoy happy peaceful lives in a stable world. But if such an event occurs, it will happen because of the stupidity of humanity, not because it fulfills some bullshit "prophesy".

Tonight our semi-TBM-ish son called. He has a new calling as secondary scout leader or some such thing.

He said the grand high scout leader was teaching the scouts the wondrous and vital survival technique of lighting a propane stove--INSIDE THE BUILDING, IN THE CHURCH KITCHEN!

Our son said something like, "You people are just stupid!" and left.


(I thought TSCC jettisoned boy scouts. No?)