Attendance

[Anon70]

Tough Sunday. The kind that makes me not want to go anymore and hang the consequences.

I grew up in a fairly liberal Mormon household. One of my parents was a convert so for many years we did things differently than other LDS families (they have since gone deep end TBM). And my mother in particular likes to rewrite history and edit out our non-conformist past.

We kids used to love it if we snuck upstairs on a Sunday and the folks were still asleep-no church! We regularly missed and went and did fun family stuff. And considered ourselves active. My parents both held big ward and stake callings. And we shopped and played and vacationed and played sports on Sundays. I recall a few families judging us but overall I don't recall it being a big deal.

I have been experimenting with going part of the block, skipping entirely at least once a month and just kind of being a minimalist as far as participation: no chapel cleaning, no enrichment, no musical firesides, etc. And I've let my children choose for themselves. (I've noted before that my spouse is uber TBM that refuses to read the essays). The kids go more than I do.

Boy have the comments about attendance been coming on strong! Attendance shows your heart. Attendance matters! We missed you. All three hours are required/mandatory. Where were you? Where are the kids?

Since when did attendance = righteousness? Since when did attendance mean you had a celestial kingdom pass? I've always felt callings were a way to keep us committed and one reason why I won't take another every Sunday calling. But this expectation that attendance must be 100% feels new. Anyone else experiencing this? Or is this just what happens in an area with a high population of Mormons? This is my first time living in one.

[Culper Jr.]

Since when did attendance = righteousness? Since when did attendance mean you had a celestial kingdom pass?

Yeah, I've really noticed this. Doesn't matter what kind of life you live, as long as you are in church in a white shirt and tie you are good. I live way outside of the Morridor, and I have noticed the increasing focus on attendance.

When I was younger, we seemed to have more spiritually minded, pragmatic leaders. I've noticed that since full correlation hit in 1990, the church has increasingly installed more corporate minded/lawyer type leaders. Spirituality is hard to quantify, but you can quantify things like attendance and baptisms, so that is where the push is. To move up the ladder, a leader needs to have a quantifiable accomplishment they can point to. Also, butts in seats equals more budget money from SLC.

[Give It Time]

Since when did attendance = righteousness? Since when did attendance mean you had a celestial kingdom pass?

Yeah, I've really noticed this. Doesn't matter what kind of life you live, as long as you are in church in a white shirt and tie you are good. I live way outside of the Morridor, and I have noticed the increasing focus on attendance.

When I was younger, we seemed to have more spiritually minded, pragmatic leaders. I've noticed that since full correlation hit in 1990, the church has increasingly installed more corporate minded/lawyer type leaders. Spirituality is hard to quantify, but you can quantify things like attendance and baptisms, so that is where the push is. To move up the ladder, a leader needs to have a quantifiable accomplishment they can point to. Also, butts in seats equals more budget money from SLC.

I think it's about quantafiability, too. I was recently told by my bishop that to get my recommend renewed, his requirements were easy.

Testimony of the Restoration
Sustain the leaders
Attendance
Tithing
Word of Wisdom

All the other questions in the interview, he'd be flexible. I was shocked at first, but then thought I think just about every bishop I've had has been this way. The CHI officially states that it's up to each bishop, but this is so consistent that I'll bet there's some unwritten order of things PowerPoint slide out there admonishing our local leaders that this is the Lord's way.

So, attendance is indeed quantifiable, as are tithing, Word of Wisdom and to some degree sustaining the leaders. I once had it explained to me that there is no litereal number of the beast. The intent of the scripture was to warn us against letting numbers be our master.

So, there you have it. Our temples are populated with abusive, deadbeat, fraud committing, tithe paying soda drinkers.

Water seeks it's own level.

[Anon70]

Testimony of the Restoration
Sustain the leaders
Attendance
Tithing
Word of Wisdom

So, there you have it. Our temples are populated with abusive, deadbeat, fraud committing, tithe paying soda drinkers.

True. I told my parents recently that if you answered all the TR questions right and said no to tithing, no TR. But I know people who have answered others wrong (admitted to lack of testimony, not following WOW, even Chastity issues) and got in because they paid tithing.

I think it's all about the money so the comment about budget above by Culper Jr rang true to me as well.

[nibbler]

Part keeping up appearances, part coping with fears.

If I were looking for a little reassurance that I'd make it to the CK I might convince myself that if I'm attending all my meetings then my chances of making it increase.

If I were worried about making it to the CK I might even compare myself to others in an effort to convince myself that I'll make it. I attend church, other people do not, my worldview was shaped in a zero-sum game world and if I do something other people aren't doing then maybe my chances of making it are better, because I've convinced myself that I'm better than my neighbor because I do xyz and they do not.

I freely admit that there have been several Sundays where I've attended because I wanted to be seen as having attended, not because of I thought I was going to get some other benefit from attendance. E.g.: I'll attend that PH leader session of stake conference because: 1) a leader up the chain of command will lecture me if I don't, 2) attending makes me more righteous, 3) it's my duty to attend, 4) or they're going to say something insightful that I need to hear.

Which is the motivational reason in most circumstances?

In our area church will occasionally (but rarely) be canceled due to inclement weather. I know a lot of members that love those Sundays. They get to stay home guilt free because church was cancelled through no fault of their own. Guilt free! To me that's a tell that someone is attending for reasons other than them getting some actual benefit from attendance. Granted missing one Sunday (needing a break) vs. missing every Sunday is apples/oranges, but the point still stands. If assuaging guilt is the primary reason for attendance...

Citing the need to take the sacrament is another reason people give for church attendance. That's fine, but do we really need to wrap 10 minutes of purposeful worship in a blanket of what often amounts to 180 minutes of run-out-the-clock filler?

[BriansThoughtMirror]

Since when did attendance = righteousness? Since when did attendance mean you had a celestial kingdom pass?

I'm min-thirties, and I can't remember a time when I didn't think 100% attendance (including all conference sessions and activities) was required for righteousness. That's how my family rolled. 100% tithing, no fun on Sundays, etc., too. You have to repent of ALL your sins to make to to the CK, you know.

I think my parents became a bit more nuanced later, but still very TBM.

[Jeffret]

Outward displays of loyalty to the tribe.

[LostMormon]

100% percent attendance, has always been the expected norm where I grew up, even to the point that I had to be sick, and I mean really sick before I could get the O.K. to miss church guilt free. I have always felt it was quite obvious that most people go to keep up appearances, you can see it in most peoples demeanor.

When people go to something they want to see or hear, such as a concert or play, they go early to get front row seats, I have to go early to church to get a back row seat.

[redjay]

habit

[Hagoth]

Since when did attendance = righteousness?

In a time when the church has lost absolute control of information and more people are questioning the truth claims there is a greater need for quantifiable manifestations of devotion to make it obvious who's on the team and who isn't.