I learned in church today

[Jeff Lebowski]

Apparently it got worse after I walked out. The HC, on instructions from the SP, had everybody sustain Stake Conference. My wife abstained. I would have opposed, had I been there. I was that mad, although my wife and I have spent the last 30 minutes laughing about it.

In a temple recommend interview after church, my wife told the bishop (a good friend of ours) that I had walked out and that she though the entire thing was wrong. Good for her. If we were on the fence about going before, we're definitely taking Mormon Spring Break now.

Those wacky Texas Mormons.

My son is in Houston this weekend visiting in-laws. I wonder if he attended that stake.

[Pheidippides]

The Second Mormon Reformation is alive and well. I'm surprised he isn't suggesting that everyone get rebaptized.

My wife spent all of Sacrament Meeting wondering what it was like to be a Lutheran.

[thesaint258]

Apparently it got worse after I walked out. The HC, on instructions from the SP, had everybody sustain Stake Conference.

There is no eye-roll smiley sufficient for this. It is too bad you walked out though. Opposing would've ensured no serious callings until your SP is released.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Māori people love Mr. Bean.

[byu71]

Apparently it got worse after I walked out. The HC, on instructions from the SP, had everybody sustain Stake Conference. My wife abstained. I would have opposed, had I been there. I was that mad, although my wife and I have spent the last 30 minutes laughing about it.

In a temple recommend interview after church, my wife told the bishop (a good friend of ours) that I had walked out and that she though the entire thing was wrong. Good for her. If we were on the fence about going before, we're definitely taking Mormon Spring Break now.

Sustain Stake Conference? I have never heard of that. Admittedly I haven't been to one in about 20 years so maybe it is a new thing. When I go again, at least I will listen more intently so when I asked I can vote yea or nea.

[Moliere]

If church leaders spent more time making meetings interesting, they would have to guilt people into going to them. I have likely attended my last priesthood leadership trainings because I never get anything out of them. They aren't trainings and they aren't geared towards the youth. The stake just asks people to give talks and we sit there for 2 hours listening to a conference. I'm sorry but there are 100 better things to do with my time on Saturday afternoon than to hear a stake leader bear testimony of indexing.

[UtahDan]

Agreed. I'm cooled down a bit now. However, the message comes from the stake, as prior experience indicates, and that concerns me. I think the family bit was ad libbed but the message of stake conference (which, again, I won't be attending) is from higher than the HC.

Sounds to me like you might benefit from an entire month of stake conferences.

[Goatnapper'96]

If church leaders spent more time making meetings interesting, they would have to guilt people into going to them. I have likely attended my last priesthood leadership trainings because I never get anything out of them. They aren't trainings and they aren't geared towards the youth. The stake just asks people to give talks and we sit there for 2 hours listening to a conference. I'm sorry but there are 100 better things to do with my time on Saturday afternoon than to hear a stake leader bear testimony of indexing.

I brought up this exact point at a ward council when my FIL brought up the folks hanging out in the foyer during SS or Priesthood/RS. I pointed out that perhaps as leaders we should first examine if we are providing enough of a meaningful experience for people to want to be there. At the end of the day talent is limited and a scarce resource and I doubt we can get to be that exciting of a place to be, but I still agree with you that the first place leadership should look is internally.

Further WRT indexing. Every ward I have ever been in the people who are interested in geneology are weird. Weird people are rarely demanded to come into normal people's homes to help normal people find out stuff about dead people.

[DrumNFeather]

If church leaders spent more time making meetings interesting, they would have to guilt people into going to them. I have likely attended my last priesthood leadership trainings because I never get anything out of them. They aren't trainings and they aren't geared towards the youth. The stake just asks people to give talks and we sit there for 2 hours listening to a conference. I'm sorry but there are 100 better things to do with my time on Saturday afternoon than to hear a stake leader bear testimony of indexing.

Sounds like your stake could use a King Benjamin award...given to the ward with the best attendance at leadership meetings. It's a real motivator, let me tell you!

[DrumNFeather]

I learned that we are to prepare ourselves to wage a battle with secular humanists and militant atheists. Those humanists sound wimpy, but I am a little nervous about those militant atheists.

What exactly is a militant atheist anyway?

John Larsen?

[Green Monstah]

Agreed. I'm cooled down a bit now. However, the message comes from the stake, as prior experience indicates, and that concerns me. I think the family bit was ad libbed but the message of stake conference (which, again, I won't be attending) is from higher than the HC.

Our SP is on a similar kick, so I wonder if its something from the Area Folks. We had a 2/3 ward split six months ago, and we had 2x more people in the sacrament mtg announcing the change than we had in stake conference. Our SP was irate. I thought it funny.

The fact is, stake conference usually sucks. If they want better attendance, they have to offer a better, more brief product.

[Pheidippides]

Our SP is on a similar kick, so I wonder if its something from the Area Folks. We had a 2/3 ward split six months ago, and we had 2x more people in the sacrament mtg announcing the change than we had in stake conference. Our SP was irate. I thought it funny.

The fact is, stake conference usually sucks. If they want better attendance, they have to offer a better, more brief product.

I have heard bad things about the area guy. I would not be surprised if he was behind a lot of this, but I do know that the SP is responsible for a lot.

[Non Sequitur]

I learned that Elder Ballard is on the BKP side of the homosexual debate

How is he still alive? He spoke when I was in the MTC, and I'm old. Before that talk I had a certain amount of reverence for General Authorities. After the talk, I remember thinking, "Wow, that guy is a dick." Perhaps the first real chink in my testimony.

[Green Monstah]

I learned that Elder Ballard is on the BKP side of the homosexual debate

Really?

Our report in ward council of the bishop/eqp meeting w/Ballard was that MRB told us to love our gay members.

[Green Monstah]

How is he still alive? He spoke when I was in the MTC, and I'm old. Before that talk I had a certain amount of reverence for General Authorities. After the talk, I remember thinking, "Wow, that guy is a dick." Perhaps the first real chink in my testimony.

Never met the guy, but he looks evil.