Kirby on PTCS

[Anonymous]

I wasn’t really sure what to expect considering the title, Kirby can be a bit irreverent. He is not dismissive, however, and I think it’s a worthwhile read for those of use here He doesn’t actually give us anything to do to cope with PTCS, but he does describe contributing factors to a tee.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/2884538-155/kirby-coping-with-post-traumatic-church-syndrome?fullpage=1” class=”bbcode_url”>http://www.sltrib.com/news/2884538-155/kirby-coping-with-post-traumatic-church-syndrome?fullpage=1

A few gems that I hope the top leadership takes seriously:

Quote:

As nice and spiritual and special as church attendance is supposed to be, it frequently (for me and those like me) fails to live up to its claims — refreshing, renewal, recommitment, etc. For Mormons, this failure manifests itself in a variety of ways, including some that can actually become injurious.

Quote:

Then there are ward speakers who rely on age-old gospel tricks like guilt, unworthiness and even outright accusation to stress the importance of behaving oneself.

Quote:

Something else that sets me off is correlation, the ridiculous notion that everyone should believe, think, dress and worship the same — otherwise they’re out of step with the Brethren.

I happen to disagree with his assessment of high council speakers – they’re not all bad! (I might be a bit biased on that point )

[Anonymous]

Quote:

Brothers and sisters, even the Lord’s eyelids and the inside of his nose bled for you. The soles of his feet. His ears. The least we can do is pay a full tithing.”

Keep me laughing all day.

[Anonymous]

Not on topic, but just have to say:

DarkJedi wrote:

I happen to disagree with his assessment of high council speakers – they’re not all bad! (I might be a bit biased on that point )

I grew up in the Mormon boondocks and the HC speakers were our knights in shining armor. They gave the best talks. They didn’t just “bring the love of the stake president,” – they brought their own love. We knew because we could feel it, and we looked forward to HC Sunday.

I have to admit that the ones we have now have less personality.

I’m sure you’re one of the good guys. (No pressure! 🙂)

[Anonymous]

I agree with you, Ann. While we do have a couple of “dry councilors” the majority of our guys do a really good job and bring us great Christ centered messages.

[Anonymous]

My dad was a HC when I was a teen, and everyone loved when my dad came to their ward. I think it had to do with his respect for the ward he was visiting. My dad always invited someone from the ward, usually a youth or YA to speak on a topic of their choice. Those talks were really good. Then my dad always made sure his remarks were brief. He usually had a gospel nugget type approach. Kind of a devotional type talk. No one felt pressured, burdened, or wracked with intensity. I liked to hear him speak, I tried to attend with him as many times as possible. (He would make a point of my attendance and often stick some wise crack about coming to visit the boys in the ward, but a dad can be forgiven for that.)

In my present Stake it’s Dry Council Sunday and then some – a bit more of the Guilt Council Sunday. I know most of them from outside their callings, not bad guys, but give them a pulpit and a message and… Oh my heck.

[Anonymous]

I would like it if someone who enjoys sacrament meeting (after the sacrament-taking portion) would explain why they like it so much. I’d like to hear from someone who has experienced a few decades of it and still looks forward to going. What is your perspective on this Mr. or Mrs. Sacrament-enjoyer?

[Author]

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