Exiled wrote:I view the "revelation" to combine quorums as a way to hide dwindling numbers. It's better to combine two quorums of 25 now when the merger reason isn't so obvious as it would be if two quorums of 5 were combined. The church has been doing this with wards and stakes for some time (to hide dwindling numbers) in lessening the number of wards per stake and thereby creating new stakes to make it look like growth is still happening.
Or something like that.
I think there is more to it. The leaders of the church are old and crusty and behind the times. They are clueless about the real needs and wants of the rising generation. I think they are combining the quorums as more of a rescue effort. The high priests are being sent to rescue the dwindling elders with the hopes of saving them from falling away and reactivating some that have. I really think that is the underpinning motivating factor to this change. The leaders are panicking and are very concerned with the direction of the church and its legacy and moreover, there is no sign of the second coming and no revelations or angelic visitations among them. The leaders of the church must feel more like caretakers and preservers of what has been handed down to them.
In that same vein above, I think the leaders of the church must feel a sense of being cheated or denied seeing they are not experiencing miraculous manifestations that Joseph Smith himself claimed to enjoy. I think they are probably wondering why the Lord is testing their faith and withholding those blessings. It's got to hurt. They too are in a crisis state. The LDS church is in a crisis state from the top all the way down.
That makes sense. Have the older high priests that have succumbed to the sunk costs fallacy try and convince the younger elders to stay. It has a ring of having parents tell the child/force the child to remain in the sinking boat.
"Religion is about providing human community in the guise of solving problems that don’t exist or failing to solve problems that do and seeking to reconcile these contradictions and conceal the failures in bogus explanations otherwise known as theology." - Kishkumen
I heard through the grapevine that the next "revelation" will be another change to the name of the church. Now it will be The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints. An even bigger font for an even bigger emphasis on my mythical man JC. If that doesn't bring the wayward back and generate more numbers for the Lord, I don't know what will.
"Religion is about providing human community in the guise of solving problems that don’t exist or failing to solve problems that do and seeking to reconcile these contradictions and conceal the failures in bogus explanations otherwise known as theology." - Kishkumen
Exiled wrote:I heard through the grapevine that the next "revelation" will be another change to the name of the church. Now it will be The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints. An even bigger font for an even bigger emphasis on my mythical man JC. If that doesn't bring the wayward back and generate more numbers for the Lord, I don't know what will.
They already did that. Compare the old with the new:
I think the church will change the name of the church before too long. They need to come up with a new gimmick.
I realize they have already done the name change emphasis. But this time it will be even bigger than before!!!!
THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
The fonts here don't do it justice, but just think of JC in 48 point font or bigger .....
They will also have other new and exciting organizational changes for the faithful, like mini wards to continue to hide the ever shrinking numbers.
"Religion is about providing human community in the guise of solving problems that don’t exist or failing to solve problems that do and seeking to reconcile these contradictions and conceal the failures in bogus explanations otherwise known as theology." - Kishkumen
Exiled wrote:THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
The church of JESUS CHRIST offers its members (from top to bottom):
1. Miracles 2. Angelic visitations (especially for the Aaronic priesthood holders) 3. Visions of the future 4. Personal visitations of Jesus Christ 5. Speaking in unknown tongues
Etc.
Apostles, prophets, and seers just like in the Bible, Hallelujah!
Exiled wrote:THE CHURCH OF Jesus Christ OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
The church of Jesus Christ offers its members (from top to bottom):
1. Miracles 2. Angelic visitations (especially for the Aaronic priesthood holders) 3. Visions of the future 4. Personal visitations of Jesus Christ 5. Speaking in unknown tongues
Etc.
Apostles, prophets, and seers just like in the Bible, Hallelujah!
Sign up to join this amazing church, today!
If you don't actually see 1 through 5, fast, pray, and surround yourself with other believers/handlers and you soon will see what they see ......
"Religion is about providing human community in the guise of solving problems that don’t exist or failing to solve problems that do and seeking to reconcile these contradictions and conceal the failures in bogus explanations otherwise known as theology." - Kishkumen
Exiled wrote:If you don't actually see 1 through 5, fast, pray, and surround yourself with other believers/handlers and you soon will see what they see ......
Mormonism is filled with all kinds of wonders and miraculous events, especially when it comes to the temple.
Elder Bennasar wrote:And all along, the hoped-for miracles came: many were ‘fascinated by the experience’ or ‘seized by something [they] had never felt,’ while a few even reported seeing through the veil as they saw deceased ancestors and loved ones while pondering in the celestial room.
See, the Mormons in Paris saw ghosts in the temple! It's a miracle! They were sitting about in the celestial room and pondering about how special and spiritual the temple is and they saw ghosts with their own eyes.
