1. Why are the church services called meetings? (As opposed to church services or Mass or whatever else I know they are called in other religions.) Meetings just strongly implies business, not religion.
2. Do the leaders have any training at all, or are they just told they are now the Bishop?
3. I teach high school in a small town, and one of my students was telling me she wakes up at 4:30 am to go to church every morning. There is not a Mormon church in town, so she has to drive about 25 miles (one way) every time she goes to church, despite the fact that there is a Mormon church in a closer town (about 10 miles one way). Another student goes to the closer town. Is this normal for small towns? It makes no sense.
1. No idea... It's just what they call it. It was probably standardized after JS's death.
2. They are given a set of books called the "Church Handbook of Instruction". It tells them the rules and how to handle certain situations. They also get leadership training a few times a year (a few hours total). Otherwise, not much else. After being in the culture for years, you kind of pick it up. But it's a crap shoot as to the quality of a bishop you get.
3. Your building is assigned to you based on where you live. Most of the time it's the closest building to you, but not always. Which yes, does make it dumb.
Here's a another question from another never-mo...who lives in utah..
WHY?? in the state of Utah with some many meeting houses/churches, does the mormon church ALSO have to spend the money for the land and for the building of seminary buildings next to schools??
They don't get to pick which building they go to or what time they go. They are separated into wards and stakes (there are multiple wards a stake). Meeting, stake, ward - a bunch of cold words, no?
A ward would be the equivalent of a congregation at one Mass -- imagine all the people that go to the 8 o'clock Mass are only allowed to go to that one 8 o'clock service at that particular church building every week -- that would be a ward. The group that goes to 11 o'clock Mass would be another ward. They change the times after a certain period of time so that everyone gets an equal amount of the sucky hours.
This would probably also explain why the student has to go so far for "church." She is assigned to that one particular ward and can't go to a closer, more convenient one. This occurred when I had neighbors in a more rural area that was becoming more populated. They got moved to a new building that was further away. It made no sense to me at the time. Eventually they got put back in the first one. They get assigned a particular building according to where they live and a time to go.
The "church" the student attends is probably seminary, which all the high-school aged kids go to. It's more like Sunday School and not an actual worship service or "meeting," as the case may be.
1. Meetings. I don't know except back in the old days when I was young Mormons would go out of their way to distinguish themselves in any way possible from other churches. Since they were the "only true church" they had to stress their difference and even used to brag about being a "peculiar people." Therefore they would avoid words such as mass. I have heard the phrase church services used however by Mormons sometimes.
2. The leaders have no training except by the time they are put in office they already have the "party line" down pat. I believe the Bishop, who may also be your Dentist, Car Mechanic, or Store Manager, is given a handbook. He is supposed to be guided by the Holy Ghost, but for some reason needs a handbook anyway which is just as well as the Holy Ghost is highly inconsistent and difficult to channel.
3. Mormon teens are expected to attend Seminary classes for daily indoctrination. These usually take place in the morning before school, so it may not be the same as going to church. The seminaries are often in buildings adjacent to the schools. This would explain why one of these kids would have to go so far out of their way instead of going to the closer church.
I've been gone a long time, so some of this may have changed.
It is a meeting like in BUSINESS because it is a BUSINESS not a religion.
And they pride themselves on having NO TRAINING which sucks since they are supposed to give advice. You can bet that in financial and legal matters, they have the best they can get as professionals. Money needs pros, souls (who cares?)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2014 10:23PM by verilyverily.