When guys like Ezra Taft Benson ran the church they didn't give a damn if people though the church was peculiar. It was the true church and we are going to continue no matter what anyone else thinks!

When Gordon B Hinckley took over he began doing public interviews. He started meeting with influential people around the world. He would say "I don't know that we teach that." Of course inside the church it was being taught but starting with Gordon the church began to beg to influential institutions and people to be accepted as normal while trying to keep the old peculiar doctrine.

This trend has continued. In fact it's gotten worse. Jeffery Holland is running around talking at prestigious institutions like Oxford and Harvard. Russell M Nelson just met the pope. In fact he really praised a pope the catholics can't even stand. He looked like a fool doing so.

The leaders showboat and look like fools but the church members are still expected to obey the strange church doctrines.

What's it going to be? Either the church goes mainstream and dumps Joseph Smith and all that 19th century weirdness or is keeps it and stays isolationist. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

In short, the church is lost. The big question is, how much of the main base of the church will continue in step when the leaders seem to contradict church teachings, church protocol and seem so spineless.

...two BIL's (Bishopric, High Council), told me that they understand the Church is "rebranding", but don't understand why. If this idea is widespread, then there is a real concern at the BP/SP level that cracks are erupting at an alarming rate....stand by for more "revelations" as Mgm't tries to contain and manage the bilge pumps.

Grab the popcorn, this is going to be entertaining to watch LD$ Inc. bend and sway in the wind, attempting to appease the masses from leaving.

Who says Catholics can't stand the pope? That is true of some conservatives but he is pretty popular with others even if they don't agree with everything. I agree with your other points.

As a Catholic convert I would say Catholics of all stripes believe Francis has mismanaged the abuse crisis. And he muddles everything confusing us as to what he believes.

You are likely to be sent into a tizzy.

If they change too much,too quickly, they’ll alienate the older, stalwart members (who pay a lot of tithing). If they change too slowly, they’ll lose a huge portion of the younger members before they get a chance to get a lot of tithing from them. If they walk the tightrope, they’ll lose some of both the older and younger members, and slowly keep shrinking.

You got it. It's "the chickens have come home to roost".
To keep up their MLM pyramid scheme, they have to branch out. But, outside of Utah, their heavy handed tactics don't work. Their global temple construction is only for the top guys to financially benefit. It has nothing to do with church growth. The internet is killing the mormon church.

Given what I heard preached at my cousin's funeral last Saturday the message was still obey, obey, obey, etc., etc. And the dude at the pulpit didn't give an inch on not deviating from the doctrine.

Obey their apparently whimsical edicts, if Nelson’s reforms are any guide. Maybe the Mormon uniform should include a propeller beanie.

babyloncansuckit Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Maybe the Mormon
> uniform should include a propeller beanie.


You just gave me a Brilliant Idea, bby;


just for you, You can get in on the ground floor for a mere $100k;


No personal checks, but a wire transfer will do!

My assessment may be too hopeful, but I think there is a huge number of red flags that are shouting MayDay, MayDay.

The very latest in the church's newspaper, the astounding quick new LBGTQ revelation undoing the old one given in 2015, left my jaws gaping along with the Church's coming out with, let's see, 12 revealing essays, the chocolate brown seer stone taken out of hiding, and talks and rescues revealing much ado about something.

I think this MormonCult is indeed walking a tightrope.......and I am loving watching the circus act it is participating in from the sidelines. I think the elderly lions in the 15 member Lion Act are showing they are pretty damn nervous.

Pass the Circus Peanuts please.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/04/2019 06:23PM by presleynfactsrock.

I think that going too mainstream would be a mistake. The peculiarities are what make the Mormon church unique. But I do think that the church needs to throw out correlation. Let people individualize their lessons to best suit their wards.

Young people don't want women and gays to be treated as second class citizens. A good start would be to cut the priesthood leash from the Relief Society. Let the women run their own meetings as they see fit. Not everything has to have a gospel purpose. Let the RS do their own fundraising. Give the women more autonomy. While they are at it, make sure that the YW have equal funding to the YM. And let that be *generous* funding. IMO the Mormon church *must* start returning more money to the wards for activities. Activities are the glue that hold a church community together. A fun church is a church that people want to attend.

The church also needs to cut back on ex-ing members. If you ex a member that person is most likely not coming back.

Intrusive youth interviews need to go. The Millennials are not going to put up with that when it comes to their children.

Make at least some missions shorter -- down to one year for domestic (same language) missions. Keep the two year mission for international missions but give young people some choice about where to serve.

Young people also need inspiration. They need something to believe in. Make genuine service a strong part of missions, and a strong part of the church. As a church, make a commitment to help solve one of the world's significant problems -- i.e. clean water for Africa, the eradication of a major disease, or the boosting of a poor economy through investment and micro-loans.

Well, that's what I would do if I were trying to grow the church and make it relevant for the 21st century. But I'm not the one whispering to Rusty in the dark of the night.

+100000000000000000


didn't russ say "eat your vitamins" its going to be exciting?

ETB was a take no prisoners type as he lived in his own little kingdom. We were all proud to be peculiar. Even my bishop father starting to consider the John Birch Society.

Hinckley knew that there was another side to the story and so tried to straddle. We were like, Huh? But hey, he's the prophet. He knows whats best!

Monson just wanted to be liked. And revered. And esteemed.

But Nelson? I get it. He has to please the old stalwarts who always obey without question and still retain the young who reject bigotry and want reasons to obey. So, walking a tightrope? I think it's more like weaving all over the freeway while going the wrong way intoxicated with his own self importance.

Hinckley dramatically watered down iron clad MORmON doctUrine in the interest of a bigger MORmON tent. after all, the guy did NOT actually believe a whit of original MORmON doctUrine.

Statistically, the church will have all-black leadership in the year 2730.

It took 31 years to install the first.

Extrapolate.

https://kslnewsradio.com/1903644/1903644/

Nelson doesn't have to walk any tightrope that he doesn't want to walk. He could simply get up in general conference and say "thus saith the lord...." and then make any radical changes in the church he wants. He could apologize to the world for past bigotry. He could do literally anything he wants to do when it comes to policy changes. As the president of the Corporation, the law would back him up. They wouldn't cut off his microphone and if they did, there would be an instant fracture in the church. Then when he is done saying what he says, let the pieces land where they may, and move forward.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2019 11:58AM by azsteve.

Older members might be pissed with the changes, but most aren't really going to go anywhere else. They are pretty much invested and locked in (with a few exceptions like some we see here).


So, the church might as well risk offending the old farts and cater to the young.


To me, it's kind of like politics. They (the main political parties) have their solid base folks who are the die-hards who don't want compromise. The church has to cater to "moderates" to win because really, where else is the base supposed to go?