Posted by:
SEcular Priest
(
)
Date: September 04, 2021 02:07PM
I spent the last 4 months in the USA and travelled a lot for work and vacation with friends. Just came back from a week in Toronto where I grew up. So I was in east and west coast USA as well as Houston area. These are my observations from just attending Sacrament meetings in different locations.
The soul of the Church seems to be missing. Talks and testimonies seem to be shallow. It might be covid. The Church seems to be like other Christian Churches here in Canada. Just a bunch of old people. From talking and listening this is what I observed. Every place I attended the ward and branches had been recently down sized as well as three different stakes doing the same thing. As I observed members they seemed like zombies' going through the motions. They love Dusty. But they just seem to lack the energy I saw growing up in the Church in Canada. Visited my old ward two weeks ago in Canada and same thing. Soul is gone. People going through motions because that is what they grew up with and do not know anything else. Do not see any real new families and young people seem to have disappeared. Talks lack the spirit of truth and convictions.
The ward I am in right now has been divided 3 times in 3 years and boundaries changed and that is not because of convert baptisms. Rusty should be proud of his Church today. Never heard any stories in my travel of Priesthood healings in time of covid. Older members seldom bore their testimonies. Those that do bear their testimonies just talk about warm fizzy feelings, etc. they have with no real depth.
BUT the Church is growing. I heard, "Look at the temples the church is building." The missionary program is a success because missionaries are on line talking to people. But they are not bringing people to Church and those missionaries I talked to in my 4 months of travel seem bored out of their minds. They look like they need to be in school getting an education. I learned the Church bumped up payment the missionaries pay from $400 to $500 per month but everywhere I went the expectation is members are to feed them lunch and dinner. Young people activities seem to be about service and not fun stuff like I did growing up in the Church.
The question I asked myself after my summer travels was this. "Would I join the Church today if I was investigating?" My answer is "no." There is no substance.
Comments.