Thought I was finally going to hear a miraculous healing story...

[Culper Jr.]

We are having Stake Conference this weekend, and as a goodwill gesture to my TBM wife, I decided to watch the live stream of the Saturday night adult session with her. The visiting Area Authority Seventy spoke, and at the end of his talk, he told us in a very solemn tone that he was going to relate a special experience to us as a reward for our diligence for attending the session. He said that we were only authorized to tell our children about this, but not to share it otherwise. So I kind of perked up at that, and then he talked about a time when he was a stake president and (at the time) Elder Russell M. Nelson came to visit. He said there was a very faithful member in his stake whose wife had an aggressive brain cancer who was wanting Nelson to give her a blessing. Nelson agreed and the man and his wife were brought in. OH BOY, I thought, I'm FINALLY going to hear a "too sacred to share" story! I mean, the visiting Area Authority told us to keep this on the DL. He's going to share a "too sacred to share" story! Sooooo... he continued....in an iNcrEdiBle teaching moment, Elder Nelson anointed the man's wife and then instructed the husband to give the blessing to illustrate to the husband that he had the same priesthood as Nelson. The spirit was soooo strong. The end.

I turned to my wife and said, "Well, was she healed?" She replied, "Probably not, I mean, she had brain cancer."

[Red Ryder]

Talk about a learned lesson??

This poor couple probably spent their entire life and resources dedicated to the church hoping that their faith would proceed a miracle.

Instead they got a kick in the nuts by an old man with no special powers.

They should have called the oil vile guy who commanded mark Hofmann to live.

[jfro18]

I love these stories because when you look at them from the outside, you can see how completely empty they are of divinity or miracles, but as a member you get distracted by how the story is framed and walk away thinking you just heard a miracle.

[græy]

I love these stories because when you look at them from the outside, you can see how completely empty they are of divinity or miracles, but as a member you get distracted by how the story is framed and walk away thinking you just heard a miracle.

DW loves these stories. She'll gush about how inspired he was to put the father in charge of his own family. And I'm left thinking... so everything would be EXACTLY the same if the church and priesthood had never been there at all!?

[Palerider]

Sooooo... he continued....in an iNcrEdiBle teaching moment, Elder Nelson anointed the man's wife and then instructed the husband to give the blessing to illustrate to the husband that he had the same priesthood as Nelson.

And the lesson learned was that the man indeed did have exactly the same priesthood as President Nelson.........which was ZERO.

[2bizE]

Reminds me a bit of the Donna Showalter story on Mormon Stories. Her 12 year old son had come out as gay. Her and her husband had great faith that Elder Holland could heal him. They wrote a very faith inspiring latter to Elder Holland. They later got a call from their Stake President kindly saying that Elder Holland would not be able to give the blessing....

[Mormorrisey]

I turned to my wife and said, "Well, was she healed?" She replied, "Probably not, I mean, she had brain cancer."

And isn't this just the point of this addendum? That we want our TBM significant other to come to this conclusion, like a normal person would? I think that's the happy ending of this story, no?

Congratulations on your SO seeing through the nonsense.

[Mackman]

I was as I'm sure others were pulling for you to say your realized it was all B.S. , maybe someday our spouses will see the writing on the wall.

[dogbite]

Nelson knew he'd be ineffectual. This way the husband gets the guilt.

[nibbler]

Nelson ministers to a grieving daughter by telling her she's myopic. Nelson ministers to a desperate family by telling the husband that he has the same priesthood as he does.

Sometimes you just gotta mourn with those that mourn and help a brother out but I suppose it is much more Mormon to seize on every opportunity to remind people how they're doing it wrong.

[oliblish]

Brilliant move - make the husband feel important while shifting the blame for the failed priesthood blessing. I bet they use this one often. The only problem being is now the husband feels guilty because he must have had a bad thought earlier in the day that cost his wife her life.

Interesting that he says not to share the details beyond immediate family while he is broadcasting it to an entire stake over the internet. He knows very well that more people will spread the story because he said that. They will probably add to it as well and say that the wife was immediately healed.

[Culper Jr.]

And isn't this just the point of this addendum? That we want our TBM significant other to come to this conclusion, like a normal person would? I think that's the happy ending of this story, no?

It's actually kind of weird... it's like she (and many other TBMs I know) believe in the blessing but don't really expect it to work. Like just getting the blessing is this heartwarming thing we do, and it can help with a cold or something like that, but a brain tumor? C'mon. TBMs say they believe in and want the power of the priesthood in their lives, but when I press them they really can't articulate how the priesthood helps them beyond "good feelings". I often ask my wife and others, "Well, what is the point of the blessing if they weren't healed?" Always goes back to feelings. Of course, when I was TBM, and I was standing there with my hands on someone's head I knew I had to watch what I said and not over promise. Like maybe I knew nothing miraculous would happen, but I sorta hoped it would? Took me a while to finally come to the conclusion there was just nothing there.

And the lesson learned was that the man indeed did have exactly the same priesthood as President Nelson.........which was ZERO.

LOL, yup, Rusty didn't lie... they have the same amount of power.

I love these stories because when you look at them from the outside, you can see how completely empty they are of divinity or miracles, but as a member you get distracted by how the story is framed and walk away thinking you just heard a miracle.

Yeah, DW was inspired by it despite knowing that it wouldn't really heal anyone. She keeps expecting me to be inspired and want to come back when I attend a meeting with her, and all it is doing is reinforcing in my mind what BS this all is! If she wants me to have better feelings about the church she needs to keep me as far away from these meetings as possible.

[Reuben]

And isn't this just the point of this addendum? That we want our TBM significant other to come to this conclusion, like a normal person would? I think that's the happy ending of this story, no?

It's actually kind of weird... it's like she (and many other TBMs I know) believe in the blessing but don't really expect it to work. Like just getting the blessing is this heartwarming thing we do, and it can help with a cold or something like that, but a brain tumor? C'mon.

Well, it turns out that God has to hide in the little details that fly below the radar. If he hid in the bigger details, we could detect him and wouldn't need faith anymore, see?

It must be so confining to have to keep the observable effects of your actions below significance all the time. Worse, the better we humans get at our science and our damned statistics, the tinier the gaps God has to wedge himself in.

[Hagoth]

It must be so confining to have to keep the observable effects of your actions below significance all the time. Worse, the better we humans get at our science and our damned statistics, the tinier the gaps God has to wedge himself in.

Yeah, I really feel for them. I mean, imagine knowing that you're buying a fake document from a forger and not being able to tell anyone, or foreseeing that a global pandemic is coming but having to pretend you're just as clueless as everyone else. It's like when Clark Kent's dad wouldn't let him knock a baseball all the way to the moon or plow the field with a spoon. People just aren't ready.