why me wrote:I think that you guys are over reacting. First we have a song that sings thanks that the LDS church has a prophet and then we see footage of Thomas Monson out among the people. Nothing wrong with that. Mambers had a chance to see Thomas S. Monson meeting members all over the world and making an impact on the members that he visits. I see no cult of personality only an attempt showing the prophet at work among the members.
It seems that the critics do not like church hymns.
I didn't comment on the hymn per se (in fact, it's one of my favorites). In fact, I like it enough to know that it isn't about Prophets in the first place. It's about the blessings God has given us. It is only the unfortunate placement of "a Prophet" as the first thing mentioned that put the word "Prophet" in the title, and the rest is history. The title should just be "We Thank Thee, O God"; then people would understand it is a prayer of thanksgiving to God, not a hymn of praise for the most senior apostle.
My ultimate issue was with the appropriateness of playing a montage of President Monson during any hymn of a session of General Conference. Last I checked, General Conference (and the Church in general) is not about President Monson; if we're going to insist that we don't worship Joseph Smith or the other Prophets, then we probably better start acting like it.
(The montage probably would have been more appropriate at a birthday party, a funeral, or a baptism, where the event is focused on one individual, and the participants understand they are attending to honor that person.)
Except that the song says we thank thee a god for a prophet. And so, to your understanding, having a prophet is a blessing from god. I have no problem with that. But the photos of Monson were in line for showing the LDS community just how blessed they are for having a prophet. I still don't get all the fuss. Monson is up and about visiting members all over the world. For the LDS, this should be a thankful blessing since he his god's prophet.
I intend to lay a foundation that will revolutionize the whole world. Joseph Smith We are “to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to provide for the widow, to dry up the tear of the orphan, to comfort the afflicted, whether in this church, or in any other, or in no church at all…” Joseph Smith
why me wrote:Except that the song says we thank thee a god for a prophet. And so, to your understanding, having a prophet is a blessing from god. I have no problem with that. But the photos of Monson were in line for showing the LDS community just how blessed they are for having a prophet. I still don't get all the fuss. Monson is up and about visiting members all over the world. For the LDS, this should be a thankful blessing since he his god's prophet.
If the montage was meant to be topical to the song, it would have made more sense to show the pictures of President Monson at the point of the song where it actually mentions "a Prophet".
It also would have probably been more appropriate to make it a montage of all the Latter-day prophets, from Joseph Smith to Thomas Monson. That would at least keep the perspective of the office of "Prophet" being something separate the the individual who currently holds that office.
But for a religion that is so strict about not having pictures of Jesus in the chapels (or visual aids during sacrament meeting talks), I was surprised to see a montage of anyone during a hymn.
cinepro wrote:But for a religion that is so strict about not having pictures of Jesus in the chapels (or visual aids during sacrament meeting talks), I was surprised to see a montage of anyone during a hymn.
I started a thread about this over on the MAD board. At this point, I'm being compared to the crowd who called for Barabbas instead of Jesus. Why am I not surprised?
cinepro wrote:But for a religion that is so strict about not having pictures of Jesus in the chapels (or visual aids during sacrament meeting talks), I was surprised to see a montage of anyone during a hymn.
I started a thread about this over on the MAD board. At this point, I'm being compared to the crowd who called for Barabbas instead of Jesus. Why am I not surprised?
I'm in the crowd that called for Jesus instead of President Monson for the montage.
cinepro wrote:I'm in the crowd that called for Jesus instead of President Monson for the montage.
Good idea, but I think Bsix's thoughts holds sway for most Mormons:
The cynic in me thought it was over the top. The Mormon in me loved it because it was over the top. My Mormon side won out.
It is hard to not say that a bit more than "hero worship" is going on. Like Will Schruyver was talking about, these men are frequently imbued by some members as having a demigod status. But what's a Church to do about this anyway? Not have all members stand at attention whenever a General Authority enters the room?
Why does it seem that so many cults of personality are centered on people who have none?
Sorry, but I don't see a lot of zip in the LDS leadership. Where's the charisma?
“I was hooked from the start,” Snoop Dogg said. “We talked about the purpose of life, played Mousetrap, and ate brownies. The kids thought it was off the hook, for real.”
antishock8 wrote: Anyway... On and on... Funny how history repeats itself.
Oh brother. I think you are supposed to wait until after Obama becomes a genocidal war criminal before you make that call. Or was it the photo ops of Stalin and Hitler that won your ire? Not their crimes against humanity?
Remember the chanting tearful adulation of this wanna be savior?
when believers want to give their claims more weight, they dress these claims up in scientific terms. When believers want to belittle atheism or secular humanism, they call it a "religion". -Beastie
yesterday's Mormon doctrine is today's Mormon folklore.-Buffalo
Tarski wrote:Remember the chanting tearful adulation of this wanna be savior?
Ah, the perfect would-be savior for an age of ignorant, mediocre narcissists.
“I was hooked from the start,” Snoop Dogg said. “We talked about the purpose of life, played Mousetrap, and ate brownies. The kids thought it was off the hook, for real.”
My point was that many US presidents have a sizable cult of personality. I think that's true of more than half the presidents since FDR. It comes with the territory of being electable. Bush was virtually worshiped in some segments of our society. Hence my video of Bush virtually being worshiped by a segment of our society.
If you were implying something much darker by "history repeating itself" then you deserve a mixture of pity and contempt.
Last edited by Guest on Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Runtu wrote:I started a thread about this over on the MAD board. At this point, I'm being compared to the crowd who called for Barabbas instead of Jesus. Why am I not surprised?
I'm in the crowd that called for Jesus instead of President Monson for the montage.
The LDS Church is short on authentic footage of Jesus.
"Surely he knows that DCP, The Nehor, Lamanite, and other key apologists..." -Scratch clarifying my status in apologetics "I admit it; I'm a petty, petty man." -Some Schmo
