Do as I say, not as I do. Is the church doing a good job of living the gospel? Do we fall short? Are we a good example?
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How about our leaders? What qualities do they exemplify?
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Discuss.
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Living Our Principles (Weekend Poll)
Who do you mean by “leaders”. My bishop and stake president could use a dose of humility, but Uncle Dallin is quite humble.
I too feel leaders is a little vague and answered based on First Presidency and the first 12. Which really didn’t leave a whole lot since I only know them through conference and that alone can tell you they don’t know much about church history.
Who am I to judge my leaders? I want to sustain them in their callings as they sustain me in mine.
Evaluating and voting on the quality of virtues of a group of individuals, men and women whom I have never met and have only heard speak in formal occasions?
I’d be incredulous if you did that to me and a group of my co-workers. How presumptive of knowledge you don’t have, I would think.. And how dismissive of me as an individual to judge us as a lump.
So why would I want to do that to them?
I think this is more of a branding question than anything. At least when we compare our own leaders to media darlings, Pope Francis or the Dalai Lama.
In order to be effective, leaders must seek out and understand dissenting opinion. Otherwise you end up with Groupthink. The church, as a whole, does not tolerate people who play the devil’s advocate.
Ji, sustain doesn’t mean obedience. If a leader makes or is going to make a choice that affects followers adversely, the followers have a duty speak up.
MB, every 2, 4, and 6 years I vote on the qualities and virtues of people I don’t know on a personal level.
dba.brotherp,
Individual candidates in political elections invite evaluation and voting because they are running for office.
I evaluate those individuals and their platforms as best I can in order to cast a private vote.
I would, on the other hand, not evaluate you and your co-workers as a group from a position of distant observer and post a public vote. That would, in my book, be an arrogant presumption.
MB,
Every year, members vote with the uplifted hand for leaders in general conference. They can affirm or oppose. This is a very public setting and a very public vote.
dba.brotherp
A sustaining vote of a church authority in any church meeting is, in a nutshell, a statement of willingness to listen to what they have to say and to be generally helpful and to pray for him or her. It is not a reflection of a my rating or scoring of their level of virtuous living.
It is not an judgment about their levels of comparative virtues, which this poll is. A sustaining vote is a statement of my willingness to be helpful. It is a declaration of my own intent based upon my own commitment to the principle of loving and helping my neighbor..
So the comparison doesn’t work.
MB,
I think the comparison works. The sustaining vote is what you said and more. Why have the option of oppose if it just “statement of willingness to listen to what they have to say and to be generally helpful and to pray for him or her.” It’s hard to believe, but there have been times that people have voted opposed for good reason.
Back to the poll, the poll did not name a specific person, or a specific office so I don’t understand why you would say, “It is not an judgment about their levels of comparative virtues, which this poll is.” The poll is just a unscientific poll whose results don’t mean jack.
Anyways, I wish you peace and my apologies if I sounded antagonistic towards you. I just thought there was an alternate explanation that needed to be brought forward.
So we can agree to disagree. Peace to you too.
What do you mean by “living the gospel?” How is that different from rules and obedience?