Mormon Organizational Skills

Non-Catholic Religions
#1

I have to hand it to those Mormons: they sure are organized:
There are two special times for families to be together. The first is centered around the proper observance of the Sabbath day. We counsel parents and children to give highest priority to worship on Sundays, to have family prayer, family home evening, gospel study and instruction, and wholesome family activities.This is the time we are to attend our regular meetings together, study the life and teachings of the Savior and of the prophets. “Other appropriate Sunday activities include (1) writing personal and family journals, (2) holding family councils, (3) establishing and maintaining family organizations for the immediate and extended family, (4) personal interviews between parents and children, (5) writing to relatives and missionaries, (6) genealogy, (7) visiting relatives and those who are ill or lonely, (8) missionary work, (9) reading stories to children, and (10) singing Church hymns.”

The second time is Monday night. We are to teach our children in a well-organized, regular family home evening. No other activities should involve our family members on Monday night. This designated time is to be with our families.

The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

#2

When you add other factors like everyone is given a calling in the church, and everyone belongs to a particular ward, you get a good sense of family in the LDS church. In my wife’s ward, there’s about 200 regular church attendees and there are 4 wards in our community. In any particular meeting I could name 3/4 of the individuals in attendance. I couldn’t come close to that during my own Mass. LDS are better organized to help their family members especially through their Home Teacher and Visiting Teacher programs where they are suppose to visit those assigned to them once a month.

Catholics can learn from their organizational skills IMHO.

#3

If I ever need help in getting organized I may give them a call. As for my salvation I’ll stick to my Church.

To be fair, I actually think that these are all good practices. Too many Catholics I know have lost the truth that the family is the domestic Church. I am made painfully aware of this every Sunday evening when I teach the teens in our parish. Many of them are getting nothing at home. Very sad.

#4

There is a difference between “organized” and “busy.” Mormons are busy.

#5

While it is part of LDS life, is there anything inherently wrong with being “busy” in doing what you believe is the Lord’s work?

#6

**+ I posted this on another thread . . . thought it might help here . . . **

#7

So Jesus_123,

How is this relevant to LDS organizational skills?

and

Are you going to be posting this on all Mormon threads?

#8

Everyone is on the same schedule.

#9

I recently posted on how Catholics

are losing the Search Engine Wars. One of the groups we are losing to is the Mormons. I find it fascinating how much active marketing/branding/PR the Mormon church does online.

Whatever they lack in theology/history/etc. they seem to do well making up for it in other ways. And that’s probably why they continue to be one of the fastest growing religions. Maybe we Catholics can learn something from that. I’m not saying we need to start going door to door or that we should mimic what they are doing here. But Mormons are doing an impressive job using New Media to reach people and connect with individuals in a way that…works for them.
…
They also do a good job with the implementation of this campaign from a New Media standpoint. The website looks good. The videos and testimonies are professionally done. And there is a search feature that lets you find tons of testimonials based on gender, age, race, location and more.

Anyway, the reason I point this out is that Catholics have a PR crisis of our own. I’d love to see a new media campaign that could help with that. Statements from bishop’s conferences and the Vatican are great, but a lot of people don’t hear them.

#10

I don’t think the Catholic Church should engage in the practices of a business. Salvation is not a product to be laid out on a table in a market with slick advertising to draw people to it. I would hope that we can treat our Faith with more respect than that.

The term ‘liturgy’, means, public work. Our churches and cathedrals are public works, where anyone can enter and hear the Word of God. The Holy Spirit brings people to Jesus Christ, not superficial PR campaigns.

#11

So where does football fit into this :wink:

#12

Most faithful LDS folks tend not to be NFL football fans due to keeping the Sabbath holy and Family Home Evenings on Monday unless you don’t mind watching taped games. It was an issue in my mixed-faith marriage. The interesting thing now that we’re civilly divorced is that I watch a lot of taped games since I’m too busy doing church stuff on Sundays and Mondays as a Catholic. Go figure.

#13

I would say they are both evident within the LDS

  • they are organized since the local ward functions quite well on a volunteer basis
  • they are busy in that they consistently spend time on spirtiual and family matters

I don’t think what you may call ‘busy’ time is a poor investment of time

  • spending the sabbath focused on God, 3hr services plus other meetings
  • Monday family home evening
  • monthly home teaching
  • youth activities
  • etc, etc.
#14

Organized: having a formal organization to coordinate and carry out activities.

Busy: engaged in action. full of activity.

-There is a difference between the Mormon Church and an individual Mormon.

-Busy and idle are morally neutral adjectives.

-The Catholic Church, Mormon Church, Sacred Heart Medical Center are all organized. Individual Catholics, Mormons, or Doctors may or may not be organized.

-Individual Mormons are busy. The Mormons I knew were not necessarily organized.

The busiest family I’ve known was Catholic, and they were well organized.

#15

That’s all true. LDS Inc runs their “worship services” like meetings. And it’s ironic they use the word “meeting” because that’s exactly like what it feels like, a business meeting with an opening and closing prayer. All of the items Ahimsa mentioned are commendable, when as a support to real Christ centered worship, which it’s not in the LDS church. I’m not saying that members don’t have spiritual experiences but in my experience it’s not very worshipful. It comes off as hollow and meaningless. All of the organization and PR (slick no doubt!) of the church exists to make them less “weird” and distract from the deeper, cancerous doctrines which form the basis for the church.

#16

Here was my issue as a Mormon. Okay, first, I spent most of my 20’s as a Single person, so all this “family” togetherness was not anywhere near a reality for me. Not only did it make me feel like no matter what I did, I was not a “true” Mormon, I also feared for my own salvation and had no chance of going to the Celestial Kingdom unless I had a man who would condescend to marry me. ***Sidenote: *I found a very cute boy that loved me for who I was and not what underwear I wore less than two months after leaving the LDS church. At a bar.

Secondly, this is what my mental processes were:

Mormon Spirituality Checklist

  • Meetings on Sundays - 3 hours
  • -]Family/-] prayer
  • -]Family/-] Singles Ward “Family” Home Evening
  • Gospel study of Book of Mormon, D&C and Pearl of Great Price
  • Writing personal -]and family/-] journals
  • Writing to missionaries
  • Genealogy
  • Missionary work “Every Member a Missionary” = if you’re not Mormon and a Mormon is talking to you, they want you to be one]
  • Food Storage
  • Visiting Teaching
  • Preparing for “Primary” (children) Sunday School Lesson
  • Monthly trips to the temple
  • Wear CTR ring

Two words missing from this list: Jesus and Christ. And it gave me that mental checklist mentality in regards to spirituality. I even had it when I joined the Catholic church, feeling guilty if I didn’t do my daily Rosary and mass and prayers and bible study and and and and … that I wasn’t being a “good” Catholic, and led to frequent bouts of scrupulosity that still rear their ugly head.

Then one day I heard a homily about mental prayer - simply spending time with God so that I could get to know God as He truly is. Now, I was already spending time as often as I could in front of the blessed sacrament, but learning a more Teresian method of meditation and mental prayer has totally changed my interior life.

Now I try not to get too detached to any particular devotion or apostolate. My vocation in life, above all else, is to get to know God so that I could love God as He deserves to be loved. I also pray constantly for the grace not only to love God, but to be able to accept God’s love. These concepts were completely foreign to me as a Mormon. I know that whether my prayers are a Monet (or at least a senior art project at the Art Institute), or they are a crayon drawing on butcher paper, what God will see is not the artistry of the prayer or the action, but the love behind it.

I pray daily that those deceived by the lies of the leaders of the Mormon church will be touched with God’s grace to get a glimpse of His true love for them, and for the grace to see God as He truly is, not the deceit that has been given to them through the LDS scriptures and the official doctrines of the church. I pray that the veil of lies will be lifted and the truth of God and His church will be revealed to their souls. Please, if you love your brothers as you love yourselves, offer up your rosary today with the intention of the conversion of souls, especially those who have been lied to by the LDS church. St. Louis de Montfort says that when we pray in common it is like an army that is attacking, so let us unite ourselves together and with Christ who is within us all to pray for the salvation for these souls who so desperately need salvation and grace. :signofcross:

St. Teresa Benedicta and Father Augustin-Marie of the Blessed Sacrament [converts to Catholicism and Carmelites], pray for us.

#17

Thanks for your story. Your words (largely) reflect my thinking and attitude. I’m glad you found happiness coming home to the Catholic church. I have to know though, did anything ever happen with that guy in the bar? :smiley:

#18

I remember the first time I visited the LDS meeting house on a weeknight. It was full of life! All ages, families together, healthy activities of all kinds. For me, fellowship continues to be an inspiring and creative part of my life and faith formation. Before becoming LDS, my fellowship opportunities were hit or miss – love the pancake breakfasts, not so much the slide-shows, and certainly not something I’d plan for in my routine schedule. At a time when families are bombarded with media, sex, drugs, isolation, and other destructive elements, what’s wrong with knowing that most Tuesday evenings there will be a basketball game, scout meeting, or cooking class available? Perhaps it would be better to lock the doors and shut off the lights between services. :shrug:

#19

LatterdayLady…

Are these gatherings exclusively for Mormons?

#20

No, you don’t need to be a member, and you don’t need to be somehow “invited”. Anyone can go.