I thought this was great commentary:
Mormon Culture is leading to separation
The pioneer LDS Church and
the LDS Church today are culturally very different. They are similar
from a doctrinal point of view but how we live our daily lives are
dramatically different. In the past 75 years we have experienced peace
in this country un-heard of in history. There might be wars all over the
world but we have had peace on our soil, meaning that we have been free
to raise our families, to pursue our careers, to practice our religion
without interference. We do not know what it is like to be hiding every
day to stay alive or running to avoid capture or just trying to survive.
We worry about getting the kids to seminary on time or making sure
their home work is done and they get to soccer practice. We do not grow
or own food and do not worry about weeding a garden we just go to the
store and buy what we need. As a result of having all this convenience
like: running water, toilets, available food supply, security, air
conditioning, cars, carpeting, washing machines, phones, etc. etc. we
live one of the easiest life styles in the history of mankind. As a
result we have also created a Mormon culture based on all these
conveniences mixed with a very routine life style resulting from
religious principles such as weekly church attendance, temple
attendance, seminary, missions, etc. etc. As a result we have become
very routine in our lives which are filled with predictability and
expectability. I think many have even developed the belief that they are
entitled because they belong to the true Church.
Sure we have
our trials like divorce, job loss, illness but we do not have to carry a
gun to fight off criminals trying to steal our food or shoot a deer
just to eat. We do not live in fear of being attacked by going outside.
So based on the current LDS culture what is going to happen when this
great ride is threatened with coming to an end? Most people will not
believe it. In fact, most people will chastise you for even mentioning
that bad times are coming and will blame you for bringing on the bad
times just by mentioning it. These are the people who use excuses to
rationalize everything away instead of facing the problem and solving it
they just ignore it, refuse to believe it, rationalize it or fantasize
the problem away.
Unfortunately, this problem is not going away.
This is actually a natural defense mechanism called the normalcy bias.
This simply means that people stay with what they know and are
comfortable with. Members of the Church seem to be particularly prone to
this behavior. Our religious normalcy bias can become a major obstacle
as it will not allow people to change and adapt to new conditions. They
keep going back to their old ways which no longer work. A great example
of this was found in Germany in the 1930 ies when Hitler started
rounding up the Jews. The Jews were aware that this might happen long
before it actually happened but only about 150,000 Jews left the country
while 6 million Jews were eventually exterminated. Their normalcy bias
would just not let them see or even think about what was really going to
happen. This same scenario is exactly what is happening in this country
right now. Our economy has been intentionally destroyed, our government
has been hijacked by Marxist socialists who are bound on destroying
America and we have an imposter President who is becoming a dictator
just like Hitler did in Germany (the homeland). This is not conspiracy
theory it is fact which can be easily found in a matter of only few
hours of effort.
When you threaten a person’s normalcy bias you
are threatening the person. I am sure that when anyone who has been
inspired to prepare for the last days tells their friends and family
they have experienced a negative reaction from some of them. I have
heard things like; if it gets that bad I just want to die or you are
crazy America is too big to fail or that could never happen or there is
something wrong with you if you only had faith you know that the Lord
will take care of us. This one is especially tough one to endure because
the Lord is trying to take care of them but they are not listening. It
is like the man on the roof in a flood. A row boat comes by to save him
and he responds no thanks I am waiting for the Lord to save me. Then a
helicopter comes by to save him and the man says no thanks I am waiting
for the Lord to save me. Finally the man drowns in the flood. In Heaven
the man ask the Lord why he did not save him and the Lord responds I
sent a row boat and a helicopter to save you but you went with none of
them.
People stuck in the normalcy bias can become very hostile
if you push the issue. This is where the normalcy bias will hasten the
separation in the Church as people will not believe what is happening
and will fight against it and will label anyone who says anything
contrary to their normalcy bias an enemy. This is a form of hardening
your heart which will block you from seeing or hearing the truth and the
spirit. Are you hanging on to the truth or are you hanging on to an out
of date normalcy bias? This will be a real test of faith. You need to
be able to answer this question as your life will depend on it.
I
still enjoy going to Church and seeing normal people enjoying what’s
left of a normal life. Sometimes I wish I did not know what I know so I
could join them in la la land. However, I feel farther away from the
people because they will not listen and I cannot ignore what I know and
have been prompted to do and prepare for. This is creating a natural
separation based on knowledge and experience. I still love my friends
and family who will not listen so I have decided to prepare for them as
much as I can. I have told them many times that when the SHTF they
better have at least a 1 year supply or don't call me as they had fair
warning. There is not a person I know who could not buy a one year
supply of food without even trying. They just have to move a few things
around like not spending $20 a day on coffee or soft drinks or not
eating out every night or foregoing the $2000 washing machine for
another 6 months when the one they have works fine but is the wrong
color. You get the point. The problem is priorities not that they cannot
afford a year supply. If they cannot make a little adjustment in their
lives to show some faith and get a one year supply I have no sympathy
for them when the SHTF and I do not think the Lord will either.
The
separation in the Church is happening quietly unless you confront
someone with information about what is really happening in the world.
Then you quickly get a rebuttal like, conspiracy theory, its all
speculation, we are members and the Lord will provide for us so we do
not have to worry, if you keep talking about it, it will happen, on and
on. By doing this they have effectively blocked the spirit from getting
to them. It is a tough one to witness where good members are blinded by
their normalcy bias, pride and lack of the truth which they hide behind
their old religious ways.
We are in a time where we are being
tested to the max. Many of the people who are now resistant to change
have not been tested yet but they will be. The only defense I have found
to avoiding hardening of the mind is to first keep thinking and
secondly keep the mind open. Once you become judgmental and prideful
your mind shuts down and the spirit cannot enter. Of course reading the
scriptures, prayer, fasting etc, is mandatory but unless you can avoid
several traps (normalcy bias, entitlement, ego, pride, etc.) your mind
can still shut down and you will find yourself in a religious induced
normalcy bias which is one of the hardest to open up. Remember, if the
spirit can’t get through to you it does not matter who you are you. It
is like a flower without water, it will wilt and die.
In
conclusion, it is not that you have to totally change your life to
survive the last days. The world will do that for you. What you need to
do it open your mind to the spirit so it can prompt you to do what "you"
need to do to prepare. I will guarantee you that all the people who
survive to make the trek back to Jackson County will have been guided by
the spirit to get there. Their normalcy bias and Mormon culture will
have been long gone and a new one will be developing and they will be
back to basics in every respect.
THIS BLOG ATTEMPTS TO SHOW HOW SCIENCE IS CATCHING UP WITH REVEALED RELIGION
THIS BLOG IS AN ATTEMPT TO PUT ALL THE COOL STUFF THAT I BUMP INTO ABOUT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST AND EVENTS THAT LEAD UP TO IT INTO ONE LOCATION.
THE CONTENTS WILL BE FROM AN LDS PERSPECTIVE. IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ANYTHING IN HERE, I DO NOT PARTICULARLY CARE TO ARGUE, UNLESS YOU CAN ADD TO THIS BODY OF WORK. I HAVE AN OPEN MIND, THAT IS WHY I READ STUFF FROM ALL DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND SEEK LEARNING FROM THE BEST BOOKS. I JUST AM NOT HERE TO ARGUE ABOUT IT - BUT TO PUT IT OUT THERE WHERE OTHERS CAN PERUSE/PURSUE IT. I TAKE PARTICULAR INTEREST IN HONEST SEEKERS OF TRUTH AND BELIEVE THAT SCIENCE IS REVEALED RELIGION'S BEST ALLY. YOU WILL SEE ALOT OF TOPICS IN THIS BLOG THAT SHOW SCIENCE BACKING - AND SLOWLY CATCHING UP WITH - REVEALED RELIGION.
ENJOY!!
THE CONTENTS WILL BE FROM AN LDS PERSPECTIVE. IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ANYTHING IN HERE, I DO NOT PARTICULARLY CARE TO ARGUE, UNLESS YOU CAN ADD TO THIS BODY OF WORK. I HAVE AN OPEN MIND, THAT IS WHY I READ STUFF FROM ALL DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND SEEK LEARNING FROM THE BEST BOOKS. I JUST AM NOT HERE TO ARGUE ABOUT IT - BUT TO PUT IT OUT THERE WHERE OTHERS CAN PERUSE/PURSUE IT. I TAKE PARTICULAR INTEREST IN HONEST SEEKERS OF TRUTH AND BELIEVE THAT SCIENCE IS REVEALED RELIGION'S BEST ALLY. YOU WILL SEE ALOT OF TOPICS IN THIS BLOG THAT SHOW SCIENCE BACKING - AND SLOWLY CATCHING UP WITH - REVEALED RELIGION.
ENJOY!!
Awesome article, read something very similar on AVOW. : )
ReplyDeleteOne piece of advice that I have received when it comes to combating what is called the normalcy bias is "Always assume you are wrong."
ReplyDeleteThis forces you to look for other options and what ifs, and then will help in decision making. In other words, the "always assume you are wrong" in the economic world might be better translated as "don't trust the arm of flesh" in Mormon lore.
I have had a tough time trying to wake up my friends from America. The people that woke me up were relatives from my wife's side of the family as well as missionary comps from Mexico. About the only person I have been able to wake up is my mother.
Oh well.I do the best I can.
Thank you for saying in that all the things that I feel, but haven't been able to express quite that clearly! Bless you!
ReplyDeleteNormalcy bias seems very similar to the sense of entitlement that plagues the nation. People who feel "entitled" have been spoiled, and few if any truly understand how prosperity is gained, and since they have no idea of how prosperity works, they have no idea of its risks and vulnerabilities. They must believe it just magically happens or something, and since it magically happened for the last few generations, it must magically happen for them as well. Sorry, but there are no guarantees in life, especially if you have fallen away from God.
ReplyDelete