In all my life, I have never found it to be exciting. It has a dark and oppressive atmosphere, and the people who speak act as if they were at a funeral instructing the pall-bearers. Even as a TBM, I would maybe go out to the church and sit through one session. That was all I could stand. One time we were all challenged to go to the church to watch the whole thing for both days and I thought I was going to die. Honestly, I felt terrible. And I was really into church at the time.

It isn't that I didn't weant to hear or watch them, it was just that they were so depressing, and even though I often left there feeling a little more committed, I did not feel more happy or uplifted.

By contrast, I watched the Community of Christ World Conference this April (not pushing any religion, mind you) and the difference was like night and day. They had multicultural presentations, people in brightly colored clothes singing in their native form, people bore testimonies in their native tongue, the Americans wore colored shirts and sometimes ties. And there was arguing and voting on several resolutions instead of mechanically voting to sustain the already made decisions.

The whole atmosphere was a complete opposite of the stifling LDS conference.

And that is how I guess I would describe LDS GC- Stifling.

Stifling is a good word. They all say it is inspiring because other people are saying it. I remember on my mission hearing from the MP that we should bring investigators and new members so they could see how impressive the church is.

I think there are actually some folks who think that seeing a huge room filled with people will make the church seem larger. In my heart, I felt dread, because I knew they would really just hear very watered down messages that are all the same and all focused on Joseph Smith.

Silly church leaders.

Adam (Another Shrubbery)

P.s. I still love your posts, JoD.

>In all my life, I have never found it to be exciting.

I agree, the speakers are dull and boring automatons reading from "illuminated" tele-prompters. Stifling indeed.

Watching those geriatric bastards grumble makes me sick. The same goes for everyone who tries to emulate them.

I don't understand the appeal, and I never did. What's more, the music is awful. I was about to post about this, btw. Other churches have very good music, which I'm just discovering. The best music by Bach and Mozart are their most religious works. Why is it that the Mormon church spares no expense to have a very fine organ and an enormous choir so that they can sing "We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet" and "Called To Serve"? Considering the music they could do, the hymns are piss poor and the arrangements and performance have a very fast food quality about them.

I was listening to Mozart's Mass in C minor today, and the Gloria movement knocked my socks off! How come the Mormon church can't do anything like that? How come everything has to be so appropriate and plodding and dull and banal and complete shit? With what they have to work with, they could put on a worship service that people would tune in for. It doesn't have to be like watching paint peel, and the talks are the same way. Boring boring boring. Is this their idea of worship? It must make Jesus long for the cross. Why not make a General Conference that is so great that even unbelievers would want to watch, and not just to see the Packer train wreck.

Makurosu Wrote:
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> It must make Jesus long for the cross.




Too funny!

Please remember to mark your sub line for SPEWING as well as swearing.

Gotta clean my screen now thanks to you.

Mind numbing is the phrase I have used for years. Please funeral music and drone.

Do they send these guys to a special school to learn to speak that way?

Because it SHOULD be! That's why!

The prophet and his apostles address the massed membership of the LDS faithful and it should be spiritually uplifting.

But it isn't. Is it?

Totally. If it was real, all the hype would add up to an actual spiritual experience. Same thing with the temple.

in the short bits I was able to tune in for without screaming, to see how obvious their manipulation is. How obviously they are trying to scare their "flock" and how arrogant and condescending their "spiritual"advice was. Also, the choirs seemed to be singing through mud - just sluggishly plodding right through.

It is interesting how one's perception of it changes when you get out of morgdom. The BS and manipulation and Lying for the Lard are suddenly so obvious you wonder how you didn't see it before. Amazing how leaving clears your mind.

If you attend with any group of adherents to a cause - whether it be Boy Scouts - GirL Guides - FootbaLL or any miLitary gathering, the commonaLity of beLief or support is a decision enforcing code. Enthusiasm and a sense of belonging and self importance is the coed of attendance. You are there because other peopLe are enforcing your decision to be there by their attendance.

Remember John Lennon's (not sure but maybe) song "What if we started a war,and nobody came" Could be just like General Conference, however the leaders prompt the attendees with the possibility of somthing qwonderful happenning

JB

because it was a complete day off from church. There were no TV broadcasts, no satellite broadcasts, no videos, no attendance, and no guilt--nothing but playing and fun all day long and then Sunday dinner.

Makes a lot of the TBM's wish for the good ole days, I bet.

And maybe it's just me, but are the presenters getting weepier than they used to be? Is choking up now a rhetorical requirement?

I ran into a buddy of mine that I never considered much of a TBM and jokingly asked if there was any "good stuff" from GC--he said there was really good advice about not going into debt, paying off your mortgage, etc., and I thought "WTF!, that's just common sense!" but he seemed impressed like a new light had been revealed. I did get a chuckle out of him when he said porn was mentioned, and I asked "You mean, watch more?"

Thread killer Wrote:
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> I ran into a buddy of mine that I never considered
> much of a TBM and jokingly asked if there was any
> "good stuff" from GC--he said there was really
> good advice about not going into debt, paying off
> your mortgage, etc., and I thought "WTF!, that's
> just common sense!" but he seemed impressed like a
> new light had been revealed. I did get a chuckle
> out of him when he said porn was mentioned, and I
> asked "You mean, watch more?"

Yes, get out of debt by giving TSCC over 10% of your income!

Makes perfect sense... :o/\

It was a real downer, but less of a downer than scarament meeting. I didn't have to wear pantie hose, I could relax, and I didn't have to play that drivel on the organ.

I heartily agree what everyone said about the music! The MoTab always sounded sluggish and muddy to me, and I do long for the bright harmonies and cheerful cadence of Mozart, Bach, and The Greats. Soul-satisfying music you could get your teeth into.

As a TBM, I felt I was trying as hard as I could to get into the Celestial Kingdom, to have my family with me--but as a female, I could not accomplish this without my husband, and he would not cooperate! He became stubbornly inactive, and he remained so. Conference really did put a wedge between us, and put me in a bad mood. The GA'sALWAYS focused on Satan's influence, and put fear into my heart.

Fortunately, my husband and children, and my own voice of reason, led me into the light, and to Sundays in the park or on the beach, with the family, laughing and loving life!

I think the only way Conference is "spiritually uplifting" is that it makes certain TBM's feel self-righteous and committed. This is all false: TBM's are weak and easily misled.

where boring is interesting, oppression is freedom, and a bunch of old men stealing your money have your best interests at heart.

As I have a new Internet radio (the last one broke), I tuned into KSL because I enjoy getting a view of life in far-away Utah while still sitting in my kitchen in France.

This weekend I heard my very first extract from GC: a gentleman speaking about some imagined spiritual problem, as far as I could understand, but the false-humble tone of the speaker was quickly replaced by a buzzing noise...

Was it the adversary?

No, it was me snoring.

How can Mos listen to this drivel? Even the cringingly folksy LDS advertisements are better than that (although their message of "speak to your children" clashes with the impression I've gained from this board that TSCC swallows up parents' free time when they might be talking to their kids).

I'm so glad I didn't get to hear the music!

My ex-boyfriend's extended family used to hold a big family dinner and conference viewing party for the Sunday session. Neither of us were active Mormon at the time, but it was a big deal for the family and dinner was good, so we went together a couple times. It was so hilarious. They would eat this big dinner, then sit down to watch conference. Within a few minutes everyone in the room would be fast asleep. They didn't even try to hide it, they all just fell asleep, waking up at the end for the final prayer.

I thought I heard two views of the world: The usual one "It's- the-worst-of-times (crime, disobedience, porn, etc. etc.) and--a fresh new twist--"this is the best of all worlds". But who notices the contradiction.
There was a little emotion this time: some weeping, even by the profet. And as usual the microphone neatly hidden behind (actually, in front of) the tie. Is there a clue in the telepromter that tells them that?
And as usual: No new sermon of the mount (Brodie) and no prophesy. (In fact, didn't GH say in that famous interview that we needed no new porphesy?). I did dozed off momentaryly but mdw woke me. The usual triping over your tonge trying to stay on time. Yada, yada, yada.

My TBM dad used to say churches that were way too happy in their services making "spectacles" of themselves as he called it, were 100% proof that the church was of the devil.

Mind, I believed this once long ago. (With apologies to the poster with the same name/phrase).