Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report

AtlantaAnonMember Oct. 2013

Elder Oaks opened the meeting by saying the number of missionaries has recently increased by close to 50% and the church doesn't exactly know how to keep them busy. He mentioned that this is a particular concern for North America, not necessarily the rest of the world. He referenced the missionary age change as a revelation from the lord.

I found this a bit ironic. Why would the master of the universe call 50% more missionaries when they won't have anything to do.

This meeting was attended by the branch, ward, and stake leadership from the 10 stakes in the Atlanta area. Probably around 600 attendees.

Elder Oaks presided along with Elder Soares (70). Elder Giddens (Area 70) conducted the meeting. Oaks spoke briefly to introduce the purpose of the meeting, then Giddens spoke, followed by Soares. Then we had an hour long Q&A session. This was followed by each of the visiting authorities bearing their testimonies.

Elder Oaks said that the Ward Council was key in using this new resource effectively. This was a segue into the rest of the meeting, all about the ward council, ugh. One interesting thing of note, he asked that we not post this comment on the internet (oh well) but that the best way to think about the 3-fold mission of the church was to forget it, to not think of the work in those terms. I found that to be an interesting point of view. The 3-fold mission comment was in response to a question during the Q&A.

Oaks bore his testimony saying that there is a lot that we do know and there's even more that we don't know. He said that we shouldn't take what we do know and jump to conclusions about what we don't know, he said church history is a perfect example of this. He said he wouldn't give any examples.

Giddens said we need to raise the bar to hasten the work of salvation. He quoted a bunch of scriptures from memory, and he mentioned Oaks' "Good, Better, Best" general conference talk. He mentioned a meeting with a high ranking official of another Atlanta area church (probably Baptist). He mentioned his desire to learn from this official but said that official didn't really have anything to teach him. He said he wish he had more time so he could have shared the programs and structure of the LDS church. Giddens seemed to be taking this opportunity as face time with an apostle, probably an effort to get called to the 1st or 2nd Quorum of the 70. He's a decent speaker but seemed a bit pretentious, self-righteous, and full of himself.

Soares is a genuinely nice guy, I've spoken with him before. He said that the Ward Council needs to work in unity and faith along with the missionaries to further the work in the Lord's vineyard. He came off as a very humble and nice guy.

The Q&A was pretty boring, not much to it. Just a bunch of Ward Council talk. By that time I was getting restless and wanted to leave.

FredOi
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
Nothing about Sweden, L Tom Perry's briefcase, or why we cant retain members?

Or find anyone normal who is interested...like families, or employed people?

You must have been climbing the wall

AtlantaAnonMember
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
This was about as close as he got to the Swedish rescue...

"We shouldn't take what we do know and jump to conclusions about what we don't know, church history is a perfect example of this principle."

I was really hoping he would elaborate on some of those historical points that can be "misinterpreted".

moira
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
He spoke at an MTC devotional a short while ago and had security checking bags and such before he came into the room. This was for a group of MISSIONARIES IN THE MTC FOR CRISSAKES!!! His talk was about how, in the preexistence, these missionaries' spirits had promised spirits who weren't going to be born in LDS families that they would find them in this life to preach them the gospel. Seriously.

JoD3:360
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
Yes, Mr. Oaks is right. We can't take what we do know, like how many lies have been uncovered and jump to conclusions about how many more lies there are. Nobody can truly know how many falsehoods remain to be discovered.

Surrender Dorothy
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
Thank you for the interesting read, AtlantaAnonMember.

I thought "The Church" now had a four-fold mission:
1. Proclaiming the gospel
2. Perfecting the saints
3. Redeeming the dead
4. Caring for the poor and needy

TSCC does not spend a lot of time or money caring for the poor and needy, so it's understandable that Dallin would have a memory lapse about something to which TSCC only pays lip-serve.

Old Dal being shy about having his words posted on the Internet is an example of hiding his light under a bushel. Why, Dallin? Why? The spirit has whispered it's because of your masturbation problem.

I leave you with this testa-show-me-the-money.
In the name of Surfer Jesus is hawwwt, ahhh-men

spaghetti oh
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report

That was exactly my thought too! How easy they forget the poor, eh?

left4good
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report

Which absolutely PROVES that the effort was all about keeping the 18 year-olds tied to the cult, and not about more work to be done.

> Elder Oaks said that the Ward Council was key in
> using this new resource effectively.

And here we go again. "If this doesn't work out, it's YOUR fault, not ours." The ward Council is a bunch of people trying to think of ways to (1) Reel back in those who have bolted; (2) Make TSCC seem enticing to their normal neighbors; and (3) Trying to deal as amateurs with people with deep-seated psychological and psychosocial problems that need professional help. If TSCC is relying on Ward Councils to make this work, then it won't work. Period.

Dave the Atheist
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
How anyone can sit through Oaks smug arrogance is beyond me.

Stray Mutt
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
Don't know what to do with extra missionaries? Hey, you guys created the surplus. Didn't you use your prophetic powers to foresee the obvious results? Hasn't Jesus told you what to do about it?

Surrender Dorothy
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
They do love to push the blame on the members! The 15-old-men pretend how tight and united they are, but they are a corporation whose coffers are not as full as they were just a few years ago. I wonder if behind-the-scenes fingers are being pointed, especially at Tom do-nothing Monson under whose watch this hemorrhaging has occurred.

Gordon Hinckley really was a PR genius and a much more gifted liar than Tom.

Will the new GA's who replace the ones who are on their last legs be given a less desirable GA-benefits package so the current GA's can continue to receive what they were promised.

mindog
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
You'd think they would have staggered their entrance into the field by telling some that their calling is to "wait" a year or six months or whatever. Dare I say a little prophetic foresight would have been helpful.

ipo
What a great "revelator", that Oaks guy. Wow.
He didn't actually say anything worth recording, did he. Where's his backbone.

AtlantaAnonMember
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
One thing I forgot to mention in my original post...

Oaks said that BKP is VERY much in charge of the Quorum of the 12. He said not to let what we see on television fool us.

He leads their meetings and has a lot to do with the agenda. He said that he doesn't come to the office every day but he's still very much in charge.

Thought that was interesting.

jujubee
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
scary, grizzly bear BKP very much in charge.

SEcular Priest
This is the poorest example of leadership I have ever seen. 

deco
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
Methinks in a couple of years Oakes won't have this problem.

Partially because there will be far fewer mishies, but mostly because since he is now 81, he will probably be dead.

Not sure whether it is the big dirt nap, or his personal priesthood interview.

On a related note, and as an atheist I do not think there is an afterlife, if there is, god is going to be seriously pissed at these dudes.

FredOi
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
How the funk can you jump to conclusions about what you do know? Or is it not jump to conclusions? What the? That's as stupid as doubting your little pickle factory.

They're quoting each other quote Donald Rumsfeld now?

dk
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
They don't know how to keep all the new missionaries busy?! Lack of imagination or just plain stupidity?
stbleaving
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
Both.

I will never understand why they don't encourage and facilitate missionaries performing community work--you know, actual SERVICE--for at least half of their working time. That would not only keep them busy and make the church look good, it would also help humanity at least a little bit.

jujubee
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
yes! Have them do service.

moira
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
I totally agree!

ozpoof
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
So he admitted that this cult of inspired men headed ny Christ himself kept too many mishies in N America and now they haven't got much to do. Wow. Has this lying lawyer ever heard of service?

Cali Sally
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
Very interesting that the lord revealed the need for 50% more missionaries in N. America without taking the time to reveal how they should be used. The lord must be developing dementia or he's a practical joker. At the very least he is rather inept at communications in the organization. I'm trying to imagine any other comparably sized corporation increasing it's sales force by 50% without a clue as to how they would "keep them busy". Sounds like LDS, Inc's CEO should be fired.

Another interesting observation is that with all that massive missionary power there was no mention of massive conversions. He didn't say all these missionaries were having any kind of remarkable results in growing the church or even slightly increasing baptisms. I'll say it again, Very interesting.

And since this problem is only in North America, it must be concluded that elsewhere in the world the 18 year olds are not rushing to sign-up to be missionaries. So after the missionaries who signed-on at age 19 are all back home, the numbers will drop down again. Wondering if they will drop down to the original sign-up numbers or drop below. We'll never know because bad stats never get reported.

notnewatthisanymore
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
That's a pretty shitty-ass god, or maybe just lazy.

"Hey guys, you should change the missionary age to 18. I just thought of this, it'll be great, really show the world you mean business, revive the church from the 'greatest apostasy since kirtland' and all that."

"Okay, god, that sounds great, so what do we do with them once they are out there? The current missionaries already don't have enough people to teach."

"..."

"God?"

"..."

"Are you there? We need your help on this one."

"... I forgot the rest, you guys are smart, figure it out, okay Tommy?"

"@#$%&, jesus, can't you give us a hand? Dieter, can you think of anything?

"I don't know, Tommy, maybe we should ask Dallin and Jeffrey?"

"Nah, they don't know @#$%&. Oh well, just send those kids out and hope for the best. Oh, and get the other guys on damage control, make sure we emphasize how it is the members' duty to find work for the missionaries, emphasize how it is a perfect program and will only fail if they aren't worthy. Go down, and return and report."

"We will go down, and return and report."

beyondashadow
The extra 18 yr old missionaries are fulfilling their purpose . . .
Lowering the mission call age to 18 has nothing to do with missionary work or conversions. It prevents these kids from having any time after high school to figure out what productive or worthwhile pursuit they might want to spend their time and energy on, or worse yet, figure out that the Church is steaming pile of doctrine and never go on a mission.

When uninspired, self-serving parasites see their "host" losing interest in keeping the parasites alive, the parasites naturally get scared and make even worse, self-destructive decisions in desperation mode.

Lowering the mission age to 18 not only solves no problems, but causes MORE problems for the General Parasites.

The good news is that parasites do eventually kill or alienate their host, and then die themselves. There is hope.

charles, buddhist punk
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
Wow, SLC Defcon 5 response to the hemorrhaging! LOL Ah gawd, I hope there were secret apostates in that esteemed group of self important aholes that will totally blow Oaks's blame game off. Fkn liars and greedy corporate shills.

Greyfort
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
ozpoof Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Has this lying lawyer ever heard of service?

They are definitely missing a great opportunity having all of those missionaries out there.

They have nothing to do? Are they kidding?

Get out there and work the food banks. Volunteer at youth centres. Help in disaster areas.

A Christian with nothing to do. That's really quite amazing.

nonmo_1
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
I don't know everything about mormonism, but I do think they need a prophet like Pope John Paul II.

I'm not catholic either but when he spoke, I did listen to what he had to say....

nonmo_1
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
"Elder Oaks opened the meeting by saying the number of missionaries has recently increased by close to 50% and the church doesn't exactly know how to keep them busy."

Have them help out at homeless shelters, community projects or Habitat for Humanity....

How hard is it to find them some REAL service projects????

mahonri
Re: Elder Oaks spoke in Atlanta today - here is my report
Oaks really spoke about the 3-fold mission of the Church???

In 2009, the Church, under the leadership of President Thomas S. Monson, added a fourth element:To care for the poor and needy.

Wonder how one of The Lard's Anointed forgot that?

"Recovery from Mormonism - www.exmormon.org"