New Feature--Truth or Rant?

Ok, I have gotten some ideas and suggestions from readers about topics that need to be aired, but perhaps don't fit into the whole "7" concept. Most of them are just short topics or frustrations that just don't make any sense. But that shouldn't keep them from being put out there. Some readers have even asked if they could write one up and have it posted. I'm very fine with that. If you have one that you'd like to see put up here, then send it to me and I'll put it up (I'll even hide your identity if you're too scared to attach your name to it). Heck most of you won't even post a comment (chickens!!!) Send it to ldstruthteller@gmail.com.

So, here's one that I thought we would start with this one: Calling secrecy! Why is that our church culture feels the need to guard up-coming callings a secret? I mean, we Mormons will flat out lie to one another just so that they don't know that we have been asked to accept a calling. You would think that receiving a calling was akin to a temple ceremony...It's a lovely part of our obedience to the commandments or not...Leviticus 6:1-4, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour…or hath deceived his neighbour…and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein: Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty."

I mean who hasn't been in this situation: Your neighbor meets with a bishopric member on Wednesday night. You know that they have some callings to fill as some ward members are moving out. You casually ask, "So, what did they want to meet with you about?" Neighbor says, "Oh nothing." Seems fishy. You counter, "Don't they have a bunch of open callings? Are you getting a calling on Sunday?" Neighbor responds, "Oh no. We were just umm, umm, umm chatting about my kids baptism next...year."

What's the worst that could happen if they told you? Oh no! Somebody knows I'm going to be the CTR 6 primary teacher 2 days before they sustain me in church--aaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! The church isn't true anymore. People know and that means that....I don't know but it can't be good. I don't even know if I should put it in my journal yet!!! Yikes!

Or how about something like this: You're about to be released from a significant leadership calling because you're moving to a different state. You're thinking, boy it would be nice to communicate with the new person before I leave so that I can share some useful information with them. So you ask the bishopric member --who is being called? Most times they will get either a panicked or annoyed face and thenstonewall. They want to say, "I can't tell you because it's a secret" but even they know that sounds stupid. So they say something about "We're still working on it..." or the like. But the thing is the person being called, has been called and accepted. There's no mystery here--Sunday just hasn't happened next.

Really, what difference does it make? How will it hurt anything? I understand the whole thing about not publicizing who was asked and either did not accept or wasn't able to accept for some reason. I don't even have a problem with the bishopric member saying something like, "Hey while it is not a secret, I'd appreciate you keeping this on a need to know basis because..." But I defy someone to explain why we have to keep up-coming callings a temple-like secret.