Tough to Be a Mormon Man – Amen

[Anonymous]

…anyway…on the topic of this thread…

It can be tough to be a mormon man because you have to be so careful in picking and choosing words to be kind and not upset anyone, there is a passive aggressive culture developed.

[Anonymous]

Paying someone to do my genealogy work seems like a justification for the Catholic belief of Indulgence.

Or the freedom to avoid certain penalties by paying a monetary price or performing a specific act.

There is a place for using a professional researcher to move through roadblocks or dead ends.

For me, the fun is doing the research & telling my friends & family what I’ve found.

(I’m off topic.)

[Anonymous]

Minyan Man wrote:

Paying someone to do my genealogy work seems like a justification for the Catholic belief of Indulgence.

Or the freedom to avoid certain penalties by paying a monetary price or performing a specific act.

There is a place for using a professional researcher to move through roadblocks or dead ends.

For me, the fun is doing the research & telling my friends & family what I’ve found.

(I’m off topic.)

You make a point here, MM. You find it fun to do the research. It seems to work on some level for you. For me it doesn’t work. I frankly have no interest in doing it and find in it only drudgery and distaste. Add to that that I find little value in doing work for the dead (I’m not sure I believe in it) or the temple in general and I see little value in wasting my time when I’d rather do other things (which may or may not be more productive or valuable). Works for you, doesn’t work for me.

And I don’t see paying to have genealogy done as akin to indulgences. It’s not a commandment in my view, hence there is no real need to do it except personal desire or conviction.

Pretty much the same could be said for many of the points in the original essay and the discussion here. We’re not gingerbread men and women.

[Anonymous]

For me, it’s like anything else that we are taught in church. We can believe or not believe.

I’m not saying that our beliefs are right or wrong. I am says that it gives us strength or it doesn’t.

I find strength in believing that I’m connected with my grandparents, etc (past generations).

I find strength in believing that I’m connected with my grandchildren, etc (future generations).

I never knew any of my grandparents. And, I never thought I would be a grandparent.

Now that I am a GP, I love it. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done, this side of the grass.

Family History & temple work makes me feel connected & whole. (spiritually)

I can see where someone else doesn’t feel the same way.

Any work in the church (or outside) that feels like drudgery, I avoid.

It sounds like that’s what you’re saying too.

[Anonymous]

My DH’s family is Greek. Blond/blue eyed Greeks. All the genealogy is in Smyrna. Records are written in Greek, and held in a part of the world that is now Turkish. I don’t speak or read Greek or Turkish. We’ve been looking for someone to hire to do the genealogy.

Maybe don’t judge the SP. You don’t know his story or genealogy.

[Anonymous]

amateurparent wrote:

Maybe don’t judge the SP. You don’t know his story or genealogy.

I am in full support of paying people to do tasks that are drudgerous to us — in any context In fact, there is a maxim I picked up years ago — if you can pay someone to do something for a rate that is less than the rate you earn per hour, then it’s a better financial deal to pay others to do that work. This assumes that you are not on a salary, or that the income producing activity you use to compare the cost of hiring someone is dependent on your hourly work. Nonetheless, it’s a good strategy. I would not judge anyone who elects to pay others to move, clean, do geneology, or do other tasks.

[Anonymous]

My father-in-law’s direct family line has been traced back to the Middle Ages, and the only way to go further is to have someone in Italy and the surrounding countries looking through parishes and churches and cemetery records in person. They have paid a professional genealogist to do that work.

I respect and admire them for their dedication – and would do so even if I didn’t like the concept of genealogical research. They are putting their money where their mouths are, and that is a good thing.

Back to the topic:

It is hard, but I have seen the same general pressures in other churches and organizations – and I have seen situations where it is EASY to be a man (without any of the expectations we are discussing). I prefer a balanced approach, but, of the two, I will take hard over easy.

[Anonymous]

Heber13 wrote:

Quote:

I believe the ordinances are what is important, not the tedious work. Tedious work is tedious work with perhaps satisfaction when you finally make progress,…but it is still tedious work.

I can understand it may be tedious to some people. My grandmother never viewed it as tedious.

Quote:

You can gain a lot of growth, perhaps, from doing research. But if the goal is gaining the growth from research, why not pay someone who knows what they are doing, and research something else like physics?

I wish I could have paid my brother to do my statistics in college, he was much better at it. If I told all my professors that I was going to focus on studying the scriptures only, would I be able to get a degree? Nope. Not all study is the same. That’s why there are different subjects and majors to specialize in, but they require general education to give broader experience.

I had a big message, here, but it is being said in so many words above. My family came from Germany. There is no reasonable way I could do the work myself. I don’t speak “old” German,…I would need help. But, in my mind, thank goodness there are those who have these skills, because I need their help.

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