Recovery Board
: RfM
Recovery from Mormonism (RfM) discussion forum.
I liked a lot of the changes the church made to the YW theme. I'm out of it now, but I sisters still in, and I feel like this theme is a much more loving and accessible message for them to grow up with than the old theme that seemed... Aggressive. I also like the mention of Heavenly Parents; as a girl, Heavenly Mother was a great comfort to me, and I think it's good for such an important figure not to be forgotten about.
The new YM theme, however, does not mention Heavenly Parents. The Young Men are sons of God and God only. Does anyone have any opinions as to why they wouldn't keep this consistent between the genders? Are they just pandering to the girls like me holding on to the fact that there's a Heavenly Mother, too? That women can be important, too? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
The new YM theme, however, does not mention Heavenly Parents. The Young Men are sons of God and God only. Does anyone have any opinions as to why they wouldn't keep this consistent between the genders? Are they just pandering to the girls like me holding on to the fact that there's a Heavenly Mother, too? That women can be important, too? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Three theories: one, the idea that any woman outranks them in the Celestial hierarchy, even a goddess who is mentioned rather rarely and plays no salvific role outside of soul creation, is too threatening to their worldview. If there is greater awareness of the Eve-Goddess to go along with Adam-God, then oops, suddenly the mortal women of the ward are more clearly "pre-goddesses" in rank who will eventually outrank future mortal men, so it wouldn't do to marginalize them, deny them any administrative power and a voice in policy, or fence in their rights over their bodies and sexuality, would it?
Or it's fear of starting a Mary fixation...Catholic friends have told me the intentions, especially the strong mercy message, of their HM are influential and can be a legitimate power base to push back against some of the more authoritarian factions of the church. The Morg doesn't want any dang wumman, even a divine one, sharing power with the Big 15.
Or it's Boyd Packer-like twisted prudery and nobody wants young fellas cracking jokes about HM's cup size. We certainly can't have crude youthful irreverent humor taking hold, it might light the boiler in someone's little factory, after all.
Or it's fear of starting a Mary fixation...Catholic friends have told me the intentions, especially the strong mercy message, of their HM are influential and can be a legitimate power base to push back against some of the more authoritarian factions of the church. The Morg doesn't want any dang wumman, even a divine one, sharing power with the Big 15.
Or it's Boyd Packer-like twisted prudery and nobody wants young fellas cracking jokes about HM's cup size. We certainly can't have crude youthful irreverent humor taking hold, it might light the boiler in someone's little factory, after all.
It must be really scary to give the power of God to teenage boys that you have no trust in whatsoever. The girls get no power but all the responsibility. Weird...(heavy sarcasm)
Mormonism was an early suffragist group of people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_women%27s_suffrage
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_Mayer,_The_Awakening,_1915_Cornell_CUL_PJM_1176_01_-_Restoration.jpg
But their attitudes towards women have always made them second class citizens with the right to vote temporally and not "spiritually" in church quorums.
http://www.mormonthink.com/QUOTES/women.htm
The only way I see this being is that Mormon leaders use people and especially women to further their power but never want to share it with women.
It is very 19th Century and I don't think they want to change regardless of the times.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_women%27s_suffrage
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_Mayer,_The_Awakening,_1915_Cornell_CUL_PJM_1176_01_-_Restoration.jpg
But their attitudes towards women have always made them second class citizens with the right to vote temporally and not "spiritually" in church quorums.
http://www.mormonthink.com/QUOTES/women.htm
The only way I see this being is that Mormon leaders use people and especially women to further their power but never want to share it with women.
It is very 19th Century and I don't think they want to change regardless of the times.
Yes, I agree. They did embrace suffrage early, but it also waxed and waned around cult political whims. It was granted and taken away a few times iirc, and was used as a carrot or stick as polygamy and statehood interests were tussling around. It was more about voting numbers and clout than it ever was about women being regarded as something more than a natural resource. I don't know how balloting was done but I'm assuming the ladies were counselled on who to vote for.
While I think it's good in one way that the YW are being allowed to contemplate HM, I think that it's still a total tool of the patriarchal cult mindset. She is just Heavenly MOTHER and they will continue to hammer motherhood as the be-all, end-all eternal female role and the only great thing worth aspiring to. HF has many attributes. Mastermind, Shepherd, Stern Judge, Kindly Giver, Protector, All Seeing Eye, Still Small Voice, etc. They won't let the girls think of HM as Heavenly Healer, Artist, Arbiter, Warrior, Holy Inspiration, Omnibenevolent Guide, etc.
It might be nice for the girls to have a feeling of connection to feminine divinity (better than Elizabeth Smart felt being called a licked cupcake for sure) but the cult will always keep them aware that the best they can hope for is being one of many in the second position and there is no point wasting time in this life doing other than what they will do for all eternity.
While I think it's good in one way that the YW are being allowed to contemplate HM, I think that it's still a total tool of the patriarchal cult mindset. She is just Heavenly MOTHER and they will continue to hammer motherhood as the be-all, end-all eternal female role and the only great thing worth aspiring to. HF has many attributes. Mastermind, Shepherd, Stern Judge, Kindly Giver, Protector, All Seeing Eye, Still Small Voice, etc. They won't let the girls think of HM as Heavenly Healer, Artist, Arbiter, Warrior, Holy Inspiration, Omnibenevolent Guide, etc.
It might be nice for the girls to have a feeling of connection to feminine divinity (better than Elizabeth Smart felt being called a licked cupcake for sure) but the cult will always keep them aware that the best they can hope for is being one of many in the second position and there is no point wasting time in this life doing other than what they will do for all eternity.
ptbarnum Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It might be nice for the girls to have a feeling
> of connection to feminine divinity (better than
> Elizabeth Smart felt being called a licked cupcake
> for sure) but the cult will always keep them aware
> that the best they can hope for is being one of
> many in the second position and there is no point
> wasting time in this life doing other than what
> they will do for all eternity.
IT should be essential. This is why a pantheon is better than a patriarchy. At least in the realm of appealing to something outside of themselves women can relate better to a goddess. But that isn't how people want it. They want one male god in their pastoral derived deities of "monotheism." One god to rule us all. To protect us with their bulging priesthoods.
-------------------------------------------------------
> It might be nice for the girls to have a feeling
> of connection to feminine divinity (better than
> Elizabeth Smart felt being called a licked cupcake
> for sure) but the cult will always keep them aware
> that the best they can hope for is being one of
> many in the second position and there is no point
> wasting time in this life doing other than what
> they will do for all eternity.
IT should be essential. This is why a pantheon is better than a patriarchy. At least in the realm of appealing to something outside of themselves women can relate better to a goddess. But that isn't how people want it. They want one male god in their pastoral derived deities of "monotheism." One god to rule us all. To protect us with their bulging priesthoods.
The current Mormon worldview, which they seem bond and determined to maintain, in spite of cultural changes in the world, is that a woman will never ever be in a position of authority over any post-pubescent male. Period.
Women can be in a position of authority over other women, or over children, but not any group that includes males over the age of 12.
This of course flies in the face of the experiences young men and women are going to have in the world of work, where their managers are likely to be women. This is particularly true in entry level jobs (fast food places and the like).
This of course makes it difficult for female managers in Mormon-heavy regions, because their employees "know", at least subliminally, that women are never supposed to really be in charge of men, and they will behave accordingly.
The new YW theme is a major concession on the part of the Q15, which tells me they are alarmed at how many young women they are losing. They have previously resisted any mention of MIH for decades now. Nobody makes a major concession without being in a situation where not making the concession is an even worse alternative.
But, as noted above, they are not yet willing to tell young men that there are women in the universe who outrank them.
I have long speculated that as wards shrink, LDS Inc will eventually have to open some ward callings to women, because their hatred of giving women any position that only men had been eligible for in the past will be superseded by their hatred of closing wards for lack of leadership, making it obvious that they are shrinking.
I expect that ward positions that are strictly administrative positions will be the first opened to women - various ward clerk callings. They may be allowed to be counsellors in SS, and perhaps there will be a joint YW/YM presidency, though I expect a male would have to be president.
There have been tiny, though noticeable changes in recent years. I remember the goofy brouhaha over whether women should be allowed to offer prayers in Sacrament Meeting. The goofy part was that it seemed to vary depending on the time and place. Sometimes, they could offer neither opening nor closing prayer. Other times, they could do opening, or closing, but not the other. Somehow it Mattered Very Much that "the Priesthood" had to offer one of the prayers, but they had a tough time deciding which prayer it was that required a penis. The real problem of course was that it was a totally arbitrary decision, and they had a hard time remembering what arbitrary decision they had made, and their arbitrary excuse for making it.
Just in the last year, women will be allowed to serve as witnesses to temple ordinances. This is a position with no real authority over men, so it does not violate the Mormon dictum that no woman will ever be in a position of authority over any man.
So, progress is slowly being made. I can't help but think it is too little too late. Women are going to continue to notice that they are clearly second class citizens in Mormonism, and that is not true (or at least much less true) in the world at large, and many of them are not going to like the discrepancy.
Women can be in a position of authority over other women, or over children, but not any group that includes males over the age of 12.
This of course flies in the face of the experiences young men and women are going to have in the world of work, where their managers are likely to be women. This is particularly true in entry level jobs (fast food places and the like).
This of course makes it difficult for female managers in Mormon-heavy regions, because their employees "know", at least subliminally, that women are never supposed to really be in charge of men, and they will behave accordingly.
The new YW theme is a major concession on the part of the Q15, which tells me they are alarmed at how many young women they are losing. They have previously resisted any mention of MIH for decades now. Nobody makes a major concession without being in a situation where not making the concession is an even worse alternative.
But, as noted above, they are not yet willing to tell young men that there are women in the universe who outrank them.
I have long speculated that as wards shrink, LDS Inc will eventually have to open some ward callings to women, because their hatred of giving women any position that only men had been eligible for in the past will be superseded by their hatred of closing wards for lack of leadership, making it obvious that they are shrinking.
I expect that ward positions that are strictly administrative positions will be the first opened to women - various ward clerk callings. They may be allowed to be counsellors in SS, and perhaps there will be a joint YW/YM presidency, though I expect a male would have to be president.
There have been tiny, though noticeable changes in recent years. I remember the goofy brouhaha over whether women should be allowed to offer prayers in Sacrament Meeting. The goofy part was that it seemed to vary depending on the time and place. Sometimes, they could offer neither opening nor closing prayer. Other times, they could do opening, or closing, but not the other. Somehow it Mattered Very Much that "the Priesthood" had to offer one of the prayers, but they had a tough time deciding which prayer it was that required a penis. The real problem of course was that it was a totally arbitrary decision, and they had a hard time remembering what arbitrary decision they had made, and their arbitrary excuse for making it.
Just in the last year, women will be allowed to serve as witnesses to temple ordinances. This is a position with no real authority over men, so it does not violate the Mormon dictum that no woman will ever be in a position of authority over any man.
So, progress is slowly being made. I can't help but think it is too little too late. Women are going to continue to notice that they are clearly second class citizens in Mormonism, and that is not true (or at least much less true) in the world at large, and many of them are not going to like the discrepancy.
as my dad didn't put any importance on the priesthood. It was more a pain to be called to give blessings, etc.
I tend to think there is a jealousy about the fact that women carry the children. Having carried 2 babies at one time, it was my body that made these children. I think (well know considering the fact their father abandoned them for a while) that I am closer to my children and they need me more than they do their dad. But in reality, think about it, we have a power that they can never have and I know they even talk about it, but I'd rather be the mom. I spent almost 9 months with my 2 kids that their father never spent. I felt them kick the first time. Not him. It was just me and them. When my mother carried me, it was just my mother and I.
They have to make mother a figure that the kids don't need to respect like ripping a son from a mother to go on a mission. I see what it does to the mothers. Many of them lose the closeness they had with that child.
I'm just rambling here, but they must always put women down because I do believe they are envious of us.
I tend to think there is a jealousy about the fact that women carry the children. Having carried 2 babies at one time, it was my body that made these children. I think (well know considering the fact their father abandoned them for a while) that I am closer to my children and they need me more than they do their dad. But in reality, think about it, we have a power that they can never have and I know they even talk about it, but I'd rather be the mom. I spent almost 9 months with my 2 kids that their father never spent. I felt them kick the first time. Not him. It was just me and them. When my mother carried me, it was just my mother and I.
They have to make mother a figure that the kids don't need to respect like ripping a son from a mother to go on a mission. I see what it does to the mothers. Many of them lose the closeness they had with that child.
I'm just rambling here, but they must always put women down because I do believe they are envious of us.
cl2 Wrote:
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> I'm just rambling here, but they must always put
> women down because I do believe they are envious
> of us.
Priesthood compensating...
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> I'm just rambling here, but they must always put
> women down because I do believe they are envious
> of us.
Priesthood compensating...
Somebody state the theme!!
What does it say?
What does it say?
YW:
I am a beloved daughter of Heavenly Parents, with a divine nature and eternal destiny.
As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I strive to become like Him. I seek and act upon personal revelation and minister to others in His holy name.
I will stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places.
As I strive to qualify for exaltation, I cherish the gift of repentance and seek to improve each day. With faith, I will strengthen my home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, and receive the ordinances and blessings of the holy temple.
YM:
I am a beloved son of God, and He has a work for me to do.
With all my heart, might, mind, and strength, I will love God, keep my covenants, and use His priesthood to serve others, beginning in my own home.
As I strive to serve, exercise faith, repent, and improve each day, I will qualify to receive temple blessings and the enduring joy of the gospel.
I will prepare to become a diligent missionary, loyal husband, and loving father by being a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
I will help prepare the world for the Savior’s return by inviting all to come unto Christ and receive the blessings of His Atonement.
I am a beloved daughter of Heavenly Parents, with a divine nature and eternal destiny.
As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I strive to become like Him. I seek and act upon personal revelation and minister to others in His holy name.
I will stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places.
As I strive to qualify for exaltation, I cherish the gift of repentance and seek to improve each day. With faith, I will strengthen my home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, and receive the ordinances and blessings of the holy temple.
YM:
I am a beloved son of God, and He has a work for me to do.
With all my heart, might, mind, and strength, I will love God, keep my covenants, and use His priesthood to serve others, beginning in my own home.
As I strive to serve, exercise faith, repent, and improve each day, I will qualify to receive temple blessings and the enduring joy of the gospel.
I will prepare to become a diligent missionary, loyal husband, and loving father by being a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
I will help prepare the world for the Savior’s return by inviting all to come unto Christ and receive the blessings of His Atonement.
(1) Yes they are pandering to females to keep them focused on the importance of women in producing new spirits and making boys see themselves as "Son's of God" - They think, Jesus Christ - I must be important.
(2) Maybe the committees didn't talk with each other.
(2) Maybe the committees didn't talk with each other.
Personally I am uncomfortable with any oath where you swear obedience, both of these of course come from the concepts of thought control devised for the Hitler Jugend ....
"I swear: I will be faithful and obedient to the leader of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, to observe the law, and to conscientiously fulfill my official duties, so help me God."
"I swear: I will be faithful and obedient to the leader of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, to observe the law, and to conscientiously fulfill my official duties, so help me God."
I agree with Hedning.
It seems that not very many people on RFM see this, and think this new youth program is just fine.
It's late, and I won't go into my many reasons just yet, but this whole program makes me physically sick!
The oaths reek of fanaticism, and I take them as very aggressive. These kids are swearing to keep their whole household in line, and aid the cult in its control of their lives.
Lying and inventing hoax scriptures is one thing--but controlling how others live is way over the boundaries of decency and human rights. The cult has no business telling parents and children what to do. Mormonism has always tried to overrule parental authority--which is one of the main reasons I took my children out of there. I actually still believed the fake scriptures at the time, but the cult was invading our family in a very aggressive manner. Cult leaders were also physically abusing my children, and being verbally cruel to all of us, with gossip and rumors and threats.
The Mormons are raising some of the nastiest, most hostile, most hate-filled, most dysfunctional people on the planet. This is not a group that should set itself up as a guide for living. It's a cult of death.
The new program is teaching children to be self critical, turned inward, and always second-guessing themselves--and not in a good way. This will create even more self-loathing, chances to fail, more negative pressure. The message is that kids are not loved as they are, but are always being pressured to improve, do more, do better, get richer, to change, to force themselves into an impossible mold that fits no one (except a fictional Christ, who was perfect.)
Hell! Even the silliest college freshman is taught in Psych 101 that perfectionism is deadly!
These ignorant, brainwashed amateur "fix-its" had better leave my grandchildren alone! These kids are very happy, straight-A intelligent, busy with their sports, hobbies, and healthy outdoor activities. I don't want some sick cult messing with their head!
IN order to keep people paying them money, the cult leaders are trying too hard to be "needed", and it is the prime example of a "necessary evil."
Enough! Leave my kids alone!
It seems that not very many people on RFM see this, and think this new youth program is just fine.
It's late, and I won't go into my many reasons just yet, but this whole program makes me physically sick!
The oaths reek of fanaticism, and I take them as very aggressive. These kids are swearing to keep their whole household in line, and aid the cult in its control of their lives.
Lying and inventing hoax scriptures is one thing--but controlling how others live is way over the boundaries of decency and human rights. The cult has no business telling parents and children what to do. Mormonism has always tried to overrule parental authority--which is one of the main reasons I took my children out of there. I actually still believed the fake scriptures at the time, but the cult was invading our family in a very aggressive manner. Cult leaders were also physically abusing my children, and being verbally cruel to all of us, with gossip and rumors and threats.
The Mormons are raising some of the nastiest, most hostile, most hate-filled, most dysfunctional people on the planet. This is not a group that should set itself up as a guide for living. It's a cult of death.
The new program is teaching children to be self critical, turned inward, and always second-guessing themselves--and not in a good way. This will create even more self-loathing, chances to fail, more negative pressure. The message is that kids are not loved as they are, but are always being pressured to improve, do more, do better, get richer, to change, to force themselves into an impossible mold that fits no one (except a fictional Christ, who was perfect.)
Hell! Even the silliest college freshman is taught in Psych 101 that perfectionism is deadly!
These ignorant, brainwashed amateur "fix-its" had better leave my grandchildren alone! These kids are very happy, straight-A intelligent, busy with their sports, hobbies, and healthy outdoor activities. I don't want some sick cult messing with their head!
IN order to keep people paying them money, the cult leaders are trying too hard to be "needed", and it is the prime example of a "necessary evil."
Enough! Leave my kids alone!
I'm going to bet that most kids don't have much to repent, at least if you look at it from a non-church perspective. They're kids! They are going to make mistakes. If the Mormon church (along with their parents) encouraged positive behaviors (kindness, empathy, responsibility, etc.) the need to "repent" would take care of itself. This is just an effort by the church to exert control through guilt for things that just don't matter.
The other terrible notion is that you have to "qualify for exaltation." Who would be arrogant enough to think that they can state what God might find pleasing? Who would be arrogant enough to say that a child or youth might not "qualify for exaltation"?
The other terrible notion is that you have to "qualify for exaltation." Who would be arrogant enough to think that they can state what God might find pleasing? Who would be arrogant enough to say that a child or youth might not "qualify for exaltation"?
I see a day when temple endowment work will be done before age 18.
The first few pages of
http://www.connellodonovan.com/abom.html
detail the power women had in the church at the turn of the century, 1800s to 1900s. It is within the context of homosexuality in the church at that time.
I've read it a number of times, but I still find it fascinating.
Later on in this dissertation, there is detail about the fairly basic acceptance of homosexuality in the church up until the 1950s. Especially at the Y! Especially, especially in the Y's theatre department.
http://www.connellodonovan.com/abom.html
detail the power women had in the church at the turn of the century, 1800s to 1900s. It is within the context of homosexuality in the church at that time.
I've read it a number of times, but I still find it fascinating.
Later on in this dissertation, there is detail about the fairly basic acceptance of homosexuality in the church up until the 1950s. Especially at the Y! Especially, especially in the Y's theatre department.
Gosh! Is it my laptop, or is Connell O'Donovan's book print really, reeeely tiny?
Have you tried Ctrl+, Ctrl+, Ctrl+, til you got a size that was right?
Thanx. I didn't even know about that keyboard feature.
This is in reality a backhanded step to admitting Polygamy is the order of Heaven. Attempting to prepare the young women for the reality in Mormonism that they will only be one of the harem, eternally pumping out babies for the worlds their God/husband will create.
Use Ctrl and the minus sign to size it down again (it took me a minute the first time I used the plus sign to undo it). I love the computer short cuts IF I know how to go back!
Edit: Sorry, this was intended to go up with elderold's tip above.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/2019 11:02AM by dagny.
Edit: Sorry, this was intended to go up with elderold's tip above.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/2019 11:02AM by dagny.
Use ctrl and 0 ie zero, to get back to normal.
"I cherish the gift of repentance and seek to improve each day." In other words, "I cherish going to the bishop's office and telling him that I masturbate. Oh what joy!"
See how manipulative LDS inc. is? They've been getting a lot of push-back about youth interviews with the bishop, so they're now brainwashing the youth to "cherish the gift" of humiliating themselves in the bishop's office. The youth need to remember that confessing to the bishop is a gift to be cherished. Brainwashing to the max.
To me, the second most disturbing part of the theme is the bit about exaltation: "As I strive to qualify for exaltation..." Is that really what the youth need to think about and to strive for? How does one strive to qualify for exaltation? Notice that they're not striving for it, but striving to "qualify" for it. Jeez that's so creepy to me.
The entire theme is incredibly disturbing to me. Kids today are under so much pressure. This theme will just set them up for failure and self hatred because no matter how hard they try to follow this theme of perfection, they will always fall short.
As a TBM youth I never felt good enough, even though I attended early(6:30 AM) morning seminary every day, spend weekends doing church stuff, never got into trouble, went on a mission, etc.. No matter how hard I tried, I always felt like a looser. This "theme" would have pushed me over the edge.
See how manipulative LDS inc. is? They've been getting a lot of push-back about youth interviews with the bishop, so they're now brainwashing the youth to "cherish the gift" of humiliating themselves in the bishop's office. The youth need to remember that confessing to the bishop is a gift to be cherished. Brainwashing to the max.
To me, the second most disturbing part of the theme is the bit about exaltation: "As I strive to qualify for exaltation..." Is that really what the youth need to think about and to strive for? How does one strive to qualify for exaltation? Notice that they're not striving for it, but striving to "qualify" for it. Jeez that's so creepy to me.
The entire theme is incredibly disturbing to me. Kids today are under so much pressure. This theme will just set them up for failure and self hatred because no matter how hard they try to follow this theme of perfection, they will always fall short.
As a TBM youth I never felt good enough, even though I attended early(6:30 AM) morning seminary every day, spend weekends doing church stuff, never got into trouble, went on a mission, etc.. No matter how hard I tried, I always felt like a looser. This "theme" would have pushed me over the edge.
"...but striving to "qualify" for it."
Interesting how far organizations can legally go in their control of people. This isn't some qualifying for The Olympics. This is trying to succeed in mental gymnastics or isolating oneself in obedience to corporate masters. Either way it is destructive and harmful and will have its claws in any future grandchildren I might have...
Grrr.
Interesting how far organizations can legally go in their control of people. This isn't some qualifying for The Olympics. This is trying to succeed in mental gymnastics or isolating oneself in obedience to corporate masters. Either way it is destructive and harmful and will have its claws in any future grandchildren I might have...
Grrr.
Answer: Focus group testing.
"A focus group is a common qualitative research technique used by companies for marketing purposes. It typically consists of small numbers of participants from within a company's target market."
Remember, Churchco is a large, multinational corporation. Its top leaders are administrators, lawyers and business guys.
"Hey, what are the results on the latest temple experience focus group research?"
"The ladies don't like the veil anymore and really hate the vow of obedience to their husbands. They're more likely to attend if it gets taken out."
[a few weeks later in the Church News]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced changes to its temple endowment ordinance.....]
[Sometime back in the 1980s]
"Hey, what are the results on the latest temple experience focus group research?"
"Everyone is creeped out by the disembowelment and throat slitting pantomimes."
"Well, let's get rid of them. They creep me out too."
[Some time later, in 1990, Bob Snagnut and his wife Gina are going through the temple for the 156th time since they were married.]
Bob: "Did you notice something different?"
Gina: "I certainly did. No more throat slitting and disembowelment fun...and no more hugging the mystery man behind the curtain. Dang! That was always my favorite part. Gosh darn focus groups! They always screw things up for everyone!"
"A focus group is a common qualitative research technique used by companies for marketing purposes. It typically consists of small numbers of participants from within a company's target market."
Remember, Churchco is a large, multinational corporation. Its top leaders are administrators, lawyers and business guys.
"Hey, what are the results on the latest temple experience focus group research?"
"The ladies don't like the veil anymore and really hate the vow of obedience to their husbands. They're more likely to attend if it gets taken out."
[a few weeks later in the Church News]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced changes to its temple endowment ordinance.....]
[Sometime back in the 1980s]
"Hey, what are the results on the latest temple experience focus group research?"
"Everyone is creeped out by the disembowelment and throat slitting pantomimes."
"Well, let's get rid of them. They creep me out too."
[Some time later, in 1990, Bob Snagnut and his wife Gina are going through the temple for the 156th time since they were married.]
Bob: "Did you notice something different?"
Gina: "I certainly did. No more throat slitting and disembowelment fun...and no more hugging the mystery man behind the curtain. Dang! That was always my favorite part. Gosh darn focus groups! They always screw things up for everyone!"
Gina is missing holding to the rod in the temple.
It's reactionary.
They don't know WHAT'S the truth, or RIGHT; normal, or natural.
It's ALL made up.
A guessing game.
Mormonism is betting 'believers' won't guess/ notice it's ALL a game. A lie. A hoax.
Pandering.
Trying to satisfying EVERYONE by satisfying NO ONE.
They don't know WHAT'S the truth, or RIGHT; normal, or natural.
It's ALL made up.
A guessing game.
Mormonism is betting 'believers' won't guess/ notice it's ALL a game. A lie. A hoax.
Pandering.
Trying to satisfying EVERYONE by satisfying NO ONE.