An observation on Church activities that have lessened

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_Jesse Pinkman
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Re: An observation on Church activities that have lessened

Post by _Jesse Pinkman »

Equality wrote:Fun activities took a big hit when some so-called prophet (or committee of suckasses surrounding said prophet) made the bureaucratic command decision that every activity had to have a goddamned "priesthood purpose" associated with it.

Agreed. I remember that. :rolleyes:

Fun activities turned into endless Standards Nights. Remember those?

I’ll never forget a Standards Night where a play was acted out for the YM/YW benefit, in the chapel, no less, about a wedding. The bride and groom were getting married by the bishop at the Church (not the temple).

The bride receives a letter from a young man serving a mission. There is a slide show showing the missionary teaching families, and having wholesome activities with his mutual class before leaving. The letter is pleading for the young woman to wait until he gets home, and marry him instead.

The young woman leaves the groom at the alter.

Did anyone else experience this kind of thing during their mutual years?
So you're chasing around a fly and in your world, I'm the idiot?

"Friends don't let friends be Mormon." Sock Puppet, MDB.

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"And that is precisely why none of us apologize for holding it to the celestial standard it pretends that it possesses." Kerry, MDB
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_GameOver
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Re: An observation on Church activities that have lessened

Post by _GameOver »

Mormonicious wrote:It's all about the Money.

I agree with this. It's about the MONEY. The Church requires it from the members and gives very little back. It uses the members for everything it can get from them, yet it provides as little as possible in return, except for the programs it creates to indoctrinate them.

The difference in providing membership benefits in other Churches is STARK. The Mormon Church uses "covenants", "commandments" and guilt trips to coerce its members into participating. Other Churches provide tangible benefits to keep members participating. When I am sent the lists of activities and helpful groups to join from other Christian Churches, it makes Mormonism look appallingly void and vacant by comparison.

This is my opinion only, but it's based on a few decades of observation in several different Wards.
_CameronMO
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Re: An observation on Church activities that have lessened

Post by _CameronMO »

GameOver wrote:I agree with this. It's about the MONEY. The Church requires it from the members and gives very little back. It uses the members for everything it can get from them, yet it provides as little as possible in return, except for the programs it creates to indoctrinate them.

The difference in providing membership benefits in other Churches is STARK. The Mormon Church uses "covenants", "commandments" and guilt trips to coerce its members into participating. Other Churches provide tangible benefits to keep members participating. When I am sent the lists of activities and helpful groups to join from other Christian Churches, it makes Mormonism look appallingly void and vacant by comparison.

This is my opinion only, but it's based on a few decades of observation in several different Wards.

This is what I see happening, too, and after it hit me, I stopped paying tithing.

My daughters were getting ready for girls' camp. We had donated goods, helped them with their projects, and done fundraising so they could earn money to go. At some point, I looked at how much I had given the church that year. I realized I had given enough to pay for every single girl in the ward to attend camp at no cost to them. By myself, I could have funded the whole week experience for those girls. But instead, I had given the money to SLC, plus more for my kids to attend camp, plus time and other donations.

I can't believe I was so blind to how the church robs members. I have been in a bishopric. I've seen the weekly donations. I've counted the money, stuffed it in an envelope, and mailed it to church headquarters. I've seen our little ward bring in $200,000 a year and get back $7000 to spend. I can't believe it didn't phase me before.

But back to the topic, when the church cut individuality in the wards, and had everyone go to a mandated budget from SLC, it really cut down on the activities. Now, even if the church tried to bring back activities, it couldn't bring them back because people are burned out. At least here, anyway.
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_Jesse Pinkman
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Re: An observation on Church activities that have lessened

Post by _Jesse Pinkman »

CameronMO wrote:
GameOver wrote:I agree with this. It's about the MONEY. The Church requires it from the members and gives very little back. It uses the members for everything it can get from them, yet it provides as little as possible in return, except for the programs it creates to indoctrinate them.

The difference in providing membership benefits in other Churches is STARK. The Mormon Church uses "covenants", "commandments" and guilt trips to coerce its members into participating. Other Churches provide tangible benefits to keep members participating. When I am sent the lists of activities and helpful groups to join from other Christian Churches, it makes Mormonism look appallingly void and vacant by comparison.

This is my opinion only, but it's based on a few decades of observation in several different Wards.

This is what I see happening, too, and after it hit me, I stopped paying tithing.

My daughters were getting ready for girls' camp. We had donated goods, helped them with their projects, and done fundraising so they could earn money to go. At some point, I looked at how much I had given the church that year. I realized I had given enough to pay for every single girl in the ward to attend camp at no cost to them. By myself, I could have funded the whole week experience for those girls. But instead, I had given the money to Salt Lake City, plus more for my kids to attend camp, plus time and other donations.

I can't believe I was so blind to how the church robs members. I have been in a bishopric. I've seen the weekly donations. I've counted the money, stuffed it in an envelope, and mailed it to church headquarters. I've seen our little ward bring in $200,000 a year and get back $7000 to spend. I can't believe it didn't phase me before.

But back to the topic, when the church cut individuality in the wards, and had everyone go to a mandated budget from Salt Lake City, it really cut down on the activities. Now, even if the church tried to bring back activities, it couldn't bring them back because people are burned out. At least here, anyway.

What is sad is that what the members are burned out on is busy work associated with callings that can take up to 40+ hours a week in addition to both Mom and Dad holding down full time jobs.

When I directed the Church musical for my home stake when I was in college, it was considered a full calling. I was set apart for that role and that was the only calling I had. That kind of thing is unheard of now.
So you're chasing around a fly and in your world, I'm the idiot?

"Friends don't let friends be Mormon." Sock Puppet, MDB.

Music is my drug of choice.

"And that is precisely why none of us apologize for holding it to the celestial standard it pretends that it possesses." Kerry, MDB
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_karl61
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Re: An observation on Church activities that have lessened

Post by _karl61 »

As a kid in the early 70's, I use to watch the Peter Priesthoods in our ward throwing tantrums at softball games when they didn't like the umpires call. When these guys started going to regional/area championships, it got rather interesting. The guy on the High Council who spoke on Sunday afternoon could not be the same guy who was throwing things and kicking dirt around the previous day. Oh wait, it was the same guy.
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_moksha
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Re: An observation on Church activities that have lessened

Post by _moksha »

All-Church dance festivals held in Salt Lake City from 1922 to 1973 gained national recognition. After 8,000 dancers in bright costumes participated at the festival in 1959, a national news magazine described the Church as the "dancingest denomination". In 1985, 13,000 dancers performed in the Southern California Regional Dance Festival with more than 100,000 viewing the two performances. Dance festivals continued at local levels from 1973 to 1990, when they were finally discontinued due to cost and lack of interest by the Correlation Committee.
- some BYU publication
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_Res Ipsa
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Re: An observation on Church activities that have lessened

Post by _Res Ipsa »

moksha wrote:All-Church dance festivals held in Salt Lake City from 1922 to 1973 gained national recognition. After 8,000 dancers in bright costumes participated at the festival in 1959, a national news magazine described the Church as the "dancingest denomination". In 1985, 13,000 dancers performed in the Southern California Regional Dance Festival with more than 100,000 viewing the two performances. Dance festivals continued at local levels from 1973 to 1990, when they were finally discontinued due to cost and lack of interest by the Correlation Committee.
- some BYU publication


I was in a dance festival at the Spokane World’s Fair in the ‘70s. That’s the last one I remember.
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_Jesse Pinkman
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Re: An observation on Church activities that have lessened

Post by _Jesse Pinkman »

Res Ipsa wrote:
moksha wrote:All-Church dance festivals held in Salt Lake City from 1922 to 1973 gained national recognition. After 8,000 dancers in bright costumes participated at the festival in 1959, a national news magazine described the Church as the "dancingest denomination". In 1985, 13,000 dancers performed in the Southern California Regional Dance Festival with more than 100,000 viewing the two performances. Dance festivals continued at local levels from 1973 to 1990, when they were finally discontinued due to cost and lack of interest by the Correlation Committee.
- some BYU publication


I was in a dance festival at the Spokane World’s Fair in the ‘70s. That’s the last one I remember.

Dance Festivals were fun. The other thing they had in the 70’s that was a lot of fun was a film festival.
So you're chasing around a fly and in your world, I'm the idiot?

"Friends don't let friends be Mormon." Sock Puppet, MDB.

Music is my drug of choice.

"And that is precisely why none of us apologize for holding it to the celestial standard it pretends that it possesses." Kerry, MDB
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