I always thought that the talks on Sunday morning were boring. There was clearly a need for trained speakers but in a church run by amateurs, that wasn't going to happen. I mean all the way from RMs to GAs.

I've has the opportunity, out of curiosity, to visit other Latter-day denominations. I visited the Community of Christ, the Church of Christ (Bickerton) and a Restoration Branch. I noticed the same dull sermons. I believe most the Latter-day churches are run by amateurs. But the talks were so boring. This tendency must go way back. Have other people had the same experiences?

My take is the religious restorationist environment that spawned Mormonism produced very staid worship. Nineteenth Century religious groups avoided anything that smacked of the Catholic sacratodal system. An example is Alexander Campbell and his Church of Christ movement. C of C congregations do not use any instruments in their singing because, according to them, the New Testament does not mention piano, organ, or guitar accompaniment. Hymns are sung in 4-part harmony, something that only evolved in the late 18th Century. One of Campbell’s closest associates was none other than Sydney Rigdon.

Gone were the clerical vestments, stained glass windows, and great organ music. So, long boring sermons had to take the place.

Mormonism has adopted the staid business culture for itself. Thus, the white shirts, dresses, austere chapels or anything else that could detract from long boring religious talks.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/2017 08:53PM by BYU Boner.

Most of us who spent any time in Mormonism would likely agree that high council Sundays were consistently the worst. I'm not quite sure what this means, but back when I was attending, only two high councillors were even mildly good speakers. One of those was kicked out of the Church when he left his wife and moved in with his girlfriend. The other one was exed when he was arrested for a scam he had been running at his employment.

Certainly there was never any call, back in my youth, for sermons about getting along with non-Whites.

Has that changed? I am supposing that it hasn't, since that would require acknowledging that being White is ... ordinary.

And I'm guessing there are no sermons about what to do if your kid, or grandkid comes out to you; no guidelines for making life a little easier for him or her.

Probably not a lot said about supporting young men who don't want to postpone their education by donating two years of their lives to casting themselves out of the real world. Probably no credit given to ghawd being able to suck it up without every possible young man going into the mission field.

Now here I give credit... I believe I read an account of young couples being counseled that it's okay to put off having kids while they are still in school. Really, I read that! I think it might have been in m BYU alumni magazine...

I'd prefer to have something like what James Brown did in the Blues Brothers movie. Now that's what I'd call a lively meeting.

Oh gawd, after being in a church for over a decade that has well-trained, talented, extremely educated clergy, and sitting through many a Sunday sermon that I can't wait to hear or read again, I have no clue how I made it through those mormon services for over 40 years of my life. Two thousand totally useless and boring hours of my life I will never get back.

Norma Rae,

If you don't mind my asking, what denomination? I'm looking for something new. Thanks.

I attend a wonderful Unitarian Universalist congregation. If there is a UU church near you, I'd suggest you at least check it out. However, it is NOT like the Mormon church where one size fits all and you know exactly what to expect in any church you walk into. The UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association) is our central tie, we adhere to a set of principles and to be in the Association and be supported by it, there are certain guidelines that you have to adhere to.

But there is so much variety just because there is so much autonomy in each group. Here in my town there are two congregations and they are very different. One is more formal with Christian undertones, ours is probably more open and Humanist centered. So I can't tell you that you would find something there that fit you, but I will tell you it's worth checking out.

One other thing is that UU members as a group tend to be highly educated. Someone posted a link here recently to an article that lists the education levels of different denominations. UU was #2 after Reform Judaism. Mormonism was 20-something--but above Evangelical Christian. And it shows. That's something I need. And, especially after half a lifetime in Mormonism, I love having friends who are professional, smart, cultured and can carry on conversations that mormon women would drown in.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/14/2017 10:14AM by NormaRae.

Mormonism doesn't have enough charisma ?

The talks in the boring morg church are so boring that I can fall asleep during SM and everything else. At least my depression meds help me catch up on my much needed sleep(especially for those of us who meet at 9am!!)

The mighty morg taught me how to sleep sitting upright. You kinda slouch down in the pew just enough that your head doesn't fall backwards but doesn't fall forward either. Then you sorta find that balance point between forward, backwards, and side to side. You relax your neck a little and make small sitting adjustments until your head is delicately balanced in the sweet spot. Folding your arms helps to raise your shoulders for extra support. Then you can safely close your eyes and let the boringness do it's magic. If you feel guilty that the speaker will notice, then shift to one side until the person in front of you blocks the speaker's line of sight.

I remember that! When I was a member of the Stake Farm Cherry tree smudge pot protective patrol, we'd have to spend the occasional Fall night at the stake cherry tree farm, waiting in case the freeze point hit, so we could light the smudge pots. Boring, and sitting up sleep came easy.

It was a magnificent calling; I very much felt like a soldier in the service of his ghawd. It was either that or recognize that I was helping a conglomerate make a bigger profit, since they didn't have to pay for our services.

Not to mention firesides and stuff like that, intended for some particular audience or another. Lots of stuff like that. Sigh.

Aha! That's how the Mormons brainwash adults--subliminally! They get the congregation in a soporific state, then tell them, "You must obey...we are the one true church...you are nothing...you must obey...you must give us your money...you must obey..." It works even better if people are asleep!

IMO, slaves are more obedient when they feel inferior, dependent, helpless, afraid.

Mormons admit that fear and threats are more effective in controlling others, than any kind of rewards.

Mormons don't entice members to attend meetings, with a great sermon, a coffee mingle, good music, lovely surroundings. They threaten members with gossip and slander, God's punishments, shunning, financial failure, and the worst threat of all: eternal isolation from their family. Mormons needn't bother paying a preacher or a decent organist.