The Celebrity Prophet

[Serragon]

During his 5 years as president of the church, Russel Nelson has made lots and lots of changes. Most of those have been sufficiently discussed elsewhere. But one of the most fundamental changes he has made was not accompanied by any announcement or handbook change. And that is the focus to make Russel Nelson a transcendent celebrity.

Since Nelson has been president, the changes have been fast and furious, and many of them have had major ramifications on doctrine and culture. Not only have they had a major impact, but many have been in a direction that is in opposition to how the Saints and the rest of the Judeo Christian world have traditionally thought about things. This in and of itself is rather remarkable, but it is even more so when you consider that Nelson was never considered a very remarkable apostle outside of his career as a heart surgeon. Normally when people rock the foundations of something, they have to have some standing with the people or the people will not follow along. The church structure helps in this, but it is still an issue. And I think the solution has been to make a concerted effort to make Nelson into a larger than life prophet.

One way this has occurred is through a highly organized and choreographed campaign to put Russell Nelson in the spotlight as often as possible. Examples of this are the grotesque birthday celebration, the myriad social media posts, and the regular appearances with world and religious leaders.

Another is the changes themselves. Most of what Nelson does is undoing what others before him have done. Though the leadership structure and follow the prophet culture in the church makes this easier to accomplish, that same culture also makes it difficult because of the constant preaching that leadership won't lead you astray. If our current leader is always undoing what past leaders have done it chips away at one of the foundation stones that gives the current leader their authority.

To resolve this, Nelson must become transcendent. He is greater than those who have come before him. Not using the term mormon is not just his whim, it is offensive to God. He doesn't just eternal temple laws, he commands you not to talk about it. He doesn't just tell you to mask and vax, he tells you that you are not Christian if you don't. The way he handles these things is speak strongly enough that you give credence to his words as opposed to those presidents of the past without really realizing that is what you are doing. This gives the average member the confidence that he is really a prophet and allows them to put down any concerns they might have. In addition, causing people to make these almost subconscious choices leaves people loyal to him.

In addition to the above, his way of speaking is tightly choreographed. He, and the other apostles at his instruction, almost always have a smile on their faces. Their body language is soft and inviting. They speak in a pacifying tone and pace. They are the kind grandpas full of wisdom and love for you individually. But occasionally the smile goes away and the stern face appears. The tone and pacing change, and you feel that something very important and prophetic just happened. The result, again, is a deeper belief in this man as a prophet.

Then you give instructions to make the teachings of this man the main focus of our doctrine. Nearly every talk references him in some way. Nearly all of our leaders testify continuously of his prophetness. Nearly all of the members then begin doing the same thing.

And don't forget that his age and activity are the greatest proof of all to most members.

The combination of all this is a larger than life character who is widely considered by the membership to be one of the greatest prophets we have had. If you take a step back and look at the whole picture it seems rather incredible. We are accepting homosexuality and transgenderism, we have removed most of our standards and culture, was completely wrong on every aspect of COVID and COVID response, has changed eternal temple laws and principles, and turned church into a rather boring and sterile place. There are no actual fruits of a prophet, yet most believe he is actually one of the greatest. If not Nelsons celebrity status, how is this being done?

One other note. EmmaLee brought up in another post the comparison of Obama to Nelson, and I think it very astute. Obama intentionally presented himself as a blank slate that his supporters could paint with their own desires. Obama fundamentally changed what it meant to be American for those who followed him, and the fruit of that is division and contention for most of us, but power for him and his friends. People still love Obama even though he instigated a fundamental shift in thinking for the democrats and the executive branch from representing and serving the people to ruling over them like a Chicago gang family. I think Nelson's pattern is similar. He wants a different church, and wants us to think about things differently and is doing what he can to make sure that happens.

So what do you think? Is there a concerted effort to make Russel Nelson a celebrity in the eyes of the membership? Is this being done to try and hide and make more palatable the changes the church is making away from our foundations? or is this all a figment of my imagination?

[Niemand]

I remember attending church in the nineties and having the pants bored off me. It's nothing new unfortunately.

[Serragon]

I remember attending church in the nineties and having the pants bored off me. It's nothing new unfortunately.

I somewhat agree. But I remember having much deeper conversations about things and discussing things that never get mentioned today.

[InfoWarrior82]

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/chu ... n?lang=eng

You can tell he revels in his newly found celebrity status.

[BeNotDeceived]

My way, or the highway.

High, but not low. CbnC

[NowWhat]

Serragon: yes, yes and no. He stole my church, our church. I'm royally ticked.

[Mindfields]

During his 5 years as president of the church, Russel Nelson has made lots and lots of changes. Most of those have been sufficiently discussed elsewhere. But one of the most fundamental changes he has made was not accompanied by any announcement or handbook change. And that is the focus to make Russel Nelson a transcendent celebrity.

Since Nelson has been president, the changes have been fast and furious, and many of them have had major ramifications on doctrine and culture. Not only have they had a major impact, but many have been in a direction that is in opposition to how the Saints and the rest of the Judeo Christian world have traditionally thought about things. This in and of itself is rather remarkable, but it is even more so when you consider that Nelson was never considered a very remarkable apostle outside of his career as a heart surgeon. Normally when people rock the foundations of something, they have to have some standing with the people or the people will not follow along. The church structure helps in this, but it is still an issue. And I think the solution has been to make a concerted effort to make Nelson into a larger than life prophet.

One way this has occurred is through a highly organized and choreographed campaign to put Russell Nelson in the spotlight as often as possible. Examples of this are the grotesque birthday celebration, the myriad social media posts, and the regular appearances with world and religious leaders.

Another is the changes themselves. Most of what Nelson does is undoing what others before him have done. Though the leadership structure and follow the prophet culture in the church makes this easier to accomplish, that same culture also makes it difficult because of the constant preaching that leadership won't lead you astray. If our current leader is always undoing what past leaders have done it chips away at one of the foundation stones that gives the current leader their authority.

To resolve this, Nelson must become transcendent. He is greater than those who have come before him. Not using the term mormon is not just his whim, it is offensive to God. He doesn't just eternal temple laws, he commands you not to talk about it. He doesn't just tell you to mask and vax, he tells you that you are not Christian if you don't. The way he handles these things is speak strongly enough that you give credence to his words as opposed to those presidents of the past without really realizing that is what you are doing. This gives the average member the confidence that he is really a prophet and allows them to put down any concerns they might have. In addition, causing people to make these almost subconscious choices leaves people loyal to him.

In addition to the above, his way of speaking is tightly choreographed. He, and the other apostles at his instruction, almost always have a smile on their faces. Their body language is soft and inviting. They speak in a pacifying tone and pace. They are the kind grandpas full of wisdom and love for you individually. But occasionally the smile goes away and the stern face appears. The tone and pacing change, and you feel that something very important and prophetic just happened. The result, again, is a deeper belief in this man as a prophet.

Then you give instructions to make the teachings of this man the main focus of our doctrine. Nearly every talk references him in some way. Nearly all of our leaders testify continuously of his prophetness. Nearly all of the members then begin doing the same thing.

And don't forget that his age and activity are the greatest proof of all to most members.

The combination of all this is a larger than life character who is widely considered by the membership to be one of the greatest prophets we have had. If you take a step back and look at the whole picture it seems rather incredible. We are accepting homosexuality and transgenderism, we have removed most of our standards and culture, was completely wrong on every aspect of COVID and COVID response, has changed eternal temple laws and principles, and turned church into a rather boring and sterile place. There are no actual fruits of a prophet, yet most believe he is actually one of the greatest. If not Nelsons celebrity status, how is this being done?

One other note. EmmaLee brought up in another post the comparison of Obama to Nelson, and I think it very astute. Obama intentionally presented himself as a blank slate that his supporters could paint with their own desires. Obama fundamentally changed what it meant to be American for those who followed him, and the fruit of that is division and contention for most of us, but power for him and his friends. People still love Obama even though he instigated a fundamental shift in thinking for the democrats and the executive branch from representing and serving the people to ruling over them like a Chicago gang family. I think Nelson's pattern is similar. He wants a different church, and wants us to think about things differently and is doing what he can to make sure that happens.

So what do you think? Is there a concerted effort to make Russel Nelson a celebrity in the eyes of the membership? Is this being done to try and hide and make more palatable the changes the church is making away from our foundations? or is this all a figment of my imagination?

And then there's Wendy...

[David13]

During his 5 years as president of the church, Russel Nelson has made lots and lots of changes. Most of those have been sufficiently discussed elsewhere. But one of the most fundamental changes he has made was not accompanied by any announcement or handbook change. And that is the focus to make Russel Nelson a transcendent celebrity.

Since Nelson has been president, the changes have been fast and furious, and many of them have had major ramifications on doctrine and culture. Not only have they had a major impact, but many have been in a direction that is in opposition to how the Saints and the rest of the Judeo Christian world have traditionally thought about things. This in and of itself is rather remarkable, but it is even more so when you consider that Nelson was never considered a very remarkable apostle outside of his career as a heart surgeon. Normally when people rock the foundations of something, they have to have some standing with the people or the people will not follow along. The church structure helps in this, but it is still an issue. And I think the solution has been to make a concerted effort to make Nelson into a larger than life prophet.

One way this has occurred is through a highly organized and choreographed campaign to put Russell Nelson in the spotlight as often as possible. Examples of this are the grotesque birthday celebration, the myriad social media posts, and the regular appearances with world and religious leaders.

Another is the changes themselves. Most of what Nelson does is undoing what others before him have done. Though the leadership structure and follow the prophet culture in the church makes this easier to accomplish, that same culture also makes it difficult because of the constant preaching that leadership won't lead you astray. If our current leader is always undoing what past leaders have done it chips away at one of the foundation stones that gives the current leader their authority.

To resolve this, Nelson must become transcendent. He is greater than those who have come before him. Not using the term mormon is not just his whim, it is offensive to God. He doesn't just eternal temple laws, he commands you not to talk about it. He doesn't just tell you to mask and vax, he tells you that you are not Christian if you don't. The way he handles these things is speak strongly enough that you give credence to his words as opposed to those presidents of the past without really realizing that is what you are doing. This gives the average member the confidence that he is really a prophet and allows them to put down any concerns they might have. In addition, causing people to make these almost subconscious choices leaves people loyal to him.

In addition to the above, his way of speaking is tightly choreographed. He, and the other apostles at his instruction, almost always have a smile on their faces. Their body language is soft and inviting. They speak in a pacifying tone and pace. They are the kind grandpas full of wisdom and love for you individually. But occasionally the smile goes away and the stern face appears. The tone and pacing change, and you feel that something very important and prophetic just happened. The result, again, is a deeper belief in this man as a prophet.

Then you give instructions to make the teachings of this man the main focus of our doctrine. Nearly every talk references him in some way. Nearly all of our leaders testify continuously of his prophetness. Nearly all of the members then begin doing the same thing.

And don't forget that his age and activity are the greatest proof of all to most members.

The combination of all this is a larger than life character who is widely considered by the membership to be one of the greatest prophets we have had. If you take a step back and look at the whole picture it seems rather incredible. We are accepting homosexuality and transgenderism, we have removed most of our standards and culture, was completely wrong on every aspect of COVID and COVID response, has changed eternal temple laws and principles, and turned church into a rather boring and sterile place. There are no actual fruits of a prophet, yet most believe he is actually one of the greatest. If not Nelsons celebrity status, how is this being done?

One other note. EmmaLee brought up in another post the comparison of Obama to Nelson, and I think it very astute. Obama intentionally presented himself as a blank slate that his supporters could paint with their own desires. Obama fundamentally changed what it meant to be American for those who followed him, and the fruit of that is division and contention for most of us, but power for him and his friends. People still love Obama even though he instigated a fundamental shift in thinking for the democrats and the executive branch from representing and serving the people to ruling over them like a Chicago gang family. I think Nelson's pattern is similar. He wants a different church, and wants us to think about things differently and is doing what he can to make sure that happens.

So what do you think? Is there a concerted effort to make Russel Nelson a celebrity in the eyes of the membership? Is this being done to try and hide and make more palatable the changes the church is making away from our foundations? or is this all a figment of my imagination?

And then there's Wendy...

The cheerleader. Rah rah rah!

On your knees before the great prophet, peasant!
dc

[gkearney]

I remember a humorous story in this regard. I was in the Independence Visitor Center one day when a Community of Christ/RLDS family came in to look around they told the missionaries about their affiliation, a common thing there.

The young sister missionary taking them and myself around got to the end and waxed euphoric about President Nelson then asked the family what their feelings were about him.

The husband looked at her and said "I don't know, what are your feelings about President Veazey?"