My first church meeting in over a decade

[_Quasimodo]

The devout get up early in the morning and go to said Low Mass, which is nearly always in the local language. It's short, and (if you believe in it) a great start to the day.

The big advantage to a quick Catholic Low Mass in the morning is that you can have both God AND a cup of coffee to get you going. This is sadly lacking in the LDS Church.

[_Quasimodo]

If you attend one meeting per decade do you class as active these days?

Only in the realm of official Church statistics.

[_I have a question]

The devout get up early in the morning and go to said Low Mass, which is nearly always in the local language. It's short, and (if you believe in it) a great start to the day.

The big advantage to a quick Catholic Low Mass in the morning is that you can have both God AND a cup of coffee to get you going. This is sadly lacking in the LDS Church.

Plus the aerobic benefit of the stand-up sit-down turnaround and shake hands routine.

[_Polygamy-Porter]

If you attend one meeting per decade do you class as active these days?

Officially, supposedly, regardless of the number of times that you have attended any Mormon meetings, if you have ever passed through the turnstile on your way through the Mormon baptismal font, have not requested name removal, or your date of birth on record equates to an age of less than 110 years old, you are counted as a member and since they never publish active vs inactive numbers, you are assumed and thereby counted as active.

Its been over ten years since I last held down a Mormon pew in a Mormon chapel, yet I am part of the 15 or what ever million STRONG when they pontificate about their purported membership numbers at the spring general conference.

In my humble opinion, since LDS Inc never discloses the number of resignations, they do not subtract defectors. So I choose to leave my name on record, plus it allows me to continue to mingle with local members and do my exmo missionary work of planting seeds of doubt.

[_beastie]

What strikes me about this hour long GA talk which was full of nothing but repetitious ideas, devoid of one grain of originality, is that this guy felt self-important enough to decide that he really needed an HOUR – an HOUR – to drone on and on. The experience is representative of GAs in general. While their private lives must be different, they appear as the same stuffed suits repeating the same canned lines, boring and inconsequential to anyone’s lives and yet full of unwarranted self-importance. Really? An HOUR????

And all those poor people there with young children – what torture. It’s hard enough to sit through it as an adult, but throw some poor children in as additional victims, and it’s pure torture.

Perhaps it is looked at similar to the Catholic Mass or Orthodox Liturgy where you find a lot of repetition as well. It is the act of worship through repetition I suppose. Sunday School and other classes are intended to provide some academic instruction but the main meeting in the chapel is not, as I see it.

But I would much rather attend the Orthodox or Catholic service because at least they have stuff to look at on the walls. There is a lot more mystery in those church services.

You know, this occurred to me as well. I think that the difference is that the repetitive nature of the ceremony, in catholicism, is celebrated and clothed in other sacred acts that trigger the other senses. The smell of the incense, the art, the clothing, the real chanting - it's the whole point. Whereas in Mormonism, the repetitive nature is accidental. Each speaker imagines he/she is sharing something personal, unique, when actually is it prepackaged and boring.

[_beastie]

I had my name removed from church records long ago - about 18 years ago. My sweetie attempted to finally have his name removed a year ago, but nothing happened. I don't know if he's motivated enough to follow up. Something similar happened to me the first time I attempted to have my name removed. I wrote the letter, sent it to my bishop, called him, and then nothing happened. I guess he was "inspired" to just let it sit in the hopes I would change my mind. I got irritated about 18 months later and pushed the (new) bishop, who finally followed up (although my name remained on local records for years after SLC assured me my name was off the rolls - I think it had to do with my unbaptized by blessed children's names being on the record associated with mine). It still take some real effort to really get your name removed.

[_jo1952]

The Church does not understand that the following is pointing to her!!

Alma 31:14 Therefore, whosoever desired to worship must go forth and stand upon the top thereof, and stretch forth his hands towards heaven, and cry with a loud voice, saying:

15 Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art God, and we believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a spirit, and that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever.

16 Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of their fathers; but we believe that thou hast elected us to be thy holy children; and also thou hast made it known unto us that there shall be no Christ.

17 But thou art the same yesterday, today, and forever; and thou hast elected us that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which holiness, O God, we thank thee; and we also thank thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ, which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God.

18 And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen.

19 Now it came to pass that after Alma and his brethren and his sons had heard these prayers, they were astonished beyond all measure.

20 For behold, every man did go forth and offer up these same prayers.

21 Now the place was called by them Rameumptom, which, being interpreted, is the holy stand.

22 Now, from this stand they did offer up, every man, the selfsame prayer unto God, thanking their God that they were chosen of him, and that he did not lead them away after the tradition of their brethren, and that their hearts were not stolen away to believe in things to come, which they knew nothing about.

Nor does she see that she is a wicked and a perverse people:

24 Now when Alma saw this his heart was grieved; for he saw that they were a wicked and a perverse people; yea, he saw that their hearts were set upon gold, and upon silver, and upon all manner of fine goods.

25 Yea, and he also saw that their hearts were lifted up unto great boasting, in their pride.

To the Church: Beware of calling evil good!!!

[_Quasimodo]

I had my name removed from church records long ago - about 18 years ago. My sweetie attempted to finally have his name removed a year ago, but nothing happened. I don't know if he's motivated enough to follow up. Something similar happened to me the first time I attempted to have my name removed. I wrote the letter, sent it to my bishop, called him, and then nothing happened. I guess he was "inspired" to just let it sit in the hopes I would change my mind. I got irritated about 18 months later and pushed the (new) bishop, who finally followed up (although my name remained on local records for years after SLC assured me my name was off the rolls - I think it had to do with my unbaptized by blessed children's names being on the record associated with mine). It still take some real effort to really get your name removed.

I'm curious why it might matter to you. I can understand why you may be upset that they haven't aquiesed to your wishes, but as a nevermo, I see the LDS Church as just another very expesive club membership. You have stopped paying dues and have stopped attending.

Unless they are bothering you, does it really matter to you if they keep you on the rolls? I don't think that anyone really believes their membership numbers.

[_sock puppet]

Beastie,

How was your mother's talk? How did you feel hearing her give voice to some of the LDS mantras in a public, LDS meeting?

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Unless they are bothering you, does it really matter to you if they keep you on the rolls? I don't think that anyone really believes their membership numbers.

Well, you should know after spending so much time here that having your name removed is really about taking back control of your life symbolically. You give so much to this cult that it feels good to take something back from them. Ideally, when you have your name removed they don't actually count you among their flock any more... Although I have a feeling they still do. Regardless, it feels empowering to make a point to someone in 'authority' within the Church.

- Doc