Yokomsa

Maybe I totally misunderstood what you are trying to say in the above comments. Is it that you feel the clerk was out of line for judging your motives for moving when he really knows nothing about you are your motives. Yes, I think that might be out of place to judge a situation where we only think we know what is really going on. As a matter of fact we shouldn't judge others unless we want the same judgement against us. Yes, I do feel that the clerk was WAY out of line for his grilling. It lasted almost an hour! BTW- I get really harsh judgments against me for some of the activities that me and my family participate in because they actually have a true separation of Church and organization. Nothing illegal, just strong associations with people that have different beliefs or don't even believe in God at all!

We are in the process of moving to Kansas. But I have promised my hubby not to let church members get to me with their offensive attitude. He tells me that I need to be the Mormon version of Scarlet O'Hara. Be nice to everyone (and genuine), but let them have it with both barrels when they really tick you off. Because THEY are the ones who are keeping me from receiving blessings by attending church. I always thought it would be interesting to go into church with a replica of the green dress made out of curtains and really get them going!!

I have no idea what "mormon punch" is. Here is my mother-in-law's version of Mormon Punch- 7-up, Hi-C Fruit Punch Drink, and a frozen jello ring of fruit that has Cool-Whip in it! She expected it to be served at our wedding reception and I said- "Sorry! I just made the reservations with the Pepsi man to deliver the carb tanks, syrups and the spouts." Needless to say, she didn't talk to me for a week! But we did have Root Beer, Sprite, Orange Crush, and the Bride and Groom's favorite-- Dr. Pepper! Be Scared... VERY scared!

I have heard members of the Quorum of the 12 say all things in moderation and back in the early days when the query for the Word of Wisdom was pondered and answered... carbonated sodas weren't even invented yet. The concern isn't for the soda itself, but again like it has been spoken before its the acids that are in the sodas that produce harmful effects for the body. Shoot, I know members that do have a glass of wine with their dinner. That doesn't mean they are bad church members, it just means they simply have a glass of wine with dinner. And when I speak of wine... it is strictly fermented grapes or other fruits. No additives. Just my 2 pence

Greetings one and all! I have been inactive for awhile and I am tip toeing back in the realm of the Church. No, I never lost my testimony, I just put it away for awhile. Anyway. Something that I have a growing concern about is the rudeness of the church members and over usage of the Prophets of the Church in Sunday talks. Here is the rudeness observation- For example- me and my family are preparing to leave one state completely and move to another one. There are some factors here- no job, housing, or even a friend. We are basically taking a huge leap of faith. Anyway, I call the local area church and leave a message. Later on, I get a phone call from a ward clerk who made me feel like I had to justify my family's move to HIS ward. I clearly stated that we weren't looking for assistance, but we wanted church members to be aware that we would be possibly attending the ward in the near future. He actually said to me, "I don't understand why you are moving to a place where you have no jobs, housing, or anything." It almost felt like he was suggesting that we were getting ready to scam the Church out of a jar of peach jam! (Which is sooo good! But I will go and buy my supply for food storage!) Then I quickly replied- "are you going sit on your bottom when the good Lord tells you something to do?" The Lord has confirmed that we are to be moving onto this place and that should be good enough. I basically told him that my husband's family always said when a new church member calls you, you say Welcome to the area and the Ward--- How may I be of assistance. The rudeness doesn't stop there. It is seen in the halls while classes are going on, Sacrament being passed. The worst thing I have EVER seen is a child playing a Gameboy in Sacrament meetings. These actions have been witnessed time and time again. But when you witness something inappropriate and you want to bring it to the attention of the person, you get labels and people start to talk about ya behind your back. Then along the same lines with the Gameboy, the young men and women are being allowed to get away with anything! For example, I have observed that a bishop will take a young man under his wing and have him be an errand boy for the bishop. This never fails- he thinks he is exempt from the rules of the Church because he has the bishop's permission to run amuck. Once he gets done with whatever, he gets his friends together and then they go to the halls and act like that is their living room and when you tell them to get to class, they get that dumb "deer in the headlights look" and put the act on of what--- I am not doing anything wrong. Bull! You are breathing oxygen outside your classroom! Where are church member's manners and etiquette these days? ___________________________________________________________________________ Then my 2nd topic-- The over usage of the Prophets in Sunday Talks. AKA- Less glory to God given. Sittin in Sacrament meeting was listening to some talks and I realized that all 3 talks given down played the role or hardly acknowledged God. But yet, Joseph Smith was put on that throne instead. I have a real concern when a mortal man is now put on the same level as Our Heavenly Father. Joseph DIDN'T start the church! God started it a long time ago and found Joseph willing to take on the task of bringing it back to people. He knew that it would be hard and life would be tough, but he took on the task of becoming the Prophet of the new Church. Prophet essentially means one regarded by a group of followers as the final authoritative revealer of God's will This is just in case you were wondering the definition of Prophet. I like Merriam-Websters dictionary online!! Joseph played a pivotal role in many things, but his accomplishments are NOT on the level of Christ's sacrifice for us. Joseph was still mortal, he had bad habits, and he even probably got egotistical in leading the church because of the guidance which was given and the members gained wealth and status and Joseph was right in the middle! In my View I feel that there is too much attention placed on the Prophets of the Church. They are merely the mouth pieces for Our Heavenly Father and they are just like you and me in most respects. Speak with respect and dignity that is owed to those men, but don't go on and on about them! AND stop with the statues, the pictures, the memorials, etc. We are almost turning Catholic in that sense. ( I know... been there, done that!) Why not try a talk where not 1 single prophet of the church is mentioned? Give the Glory, honor, and praise back to Heavenly Father, not to a mortal man who brought the words back to the Earth. To him, we just owe a simple thank you because that is all he would really want. Sorry to ramble, but these are a few things that have been bugging me.