Mormon Leaders Spread Word about Essays

[Anonymous]

Ok, I give up. What is a TOFT?

Edit:

Oh, Teachings For Our Time. D’oh. To make this post about something more than me learning an acronym… reasons why this shouldn’t be relegated to PH/RS and should perhaps be moved to GC:

1) Maybe I want to be sitting next to DW when they discuss these things. Current limitations associated with the structure of the 3 hour block would require a 5th Sunday. GC? No problem.

2) This was a problem perpetuated from the top down. Maybe the solution should be addressed similarly. Let’s not make the local leaders take one for the team again.

3) DJ, addressing this in conference addresses how to shoehorn the discussion into TFOT ( ). Of course those talks can always be avoided on 4th Sundays (in fact we’ve gone over Oaks’ talk TWICE in PH since last conference, people are going to pick the talks that were their favorites – I doubt the average leader would select a talk about the essays).

4) Again, if discussed during GC this goes out to every member. If this is taught in SS or PH/RS many will miss the message (vacation, people that only attend SM, everyone in primary and YM/YW, people that have left the church, etc.). GC has more reach.

5) A memorable talk in conference is discussed for a long, long time. A 5th Sunday lesson is easily forgotten.

6) Say a rogue local leader takes the FP letter/suggestion to present the essays on a 5th Sunday and locks it in a private safe. :angel: No one gets it.

7) Those glorious few weeks after GC where everyone is gushing and asking each other what their favorite talk was. 😈

Like the little girl in the taco shell commercials. Hard shell? Soft shell? Why not both. Address this in GC and have an immediate followup on the local level.

9) If handled locally cognitive dissonance may have people shooting the messenger.

[Anonymous]

This problem is of great enough magnitude that it is not going to be solved by a general conference talk. The solution will need to be of a magnitude as great as say, the correlation movement. A conference talk would be like a band aid on lung cancer and whether we put it on the head, hand, stomach or foot is not going to matter.

I witnessed a minor miracle at the non-LDS scout troop last night germane to this discussion. Like our church this scout troop, once one of the best in the area has seen a load of trouble. Because of remote problems we have no scouts in their last two years of high school, only a handful in the 9th and 10th grade and about 75% of the 60 boys in the troop are in the 6th and 7th grade. There is tension between the older and younger scouts.

We have kicked out a couple of the worst younger scouts recently for multiple episodes of physical violence (and parents who would not cooperate in correcting it), a painful process. But things have been getting worse with rest of them. At the camping trip 2 weeks ago we had quite the display of misbehavior. A number of dangerous pranks, explosions, and fires in unacceptable places were experienced. An example: I was driving the older scouts home on a multilane freeway and smelled smoke. One of the firebugs had set the rim of his 20 oz paper cup half-filled with ice and coke on fire and claims this is a perfectly safe practice since it will burn down to the level of the drink and then go out. He says he has tested all the fabrics in a car and none of them are flammable, they just smolter or melt. The other 6 scouts dog piled him. The freeway was too crowed and unsafe to stop and kick his ass. As his mother arrived to pick him up he set another fire in a large water drain in the parking lot with dry leaves on top of soggy ones that extinguished itself but not before she saw it and well before I could talk to her. I could see smoke coming out of her ears. She gave him a good paddling and I think his father warmed his britches up again when he got home.

We had several episodes of bullying at the camping trip especially late at night that went over the line of funny practical jokes to pulling younger scouts out of tents and making them cry. The worst episode included tormenting the son of a very wealthy attorney to the point he had a complete melt down cursing adults and throwing things around and had to be physically restrained. The younger scouts at baseline swear like sailors and tell dirty stories and are lazy. We had a couple of additional emotional breakdowns in the middle of the night when 11 year olds couldn’t get their tent door unzipped or couldn’t find a flashlight and began to sob and curse and run uncontrolled into the pitch dark woods barefooted falling over logs into mud and poison ivy.

The next day we had a talk with the older scouts and frankly the adults are at their wits end. It felt like the troop was going to spin out of control to the point where the good people would leave and the bad scouts would get worst and we would have to disorganize the troop. We told the boys we didn’t really know what to do. It was their troop and its fate was in their hands.

Last night we installed a new 15 year old senior patrol leader (SPL) with a fresh start. He has the backing of the two previous SPLs and won the election a week ago in a landslide. Last Friday night we had an all-night leadership training session for the new leadership, with a movie and basketball mixed in with instructions on how to lead and then a goal setting session. These are the scout’s goals not those of the adults. He spent the last few days thinking and talking to people about how to lead this troubled troop.

Last night I was astonished at the leadership I saw emerge in our new SPL. He is laying down the law. But with the right amount of compassion. He dismissed all the parents and everyone except two adult scouters. The two previous SPLs then gave a stern slap down on fire safety more effective than anything adults could do. The new SPL then made it clear the bullying will stop. Period. Confessions and apologies were made. The new chaplain is the most athletic scout in the troop and a devote catholic. He has redefined the position to be that of an inquisitor and he will tolerate no swearing, no dirty stories and no infractions of the 12 points of the scout law. It was amazing to see these older scouts discipline the younger scouts and yet to see them do it with a deep appreciation for their feelings and the long traditions and history of greatness in our troop and with the desire to get us all back on track and unified together with a commitment to excellence of character. A new spirit of brotherhood fills the scout hut. The future seems bright and the adults are breathing a sigh of relief for the moment.

I felt so discouraged after the last camping trip and now I am excited again and marvel at the magic of boy leadership in scouting. And it brought back memories when my son was elected SPL after 2 defeats and became the driving force of a previous reformation and discipline of his peers which seems like ancient history now almost forgotten only 5 years later. I realized then he acquired more leadership ability through scouting than I did after 10 years as an EQP.

I know that many people have a variety of opinions and experiences with scouting, not all of it good. But if 15 year old boys can step up and exercise this level of leadership and build a new and better scout troop this effectively, then I have the confidence that our apostles and prophets, men of enormous experience and ability can do it.

[Anonymous]

I challenge anyone to ask their bishop if they have received this letter. 90% of the answers will be “No”, because it wasn’t a letter that was mailed out. It was put on the “official communications” board where a leader can find it…if they’re looking. This letter will remain unseen by the majority just like the essays unless people bring attention to it.

There is always a possibility that these issues will be brought up in conference but I’m not holding my breath. That leaves the heavy lifting to local leaders and teachers.

TFOT is meant to be conference talks but are these essays not also TFOT?

[Anonymous]

Steve-o wrote:

This letter will remain unseen by the majority just like the essays unless people bring attention to it.

I agree.

The thing I like is that they are on LDS.org. It’s pretty hard for people to tell me I’m off base when I’m drawing attention to material on LDS.org.

I’m happy to bring attention to them. To me, they are way more powerful than quotes from Journal of Discourses or Early Church History that seem to easily be dismissed by members who legitimately don’t know the source or context of those materials, and prefer to use modern revelation as most legitimate for our learning. I’m glad the church put them on the website.

It would be better if they were part of TFOT, or mandated all bishops to read and study them. But hey…I’m glad to have LDS.org as a good source to bring people’s attention to these issues and let them sort through it as a source that cannot be dismissed.

[Anonymous]

Steve-o wrote:

TFOT is meant to be conference talks but are these essays not also TFOT?

Steve-o I couldn’t agree more that the essays are teachings for our time – I don’t see how anything could be ore relevant to these times, and I think that’s why they are there. It would be great if the Q15 and/or the curriculum committee would add “or” as an option. Meanwhile I think most bishops will just follow the guideline even if they do believe otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Just to make an important point, these essays ARE part of our current “correlation” in the Church. They aren’t in manuals yet, but they are being published as part of a movement that has been going on for a few years now to update and correct historical information published by the Church. Once the overall work is done, I am fairly certain the new information will be incorporated into new manuals.

[Anonymous]

Yay for Correlation!!

…wait, what did I say? :think:

[Anonymous]

Old-Timer wrote:

Just to make an important point, these essays ARE part of our current “correlation” in the Church. They aren’t in manuals yet, but they are being published as part of a movement that has been going on for a few years now to update and correct historical information published by the Church. Once the overall work is done, I am fairly certain the new information will be incorporated into new manuals.

I agree, and I think that’s why they have not yet released new adult manuals and curriculum that are like the youth curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Old-Timer wrote:

Just to make an important point, these essays ARE part of our current “correlation” in the Church. They aren’t in manuals yet, but they are being published as part of a movement that has been going on for a few years now to update and correct historical information published by the Church. Once the overall work is done, I am fairly certain the new information will be incorporated into new manuals.

+1

[Anonymous]

I disagree that too many people would leave the church if the whole story was told. The initial departures would sting a little, but the church would thrive more in the long run. Why? Because if people are not under an illusion, they will not be disillusioned.

[Anonymous]

Shawn wrote:

I disagree that too many people would leave the church if the whole story was told. The initial departures would sting a little, but the church would thrive more in the long run. Why? Because if people are under an illusion, they will be be disillusioned.

I am not so sure about that. Mormonism is based on the reality of its historical claims, that taking those away deflates what is key to the belief of many members. It would take a giant leap for many when confronted with the truth to claim the church was still worth it. Sure those in power and those with prestige may want to move forward, but the average worker bee I am not so sure about.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Anonymous]

Quote:

I witnessed a minor miracle at the non-LDS scout troop last night germane to this discussion. Like our church this scout troop, once one of the best in the area has seen a load of trouble. Because of remote problems we have no scouts in their last two years of high school, only a handful in the 9th and 10th grade and about 75% of the 60 boys in the troop are in the 6th and 7th grade. There is tension between the older and younger scouts.

I found Porter’s anecdote quite inspiring and I think it does apply to this thread. The adults trusted the boys with the ability to lead and deal with problems and they did. I think the Church can trust its members to deal with difficult topics.

Quote:

I am not so sure about that. Mormonism is based on the reality of its historical claims, that taking those away deflates what is key to the belief of many members. It would take a giant leap for many when confronted with the truth to claim the church was still worth it. Sure those in power and those with prestige may want to move forward, but the average worker bee I am not so sure about.

It is a risk but far better than what has been occurring, namely, people discovering this information on their own via the internet and feeling betrayed or fooled by the Church. Now I don’t think this information has been hidden exactly but I don’t think it’s been promulgated either. My own experience has been hearing snippets of many of these issues throughout my life and so when I encountered the full story via the Internet, it didn’t faze me too much. Joseph Smith’s polygamy? Oh yes, I heard about that. Mountain Meadow Massacre? Old news. Multiple versions of the first vision? Been there. Now I’m an N of one and as such my experience may not be the same as others but based on that experience I have tried to share bits and pieces of all of this with my family so that when they come across the full story, they won’t be shocked. I think the Church could do the same…and that’s probably what they are doing. And high time, too.

[Anonymous]

I fixed a sentence that Cadence quoted. I changed it from:

“Because if people are under an illusion, they will be be disillusioned.”

To:

“Because if people are not under an illusion, they will not be disillusioned.”

Anyway, maybe Cadence is right. I don’t know.

[Author]

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