He thinks I'd rather not go and quit(as if that's possible living around TBM's). I don't think he's aware that the country is becoming less and less religious at all.

Yet he wants me to get him early Sunday mornings for the morg hamster wheel of going to same old boring dull morg services from 9am-12noon. Heck he sleeps though most of Sacrament!! He probably does the same for high priests as well.

Oh well in 2 months I'm not to be the only person taking care of him. My youngest brother and his family will be moving back here to Idaho from Texas. So I'll finally get some help taking care of the house and property. Until then I guess I'd better play his game and get my TBM dad up early for church on Sundays. Heck I have to wake him up early on days he works!!

I don't think I'll ever free myself from the morg until after he passes on. He's 72, depressed all the time, a cancer survivor and has diabetes. I know other family has basically dumped the morg living outside the morg corridor. It's not as easy when you're living in it. At my brothers family will help me. I often feel quite lonely and alone.

Sometimes I wonder if he appreciates my being able to cook for him. Since my TBM mom always cooked for him,he's never had to cook for himself. There was always somebody like my TBM mom, my brother or myself cooking for him.It's kinda sad.

Sorry that this was so long. I needed to vent and get this off my chest!!

You can have the sacrament brought to your Dad. They did that for my grandmother, when she was too old to attend church.

It seems your Dad needs the social contact of physically going to church. Can you drop him off, leave him there for the three hours, and pick him up afterwards?

You can spend those three hours cooking him a nice Sunday dinner!

Surely, he will like that bargain, right?

Social contact of going to church? What's that!??? Maybe I can cook him a nice lunch when my brother and his family arrives in a few months. But I've got a calling SS Secretary. So I shouldn't be missing church.

Isn't that just collecting the attendance? Somebody can easily fill in.

Yes.

It should not be your responsibility to get your father to church. If he really wants to go, he should be able to get himself up and ready in time.

I agree with you. The same should apply to him going to work as well. I never had anyone get me up for work when I was working as well. I had to get up on my own...

not always true Devoted Exmo. The father is old, sick, and obviously not so able to take care of himself. Why would the younger brother be moving back otherwise? The OP is in a hard spot, yes.

Me, the ex-mo in my family ends up dealing with my 85 yo mom and the church because me next older uber TBM brother can't be bothered. It irks me to have to, but I do it for my moms sake. It makes her feel comfortable.

Yes, it's not always true, but I've followed this family's saga for quite a while. SII's dad works full time, and recently drove his family overnight to California. I don't think he's infirm, I think that he has always relied on other's to do things for him like the cooking, etc.

I guess he wants the social aspect of going to church, but it should still be his responsibility to get up to go, just as nobody should make sure he gets up to go to work on time. The social contract of church means that for TBM's, church is their social outlet, and they go to be with their own kind. The unfortunate thing about the Morg is that members don't get to chose to go to a later sacrament if getting up early is difficult for them.

You mean that they cannot decide to go to a later service since the morg bigwigs already decided for him!?? That's so and pathetic!!

Maybe your dad feels guilty for liking not going to church and is lashing out. Especially if he needs his rest, it's got to feel great not getting up early.

Guilt and fear are the great motivators of cults. Not many mainstream churches require 100% attendance like the morg. If you go, you go, if you don't, it's no skin off their backs. The morg takes it so personally if you don't show up.

I think you're right about the guilt and fear. But I think the morgue knows that it's the fear that they have to keep you feeling. Once you stop feeling afraid that something bad will happen to you if you quit going, they're going to lose you for sure.

Wasn't there a long period of time when you were inactive? If your dad can still drive then I would give up your calling and let him go to church on his own. It's been quite a while since your mom passed, and church hasn't done much to help you on the employment front. I say, stay home. You are an adult -- you should be able to please yourself in that regard. Besides, can't your younger sister take him?

Yes I was inactive for a long time. It wasn't until I lost my job I got dragged back to the morg. They've never really helped on the employment front either. My youngest TBM Baby sister seems to have dumped living with my TBM dad and me. Yet she's still costing hundreds of dollars every month(car, insurance, her college(which she dropped out of) and her cell phone. Presently she is mooching and freeloading off her boyfriend's family and living with them. She only makes appearances when she wants money. I think she's still unemployed. If she got a new job, I'm unaware of it!!My TBM dad is paying all her bills.