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Posted by: fischfrei ( )
Date: March 21, 2023 08:30PM

The post about Palm Sunday reminded me of the PR changes I have observed in mormonism. (I am 75 years old). Recently, my ubermo cousin posted some FB photos of his granddaughter's baptism. I noticed that all the men were wearing burgundy/maroon ties with their white shirts - like the liturgical colors of Episcopal/RC/Lutheran clergy. The mom wore a maroon top with a black skirt.

I don't live in the West, but am aware of all the new, "we're just like everybody else but better" PR that SLC is sending out. So, I wondered if there is an emphasis on appropriate "priestly" colors.

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Posted by: Rubicon ( )
Date: March 21, 2023 08:39PM

I doubt any of those people at that baptism are aware those colors mean anything. It's just what they dressed in. The only place the church dictates what color of tie you wear is in the temple. You can only wear a white tie.

The only other time the church told me what color of tie to wear was when I worked security at a church conference. All security people wore a certain color of tie.

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Posted by: GNPE ( )
Date: March 22, 2023 10:39PM

Rubicon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
in the temple… You can only wear a white tie.


Tempting, but not close to be overall appealing, even if they waived all the goofy qualifications/ requirements…

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Posted by: dagny ( )
Date: March 21, 2023 08:41PM

I haven't heard anything about priestly colors.

My guess is Mr. Mac had a sale on maroon suits. (J/K)

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Posted by: fischfrei ( )
Date: March 22, 2023 05:42PM

Creative bargains - LOL

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Posted by: anonynon ( )
Date: March 21, 2023 09:52PM

It was probably just a color scheme for "cute" pictures. Like a lot of families do, or a wedding party.

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Posted by: elderolddog ( )
Date: March 22, 2023 06:15PM

I went into the Mr. Mac in City Creek Mall and bought a pair of suspenders because my funeral suit was 36" waist and a prior stop to replace them revealed it would be over $100!!  

I'm not going to brag about my current waist size, but if anyone of you dies, and I'm invited to the funeral (which I WILL attend because of my love for you and/or the funeral potatoes), know that I will be showing up in baggie pants...  

(Regarding a couple of you, I'm looking into the possibility of acquiring clown shoes.)


I was disappointed that I wasn't asked where I'd be serving my mission...

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Posted by: Silence is Golden ( )
Date: March 22, 2023 07:39PM

I showed up at a family missionary homecoming meal event, just after SM ended. Since my brother was a just released bishop, there was quite the crowd.

I had on a nice clean pair of dockers on with a color coordinated cotton short sleeve shirt, that many would have considered a snappy office outfit. Plus, my ever so comfortable Nike's.

The stare from the White shirt and tie crowd was interesting, but alas there was one thing missing at the joyous event...funeral potatoes. I always hope to find some when I attend these events.

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Posted by: elderolddog ( )
Date: March 22, 2023 07:43PM

I left funeral potato land in 1970, after being an EQP for two years.  I learned to LOVE funeral potatoes.

So I went 51 years between servings, when I had them after a son-in-law's funeral in Orem in late 2021.

In Utah, they are to die for...

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Posted by: GNPE ( )
Date: March 24, 2023 11:46AM

EOD-

Was being an EQP like herding cats?

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Posted by: elderolddog ( )
Date: March 24, 2023 01:50PM

GNPE Wrote:
----------------------------

> EOD- Was being an EQP like
> herding cats?

My BYU wife, my reward for wasting the lord's time for two years in Mexico, and I moved into Lakeview Ward in the Fall of 1968, and before Christmas, I'd been called to be the EQP.  I was the only Lamanite in the Ward, and if there were other BYU students, I was not aware of them.  Please know that I look very much like what you'd expect a Lamanite to look like.

It was my assumption that the bishop picked me to avoid pissing off half the ward, meaning there were two possible candidates, each of whom had significant backing.  By picking me, a totally unknown person who was nothing like them, the warring factions could unite for a common purpose...

All of my charges were older than me, all of them were responsible adults, and most of them were quite well off. And they were all Utah born and bred.  

...I was taken to my first porno film by the Elders Quorum.  

...They would bring beer to outings and work projects.  

...At the end of EVERY social gathering involving the wives, someone would yell, "Okay guys, throw your key ring in the hat and let's see who goes home with you!"...followed by hearty laughter.  (Where did that constant and unvarying joke come from?!)

Being the EQP did give me the opportunity to do something very few people have done...  I cannot recall the purpose, but the MIA sponsored a trip to San Francisco via chartered bus for the ward youth.  I was asked to be a chaperone.  

At the naval base on Treasure Island, we toured a number of ships, including a submarine.  While assembled in the control room of the WWII sub, listening to the tour guide, I noticed a big button, labeled Klaxon, with a bright, shiny new placard under it: "Do Not Touch."

I touched it...

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WWII_submarine_dive_klaxon.ogg (upper left, in black, 0.04 secs, hit the arrow...)

The joy on everyone's faces!!  (Except for the tour guide.)

The downside was knocking on the doors of inactive elders, asking for donations to the ward budget.  These were mostly adult Whites, who had no idea a Lamanite would be coming to their doors, asking for their mormon money.  The looks on some of the faces...  It was surreal.

While I didn't believe in ghawd, I did believe in propitiating the ward members, and I think I mostly did. My term in office ended at graduation, Summer of 1970, and I was released with the customary raising of the right hand to the square.

About four years ago, I got a call from my oldest son.  He explained that he was at a golf tournament and was wearing a name tag.  An older gentleman approached him and said that he'd only seen that last name once before, while living out in Lakeview.  My son, wondering if it could have been me, was calling to find out if I'd ever lived in Lakeview.  When I told him I had, and gave the dates, he repeated this to the gentleman and then put him on the phone with me.

The gentleman had been in MIA at the time of the San Francisco trip and remembered both me and the klaxon.  He'd lived in Lakeview for many years and still had one parent there.  

I asked him if he had any idea as to why I, a total stranger at the time, had been called to be the EQP, and I offered up my theory that I was the answer to the bishop's problem of possibly pissing off half the ward.

He seemed quite assured in his response that my theory was wrong; he said that he'd become good friends with the bishop over the years and had heard the bishop mention that my calling was the result of direct inspiration.  Naturally, I did not voice my opinion that, yeah, direct inspiration on how to avoid pissing off half the congregation.

Being mormon was 95% fun for me, but I was always just a kid about it, if that makes sense to you.

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Posted by: Lot's Wife ( )
Date: March 24, 2023 04:59PM

Jesus, Jesus, you're why we can't have nice things.

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Posted by: elderolddog ( )
Date: March 24, 2023 07:43PM


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