Sac meeting talk

[A New Name]

I was asked to speak in Scarament meeting the last of March. I was given no topic, and told to pick my own (benefited of being an ex-bishop I suppose)

So, what should I talk about? I always push the envelop with my talks, even as bishop. But not too far, so that in the end most people liked my talks, except for a few hard core TBMs.

Your suggestions?

[Hermey]

Well, anything involving being Christ-like (and zero mention of obedience or Joseph Smith) will be totally foreign to the congregation and should pretty much guarantee a "talking to" by the powers that be.

[azflyer]

This sounds like a really cool opportunity! You've basically been given carte blanche to talk about whatever you think could most benefit the people in the ward for 15 minutes. Personally, I would love to do that, but then again, I'm weird...

There are so many different ways you could go with this. It's tough to say what would be the best topic to pursue. You know the people in your ward better than we do. What do you think they could benefit from?

[2bizE]

I would recommend sharing some good quotes from NOM and providing them the NOM website.

[Emower]

One of my pet peeves and biggest issues is the compartmentalization of leaders church lives vs. their personal lives. Speaking as a man vs speaking as a prophet. Why do we do that? You literally cannot separate the two. You can't just turn it on and off. Maybe you could work that in somehow. That is the biggest challenge faced by tbm's right now IMO. The talk could be about inner authority? Personal revelation taking a larger role in our lives? Ideally it would include a list of all the times prophets were wrong, but baby steps.

[deacon blues]

I want to say give a talk on D&C 132, and explain it verse by verse. But, that really wouldn't be what Sacrament mtgs. are supposed to be about. It would be like giving a talk on Old Testament genocide. Sad really

[Corsair]

One of my pet peeves and biggest issues is the compartmentalization of leaders church lives vs. their personal lives. Speaking as a man vs speaking as a prophet. Why do we do that? You literally cannot separate the two. You can't just turn it on and off. Maybe you could work that in somehow. That is the biggest challenge faced by tbm's right now IMO. The talk could be about inner authority? Personal revelation taking a larger role in our lives? Ideally it would include a list of all the times prophets were wrong, but baby steps.

Maybe we can use this argument ourselves. This behavior compartmentalization makes no sense, particularly when a prophet, seer, and/or revelator says something dumb at the pulpit in general conference. If a believer uses the truly lame "speaking as a man" argument, you now have the right to drink coffee or beef in front of them. Simply claim you are "drinking as a man" and not "drinking as a Mormon". If a believer excuses Joseph or Brigham for being a "man of their time" then I think we can watch "Game of Thrones" or "Westworld" and also be "men of our time".

[Korihor]

I think SM talks are an appropriate place for story time. It's not supposed to be doctrinal, that's what Sunday School is for.

If I had the opportunity, I would give a talk about my faith journey. I might tone down the harsh rhetoric to make it appropriate - know your audience.

But SM is a captive audience. They bishop would have to step in and shut you down before people would walk out. I would use it to get people to understand me. Anyone who has gone through a transition like we have has a good story to tell.

[20/20hind]

I would pick from the normal topics of sm. When you get up to talk say. "I just knew when I got a Call from brother bla bla, he was going to give me a choice of subjects to talk on. And I feel prompted to talk today about bla,bla,blah"

1) the Holy Ghost

2) keeping the sabbath day holy

3) tithing

4) missionary work

Make sure you get as many general authority quotes and talks as you can

Don't quote Jesus or talk about him.

Bear your testimony on modern prophets and then Bla, bla, bla. Joseph smith amen

[Enoch Witty]

One of my pet peeves and biggest issues is the compartmentalization of leaders church lives vs. their personal lives. Speaking as a man vs speaking as a prophet. Why do we do that? You literally cannot separate the two. You can't just turn it on and off. Maybe you could work that in somehow. That is the biggest challenge faced by tbm's right now IMO. The talk could be about inner authority? Personal revelation taking a larger role in our lives? Ideally it would include a list of all the times prophets were wrong, but baby steps.

Maybe we can use this argument ourselves. This behavior compartmentalization makes no sense, particularly when a prophet, seer, and/or revelator says something dumb at the pulpit in general conference. If a believer uses the truly lame "speaking as a man" argument, you now have the right to drink coffee or beef in front of them. Simply claim you are "drinking as a man" and not "drinking as a Mormon". If a believer excuses Joseph or Brigham for being a "man of their time" then I think we can watch "Game of Thrones" or "Westworld" and also be "men of our time".

Where do I get this liquid beef?

[Corsair]

Where do I get this liquid beef?

Good point since beef broth is not against the WoW. Beer is reasonably "liquid bread" so maybe we can give the excuse "I'm taking my grains in liquid form these days."

[moksha]

That Christ-emulating idea by Hermey sounds like a sure winner. You can never go wrong talking about being kind and loving to one another.

Alternatively, could you see yourself as a Henry David Thoreau-type? If so, a talk On the Duty of Religious Disobedience would shake things up in a big but not altogether positive way.

[Emower]

One of my pet peeves and biggest issues is the compartmentalization of leaders church lives vs. their personal lives. Speaking as a man vs speaking as a prophet. Why do we do that? You literally cannot separate the two. You can't just turn it on and off. Maybe you could work that in somehow. That is the biggest challenge faced by tbm's right now IMO. The talk could be about inner authority? Personal revelation taking a larger role in our lives? Ideally it would include a list of all the times prophets were wrong, but baby steps.

Maybe we can use this argument ourselves. This behavior compartmentalization makes no sense, particularly when a prophet, seer, and/or revelator says something dumb at the pulpit in general conference. If a believer uses the truly lame "speaking as a man" argument, you now have the right to drink coffee or beef in front of them. Simply claim you are "drinking as a man" and not "drinking as a Mormon". If a believer excuses Joseph or Brigham for being a "man of their time" then I think we can watch "Game of Thrones" or "Westworld" and also be "men of our time".

Great point.
The "speaking as a man" thing or "a man of the times" and the "give brother joseph a break" argument all falls under this compartmentalization paradigm. I can see a tbm arguing that maybe Joseph was in the wrong for drinking alcohol, just as you would be in the wrong for drinking as a man. Ok, so weren't they wrong about church stuff then? Oh no, they were speaking (acting) as a man! It is all so circular and so frustrating.

[moksha]

Alternatively, could you see yourself as a Henry David Thoreau-type? If so, a talk On the Duty of Religious Disobedience would shake things up in a big but not altogether positive way.

Perhaps he could speak as a Mormon Martin Luther King, "I went to the mountain top and what did I see? Popcorn kernels growing more pure and delightsome on an apricot tree."