Our stake president made some odd challenges to us the other Sunday, to reduce our electricity consumption by half and to eliminate all fats from our diets, including plant. I guess he is wanting us to follow a WoW diet as he sees it from D&C 89. I guess for breakfast he is eating wheat kernels boiled. Had some on my mission, didn't leave the apartment for two days.
He has little to no meat and such. To me, that is an unhealthy diet, but then to say basically, turn out the lights and no TV or nothing, no AC, etc.
He asked for a commitment in PH regarding this and asked people to raise hands. I was in YM so was not there for that, but I would not have committed to that. Seems like a really odd request to me.
Anyone else have such things?
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Lo, there I see my mother, my sisters, my brothers Lo, there I see the line of my people back to the beginning Lo, they call to me, they bid me take my place among them In the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live...forever
That'll shut yer brains down. Maybe that's an issue here?
Hmph. That might have been unneccessarily snarky.
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"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton
So, will people be refused a TR if they don't follow this?
And yes, that diet is unhealthy. Even the prophet has not defined the WoW so strictly. Reduce energy by half? (has he been watching too much Al Gore??).
I agree that based on what you're saying here, this sounds a little "woo-hoo" to me.
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It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.
I guess for breakfast he is eating wheat kernels boiled. Had some on my mission, didn't leave the apartment for two days.That's why they're called "Slow Oats" as opposed to those "Quick Oats" made by the Quaker guy in the Black Hat.
He didn't give any reasons for the electricity thing? Is he thinking that's going to lead to more family time or something? I mean, this has to be the means to some "end" right?
And yeah, all plant fats eliminated? That seems AGAINST the WOW as I see it.
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Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid. -John Wayne
A few years back when medical marijuana was on the ballot in CO, a high council speaker came to strongly urge us all to get involved with the efforts to kill the bill. We were told it was 'the work of Satan'.
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And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men, seven hours every day. That would be the sweetest thing of all.
people can say what they do personally but I am in agreement w/everyone else, esp w/the No fat thing. I could see urging folks to spend more time w/family and decrease use of electricity. But somehow those requests seem out of his stewardship for the most part.
I could see a stake pres who is a doctor or a dietician encouraging a member w/certain conditions/medical problems to consider eliminating fats. But to tell the whole stake? And to have men raise their hands? If someone undergoes such a program (no fats) w/o proper nutritional counseling and support from a doctor, this could be dangerous.
Right now i can't think of any strange requests!!:)
A couple of decades ago, our stake president would not issue a TR to anyone who drank colas. Said it was against the intent of the WoW. After a while, he relented, and what I heard was that Salt Lake corrected him. I have no personal knowledge of why he changed our stake's policy, but I do know that it changed.
As long as he's you leader, you need to prayfully consider this, but I wouldn't follow a local leader off a cliff.
I don't know of a particular reason, though he did go through part of WWII and its aftermath and the scarcities then in post-war Germany. He does speak quite frequently on that, but has now been extremely successful and does very well for himself.
I was asked on my mission if I drank colas when going for a temple recommend. I don't get the thing of adding questions on your own whim to the approved list of questions. Follow the prophet!
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Lo, there I see my mother, my sisters, my brothers Lo, there I see the line of my people back to the beginning Lo, they call to me, they bid me take my place among them In the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live...forever
Our stake added this question in some interviews, "when was the last time you viewed pornography". Several people in the ward told me about that. I had my interview during that same time and I did not get asked.
I've heard they were asking that porn question in the neighboring stake... sort of on a case by case basis. In fact, the first time this counselor asked someone it really caught the counselor himself off-guard. The interviewee just broke down in tears.
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Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid. -John Wayne
I have no problems with alterations to things coming from the 12 and the First Presidency, but when people start adding their views, opinions, interpretations, what they think is right, that disturbs me greatly.
I think of what Christ taught the Nephites about His doctrine that he that adds to or takes away is not of Him.
Something might be for a good reason, or have good intentions, but I will follow the prophet.
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Lo, there I see my mother, my sisters, my brothers Lo, there I see the line of my people back to the beginning Lo, they call to me, they bid me take my place among them In the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live...forever
Yeah, I agree with dianoia and everyone else who thinks the SP is overstepping his position. It isn't his place to define the WoW for the stake. He can do whatever he wants himself, but I think it's inappropriate to demand other people do the same. Has he made "extra" requests from the stake before?
I sympathize with Val. I think using public handraising commitments feels manipulative, and encourages people to do the right thing not because you've pondered the solution, but because of peer pressure.
Also I think the matter the SP chose to focus on, while practical advice, is trivial to the nature of the spiritual problems saints face today... but then I'm not a stake president, and inspiration is inspiration, so who knows...
--Ray
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I'm not slow; I'm special. (Don't take it personally, everyone finds me offensive. Yet somehow I manage to live with myself.)
I agree that the issues he chose to focus on are trivial, but I'm not so sure his dietary advice is practical, or even possible. Unless he's saying we should all be chewing wheat berries and drinking only water. But still - extreme measures like that can be saved for extreme circumstances, imo.
Maybe he's had a vision that his stake will be eating that way in the near future and wants people to get used to it.
