Our family is inactive and recently moved to Utah - Davis County to be exact. My daughter went to school today and almost all the other 9th graders were dressed in church clothes. The seminary kids were told to dress in church clothes because this weekend is conference weekend. Apparently it's some tradition at their middle school to advertise conference or get people excited about General Conference or something. This is her first year at this school and it wasn't something that was done at her old school in another state. My daughter doesn't attend seminary and doesn't consider herself Mormon. She said she all the other non-LDS kids at the school had a rotten day because the Mormon kids were acting all holier than thou, "we are special, you aren't." She said the non-LDS kids were really depressed at how crappy they were treated by the dressed up LDS kids.

Seriously though, what kind of stupid idea is this? Are Mormons Pharisees now? Using fine clothing to reinforce their perceived self-righteousness and lord it all over kids who aren't Mormon? Talk about creating a hostile learning environment for kids. I mentioned this to a Lutheran friend of mind and she was really angry that this would go on in a public school. I wish there was something we could do this to legally stop it but I suppose if my kid were in band she could wear her band t-shirt to school on band-t-shirt day. I'm sure legally it's something similar. But morally it's reprehensible. Are Mormons completely heartless and insensitive or do they just feel their religious beliefs are more important than anyone else's feelings? Can't they see the damage they are doing to their own religion? They want non-LDS to think Mormons are good people, just like everyone else but good people don't behave this way. The only good thing about this is that my daughter told me all her non-LDS friends were commiserating together about how awful Mormons are and how they never want lower their standards to be rude, self-righteous, insensitive Mormons (her best friend's words exactly.) So thanks Bro. Seminary Teacher, whoever you are. You've done more anti-Mormon work and turned more children against the church in one day than a real anti-Mormon could accomplish all year long.

However, if you ask David A.(Arrogant-ass)Bednar, he would say that you are offended, it's your fault you are offended, and you need to get over it.

elderborracho Wrote:
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> However, if you ask David A.(Arrogant-ass)Bednar,
> he would say that you are offended, it's your
> fault you are offended, and you need to get over
> it.


yah and David A. for ASSpostHOLE Bednar also says LDS Inc isn't a corporation, but a person would have to be a real MORmON to believe that !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ1uIgbI2QY

And send a copy to the local seminary as well. Maybe Mormons need to see something in print to think about it and the real consequences. Do they REALLY want to alienate the non-LDS kids? Do they REALLY want to get the LDS kids to feel superior and more holy? Probably not. I think they are just clueless. They probably just want to remind kids to watch General Conference and to make them feel like a cohesive group. Unfortunately, that also creates an "us vs. them" environment. If they think they will pique the interest of the non-LDS kids to watch conference, they are sadly mistaken.22

The Seminary has done that in Utah County before, too. And it does tend to polarize the LDS church kids vs. the others. But I'm sure we don't have as many LDS kids as you do. DAVIS county is more Mormon than my area. That sucks.

The whole thing reminds me of the Dr. Suess story about the Star-Bellied Sneetches, and how the cool sneetches had stars on their bellies to set THEM apart as better.

Or maybe it's reminiscent of the wicked Nephites in the Book of Mormon who dressed in their 'fine-twined linens" and then looked down on those not dressed as well. HA! Maybe you could quote their own scriptures against them.

from others is a form of intimidation at school and is unlawful. The parents should fight to preserve their children from religious bullying in public school.

Anagrammy

I get into the gang thing with people from time to time when Utahans go off on how beautiful their state is. I tell them yes there are a few incredibly beautiful spots in Utah but the state overall is kinda on the ugly side. (And I was born there and lived there for parts of four decades) I tell them how I have lived or visited in almost all 50 states have lived or visited on five continents and Utah just isn't that nice of a place, they even have giant gang signs on their mountains. ;-)

anagrammy Wrote:
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> religious bullying

Good term. It happens away from school, too, among adults.

It's shit like this that makes me glad I was NEVER born into the MorCor and thank God am the only TSCC member in my family. I never was exposed to this stuff at school. Whew!

There never used to be hype like this leading up to general conference. The idea of "preparing for conference" or even dressing up to watch it on TV would have been laughed at. But since conference is repetitive, boring and repetitive, and the brethren are incapable of delivering an interesting, spiritually uplifting talk (no matter how talented their ghost writers), fewer and fewer members care.

"Did they say anything new at conference?"

"Nah, same old same old."

"As I expected."

It will say "See Mormonism".

You mean TBMs gotta dress up in fancy clothes to watch a stupid bunch of bleary, blathering old men on the telly in their own homes??????

SO glad I don't do clothes.
Even gladder I don't do religion!

Wait, what? You don't do clothes? What do you do in the winter?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2011 09:38AM by silverlightx.

No, they're not required, but there are those who do. After all, they're participating in a church meeting, right, and the proper decorum, holiness, respect and discomfort should be observed.

Stray Mutt Wrote:
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> No, they're not required, but there are those who
> do. After all, they're participating in a church
> meeting, right, and the proper decorum, holiness,
> respect and discomfort should be observed.

My TBM daughter, who, with her two brothers were raised by my TBM ex-wife and her TBM second husband, told me that when conference was on TV, the step-dad made everybody dress in their church clothes and he lined up chairs in front of the TV like church pews, so that they would have the feeling they were in church.

I got to have this inflicted upon me. There was great debate about taking the cushions off the kitchen chairs so they'd be more like pews.

I think I cried after the intermission. And my parents may have relented.

I know in later years I absolutely refused to put on church clothes for the tv.

What the Mos won't do to keep the sheep correlated.

Adults created varying degrees of suffering for all of the kids.

The ones who dressed up most likely did so as a response to the adult bullying that masquerades as leadership. And the underlying assumption is that they will be more or less forced to watch conference this weekend as well. As if it were not bad enough to have to watch conference. They were humiliated, and they have a way of making someone else "pay," so they act like assholes out of humiliation and training--they act that self-righteous at church, why not at school if they have to wear the uniform?

The kids who did not dress up experienced the feelings the o.p. writes about. And at least they know who their peers are. And they know precisely who the conformists are. Next year, perhaps they can all bring fake cattle prods and brandish them at the passing flocks of sheep.

...that masquerades as leadership."

The Mormon youth are used by TSCC as advertising bait. The youth usually HATE to do it, but are coerced into obedience by church leaders and TBM parents.

The whole tactic of dressing up at school to advertise "We're Mormon!" is DIVISIVE and counter-productive.

They did this a Pleasant Grove HS the day of GBH's funeral, respect for the profit they said.

If I had known I would have kept my son home for the day and gone to the movies.

No f-ingwonder. I lost my entire testimony and completely left the church mentally (took another coupla years to actually physically leave) after spending a vacation at the TBM in-laws home in Davis County. I'm from Florida, and I can't even begin to explain the level of Mormon creepiness I felt there.

Oh! And my MIL was a Utah State History teacher in the Davis County school system. So she got to "brainwash" all the little kiddies about the Mormon Pioneers and BY's outstanding leadership etc. (even to the bewildered Air Force kids stationed in the area who had probably never heard of a Mormon in their life). Well RS Prez/History Teacher/MIL got herself in a whole lotta hot water one time for crossing the line . . . and actually prosylytizing to her classes.

School system sanctioned her and she got herself a pretty little article, with her school picture, published in the local paper.

Unbelievable!

;o)

It's a good thing the creepy ones don't realize they're creepy. I want them to keep driving away the normal people.

We live in Davis County and I worry about creepy teachers like this. My oldest just started first grade. I didn't grow up here in Davis County but some of my friends did.

One day when my friend was in sixth grade, the teacher told everyone in the class who wasn't Mormon to raise their hand. Then she had everyone who was Mormon raise their hand. It was for Math class. There were only a few kids who weren't Mormon that raised their hand and everyone was looking at them like they were freaks. Very sad.

I sat in a testimony meeting where the woman speaking was a teacher in elementary school. She went on and on about how wonderful it was that her class was filled with little LDS children...except for that one kid...and that one non-LDS kid also happened to be the only misbehaved, trouble maker in the class...didn't know the words to the popcorn song or whatever the fuck that was either.

Who needs enemies?

I'm with Stalker Dog.

I wish they would get rid of the entire released time thing in Utah. They should only have early morning seminary like most other states and countries do.

I live in a Utah rural county. What pisses me off is that my kids year book have the seminary teachers listed as faculty. The seminary teachers are active in school assemblies and other activies. Where is the seperation and church and state? It's just plain wrong!

Maybe it's time to remind the non-LDS kids that they are the ones who don't have to wear church clothes to school! Duh! I'll bet those little snotty holier-than-thou kids only WISH they could wear something comfortable and not have to get up early to go to seminary or "look forward" to listening to all those boring talks at GC! Put it in perspective. I feel kind of sorry for them. They are only acting like that because they don't feel good about their own circumstance. Maybe plan a fun get-together for the non-mo kids after school or on the weekend. It's not so bad to feel like an outsider if being on the inside is prison!

I remember that the Seminary at Davis High tried to get us to dress up for stuff. I tried to put that out of my memory. It was true but not very useful.

Anyway, I don't know that it was terribly successful. I didn't always comply, neither did other Mormon kids. It was something for the more uptight. People in the Richard G. Scott fan club or what not.

Mormons are Pharisees. They care more about appearances than what's on the inside and they care more about the letter of the law than they do about the spirit.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2011 05:44PM by wine country girl.

Haven't they always been?

Wonder how widespread this was in Davis County or if it was just a few misguided seminary teachers encouraging this? My child goes to Bountiful JH & I asked her if students were in their "Sunday" clothes today & she said a lot of the 9th graders were dressed up. She didn't know why.

I don't know if this has been said, but in my High School over a decade ago, the practice was discontinued.

I think Salt Lake County is a much saner place to raise kids than Davis or Utah Counties. The Mormons can't get away with the same sh*t in most parts of Salt Lake county that they can in Davis/Utah counties.

The teachers probably told them to dress up. Its like that for 'Morning Side': some 5am crap testimony meeting they do sometimes.

*rant warning. you have been warned.*

And while Im on that topic, why is it called 'Seminary'? Isnt Seminary is a college for religious study? All we're fed is the polished regurgitated turds they spew in our faces every morning. Ewwwww

Seminary and my stupid 'Im so holy and i recieve inspiration and i know everything about u and what u are going through but i just dont really care thats what this fake smile is for, oh and im not gay see im married and have a kid, and my feminine voice and the way i walk is me just being funny, and the way i checked that boy out? just ur imagination, shame on u letting satan influence you' Seminary teacher.

*end of rant*

So yeah.

:)

P.S im serious about my theory that my seminary teacher is gay. Quoted after squeezing a quite attractive boys' arm "Oh i wish i had biceps like that!". Hah i bet he does.

marched to earn points for their house.. the worst dressed kids were told by the teachers to march in the middle

When it was "missionary week" all the LDS kids dressed up like missionaries...at school...for the whole week.

My daughter was in high school when this happened. The school was predominately LDS. My daughter thought it was kind of funny. All the LDS kids were not only dressed up, but they had to act like missionaries as well (no radio, etc.).