Why Men Hate Church: Programs

[Green Monstah]

I thought it was because I would rather be outside doing something or home in front of the TV watching sports and eating something. I would have never guessed "programs". I do like the Primary's Christmas program but the rest suck.

Let's be honest, you hate church because you grew up in Rexburg. I could only hack it 10 months there before I had to bolt.

[RC Vikings]

Let's be honest, you hate church because you grew up in Rexburg. I could only hack it 10 months there before I had to bolt.

No I'm pretty sure I still wouldn't like it if I had grown up somewhere else. You must have missed the two good months of weather we have around here or you would have stuck around.

[DrumNFeather]

I refuse to follow most of my local church leaders (Stake Presidency and just-released Bishop). However, my EQP has a heart of gold and our new bishop is a stand up guy. Our Stake President is a snake (and IMO) a dishonest man.

So, would you ever go to Stake Conference and raise your hand against sustaining your Stake President?

[wally]

I see the logic but I think that this applies to younger males more than mature ones. When I was younger I needed role models, today I still do, but I manage it much more than I did when I was younger. Role models are fallible. I tend to take a person whose system or ability for dealing with a certain challenge I admire, and then try to emulate it. I don't look to the person so much as the ability, and that allows me to overlook that persons personal failings. I think this is why the concept of Christ is important. Having a singular person who is morally infallible provides a completely trustworthy role model/leader.

[Jacob]

This is all crap. Men hate church for one reason, and one reason only: Nobody's keeping score.

If you made a contest out of Sacrament Meeting, some would be whispering smack, some would be second-guessing the speakers' strategies, and some would be complaining about the bishop's officiating, but I guarantee every man in the chapel would be paying attention.

How's that working for home teaching? Maybe we need to publish everybody's names along with their HT stats?

[RC Vikings]

How's that working for home teaching? Maybe we need to publish everybody's names along with their HT stats?

Can I go on the DL?

[Green Monstah]

So, would you ever go to Stake Conference and raise your hand against sustaining your Stake President?

I take the wussy route. I just keep my hand down....not because I don't want to raise as "opposed," but because it's not worth the marital backlash to go out and raise my hand "by the same sign."

[Green Monstah]

No I'm pretty sure I still wouldn't like it if I had grown up somewhere else. You must have missed the two good months of weather we have around here or you would have stuck around.

I was there for that....but I was forced to wear long pants and closed-toe shoes the entire two months....

[statman]

In our last stake leadership meeting we were asked to stop using the word 'program' altogether. I guess when the new Duty to God program came out, there were instructions along with it that specifically said not to refer to it as a 'program.' Our SP widened that to all church 'programs.' Basically, if you can't take the priciple of the 'program' and transform it into something directly applicable to a point of church doctrine, it doesn't belong in "the program." The emphasis is to get back to teaching doctrine and using 'programs' as ways to apply/actualize/utilize/etc the doctrine in our lives and callings.

He even went as far as to completely scrap one of his own 'programs' that had been a major initiative in our stake over the last two years (the unfortunately named "Family Plan"). He kicked it off during Stake Conference in Sep'08, asked Bishops to talk about it a couple times a year on 1st/4th/5th Sundays, and asked for feedback from HTs on how it was being applied by rank and file members. It was actually pretty good as far as most programs go. Kind of a road map for applying gospel principles that a lot of people in the stake seemed to be doing good things with.

After this leadership meeting, though, he asked us to drop it. At some point the program becomes a hinderance to further progress. He wants us to keep stressing the principles within it, and where people ask questions about how those principles might be better applied, use the old program as a potential framework. But he doesn't want "the program" taught anymore...

[Sleeping in EQ]

This is all crap. Men hate church for one reason, and one reason only: Nobody's keeping score.

If you made a contest out of Sacrament Meeting, some would be whispering smack, some would be second-guessing the speakers' strategies, and some would be complaining about the bishop's officiating, but I guarantee every man in the chapel would be paying attention.

Stay tuned. I'll get to the competition material in this book later.

[Sleeping in EQ]

I take the wussy route. I just keep my hand down....not because I don't want to raise as "opposed," but because it's not worth the marital backlash to go out and raise my hand "by the same sign."

The book gets into this as well.