Why no big party?

[Korihor]

https://i.imgur.com/Wh3InTZ.jpg

I'm rather surprised by this. I suppose they don't want the attention. Very peculiar to not commemorate your crowning claim to divine authority.

[Meilingkie]

Well, when people read about 200 years First Vision, and then start digging, the exodus might just accelerate?

[tryingtogetitright]

In Jan, desNews published a list of 2017 milestones, none of which are big ones. The only one I'd even consider if I were talking about it in a ward council, is 175 years of RS, but RS birthday is celebrated every year. I think the letter is just official word not to get excited because the church doesn't see spending time or money on such milestones. (Not to mention celebrating the milestones makes it seem like historical facts are important in today's member's worship of God, when nobody really thinks they are, and lots think that worshipping God is far more important.)

[20/20hind]

Ya why no party? every year they drag the kids out to treck to celebrate the leaders of the church being total dumb asses for letting the hand cart company leave to late in the year.

[Corsair]

When LDS leadership says

"... not place undo burdens on leaders and members."

they also mean "don't burden the testimonial shelves of membership with truthful, uncorrelated stories." The narratives of the LDS church taught in Sunday School can not sustain the public scrutiny they so richly deserve on their bicentennial anniversaries. Shelf breaking will occur on the local level at a lower rate.

This is a sharp contrast with the 200th birthday of Joseph Smith in 2005. Gordon Hinckley talked glowingly of talks, films, and other global church events on the life and ministry of Joseph Smith. I know of several people who had their testimonies damaged by the December "Smithmas" season. My own stake had stake conference in December and Joseph Smith got implicit top billing over Jesus Christ. Clearly some influential group at the top of the institutional church has a pragmatic testimony of LDS marketing.

[Gatorbait]

Maybe some of the things that we'd hope to see changed in the church is actually taking place.

Think of the thousands of dollars spent each year on the parade in Salt Lake City on the 24th of July. Sure it is fun, but at what cost? Perhaps hundreds of thousands of hours from volunteers and money to build expensive floats that are used one time, and then for just a few hours.

Maybe the focus is going to shift towards using volunteers to do something useful. When that happens all benefit. Who knows? In any case, when something like this happens, the generation growing up with a focus centered on things that make a difference, in lieu of highlighting the 100th anniversary of something unimportant will be much better off. We all will. At least I think so.

[Brent]

Most likely someone in PR finally said, " any publicity is good publicity is a damn lie".

[Brent]

Plus, where do you out Sister Alger in this timeline?
https://history.lds.org/timeline/tabula ... y?lang=eng

[No Tof]

Of all the letters I read with the three most important autographs at the bottom, this one is the most vague and hard to figure out.

I wonder why they would need to send such an official edict?

Perhaps the "parties" celebrating the secret beginnings of polygamy have become known to the Brethren...... haha really makes it funny to think about placing too much burden on said brethren.

[Korihor]

Plus, where do you out Sister Alger in this timeline?
https://history.lds.org/timeline/tabula ... y?lang=eng

It would be really fun to keep posting stuff as it happened 200 years later. The 2030's would be a riot.

[Brent]

200 years ago today NOM style.

[Mormorrisey]

This is a sharp contrast with the 200th birthday of Joseph Smith in 2005. Gordon Hinckley talked glowingly of talks, films, and other global church events on the life and ministry of Joseph Smith. I know of several people who had their testimonies damaged by the December "Smithmas" season. My own stake had stake conference in December and Joseph Smith got implicit top billing over Jesus Christ. Clearly some influential group at the top of the institutional church has a pragmatic testimony of LDS marketing.

This is the first thing I thought about when I read that letter. I remember the amount of "commemorations" of the Hinckley years, it seemed we had a party for ANYTHING and everything. I remember thinking that Utah people would have a blast, but why did I care about celebrating the walk across the plains? Or for that matter, why do we need a temple in Winter Quarters? Is there any members or even non-members living in that place? I remember during the dedication that Hinckley himself mentioned what a dump the town was. If that's the case, why even waste the money to build a "historical" temple there?

Maybe we need more high-end malls, rather than spending money on this stuff.

[foolmeonce]

Maybe some of the things that we'd hope to see changed in the church is actually taking place.

Think of the thousands of dollars spent each year on the parade in Salt Lake City on the 24th of July. Sure it is fun, but at what cost? Perhaps hundreds of thousands of hours from volunteers and money to build expensive floats that are used one time, and then for just a few hours.

Maybe the focus is going to shift towards using volunteers to do something useful. When that happens all benefit. Who knows? In any case, when something like this happens, the generation growing up with a focus centered on things that make a difference, in lieu of highlighting the 100th anniversary of something unimportant will be much better off. We all will. At least I think so.

I wouldn't get too excited. This is not the Church coming to terms with its past and working to become an honest organization. This is a memory hole operation, and a sign that the pendulum is going to start swinging away from transparency.

::Prove me wrong COB, prove me wrong::

[Phil Lurkerman]

Maybe some of the things that we'd hope to see changed in the church is actually taking place.

Think of the thousands of dollars spent each year on the parade in Salt Lake City on the 24th of July. Sure it is fun, but at what cost? Perhaps hundreds of thousands of hours from volunteers and money to build expensive floats that are used one time, and then for just a few hours.

Maybe the focus is going to shift towards using volunteers to do something useful. When that happens all benefit. Who knows? In any case, when something like this happens, the generation growing up with a focus centered on things that make a difference, in lieu of highlighting the 100th anniversary of something unimportant will be much better off. We all will. At least I think so.

I wouldn't get too excited. This is not the Church coming to terms with its past and working to become an honest organization. This is a memory hole operation, and a sign that the pendulum is going to start swinging away from transparency.

::Prove me wrong COB, prove me wrong::

Totally agree. Major celebrations at the 200 year mark just serve to highlight the fact that the prophesies remain largely unfulfilled. By letting them go by unnoticed it takes the emphasis off the past and its unsavoury and unfulfilled elements.

[moksha]

1847 to 2017? The 170th Plutonium Anniversary seems like a big deal. At least they should put on a parade or something. It will be like Smithmas in July.

[wtfluff]

So...

There aren't really any "BIG" mormon milestones in 2017.

What's the deal with making sure no-one celebrates "nothing"?

Is this seriously what the first presidency is for?

[Korihor]

So...

There aren't really any "BIG" mormon milestones in 2017.

What's the deal with making sure no-one celebrates "nothing"?

Is this seriously what the first presidency is for?

As I understand it, it's not just talking about milestones in 2017, but milestones for 2017-2044. First vision, restoration of priesthood, organization of the church, BoM publication, etc. They are quashing all big 200 year anniversaries for the next 2 decades.

I don't understand it to mean "no-one celebrates "nothing", but that the church doesn't institutionally celebrate anything. Local level can do as they wish, but if there is any backlash, the COB can say it wasn't officially sanctioned and employ plausible deniability.

My first thoughts turned to the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti, UT and the Hill Cumorah Pageant in NY and Easter Pageant in Mesa, AZ. These pageants are the epitome of these approaching 200-year anniversary celebrations and the church is turning away from it. Maybe the church should disband these celebrations as well???

[wtfluff]

So...

There aren't really any "BIG" mormon milestones in 2017.

What's the deal with making sure no-one celebrates "nothing"?

Is this seriously what the first presidency is for?

As I understand it, it's not just talking about milestones in 2017, but milestones for 2017-2044. First vision, restoration of priesthood, organization of the church, BoM publication, etc. They are quashing all big 200 year anniversaries for the next 2 decades.

I don't understand it to mean "no-one celebrates "nothing", but that the church doesn't institutionally celebrate anything. Local level can do as they wish, but if there is any backlash, the COB can say it wasn't officially sanctioned and employ plausible deniability.

My first thoughts turned to the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti, UT and the Hill Cumorah Pageant in NY and Easter Pageant in Mesa, AZ. These pageants are the epitome of these approaching 200-year anniversary celebrations and the church is turning away from it. Maybe the church should disband these celebrations as well???

Golly, I'm sure glad that we have those three dudes who talk to Jesus all the time around to tell us now not important these milestones will be.

[Silver Girl]

Any celebration of the First Vision would start to resemble Ground Hog Day. Oops - we're going to celebrate it all over again! And again! And yet again!

[moksha]

Any celebration of the First Vision would start to resemble Ground Hog Day. Oops - we're going to celebrate it all over again! And again! And yet again!

And like Ground Hog Day, it could be slightly altered each time.