thestyleguy wrote:The church has changed and did a whopping change between 1880 and 1910.
There's the probably smaller, but to me still a complete "sea change," that went down in the late 60's with correlation. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one as I observe "the church" now. It seems a lot more controling, more punitive and more obsessed with PR-shiny surfaces.
What I notice most are those "surfaces" too: the white-shirt-and-tie uniform of Sunday worship (not there when I was attending), the carrying of scriptures to meetings (it sure looks weird to see people marching around with little minature briefcase-looking jobs), the long black skirts on the sister missionaries at Temple Square (that "uniform" is one of the strangest things I've seen), the explosive proliferation of commercialized church gew gaws that must be displayed in member homes (some how I long for the days of the ambiguous plastic grapes as the "sign" that you were in an lds home) and many other blandifications.
From the Ernest L. Wilkinson Diaries: "ELW dreams he's spattered w/ grease. Hundreds steal his greasy pants."
thestyleguy wrote:The church has changed and did a whopping change between 1880 and 1910.
There's the probably smaller, but to me still a complete "sea change," that went down in the late 60's with correlation. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one as I observe "the church" now. It seems a lot more controling, more punitive and more obsessed with PR-shiny surfaces.
What I notice most are those "surfaces" too: the white-shirt-and-tie uniform of Sunday worship (not there when I was attending), the carrying of scriptures to meetings (it sure looks weird to see people marching around with little minature briefcase-looking jobs), the long black skirts on the sister missionaries at Temple Square (that "uniform" is one of the strangest things I've seen), the explosive proliferation of commercialized church gew gaws that must be displayed in member homes (some how I long for the days of the ambiguous plastic grapes as the "sign" that you were in an lds home) and many other blandifications.
Could this be a bureaucratization of the church? The point when we became numbers, statistic and Capitol Investments? This is when the membership became totally domesticated by the bloodlines that now run the church.
And crawling on the planet's face Some insects called the human race Lost in time And lost in space...and meaning
thestyleguy wrote:The church has changed and did a whopping change between 1880 and 1910.
There's the probably smaller, but to me still a complete "sea change," that went down in the late 60's with correlation. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one as I observe "the church" now. It seems a lot more controling, more punitive and more obsessed with PR-shiny surfaces.
What I notice most are those "surfaces" too: the white-shirt-and-tie uniform of Sunday worship (not there when I was attending), the carrying of scriptures to meetings (it sure looks weird to see people marching around with little minature briefcase-looking jobs), the long black skirts on the sister missionaries at Temple Square (that "uniform" is one of the strangest things I've seen), the explosive proliferation of commercialized church gew gaws that must be displayed in member homes (some how I long for the days of the ambiguous plastic grapes as the "sign" that you were in an lds home) and many other blandifications.
Could this be a bureaucratization of the church? The point when we became numbers, statistic and Capitol Investments? This is when the membership became totally domesticated by the bloodlines that now run the church.
For the most part, the men who run the church today are descendents of the men who ran the church from the beginning. Except for us, of course. We were sent to colonize a very long way from SLCentral. I think Brigham had it in for one of my DH's ancestors. Now we're just bishops and SP's.
Looking at the photos from one exer site, photos that flip and change before one's eyes, I see happy and smiling faces. Then, as I read the discussion board, I see bitterness mixed with spite and mocking. No happiness is there. Do I want that kind of life? No, thank you.
I am almost sure that the exmos are balanced. But...how can one be sure from the posts? I just can't be sure.
thestyleguy wrote:The church has changed and did a whopping change between 1880 and 1910.
There's the probably smaller, but to me still a complete "sea change," that went down in the late 60's with correlation. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one as I observe "the church" now. It seems a lot more controling, more punitive and more obsessed with PR-shiny surfaces.
What I notice most are those "surfaces" too: the white-shirt-and-tie uniform of Sunday worship (not there when I was attending), the carrying of scriptures to meetings (it sure looks weird to see people marching around with little minature briefcase-looking jobs), the long black skirts on the sister missionaries at Temple Square (that "uniform" is one of the strangest things I've seen), the explosive proliferation of commercialized church gew gaws that must be displayed in member homes (some how I long for the days of the ambiguous plastic grapes as the "sign" that you were in an lds home) and many other blandifications.
Could this be a bureaucratization of the church? The point when we became numbers, statistic and Capitol Investments? This is when the membership became totally domesticated by the bloodlines that now run the church.
my thoughts were about being shaped by congress and court decisions: The church was basically being a hand similar to the South.
I'm reading a new book (oh no!): The Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating (looks like sealing) of senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle. Published by THe University of North Carolina Press "Kathleen Flake practiced law for fifteen years and is now assistant professor of American religious history at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. I was scanning it and there was one thing that leaped out that I will get to read and study more is something where the U.S. Governement was telling the Church that it needed to discipline certain members (likely for not showing up to testify) so basically you have the church caving in to presure so they can get certain long term benifits. I think I'm going to start a blog and write about each chapter in the books I read. I'm really interested in the court cases and trials during the first one hundred years of the Church.
Last edited by Guest on Sat Oct 06, 2007 9:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
why me wrote:Looking at the photos from one exer site, photos that flip and change before one's eyes, I see happy and smiling faces. Then, as I read the discussion board, I see bitterness mixed with spite and mocking. No happiness is there. Do I want that kind of life? No, thank you.
I am almost sure that the exmos are balanced. But...how can one be sure from the posts? I just can't be sure.
Look to the boards full of the faithful? They are collections of Us Vs them mentalities and isolationist language. I see hope and light on emo boards where all I see on Mormon boards is an emotional throng of racists, homophobes and radical tendencies.
And crawling on the planet's face Some insects called the human race Lost in time And lost in space...and meaning
Mercury wrote:Look to the boards full of the faithful? They are collections of Us Vs them mentalities and isolationist language. I see hope and light on emo boards where all I see on Mormon boards is an emotional throng of racists, homophobes and radical tendencies.
One of our greatest policies is to get people of all stripes to see gray as black. Eventually they will see white as black.
Belial wrote: Eventually they will see white as black.
The black is called tithing. other shades of pitch colored euphamisms include false authority supposed to be possessed by Mormon authorities. There are many more things that are dark in the Mormon culture than light.
And crawling on the planet's face Some insects called the human race Lost in time And lost in space...and meaning
Mercury wrote: I see hope and light on emo boards where all I see on Mormon boards is an emotional throng of racists, homophobes and radical tendencies.
Belial wrote: Eventually they will see white as black.
The black is called tithing. other shades of pitch colored euphamisms include false authority supposed to be possessed by Mormon authorities. There are many more things that are dark in the Mormon culture than light.
You are coming along well. That you see any light at all left in it is a disappointment. Cleanse yourself of this.
