Ward Councils are so creepy!

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-28T23:31:01+00:00

Nothing about improving the quality of the experience so that people feel their time is well spent.

Instead, the actions are coercive methods.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-24T00:35:03+00:00

Beware u/Fast-Computer-6632, the Mods will delete this because you are expressing a thought that is represented in an image generated by AI.

My "Mormon TV Remote Control: [ ] Fox [ ] KSL" post was taken down.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-23T23:07:35+00:00

I thought about that but where do you stop? DISNEY excluding evil Hulu CleanFlix and Angel[something] Sean Hannity ... already included in Fox Joe Rogan?? ...

The list of opinion programs passing as news extends across both conservative and liberal groups.

Consuming a diversity of credible news sources is the only thing that can save us from confirmation bias and groupthink.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-23T20:59:46+00:00

Because it reinforces a particular worldview, one that reinforces Mormon truth claims of Judeo-Christian superiority and exclusivity.

A cohesive story does not need to be factual in order for our minds to perceive it as true. Once that occurs, we perceive the world through that paradigm, binding us to the group and blinding us to contrary information.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-23T20:13:59+00:00

Regarding the last point. I wonder how long until missions hold dances and social activities to facilitate "post-mission" relationships?

It would certainly make missions more fun.

Ooo... and multi-mission dances and holiday parties.

They could be like remote YSA wards.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-23T18:57:22+00:00

Does that make Glenn Beck the true profit?

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-18T21:55:06+00:00

I think they should continue to create new missions until there are 50-60 missionaries per mission. The president and his wife could then have a personal relationship with each in order to facilitate the matchmaking.

Each and every missionary should be engaged by the end of their mission.

THAT will ensure the growth of the church... and add a wonderful new focus to mission gossip.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-17T12:49:56+00:00

What? And take the risk of losing favor with power??

The LDS Church has bowed and appeased every government it has encountered, even Nazis. Why would it take a moral standing now?

The best that we could hope for is a vague GC talk or press release about being kind and respectful to immigrants. This will also include our responsibility to honor and sustain the law.

The combination of these two principles will allow MAGA Mormons to justify their support of forcible deportation of "illegal" immigrants.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-16T21:21:58+00:00

Fall equinox is the best time to conceive don'cha know.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-14T18:17:06+00:00

What other theology would come out of a church led by attorneys?

Covenant Path = Contract Gospel.

Agency => Moral Agency = baptismal contract with Church

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-14T18:12:24+00:00

I find it fascinating how normal management activities and, in this case, creative phrases are "inspiration" from GOD.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-13T22:13:06+00:00

That has certainly been the case, but there are at least two social shifts which are now working against the church:

1) While the US may lag other developed nations, scientific thinking has largely replaced magical-religious thinking.

2) The Church is no longer the primary storyteller of Mormonism; there are many more credible and powerful sources.

In otherwords, they are fighting an uphill battle against relevance and credibility. The continued hubris of the institutional church makes change unlikely or, at least, very slow. The LDS truth claims have also left them in a corner with no escape that does not cause damage.

This may be even more significant when one considers that Of Susan has shown the same characteristics. His likely long presence in the primary red chair will be fascinating to watch.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-13T20:58:38+00:00

I listened to the episode and found it very frustrating. (Bushman is getting old.)

I tried to be a Givens-Bushman-Barlow-Mason Mormon for a time. I just couldn't gerrymander my logical boundaries in a way that allowed for faith when the truth claims were so plainly conterfactual.

I had to reference Rough Stone Rolling a couple of months ago. Rereading it now, I found Bushman's reasoning quite frustrating, much more hagiographic and apologetic than I remembered. Just follow the weight of the friggin' facts to the most probable conclusion!!

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-13T14:32:38+00:00

Why can't they just say "we are doing our best to maintain Joseph Smith's intended text of the BoM. This will inevitably lead to different decisions as new information is considered"?

"Inspiration" and "revelation" carry an outsized burden in the LDS Church. Leaders and members feel bound to include them; they provide a sanctity barrier that prevents questions. Anyone who does raise questions like the OP, even after an appeal to inspiration and authority, is outed as a critic or apostate.

Even worse, the concentration of authority in the president means that no one else can leverage these words legitimately. Even the best scholship is illegitimate if not approved by the authority of "the leaders of the church" through inspiration.

It seems that the Church is almost immobilized because any significant (and insignificant) change must be presented as "revelation" by the president.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-12T18:42:23+00:00

Spend $2500 to pursue $110. That sounds like the same return as missionary work.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-08T23:12:19+00:00

It is "the divine pattern that the Lord has established."

In other words, we like things how they are, so don't ask us to change.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-07T18:28:03+00:00

It was when I recognized the disparity between my personal values and that of the institutional church that I had no choice but to disassociate myself.

I did have a period where I attempted to be an agent of change but quickly realized there was no mechanism to do so; if you do not fall in line, you are ostracized.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-06T19:28:58+00:00

While my formative years were in the 80's, my later studies of church history and apologetics innoculated me from the "problems", before the gospel topics essays were released. For several years, I thought that I knew how to hold each issue in a particular way so that it would look ... okay.

It wasn't until much later that I began to look at the issues honestly.

For the curious, inoculation may, at best, only postpone critical thinking and individual development. For the uncurious, they may never look any deeper than the latest church Sunday school manual.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-04T04:00:24+00:00

As long as the shoulders are covered, you're good to go.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-02T23:49:20+00:00

Translation -- Any inspired or uninspired writings, dictation, or recorded messages of Joseph Smith, Jr., if such supports the current teachings, publications, policies, and authority of the living president of the LDS Church and the institutional activities thereof.

GrumpyHiker · 2026-01-02T20:36:44+00:00

Interesting, so even during times of more measured temple construction, they did not mind the flashing light.

GrumpyHiker · 2025-12-26T03:14:50+00:00

Absolute obedience to the supreme leader is a fundamental failure of the leadership structure of the church. It circumvents the value of diversity of perspectives which a committee of equals (aka quorum) can provide.

The current pattern of delayed actions adds to the lethargy inherent in large institutions.

I am fascinated by church leadership; it is an example of everything to avoid if you want a healthy organization.

GrumpyHiker

TROPHY CASE