https://youtu.be/PriwvrhdAzo

You'll be left breathless!

Keep in mind that on paper that 110 billion dollars is his, and his alone. I think it probably drives Wendy wild!!

welp, I started falling asleep after two minutes of watching it. I had to stop .

Here’s what I do, Saucie.

To get through any of those people talking, I have to turn the Playback Speed up to 2.0. That also made the hankie-wave pretty funny.

:)

kathleen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here’s what I do, Saucie.
>
> To get through any of those people talking, I have
> to turn the Playback Speed up to 2.0. That also
> made the hankie-wave pretty funny.
>
> :)

I should try that sometime kathleen.

His silence is so startling it is prophetic.

Inspired to never click on such a link again!

Fortunately, the cozy chat was just 2:22 minutes – it only seemed longer.

Russell is a bad reader. He grimaces at inappropriate junctures. As if the cue card says “grin here”.

He says church leaders “will continue to monitor information”. Not to keep you safe temporally but to get back to the “eternal significance of church meetings and temple work”. “Ordinances of the holy temple need to be performed.” I guess it’s that old faith without works thing again.

“Your safety and well-being will always be our utmost concern.”

Yeah? Tell it to the parents of missionaries killed on their mission in dangerous areas or rundown vehicles or through exposure to various pestilences (the latter eerie at this time eh?).

Or to the adult RMs still grappling with mission-related health conditions. Such as our own Blair Watson, a previous poster here, who contracted meningitis in South America on his mission and his idiot leader (otherwise known as the MP) didn’t tell Blair of his diagnosis nor permit him to seek appropriate medical care until Blair became critically ill. He didn’t even inform Blair’s parents in a timely way of his health crisis. I winced hearing Blair's account of his nightmare ride over primitive roads in the back of a truck, being jostled around, suffering fever and pain. Blair was sick with various maladies for a decade of his life post-mission stemming back to this experience. Still, he persevered and attained a high level of achievement, becoming a pilot, an author and a journalist, among other endeavours. Blair left for us his own research and knowledge of Mormonism, especially concerned with the psychology of Mormonism and self-esteem. He wrote a non-fiction book called Latter-day Swindle: The Mormon Church’s $200-Billion Scam. Sadly, Blair passed away suddenly at the young age of 50. His book may still be available here:

http://www.blairwatsontribute.net/

Blair has done a lot more to help countless people, both while alive and since his early passing, than many Mormon bishops, SMs, MPs and prophets we could mention.

That is just one example of one former member of the CoJCoLDS who is of more practical assistance to a greater number of people by addressing real concerns and offering effective solutions than all the prophets of Mormondom combined.


Back to Russell’s video:

He goes on: “We rejoice in the peace that radiates from the Lord Jesus Christ. It will continue to fill us with hope and joy.” “Wonderful days are ahead.”

Peace, hope, joy and wonderful days ahead. A bit tone-deaf as COVID rages and people grieve. Why is it so difficult for some leaders to express empathy?


Somebody started singing “You Raise Me Up” after I thought I had shut Nelson down at the end of the video. That was startling. Was it the MoTab? I had to close out three tabs to get rid of it. Kind of supernatural. Oo-oo ah-ah. As goes the chorus of a scary song my mom used to sing to us kids (something about a woman standing at the churchyard gate, only to be sung on Hallowe’en. That can’t be good).


Today I saw a video on a TV news program of a dad, a former baseball player, who was dancing and hollering in joy after his 4-year-old son hit a resounding home run off a ball he had pitched to him. When asked "How’s your dad’s pitching?" the little boy replied “fast”. The short segment was so cute and full of real happiness. They kept looping it back to show the dad jumping and screaming literally with joy and it could make you laugh and cry all in the same moment. Maybe the boy has the baseball gene, I bet his father is thinking.

A whoop, a jump, a massive circling hug, a moment of absolute happiness shared by a dad and his kid. How many times in all the LDS meetings you ever went to did you even laugh? Or feel not unhappy, never mind joyful. Not many, I’d guess. Especially in a church that bans “loud laughter”. That was bizarro-time to me. A church that frowns on laughter just cannot be The Place. Ya think?

Brigham Young: This is the Place.

The rest of us: It cannot possibly be so.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/07/2020 12:35AM by Nightingale.

HE IS READING FROM A TELEPROMPTER!!!!!
Watch his eyes. They dart back and forth

Was it really necessary to post this? I clicked on it to see if they played "You Raise Me Up" at the end of the video like Nightingale said and then I forgot to check. He's rather disgusting, isn't he.

No, Nightingale, there is another youtube video of the MMTC that follows the one with Rusty (only the men) singing the song. I'll stick with the Josh Groban version.

There's two minutes of my life that I will never get back...

The magic prophet, Abra Cadaver.

very true. and saddly that's 2 minutes of my life I'll get back, dangit!

Did he mention Honesty, Kindness, Respect for others?


Did he mention Love for God & Neighbor?

Did he announce open meetings & transparent policy decisions?

Did he mention a way for individuals who've been harmed by ChurchCo policies & actions to be made whole?

Did he mention or announce an equitable way to disburse the $100 Billion, irrespective of ChurchCo membership or activity?

Did he mention or announce that ChurchCo will no longer meddle in politics / political decisions?


Did he mention that ChruchCo (& back to Old Testament) teach against divorce < happens to be the greatest harm to Mormon / LDS families, not SSM, not inter-cultural marriages - partnerships>?


My Bad.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/07/2020 10:16PM by GNPE.

After my dear hubby put a gun in my face—I’m pretty grateful for divorce.

A prophet should be saying something about God's promise to keep them all safe and secure. Russ isn't making any predictions or promises in "God's Holy Name". Not like the old days. Might get sued.

And a little plug for the temple: If the temples were shut down for lack of attendance like businesses today, those buildings would be razed in record time. The time and money spent keeping them standing, mostly empty, is obscene. And the ones that aren't empty are useless. What an enormous waste. Even if they were used simply as non-religious meditation/reflection centers they'd be more useful. Maybe a new and enlighten idea might shine forth.

Those temples are just hotels on properties in the mormon game of Monopoly.

Some on very valuable property. Like the Japan temple on ten acres. Can you imagine ten acres in Japan ?

Perfect analogy! You really hit the nail on the head.

But when will the game end? When will the players fold up the board, count up their money, and go home? And who are the players who will ultimately win the game?

Regarding 'meditation and 'reflectiono, anyone else think that you could sit in the celestial room as long as you wanted while meditating and reflecting on ghawd and his plan? You know, as part of the learning curve?

When I'd hear the monthly "I always learn something new every time I go" testimonies, I would imagine something like from the movies, where the people in a cathedral are just sitting in the empty building, meditating and reflecting. I never did see a priest running around, telling them to move along.

About the only reflection I ever did was, "Ooo! She looks like fun wife!!" Which is not that big a surprise given my age at the time.

elderolddog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Regarding 'meditation and 'reflection', anyone
> else think that you could sit in the celestial
> room as long as you wanted while meditating and
> reflecting on ghawd and his plan? You know, as
> part of the learning curve?

As a convert, swept up in the thing by (apparent) friends, I had a lot of questions. I was repeatedly promised by everyone I ever asked about Mormon beliefs that when I got to the celestial room all my queries would be answered. At this remove, I cannot comprehend how I could have ever believed that and accepted it as a sufficient response to questions pre-baptism, post-baptism and pre-temple.

Then they had the perfect response (for them) as well following my temple trip: you shouldn't need to ask any more questions because they were all answered in the temple. Except we weren't allowed to sit down in the celestial room as I had been promised and expected and anticipated. I thought it would be the meditation session of my dreams. Instead, the matron shooed us out immediately, like we weren't fit to sit on the white furniture in the white, white room. And those chandeliers.

It's an endless feedback loop. Like a frustrating kids' game. You ask too many questions. It's better not to ask questions (shows a lack of faith). All your questions will be answered in the temple. Then, on your big day - Temple Matron: Shoo, you annoying person. And don't soil the furniture. Maintain the white!

I couldn't imagine that adults could actually believe that simplistic nonsense. Then, somehow, it got turned around, with members and even in my own mind, as some major shortcoming in me. I got my first wrinkle in a Mormon chapel (so much eye scrinching trying to navigate the circular 'reasoning').

My numerous negative experiences as a convert shone a little light for me on the question of why Mormonism can be so damaging to BICs. Imagine all your formative years being filled up with fast walking on the Mormon treadmill.

Oh wait. So many of you don't have to imagine. You lived it. I'm so sorry.

My worst problems growing up were getting lost as a young child due to darting out of the house unaccompanied and running down the block, forgetting which was my house but soon being rescued by a passerby. Having my long hair cut short when I didn't want that. An older boy playing rough and nearly drowning me at the beach. Being shy at school all the way through. My parents moving out of town when I was only 16 when I wanted to stay and finish high school, leading to me being unexpectedly out on my own precipitously and unsafely. (They didn't intend that but, understandably, that's how it went down). That was 98% of the reason I ended up joining the JWs. The seven years with them were among the crucial years of young adulthood. That'll put a falter in your step. I still say Thank God I didn't marry a JW. It was easy to think for myself and get away, being single.

But still, that equates to a magical wonderful childhood for me because the young years were replete with abundant and enjoyable family time, big Christmases, good food and plenty of it, fun with siblings and caring parents who helped us with homework, sparked lifelong interests and taught us to be curious.

Ironically, curiosity leads to asking questions. Which is where this post began. JWs: Questions are good and we know all the answers (literally - numbered 1 through 87(?) in their little olive green book used in preparation for baptism). Mormons: Questions are bad unless you're in the temple where they will all be answered - good promise, bad execution.

Absolute drivel. Repeated endlessly. Boring as hell. Mind games.

What's not to love.

Uh...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/2020 02:17PM by Nightingale.

I remember that as a recent convert I thought the missionaries had all the answers. What a laugh! Today I wouldn't ask a Mormon missionary which way was up or down.

"Absolute drivel. Repeated endlessly. Boring as hell. Mind games."

All your questions were answered in the temple. They just weren't the answers you had been told to expect. God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. :)

The church is a corporation. You basically have a CEO in a business suit reading a canned message off a teleprompter on a corporate video.

The church is about as spiritually stimulating as an insurance company.

Give Brother Russ a break. He's got a multi billion dollar corporation to run. No wonder he's grimacing....