I know it’s not for everyone, but do any of you do church even though you know it’s all made up? I imagine it would be like meeting with people who really believe in Santa. You could just humor them for the sake of interesting conversation.

I find it quite difficult at times. There are some people in my branch I genuinely like, and so the Sundays I attend are a nice opportunity to say hello. But otherwise it is a bit difficult.

Interestingly, just recently a member of our branch presidency and very long time member of the branch, moved out of boundaries. Within two weeks we found out he was divorcing his wife and had resigned from the church. Our previous branch president had also left the church immediately after being released as branch president. A few weeks ago my wife was visiting a good friend who knew both of these men and their families, as well as many others in our branch and stake. This friend has also left the church. Apparently my wife's friend has heard in the local ex-mormon community that many in our stake leadership no longer believe either, and only attend out of a sense of obligation. Many of them apparently are saying they plan to formally resign as soon as they are released as well. I am fortunate in that I have no callings and work prevents me from attending no more than about once per month. So outside of two hours per week, I don't really have to deal with the church. But my guess is there is a pretty large number of people you see in church on Sunday are no longer believing members and are only attending for other reasons. My wife only wants to attend because she has some very good friends she likes to visit with on Sundays.

My sense is that it’s a social club. But I don’t think everyone has to circle the drain just because of church policy. A maverick bishopric could fight that and have some leeway just because it’s hard to find replacements.

I went to my first Catholic mass yesterday. It was surprisingly similar to an LDS service. Sure it’s made up, but so what? I figured out I could people watch. There’s nothing like being around people who love God, whichever way they do it. The Catholics make it easy, maybe too easy. Maybe Mormon busy work has a point, but of course the magic is gone when the jig is up.

There’s also Mormonism’s rule fetish, a holdover from the mid 20th century. It eclipses things that actually matter, like a personal relationship with God. That’s supposed to be religion’s main value proposition, at least in the West. Love God and love each other. Mormons could do that, so why don’t they?

I think because Mormonism is a prosperity religion. Think of rats in a lab experiment pushing buttons for food pellets. Sounds a bit like my day job, actually. It becomes all about the reward.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/18/2019 06:13AM by babyloncansuckit.

"I went to my first Catholic mass yesterday. It was surprisingly similar to an LDS service. Sure it’s made up, but so what? I figured out I could people watch. There’s nothing like being around people who love God, whichever way they do it. The Catholics make it easy, maybe too easy. Maybe Mormon busy work has a point, but of course the magic is gone when the jig is up."

I'm going to have to disagree with you. I have been to RC masses, but rhey are quite differences. Some major differences from SM include:

* Talks - RC sermons always struck me as short.
* Scripture reading. (Long sections out loud.)
* Bells and smells - if you go to a traditional mass, you'll experience incense swirling around, little bells being rung, maybe even some Latin. Catholic ritual is much more complex than Mormon (at least outside the temple.)
* There is also a much clearer divide between clergy and congregation - the sacerdotal robes.
* Artwork - that is a whole discussion in itself. Could include the altar etc in that.

Please don't take your one Catholic mass to be representative of the whole. There is a big variety. I haven't been to a huge number, but I have seen very different ones. One I went to was entirely in Latin, except for the sermon. Another I went to involved guitars and modern songs, and was more like some Protestant meetings.

My girlfriend comes from a Catholic family, although I'm not sure if she is really that devout. In order to try and understand her better, I've attended various services in the past.

As I said in another thread. Many of them are LARPing. Who can tell how many? Some are better actors than others.

Jordan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As I said in another thread. Many of them are
> LARPing. Who can tell how many? Some are better
> actors than others.

Forgive my ignorance...what is "LARPing"?

alsd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jordan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > As I said in another thread. Many of them are
> > LARPing. Who can tell how many? Some are better
> > actors than others.
>
> Forgive my ignorance...what is "LARPing"?

Live Action Role Playing

it's when people who take games like Dungeons and Dragons to another level. rather than play with dice and paper score sheets, they dress up like knights or wizards and run around a city park 'battling' each other.

LARPing is used semi-sarcastically to describe aspects of Mormon culture. such as people who take a long weekend to dress up like pioneers and pull handcarts through a stretch of desert outside Panguitch. or people who don't believe in Mormonism but continue to go through the motions.

I'd like to point out that I did not write the reply above, although Hwint's summary is correct. (I have to point this out as at least one poster thinks we are the same person.)

In my case, I just hope you are.

elderolddog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In my case, I just hope you are.

That's your problem, not mine.