Forestpal posted about the bish in her former ward binging by a Christmas.

It reminded me about the bish calling. Morg bishops actually think their jurisdiction isn't limited to mormons, but that they rule over EVERYONE in "their" ward limits.

One former bish said he used to drive through the neighborhoods and try to tune into "the spirit." When he felt a burning in his bosom, he stop and watch a house and pray for the residents, waiting for them to come out in hopes of making contact and possibly converting or befreinding them. He said he was gratified to share the spirit of his calling with everyone, not just members.

Others have said that bishops have taken charge during blizzards and windstorms to mobilize and inform everyone in the area. This might sound like a good idea, but frankly I feel more comfortable having someone trained in these matters in charge and not count on an untrained priesthood guy from a nearby mormon church.

I also remember the stories on RfM about a bish who would talk apartment owners into letting enter locked apartments when a member was away. The bish would then make lists of incriminating evidence to tell parents and PEC members.

The evidence? Non mormon underwear, books on atheism and humanism, girlie magazines, beer, and coffee.

It can be scary when morgbots believe their own hype. I don't feel sorry for the members so much as the nonmos and exmos these guys still try to govern.

Every day at a certain time, we were supposed to drop to our knees and pray for the spirit to guide us to somebody who has been prepared to receive our message. Then we would walk down the street, making turns as we felt the spirit speak to us until we came to a door. We'd knock, they'd tell us to get lost and that would it for the day.

Sorry, but I had to laugh. That would have been me, and I would have blamed myself for not being righteous enough to feel the spirit.

It's tough to receive messages from ghosts, no matter HOW holy they are.

We were out in farm country, with houses miles apart. With our limited monthly vehicle mileage allowance, we could go only so far any given day. So we'd get the map out each morning, discuss which 33-mile loop we might take, then prayed about it. One of us would say he thought it was good and the other would say he got the same confirmation (whether he did or not). Then we'd take off.

The thing was, people in farming country don't sit around the house waiting for visitors. They have things to do. But even if they happened to be in the house, they could see us coming, and everyone knew who the suited guys in the tan AMC Hornet were. So they'd slip out to the barn or something until we'd move on.

“We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.”

--Doctrine & Covenants 121:39

Proof that even a blind pig can sometimes find an acorn. Although it sounds suspiciously like something ripped off from Thomas Jefferson.