As planned my sister's FIL will be visiting next week. He is in the 1Qot70 and as such has the entire month of July off from church responsibilities. He has decided to make an appearance to my sister's home for a week and now the word is out everyone is begging for him to come to their Ward, home, activity, etc., so they can brag about it.

They just can't visit and enjoy their vacation. No sir. They have to have every day planned to the hour. On Monday they will be at such and such place for this much time before the next scheculed stop which will last for this many minutes before moving on. Tuesday is a repeat of Monday, and so on. They will not plan on swimming so please don't plan any water activities when making the schedule. Also, he will still wear dark slacks and a white shirt but will take the tie off so he can relax.

Friends and family are planning on attending the Ward he will be attending on Sunday and once he decides which Ward that will be the Bishop is going to notified so if he wants he can ask the pompous ass GA to speak and sit on the stand during Sacrament Meeting. There will be a family testimony meeting on Sunday evening and mister GA will have some insider information that he wants to share with everyone. Some of my family are planning on fasting that day so their spirits are prepared for the message they will receive.

Local Kolobians are in such a state of ecstacy that they have taken time off of work so that they can spend the day with her family when the guy is around. One local Kolobian, a rabid TBM whose views are on par with BKKKP, has asked the local newspaper to do a short story on the GA the week he is in town.

I'm grateful that I live many hours and states away so that I don't have to witness the ass kissing and worshipping of this individual. I find it amusing that this idiot, who is best friends with Gene R Cook, commands such a spectacle when he announces his visit. He loves the attention and admiration of his followers and plays it up to the hilt.

And they say the church isn't a cult.

Oh boy.....such A__ kissing is right. Newspaper stories and all. Yes, be glad you are not there. Insider info??? Now I am curious. Hope they fast and he tells them nothing.

[I quote from keyboardcowboy:]

"Thats the thing I dont get lilium. WHY so many people in the church are afraid of these idiots just because they hold some sort of man made title?? I guess being raised Mormon or being a long time member plays a role in being afraid of the bishops/presidents. It just goes to show the high level of brainwashing this church conducts on its members. This guy here at this church is such a douche bag that it was hard for me to even look at him with a straight face. I used to give him the nickname 'The Answer' because this guy seemed to think he knew EVERYTHING!. He was trying to tell ME about baseball and I used to play on a very high level, but that didn't matter because he was the bishop. He didn't even have a clue of what he was saying. Other members would laugh when I could only remember him as 'Answer.' They were quick to hush me up though. That is a true sign of a cult IMO. Nobody should worship another human being like that. Guess it all goes back to Joe Smith."

http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,234772,235004#msg-235004

I understand it as I experienced this kind of adoration for the leaders. It is the same kind of respect for tribal leaders in other groups of people, such as a Shaman,or a Guru, or a long time leader, for instance. Human beings have long had a habit of putting people in a special position then looking to them for advice and inspiration in how to live.
I'm not surprised that the LDS family is doing the same thing.

Susie, you have to compare it not to primitive societies but to how leaders in other groups in modern society are treated.

No one would act that way with a protestant preacher (the rough parallel to the LDS Bishop). The GA (1Qot70) is several rungs down the ladder in the Mormon hierarchy but above a Mormon bishop.

What the OP described is hero worship on a scale one might associate with a Billy Graham. We really no longer have many equivalents to that kind of worship in modern, mainstream religions. One has to look to the star system in Hollywood or the music industry, or to politics, to start to get this kind of reverence and attention for one individual.

There are no protestant religions that see their various leaders at the different levels as speaking for God. They are just educated, well intentioned people committed to a cause and a teaching.

special meals were prepared, we had new outfits, pictures were taken, it was an EVENT. That was my experience - my life growing up in a Christian home, from a very young age, and community with this kind of recognized special people serving the Lord.

When the minister of the local congregation came to our home for dinner, it was handled much the same way. Ministers and missionaries were held in high esteem in our family and with our friends. It was as if a famous guru, or world wide religious leader was visiting. They were held in the same kind of esteem.
It is indeed common behavior in many religious groups.

I'm a convert. My experience with how religions of the world work as a tribe is very personal. It's how it was lived. It is how it is lived in much of the world. (Gee, just watch Nat Geo! :-)

I agree derrida....since the 70's I would say we admired our ministers and would enjoy a home visit but not make any big deal with others about it....just a casual mention. We are not bragging people though, us Protestants. (I am speaking in general here) Mormons are taught to make a fuss over these ole geezers and they do. That will continue until the younger generations say "Enough".

Get real. Prince William and Kate are being strutted around like celebrities with every minute planned. Any GA visiting, (and Charlotte, NC recently had Dalium Oaks), the Mormons flutter around him like he is a celebrity. And cater to his every whim...

No his proper name is Dallin HOAX,LOL

when they know they have no more connection to God than Lula the Librarian, a lowly ward woman peon.

By the time anyone makes G.A. status, they have worked hard and kissed a lot of old man geezer asses. They're all narcissistic and love being worshipped and love having rock star status. And the sheeple give it to them. And the day that one of them puts his integrity ahead of his desire to be treated like royalty and admits that he knows it's a crock, he'll get released fast, villified quickly and never talked about again and in their little gossipy circles the culties will just talk about how sad it is and that JS was right that the very elite will be deceived. It would have to be Satan. What other explanation could there be. And what part of c-u-l-t do we not understand?

Best friends with Gene R. Cook? I thought only Mick Jagger was best friends with Gene R. Cook.

I rember sometime back when an apostle was coming to my stake. It was the first GA visit ever for our stake. OMFG TSCC members were getting so excited that they could breathe the very air surrounding him! O_o

The the Stake Primary President came up with a brilliant idea for the Primary kids to form a choir and sing to him. TBM DH made DD go, but she only pretended to sing, good for her.

Then at the end of the meeting, the GA announced he wanted to shake every kid's hand. Of course, TBM DH got all excited and had her go up on the stand against her wishes. When she got back, I asked what she thought of the GA and she said, "Hell, he's just like any other regular person!"

She has a good head on her shoulders, my DD. :-D



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/2011 06:49PM by imalive.

You have a cool daughter....very perceptive. Funny!

Thanks. I'm trying to teach both my kids to look at things from a realistic POV along with waiting until they get their college degrees AND a career and be earning good money before even remotely thinking about marriage. Plus, TBM DH will be damned if either of them will ever attend any TSCC-sponsored college either. (Evil)

Let us know what this "insider information" is!