Mister Scratch wrote:I have to say, I am utterly godsmacked over what I've just read.
Godsmacked? Is that when you're flabbergasted by something religious in nature? I would have used "gobsmacked", but maybe I'm wrong.
I'm sincerely asking, actually. I thought "gobsmacked" was the word basically meaning "struck speechless" and Godsmack was a rock band.
Anyway, Henry Jacobs is correct, in my opinion. I've noticed that women in the Mormon church often criticize other females, but rarely offer criticism, no matter how deserved, to male authority figures.
KA
I think Godsmacked is an expression wherein the eternal hand of God appears behind you and flicks you in the back of your head with His finger. I believe there is also a variation with a Heavenly rolled up towel flicking your bottom.
John Larsen wrote:I think watching this whole thing unfold has been very interesting. It is telling that the Church has lost a lot of power with its own membership.
What makes you say that?
I just think you can get away with more criticism of the Church these days then say, in the 70s. Dissent is starting to creep in. More and more run of the mill members are not so comfortable with towing the party line.
I think it all began with the birth control debacle.
John Larsen wrote:I think watching this whole thing unfold has been very interesting. It is telling that the Church has lost a lot of power with its own membership.
What makes you say that?
I just think you can get away with more criticism of the Church these days then say, in the 70s. Dissent is starting to creep in. More and more run of the mill members are not so comfortable with towing the party line.
I think it all began with the birth control debacle.
Do you think Pres Hinckley's move to mainstream the church will be derailed?
I think we'll see a clamping down, now that Pres Hinckley's gone. I think Pres Monson sees dissent as weakness, and he'll do whatever needs to be done to stomp on it with hobnail boots. It will be interesting to see if the rumors surrounding the departure of the choir director are anywhere close to correct.
Do you think Pres Hinckley's move to mainstream the church will be derailed?
I think we'll see a clamping down, now that Pres Hinckley's gone. I think Pres Monson sees dissent as weakness, and he'll do whatever needs to be done to stomp on it with hobnail boots. It will be interesting to see if the rumors surrounding the departure of the choir director are anywhere close to correct.
Pres Monson is a tough read for me. His style at the pulpit is friendly and down to earth. His talks are heart warming and full of stories and anecdotes and really I do not recall ever hearing him preach anything real heavy. President Hinckley often addressed issues of concern from abuse to pornography to poor treatment of non LDS folk.
But I have heard from a friend who works for the Church and has interaction with the FP the President Monson is really pretty serious and can be demanding. So I who knows?
Why do you think that Pres Monson sees dissent as weakness and that he will take a hard line?
Jason wrote:Pres Monson is a tough read for me. His style at the pulpit is friendly and down to earth. His talks are heart warming and full of stories and anecdotes and really I do not recall ever hearing him preach anything real heavy. President Hinckley often addressed issues of concern from abuse to pornography to poor treatment of non LDS folk.
But I have heard from a friend who works for the Church and has interaction with the FP the President Monson is really pretty serious and can be demanding. So I who knows?
Why do you think that Pres Monson sees dissent as weakness and that he will take a hard line?
I agree. I'm curious as well. Now, if it was Palpatine...err..Packer...then it would be a different story.
Jason Bourne wrote:Why do you think that Pres Monson sees dissent as weakness and that he will take a hard line?
I think the friendly down-home folksey demeanor is a facade. I think Pres Monson will run a tight ship with no tolerance for dissent, and he is manipulating the strings of the puppets even now.
For example: The only place the LDS church allows for artistic expression is in the music program. Everything else is tightly controlled. And who was the first prominent resignation under Pres Monson? The choir director. And why? No one is saying. Which means his membership is in jeopardy if he talks. Which means rumors abound, one of which is that he refused to out the gay members in the choir and symphony.
Now we both know that rumors may or may not have a basis in truth. So there's a 50/50 chance that rumor is correct. I see his abrupt resignation from the choir, coming so quickly on the heels of Pres Monson's ascension, as a very telling behavior.
I think the friendly down-home folksey demeanor is a facade. I think Pres Monson will run a tight ship with no tolerance for dissent, and he is manipulating the strings of the puppets even now.
Is this just a gut feel or do you have something more to go on?
For example: The only place the LDS church allows for artistic expression is in the music program. Everything else is tightly controlled. And who was the first prominent resignation under Pres Monson? The choir director. And why? No one is saying. Which means his membership is in jeopardy if he talks. Which means rumors abound, one of which is that he refused to out the gay members in the choir and symphony.
Now we both know that rumors may or may not have a basis in truth. So there's a 50/50 chance that rumor is correct. I see his abrupt resignation from the choir, coming so quickly on the heels of Pres Monson's ascension, as a very telling behavior.
Certianly this seems odd that it correlates with President Monson taking charge. But I hate to rely on rumor to make such conclusions so I will wait and see.