Economics of Mormonism - A Guide to power for the LDSerf

[_Mercury]

Lets break this into sections folks:

* Currency of exchange
* Gifting Practices
* Worship structure
* Daily life of the Serf

Currency of Exchange can mean several things, mostly items one possesses and exchanges with another party for goods or services. Sometimes this currency is time, often it is goods and services, but most technically it is the exchange of money such as US Currency. Mormonism practices a heavy exchange of money for salvation. One can not enter into temple marriage without first being a full tithe payer. One can not serve in positions of power within the Mormon church without expending great time and effort, mostly expressed in a social system of friends. These social relationships also known as social capital exchange systems are networks of individuals who recognize devotion and opportunity. This is the true market for Mormonism, the interrelationships of its local, area and general leadership. To call it a good old boy network is a foregone conclusion.

The LDS church being comprised of a lay clergy at the local levels both ingrains the adherent into its belief system and addresses the adherents style of life and the company that they keep. This is the aristocracy of the Mormon social network and those who are in middle management such as the Aaronic priesthood leader, the Elders quorum president and others know the management track well. If they are a good plebe maybe they can get up to Patrician status one day so as to cash in a great deal of financial and social capital so they too may have the proper social contacts to be successful in their life. After all, Mormonism is billed as a way to be financially successful, ala the tithing section of the discussions. Success in the wards leadership ladder is a lending and borrowing system for political capital in and outside of Mormonism. For those in the general leadership of the church most of their political capital was earned at birth. For those who will always be the plebeian serfdom of good brother so-and-so, the handful of social elite get their teenage sons out of tight jams, shuffle their teenage daughters around as paper dolls and generally are teh gate keepers to the social equity lock box of Mormonism.

To the LDSerf, life is a week to week affair of talking, breathing, eating, dreaming and speaking of moronism. Everything is colored in a thin film of the truth. Social relationships with fellow LDSerfs take precedence over healthy relationships with coworkers. all their friends are serfs so they also feel better about their own serf life. They pay their tithing and their world can then revolve around another paycheck. Bills are tight but the serf proclaims "dammit, the ward building has a new steeple. See, I'm making a difference". They are appeased with ward parties on par with their socioeconomic pigeonhole their specific ward is in. The bishop asks them if they touch themselves, asks them about their personal relationships, asks them if they have been paying a full tithe (they know what the answer is o this one). Every year they are told how much tehy have paid. Simple arithmetic can tell them if they are going to the celestial kingdom or not. If they don't get it the bishop will hint at it, expending his immensely inflated net worth of political capital in order to mend the actions of another. And all for a corporation of fleecers. The gifting practice of tithing is a false economy of arrogance and dangerous, illogical conclusions.

At least at some of the Greek and Roman temples you got laid by the holy priestesses. But you get screwed in Mormonism too. The stagecraft at a Mormon service is subtle. It represents a business meeting at the core levels, an ad-hoc community of individuals who perpetuate the 150 year old false history that makes up the ever changing scam known as Mormonism. A bold faced lie flying in the face of how we know bad control freaks operate and gain favor amongst the gullible, only to pass on the Meme of Mormonism to children who do not posses any form of defense mechanism against b***s***.

It is the worship service that perpetuates the social order of the bishop, the General Conference perpetuating the mythos of the general authorities of the corporation of Mormonism. It is the meetings that the flock is fleeced as the LDSerf hands another ten ercent of their livelihood to a well organised confidence game run amok, told what chute to go into, told to lay down and allow the twisting and deflowering the minds of the innocent with bad metaphor and demands of obedience. It is here where family is turned into a weapon in order to grab the adherent and point a gun at their families head in order to state that if the adherent does not do as the corporation demands, one will be cut off from them. They are told that it is their family that is the ones that will suffer while one wallows in what they call "pride". It is not pride, it is the dismantling of their false economy that they fear most. It is at the worship service that the LDSerf comes to pay their Lord, with sword held to their throat if they dissent.

An LDSerf does not see them self as an American, a human being, an inhabitant of Planet earth. No, tehy see themselves as gods in embryo, climbing the ladder of management so as to win the exchange games in teh ward. Unfortunately since this is a false economy the virtues that one furthers will only get you so far. The General authorities are all related to each other for the simple fact that the serfs do not talk socially to the middle managers and the middle managers do not talk socially to the upper level managers and the board does not talk to the general authorities socially. They speak, yes, at church functions. ut in a "mormonese" of filler conversation. If one were in the close confidence system attained through birthright or other close relationships such as business one is allowed into the social circle above. The impressions one receives are coded as "the spirit", not as general feelings of trustworthiness. You want to be able to turn to someone and say "the church needs to buld a new temple on land held by a good friend of mne. he is donating some of it, the rest will go into escrow. They do not have to receive money from this deal, they already have been paid in social capital. The easiest way to pay off a debt is to share business with one another. This is what sustains the current social order of the Mormons and MANY other similar organizations.

[_Mercury]

Aww, no one replied. It wasn't THAT bad was it?

Or was it so good everyone is speechless?

Oh well.

[_Roger Morrison]

Merc, Congrats! Ya got another besides yerself! 2 outa 60 some?? Yeah a bit discouraging but maybe you's a bit harsh? I think yer telling them (LDSerfs) what they don't waana know... In fact, they rationally cannot see THEMSEVES as serfs or dupes of their chosen faith... IF otherwise they'd leave.

I think you make some valid points... but the sledge-hammer to drive them home??? :-)

OK, i looked at yers, how about you looking at, & commenting on mine, eh? "Spong-on-the-2nd-coming"... No 'replies' outa 25+/- hits!! No one wanna know the truth?? Warm regards are wanning, Roger :-(

[_Jason Bourne]

While your post is full of cynical misassumptions not all is off base. I cannot promise but if I get some time there are a few points that seem interesting enough to discuss.

[_Mercury]

Merc, Congrats! Ya got another besides yerself! 2 outa 60 some?? Yeah a bit discouraging but maybe you's a bit harsh? I think yer telling them (LDSerfs) what they don't waana know... In fact, they rationally cannot see THEMSEVES as serfs or dupes of their chosen faith... IF otherwise they'd leave.

I think you make some valid points... but the sledge-hammer to drive them home??? :-)

OK, I looked at yers, how about you looking at, & commenting on mine, eh? "Spong-on-the-2nd-coming"... No 'replies' outa 25+/- hits!! No one wanna know the truth?? Warm regards are wanning, Roger :-(

Well, my audience is not always to the believer.

[_Roger Morrison]

Merc, Congrats! Ya got another besides yerself! 2 outa 60 some?? Yeah a bit discouraging but maybe you's a bit harsh? I think yer telling them (LDSerfs) what they don't waana know... In fact, they rationally cannot see THEMSEVES as serfs or dupes of their chosen faith... IF otherwise they'd leave.

I think you make some valid points... but the sledge-hammer to drive them home??? :-)

OK, I looked at yers, how about you looking at, & commenting on mine, eh? "Spong-on-the-2nd-coming"... No 'replies' outa 25+/- hits!! No one wanna know the truth?? Warm regards are wanning, Roger :-(

Well, my audience is not always to the believer.

Maybe so... BUT, your 'message' is most effective when seriously considered by "believers"--i would think??? Above, you have picqued the interest of Jason B... You, i, nor anyone else, can do better than that. He's one of the best... :-) Warm regards, Roger