More Musings on Monson's Mental Malaise

[_lulu]

All the presidents of the Church my life, except Hinckley, have gone out of this world lingering a while with little mind left. It is rather sad. Well Hunter was ok mentally but he was a physical wreck when he became president soo he was not able to function much. They really ought to give these men an out. Retire them at 80 or maybe when they are on the decline. You can still let the next most senior apostle take over (which by the way is just tradition and not codified in doctrine).

It is, however, codified in the bylaws of the corporation sole that governs all the assets of the church. They could call someone else to be prophet, theoretically, but the senior apostle would still be the one who owns everything, legally speaking.

Do you have a copy of the bi-laws?

[_harmony]

Well, if you don't get Packer...fear not.

Bednar will be prophet one day...and he is a Packer disciple if there ever was one when it comes to thick-headed, judgmental ridiculousness...

His stupid earring talk with always be with me, haha.

Bednar has a lot of life to live before he becomes prophet. Wouldn't it be interesting if one of his close relatives... son, grandson... was gay? If one of his daughters/granddaughters refused to marry? If his wife left him for another woman? If the church went broke before he even had a chance to spend the money?

I'll be dead long before he becomes prophet. The one thing we can all count on getting out of life: death.

[_Sethbag]

So, it seems that people think the church would be traumatized by Monson being mentally incapacitated for the last years of his presidency because people think the Lord would only allow a fully functional man to represent him on Earth.

Maybe I'm too tainted by Mopologetics, and too long out of the mainstream TBM mindset, but it seems that for years now we've been moving in the direction of "these guys are human like everyone else". This serves as a way of getting them out of trouble for all the crap they've spewed which was proven untrue. So what's wrong with admitting that the Prophet really is a human being, with all the physical infirmities that afflict everyone else? Old people often suffer dementia. Monson is old. You do the math.

Are they trying to keep alive the idea of the Prophet as some sort of cross between Jesus and Superman, like Joseph Smith is portrayed as? IMHO that ship has sailed. It works well with the masses, looking back at Smith. But nobody expects Monson to be that too. People remember what happened in Benson's last years to be fooled by trying to keep Monson's decline under wraps.

Seriously, I really do think the church is making a mistake if Monson really is suffering from dementia, and they try to hide that. People can smell a rat, and if there's one thing TBMs don't expect of the church, it is anything smacking of dishonesty.

[_Elphaba]

Seriously, I really do think the church is making a mistake if Monson really is suffering from dementia, and they try to hide that. People can smell a rat, and if there's one thing TBMs don't expect of the church, it is anything smacking of dishonesty.

I don't think believing TBM's would see it as dishonesty; rather, they'd think their god had told the GAs how to handle the situation, and they were following his instructions; therefore, the Church is in good hands. That's how my family would look at it, anyway.

[_RockSlider]

This wicked and adulterous economy … hmmm I mean generation, has caused tithing receipts to dramatically drop. For this the Lord is not pleased and has therefore silenced his mouth piece on this world in punishment of said wickedness.

plain and simple, its your fault

[_Abaddon]

Well, if you don't get Packer...fear not.

Bednar will be prophet one day...and he is a Packer disciple if there ever was one when it comes to thick-headed, judgmental ridiculousness...

His stupid earring talk with always be with me, haha.

Bednar has a lot of life to live before he becomes prophet. Wouldn't it be interesting if one of his close relatives... son, grandson... was gay? If one of his daughters/granddaughters refused to marry? If his wife left him for another woman? If the church went broke before he even had a chance to spend the money?

I'll be dead long before he becomes prophet. The one thing we can all count on getting out of life: death.

Hell, I'd just settle for his wife deciding to wear two earrings in each ear.

[_harmony]

This wicked and adulterous economy … hmmm I mean generation, has caused tithing receipts to dramatically drop. For this the Lord is not pleased and has therefore silenced his mouth piece on this world in punishment of said wickedness.

plain and simple, its your fault

Ding, ding, ding! RockSlider has definitely spoken the truth.

[_moksha]

The one thing we can all count on getting out of life: death.

Excellent point Harmony. Under the Romney Presidency, even taxes will cease to be a constant, as long as you have a competent team of tax attorneys and a stable of prancing ponies (which Chick-Fil-A will refuse to serve as long as they are decked out in silver tassels and fake eyelashes).

[_Cylon]

It is, however, codified in the bylaws of the corporation sole that governs all the assets of the church. They could call someone else to be prophet, theoretically, but the senior apostle would still be the one who owns everything, legally speaking.

Do you have a copy of the bi-laws?

Unfortunately, no. I'm getting that information from Daymon Smith. He talks about it in his Mormon Stories interview. I assume his book has more details, although I haven't read it myself.

[_Madison54]

Hi Madison!

He's now completely inactive and knows the truth about the church but it started when Monson took over. He always believed that the Lord would never allow him to be president.

What had he thought would happen? Didn't he realize Monson was next in line?

He honestly believed that the Lord would "remove" him (he'd die). That sounds crazy now to even write this....but it's what he believed.

Regarding your children, that must be so painful. How old are they? Are they still at home, or grown and gone? Is your husband still a believer? How does he feel about your disbelief?

My two oldest are married (to the truest, bluest Mormons you could imagine....sigh). They really are angry that I no longer believe or attend and I can't blame them.....they only strongly believe all the things I taught them and then I leave?

My husband is on the same page as I'm on..... and I'm very grateful for that!

I am lucky in that my son saw through the Church quite a while ago, and while he and I are not terribly close, that is one area where we agree completely. I had left the Church by the time I had my daughter, and today she is an atheist like me, which is a huge relief to me.

I envy you. I hope every day is the day my two oldest will wake up.....otherwise I will not be attending my grandkid's weddings, etc. At least my two youngest are out of the church and my son who's 19 has no desire to serve a mission.

My family is very TBM, starting with my bigoted and racist mother. Unfortunately, my brothers and sister are more and more like her with every passing year. While it's nice that my children don't believe in the Church, they are grown and out of the house, and I don't see them much. I am disabled and unable to get out a lot, so the only people I really do see are my family, and honestly, anymore, I can't stand to be around them. They waste all their time focusing on a ridiculous boogeyman (Satan), while committing the truly evil acts of bigotry and racism, particularly with regard to gays and blacks. I despise those attitudes, even to the point that it feels like a physical blow when I hear them, and have spent my entire life speaking out against them. But I just don't have the energy to confront it anymore. So, I stay away, and it is lonely.

I keep wishing just one of them would wake up so I would have someone in the family to talk to, and every year, they get worse than ever. I'm already strategizing on how to be unavailable at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Wow...I can relate. Most of my extended family is TBM. It puts a barrier between us that is so uncomfortable for everyone involved and I hate being around them now. Oh...but "Families Can Be Together Forever" right? (Unless one of you leaves the church....ha!) Religion causes a great deal of division (amongst families and nations and.....so on....).