- This topic is empty.
-
Posts
-
This one has actually bothered me for awhile, but maybe it shouldn’t – or maybe it should. It was mentioned at least twice in the most recent conference. I know there’s a difference in this and the old myth that BKP (or another apostle) said today’s youth were generals and when they return to heaven a hush would fall and the people would bow in reverence just because they lived in the time of GBH. I’m confident that wasn’t ever said by BKP or any other GA, and as far as I can tell the church has officially debunked the statement. (I actually do believe a GA could have said it – I think many myths and “doctrines” get started that way.)
OK that’s out of the way, but other than detail is there a difference in that and calling today’s youth a chosen generation? Here’s what bugs me about it:
1. The whole pre-earth life thing is very nebulous to begin with – we know almost nothing about it if it even exists.
2. It has been said to “today’s youth” for at least two decades now. So is the chosen generation people in their 30s, or is it people in the 20s, or is it people in their teens? They’re not all the same generation.
3. Do we need to go around telling the current generation (or the 20 somethings) that they’re more special than they already think they are?
Finally, I do know about 1 Peter 2. There he seems to be calling all converts a chosen generation, and I’m not really sure how that fits and it doesn’t appear to be that’s what the people (mostly GAs) who say it are referring to – they almost always couple it with speaking to today’s youth.
OK, your turn. Why am I right or wrong to be bugged by this?
There was a good thread on this back in September: http://forum.staylds.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4604 And, yes, you should be bothered by it. BTW, I heard it directed at my ‘generation’ in the 70’s.
Yeah, I even commented on that thread, OON. I guess it is bugging me right now because I heard it twice in GC – and I missed some talks (some on purpose, some not). -Sigh- Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
DJ, this bugs me too. My wife, who does not question too many things, has a real problem with this. I have been teaching at a high school for twenty years. There have been 19 best classes ever. The twentieth will come in about six weeks.
For me it all comes down to this. The youth need to hear things like that to keep their spirits up, to motivate them, to make them feel like they are special. As you mature you need that sort of message less and less. One of the struggles of youth is finding your identity, something that makes you special, unique. Youth can try to find identity in being goth, emo, hipster, punk, beatnik, prep, nerd, grunge, jock, etc.; or they be the chosen generation for a few formidable years. I’m sure the youth draw strength from that.
Now that I’ve aged into a bitter, self-aware callous that can stand on my own two feet
😆 I might look at someone telling me that I’m a part of the “choice generation” in the same light as I see receiving a outstanding effort plaque at work – welp, thanks for nothing.
Lots of words to say that I think the phrase is intended for youth because that’s the group that needs it. Eventually the veil for that phrase will part, you’ll see how hollow it is, but by then the phrase will have served its purpose. It helped you over that hump when you needed it.
The Church has actually made an effort to purge this teaching. From the other thread (the one linked above): On Own Now wrote:I do believe that this has been a strong teaching in the LDS Church during my lifetime. I’m talking about at the local level, now. But I’ve heard this so many times:
The Lord has saved you young people to come forth in these last days because you were stronger than other spirits.I think the Church is doing better now, but it has been a Church teaching. Ezra Taft Benson, GC, Oct 1977, when I was in YM:
Quote:I want to talk to you, the young people of the Church, frankly and honestly. I presume you know that we love you. As leaders of the Church, there isn’t anything in this world we wouldn’t do that’s right for you. We have great confidence in you. You are not just ordinary young men and young women. You are choice spirits, many of you having been held back in reserve for almost 6,000 years to come forth in this day, at this time, when the temptations, responsibilities, and opportunities are the very greatest.
I believe the Church is trying to avoid this dogmatic teaching, but it will take a very very long time to unlearn this concept. Even with my sporadic attendence, I have heard it from the pulpit in the last 6 months.
I note that the Church changed slightly, its introduction to
For the Strength of the Youth, which had been adapted from ETB’s talk. 2001 FP Message to the youth in FSY:
Quote:Our beloved young men and women, we have great confidence in you. You are choice spirits who have come forth in this day when the responsibilities and opportunities, as well as the temptations, are the greatest… – 2001 For the Strength of the Youth
2011 FP Message to the youth in FSY:
Quote:OUR DEAR YOUNG MEN AND YOUNG WOMEN, we have great confidence in you. You are beloved sons and daughters of God and He is mindful of you. You have come to earth at a time of great opportunities and also of great challenges… – 2011 For the Strength of the Youth
Notice that the 2001 version calls them “choice spirits”, which implies better than some other baseline. Notice that the 2011 version calls them “beloved sons and daughters of God” which is no different from anyone else. I love the change. I am grateful that the Church realized that it has had this tendency and is moving away from it, but I guarantee you that there were local lessons taught last Sunday that told the young people that they were choice spirits reserved for these last days, and that there will be more local lessons this coming Sunday that will say the same thing.
I thought the same thing, OON, but I didn’t go search for the evidence. That’s partly why it bugs me I heard it twice this weekend – once from a Q12. I like the comments so far. I’m thinking that maybe “you are a choice/chosen generation” might be a little like the notion that wherever a person is called for their mission will be “the best” mission at that time. I couldn’t have imagined going to any other mission after the experiences I had, I just wouldn’t trade them (the good or the bad.) So maybe each of these recent generations of youth were special for their time….or their time was special for them.
Alex
Call me an Uchtdorf fan boy and drape a German flag around my shoulders… But… The talk he gave at the very last “young women’s meeting” (April 2013) was an outstanding way of teaching the youth they are special without once using any kind of “choice generation” concept. Man I love that guy!
Amen, mackay11. We can teach being special without teaching more special. It’s the implicit denigration of others that bothers me the most. The idea is referred to in my patriarchal blessing. However looking at the younger generation I can’t believe this. Bunch of layabouts!
SamBee wrote:The idea is referred to in my patriarchal blessing.
However looking at the younger generation I can’t believe this. Bunch of layabouts!
LOL!!!
This is a very old technique lasting 100s if bit thousands if years by leaders different movements and governments and religion. A choice or chosen people given by a leader praise then followed by stress of a string obligation or responsibility to for-fill on their behalf. Yep, the idea is as old as the bible. By its design it was for motivation to do a great work which no one else could do before them and is ever repeating in most circumstances since the work is on going usually(or until it’s end). Either way it was designed to incite people to a what is a nearly or insurmountable action to motive them through there theoretical talents that they posses that others didn’t that would give them the motivation to try and axiom polish which was not accomplished yet by the group. SamBee wrote:The idea is referred to in my patriarchal blessing.
However looking at the younger generation I can’t believe this. Bunch of layabouts!
That’s a very limited but very traditional view of Generation Y. There are many others that HR departments are finding out that don’t correlate nearly as well as other modern generations. The work is ongoing because they don’t respond well to traditional approaches and views. But new ideas are begin fun to understand and motivate them, just in a very different way then previous generations. Google is the leader in this with their 1 day a week personal project at work that has given rise to more innovation at the company then any other work day. Not lazy just motivated and respond very differently to different stimuli versus traditional stimuli. I would not laugh it dismisses them because they differ then the norm, we fit in that category and are treated similarly and dismissed similarly as a result. Food for thought.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.