Follow the leader blindly...

[_ludwigm]

I don't think anyone in the Church follows blindly.

And I am the pope.

[_JoetheClerk]

As long as the missionary program is as it is you will have blind followers who cannot think. Two years or training in becoming salesmen while telling themselves 'all is well, all is well' in place of rational thought tends to breed automatic followers, not thinking supporters.

Yes, the Tommy Monson scenario is capable of playing out. Saying 'we don't do that any longer' just does not cut it. You go into stupidity one step at a time and in this case 'we will never lead you astray' is the first lie.

[_treehugger99]

I remember one day, my parents were going out somewhere and my sister was left to babysit. I was crying to my mom saying "She's mean to me! what if she makes me do a handstand or something I can't do!?". My mom told me to try my best to do whatever my sister asked me to do, and that when she got back home, I could tell her everything that happened and she would decide if it was fair or not.

I think if we follow the words of the prophets like the Lord has asked us to, he will bless us for obeying and he will judge if it is right or not. If you really think the prophet and apostles are asking you to do things you think are wrong, look in your scriptures for answers and PRAY ABOUT IT.

Num. 27:17 "...the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd." God won't just leave us alone...

I hope this helped!

[_moksha]

It is my impression that the "leaders" have no illusions as to how obedient the Church members are. If anything, the home teaching numbers keep them humble.

There are however some members who go above and beyond the call of duty.

[_gramps]

I remember one day, my parents were going out somewhere and my sister was left to babysit. I was crying to my mom saying "She's mean to me! what if she makes me do a handstand or something I can't do!?". My mom told me to try my best to do whatever my sister asked me to do, and that when she got back home, I could tell her everything that happened and she would decide if it was fair or not.

I think if we follow the words of the prophets like the Lord has asked us to, he will bless us for obeying and he will judge if it is right or not. If you really think the prophet and apostles are asking you to do things you think are wrong, look in your scriptures for answers and PRAY ABOUT IT.

Num. 27:17 "...the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd." God won't just leave us alone...

I hope this helped!

Your mom really said that? And you took away a positive message from that? Or are you (hopefully) joking and pulling our leg?

[_JoetheClerk]

This mentality is what persuaded many LDS Germans to support Adolf Hitler and turn in their Jewish neighbors. It is an abominable teaching made worse by fools who cannot think. Anne Frank would have been turned in by most LDS families. There are few stories of LDS who did the right thing in Hitlers Germany.

Little has changed today. If anything, it is getting worse.

[_Wayneman]

I would maintain that many who leave the church, leave because they HAVE put the leaders on an impossible pedestal. And then, when they (the leaders) do or say something human, or downright dumb, they (members) become disillusioned and leave.

As for me, while I respect the authority of church leaders, I could honestly care less if I saw them walking down the street. They are men, good men in my opinion, but men nonetheless.

[_gramps]

I would maintain that many who leave the church, leave because they HAVE put the leaders on an impossible pedestal. And then, when they (the leaders) do or say something human, or downright dumb, they (members) become disillusioned and leave.

As for me, while I respect the authority of church leaders, I could honestly care less if I saw them walking down the street. They are men, good men in my opinion, but men nonetheless.

Could I ask what you mean by 'many?' Do you mean a 'few' people or are you suggesting a high percentage of those who leave are those who leave because they set their sites too high?

[_Chap]

I would maintain that many who leave the church, leave because they HAVE put the leaders on an impossible pedestal. And then, when they (the leaders) do or say something human, or downright dumb, they (members) become disillusioned and leave.

As for me, while I respect the authority of church leaders, I could honestly care less if I saw them walking down the street. They are men, good men in my opinion, but men nonetheless.

My impression is that there are many who leave the CoJCoLDS because they come to the conclusion that the things the church teaches are, in so far as they are distinctive to the CoJCoLDS, not true.

Do you think my 'many' (leaving because of ceasing to believe teachings to be true) is about the same as your 'many' (leaving because of disillusion with leaders)? Or do you believe one to be significantly greater than the other?

[_Wayneman]

Could I ask what you mean by 'many?' Do you mean a 'few' people or are you suggesting a high percentage of those who leave are those who leave because they set their sites too high?

By "many", I do NOT mean a high percentage. I only mean it in the sense of numbers. For example, if 1,000 people leave the church, and 200 of those leave the church due to "setting their sites too high", 200 is "many" people. That's all.

My impression is that there are many who leave the CoJCoLDS because they come to the conclusion that the things the church teaches are, in so far as they are distinctive to the CoJCoLDS, not true.

Do you think my 'many' (leaving because of ceasing to believe teachings to be true) is about the same as your 'many' (leaving because of disillusion with leaders)? Or do you believe one to be significantly greater than the other?

Honestly, I haven't any idea.

For the record, while I am very active LDS, I don't subscribe to the notion that ALL apostates are the same, nor that they ALL leave for the same reasons. I know, and respect the fact that individual people and their situations are much more complex than that.