I have family who think the Second Coming is going to occur shortly

[K-dog]

They aren't holed up in bunkers or anything but they think we are five years or less from the second coming. I believe this is a result of their mystical fascination with the gospel. They love the stories of miracles, visitations, excorcisms, revelations etc. In fact, they are usually those people who send around mormon folklore emails about amazing things happening. The practical net out of their beliefs is that, while they have a year's supply of food, they don't have money in their 401(k). They have guns and bullets but no plans for developing their careers. They are certain that an earthquake will occur shortly in SLC because the renovations on the tabernacle are finished and often tell the story of the cancelled zone conference in the World Trade Center (which is, of course, false).

How do you deal with those people? I want to mock them for their craziness but I don't want to damage their faith. What does the CG braintrust think?

[jay santos]

Originally Posted by K-dog

They aren't holed up in bunkers or anything but they think we are five years or less from the second coming. I believe this is a result of their mystical fascination with the gospel. They love the stories of miracles, visitations, excorcisms, revelations etc. In fact, they are usually those people who send around mormon folklore emails about amazing things happening. The practical net out of their beliefs is that, while they have a year's supply of food, they don't have money in their 401(k). They have guns and bullets but no plans for developing their careers. They are certain that an earthquake will occur shortly in SLC because the renovations on the tabernacle are finished and often tell the story of the cancelled zone conference in the World Trade Center (which is, of course, false).

How do you deal with those people? I want to mock them for their craziness but I don't want to damage their faith. What does the CG braintrust think?

Is this the 2012 thing? My deacons were trying to convince me world is over in 2012.

[K-dog]

Originally Posted by jay santos

Is this the 2012 thing? My deacons were trying to convince me world is over in 2012.

I don't know. I try not to encourage their craziness. I'm sure they were saying 5 years or less 15 years ago too.

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by K-dog

They aren't holed up in bunkers or anything but they think we are five years or less from the second coming. I believe this is a result of their mystical fascination with the gospel. They love the stories of miracles, visitations, excorcisms, revelations etc. In fact, they are usually those people who send around mormon folklore emails about amazing things happening. The practical net out of their beliefs is that, while they have a year's supply of food, they don't have money in their 401(k). They have guns and bullets but no plans for developing their careers. They are certain that an earthquake will occur shortly in SLC because the renovations on the tabernacle are finished and often tell the story of the cancelled zone conference in the World Trade Center (which is, of course, false).

How do you deal with those people? I want to mock them for their craziness but I don't want to damage their faith. What does the CG braintrust think?

My inlaws are convinced that they have digital photo evidence of ghosts and spirits. They were camping somewhere in Southern Utah and went to a cemetary at night. They took some pictures. In one of the pictures, they claim that you can distinctly see the outlines of a woman and her child, along with a third spirit that is raising its arms in the air, as if praising the Lord.

How do I deal with it? I nod my head in agreement, tell them it sounds fascinating, then go outside in the driveway and shoot baskets.

I cant tell you how many hours I have spent in utah in my inlaws driveway shooting baskets....in the snow, at night, whenever the need arises for me to just nod my head in agreement.

I am headed up to Utah for the week on Friday. All the siblings and spouses will be there, including a chiropractor, a BIL who is going to med school in Grenada, and the ghost photographer. I have a feeling I will be working on my free throws a lot this next week....

[K-dog]

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

My inlaws are convinced that they have digital photo evidence of ghosts and spirits. They were camping somewhere in Southern Utah and went to a cemetary at night. They took some pictures. In one of the pictures, they claim that you can distinctly see the outlines of a woman and her child, along with a third spirit that is raising its arms in the air, as if praising the Lord.

How do I deal with it? I nod my head in agreement, tell them it sounds fascinating, then go outside in the driveway and shoot baskets.

I cant tell you how many hours I have spent in utah in my inlaws driveway shooting baskets....in the snow, at night, whenever the need arises for me to just nod my head in agreement.

I am headed up to Utah for the week on Friday. All the siblings and spouses will be there, including a chiropractor, a BIL who is going to med school in Grenada, and the ghost photographer. I have a feeling I will be working on my free throws a lot this next week....

I love the ghost stories. Especially the ones where the person won't actually tell what the ghost did because it makes it scarier that way. I also really enjoy the "evil spirit" stories where a house had evil spirits in it because of the previous owners. I think they are interesting.

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by K-dog

I love the ghost stories. Especially the ones where the person won't actually tell what the ghost did because it makes it scarier that way. I also really enjoy the "evil spirit" stories where a house had evil spirits in it because of the previous owners. I think they are interesting.

In the case of my 'laws, they have no embellished stories. They have no reasoning. They just associate the cemetary with lots of spirits flying around. The honestly feel that they caught a few of them hanging around the cemetary. I guess there was some embellishment because depending on who is telling the story, there is a version where "rustling and baby noise" was heard.

I asked if they felt that doctrinally or logically they would have any reason to believe that we can photograph spirits, ghosts, and the like. They said that they believe we can photograph Spirits.

They have saved the pictures in a plastic ziplock bag.

[hyrum]

Originally Posted by K-dog

They aren't holed up in bunkers or anything but they think we are five years or less from the second coming. I believe this is a result of their mystical fascination with the gospel. They love the stories of miracles, visitations, excorcisms, revelations etc. In fact, they are usually those people who send around mormon folklore emails about amazing things happening. The practical net out of their beliefs is that, while they have a year's supply of food, they don't have money in their 401(k). They have guns and bullets but no plans for developing their careers. They are certain that an earthquake will occur shortly in SLC because the renovations on the tabernacle are finished and often tell the story of the cancelled zone conference in the World Trade Center (which is, of course, false).

How do you deal with those people? I want to mock them for their craziness but I don't want to damage their faith. What does the CG braintrust think?

You could read them Matthew 24:36-51 (i.e. no one knows, He will come like a thief in the night -- previous parts of that chapter refer to the fall of Jerusalem in around AD 70) or give them a copy of one of the well-written books on the subject by Stafford North. You could remind them of all the previous predictions of The End that didn't arrive as predicted, and ask if they considered that they might well be as prepared for their eventual retirement as The End.

Maybe The End isn't literal for all of mankind at once but one's own individual physical demise??

[SeattleUte]

Were I a Mormon I'd be this kind. It's the logical extension of Mormonism. I never understood Mormon lite. Using K-Dog logic these folks' logic is flawless.

[creekster]

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

Were I a Mormon I'd be this kind. It's the logical extension of Mormonism. I never understood Mormon lite. Using K-Dog logic these folks' logic is flawless.

So you would camp im cemetaries and flaunt digital images of ephemera? Now that you say it, it really isn't that hard to believe.

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by K-dog

They aren't holed up in bunkers or anything but they think we are five years or less from the second coming. I believe this is a result of their mystical fascination with the gospel. They love the stories of miracles, visitations, excorcisms, revelations etc. In fact, they are usually those people who send around mormon folklore emails about amazing things happening. The practical net out of their beliefs is that, while they have a year's supply of food, they don't have money in their 401(k). They have guns and bullets but no plans for developing their careers. They are certain that an earthquake will occur shortly in SLC because the renovations on the tabernacle are finished and often tell the story of the cancelled zone conference in the World Trade Center (which is, of course, false).

How do you deal with those people? I want to mock them for their craziness but I don't want to damage their faith. What does the CG braintrust think?

What you should do is find some quotes from General Conference where President Hinckley tells people to not do some of the very things they are doing.