NOM

Yesterday in ward conference a member of the stake presidency talked about the need to exercise our spiritual muscles regularly so they don't wither away. I leaned over to my DW who is an occupational therapist (similar to a physical therapist) and said I would like to see the anatomy of spiritual muscles. She politely laughed.

But really, if they are going to use an analogy that church attendance, scripture study, etc exercise our spiritual muscles, then I think we should take it a little further. I know that running and bench press both exercise my muscles, but they are different muscles. It sounds like the only spiritual muscle desired in the talk was one that keeps members thinking that the mormon church is true. Very little nuance in spiritual muscles.

My magic rock says: Spiritual muscles actually means: Obedience muscles.

There's literally no need to do anything except what you're told. That will exercise the obedience muscles sufficiently.

wtfluff wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 14, 2019 4:38 pm

My magic rock says: Spiritual muscles actually means: Obedience muscles.

There's literally no need to do anything except what you're told. That will exercise the obedience muscles sufficiently.

Good point. Consistent obedience is the goal.

I think the muscles they want could be likened to a digestive system. They want you to only ingest things that keep you believing correctly. So if we read correlated materials enough then we will really get to know the taste, and non-correlated materials will be spit out, or trigger a gag reflex. Some non-correlated information is bound to get through though, so the spiritual muscles also need to be able to separate the stuff that strengthens correct belief from the stuff that doesn't. Then the non-correlated stuff is removed and not thought of further.

The irony here is that Mormonism doesn't actually strengthen a Spiritual muscle. Mormonism is the equivalent of constantly picking up a pencil and setting it down 3 inches away, and then putting it back, repeat ad nausium. That sort of exercise doesn't actually challenge, stretch, or stress the muscle. It may develop muscle memory and reflex action, but it does not actually strengthen or improve endurance of the arm muscles.

Muscle is built though stressing it. Mormonism goes out of their way to avoid all spiritual stress.

Just This Guy wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:36 am

Muscle is built though stressing it. Mormonism goes out of their way to avoid all spiritual stress.

Let's consider some spiritual exercise to stress our spiritual muscles:

• You don't believe in the LDS church and are pretty skeptical of the common beliefs about God. But you don't bring up the constant logical fallacies in church with your believing spouse and continue to politely (if only occasionally) attend.
• Instead of making your spouse a church widow/widower, you somehow maintain a temple recommend and attend church with them. You hold a calling that you can somehow find comfortable. You seek out someone in your ward that is truly hurting and let them know of other options that may work for them.
• Rather than read the Book of Mormon again, you read "The Didache" and study how first century Christian learned the gospel. You read "Misquoting Jesus" by Bart Ehrman and ponder how religions grow. You read "The Way of Zen" by Alan W. Watts and learn an entirely different way to understand God and spirituality.
• Instead of attending an LDS temple, you make an appointment with pastors and religious leaders in your area and ask them how their faith works and about their testimony and conception of God.
• Instead of worrying about ministering teaching calling, you volunteer at a homeless shelter and hold the hand of someone who has truly suffered and listen to their story.
• Risking your temple recommend, the desires of your spouse, and tithing settlement with your bishop, you redirect your tithing to a local soup kitchen, an international aid group, and an animal shelter.

I have one or two of these things and should do many more. How strong would your spiritual muscles be if you avoided the normal LDS routine and did these instead?

Interesting thread. In meetings this last week (some may recall that I’m still faking it and several months ago accepted a calling that requires wayyyyy too many meetings) there is a real awareness of the exodus especially among the youth. And discussion after discussion ensued about how to truly convert, form permanent testimonies and commit to eternal membership!! And the problem is like what earlier posts say above-the church’s juvenile and shallow approach to spirituality can’t compete with the cultural and historical issues.

This reminds me of adds back in the 80's(?) for those hand grip excercise tools. They would have something like this as part of their add:



Saying that by using their grip tool, you can bulk up your full body. The same level of advertising deception is used by LDS Inc.

Gees...don't get me going on this one!

Often 'spiritual muscles' are likened to being able to hear the spirit. But what is that? Psychic ability!. Or, lets take it a step further,....clairvoyance or necromancy, or....drum roll.....witchcraft spiritualism!

In the early LDS church, having spiritual experiences were prevalent (or so we are led to believe), and at the top of that list is "hearing the whisperings of the spirit." But isn't hearing that like being psychic?

If you ask a TBM about this, they will say: "OH NO ITS NOT!...THE HOLY GHOST ONLY SPEAKS TRUTH!"....but ever time I've seen or heard of someone getting whisperings of the spirit, I don't recall them having any kindof a litmus test to know if that spirit WAS the HG (Whatever that is)....

Isn't it this HG spirit who said blacks are inferior; who said gay is a choice; who said children of gays are accountable for the 'sins' of their parents; who said the BoA was written by the very hand of Abraham; who said that spilling your blood on the ground atoned for your sins; who said that the more women you married (and neglected) the better your exaltation; who said that anachronistic teachings came through the peep stone; who said that carrying around a coffin cane as a holy relic could heal; who said that every other church is an abomination; who said "listen to us...we CAN NOT lead you astray...."

on and on and on.

Lets get the psychic stuff out there where it belons. Spiritual muscles?...yeh right....