My mom had stake conference this weekend. Many of the talks were given by youth and even primary age children. A big theme of the recently called stake president has been to create more opportunities for young people to participate.

A large part of the meeting was an open forum. Members in attendance were given index cards with several pre-written questions. Sample question that was prepared: How can I get my son or daughter more interested in attending church activities?

And then there was a "discussion" with floating microphones to ask additional questions or comments.

Many people have discovered how much better their lives have become without a demanding and thankless religion/church. So the church in my mom's area has experienced a sharp decrease in member activity.

My mom no longer will read a talk in sacrament meeting. And she will only pray in public once a year. That's when she mentioned that her ward is using primary age children to say prayers in Sacrament (opening). My mom also mentioned that the bishop's wife often fills in time by talking about her family, they're having difficulty finding members to read GC talks.

I remember saying an opening prayer in sacrament as a deacon. Older members were annoyed by juvenile miscreants taking away glorious prayer time in sacrament meeting. I was never asked (thank goodness) until I returned from my mission. But now wards are hard up, they may even ask visitors to pray in their meetings.

Visitors give prayers?

As in visitors from other wards (first show your T.R.!)

or non-member visitors / 'gators ?

GNPE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Visitors give prayers?
>
> As in visitors from other wards (first show your
> T.R.!)
>
> or non-member visitors / 'gators ?

Yes, I've zeen it. They often give very weird prayers. Once we had a Moonie give one at a supposed interfaith meeting.

To be fair, the point of an interfaith meeting is to include differing worship styles.

The Mormon church has always been oriented towards extroverts. But not everyone is an extrovert. Plenty of people just want to go to church on Sunday, sit quietly, and listen to the sermon. Your mom sounds like one of those people.

I personally would find the Mormon church exhausting.

The shear boredom is driving people out. Who wants to read or listen to a GC talk when it was vacuous already in print? The speaker at the pulpit is bored. It is mind numbing. The boredom was a contributing factor in my leaving One poster wrote that she was an adult member for 30 years living the same year over and over. It was soul crushing to her.

Maybe it's a good thing to have children give opening or closing prayers; at least they won't be saying: "we're so thankful for the moisture".

I can't stand that phrase. :D

Way way back when I attended in the 60s, you were asked to give the prayers ahead of time.

Sometimes names were even printed on the program.

Lots of men (only men were allowed to open/close sacrament meeting) actually wrote the prayer ahead of time and then read it when the tome came.

Often the bishop asked for particular names to be included.

I hated giving prayers from my first one that I can remember.

I mean really, what are you going to say? So you just emulated what everyone else said. Hell, those weekly prayers before the meeting starts are nothing more than rinse and repeats. Just like the temple prayer, sessions, and other things.

If there is a God I could see him\her\it just sitting there rolling their eyes thinking.........yea I know, blah, blah, blah.

I would give money if someone stood up and folding their arms and bowing their head said, "Dear Lord get us the hell out of here so we can go outside and have a life and dump this boring meeting. Amen"

The talks are largely inauthentic when they are read in General Conference. To be expected to reread such a talk in Sacrament Meeting is inauthenticity squared. Little wonder that people don't want to do it. It feels fake, which it is.

With all the technology available, why not just show the video of the original conference talk?

I guess you have to work with what you got. Or, got left.

The upside is that I always heard many would "fall away" in the last days so this does prove the church is true. Right?

the church is in the great and spacious building. Look at the Conference Center! Ha... we fell away?? We actually used our brains. There comes a time where thinking is needed, and our brain will make it so. To unravel that huge pretzel in your head.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2024 09:25PM by lousyleper.