Is this something that is going on in random wards/stakes? I was always under the impression that these classes were only or mainly on non-LDS college campus locations for the mormons who were attending those schools. I know we had an institute building which also served as our ward when I went to college at the non-mormon school in Idaho.

However, I have relatives who are long retired and attending every week at a local ward in Utah County. The course of study is the BoA of all things and they seem to be over the moon with what they are "learning" Good grief.

I went to some institute classes (as a convert), I was just trying to learn a bit more about all this confusing stuff.

The classes were held one evening per week at the Stake Center. There was one Senior Missionary couple who attended, and a middle-aged teacher. Everyone else were teenagers who were either prepping for going on a mission, or had just returned from a mission.

The teacher was very flabbergasted that I came. She let me know in subtle ways (such as not ever adding me to the class notification email, so I would come sometimes even though she had cancelled class in advance) that she wished I weren't there.

It was interesting the times I went, essentially like SS but a little more relaxed. Much more interactive with lots of questions. However, that could have just been the teacher's style.

I had, just like SS, attended because I had been told it was a 'Bible Study" group. Of course there was no mention at all ever of the Bible.

One class was oriented towards finding an 'eternal companion' or whatever it was they called marriage. The teacher asked for qualifications for someone to be your eternal person. The very first thing on the list was to be an RM.

So, looked like converts weren't in the Plan anywhere. Unfortunately it took me a while and also coming to RfM to figure out just how 'untouchable' I was in Church hierarchy, as a lowly little convert.

Thanks, again, to CL2, for posting that list of where we all stood. :)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2019 03:26PM by mel.

was over at the church one Tuesday morning. I thought she was at the exercise class. I was walking my dogs. She told me that she and a few other ladies meet for a scripture study class of some sort. I don't remember what scriptures. I thought that was interesting. I guess if they meet at the church it isn't like the old study groups they banned some years ago.

How strange that study groups were banned, CL. Did anyone know why?

One of these days I’m going to start a topic with that list you posted, CL, from the ex-Bishop. It really told it how it is!!! Hilarious but sad.

things were getting out of hand. Some group were performing the true order of prayer, etc., as per my SIL and BIL who were in a study group. This was in the 1990s or late 1980s I believe. The church didn't have control of the people in study groups.

Interesting. After looking this up in wikipedia it states the church discontinued them in 1978. How funny that the church had to control how people prayed and control it.

Actually, the true order of prayer (along with some other seriously messed up stuff) was still part of the endowment until 1990.

I know all too well. I spent way too much time in the prayer circle reciting vain repetitions.

The church stopped independent study groups because they couldn't correlate what was being discussed. Some of those groups started discussing the deeper doctrines of the church (such as polygamy) that the brethren didn't want people talking about.

Some of these groups then split off and became apostate groups. Some of them became polygamous also. The church decided that since they couldn't control what was being discussed, it was less risky for them to just try to prohibit them.

I attended an institute class put on by our stake when I was back for summer break while I was a BYU student. The dude teaching it sermonized about how we needed to have prayer in public schools...I never went back. I was beginning to drift from orthodoxy a bit, but still pretty TBM BYU student--but that was too much.

I was like, Mr. teacher man what if you lived in a neighborhood in Dearborn, MI with mostly Muslim students in the public school--are your kids going to get down on their knees and turn east? Doubt it.

If I wanted to hear that kind of thoughtless Shiz I could have just listened to am talk radio.