My MTC experience got me thinking

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

I agree. In fact, I would argue that the enthusiastic herd mentality that Taq is talking about is even less present in LDS culture than it is in virtually any other group setting. Testimony meeting is very dry. I have never been to a testimony meeting where the crowd was whipped into a frenzy. GC is even more dry. In fact, rather than get worked into a frenzy with each successive speaker, I would imagine most people get progressively more sleepy.

You also almost always see the same people bearing their testimony in church month after month. This indicates to me that most people don't feel pressured to stand and bear their testimony. I certainly don't.

Certainly the group mentality aspect is present in the LDS church to an extent. It is present in any group or organization to an extent. But I would suggest that it is less present in the LDS church than the average church, sporting event, concert, school, large corporation, etc.

Very good observations. No emotion whatsoever is usually the result of most GCs or testimony meetings. In short, unless you engage yourself very intellectually, you will be bored to tears, not moved a la a mob.

[dallas dan]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

I agree. In fact, I would argue that the enthusiastic herd mentality that Taq is talking about is even less present in LDS culture than it is in virtually any other group setting. Testimony meeting is very dry. I have never been to a testimony meeting where the crowd was whipped into a frenzy. GC is even more dry. In fact, rather than get worked into a frenzy with each successive speaker, I would imagine most people get progressively more sleepy.

You also almost always see the same people bearing their testimony in church month after month. This indicates to me that most people don't feel pressured to stand and bear their testimony. I certainly don't.

Certainly the group mentality aspect is present in the LDS church to an extent. It is present in any group or organization to an extent. But I would suggest that it is less present in the LDS church than the average church, sporting event, concert, school, large corporation, etc.

I was thinking the same thing in church today. During Sacrament meeting, (which by the way, was a lot better today than most of our meetings), I was thinking about how boring our meetings are due to the fact that the members are asked to speak. This being in comparison to churches with professional clergy that like the attention. For the most part, members dread speaking in Sacrament. Due to this dread, the talks tend to be something individuals are trying to get over with, and do not present with a lot of zest. (Myself included in this category.) I find this situation in a lot of the activities of the church, whether it be Sunday School, hometeaching, mutual, etc. Couple this with a culture that makes everything so serious, and the boreom factor is off the charts. Maybe I am just negative, but I see this a lot, especially in wards that are burnt out.

Back to the original point. I think it is somewhat valid. When I was growing up we would have these combined retreats up in the mountains in Southern California. There were a lot of us that bore our "testimony" in order to gain the attention of some chick in the ward. Good times.

[8ballrollin]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Very good observations. No emotion whatsoever is usually the result of most GCs or testimony meetings. In short, unless you engage yourself very intellectually, you will be bored to tears, not moved a la a mob.

I agree with both you and CC. I can remember writing a paper on propaganda for a class, sometime in close proximity to GC weekend. I can distinctly recall thinking during that GC weekend how un-Nuremberg GC was. Here I was, sitting and watching hour upon hour of quite, serious (no snickering SU) talks, with a group of other 20 somethings. And you couldn’t be moved by the addresses unless, in my opinion, you were in quite, serious self-reflection – not an animated frenzy.