Things are falling apart so fast now- who do they think will possibly believe that they are real apostles and prophet of God? Who do they think gives a rat's a$$ any more about anything they do or say? Please help me understand!

It is becoming harder and harder for the G-15 to evade responsibility for their words and deeds. People just aren't buying it any more. Gaslighting and blaming the underlings cannot be sustained much longer. Hordes are voting with their feet. I think there really will be a tipping point when whole stakes just vanish overnight. Or will the G-15 finally wise up and realize that they are to blame? After all the first rule of leadership is "Everything is Your Fault!"

There will, in the foreseeable future, always be a core group of individuals who have enough invested in the church that they will choose to believe against all odds. They will be successful in convincing some but not all of their offspring to continue to believe as well; the loss of some offspring from the church membership rolls, in addition to gradually smaller families (four kids is now considered a big family) will create a noticeable attrition rate, but the LDS church will be able to support itself, although it may need to scale back even more than it has already done. Those who hang on are mostly people who have ancestors who crossed the prairies and plains in the 1800's, although a few more recent acquisitions who have risen to local leadership will hang on as well. Holding positions of importance even at local and stake level, not to mention mission president-level and temple president-level, allow these individuals to feel good about themselves. A large part of their senses of self-worth are based on these positive feelings the church gives them about themselves. Logic is not going to get in the way of that.

What we're not going to see is much in the way of first-world conversion, or at least conversions that stick, and probably not all that many non-sticking conversions, either, except from some of the skid row populations of the respective first-world nations.

Almost anyone whose family got in on the ground floor of the LDS MLM will likely retain a core membership, though.

scmd Wrote:
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> Almost anyone whose family got in on the ground
> floor of the LDS MLM will likely retain a core
> membership, though.

Funny you should mention that.
I'm in New York all week for some business meetings.
Yesterday during a discussion, we were talking about convincing people to use a new software platform, and one of my CA co-workers said, "Hie can do it, he spent 2 years selling mormonism to French people, and actually succeeded!"

Our CEO laughed, then asked me if I still got my "upstream cut" of the tithing of the people I baptized. "'Cause mormonism is one big MLM, right?"

That's what he knows about mormons: that it's nonsense, and that it's an MLM. Perfect. :)

I just barely learned what gaslighting was (make you feel like you are the crazy one). And this method was used on me A LOT without me realizing it through the years.

They will lie; like always. They will proclaim that the church has never been stronger. They will boast that there has never been a better time to live in the church because there are so many opportunities to serve. Then they will blame Stan for his influence in drinking coffee and becoming tarnished with porn.

One thing that you won't hear are any specific promises or revelations. The church leaders have been backing away from making "prophetic" ramblings. I think this has actually hurt TBMs just as much as the internet. I remember when they you used to give very specific types of revelation~ flatulence. "Brothers and Sisters we promise you that if you pay your tithing then...blah blah." Now they make very wishy-washy statements. "The Lord says that he remembers those that pay tithing..."

I absolutely agree, messygoop. Great observation. Just for fun, I will occasionally check out lds.org and see if I can stay awake long enough to read to the bottom of the webpage; I've never made it to the bottom...so UTTERLY boring, bland, and vague. The Q15 will continue on with their wishy-washy bloviations in stunning cluelessness for time and all eternity.

Bow your head and say "Yes."
That will do.

-ed "just vomited a little in the back of my throat" zachery

EdZachery

Contact me through more conventional means so we can catch up

Gatorman

Spot on, messygoop.

Doesn't this mean though that they themselves lack the confidence to 'act' as apostles really would?

In withdrawing from prophetic utterances aren't they really conceding that they don't believe in themselves in those roles and thus also they doubt they really are apostles and prophets - putting pay to the frequent 'do you think they believe it' debate?

I would expect genuine believers to be more pronounced, more prophetic, more specific. The less and less they do this the more i feel it indicates they doubt or even know they are lying. They no longer have the courage for a genuinely grand prophetic claim.

Thus the TBM's will be fed and fat free milk, and slowly die of spiritual boredom and starvation.

"We all are so blessed to have the guidance of church leaders to help us in these trying times."

Mindless blather.

As previously posted, they will most likely just lie and inflate their numbers. People will look around their ward/stake and see that the results they are seeing aren't matching what they are being told. Some will realize that all is NOT well in Zion, most will just assume their area is a statistical outlier and they aren't seeing success because they aren't being faithful enough. This will no doubt be reinforced on "Book Report Sunday" after the Conference issue of the Ensign comes out.

I also anticipate more talks about sins being committed by members. This will help your average rank and file TBM assume that anyone who goes inactive or *gasp* resigns is under the spell of Stan and generally a weak, disappointing person. The spin machine will be in full effect, but maybe not necessarily in obvious ways.

They'll say what they always say.... lots of platitudinous

meaningless crap speak that sounds good to them but actually

means nothing. Nothing new or interesting has ever been

spoken at general conference.

"They" will lose their shit and continue to threaten their believing members.
Example: "Don't you dare bail! I'm so furious with people that leave this church!
"Where will you go."

They say that they have many opportunities serve (translation: toilet cleaning."
They'll even go as far as to tell why their church is better than "those other churches" (like my former home teacher did).
They'll claim that you'll never be as happy without the church as you were in it. That you will miss out on many wonderful blessing.

Oh, and paddy-cake and taffy pulling.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2017 01:47PM by severedpuppetstrings.

"Elder smithyoungcannonhinkley has warned us to avoid ....... Yada Yada Yada .Amen . All they do now is quote old or dead GAs and it is more boring than ever.The onference voice has always annoyed thhe living shit out of me . it put my faithful parents asleep by about 38 minutes into it.

I don't see things rapidly falling apart where I live. A new stake center was built less than 5 years ago. I don't think they'll ever die. Just continually reinvent themselves. Lie about church history, change doctrine, isolate more, and give members an even bigger guilt trip.

I doubt that TSM will speak, perhaps not attend.

To Me, it's a crime that they don't-won't let someone of advanced age or diminished abilities retire, go inactive "emeritus' status, they let the illusion of leadership edge-out time, precious time,that children, grand-children, wives & others might cherish.

LDS Inc KNOWS NO SHAME for their policies and-or practices.

Nothing improves one's faith in ghawd more than knowing he picks prophets who spend months, or even years, being incapable of communicating with the faithful.

It's probably some kind of test...

I almost forgot, they'll be saying Lard alot, so as not to

dissapoint. So it'll be Lard and supernal and moisture.

Nothing will be said about recreation outside the Morg Boundaries, leaving the distinct impression among TBMs that there is NONE.

The benefits of healthy,'chaste' nudism?
Nope!