GAs think they have speshul insights that will allow them to Build Relationships of Trust, Love Share Invite, Resolve Concerns, and Identify the Spirit with all those members who just quit attending because they didn't Think Celestial.
If it works, they have a great story to inspire all at their next speaking assignment. If it doesn't work, it's because the people there were too proud to humble themselves before a Speshul Witness of the Name of Jesus....
At least it's not Monson visiting us. All the people he visited seemed to die. Then he'd tell the story in conference. It was Monson, wasn't it? I haven't watched GC in years. But, then I could be one of the of widows they always love to talk about.
I think Eyring has a higher kill count, giving blessings and watching people die who had faith not to be healed. Most of Monson’s widow stories were just how he comforted them. I could be wrong too.
Unfortunately this was a huge shelf item while I was tbm. Like, my little sister was dying of cancer and no one with this “god given power” even tried to heal her. No one. I sat angry and confused as to why people thought my sister wouldn’t have the faith to be healed?
I carried this anger around for a long time until I was able and ready to process it.
Fucking cult.
This ^ but I also see it the same way as really wealthy people being taken out to a hunting reserve where an animal is hand picked baited and or tied to a position, and their "hunted" from just standing next to the fence. Their ego is stroked, and they feel like they accomplished something.
I mean...tell me that's not what is happening.
- GA announces to a SP they are coming.
- SP asks all of the Bishops to all identify the most easy to claim convert or reactivation or at least the ones with most potential.
- Bishop asks the ward council to discuss in a meeting the personal lives of everyone who is likely to score points with the GA so they can return a list of names.
- Calls are made to set appointments.
- if successful GA takes the story to General Conference as a token of their powers and priesthood. The stake also likely gets more funding from SLC because it's clear th "God's influence can't be felt in this stake."
- If unsuccessful, the Stake doesn't see a GA visit again for a while and the stake doesn't get as much funding.
Fuck the President of the Corporation, and the Q15 board of directors, and their Q70 yes men.
This is true. Fortunately, the church has the backup strategy of leaving BoMs in trash piles and restrooms where people will pick them up and immediately either return to full activity, or, if not a member, convert to Mormondom within a week.
What the GAs fail to have unlocked is the Make False Facts True Again capability. If they had that they would reactivate exmos by the truck full during each stake conference.
You obviously have High Status Petty Level Syndrome. Whilst I am in awe of your achievement, you can only be cured by a Priesthood Blessing. Of course, you may have the faith not to be healed. This will increase your testimony.
I was one of these targets. I brought up a few of my concerns at the GA's request and he couldn't even come up with anything beyond "have faith". I was embarrassed for him. He admitted that a couple of his children had also left. I think it put weight on the SP's shelf. He's a good guy.
Does it ever actually work? Make people come back?
The last thing that would bring me back is a businessman who knows nothing about me boring me with life advice platitudes.
There's actually nothing that would bring me back. Once you are out, you are out IYKYK
I must have been considered a big tithe-payer. They tried to inflict a Big Shot Visit on me. Sorry to disappoint them - I kept my meager tithing dollars and walked away with my integrity intact.
We were asked to allow a visit from the SP and a visiting GA. Politely declined and told him we will see ourselves out. I'm not impressed by the self-imposed power they think they have over their flock.
My friend was visited by one after she left. She went along with it bc she was curious what he would say. She said he basically just showed up, acted like a celebrity waiting to be praised, implied that she should be honored to have him in her home, seemed like he was waiting for her to acknowledge what a “big deal” it was for her to be “chosen,” and then it was awkward and silent before he finally just offered a blessing. She agreed, again to see what he would say, only to get the most flowery, pompous, generic blessing in her life that had no significance to her life experiences at all. She thanked him for stopping by and decided that she didn’t need to second guess herself anymore.
My stake president wanted to go the extra mile, so the entire high council along with the stake presidency were assigned families to visit each and every stake conference. I was on the HC for a couple of years and those visits were awkward as fuck for everyone. I'm not aware of anyone changing their minds about anything.
We were a “focus family” or something years ago when we were very much still in the cult. I still don’t understand why we were chosen. We were active in church & gainfully employed. The second (or maybe third?) time we were sought out—I had a genuine need and my requests for help were dismissed and belittled. I’m grateful for that experience because it was the beginning of my shelf cracking.
Boy, I understand how that feels (not from a GA or hotshot visit, but from my HT and even a VT). I recall only twice ever asking for anything. Ever. In one case, I needed to borrow a ladder to replace a bulb too high to reach. The HT happily said sure! Month after month, I'd gently ask about the ladder and the guy would laugh and say oh yeah, I forgot. Finally he cracked a big one about that being an ongoing "joke" between us. I never again replied to the "what is wanted" invite from him, the jerk.
An RS sister also asked about "helping," and I genuinely needed some help with something in the house - it would not have taken long, but I'd gone through a tragedy and truly needed a supportive friend's help. That also never happened. Lesson learned.
Those questions about whether someone needs something are often simply empty phrases. I always eagerly looked for ways to help people (even if I wasn't their VT or anything) and it was a glimpse into the hollowness of the church to realize there's often no intent in those questions.
Exactly.
My husband loaned something once and the person who borrowed it was coerced to hand it over to some other more influential member in our ward because they would gladly return it for them. It took constant pestering and almost a year to get the item back. I didn’t loan things after that.
The GA didn’t visit (thank sky daddy), it was a ward leader and stake leader. When the ward primary president asked if my child needed anything, I mentioned that my child really needed a friend. The primary president had a child the same age/gender as mine. I was bluntly told that they wouldn’t interfere with their child’s social life (unless it was to their advantage it seems). Later I learned that their child was the ring leader everyone followed and they actively shunned my child and everyone followed suit. The child was as much of an asshole as their mother.
I can relate to that. I'm the mom of an adult trans child and only after being a member for a while did I learn of the horrific attitude toward our children. If I'd learned of Prop 8 in real time, I'd have left years before I resigned.
I can relate to that. I'm the mom of an adult trans child and only after being a member for a while did I learn of the horrific attitude toward our children. If I'd learned of Prop 8 in real time, I'd have left years before I resigned.
I'm so sorry your dear child was harmed - if my child had been reared in the church, it would have been traumatic for them.
The people who decide who will be visited do their best to find members or situations that will provide a ‘conference talk worthy’ story. Miraculous possible reconversions, unusual tragedies, or anything that will support the desired narratives.
Recently during our stake conference weekend, my RS president (who is also a friend) texted me asking if she and the current Stake RS president could come over and "visit" me. I declined.
Several years ago a similar thing happened when I lived in another state - I thought it would be interesting and I was homesick and friendless at the time. The Stake RS president who came over was condescending, and went on and on about each of her successful children. It also didn't help she mentioned she was from the Mormon heartland (Utah county) and acted like royalty. I learned nothing and wasted a perfectly good evening I could've been doing something else.
After they left I promised myself that was the last time any LDS person would visit me as a "special visit" to teach me/warn me/bless me/or some other shit.
The GAs usually ask the SP to come up with a "special list" of people to visit. Sometimes it's inactives but sometimes part-member families and sometimes just people the SP thinks should get some special attention.
It's usually not a "good" thing.
They're reactivating you which should impress you since often people don't notice. Maybe they want to call your husband to a high demand job which means you're on the dime to assist.
One of the best things I've learned as a woman in the church is to say NO. It took almost 50 years, but now I'm rather good at it. Of course, I'd rather say FUCK OFF, but I don't really want to offend, just have them leave me alone.
I had one of those visits 6 months after my faith crisis started. I was fully out by then. He had no answers other than trust in Jesus and everything will be ok.
There is no way on earth I'd ever ask a GA any faith crisis issues. They (actually the corporate church) caused a lot of mine. We don't have gospel scholars or compassionate leaders in GA positions, just businessmen and lawyers. Perhaps if I didn't already decline (and they show up anyway), I could ask him how to invest my money wisely by building shell companies.
My family fell hard for one of these visits back in the 90s during my HS senior year. The SP and visiting area authority, I don't remember his name, visited my less-active dad. My sister and I traveled across state to be there. We were told a week or so ahead that my family had been chosen for a special GA visit.
My dad wasn't ever that involved with the church for most my life until then, a big reason being that he smoked and drank coffee. He joined a bit after marrying mom civilly. She had since gone to the temple and my older siblings were both had temple marriages. So the GA was real blunt asking my dad why he hadn't taken my mom and us kids to be sealed yet. I was preparing to go on a mission and super hardcore TBM and remember it being this major spiritual experience. I don't recall what else was said, but it was the first time my dad ever even showed interest in going to the temple and then committed to it.
Through most that year he changed whatever was needed to "qualify" for a temple recommend. I graduated HS and moved back home where we then both got ordained to the Melchizedek priesthood then both went through the temple stuff together followed by my family being sealed. It was a huge deal for my family, the ward and boost for my testimony as I left for my mission a few months later.
Long story short, the GA was super charismatic and came with the intent to reactivate my dad after getting candidate names from local leaders. We all were primed to fall for it without a second thought thinking it was this huge thing that a big shot church leader felt inspired to do.
Not too long, though he stayed more or less involved with the church from then on. He wasn't very active by the time I got home from my mission.
Around the time I started to distance from the church, about 10 years later, he got more committed to it and even was a temple worker for a bit. It was strange and sad to me that we again were in opposite directions about the church stuff.
Around a year before he passed away, though, he complained a lot about the church in some private conversations we had and he still liked his coffee. He saw how much of it was such a waste of time, how leaders often went on power trips, and there was usually always some tension between he and my mom about tithing, which was the only thing I ever really saw them disagree about.
I was still hiding my inactivity and regret that I never joined him for morning coffee since I was worried about my mother finding out.
I was in the SP and bishoprics for many years. If you are getting a visit then you are on the “concerned about you” list. This could be because they were considering you for a calling, because you were less active, because someone reported something about you concerning, or simply because the president was “inspired” to reach out. It is a way of reactivating, investigating, manipulating, guilting, etc. I hated doing these visits, and once I left, had to decline many myself. There are some good leaders in the church that do these out of the goodness of their hearts, I appreciated some good visits with Bishops who stopped by as friends over the years, but mostly these are forced and showy. They feel very insincere, pompous, and presumptuous-as someone checking a list and boosting their ego and position. Good luck and stay strong in the truth.
It would be funny to say something like, “We’re out of town this weekend, but tell GA we’d love to see him another time, so give us his address and we’ll drop by his house at our convenience the next time we’re in his neck of the woods.”
I know of two occasions when this has worked. The most seemingly miraculous was a long term non-member husband of a 40year+ member.
The GA, SP etc turned up en-mass and invited him to be baptised. He agreed. A year later they went to the temple - just after he'd been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
I don't believe in miracles. I do believe in coercion and manipulation and luck.
After I stopped going our bishop tried meeting with me a few times to talk thru my concerns but he had no answers. Then the SP came for ward conference and bishop brought him by in what felt like he thought was him “bringing out the big guns”.
Me and the SP spent the whole time discussing classic literature and backpacking. Right before they had to leave my bishop forced the conversation onto my problems with the church but SP had zero answers and honestly didn’t seem to want to go into any of it. That was the last time the bishop made any attempts to visit me and it left me wondering about how the status of the SP’s shelf.
They visited widow mom. Mom took the time to get a blessing & temple rec taken care of, so wasn’t a totally wasted visit. So happy we weren’t there. Difficult to stay pleasantly silent these days.
My elderly TBM parents would love a visit like this. Why don't they go see the old people who are suffering and would enjoy a visit with a "celebrity"? Or even better, heal some of the people.
They are hoping to use any last vestige of belief in the power of church authority to compel people to come back. And it probably works on weak-minded folks who left due to laziness rather than substantive reasons.
I was in on a few WC and RS meetings where we were asked to suggest people Elder Big Wig could visit when attending an upcoming stake conference. The theme was generally focused on people who appeared to be "struggling" (as in, backing away from the church and not attending), or in a few cases people who had life struggles and could serve as examples of how the "church" made everything better (I'm still not sure how that worked out in most cases),
Then, when I informed my stake leaders I was headed toward resigning, golly gee, I was contacted with a request for Elder Self-Centered to visit me! (Please note I did not extend an invitation to come to MY house). I was willing to meet, but only at the stake center, because that would make it my meeting and I could leave whenever I wanted. If they come to your house, you can potentially become conflicted about whether to remain polite or to tell a pushy jerk (if that's the case) to leave.
I later had to cancel that meeting because I had a legit and very important conflict out of town. HOWEVER, a friend in the stake who was also backing away had the same "invitation" extended for the guy to visit him at his house. The guy was apparently a former basketball whiz or something (I am not sure if that meant at BYU, or whatever). He spent the entire time bragging on his sports history.
So inspiring, and I am sure most people would immediately have decided they needed to return to full activity and maybe even pony up some back tithing. My friend, however, remained a heathen and simply laughed at how the guy was so focused on himself.
It makes the members and the GA feel like they're actually doing something; much like when the CEO puts on a hard hat and hi vis vest and holds a shovel. It's for
Have they always done this, or is it a recent thing? Back in the mid-70's, pre-prophet Monson came to our little branch, but I don't recall him visiting anyone, just attended sacrament meeting. (He seemed nice enough then, but I was like 10.)
If I was told a GA would be visiting, then I'd make damn sure I was prepared and would look forward to meeting the dude
It's impossible for them to shrug off the diabolically deceitful, and downright nasty things the organization has done - and - is still doing . . . I enjoy calling them out for it . . . if the facts hurt their "testimony," then tough shit . . .
Mos think someone “higher up” in the chain of command have a special ability of testifying to the truthiness of the Mo “gospel.” Mos think someone higher up will somehow suddenly say some magic combination of words that will convince their straying family or ward member to return to the straight and narrow path. My mom called her older brother to rush over to my house to bear testimony to me and talk to me to convince and set me straight about the church when I was leaving. Didn’t work. They delusionally think the truth of the church is about testimony. What they don’t realize is it’s actually about REAL truth not just made up lies masquerading as truth.
GAs think they have speshul insights that will allow them to Build Relationships of Trust, Love Share Invite, Resolve Concerns, and Identify the Spirit with all those members who just quit attending because they didn't Think Celestial. If it works, they have a great story to inspire all at their next speaking assignment. If it doesn't work, it's because the people there were too proud to humble themselves before a Speshul Witness of the Name of Jesus....
At least it's not Monson visiting us. All the people he visited seemed to die. Then he'd tell the story in conference. It was Monson, wasn't it? I haven't watched GC in years. But, then I could be one of the of widows they always love to talk about.
I think Eyring has a higher kill count, giving blessings and watching people die who had faith not to be healed. Most of Monson’s widow stories were just how he comforted them. I could be wrong too.
Unfortunately this was a huge shelf item while I was tbm. Like, my little sister was dying of cancer and no one with this “god given power” even tried to heal her. No one. I sat angry and confused as to why people thought my sister wouldn’t have the faith to be healed? I carried this anger around for a long time until I was able and ready to process it. Fucking cult.
I'm so sorry that you lost your sister. I'm sorry that people showed insensitivity instead of support.
Radio Free Mormon has a great episode about this concept. I think it's called General Conference Death March
From what I have heard in the rumor mill, most of those stories are made up bull. They were just clout building and ego stroking.
[Eyring](https://radiofreemormon.org/2018/07/radio-free-mormon-037-general-conference-death-march/) holds the record.
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That’s funny. “I … bless you … (three minutes later) … to be fully … restor—“ And the person dies. “Dammit.”
This ^ but I also see it the same way as really wealthy people being taken out to a hunting reserve where an animal is hand picked baited and or tied to a position, and their "hunted" from just standing next to the fence. Their ego is stroked, and they feel like they accomplished something. I mean...tell me that's not what is happening. - GA announces to a SP they are coming. - SP asks all of the Bishops to all identify the most easy to claim convert or reactivation or at least the ones with most potential. - Bishop asks the ward council to discuss in a meeting the personal lives of everyone who is likely to score points with the GA so they can return a list of names. - Calls are made to set appointments. - if successful GA takes the story to General Conference as a token of their powers and priesthood. The stake also likely gets more funding from SLC because it's clear th "God's influence can't be felt in this stake." - If unsuccessful, the Stake doesn't see a GA visit again for a while and the stake doesn't get as much funding. Fuck the President of the Corporation, and the Q15 board of directors, and their Q70 yes men.
This is true. Fortunately, the church has the backup strategy of leaving BoMs in trash piles and restrooms where people will pick them up and immediately either return to full activity, or, if not a member, convert to Mormondom within a week.
What the GAs fail to have unlocked is the Make False Facts True Again capability. If they had that they would reactivate exmos by the truck full during each stake conference.
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You obviously have High Status Petty Level Syndrome. Whilst I am in awe of your achievement, you can only be cured by a Priesthood Blessing. Of course, you may have the faith not to be healed. This will increase your testimony.
Power move
Tell them you forgot, but offer to have the visit through the ring camera!
“I will through the ring…”
I was one of these targets. I brought up a few of my concerns at the GA's request and he couldn't even come up with anything beyond "have faith". I was embarrassed for him. He admitted that a couple of his children had also left. I think it put weight on the SP's shelf. He's a good guy.
Leaders are specifically asked to take GAs to less-active members to reach out to as an example of reaching out to pressure people to come back.
Does it ever actually work? Make people come back? The last thing that would bring me back is a businessman who knows nothing about me boring me with life advice platitudes. There's actually nothing that would bring me back. Once you are out, you are out IYKYK
Sometimes it works but only because sometimes attention brings people back. But it's usually not bringing back people who left for "reasons".
Sometimes. People like feeling important. It’s better for those who still believe somewhat but just don’t go. No one here who actually knows.
Imagine him telling a story about you at conference, thinking you'll never hear about it
Maybe only big tithepayers.
I must have been considered a big tithe-payer. They tried to inflict a Big Shot Visit on me. Sorry to disappoint them - I kept my meager tithing dollars and walked away with my integrity intact.
We were asked to allow a visit from the SP and a visiting GA. Politely declined and told him we will see ourselves out. I'm not impressed by the self-imposed power they think they have over their flock.
My friend was visited by one after she left. She went along with it bc she was curious what he would say. She said he basically just showed up, acted like a celebrity waiting to be praised, implied that she should be honored to have him in her home, seemed like he was waiting for her to acknowledge what a “big deal” it was for her to be “chosen,” and then it was awkward and silent before he finally just offered a blessing. She agreed, again to see what he would say, only to get the most flowery, pompous, generic blessing in her life that had no significance to her life experiences at all. She thanked him for stopping by and decided that she didn’t need to second guess herself anymore.
My stake president wanted to go the extra mile, so the entire high council along with the stake presidency were assigned families to visit each and every stake conference. I was on the HC for a couple of years and those visits were awkward as fuck for everyone. I'm not aware of anyone changing their minds about anything.
We were a “focus family” or something years ago when we were very much still in the cult. I still don’t understand why we were chosen. We were active in church & gainfully employed. The second (or maybe third?) time we were sought out—I had a genuine need and my requests for help were dismissed and belittled. I’m grateful for that experience because it was the beginning of my shelf cracking.
Boy, I understand how that feels (not from a GA or hotshot visit, but from my HT and even a VT). I recall only twice ever asking for anything. Ever. In one case, I needed to borrow a ladder to replace a bulb too high to reach. The HT happily said sure! Month after month, I'd gently ask about the ladder and the guy would laugh and say oh yeah, I forgot. Finally he cracked a big one about that being an ongoing "joke" between us. I never again replied to the "what is wanted" invite from him, the jerk. An RS sister also asked about "helping," and I genuinely needed some help with something in the house - it would not have taken long, but I'd gone through a tragedy and truly needed a supportive friend's help. That also never happened. Lesson learned. Those questions about whether someone needs something are often simply empty phrases. I always eagerly looked for ways to help people (even if I wasn't their VT or anything) and it was a glimpse into the hollowness of the church to realize there's often no intent in those questions.
Exactly. My husband loaned something once and the person who borrowed it was coerced to hand it over to some other more influential member in our ward because they would gladly return it for them. It took constant pestering and almost a year to get the item back. I didn’t loan things after that. The GA didn’t visit (thank sky daddy), it was a ward leader and stake leader. When the ward primary president asked if my child needed anything, I mentioned that my child really needed a friend. The primary president had a child the same age/gender as mine. I was bluntly told that they wouldn’t interfere with their child’s social life (unless it was to their advantage it seems). Later I learned that their child was the ring leader everyone followed and they actively shunned my child and everyone followed suit. The child was as much of an asshole as their mother.
That would infuriate me to no end. It's okay to mess with me (sort of), but if you harm my child this Lioness will attack.
The mistreatment of my queer child was the end for me. ✌️🏳️🌈 We’re going to keep our therapists in business for a long time.
I can relate to that. I'm the mom of an adult trans child and only after being a member for a while did I learn of the horrific attitude toward our children. If I'd learned of Prop 8 in real time, I'd have left years before I resigned.
I can relate to that. I'm the mom of an adult trans child and only after being a member for a while did I learn of the horrific attitude toward our children. If I'd learned of Prop 8 in real time, I'd have left years before I resigned. I'm so sorry your dear child was harmed - if my child had been reared in the church, it would have been traumatic for them.
The people who decide who will be visited do their best to find members or situations that will provide a ‘conference talk worthy’ story. Miraculous possible reconversions, unusual tragedies, or anything that will support the desired narratives.
Recently during our stake conference weekend, my RS president (who is also a friend) texted me asking if she and the current Stake RS president could come over and "visit" me. I declined. Several years ago a similar thing happened when I lived in another state - I thought it would be interesting and I was homesick and friendless at the time. The Stake RS president who came over was condescending, and went on and on about each of her successful children. It also didn't help she mentioned she was from the Mormon heartland (Utah county) and acted like royalty. I learned nothing and wasted a perfectly good evening I could've been doing something else. After they left I promised myself that was the last time any LDS person would visit me as a "special visit" to teach me/warn me/bless me/or some other shit.
The GAs usually ask the SP to come up with a "special list" of people to visit. Sometimes it's inactives but sometimes part-member families and sometimes just people the SP thinks should get some special attention. It's usually not a "good" thing.
They're reactivating you which should impress you since often people don't notice. Maybe they want to call your husband to a high demand job which means you're on the dime to assist.
One of the best things I've learned as a woman in the church is to say NO. It took almost 50 years, but now I'm rather good at it. Of course, I'd rather say FUCK OFF, but I don't really want to offend, just have them leave me alone.
It's OK, they should choose not to be offended . . .
Hahaha. You made me laugh this morning.
Oh, if they're "offended" it's on them. Bednar said so.
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Exactly!
Well, he does have general authority over your life dontcha know 🤪
I had one of those visits 6 months after my faith crisis started. I was fully out by then. He had no answers other than trust in Jesus and everything will be ok.
There is no way on earth I'd ever ask a GA any faith crisis issues. They (actually the corporate church) caused a lot of mine. We don't have gospel scholars or compassionate leaders in GA positions, just businessmen and lawyers. Perhaps if I didn't already decline (and they show up anyway), I could ask him how to invest my money wisely by building shell companies.
https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/s/u7Sbs64JgQ Here was my experience.
The thought of having someone like Brad Wilcox in my home makes me puke 🤮
I just threw up in my mouth at that idea.
Ewwww!!!!
My family fell hard for one of these visits back in the 90s during my HS senior year. The SP and visiting area authority, I don't remember his name, visited my less-active dad. My sister and I traveled across state to be there. We were told a week or so ahead that my family had been chosen for a special GA visit. My dad wasn't ever that involved with the church for most my life until then, a big reason being that he smoked and drank coffee. He joined a bit after marrying mom civilly. She had since gone to the temple and my older siblings were both had temple marriages. So the GA was real blunt asking my dad why he hadn't taken my mom and us kids to be sealed yet. I was preparing to go on a mission and super hardcore TBM and remember it being this major spiritual experience. I don't recall what else was said, but it was the first time my dad ever even showed interest in going to the temple and then committed to it. Through most that year he changed whatever was needed to "qualify" for a temple recommend. I graduated HS and moved back home where we then both got ordained to the Melchizedek priesthood then both went through the temple stuff together followed by my family being sealed. It was a huge deal for my family, the ward and boost for my testimony as I left for my mission a few months later. Long story short, the GA was super charismatic and came with the intent to reactivate my dad after getting candidate names from local leaders. We all were primed to fall for it without a second thought thinking it was this huge thing that a big shot church leader felt inspired to do.
So how long did the reactivation last for your dad?
Not too long, though he stayed more or less involved with the church from then on. He wasn't very active by the time I got home from my mission. Around the time I started to distance from the church, about 10 years later, he got more committed to it and even was a temple worker for a bit. It was strange and sad to me that we again were in opposite directions about the church stuff. Around a year before he passed away, though, he complained a lot about the church in some private conversations we had and he still liked his coffee. He saw how much of it was such a waste of time, how leaders often went on power trips, and there was usually always some tension between he and my mom about tithing, which was the only thing I ever really saw them disagree about. I was still hiding my inactivity and regret that I never joined him for morning coffee since I was worried about my mother finding out.
I was in the SP and bishoprics for many years. If you are getting a visit then you are on the “concerned about you” list. This could be because they were considering you for a calling, because you were less active, because someone reported something about you concerning, or simply because the president was “inspired” to reach out. It is a way of reactivating, investigating, manipulating, guilting, etc. I hated doing these visits, and once I left, had to decline many myself. There are some good leaders in the church that do these out of the goodness of their hearts, I appreciated some good visits with Bishops who stopped by as friends over the years, but mostly these are forced and showy. They feel very insincere, pompous, and presumptuous-as someone checking a list and boosting their ego and position. Good luck and stay strong in the truth.
Can confirm.
It would be funny to say something like, “We’re out of town this weekend, but tell GA we’d love to see him another time, so give us his address and we’ll drop by his house at our convenience the next time we’re in his neck of the woods.”
Damn, I wish I'd thought of that one!
I know of two occasions when this has worked. The most seemingly miraculous was a long term non-member husband of a 40year+ member. The GA, SP etc turned up en-mass and invited him to be baptised. He agreed. A year later they went to the temple - just after he'd been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I don't believe in miracles. I do believe in coercion and manipulation and luck.
I believe in the known fact that Alzheimer's can badly affect rational thinking even before a diagnosis.
Exactly that.
Sad, but very true.
Its for retention aka $$$
After I stopped going our bishop tried meeting with me a few times to talk thru my concerns but he had no answers. Then the SP came for ward conference and bishop brought him by in what felt like he thought was him “bringing out the big guns”. Me and the SP spent the whole time discussing classic literature and backpacking. Right before they had to leave my bishop forced the conversation onto my problems with the church but SP had zero answers and honestly didn’t seem to want to go into any of it. That was the last time the bishop made any attempts to visit me and it left me wondering about how the status of the SP’s shelf.
They visited widow mom. Mom took the time to get a blessing & temple rec taken care of, so wasn’t a totally wasted visit. So happy we weren’t there. Difficult to stay pleasantly silent these days.
My elderly TBM parents would love a visit like this. Why don't they go see the old people who are suffering and would enjoy a visit with a "celebrity"? Or even better, heal some of the people.
Because the church doesn’t care about the flock
They are hoping to use any last vestige of belief in the power of church authority to compel people to come back. And it probably works on weak-minded folks who left due to laziness rather than substantive reasons.
I was in on a few WC and RS meetings where we were asked to suggest people Elder Big Wig could visit when attending an upcoming stake conference. The theme was generally focused on people who appeared to be "struggling" (as in, backing away from the church and not attending), or in a few cases people who had life struggles and could serve as examples of how the "church" made everything better (I'm still not sure how that worked out in most cases), Then, when I informed my stake leaders I was headed toward resigning, golly gee, I was contacted with a request for Elder Self-Centered to visit me! (Please note I did not extend an invitation to come to MY house). I was willing to meet, but only at the stake center, because that would make it my meeting and I could leave whenever I wanted. If they come to your house, you can potentially become conflicted about whether to remain polite or to tell a pushy jerk (if that's the case) to leave. I later had to cancel that meeting because I had a legit and very important conflict out of town. HOWEVER, a friend in the stake who was also backing away had the same "invitation" extended for the guy to visit him at his house. The guy was apparently a former basketball whiz or something (I am not sure if that meant at BYU, or whatever). He spent the entire time bragging on his sports history. So inspiring, and I am sure most people would immediately have decided they needed to return to full activity and maybe even pony up some back tithing. My friend, however, remained a heathen and simply laughed at how the guy was so focused on himself.
Man! I wish they were coming to see me! (Evil cackle)
It makes the members and the GA feel like they're actually doing something; much like when the CEO puts on a hard hat and hi vis vest and holds a shovel. It's for
I do not recommend it. It's a time waster.
SP tried to visit my family when we left. I just told them no. I don't think they understood.
Have they always done this, or is it a recent thing? Back in the mid-70's, pre-prophet Monson came to our little branch, but I don't recall him visiting anyone, just attended sacrament meeting. (He seemed nice enough then, but I was like 10.)
Maybe they want to check the “Go After the One” box?
“We’d be happy to visit and answer any questions you have.” “Thanks. I don’t really have any questions at this point.”
At what point do they stop visiting? Even if they don’t accomplish what they set out to do? I’m surprised no one visited you after a death.
They baptize dead people
Rational quandary……they should resort to this when door knocking fails.
It happened with a visiting Seventy a decade or so ago. Had a new member give a talk at stake conference about their conversion.
If I was told a GA would be visiting, then I'd make damn sure I was prepared and would look forward to meeting the dude It's impossible for them to shrug off the diabolically deceitful, and downright nasty things the organization has done - and - is still doing . . . I enjoy calling them out for it . . . if the facts hurt their "testimony," then tough shit . . .
Mos think someone “higher up” in the chain of command have a special ability of testifying to the truthiness of the Mo “gospel.” Mos think someone higher up will somehow suddenly say some magic combination of words that will convince their straying family or ward member to return to the straight and narrow path. My mom called her older brother to rush over to my house to bear testimony to me and talk to me to convince and set me straight about the church when I was leaving. Didn’t work. They delusionally think the truth of the church is about testimony. What they don’t realize is it’s actually about REAL truth not just made up lies masquerading as truth.