Roger Barrus' Testimony

[Calm]

I love the way it starts out:

I was born a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the so-called Mormon Church), descended on both sides from ancestors who joined the church in its earliest days. All of which means, with respect to my own membership in the Church and adherence to its teachings, absolutely nothing. Every faithful member must obtain his own testimony, or witness, of the Church and its teachings.

So very, very true....and yet something that some people seem to be oblivious to, acting as if ancestry has some sort of magical or authoritative effect on their status.

http://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/55872-roger-m-barrus/

[Doctrine 612]

I think the jews in Jesus day said the same thing, " we are the sons of Abraham"

[Duncan]

You see this still going on today with claims of who is related to who and when they crossed the plains and whatnot

[Kenngo1969]

You see this still going on today with claims of who is related to who and when they crossed the plains and whatnot

I find it interesting how so many of those who claim a special dispensation as a result of lineage in the Church of Jesus Christ are those who, for one reason or another, have become disaffected from it. They also like to toss in a laundry list of callings held, the higher the better. It's as if they're saying, "You should especially listen to me because of my former highly-faithful status and Church pedigree." Such claims are much rarer among the faithful, to say the least.

[Duncan]

I find it interesting how so many of those who claim a special dispensation as a result of lineage in the Church of Jesus Christ are those who, for one reason or another, have become disaffected from it. They also like to toss in a laundry list of callings held, the higher the better. It's as if they're saying, "You should especially listen to me because of my former highly-faithful status and Church pedigree." Such claims are much rarer among the faithful, to say the least.

exactley, they are related to Elder Hyrum W. Whoever? !

[Daniel Peterson]

I want it known that I myself may have held the highest priesthood office of anybody in my direct Mormon line.

But, as compensation, members of my family have provided employment for law enforcement officers in southern Utah and California for many decades now.

As my wife says, I can never run for public office.

[Calm]

As my wife says, I can never run for public office.

I've never understood anyone who has chosen to do anything but run from public office myself.

[kolipoki09]

I find it interesting how so many of those who claim a special dispensation as a result of lineage in the Church of Jesus Christ are those who, for one reason or another, have become disaffected from it. They also like to toss in a laundry list of callings held, the higher the better. It's as if they're saying, "You should especially listen to me because of my former highly-faithful status and Church pedigree." Such claims are much rarer among the faithful, to say the least.

I can't remember how many times I've read post-Mormon stories prefaced with something like "I grew up as a sixth generation Mormon on both sides" etc., as though one's genealogy makes them a professed authority on Mormonism. To the naive audience, it projects a much stronger facade than reality warrants.

I'm particularly reminded of one of my favourite (so awesome, I spelled it in British English) fundamentalist Protestant anti-Mormons who has denied numerous requests from myself and others to publicly answer whether he (for example) served a mission, was endowed in the temple, or held any major callings. Of course, the real answer would weaken his image for his audience. He never mentions that he'd been inactive since he was a teenager, essentially disassociated with Mormonism for nearly two decades before officially having his name removed, and had read very little material relevant to any academic discussion of Mormonism whatsoever. Yet this self-proclaimed "expert" and "fifth generation Mormon" still spouts off unbridled bigotry on a daily basis.