Oaks criticizes "soccer" and team sports

[_Jason Bourne]

Here's another juicy one from GC, as reported in today's Trib:

Apostle Dallin H. Oaks urged Mormon parents to limit their children's extracurricular activities.

"Team sports and technology toys like video games and the Internet are already winning away the time of our children and youth," Oaks said. "Some young men and women are skipping church youth activities or are unavailable for family time in order to participate in soccer leagues or to pursue various entertainments."

They are "amusing themselves to death," he said, "spiritual death."

You'd think the Church would get the message that if youth activities were not so damned boring, the kids might show up. Instead of being "amused to death," they are "bored to death" at Church.

After my 12 year old heard this talk she said "Grrrrr" I asked her what was wrong. "Do you think after that guys talk mom will make me quit the swim team because I miss young womens activities some time." Nah, I said. don't worry about it.

[_Jason Bourne]

Here's another juicy one from GC, as reported in today's Trib:

Apostle Dallin H. Oaks urged Mormon parents to limit their children's extracurricular activities.

"Team sports and technology toys like video games and the Internet are already winning away the time of our children and youth," Oaks said. "Some young men and women are skipping church youth activities or are unavailable for family time in order to participate in soccer leagues or to pursue various entertainments."

They are "amusing themselves to death," he said, "spiritual death."

You'd think the Church would get the message that if youth activities were not so damned boring, the kids might show up. Instead of being "amused to death," they are "bored to death" at Church.

To be fair I think he was pointing to excessive sports and other activities.

[_Mercury]

Here's another juicy one from GC, as reported in today's Trib:

Apostle Dallin H. Oaks urged Mormon parents to limit their children's extracurricular activities.

"Team sports and technology toys like video games and the Internet are already winning away the time of our children and youth," Oaks said. "Some young men and women are skipping church youth activities or are unavailable for family time in order to participate in soccer leagues or to pursue various entertainments."

They are "amusing themselves to death," he said, "spiritual death."

You'd think the Church would get the message that if youth activities were not so damned boring, the kids might show up. Instead of being "amused to death," they are "bored to death" at Church.

To be fair I think he was pointing to excessive sports and other activities.

Spin it Jason, Spin it!

Your rags to riches story is SO INSPIRING. Maybe you could do the seven habits thing and become a motivational Mormon speaker on how to pigeonhole Mormon absurdities and deny basic Mormon beliefs and cultural foibles.

[_Mercury]

Here's another juicy one from GC, as reported in today's Trib:

Apostle Dallin H. Oaks urged Mormon parents to limit their children's extracurricular activities.

"Team sports and technology toys like video games and the Internet are already winning away the time of our children and youth," Oaks said. "Some young men and women are skipping church youth activities or are unavailable for family time in order to participate in soccer leagues or to pursue various entertainments."

They are "amusing themselves to death," he said, "spiritual death."

You'd think the Church would get the message that if youth activities were not so damned boring, the kids might show up. Instead of being "amused to death," they are "bored to death" at Church.

After my 12 year old heard this talk she said "Grrrrr" I asked her what was wrong. "Do you think after that guys talk mom will make me quit the swim team because I miss young womens activities some time." Nah, I said. don't worry about it.

Shame on you! Your next TR interview, when you are asked if you talk ill of the lards annointed you need to make sure and say no. Either that or pull your daughter out of swim team or face eternal consequences! Mwahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[_Jason Bourne]

Spin it Jason, Spin it!

No more then you do flunky

Your rags to riches story is SO INSPIRING. Maybe you could do the seven habits thing and become a motivational Mormon speaker on how to pigeonhole Mormon absurdities and deny basic Mormon beliefs and cultural foibles

.

Oh what a little boy you are.

Sorry if I am aggravating our class envy.

[_Gadianton]

Has anyone watched or participated in church basketball? Is some uninformed person going to argue that online gaming contributes to aggression more than church ball? That it's more socially productive?

There is one big problem with ward youth activities. You're born into a ward, on the risk of hellfire, you can't leave ward boundries, and if your kid isn't accepted by the other kids at church, then it can be years of torment. Young men and women's groups in the church are as clickish as anything out there. If a kid finds a group somewhere, be it sports or online gaming, where he's accepted and enjoys himself then that is far more productive than sitting on sidelines at church b-ball games, getting picked last all the time or the other young women making fun of clothes etc..

Nothing brings out the innactive and uninterested atheletes in ward boundries more than wednsday night basketball and softball. So it's really kind of a wash on the spiritual influences. I mean, the only time I ever got exposed to keggers and the rebellious teen stuff was during mutual when all the guys you never see at church on sunday show up to play basketball, get bored after a while, and want to go 4 wheeling, cruise, check out who's up the canyon partying and so on.

I'm not saying every youth group is the same, but every youth group is going to converge on some kind of theme that the dominant ones in that group, whatever dominant may be, are getting all the "social skill" development and it's hardly necessitating "spiritual growth" either. If you're a jock and your ward youth group only cares about playing Halo, that's also a problem.

Being forced to go where you either don't fit in or aren't happy, as a teen, isn't horribly productive.

[_Inconceivable]

Zoid,

The only Games many of the young men play now are Halo, Soldier of Fortune, Tour of Duty and the like. Their outdoor activities mainly include paintball, airsoft and laser tag.

Kids that play video golf, zelda, NFL and others generally have a life outside of violent fantasy. Having been in young mens for about 9 years it has become quite a disturbing trend. These kids fit what you're talking about.

so.. bla bla bla.

[_Bryan Inks]

For the record, studies show that video games may contribute to bla bla bla..."

yeah, yeah.

It's the only medium where you can fantasize that you are actually an amazing athlete while sporting what I call a "nintendo gut".

I guess some my not recognize the problem here. These kids will die fat and young, desensitized to random acts of aggression/violence, bereft of interactive social skills, unable to qualify for even military service because 300,000 cyber situps don't really count.

You would not want these Halo orphans to end up on your local police force.

Anyway, Oaks ought attend his great, great, great, great, great grandson's scouting overnighter and discover what the real problems are (Odds are that the kid is most likely home bullseyeing womp rats).

I call complete shenanigans on you.

As someone that grew up in the Nintendo Generation, I don't sport a gut and yet I spend around 4 hours a day sitting on my ass playing games. And anyone who's ever met me wouldn't say that I'm socially incapable.

It's called personal (and parental) responsibility, for Christ's sake. Moderation. Do I play a lot of games? Hell yes. I used to play at a quasi-professional level, often making around $500 per week by playing in tournaments. That means a lot of practice.

But I also have a life outside of video games. I do Belegarth, one of the most physically demanding things on this earth (other than futball).

Teach your kids how to take some f*****g responsibility for themselves. Take some f*****g responsibility yourself.

Hey, there's a simple solution. Why didn't I think of tha. . . wait a minute.

I've passed the military PT tests several times (one of which happened to be at the Halo 2 release party at the mall, at the height of my gaming where I was practicing for 7 hours a day and competing for another 4).

Just because you're too damn lazy to be a responsible person doesn't mean everyone else is.

[_Inconceivable]

For the record, studies show that video games may contribute to bla bla bla..."

yeah, yeah.

It's the only medium where you can fantasize that you are actually an amazing athlete while sporting what I call a "nintendo gut".

I guess some my not recognize the problem here. These kids will die fat and young, desensitized to random acts of aggression/violence, bereft of interactive social skills, unable to qualify for even military service because 300,000 cyber situps don't really count.

You would not want these Halo orphans to end up on your local police force.

Anyway, Oaks ought attend his great, great, great, great, great grandson's scouting overnighter and discover what the real problems are (Odds are that the kid is most likely home bullseyeing womp rats).

I call complete shenanigans on you.

As someone that grew up in the Nintendo Generation, I don't sport a gut and yet I spend around 4 hours a day sitting on my ass playing games. And anyone who's ever met me wouldn't say that I'm socially incapable.

It's called personal (and parental) responsibility, for Christ's sake. Moderation. Do I play a lot of games? Hell yes. I used to play at a quasi-professional level, often making around $500 per week by playing in tournaments. That means a lot of practice.

But I also have a life outside of video games. I do Belegarth, one of the most physically demanding things on this earth (other than futball).

Teach your kids how to take some f*****g responsibility for themselves. Take some f*****g responsibility yourself.

Hey, there's a simple solution. Why didn't I think of tha. . . wait a minute.

I've passed the military PT tests several times (one of which happened to be at the Halo 2 release party at the mall, at the height of my gaming where I was practicing for 7 hours a day and competing for another 4).

Just because you're too damn lazy to be a responsible person doesn't mean everyone else is.

For those that think they are somehow training for a real job someday because they also emulate the Duke Nukem physique:

Military, perhaps (Best of luck adapting to real world Rules of Engagement. Some of the boys on their way to Levenworth have had some difficulty with that). Bryan, Do you have any conceivable idea what they are actually looking for in a soldier that lives what you make believe? Is there an agency that aggressively seeks young men conditioned in the sport of body count gaming?

Local/County Law enforcement, no way.

Security Guard, no.

INS/ICE, Never. Even more restrictive than L/C law enforcement.

FBI, CIA, no.

Circle K, they may overlook it. But unfortunately, you can only carry after hours.

Flame away Bryan, But the amount of time and energy you focus into your "hobby" will effect (no doubt has effected) your perception of the real world and the value you place on human life. Training to be an award winning killing machine that makes $500 on a good week will qualify you as a mercenary or a bodyguard of a drug dealer. Otherwise you're going to need some serious deprogramming before you find yourself engaged in any principled modern day peacekeeping.

Inspite of all the flap I've given you, my real world includes possessing a CCW permit since it's legislation and sporting firearms primarily intended for defense of the 2 legged varmints. And yes, most likely I'll crap my pants and throw up if I ever have to engage my real world training skills.

Still, I think Dallin Oaks was way off on his perspective of the youth of this generation, in and out of their church.

[_karl61]

Has anyone watched or participated in church basketball? Is some uninformed person going to argue that online gaming contributes to aggression more than church ball? That it's more socially productive?

There is one big problem with ward youth activities. You're born into a ward, on the risk of hellfire, you can't leave ward boundries, and if your kid isn't accepted by the other kids at church, then it can be years of torment. Young men and women's groups in the church are as clickish as anything out there. If a kid finds a group somewhere, be it sports or online gaming, where he's accepted and enjoys himself then that is far more productive than sitting on sidelines at church b-ball games, getting picked last all the time or the other young women making fun of clothes etc..

Nothing brings out the innactive and uninterested atheletes in ward boundries more than wednsday night basketball and softball. So it's really kind of a wash on the spiritual influences. I mean, the only time I ever got exposed to keggers and the rebellious teen stuff was during mutual when all the guys you never see at church on sunday show up to play basketball, get bored after a while, and want to go 4 wheeling, cruise, check out who's up the canyon partying and so on.

I'm not saying every youth group is the same, but every youth group is going to converge on some kind of theme that the dominant ones in that group, whatever dominant may be, are getting all the "social skill" development and it's hardly necessitating "spiritual growth" either. If you're a jock and your ward youth group only cares about playing Halo, that's also a problem.

Being forced to go where you either don't fit in or aren't happy, as a teen, isn't horribly productive.

our youth team was always involved in fights. Not me but my friends. One of my friends, who later became a navy seal, was always involved in something. One time at a soft ball game he wore a bathing suit, sneakers and a tie with no shirt.