There's this young-ish guy at work, probably about 35 or so. He works in another state, but comes to our office every couple months or so.

Anyway, between his last visit and current visit, he was called as a Bishop. I swear his "countenance" was different. He walked around with an air of authority and discernment. Like he had a mantle of responsibility now, and though heavy, was being buoyed by the Lord.

Anyone else notice a certain Church leadership countenance, a special look, an air of authority?

It can be very obvious when mormons move up the line. It can start back when kids turn twelve and receive "priesthood," and increase with every upward mormon step.

When a new stake presidency had been organized in our stake, one of the counselors proved himself to be the most arrogant individual I've ever met. It began when he was giving his acceptance speech in stake conference. He just had to brag about how there had been a special meeting in the temple with the first presidency and that it was ONLY FOR THEM. He repeated that 3 times, and then bragged how his family's PB's said that they would all be around for the Second Coming and not "taste of death". I wanted to throw my high-heeled shoe at him.

How long ago was that? I was unaware the church psychics were still saying the Second Coming would be in our lifetime.

When DH got a high calling, we saw a change!

We moved!

That was 2 days before 911.

Yes. You can actually see the fumes of pretentiousness radiating from them.

Yep-seen that before. And whats funny is how the whole thing is fake! They might as well have been "called" to be president of the pink and purple unicorn association. Good lord.

There is a 12 year old in the ward I am coerced into attending. He is the deacon quorum president. He sits on the stand with the bishopric during SM. He regularly misbehaves in front of the whole congregation but he has position so there he sits.

Yes!!! They look as though a pole had been shoved up their ass.

Zactly what I was thinking they also become more of a jackass in my opinion.

I saw changes in myself and others when called to bishoprics... worn out, temperamentally short sometimes, worn out, sleep deprived, did I mention worn out?....

Gatorman
CCcchhhhaaannngggeees says David Bowie you rock and rollers

Yes, I have seen changes. One wife of BP 1st Counselor was a feminist and wanted the priesthood in the 1980s. She ran the branch and wrecked it. It ended when she was publicly cast out by 2 visiting GA's at SC.

Changes in new leaders ranged from becoming passive aggressive to outright militant bullying. In myself, I was depressed, burned out for 36 years and endlessly frustrated. Pure misery in the true church.

That pit of endless spiritual and emotional misery was the clearest sign the true church was hell and a cult. It coerced its members into a Zombie like trance of living a lie while boasting truth. The root word for wickedness is wicker. Have you ever seen wicker furniture? It's all twisted.

Yeah. They go from dickish knothead to asshole prick.

You can take a really nice man and make him a bishop and just watch him turn into a giant asshole. I had a very good friend this happened to. I no longer speak to him.

Although I have to admit that this ward has been an exception. This ward has been different than any ward I ever lived in. They aren't perfect, but the bishops have been good guys.

My neighbor--the last 3 bishops have been my neighbor or good friends--was made the bishop a few months ago. He is not really a very outgoing guy in the least. He always said Hi. I know his wife. She sure became full of herself when her husband was made bishop. She used to be really down to earth and now she dresses like she's a queen. But I've taken notice that "he" talks to me all the time now and asks about our son. He knows my daughter. He talked her into going through the temple for the first time.

My ex (who lives here, too) agreed that all of a sudden he has become overly friendly. He used to ignore my ex and now is overly friendly.

Even though he has now become overly friendly, I think he'll continue to be a nice guy.

The change in their countenance is an air of self-importance. Nothing more.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/24/2017 10:32AM by cl2.

paulk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> He walked around
> with an air of authority and discernment. Like he
> had a mantle of responsibility now, and though
> heavy, was being buoyed by the Lord.

More like a mantle of ego feeding and arrogance.

He has no more "discernment" than a rock.
And imaginary "lords" don't don any buoying.

He just had his ego fed, and he feels like he's a big deal in his imaginary priesthood. It's ego and arrogance, plain and simple.

I have also noticed that once a Bishop has been released from that calling, they don't seem to ever relinquish that air of importance. It doesn't help when members still refer to them as Bishop XYZ for the rest of their lives.

This. I was stupid enough to be talked into going to a Mission Reunion well more than a decade after the mission. My former Mission President strutted around the cultural hall, calling everyone Elder and Sister, and otherwise acted like everyone was still supposed to answer to him. It was weird, like he was pretending that time had stood still and we were all still on the mission. I had had enough of that crap while it was really going on, and didn't need to re-live and pretend it years and years later.

Yes, even the Great David A Bednar who went from self-deprecating (although admittedly fake) speech when he joked in his first Conference talk as an Apostle that one-of-these-is-not-like-the others, to today where he is apparently going around revoking his apostolic blessing to those audiences who, in his judgment, are misbehaving and not worshiping the ground he walks on.

Hate that guy he truly thinks he's god.

I'm somewhat ignorant on some Mormon things...what is an apostolic blessing?

What did he do, or what does someone do when they install or give it?

How do they revoke it and such?

Thank you.

Mormonism gives people a bad experience with authority figures. It's even worse when you leave because then you find that these people you looked up to are just tools who are caught up in a bogus cult.

That's exactly what has happened with me.

Their noses seem to move up a notch or two. They look at you like they're trying to read your mind. Their voice changes to GA voice. They get fake humble and have to make sure everyone knows about their super special calling.

It's all just an act. When an actor plays a star ship captain on Star Trek, or plays any other role of someone they're not in real life, their countenance changes to match their role. Church leaders play an act to match their role too. If the person is a nice person going in, they'll probably be liked by the people they lead. If they are a jerk, they'll still be a jerk as a church leader. Either way, they'll play the part.

In college, I was assigned as a part of a debate team, to support a liberal position that was opposite of what I actually believed in. When it was my turn to speak, I fought passionately in support of my assigned position' often disparaging my real conservative beliefs with classic liberal attack lines I had heard before. After I sat down and class was close to being over, a classmate said "I never knew your political beliefs before, good job". Several others heard our conversation. I replied "I don't really believe any of that crap I just said. It was just an assignment". My classmate was shocked and seemed confused. I had played the role that was assigned to me and felt relieved to set the record straight afterward. If others believe you, you've done your job well.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2017 10:49PM by azsteve.