DiscussMormonism.com

The church PR department wants interested reporters to start visiting Mormon wards.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/what-makes-mormons-tick/2012/08/06/828d4780-e019-11e1-8fc5-a7dcf1fc161d_blog.html

How long until they insist that member no longer speak and instead refer reporters back to SLC as they have done with BYU professors? Have they already told bishops not to speak?

-

This literally made me laugh out loud. Not the fake "lol" that we always type without really meaning it. I mean, a real guffaw. A veritable chortle. The LAST thing the church wants is to have reporters going to LDS meetings and reporting on what they see and hear. It would completely undermine everything the church is trying to accomplish with the I'm a Mormon campaign. I can only imagine what an "outsider" reporter hiding in the congregation would write after a typical fast and testimony meeting or High Priests Group meeting. What a PR nightmare it would be for reporters to sit in on LDS meetings and then publicize it.

Equality wrote:This literally made me laugh out loud. Not the fake "lol" that we always type without really meaning it. I mean, a real guffaw. A veritable chortle. The LAST thing the church wants is to have reporters going to LDS meetings and reporting on what they see and hear. It would completely undermine everything the church is trying to accomplish with the I'm a Mormon campaign. I can only imagine what an "outsider" reporter hiding in the congregation would write after a typical fast and testimony meeting or High Priests Group meeting. What a PR nightmare it would be for reporters to sit in on LDS meetings and then publicize it.

I don't know. I'd be highly entertained to see someone unfamiliar with Mormon meetings write about it. I wonder if they'd notice how unbelievably boring Mormon meetings typically are. The only highlights are the goofy things people say from time to time. That is about the extent of the entertainment there.

Tobin wrote:
I don't know. I'd be highly entertained to see someone unfamiliar with Mormon meetings write about it. I wonder if they'd notice how unbelievably boring Mormon meetings typically are. The only highlights are the goofy things people say from time to time. That is about the extent of the entertainment there.

and if it was a white congregation, how awful the singing is.

Love the confidence! I'm thrilled they are attempting this route, although results might not be entirely favorable (from an LDS perspective). I too used to believe that if people would just engage in an honest, average, first-hand experience with Mormonism, their perceptions of Mormonism would be at least favorable and respectful (and of course it would eventually result in mass baptism). That was back before I understood anything about patriarchy, science, history, archaeology, sociology, or logic. That was before I understood that feelings aren't an infallible guide to special kind of knowledge of the supernatural, and that 'I know the gospel/this church is true' doesn't actually make sense.

This should be interesting (if anyone outside the church is even paying attention). I do hope curious parties would at least check out a F&T meeting.

That is like tossing a live grendade at the poor Bishop.

I think this is an excellent idea. I think journalists should also feel free to speak up and ask questions in Sunday school.

If these journalists do not find answers to their searching questions at church, then I think they should avail themselves of Mormon Dialogue and Discussion Board, where they are sure to find satisfying answers to whatever queries they might have.

Darth J wrote:If these journalists do not find answers to their searching questions at church, then I think they should avail themselves of Mormon Dialogue and Discussion Board, where they are sure to find satisfying answers to whatever queries they might have.

YES! Journalists need to experience conversing with Pahoran and Selek and Wade and Whitlock and JeffK and Lehi and ldsfaqs and...

Can't you just picture their reaction to someone who claims to be a journalist and asks some basic questions? The accusations of "troll" and "lying apostate" would likely figure into the conversation.

How long until they insist that member no longer speak and instead refer reporters back to SLC as they have done with BYU professors? Have they already told bishops not to speak?

It's to give the reporters something more worthwhile to do than what they normally would be doing (massaging or ignoring the truth). Putting them to sleep for 20 years would be good too and a ward can do that.