Last Sunday, our HP group leader relayed a story about how he was inspired by the holy ghost to visit a brother at home. This brother asked not to be visited on this particular day, but divine inspiration prevailed and HPGL arrived to find that this brother was so sick he needed to be taken to the ER.

In that spirit, HPGL proposed that if any of us didn’t appear at our group meetings, we could expect a phone call “to make sure we are okay.” HPGL then asked what we thought of his proposal.

I said, “Well it sounds like the best of intentions and if we were all old geezers with shaky health it would be appreciated. But we are not and it feels like my voluntary attendance at a voluntary meeting of a volunteer organization is suddenly becoming mandatory.”

We paused for a moment of silent reflection followed by some mumbling and “maybe we’ll take another look at this” by HPGL.

Turns out this “motivation” for meeting attendance is an extension of the TR question of “are you attending all meetings”

It worked. I am “motivated” to skip the PH session tomorrow. I hope they don’t take attendance!

I raise my cup of tea to you for pointing out reality.

Lately it seems everytime I open my mouth in Priesthood, I'm the troublemaker. I think that's healthy -- wakes up all the Elders sleeping through the meeting!

I was accused of being a troublemaker and a liar after pointing out that Joseph Smith had a gun and shot 3 people in Carthage Jail (we had just watched the morm film about JS's 'Martyrdom')

funnily enough, if I tell this story to any TBM's now, I am told that "everybody" knows JS had a gun and nobody ever thought any different.

(so now, I would probably be considered a troublemaker, simply for pointing out events that actually happened to me 15 years ago)

when making trouble in HP group. You know that kind of trouble where you ask questions and what not!

I always asked the 'teacher' of the meeting where things were written or where they got their information.
Then, I would point out logical flaws in the lesson which usually lead to flaws in the scriptures.

(Mormon culture and mormon urban legends don't seem to be very well documented, but they are always believed by the TBMs.)

After awhile, I just started hanging out in the foyer. Apparently, nobody wanted to be shown how ridiculous it is to simply believe whatever is being 'taught'.