'kick against the pricks' always raised a few chuckles back in seminary.
Forum: Recovery Board

lilburne - anonymity issues aside, my desire to also protect the good names of the innocent wider family members (who I still associate with) and not add further to their pain and embarrassment at this difficult time, far outweighs my desire to score a bloody nose against TSCC by waging a public media campaign - which I'm not sure has any legs any way. I'm sorry that some people will disagree
Forum: Recovery Board

No local news story at the moment. If that changes then it's a different matter completely.
Forum: Recovery Board

After discussion with site admin it was clear that naming & shaming individuals and even mentioning the stake in question could be problematic at this early stage. There maybe some further related 'returning & reporting' later on wider impact with members.
Forum: Recovery Board

I assume that just as the recipient of the fund eventually has to pay it all back including interest and say thank you very much TSCC, in turn the donors of the money then also receive a cheque back from TSCC for the original amount plus interest, including a thank you note from HQ?!
Forum: Recovery Board

When I attend an event or something where I come into contact with TBMs that I used to attend church with, I'm very aware that some are slightly uncomfortable being in my presence. So I really enjoy going out of my way to proactively approach them, smile and say hello. It's quite disarming, especially when they realise that you haven't changed that much, you still like to share a joke and life
Forum: Recovery Board

Susan I/S must have stepped out for a short while. She'll have kittens when she comes back and spots the length of this thread (that I've just made a little longer)
Forum: Recovery Board

Yes there are certainly some good similarities, but I must also point out key differences: - One ruled with an iron fist - One literally gave everyone the creeps - One scared young children and gave them nightmares - One's voice sent shudders down the spines of even ardent followers Emperor Palpatine on the other hand......
Forum: Recovery Board

Great post. This is how the apologists would counter: - Peterson: "baura's own credibility should be brought into question. That's the real core of the debate here" - Muhlenstein: "when baura says 'parallel' what he really means is 'facts'. We also have to consider that there are probably about 600,000 missing words to this essay, which if found would prove the veracity of th
Forum: Recovery Board

Wisely not wishing to be caught out on such an important and special moment - the true pinnacle of any long-serving member's church life, they are rightly prepared for every eventuality. In the room just off to the side of the Holy of Holies in every single temple around the world, there is apparently stored two 1950's shop mannequins. In the London temple I believe these particular ones ar
Forum: Recovery Board

Unless of course you learn an extra super-secret handshake as part of the SA that you present to the old fella at the welcome desk. Perhaps if you quickly slip him the '3rd token of the Melchizedek Priesthood, the every fibre of my being grip or sure sign of the truly hastened', he winks knowingly and ushers you in. Other benefits you receive are: - free rental of robes for life (you st
Forum: Recovery Board

So it's a bit like a MLM? Those in at the beginning eventually reap the real rewards, while the late entrants do all the hard work like chapel cleaning.....hmmmmmm sounds familiar.
Forum: Recovery Board

I know someone that Elder Holland (before he was in the 12) authorised to leave their mission and fly home to attend a university interview a year before they were potentially due to start the course. Naturally the decision was based on him personally knowing the elder in question and his family. Sad but true - it wouldn't have ever been authorised for others. Apparently EH even put him up
Forum: Recovery Board

Surprised Peter Jackson opted to pass on this particular epic fantasy adventure. Oh well, his loss.
Forum: Recovery Board

Beards, wine, black people and polygamy. That Jesus fella is all for changing his mind on things he likes/does like.
Forum: Recovery Board

And it gets even more strange when you consider: - we're all supposedly the direct posterity of exalted heavenly parents, but this didn't really count for anything. - some were born into a mortal family with imperfect parents who had been nominated by another second anointing recipient (now not active - Tom P!) to receive the SA and accordingly the kids....grand kids....great grand kids et
Forum: Recovery Board

At a family reunion at a restaurant one Christmas time, ultra-TBM dad warned all his adult children in advance that one of the desert options on their set menu had been cooked with alcohol and to therefore avoid it. As it also happened to be one of my favourite dishes I was determined to order it anyway - and also to make a point that a) I wasn't going to get drunk from eating it b) as an adul
Forum: Recovery Board

I also found their view of non-exclusivity of truth at odds with what TSCC teaches. So I'd like to know exactly why one should be a member of the church then? If it is to receive ordinances that ONLY TSCC can perform, well doesn't this ultimately shoot down their 'non-exclusive' argument? And taking this further, why then stick around if you go through a 'faith crisis'? Why not join another ch
Forum: Recovery Board

As a missionary I burnt a whole box of slightly water damaged book of Mormons on a fire to keep warm in winter. Didn't feel bad in the slightest for doing so - I guess it was a foreshadowing of later events.
Forum: Recovery Board

Hope you let him know how he hasn't helped at all in this situation. I know these folk are volunteers and are at times well-intentioned, but they do need a reminder from time to time that their ill-conceived handling can really backfire. I once called out a SP who had shared our confidential conversation with another gossipy ward member on the golf course (and it got back to me). SP was comple
Forum: Recovery Board

Perhaps you can commit the truly unpardonable sin and politely ask the Exec Sec what the meetings is all about? If he refuses to tell you, simply decline the meeting. If he does tell you at least you can then decide if it's a good use of your time.
Forum: Recovery Board

Ouch. Thanks Susan, you've also just inadvertently restored long repressed childhood images of my own dad walking around the house in his one piece Gs. As a young kid I couldn't grasp the attraction of wearing long johns, but naively assumed every father wore these.
Forum: Recovery Board

Baura - maybe exposing Gs is far less common in the UK. However I think the biggest issue anyone would have is with a) someone exposing an obvious white lacy bra rather than changing into a bikini b) wearing a bra over other clothes. ALL no-mos would see this as frankly bizarre.
Forum: Recovery Board

50-something apparently, quite frumpy looking, sitting on her own on a bright sunny day without a care in the world that even no-mo's that walked by were staring at her oddly. There's probably someone like this in every ward. In fact I know a sister in my old ward that would have been prime candidates to do this. She was a genuinely lovely person, but completely loopy.
Forum: Recovery Board

Unbelievable as it is, whilst on vacation recently my wife reported spotting an obvious TBM middle-aged lady in a very public area openly sunbathing in her garment top whilst wearing a bra over the outside of it. I questioned whether it really could have been a G top and apparently it was VERY obvious from the material, the cut and the fact a bra was worn over it. What kind of nutcase woul
Forum: Recovery Board

Thanks. That's potentially a huge number of folk that effectively get a free pass. Just another reason why leadership would be uncomfortable with the masses knowing about this ordinance.
Forum: Recovery Board

TBMs are foolish to believe that there will be anything really special about it. Think logically for a moment - if there was any earth shattering revelation, do they honestly think one stake will be told rather than the general membership at GC? Heck, there's never really anything 'special' mentioned at GC so why they should expect a conference with just 700 or 800 members in attendance to be
Forum: Recovery Board

In recent years the Europe Area Presidency have challenged all wards to hold each Sunday in June & December as 'months of invitation'. My observations before I stopped attending: 1) even after the first year, TBMs were getting fed up and sceptical from the constant reminders given in May and November 2) I didn't see a single non-member attend.... 3) ...which is a good job because the
Forum: Recovery Board

Tom - can you please confirm if the SA covers just immediate children or grandchildren, great grandchildren etc? One would also assume that since LDS doctrine is that exaltation occurs in pairs, that current/future marriage partners of SA children are also automatically covered too. If so, the never baptised wife of the less active is in the exact same eventual boat as the diligent, stress
Forum: Recovery Board

Agreed. 3 years ago I made the decision to dodge a 'special SC' for the first time and instead took the family to France for a long weekend. About the time that the speakers would have been rabbiting on about Hastening the Work, I was lying in a swimming pool soaking up the sun. As an experiment a few weeks thereafter I asked a TBM friend what conference was all about. He couldn't remember any
Forum: Recovery Board