President Monson's Passing

[Rob4Hope]

I fear the dark lords Oaks and Bednar.

The Sith Lords are growing in the dark side.....

[oliver_denom]

I fear the dark lords Oaks and Bednar.

The Sith Lords are growing in the dark side.....

But who is the master and who is the apprentice? Also, who will be the light that rises up to meet them?

[Corsair]

I fear the dark lords Oaks and Bednar.

The Sith Lords are growing in the dark side.....

But who is the master and who is the apprentice? Also, who will be the light that rises up to meet them?

The problem is that the current Apostolic Quorum would believe they are the Jedi Masters in their Jedi temple. The rest of us are literally flirting with the Dark Side if not actual Sith operatives

[nibbler]

The problem is that the current Apostolic Quorum would believe they are the Jedi Masters in their Jedi temple. The rest of us are literally flirting with the Dark Side if not actual Sith operatives

If I follow... what we then would need is the fulfillment of a prophecy of a virgin birth where that kid goes on to flip tables in the temple and call out the religious leaders for focusing on the letter of the law... or kill younglings. I'm not quite sure.

[LaMachina]

It has been interesting to ponder on Tommy moving on. This guy has been such a consistent (although mostly peripheral) presence in my life that it almost rivals any family member as far as simple duration of impact.

When I reminisce on my childhood I recall the things that held large influence. He-man, Harrison Ford, Star wars & Indiana Jones, Transformers etc. Sitting amongst those memories is an individual who honestly was one of the few who succeeded in at least partially engaging my young mind twice a year in what was simultaneously the best (only 2 hours!!) and worst Sundays (sooo boring!!). His sing-songy cadence and enthusiasm were one of the few bright spots in an otherwise very dry day.

As I grew older my interests started to change. Sports took over for Saturday morning cartoons but some things remained influential. Harrison was still working hard and putting out some great Indiana Jones work and Tommy was still going strong with his sing-songy conference talks. By this time Gordon had overtaken Thomas as my favorite GA. Where in my young days he had been dry and joyless, he became self-deprecating and funny. Meanwhile Thomas seemed gimmicky and childish. Like maybe he was trying too hard.

Even on my mission we did not enjoy hearing from Monson that much. We knew what to expect every time- a story of serving some widow (nice...but not very deep) and an annoying poem, all quoted in the, by now somewhat annoying, sing-song cadence.

As the years have tumbled by I've been busy building a family and career and haven't had as much time for myself. Still, new things have become influential while some old things have faded into the background. But always there, even as I left Mormonism behind, was Tommy...and Harrison? I was always a little surprised to find them still kicking, a little disappointed to find that they're probably not that nice, a little amused at how they still try to appeal to youth somehow (come on Harrison, give up that earring already) but a little shocked when the end finally comes (for Harrison *SPOILER* only in the movies so far).

But kinda nuts how this man was one of the few who has been part of my life from literally the beginning. He did not do nearly enough good things with his influence (IMHO) but thanks Tommy, for making GC just a little more bearable for a 5 year old kid desperately bored in the pews.

[Gatorbait]

With all due respect to those who liked Monson, I will say this: I did not.

Reasons:
1. His sing-song voice drove me batty.
2. He told stories that I thought were embellished. One I know was because I knew the circumstances and he got it wrong.
3. He led the charge to "Let's go shopping" at the mall in Salt Lake and that sickened me.
4. He was unkind and unyielding to gays.
5. He was always trying to be funny, and he was not- at least to me. Sickened me when he would pause for laughter.

The one thing he did that I give him credit for is picking Uchtdorf- who I respect and admire.

Apart from that, I had no use for Monson. He was part of why I left the LDS church.

[Emower]

It has been interesting to ponder on Tommy moving on. This guy has been such a consistent (although mostly peripheral) presence in my life that it almost rivals any family member as far as simple duration of impact.

When I reminisce on my childhood I recall the things that held large influence. He-man, Harrison Ford, Star wars & Indiana Jones, Transformers etc. Sitting amongst those memories is an individual who honestly was one of the few who succeeded in at least partially engaging my young mind twice a year in what was simultaneously the best (only 2 hours!!) and worst Sundays (sooo boring!!). His sing-songy cadence and enthusiasm were one of the few bright spots in an otherwise very dry day.

As I grew older my interests started to change. Sports took over for Saturday morning cartoons but some things remained influential. Harrison was still working hard and putting out some great Indiana Jones work and Tommy was still going strong with his sing-songy conference talks. By this time Gordon had overtaken Thomas as my favorite GA. Where in my young days he had been dry and joyless, he became self-deprecating and funny. Meanwhile Thomas seemed gimmicky and childish. Like maybe he was trying too hard.

Even on my mission we did not enjoy hearing from Monson that much. We knew what to expect every time- a story of serving some widow (nice...but not very deep) and an annoying poem, all quoted in the, by now somewhat annoying, sing-song cadence.

As the years have tumbled by I've been busy building a family and career and haven't had as much time for myself. Still, new things have become influential while some old things have faded into the background. But always there, even as I left Mormonism behind, was Tommy...and Harrison? I was always a little surprised to find them still kicking, a little disappointed to find that they're probably not that nice, a little amused at how they still try to appeal to youth somehow (come on Harrison, give up that earring already) but a little shocked when the end finally comes (for Harrison *SPOILER* only in the movies so far).

But kinda nuts how this man was one of the few who has been part of my life from literally the beginning. He did not do nearly enough good things with his influence (IMHO) but thanks Tommy, for making GC just a little more bearable for a 5 year old kid desperately bored in the pews.

I just read all of this in his sing-song cadence. It made me laugh.

[Palerider]

Whenever I heard that sing-song voice I began to feel like someone had oddly mistaken me for a five year old and I would wonder if Tommy talked that way all the time? Because if he talked that way all the time that means his brain actually worked that way as well.

Oh....don't really want to think about that....

[LaMachina]

I just read all of this in his sing-song cadence. It made me laugh.

[w2mz]

I remember in the 80’s when I was a teenager all my Seminary classmates would speculate in hushed tones about how the spiritual giant Thomas Monson would be the prophet at the last day and stand to lead the USA against the Russians and their leader Mikhail Gorbachev!

Turns out TSM was mostly a dud. A prophet in absentia, didn’t do a whole lot, and had no real accomplishments for his tenure.

[slavereeno]

1. His sing-song voice drove me batty.
2. He told stories that I thought were embellished. One I know was because I knew the circumstances and he got it wrong.

Ok, good, so it wasn't just me that felt this way... I agree with all your reasons, but i have thought (in secret) reasons 1,2 and 5 since my teenage TBM years.

[BlackMormon]

What caused TSM's death? Was it just old age, cancer, heart, stroke? Does anyone know? They keep these things so secret and I am not sure why. None of my business, I guess, but I think that "President" Hinckley was healthy and simply passed away in his sleep. TSM, however, had been showing signs that he wasn't doing too well. RIP. Sounds like he had a very good life.

[JustHangingOn@57]

I had a very short conversation with my wife about this. I asked her "ok, So TSM was a prophet, seer, and revelator. During his tenure what did he prophesize? See? Reveal?". Without missing a beat she defensively replied "he made people feel better about themselves". I noted the rising tension level in her demeneor and knew from experience that the conversation was over. "Oh yea, he was a very kind person. Do you need anything from the store"?

[Emower]

Turns out TSM was mostly a dud. A prophet in absentia, didn’t do a whole lot, and had no real accomplishments for his tenure.

Gasp! You retract that statement you heathen!

[Gatorbait]

We've sort of had some fun with this one....mostly at the expense of those of you who liked the guy. Sorry about that. No offence, but we are trying to be honest here on this sight. If nothing else, we say what we really think. Good or bad- it's at least the truth.

The thing is, Monson was unique, and to some in a good way and to others not. His funeral is today and let him rest in peace. Makes me sick how the church has made such a big thing out of it. Big viewing. Lines. TV and Newspaper coverage. Hero worship in overdrive and it sickens me. Not as much as "Let's go shopping!" sickened me, but this hero worship is so much tripe.

Had lunch with a few longtime friends, they are both still TBMs, and one of them said, "I'm going to miss President Monson." Oops. As soon as he said it he wished he hadn't. His words were sincere, but they tumbled out and were scattered and now he couldn't take them back....but he said it in front of me. Yikes.

My other friend braced himself. He was certain that I'd come back with something horrible to say about Monson, something sarcastic. They both know how I felt about the man. But I didn't. I just said, "He was never one of my faves", and left it at that. Whew. Both were relieved. They didn't need or want to hear me bad-mouth Monson, and I recognized that. Left it alone. And now, I will leave it alone for good. Not one of my faves, but what the hell, who cares? Move on.

[Corsair]

Had lunch with a few longtime friends, they are both still TBMs, and one of them said, "I'm going to miss President Monson." Oops. As soon as he said it he wished he hadn't. His words were sincere, but they tumbled out and were scattered and now he couldn't take them back....but he said it in front of me. Yikes.

I have some friends who are devout, conservative Catholics and they will openly admit that they don't like the fairly liberal Pope Francis. "He's not our pope," is an actual phrase they will use. They liked the conservatism of Benedict XVI and hoped that it would continue after he retired from the papacy. Instead, they will have to wait until Francis steps aside.

This would be inconceivable in LDS culture. During the years of the "Teachings of the Living Prophet" in Priesthood and Relief Society, we would get another book of (correlated) teachings from a different prophet every year or two. Every January we had a new book I would inevitably hear some devout Mormon say how "excited" they were to learn about the teachings of yet another prophet. I had people who were quietly excited to get to the Thomas S. Monson edition of "Teachings of the Living Prophet" at some future date. It would have been more than a little unfaithful to say, "It's a bummer that we have John Taylor this year."

Mormons don't have a good doctrine of what it means to be a prophet. Saying that you "liked" one prophet implies that you might not be righteous enough to follow and understand some other LDS prophet. You might have been uncomfortable with the teachings of Ezra Taft Benson and were quietly relieved when kindly, old Howard Hunter showed up.

It's simply more virtue signalling and Mormons are summoning their best guilt to keep themselves in line for the administration of Russell Nelson. Brace yourselves for the further justifications of the November 2015 policy that Elder Nelson openly taught in the months after that "revelation". Just wait until Aunt Wendy trots out the next version of "God Ordained Marital Intimacy".

[moksha]

President Monson's funeral is today at noon.

Here is a song from his younger days which he may have whistled during his first year as a 22 year old bishop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUDv3h09VBc