Here's just one example I remember from a few years ago when I was still very much TBM I had this horrible career that forced me to travel 50% of the time. So whenever I was home my first priority was my family.

I remember getting lectured and chewed out by EQP and Bishop for refusing to do HT. I was usually only in town 1 or 2 Sundays a month (I attended out of town of course).

I wasn't about to come home after 2 weeks abroad and tell my wife. Hey honey I'm going Home Teaching now.

The EQP finally assigned me to just one family and I told him that's ok but just remember that they aren't going to get visited (My son was my companion)

After a few months stand off he paired me with an old guy in the ward who's HT assignment was mailing out messages to no contact families. I sometimes helped him stuff envelopes but mostly I was out of town too much to really help him out.

For a church that supposedly stresses family so much I couldn't understand why they refused to relent on this point. It was clearly more important to me to spend time with my family. I made it abundantly clear.

(I've since changed careers so I can spend more time with my family.)

That family first crap is just the ad hook to get people in the door. It's more like Church Co FIRST, your families be damned.

Actions always speak louder than words. If want you want to know the truth behind any church, watch what they do, not the words they use. Also, gotta love that No Contact is just a suggestion to them.

in the Morg I had a show down with the High Priest Group Leader who called me in for a PPI because of my refusal to accept a hometeaching assignment. He basically told me I had no choice but to take an assignment because I was breaking my covenants if I did not. I ripped him a new one and he very quickly revealed his true colors...which was yellow of course.

I also travel extensively for my work. Years ago, while on a HC, I skipped a ward temple night (each ward had a ward temple night associated with annual ward conf.). On the following Sunday, a member of the SP chewed on my butt about missing. I told him I was in town only a few hours per week, and preferred to spend time with my wife and young daughters. He responded "well, if you think that is more important that temple night....." No shit! Beginning of the end for me. Started seeing nonsense everywhere I looked.

the stake presidency was so concerned about your "salvation" and "spiritual well-being," or you and your family. They were concerned about having good numbers to report to their superiors. The morg is just like every other corporation: each manager is just trying to look good to their own supervisor. Even though they aren't being paid, their job is still to keep their job.

I have long been angry about the number of meetings and commitments the church imposes on people. Clearly they do it to get free work out of people, then promise them "blessings" for doing it, which is nonsense. It's also done to keep people SO busy they are too tired, too busy, and too demoralized to think for themselves and realize it's all a crock. The committees, the committees to appoint more committees, the meetings to prepare for other meetings, the meetings to plan for the preparation for other meetings...it got surreal sometimes! The whole Relief Society "home enrichment" crap really got to me years ago even when I was pretending to be a TBM - even back then I rebelled and never went, figuring that I enrich my home a whole lot more by actually being there then leaving, once again, for another mind-numbing, boring, useless meeting. Enough is enough.

They made a solemn sacred promise/covenant to live this law when they go to the temple. Every time they go back, they reaffirm this covenant, along with the other ones.
But this is the one that explains why believing temple recommend holder, temple attending Mormons will do almost anything they are asked to do.
It's their sacred duty.


"The Law of Consecration:

You and each of you covenant and promise before God, angels, and these witnesses at this altar, that you do accept the Law of Consecration as contained in the Doctrine and Covenants, in that you do consecrate yourselves, your time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed you, or with which he may bless you, to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for the building up of the Kingdom of God on the earth and for the establishment of Zion."

REFERENCE--- See rest of temple covenants here:

http://www.lds4u.com/lesson5/templecovenants.htm

Because the goal of each member is to make this covenant when they are old enough (19 or so) it's part of how the church is run to teach this principle of their faith at a young age, and to expect that everyone that believes "the church is true" and has a testimony, will comply with whatever they are asked to do.
It's how the religion works -- as a "tribe," as I often say.

"...to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" That part stuck out when I did my endowment. They emphasised the church and latter-day saints part. I remember thinking: "don't you mean consecrate to God and the building up of his kingdom?" It seemed like a specific legal kind of distinction they were making and even my 19 yr old brain was uncomfortable with it.

onendagus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "...to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
> Saints" That part stuck out when I did my
> endowment. They emphasised the church and
> latter-day saints part. I remember thinking:
> "don't you mean consecrate to God and the building
> up of his kingdom?" It seemed like a specific
> legal kind of distinction they were making and
> even my 19 yr old brain was uncomfortable with it.


Yes. I see what you mean. My understanding was that it is a Restoration Church with special latter-day "keys" and ordinations so that is why it's specific.
I don't recall hearing the word: God that often. It was: Heavenly Father or the Lord Jesus Christ.

So
"Be not with your family during this lifetime so you can
be with your family during eternity"

It's a big gamble, I mean you might discover during eternity that after all, you don't like them that much... ;)

Man, how did I allow that nonsense to be my life for so long?!!!