What the church did right:

[Red Ryder]

We here at NOM often complain and easily point out what the church and its leaders have done wrong. Here’s what the church has done right:

1. Pulled the senior missionaries home. (Mine included, they’re back on US soil now)
2. Pulled many of the young missionaries (including a few kids of dear friends)
3: closed all local ward buildings! (Thank Gods! As most would say!!)
4. Closed nearly all temples. (Handshakes & a deadly virus don’t mix)
5. Allowed for civil marriages so my neighbors 19 yr old kid can legally get laid Saturday.
6. Authorized sacrament at home which meant full size slices of bread passed around as sacrament on world fast Sunday. Look for the loopholes, look for the loopholes.
7. Made white robes and costumes the best social distancing tool not on the market.
8. Created GC anticipation for once.

[jfro18]

These are fair... although looking at them with my skeptical eyes:

Would argue that 1&2 were very reactive to the spiraling situation, but at least they did it. Both of my nephews on missions right now are not going anywhere, and I know at least for one of them there are no flights in or out, so they are stuck there for better or worse.

#3 was again a reactive move as was #4... they didn't even "close" all temples until someone died after going through one, so while they got it right, it wasn't because they saw it coming.

#5 was a long time coming, and I've seen this being pushed as a revelation for this very moment, even though the church admits in their own release it's part to help families that aren't all in, and largely because half of the world requires a civil marriage first.

#6... lol.

#7... lol and sadness. Down with garments.

#8... they always generate GC buzz. What's funny is that this time there isn't as much "what changes will be made" as much as "what will they reveal." Pretty funny because my only question is how far will Nelson take his doomsday prophet role this weekend? The dude loves adoration and he clearly has spent a lifetime getting to this point to make his mark... so I just wonder if he will really go for it, or just do the boilerplate end of days nonsense.

[moksha]

6. Authorized sacrament at home which meant full-size slices of bread passed around as sacrament on world fast Sunday. Look for the loopholes, look for the loopholes.

Toasted sourdough with your favorite jam or marmalade speaks volumes about remembrance.

When we read about preachers keeping their congregations open just to rake in a bit more money, we need to be grateful the LDS Church is seeking to protect our health.

[Exiled]

9. Mail your tithing to the bishop or put it in an envelope and drop it on his doorstep. This way no large congregation needed and the church gets to bolster its "rainy day" Ensign Peak hedge fund in this time of need.

[Red Ryder]

9. Mail your tithing to the bishop or put it in an envelope and drop it on his doorstep. This way no large congregation needed and the church gets to bolster its "rainy day" Ensign Peak hedge fund in this time of need.

Nah, home church means you send your money to yourself to bolster your own rainy day fund. Like if one of the appliances in your home church goes out and you have to call the home facilities management office.

In my mind home church means I do it all!

I should therefore get to collect the tithes, fast offerings, and intangible religious benefits.

If anyone feels the need to donate, I’m opening the Ryder Peak Fund (RPF) which will allocate funds to various people in need of hugs, counseling, and other help ranging from organization experts to divorce attorneys.

Anything to help in this time of need.

[lostinmiddlemormonism]

After many years I have realized that the biggest thing that frosts my chaps about the church is that it ALWAYS has to be about the church. The hypocrisy, the cover ups, the lying, the gaslighting is all secondary to the fact that they church (its leaders, and the majority of their members) are the biggest narcissists going, and that is saying something in the time of TRUMP, but they trump even (note to Mormons, this is how to appropriately use even in a sentence) him.

The news stories in the paper - always about the church
The conference talks - quote themselves and each other
The pictures in the bishops office, the first presidency or the temple

They have $100,000,000,000.00 in a "rainy day fund" but they can't bust any of that precious money free because they might need it for their 'church'. Instead, how about the members (who just lost their jobs, or are scared shitless in these uncertain times) step up. They can go hungry for a day and then donate some more money to THE CHURCH (not the local food bank, or hospice house, or trauma center). Why? Because it is all about the CHURCH, not about actually helping people in need.

Oh sure, you can believe that they donated to every worthy cause under the sun with YOUR MONEY, but you don't really know what they did with it. Did they buy a ventilator for an economically stressed hospital or did they buy stock in the ventilator company for some general authority.

I don't know if I even believe in a Jesus who was literally resurrected, but I can clearly see that he is an after thought with this group. Take this headline for example: https://www.deseret.com/faith/2020/3/30 ... seph-smith

The actual headline reads, 'What we can learn about adversity from TCJCOLDS'
What we could learn about adversity from the life of Jesus Christ of course escapes them, because they don't even really know who He is, other than a cool name to put on their building, their name tags, and their blue book.

They like to quote this, "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." Oh yeah, when? When was the last time you managed to talk about Christ without a reference to Rusty, Oaks, Bednar, Holland, or Smith? Don't believe it? Watch this weekend. I firmly expect that they the hero worship of Jesus Smith...I mean Joseph Christ, I mean...well you know, will be on display. Why? Because it all all about THEM.

F'ing Cult.

-lost

[Palerider]

The pictures in the bishops office, the first presidency or the temple

-lost

Ha!

When we used to meet in the High Council room it always bugged me that placed very prominently were pictures of the 1st Pres. and one of Joseph Smith in the highest and most visible location.

There was one smallish picture of the Savior placed obscurely off in the end of the room where interestingly when the Stake Presidency's white board was opened up for planning etc., one of the doors covered up the picture of Christ.

How typical, I thought. And yet....very truthful.

[MerrieMiss]

With everything that’s going on, I haven’t been keeping up with NOM so I’m sure this has been said before, but why is the missionary program still a thing? Why is it not suspended?

One girl from our ward has already been reassigned to a stateside mission in Oklahoma. My cousin is turning a bedroom in her house into the MTC for her preparing missionary. The missionaries in our ward are begging to teach discussions to our families online. Ward members are feeding missionaries. My nephew still isn’t home from his mission (he’s in another country that is very remote and they haven’t been able to get out yet) and my sister-in-law is freaking out – not for reasons of safety or health, but because she thinks her family will have to live missionary rules when he comes back and they self-isolate for two weeks before he gets shipped out somewhere else.

The whole point of missionary work* in one form or another is to annoy people in a very social way. If you can’t do that, there’s no point.

Why are there still missionaries at all?

*It can be argued that the true purpose of missionary work is to increase the commitment, dependence, and relationship of the missionary to the church. Perhaps I've answered my own question.

[Hagoth]

6. Authorized sacrament at home which meant full-size slices of bread passed around as sacrament on world fast Sunday. Look for the loopholes, look for the loopholes.

Toasted sourdough with your favorite jam or marmalade speaks volumes about remembrance.

As I recall, even Jesus was dipping his bread in tasty sauces at the Last Supper. And, for that matter, drinking wine. Yeah, I'm rethinking this whole sacrament-at-home thing. If you do it as prescribed in the actual scriptural prayer, without making any non-scriptural word substitutes, you have to use wine.

When we read about preachers keeping their congregations open just to rake in a bit more money, we need to be grateful the LDS Church is seeking to protect our health.

But then it might just be that LDS leaders don't believe in their own juju as much as those guys.

[FiveFingerMnemonic]

I have to wonder if the accountants will talley the cost savings involved with the shutdown and bring those findings to the Q15, spurring even more revelations reducing our time in buildings after the pandemic. I imagine the electrical and HVAC savings are quite substantial.

[Corsair]

I am waiting to see how the church will react once we can all go back to our regularly schedule Sunday meetings. They will need some tact and diplomacy to convince all of the people who have enjoyed home church that there is something worth going back to in a regular ward meeting.

[Red Ryder]

I am waiting to see how the church will react once we can all go back to our regularly schedule Sunday meetings. They will need some tact and diplomacy to convince all of the people who have enjoyed home church that there is something worth going back to in a regular ward meeting.

There will be two groups.

The first is those comforted by the old boring routine. These members will bare fervent testimony that the gospel is true and rejoice in being side by side their fellow members by hugging the burlap walls and excessive breathing in that old dirty diaper smell wafting from the mothers lounge forgotten by the half assed volunteer who cleaned the church six months ago.

The second group will be the faithful members who will have craved for change, wanting something besides the old boring routine. These members will push for change to allow brass instruments and a guitar to be played in the sacrament meeting special musical number by the Johnson sisters while quietly lobbying for the dismissal of the high council speaker.

Both groups will fall back in line and become one homogeneous group by the second Sunday back to church. After all, the gospel is a mile wide and an inch deep. Members having been clearly indoctrinated to let the church and it’s leaders do the thinking for them.

See ya’ll on Saturday cleaning the chapel!

[2bizE]

I think one of the positive things I’ve learned from church is the importance of being self-reliant. We are taught to learn and prepare and be ready for situations such as disasters. We are taught to find a good career and to work hard and save money.

[hmb]

I think one of the positive things I’ve learned from church is the importance of being self-reliant. We are taught to learn and prepare and be ready for situations such as disasters. We are taught to find a good career and to work hard and save money.

This is true for the men. Back in my day, it was more important to find a worthy man with all the above qualifications. It has shifted over the years. I have seen some TBM moms push their daughters to finish college before starting a family. Get married, but wait on kids. That probably happened back in the day too, but it would not have been made public. My daughter was taught to be both self reliant and seek a worthy man, the importance still on marriage. If you womens get too educated, you may realize you don't require mens. You just may start thinking a little too critically. That's dangerous for the "on the fence mormons."

[Not Buying It]

After many years I have realized that the biggest thing that frosts my chaps about the church is that it ALWAYS has to be about the church. The hypocrisy, the cover ups, the lying, the gaslighting is all secondary to the fact that they church (its leaders, and the majority of their members) are the biggest narcissists going, and that is saying something in the time of TRUMP, but they trump even (note to Mormons, this is how to appropriately use even in a sentence) him.

The news stories in the paper - always about the church
The conference talks - quote themselves and each other
The pictures in the bishops office, the first presidency or the temple

THIS!!!

The Church is incredibly self-absorbed. Hell, according to them the whole reason technology even exists today it so facilitate the spread of the Church. It is so ridiculous - active members represent a tiny fraction of the world's population, in terms of its impact it is incredibly insignificant to 99.9% of the population, and the Church thinks every thing that has ever happened was to bring about the "restoration of the Gospel".

The Church has it completely backwards. A Church should exist to meet the needs of its members. But in the Mormon Church, members exist to meet the needs of the Church. That is the way it has always been and always will be, because the whole thing was cooked up in the first place to meet the needs of Joseph Smith. It is unalterably structured that way.