Great post, I especially liked the part of having missionary movements disguised as activities for kids and adults. It is rather creepy. Basically, every church bball night is a missionary night when non-members attend.
It's meant to be funny - but in reality, it's the scary truth about Mormons. They have no boundaries when it comes to trying to either convert you - or reactivate you.
My daughter isn't Mormon, never "blessed" nor "baptized". Her school friends right now who are Mormon invited her to an "Activities Day" at the ward. Being 9 years old, they made little painted cards with cutout paper and what not - and attached a sticker saying "Come back to the Ward for Daddy Daughter Day!" This of course is a cyclical move on their part to get you to come back again and again. And the catch with this is .. Oh, bring your daddy. My daughter now, having no clue as to the real manipulation behind the scenes with Mormons - only sees it as another opportunity to be with her daddy. I see it as pure emotional manipulation. I'm not going - but I will take my daughter out to a movie, go eat at her favorite hamburger place, give her a big hug - tell her I love her - and I won't have to deal with the ulterior motives of Mormonism.
Infymus wrote:It's meant to be funny - but in reality, it's the scary truth about Mormons. They have no boundaries when it comes to trying to either convert you - or reactivate you.
I have found (quite recently) that they really can and often do have boundaries. All you have to do (in most cases, I think) is define the boundary. When the EQ pres called and asked if visitors could stop by on a regular basis, I told him "No." I gave no explanation because I didn't need to. We are now at a wonderful understanding. They never bother me and I never bother them. Sometimes, we visit with a family or two to watch a BYU game or have dinner together but they all understand that I have nothing to do with their religion. They never bring it up to my face.
Now, if we still lived in the ward in which we lived when we went inactive, boundaries would not be so easy to define.
Oh for shame, how the mortals put the blame on us gods, for they say evils come from us, but it is they, rather, who by their own recklessness win sorrow beyond what is given... Zeus (1178 BC)
Dr. Shades wrote:??? Would you rather he did so on your floor?
It seems to me that exercising such a bodily function in a bathroom is, well, sort of what a bathroom is for.
I was hoping he could hold things like that until he got back to his apartment. Oh well...
Infymus wrote: I lolled at this.
Missionaries often use bathrooms as a place to pray. That way they're in your house, they can get on their knees and pray that you'll succumb to their message. It's a known trick.
In this case, the Lord prompted him to stink bomb your bathroom because he knew in the future you'd go apostate.
Right..? lol
I do think the missionary's method was a modern form of dusting feet off at our household.
Infymus wrote:It's meant to be funny - but in reality, it's the scary truth about Mormons. They have no boundaries when it comes to trying to either convert you - or reactivate you.
My daughter isn't Mormon, never "blessed" nor "baptized". Her school friends right now who are Mormon invited her to an "Activities Day" at the ward. Being 9 years old, they made little painted cards with cutout paper and what not - and attached a sticker saying "Come back to the Ward for Daddy Daughter Day!" This of course is a cyclical move on their part to get you to come back again and again. And the catch with this is .. Oh, bring your daddy. My daughter now, having no clue as to the real manipulation behind the scenes with Mormons - only sees it as another opportunity to be with her daddy. I see it as pure emotional manipulation. I'm not going - but I will take my daughter out to a movie, go eat at her favorite hamburger place, give her a big hug - tell her I love her - and I won't have to deal with the ulterior motives of Mormonism.
It really is incredible the lengths I went to in order to reactivate someone and in all those times I can recall only one time did I involve a kid. I made a basic attempt of guilting the parents into going to Church for the sake of their child. What a horrible thing to do.
So sad that your daughter, like my daughters, have to feel left out because they believe they're are missing out on some sort of legit activity. The ward manipulation has no bounds.
Thankfully, my kids really dislike Church and my kids assume any Church activity is as boring as regular Church services.
lostindc wrote:So this one is new for me. Today the primary president dropped by with a gift bag containing a big thing of candy and a bunch of “we miss you cards.” I am concerned that the primary presidency thinks this is ‘okay’ behavior which it is not. Our kids are now wondering why they have received “we miss you cards” and therefore wondering what they missed. Basically, the Church leadership has put us in an awkward position of explaining what these cards are about and the ultimate purpose of the cards and candy (note: our kids hate going to the LDS Church and have little idea that we are inactive, they are just happy not to go). Either way, the cards received by our kids have now opened up the conversation of our status with the LDS church and we are not prepared for this conversation with the kids because we do not know what we plan on doing…
A couple musings: why does the church always deal with s****y junk food, why not some fresh fruit or something similarly interesting and healthy? Why drop off these types of cards? Why not address the heads of the household before doing such actions as described above.
Just curious but who did the "primary president" give the gift bag to, if it was to you or your spouse was it in front of the kids? I wonder because with me, if it was given to me I would decide if my children ever saw it. If I did decide to let my kids have all or some of what was given, it would be handed on to my kids with what ever explanation I wanted to give. If on the other hand it was given directly to my children or in their presence I would call the "primary president" and inform them that such behavior was inappropriate. They have no business coming to my home and giving my kids any type of food or message with out asking me first. And if they presented the gifts in front of the kids isn't that exactly what children try to do? Can Brittany come and play/sleep over/eat dinner with us/go with us while Brittany is standing right there, hoping you'll have to agree because well, their right there and will be disappointed if you say no.
lostindc wrote:He got the last laugh because he took a dump in one of our bathrooms. What a dick.
??? Would you rather he did so on your floor?
It seems to me that exercising such a bodily function in a bathroom is, well, sort of what a bathroom is for.
I think I know where lostindc is coming from. I have a weird hangup about guests using my bathroom for taking a #2. I don't know why, but its off putting to me. I will even avoid the bathroom for a few hours as I don't want to accidentally catch a whiff of whatever the brewed up.
This prompts the question as to who is/isn't allowed to "drop off the kids at the pool" in your house...
“We look to not only the spiritual but also the temporal, and we believe that a person who is impoverished temporally cannot blossom spiritually.” Keith McMullin - Counsellor in Presiding Bishopric
"One, two, three...let's go shopping!" Thomas S Monson - Prophet, Seer, Revelator
It's a friendly gesture, don't read too much negative into it. They wanted to show they were thinking about you, so graciously accept it instead of finding all the reasons it's threatening or imposing.
Can you see through it and did it have a number of ulterior motives? Sure but that's not your business, you just got some friendly cards and it should be common courtesy to at least call or say thanks next time you see them even if you don't mean it. If you want to explain your position you can but it'd probably be awkward and it's not their business what your situation with your church is.
Drifting wrote:This prompts the question as to who is/isn't allowed to "drop off the kids at the pool" in your house...
Technically anyone who is visiting could hypothetically use my bathroom to drop a deuce, but secretly I would be really grossed out and dying inside. Pretty much anyone who is not of my immediate family who craps in my house will cause me to feel grossed out and violated.
lostindc wrote:So this one is new for me. Today the primary president dropped by with a gift bag containing a big thing of candy and a bunch of “we miss you cards.” I am concerned that the primary presidency thinks this is ‘okay’ behavior which it is not. Our kids are now wondering why they have received “we miss you cards” and therefore wondering what they missed. Basically, the Church leadership has put us in an awkward position of explaining what these cards are about and the ultimate purpose of the cards and candy (note: our kids hate going to the LDS Church and have little idea that we are inactive, they are just happy not to go). Either way, the cards received by our kids have now opened up the conversation of our status with the LDS church and we are not prepared for this conversation with the kids because we do not know what we plan on doing…
A couple musings: why does the church always deal with s****y junk food, why not some fresh fruit or something similarly interesting and healthy? Why drop off these types of cards? Why not address the heads of the household before doing such actions as described above.
Just curious but who did the "primary president" give the gift bag to, if it was to you or your spouse was it in front of the kids? I wonder because with me, if it was given to me I would decide if my children ever saw it. If I did decide to let my kids have all or some of what was given, it would be handed on to my kids with what ever explanation I wanted to give. If on the other hand it was given directly to my children or in their presence I would call the "primary president" and inform them that such behavior was inappropriate. They have no business coming to my home and giving my kids any type of food or message with out asking me first. And if they presented the gifts in front of the kids isn't that exactly what children try to do? Can Brittany come and play/sleep over/eat dinner with us/go with us while Brittany is standing right there, hoping you'll have to agree because well, their right there and will be disappointed if you say no.
The primary president knocked on our door and was invited inside. My wife was at the door and kids were playing rougly 7 feet away. The primary president said something like "we really miss you" and hugged my wife. My wife has zero relationship with the primary president. In fact, I had a small falling out with the primary president a while back. I will explain this at the very end. The primary president then explained she had a little present (or something) and gave it to my wife. My wife said thank you in a shocked sort of manner. The primary president immediately excused herself for whatever reason and booked out. All done within a minute or so. So yeah, it was awkward. The kids were so excited to see a present. The kids thought it might be a birthday gift (they are young). What a fantastic president.
This same primary president pissed me off another time. I was helping out with a primary class and we were in the primary room with all the other classes. The primary president called me to the hall and I found my 5 year old with her. She explained to me that my daughter is not writing down an activity that my daughter likes to do to keep the sabath day holy. I was pissed because there is no need to call out my shy kid like that and second no need to push your motives on my kid. I looked at my daughter and smiled and said to my daughter: "do you know of any activities we do to keep the sabath day holy?" She did not respond. I said: "how about write down that we like to shop, go to the movies (I said some other activity that I cannot currently recall)." My daughter liked these ideas. The primary president did not. I basically started drawing the line not to cross. Of course the primary president is a 50 year old hater that loves stuffing her head full of pasta and sweets. Just to give you an image. She has done way more harm than good. Our kids dislike her and do not want to attend primary.