Come on Down! You are the next constestant on........

[_Black Moclips]

Every now and then, either a high councilman or member of the stake presidency or bishopric decides to spice things up and cold call people out of the audience to bare their testimony. I believe this is wrong for several reasons. I'm sure the reasons are pretty obvious to most normal people. Suffice to say, Sacrament meeting should not be a time to stress or worry about being called out of the audience.

Well I think it finally caught up to them this week. The visiting high council man gives a talk about testimony (basically repeating the do's and don'ts about how to give a testimony (no thank-i-monies, no travel-monies, etc) (the absence thereof, by the way, would make for a lot of silence in our ward). Then he decides to pick someone from the audience to give their testimony. He chooses the young 16 year old daughter of very ubber-TBM family. When she hears her name, she looks at her parents for help, and they just nod, basically sayings, Yep, you better get up there. Then she looks back at the bishop and high council man, and mouths the question "Right now?" Yep, come on up young lady. So she slowly gets up there, very hesitant, and again, briefly pauses at the smiling bishop and high councilman to confirm that yes, they really want this. By the look on her face, it was obvious that she was terrified and embarrassed. So she gets up, immediately starts crying, and relates how that lately there has been a problem in her family that has caused her to question her testimony! I'm sure this was not what the HC guy or bishop was expecting. So much for the whisperings of the spirit. So she then relates that the problem is that her brother is leaving the church (an older brother not in the ward) and that it has caused her to evaluate what she believes since they both have been taught the same things. She did throw out an "but i know the church is true" in there at the end, but it was plainly obvious to everyone that she did not KNOW anything of the sort. She cried through the whole testimony, after she got down, and all the way to the car.

Frankly, i'm just stunned that leadership would put such a youth in the spotlight like that. Just what you want to do, humiliate and embarrass the youth. Make then fear coming to sacrament meeting. The whole thing just ticks me off, and really made my wife mad. I give the young lady a lot of credit for speaking the truth though. I'm sure the pressure to give the basic 30 second testimony that the HCM had just spoke about was huge, but she was honest and told the truth. Good for her. I almost want to be called out of the audience to give a testimony. The things I would say. But I would give families time to get the young children out first though.

[_harmony]

Every now and then, either a high councilman or member of the stake presidency or bishopric decides to spice things up and cold call people out of the audience to bare their testimony. I believe this is wrong for several reasons. I'm sure the reasons are pretty obvious to most normal people. Suffice to say, Sacrament meeting should not be a time to stress or worry about being called out of the audience.

Well I think it finally caught up to them this week. The visiting high council man gives a talk about testimony (basically repeating the do's and don'ts about how to give a testimony (no thank-I-monies, no travel-monies, etc) (the absence thereof, by the way, would make for a lot of silence in our ward). Then he decides to pick someone from the audience to give their testimony. He chooses the young 16 year old daughter of very ubber-TBM family.

It's nice to know the basic stupidity of LDS leaders is manifest throughout the system. Some of the HCM I've seen would fit right in with this guy. Since my first SM where we had a HCM speak, I have wished to avoid those days. They are simply too boring for words. At least the teenager wasn't boring!

[_KimberlyAnn]

The Bishop of my former ward used to ask folks to go up to bear their testimonies, too. Everyone dreaded it.

Good on that girl for being honest! I'm proud of her.

KA

[_TrashcanMan79]

I'm wondering if the poor girl's tears won't be perceived by some as her being overcome by the Spirit....

[_skippy the dead]

One of my BYU wards did this often. I thought it was terribly inappropriate. It just seems wrong to choose an individual to stand before a group to display their level of belief. The practice operates under the assumption that those chosen (1) have a testimony and (2) want to share it with everybody. It also smacks of the theory that a testimony is built by the repeating of it, even if the person isn't quite convinced yet.

I would boycott any such types of meetings.

And how sad for that girl to have to stand before the congregation and describe the painful personal aspects of her family life.

[_truth dancer]

Several years ago, I got summoned by the bishop to explain a paper I had written for Sunstone (which some unknown source provided to him... smile), I politely declined to meet with him. He responded by increasing the pressure and stated he wanted to talk to me before having to bring this issue to a court. I again declined a meeting. He was not happy. At this point I was totally convinced the church was not what it claimed to be and did not feel the Bishop was anything other than my neighbor with absolutely NO authority over anyone.

The following Sunday, during the middle of Sacrament meeting, before the final speaker got up, the Bishop stood up and said that the spirit had inspired him to call Sis. truth dancer up to bear her testimony.

My husband and I looked at each other and were rather stunned. Certainly the spirit would not call a non-believer to bear testimony of the truth of the church right? (smile). Of course it was all about power still I thought it was sort of funny, in a weird, unhealthy sort of way.

My heart goes out to that poor sixteen year old girl; how really cruel to put a young person in such a difficult situation.

~dancer~

(And no I didn't bear my non-existent testimony... smile).

[_JonasS]

Awe, bless her. I just wanted to hug her there, but can't. I wonder if that will have effect on her testimony more now and if the bishop and ward members will reach out to her.

I have never been at church when that has happened. They always asked before the meeting began if it were ok, but generally my home ward are pretty open and honest. Not many people put up this fake TBM face and everyone shares there doubts, I guess that is just because we are a small ward and everyone is very close.

[_JonasS]

Several years ago, I got summoned by the bishop to explain a paper I had written for Sunstone (which some unknown source provided to him... smile), I politely declined to meet with him. He responded by increasing the pressure and stated he wanted to talk to me before having to bring this issue to a court. I again declined a meeting. He was not happy. At this point I was totally convinced the church was not what it claimed to be and did not feel the Bishop was anything other than my neighbor with absolutely NO authority over anyone.

The following Sunday, during the middle of Sacrament meeting, before the final speaker got up, the Bishop stood up and said that the spirit had inspired him to call Sis. truth dancer up to bear her testimony.

My husband and I looked at each other and were rather stunned. Certainly the spirit would not call a non-believer to bear testimony of the truth of the church right? (smile). Of course it was all about power still I thought it was sort of funny, in a weird, unhealthy sort of way.

My heart goes out to that poor sixteen year old girl; how really cruel to put a young person in such a difficult situation.

~dancer~

(And no I didn't bear my non-existent testimony... smile).

I am intruigued, what did you bear? LOL.

[_TrashcanMan79]

(And no I didn't bear my non-existent testimony... smile).

What'd you do? Decline from where you were sitting, or did you actually go up to the pulpit?

[_Jason Bourne]

It's nice to know the basic stupidity of LDS leaders is manifest throughout the system. Some of the HCM I've seen would fit right in with this guy. Since my first SM where we had a HCM speak, I have wished to avoid those days. They are simply too boring for words. At least the teenager wasn't boring!

Oh come now. There are good leaders and bad. Some do a wonderful job others can be tyrants. All make some mistakes here and there. It is not a perfect system and leaders could be better trained. But there are problems with religious leadership in all faiths. And in all faiths there are great leaders too. It is tro damn bad that you can't be a bishop harmony. I love ya dear but try you really need to be in the shoes of some of these positions. They are not easy.

I do feel bad for the young woman. That was bad form I agree.