Several weeks ago on the church website Dusty Rusty and Captain Cook were interviewed. Dusty Rusty said at next conference changes are coming as well as announcements of new temples. Then yesterday on a different site someone posted that these changes may affect auxiliary organizations. An Elders q president was told not to get too comfortable in his new position by his Bishop. I think this was in Utah close to top leadership people. So may have some validity. It was also suggested that there will be more stuff done at home as church becomes more home gospel
Centered.

Do we need more temple announcements right now?

Here is problem. As church becomes more gospel centered people are feeling and becoming more isolated. How much of the Church is made up of single parents, single sisters and brothers vs whole families, mother, dad, kids and the pets? It’s hard to feel part of a group sitting alone in your house.

In my ward and stakes in Edmonton, it looks like zombie land on Sundays. People look like the walking dead vs other outside groups I associate with. The passion I saw years ago has gone and left their faces and bodies. I see this as getting worse in Church over past year. I know members say Dusty Rusty is the prophet but I think they are having some real issues as he takes the church as they know it apart piece by piece. Yesterday at BYU was a real example of corrupt use of position and power.

Any comments.

SEcular Priest Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Any comments.

My wife chose work over church last Sunday to accommodate a coworker. I'd say she isn't feeling the spirit like usual.

Dusty and his light pen have made the now ministered by media, Home-Centered, Christus-Centered church worse for empty nesters like my wife. She doesn't know many people at church and the isolation is getting worse. Yeah!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/2019 11:59AM by Elder Berry.

Don't worry. Rusty is probably like my 18 mo grandson. He also has several changes a day. Rusty is probably getting more diaper changes than he ever imagined at his age.

I'm hoping for a half dozen new temples in Utah. There aren't enough.

Do you realize there's not **one single temple** between Cedar City and Manti? None! And nothing in western or east-central Utah! There's a YUUUUUUGE untapped market just waiting to be [fleeced] served!

Personally, I'm pulling for Delta, Milford, Wendover, and especially Beaver. Imagine the Beaver Temple, renowned for the thick bushes around its front doors, and the smiling statue of Joseph Smith gesturing toward the entrance!

I love to see the beaver temple, I'm going in their some day, to feel the horny spirit, to list about and to prey...

WIN!

Leave it to Beaver

Are there any hot springs?
“Beaver - A great place to soak.”

Just imagine the possibilities:

"Ward, you were a little hard on the Beaver last night."

If they put a temple in Wendover, they should have slot machines inside. It would be a way of increasing tithing.

"Do you sell your tokens for money?"

"Well, 'sell' is not the right word. I'd say, I 'exchange' them for money, if I have any left over."

-------

Some gambling involving Celestial Kingdom assets could be fun too. Treasure in Heaven (TIH) would be the standard unit, like poker chips.

"I'll see your 5 TIHs and raise you 10 TIHs."

Now I know that you are a true messenger sent down from Father.

My boyfriend wants to go see the "Big Boy" locomotive that is traveling through Utah again October 1st to 5th. Modena is its last stop. It is a ghost town. Put a temple there.

We're going there as he doesn't have to take a day off, take a little road trip. Haven't been on a vacation for a year.

They are building more temples, but the people are supposed to have the gospel more home oriented--HUH?

The more I see and hear Rusty, the more he looks like stan.

The Big Boy is cool. It shakes the ground when it goes by. Saw it in Ogden.

I think what Russ means by home centered church is there will be less emphasis on fun activities and recreation and a focus on the temple instead. The meetinghouse will play a smaller role than it did in the past and members will be expected to attend the temple more.

The church has figured out entertaining the members diesn’t make them more active as far as long term retention and tithing are concerned. The church wants to put the focus on keeping temple recommends because that generates the revenue.

So it will be more of sacrament meeting and interviews with your Elders Quorum and Relief Society presidencies to see how your ministering is going and RS and EQ will be a follow up on how your home study is going. How your temple attendance is going will probably be added.

Oh it’s a home based church but you are going to be interviewed on how your home based church is going and how your temple attendance is going. Ha! Ha! In other words the church wants to inject itself into your home life.

the EXIT sign.

The activities were a huge part of what made the church a great place to be, back in the day. I loved the fact that there could be parties without cigarette pollution, somebody hitting the booze too hard and tossing their cookies all over the bathroom, or careless people putting their drink glasses on your wooden furniture, not bothering to look for coasters.

I'd been through all of that as a "corporate wife" in my first marriage, and I deeply resented it.

In my first ward, parties were a get-together of people who genuinely enjoyed each other's company, and had fun without playing little power-trippy games. Or maybe I hadn't yet learned where to look.

And I’m wondering what now replaces the fun stuff we used to do??

Yes exactly. The mormon “church” as it is today probably wouldn’t have kept me as a new member, nor enticed me as a convert. The whole religion is sounding more and more like the temple: boring, cult-like, absent of life, whitewashed and colourless, and so quiet it is deafening.

Compare this to twenty years ago: At a ward party my friends and I dressed up as the Spice Girls and danced and mimed on stage. It was hilarious for everyone. Do they still do ward parties? What about the (relatively lifeless) Halloween car boot candy exchange parties? YSA church dances too - do they still do those? These were Huge deal in the UK and I welcomed the fun minus the alcoholic drink. I remember random people breakdancing on the floor and nineties style hip hop dancing to the Backstreet Boys. We would sometimes attend church the next day on no sleep as these dances went on until midnight. In a stake centre.

How are they now expecting YSA to socialise and get married in places outside of Utah? What are they doing instead? Just Institute???!

These are my only good memories of mormondoom.

I can’t see how they will get new members if it is all like the temple and all about the temple. I’d never have joined had I known all about that and if the church had been a lifeless place with few meetings. I was a young single mother and I needed the community spirit (such as it was and that didn’t last for me).

I haven't been to a Mormon social event in several years. However, when I was attending them I noticed that the events became more and more like nursing home holiday entertainment events. The younger people left the building ASAP!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvWfbIe4X_4


A Classic!

The Beaver temple would have big thick bushes if it were built in the 70’s. A modern temple would be bare or have a small Bush. Since the church is ran by men the spire will be big and tall.

I don't mean to hi-jack this thread, but all this speculation about temple building between Manti and Cedar City got me taking a geography lesson on the maps. Somehow I ended up up at Chicken Creek Reservoir near Levan on route 78. I stumbled onto this bizarre scene.

NSFW Warning

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.4914092,-111.966553,3a,15.1y,354.88h,83.64t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSqjEnZt4YekabrX-BPbxyg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Maybe somebody was interrupted by the google camera car or wanted to moon the traffic. Who knows?

What the heck IS that? Bathroom break? I'm trying to figure out what's up with the anatomy with the guy on the right.

Cameras are everywhere. You never know what they might capture nowadays. Even from Levan.

A fun time in Utah.

That’s some nasty old ass.

Please tell me The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals didn't legalize THAT in Utah did they?

https://kutv.com/news/local/women-can-now-legally-go-topless-in-utah-5-other-states-after-federal-ruling

One sad thing about "major announcements" is that when they turn out to be not-so-major, TBM's will still be all agog about them, because as my wife likes to point out when daughter comes home and regales us with the latest hissy fit power play at our small town community theater: "When the stakes are so small, the battles are so much bigger."

In other words, TBM's have such a small world view, in such a controlled environment, that a slight tweak is a big deal. And Rusty keeps tinkering with little bullshit things here and there that they HAVE to react like he's a prophet of God or something....

Ironically, their major announcements of recent years can't hold a candle to other changes they make behind their public scenes like editing their scriptures, policies, hell, making an announcement that all members should have lighted pens and pads next to their beds would be the biggest GC news for over 100 years probably.

Everything these "wizards" do that is significant is behind their curtains.

The church likes to hint that changes are coming during GC, but the reality is that the official changes come a few weeks before and after GC via their press conferences. Also, they plan a satellite "fireside" that targets a particular audience.

We know that the church is ending its relationship with scouting. We should be hearing about a new ym/yw program to take its place.

How about a (Mc) Temple within sight of the MMM Monument?

Maybe that would distract 'the faithful' from learning about the MMM & questioning history & leaders (BY).


Honestly, folks: When did or when will mormons Hype loose its impact value?

Latest Mormon 'Particle of Faith': There is NO SUCH THING AS A 'LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS' at least as to Russ Announcements.

this over-use of hype is both sad & pitiful to observe.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/2019 11:47PM by GNPE.

Have those who died at the hands of mormon mountain meadows massacre had their 'work' done for them?

Are there any faith-promoting tales about a descendant of one of the killers doing temple work for a murder victim and then having a dream where the victim forgives and thanks the descendant? My, wouldn't that be a wonderful, heartwarming story to share at a fireside!

I think all this temple building is going to result in diminishing returns. I think many members enjoy looking at a lit up temple and take some pride in it but most I know do not like to attend the temple. I even heard a stake president’s wife complain about how boring the endowment is.

I think people enjoy sealings. I think the kids enjoy getting dunked in the cool looking font. The endowment is hated and so is initiatory.

I guess the church will continue to change things in the temple. They always have.

The thing is people are going to get burnt out on the temple and it’s going to lose it’s special vibe. The temple really could become a white elephant with too many and increased pressure to go.

They pulled me aside because someone didn't show up and sent my husband on to the session. I was sealed over and over again to some weird guy that was acting like I was the love of his life. It was really horrible. That was the last time I went to the temple.

Crazy.

I am so excited, but unfortunately it's organ donation day down at the hospital that day and will have to miss "Revelation Rusty." I am thinking he and Jesus have decided that they announce new plans for a Mall in St George.

Church = community

and

Community = really the only reason why they go to church.

Maybe they're going to save a lot by reducing expenditures related to building and maintaining chapels/meetinghouses, but in the long run if they go much further in turning Mormonism into a a set of do-it-yourself-at-home activities, it's going to be the end of the church.

Maybe that's what the leaders want. A slow phase out. While the members are isolated and many are losing interest, they won't notice as a few elite men over a period of a couple of decades divert and convert all of the valuable church-owned property into elite-owned property. A new form of "conversion" commanded by G.O.D. (gold, oil, diamonds) and C.H.R.I.S.T. (Cash, Housing, Royalties, Interest, Securities, T-bills).

The last sincere TBMs will be discovered 50 years from now, squinting as they emerge from their basement (like Japanese soldiers discovered in the 1960s in caves on Pacific islands who thought the war was still on). They will be shocked to find out that their prophet, "President Foggbutt" is not even a real person, but was an actor paid to read "conference talks" and that all of the church magazines they had received for the last 30 years were produced by a small publishing arm of Amazon pursuant to a long-term contract entered into with "The Brethren Holding Company" just before the last piece of valuable real estate once owned by the church was transferred into private ownership.

Heh, heh. Good post.

The church gets around $6 billion in tithing a year. They know meetinghouses don’t generate that cash flow, temples do. Temples equal $$$$$.

Ha-ha-Ha-ha-ha!!

Wally Prince--you are a prince!

'IF' these suggested changes are so important, why aren't they implemented immediately?

Sheesh, Mormons, how do YOU spell H Y P E?

"...at BYU was a real example of corrupt use of position and power."

How so?

nonmo_1 Wrote:
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> "...at BYU was a real example of corrupt use of
> position and power."
>
> How so?


The full sentence from which you extracted your quote reads, "Yesterday at BYU was a real example of corrupt use of position and power."

Thus we know he was speaking of the 9/17 talk at 11:10a.m. when all the youth of the church were supposed to be tuned in to hear precious truths.

I believe that the abuse of position and power refers to the head of the church using the 'every Tuesday at 11:10 a.m.' devotional to browbeat what amounts to a captive audience. And the message was a bit of a putrid mess.

"Truth is truth!"

Yeah, let that message ring out to all the land. Metaphysics and shifting sand are not Truth.

That was Apostle Neil A. Maxwell's claim in his book "Things As They Really Are."

Basically, his thesis and the "truth is truth" message are ways of putting skeptics on the defensive.

"Well, obviously, you just don't want to accept things as they really are because you're some kind of denier who finds it too difficult to make the necessary changes."

It's a fancy way of sidestepping the real issue, namely whether Joseph Smith's or Brigham Young's or Maxwell's or Nelson's or Bednar's claims and assertions about what reality is (what things really are) have in any way been proven beyond reasonable doubt to be correct and accurate.

Of course, the answer is no. The claims and assertions made by the Mormon leaders have not even been proven by a preponderance of evidence, let alone beyond a reasonable doubt.

So to divert attention away from this central issue, they subtly re-frame the conversation, so that the issue is how to help cure you of your wrongheaded doubts and skepticism. The conversation is now all about you and the difficulties you seem to have in accepting truth and reality. Have you prayed enough? Are you worthy to get confirmation from the Holy Ghost? Are you letting a rebellious spirit prevent you from seeing the truth that is truth and things as they really are? It's just taken as a given that what the Mormon leaders are saying now are settled and undeniable truth, the only issue is whether you can be cured of your irrational defiance of the truth.

"God says that you must give me 25% of your monthly income because I have been called by God to use that money for a certain special mission that has been assigned to me. What? You don't believe it? Don't you know that truth is truth? Do realize how dangerous it is for you to continue to deny things as they really are?"

Don’t forget the profound concept put forward by the president of the quorum of 12 apostles even what’s his name sometimes the truth is not that useful.