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MelanieAnne
Guest
I’ve heard the same from my Mormon friends. Turning down callings is just not done. I suppose there could be exceptions for extreme circumstances, but otherwise it’s a “no no”.
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RebeccaJ
Guest
I was taught the same.
The friends I’m thinking of call themselves ‘gen-x mormons’. They are very devout, make no mistake, just aren’t as neurotic about being Mormon as people who taught me.
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Returning_Home
Guest
Except that doing the right thing for the wrong reason is still wrong.
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Returning_Home
Guest
But we’re talking about an instituional busy-ness here and that’s the way most cults work: keep the faithful in the fold with the threat of ostracism, teach members that they are the only ones with the correct interpretation of the facts, and instruct them not the read or indulge in anything not of the faith (in the case of the LDS, things not ‘faith building’).
We see paralells in Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Branch Davidiots, The Lord Our Righteousness Church in New Mexico, militant Islamic groups and so forth.
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dianaiad
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dianaiad
Guest
I have never turned a calling down…but I’ve never been called to a position that I wasn’t in the position to fulfill, either. I HAVE, however, told my Relief Society President that no, I can’t feed the missionaries twice this month and no, I CAN’T take Sister M to the doctor every day this week, and no, I can’t make five pans of funeral potatos for the ward dinner when Sister J got the flu, because I don’t have the time or the resources. I could, however, make one pan.
I wasn’t thinking about callings when I wrote about prioritizing and saying ‘no,’ though I would have no problem with doing so if, after prayer and consideration, I honestly didn’t believe I could do it.
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MelanieAnne
Guest
Actually I was thinking of the increasing incidence of lightning strikes!(grin)
Don’t by ice skates just yet, Melanie…something is BOUND to come up.
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tundramom
Guest
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MelanieAnne
Guest
Ditto.ahhhh funeral potatoes. I need a recipe!
Steph
Sounds like part of a meal that ends with some kind of killer chocolate.
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MelanieAnne
Guest
Yes, which is why I said I can see both sides, in the paragraph before that part you quoted.
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tundramom
Guest
Back on topic:
I don’t remember ever being told that I could turn down a calling. I never knew of anyone in my circle who did.
This may be a type of brainwashing, I don’t know. I do know that people are vulnerable to feeling important in what they can contribute. I’m not trying to water it down, but I’ve seen it in both Protestant and my own Catholic Parish too.
When I was a member of the Assemblies of God church here in town, we were run ragged. It was/is a very small congregation of less than 30 families. We had Sunday morning and Sunday evening services. We had the Wednesday night services including Bible study for the adults and “missionettes” for the girls and “royal rangers” for the boys. We put on an annual Easter play which I helped direct, make costumes for, do makeup, and take the role of Mary in. We put on a children’s Christmas pageant, a week of VBS, an Easter egg hunt. We had “School of the Bible” before services on Sunday morning and after Wednesday night services I went to “worship practice” with the other singers. The missionettes had a sleepover each year, we went to camp for a week in the summer. Not to mention Spring and Fall women’s retreats, and men’s Fall retreat, and Monday night women’s Bible study. OH-- not to mention the week long Evangelists who came a few times a year to bolster our faith. We had combined services with other area churches as well.
It was clearly frowned upon by the Pastor and his wife if you missed any of these activities. Especially if you were on the worship team.
After I left that church, my Priest defined it as a “personality cult”. Not a cult in terms of doctrine, mind you, but a cult nonetheless. We were all expected to do what we had to do to build up the kingdom of God.
That sounds a lot to me like what Mormonism teaches. Motives are good, but sometimes that expectation just takes on a life of it’s own and you run yourself (and your family) ragged trying to keep up.
In the process of doing all that stuff, I lost sight of Grace. I lost sight of the freedom I had found in Christ when I first became a Christian.
I think that happens to a lot of Christians. I think that happens to a lot of people. I know that for myself, I am so grateful that I have a Priest that gives me “that look” every time I volunteer for yet another activity. He absolutely MAKES me stop and take a look at prioritizing. He’s an awesome shepherd.
Steph
I don’t remember ever being told that I could turn down a calling. I never knew of anyone in my circle who did.
This may be a type of brainwashing, I don’t know. I do know that people are vulnerable to feeling important in what they can contribute. I’m not trying to water it down, but I’ve seen it in both Protestant and my own Catholic Parish too.
When I was a member of the Assemblies of God church here in town, we were run ragged. It was/is a very small congregation of less than 30 families. We had Sunday morning and Sunday evening services. We had the Wednesday night services including Bible study for the adults and “missionettes” for the girls and “royal rangers” for the boys. We put on an annual Easter play which I helped direct, make costumes for, do makeup, and take the role of Mary in. We put on a children’s Christmas pageant, a week of VBS, an Easter egg hunt. We had “School of the Bible” before services on Sunday morning and after Wednesday night services I went to “worship practice” with the other singers. The missionettes had a sleepover each year, we went to camp for a week in the summer. Not to mention Spring and Fall women’s retreats, and men’s Fall retreat, and Monday night women’s Bible study. OH-- not to mention the week long Evangelists who came a few times a year to bolster our faith. We had combined services with other area churches as well.
It was clearly frowned upon by the Pastor and his wife if you missed any of these activities. Especially if you were on the worship team.
After I left that church, my Priest defined it as a “personality cult”. Not a cult in terms of doctrine, mind you, but a cult nonetheless. We were all expected to do what we had to do to build up the kingdom of God.
That sounds a lot to me like what Mormonism teaches. Motives are good, but sometimes that expectation just takes on a life of it’s own and you run yourself (and your family) ragged trying to keep up.
In the process of doing all that stuff, I lost sight of Grace. I lost sight of the freedom I had found in Christ when I first became a Christian.
I think that happens to a lot of Christians. I think that happens to a lot of people. I know that for myself, I am so grateful that I have a Priest that gives me “that look” every time I volunteer for yet another activity. He absolutely MAKES me stop and take a look at prioritizing. He’s an awesome shepherd.
Steph
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dianaiad
Guest
Yep. and anybody who wants the recipe, send me a PM and I’ll give it to you! That stuff is…well, it’s very, very good, very very rich and very, very fattening.
Perfect, in other words.
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dianaiad
Guest
Steph, just because you lost sight of whatever it is you were looking for, please do not assume that all Mormons do it as well. Frankly, what you have just described is…insane, and equally frankly, about twice what a Mormon would have to deal with, even if she were the ward Relief Society president and her husband was the Bishop!
Are we busy?
Yes.
Is there always more we can do?
Yes, because there are always those who need our help.
Is this a fault?
Only to those who feel guilty over their own INactivity, I think.
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Loboto-Me
Guest
Ah yes… funeral potatoes! I just looked up the recipe and it’s almost the same one that I have here called “Cheesy Potatoes”… and yup they’re “to die for!” heheh! We always make a batch for family get togethers.
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MelanieAnne
Guest
I just bet there is cheese involved, yes?Yep. and anybody who wants the recipe, send me a PM and I’ll give it to you! That stuff is…well, it’s very, very good, very very rich and very, very fattening.
Perfect, in other words.
Be ready for the PM.
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dianaiad
Guest
Oh boy, is there cheese involved!
Now me, I go for the sharp aged cheddar, but then I’m a little different.
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tundramom
Guest
I doubt that all of my A/G friends did either. But it is very easy to do. In our hectic American lifestyle it is much harder to BE STILL. But it’s also the most rewarding thing to try to be a Mary rather than a Martha.
Steph
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Eliza10
Guest
Woo, thats judgemental, you know.
Sometimes I feel my friend is too concerned with what others think of her. I think of Saints and their love of humility, and I think it was St. Phillip Neri who, when he started as priest of a new parish, he gave the same homily 3 weeks in a row so people would think he was a dolt, since it must be the only homily he had – and this would prevent himself from developing pride. LOL. Its true, I heard it on Catholic radio.
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zaffiroborant
Guest
And there’s sour cream too!!!
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Eliza10
Guest
Alarm bells!
Yes
I’m not trying to water it down, but I’ve seen it in both Protestant and my own Catholic Parish too.
When I was a member of the Assemblies of God church here in town, we were run ragged. It was/is a very small congregation of less than 30 families. …*… It was clearly frowned upon by the Pastor and his wife if you missed any of these activities. Especially if you were on the worship team. *
When I first accompanied my friend on some of her lovely Ward activities, it reminded me so much of our old Evangelical Church, and I longed for that, as I missed it. But I knew that I chose Jesus over fellowship. Fellowship is nice, but that doesn’t give you life - Jesus does.
My old Evangelical Church had many busy people running it but actually I was not one of them! I did sing in the choir. But I taught fulltime a long commute from our country town, and came home and did everything any stay-home Mom at our church would do (everything) so there just wasn’t time to volunteer at Church. I was busy to the max with my teaching and doing ALL the cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, and entertaining single-handedly at home. And gardening and painting and wallpapering the interior.
(Looking back, this was disfunctional on my part. I should have insisted my husband do his part. But I wanted to be a good Christian wife and insisting he do somehting I thought he should do did not fit that bill as far as I could see at the time. And in defense of myself, he made it clear he didn’t want ANY suggestions about what he could do to help.).
I did feel a pull to get more active at church, with so many active people that I knew and liked being active, but fortuanately one thing we did NOT have was people giving us “callings” we had to take, like at LDS. At the school where I taught, we were expected to be busy about creating a community there, putting on events and special days for the students, serving on committees year round, and then also celebrating various life events of fellow staff members. It was always something! So I was getting community at work, by the required volunteerism there. I enjoyed the fellowship at church, though. It was like a great big cushion in my life.
When I was drawn to the Catholic Church (to my surprise and dismay!) my husband said that he and the pastor felt that if only I was more involved at church this disturbing interest of mine would not have happened. But I already had “community-through-required-volunteerism” at work, and I knew that wouldn’t bring me closer to Jesus! I wanted Jesus, and I wanted truth. That was my true heart’s desire.
Well, wanting that above all else will just get you Catholic.
tundramom;6833931:
Interesting name, and it makes sense. I noticed that about certain local parishes here where sometimes priests try to be “Personality!” more noticiably than being servants of Christ (Frankly I think they were taught to try to be "personality"in the seminaries here). I want to roll my eyes. I think: They are trying to be Protestant. They will never do Protestant like a Protestant - they will always be kind of ridculous at it. Why can’t they just be themselves: Catholic!
all that stuff, I lost sight of Grace. I lost sight of the freedom I had found in Christ when I first became a Christian. Thank you for that very interesting and informative testimony.
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