TBMs view callings as a badge of honor that reflects on how much more righteous, worthy, and valuable they are than other members.

This results in political maneuvers for position and leader worship. You would think that a Christian church would be more interested in worshiping Christ rather than worshiping the local business owner playing clergy and counselor on the weekends.

I have never personally observed politicking in church, but I stopped going for the most part by the time I was 19, and never went to the temple or got the Mechezideck Priesthood, so maybe I was never high enough up in the echelons to observe it. I got the sense, though, that my ward (The one I grew up in for 12 years) was so affluent, and had so many doctors, lawyers, and professionals, that this kind of politicking was not necessary because the older ones had already been Bishops and Stake Presidents, and the younger ones were already being called for the EQPS, the HPGL, and the counselors in the bishoprics and the bishops. Also, the ward I grew up in produced 2 succesive stake presidents and at least 2 counselors, and probably countless stake high councilman- and stake presidents serve for 7-9 years. I think it was the most affluent ward in the stake. Some of the houses I went to would certainly lend itself to that conclusion. my dad has also made passing references to the amount of tithing he deposited as a counselor when he helped count. Apparently it was pretty staggering.

The ward I grew up in is still the only one I've ever seen where people routinely showed up in new, late-model Porsches, Beemers, and Mercedes. and not the 'cheap' 30 or 40 thousand dollar ones, the ones closer to six figures, sometimes I would look them up. An Oral Surgeon (who, no suprise, is now in the stake presidency, from what my folks told me) drove an 80,000 dollar Mercedes and he was in his early 40's. some little kid ran into it when he was running around in the parking lot after church and he went batshit on him, real christlike behavior. His wife looked like she had so much plastic surgery she herself looked plastic. She was really nice, though.

The teenagers of these kids had ridiculously expensive cars, too. Like their parents old, used luxury cars. I was pretty spoiled, but not like that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2016 03:41AM by midwestanon.

Mormonism is more of a club. Those that seem to get the most out of it don't treat it as a religion but as a social network. Naturally the one who politics better gets further ahead.