An observation on Church activities that have lessened

[_Jesse Pinkman]

When I was growing up in California, the Church sponsored many activities involving the arts. There were road shows and Church musicals.

Honestly, the last Church musical I participated in was when I was in college, some 30 years ago.

There are a few neighboring Stakes here in NC that have produced Church musicals. But it is definitely a rarity.

Could part of the reason why these activities have lessened, and all but disappeared, have to do with the 2 income household?

Mom isn’t home to help with a lot of the details and with both Mom and Dad working 40+ hours a week, there is no time.

Thoughts?

[_Jesse Pinkman]

Just as an aside, when talking to the women in RS, working is the norm. Today’s economy requires both parents to work just to make ends meet. Quite a change from average US culture 30 years ago.

[_Fence Sitter]

Correlation killed Camelot.

That and international growth.

Money that used to be used for those activities is now being sent to the poorer wards and stakes throughout the world.

Unless everyone can do it, no one does it anymore.

We used to also have church wide (limited to the US) sports competitions in basketball and in softball. Those were some of my favorite memories growing up. I even participated in a church wide dance festival one year held at UoU in SLC.

[_Mormonicious]

Correlation killed Camelot.

That and international growth.

Money that used to be used for those activities is now being sent to the poorer wards and stakes throughout the world.

Unless everyone can do it, no one does it anymore.

We used to also have church wide (limited to the US) sports competitions in basketball and in softball. Those were some of my favorite memories growing up. I even participated in a church wide dance festival one year held at UoU in Salt Lake City.

Its all about the Money. Rob from the Rich to finance the Poor. Having grown up in an affluent area, we had surplus fund available at both the Ward and Stake level. Lots of activities payed for by the members, rafting trips for the Ward, Stake Day at Lagoon, Annual Ward and Stake camp-outs at the Stake property, Road Shows, Dances, Softball tournaments for the Region, etc.

Now the Wards aren't even allowed to have pot-luck dinners. Who wants to belong to a Country Club that doesn't have a swimming pool, tennis courts, a restaurant, etc.

The Mormon Corporation has become the embodiment of George Orwell's Novel Animal House https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm

[_Mormonicious]

Huntsman Sr. was correct when he said churches are like Country Clubs

Jon Huntsman Sr. has given away about $1.5 billion to worthy causes – about 80% of his total wealth. He is also spending $200 million building Huntsman Springs, a golf resort and nature reserve in Idaho that will donate all proceeds of real estate sold to his family’s charitable foundation. But neither of these totals include his strict tithing to the Mormon church of 10% of everything he has ever earned.

“My philanthropy is not borne out of my faith,” he says. “They require 10% tithing. I don’t consider that to be philanthropy and I don’t consider it to be part of my philanthropic giving. I consider it as club dues.

“People who put money in the church basket and people who go to church and pay the pastor: that isn’t real philanthropy, that’s just like you belong to a country club. You pay your dues to belong to that church so you pay your tithing or whatever it is. I’ve never added that into my philanthropy in any way because I just think it’s a part of a person’s life.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewcave ... 509bc23e11

[_moksha]

Huntsman Sr. was correct when he said churches are like Country Clubs.

That takes a lot of guilt off of members who play golf after church on Sundays, and especially for those drinks in the Clubhouse afterward, plus you can use that as a business write-off.

[_candygal]

When I was growing up in California, the Church sponsored many activities involving the arts. There were road shows and Church musicals.

Honestly, the last Church musical I participated in was when I was in college, some 30 years ago.

There are a few neighboring Stakes here in North Carolina that have produced Church musicals. But it is definitely a rarity.

Could part of the reason why these activities have lessened, and all but disappeared, have to do with the 2 income household?

Mom isn’t home to help with a lot of the details and with both Mom and Dad working 40+ hours a week, there is no time.

Thoughts?

No time for creativity...and sometimes..I think it is because maybe working women just don't sew...roadshows are huge..(I remember how fun they were) Even the old Gold and Green Balls were kind of fun. I was a teen dance director and had so much fun with the dancing part. Also, the traveling...that became a big deal when there were some accidents and stuff like that. Kids are missing out...heck..I think we had a lot more fun in MIA than the kids do now.

[_Red Ryder]

Yeah, probably the same reason the ward clerks don't use a typewriter anymore. Roadshows are a thing of the past. In today's world, the participating Wards and Stakes would have to produce 6 episodes and call it a season then stream them into a chapel and overflow full of plastic chairs in a "special" meeting.

If the world and church keep going this way, nothing will be left except for being Mormon for 1 hour a week!

[_Jesse Pinkman]

When I was growing up in California, the Church sponsored many activities involving the arts. There were road shows and Church musicals.

Honestly, the last Church musical I participated in was when I was in college, some 30 years ago.

There are a few neighboring Stakes here in North Carolina that have produced Church musicals. But it is definitely a rarity.

Could part of the reason why these activities have lessened, and all but disappeared, have to do with the 2 income household?

Mom isn’t home to help with a lot of the details and with both Mom and Dad working 40+ hours a week, there is no time.

Thoughts?

No time for creativity...and sometimes..I think it is because maybe working women just don't sew...roadshows are huge..(I remember how fun they were) Even the old Gold and Green Balls were kind of fun. I was a teen dance director and had so much fun with the dancing part. Also, the traveling...that became a big deal when there were some accidents and stuff like that. Kids are missing out...heck..I think we had a lot more fun in MIA than the kids do now.

I agree. The Gold and Green Ball was a huge tradition growing up. The graduating Seniors were always honored and the first dance was always Dads and daughters, Mothers and sons.

It’s just sad that a lot of these things have been done away with due to the combination of correlation and the time element. Growing up, we had more Church dances than school dances. Now, the kids are lucky to have maybe one dance a semester. We used to have one or two a month.

[_Equality]

Fun activities took a big hit when some so-called prophet (or committee of suckasses surrounding said prophet) made the bureaucratic command decision that every activity had to have a goddamned "priesthood purpose" associated with it.