Told DW on the phone the other day to put tithing in a holding account until we "could talk about it". (she was doing the budget).

DW: "why?"

Me: "we'll talk about it later"

DW: "uh. OK"

Later that night: she didn't bring up the topic, but hey, "look at this great article in the ensign about christmas"

Anyway ... getting the impression that the Ensign is being used as a subtle tool to bring back the spirit into my life.

Anyone else experience this with their spounses / family?

We stopped our subscription over an arguement as to whether it was "EN sign" or "EN sin".

Ron

En-sin or En-sign are both correct.

but ... (I can't believe I'm wasting time on this!) ... the fine print on the bottom of the first page of the mag tells you to refer to the magazine as En-sign ... not En-Sin.

I didn't know that. I've never actually sat down and read an Ensign of my own volition.

I can't believe they dictate how their members are supposed...

Oh. Wait. Nevermind.

Every friggin' Day, Major!!!! My DH is ALWAYS DOING THAT!

After I had studied my way out of believing in mormonism, I was still worried that bad things would happen if we didn't pay tithing. The fear was just ingrained into my psych. I decided to put our tithing money into a "holding account" much like you are suggesting to your wife. After a year of not paying tithing, nothing bad happened other than the usual ups and downs of normal life.

We took the money that we were holding for tithing and went on a great family 10 day vacation. My kids still talk about what a fun vacation we had that year. Too bad so many mormons throw their money into that black hole known as "tithing". They could be making good memories with their families with that $$$.

We don't get the ensign anymore but when I do open it up at my moms it seems so pathetic. I think most of the articles are fictional or greatly embellished and then dumbed down to about a third grade reader. Add a real sappy picture and voila there is your feel good article. A total fictional tool.

I am amazed more people don't see through this crap.

I have also heard rumor that artists are asked to donate their work published in the ensign because the church is too cheap to pay for it.

BTW Villager ... that sappy Ensign crap is called "Heartsell" ...

It's a trademark of Bonneville communications. I shit you not.

http://www.bonneville.com/?nid=32

At Bonneville Communications, our ability to touch the hearts and minds of audiences makes us an essential resource for organizations with vital messages.

For more than 30 years, our creative professionals have designed public service and direct response messages for national nonprofit organizations

Our unique strength is the ability to touch the hearts and minds of our audiences, evoking first feeling, then thought and, finally, action. We call this uniquely powerful brand of creative "HeartSell"® - strategic emotional advertising that stimulates response.

I didn't have one single family vacation growing up. But you can bet your ass my parents faithfully paid tithing every month. Our family is so dis-engaged and distant now. 6 kids, 2 remain in the morg along with parents. I think the church was such a drain on finances and emotion that there wasn't much left over for our actual family. I wish I knew how to fix things, but I have no idea how.

My LDS friend who is in the beginning stages of doubt has a little game going on with his TBM housekeeper. He reads the New Yorker Magazine which is the antithesis of both the Ensign and the GOP mindset in Utah.

Someone (he doesn't know who) renewed his subscription to the Ensign. So both are in his stack of magazines. He puts the Ensigns on the bottom and the New Yorkers on top. When this started and he first came home after his cleaning, the Ensign was on top and the New Yorker on the bottom.

The next time, he put the New Yorker on top again, and when he came home the Ensign was on the coffee table and the New Yorkers had been put away at the bottom of a bookshelf.

So he continues the game and tells me its variations. Occasionally, the Ensign will be open to a particularly provocative article. (Yeah, I know. No such thing.) Sometimes 3-4 Ensigns will be fanned out and his New Yorkers in a solitary stack underneath, hidden from view.


I'm sure that worthy woman is doing her darndest to restore his testimony.

Deeper question -- can the Ensign really touch a "coffee table" ??? eh?? eh??

I'm very strict about that. ;o)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2010 05:55PM by Twinker.

...has probably done more in the past 17 years to get Mormons to wake up and realize that 'faith-promoting' church history has been a load of BS than perhaps anything else. Mo-bots can't automatically mentally reject the Morg's main magazine or condemn it as 'anti-Mormon' literature!