I attended the same ward as one of the local network meteorologists for three years before I learned of his profession. I find the coincidental nature of you anectdote completely plausible.

I had a dream recently that I shared a kiss of affection with Rush Limbaugh, but it was entirely coincidental.

Glenn Beck does lack humility and wisdom.

In November 2005 I delivered a talk in a ward that we had spent two months in. We were only going to be there a short while longer. They asked me to speak on President Hinckley’s challenge to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year.

Given that there wasn’t much time left in the year I figured that a careful reading was probably out of the question for those that hadn’t started yet. So I spoke of all the different ways that one could accomplish the goal and still get something out of it. I listed things like reading it like a novel, rather than scripture, in order to pay attention to the plot, which usually gets ignored. Or listening to the mp3s of it on your iPod while driving. For the adventurous you could listen to it on shuffle and hope that random pairings of unrelated chapters would stimulate new insights. Another option was to read it only looking for information on a specific doctrine such as the priesthood or resurrection.

I had thought that the talk went rather well. People we laughing out loud during much of it, but I ended on a serious note that there were many different ways to appreciate scripture and we shouldn’t feel that we have to read it the same way every time.

Immediately after I finished a counselor in the Stake Presidency, who had been sitting on the stand, rose unannounced and condemned my talk and the ideas contained it it. He stated that there was only one way to read the Book of Mormon, prayerfully and thoughtfully.

I was a bit shocked and felt that the counselor hadn’t really listened to what I was saying at all, but perhaps he was thrown off by my lighthearted tone. I wondered if the congregation had a similar reaction, reinforced by his condemnation.

I was very pleased when several people found me after the meeting to tell me that it was the best talk they’d heard in years. One suggested that I should be put on the High Council to spice things up. Nobody mentioned the member of the Stake Presidency’s remarks, but I suppose that those that agreed with him didn’t bother to tell me so.

Did whatever point the speaker made with his report of the radio program apply to the audience as a whole? If so, I’d have no question that it was coincidence. After all, even you, who know something of the man’s story, didn’t realize it was his program being described. Since he is an excommunicant and therefore not appearing on stake or ward organizational charts, it seems believable that the speaker might not have known he lived in the stake, especially if the speaker isn’t a regular talk show listener. There are probably notable people living in my stake boundaries whom I don’t know, too.

ARJ – I’ve found that taking things waaaay to seriously is a common affliction amongst members of stake presidencies.

its highly inappropriate and offensive to the spirit in my view to single out a member of the congregation for pointed ridicule or calls to repentance. This is best left to private interviews.

If indeed the speaker was doing this he in my view needs to re-evaluate the purposes of a Sacmtg talk and perhaps in private apologize to the guy he targeted.

Not exactly the same thing but I was once inadvertently part of a duel of letters to the editor. One of the more contentious issues in our town spawned a lot of heavy discussion on both sides. A sister’s LTTE appeared the week before mine, but neither of us knew about the other’s letter. The problem was that it appeared, to an outside reader, that mine was written deliberately in response to hers.

A lot of the ward thought I had smacked her down, but it really wasn’t that way…

PaulM–that happens with meteorologists, I had one in my ward once. But this particular fellow was frequently in the news for being fired for saying outrageous things, etc. My stake is heavily rural, and in my experience, conservative. MANY people in my ward listened to him, and I would not be surprised if that was true in the stake at large. Though I didn’t listen, and I guess this guy didn’t (usually) either. Hard to gauge.

annegb–I agree that it is unlikely the stake visitor was unaware. It is conceivable that he did not distinguish between local and national talk shows.

Tagore, nasamomdele, Chance–this is not RL or Glen Beck, merely an aspirant very much in that vein.

Bull Moose–to me, it was not spiritually uplifting, but frankly, since I attend Church with wee ones, a talk has to be Sermon on the Mountesque to reach through the chaos in my row and get to me. I will say that MANY stake visitors spoke with an underlying “aren’t you glad I drove WAY out here to your teeny tiny branch to rescue you from having to hear from each other” vibe that I don’t care for much.

Devyn S–yeah, I wish I had known while he was speaking what he was doing so I was in on the joke. Now I listen to his show every chance I get to be ready for next time!

arj–I like the sound of your talk.

Mark N–another time (in that same ward), we had CES visitors in which something so troubling was said that we not only talked about it through SS and RS, but had a rebuttal Sacrament Meeting the next week! It was crazy!

Ardis–I wish I could remember what the example was, exactly, but I do remember it seeming like an odd tangent.

bbell–if it was coincidental, I wonder if anyone let the speaker know what affect his talk may have had?

Bookslinger–maybe I’ll ask his wife about. We are friends, and I am guessing it was as memorable to her as it was to me.

queuno–that is funny, as long as you and the sister thought so.

I inadvertently did this once–I was asked to speak on the blessings of home teachers, and started my talk off by mentioning that this was kind of an awkward topic for me, because, because I’ve never had home teachers who came over to visit. I had meant it as a commentary on my childhood ward (I was speaking in a married student ward), not about the current one. Didn’t come across that way, though–my home teachers were offended, I suppose. However, in my defense, even though I didn’t mean to call them out, they hadn’t ever come over, either.

Ok, so once in a not-so-stellar parenting moment, when I was very, very pregnant and tired, my family and I were leaving a very long day of church and walking back to the car. My two sons at the time were 4 and 2 and had made it their combined goal to frustrate me in every possible way that day and were continuing to do so as we walked to the car. I had “had it” and I called after them to cut it out. They didn’t. My husband thought he could talk to someone outside the church as I waddled behind trying to corral the kids (he’s normally a very attentive husband and father, but this day, I’m going to have to throw him under the bus and say he was clueless). Anyway, I said something stupid, and weak, and I didn’t mean it, but I’d had it and I said it to them anyway–”Do you want a spanking?!” Yeah, we aren’t even spankers, and if we were that still is a stupid question to ask (uh, duh Mom, no). Anyway, I’ll just blame it on pregnancy. Fast forward about 6 mo. to our last Sunday in that ward. We loved that ward and didn’t want to leave and still miss it sometimes. The speakers that day were an older couple who hadn’t lived in the ward quite a year. It was the first time for them to give a talk in that ward. Nearly all of that sister’s entire talk focused on my poor parenting in that episode with my kids. She didn’t know I was there though. I served in primary then, so I didn’t see much of the adults. When she started her talk, she said “Maybe it was here…no, it must’ve been somewhere else..oh well, anyway, this young mother, you could tell she didn’t have much experience…”. Well, she was right, I didn’t have much mothering experience at that point, but boy, it really hurt to sit through that sacrament meeting. If it hadn’t been our last Sunday, I might’ve even said something to her about it, which would be very outside my character, but it was so painful. It hurts now thinking about it. I’m sure she would die if she knew what she’d done, and I truly do forgive her for it. It was definitely a good lesson for me to learn and I always think about that experience when speaking to others because I would hate to make someone else feel that way.

Anyway, I said something stupid, and weak, and I didn’t mean it, but I’d had it and I said it to them anyway–”Do you want a spanking?!” Yeah, we aren’t even spankers, and if we were that still is a stupid question to ask (uh, duh Mom, no).

But HeidiAnn, by asking “Do you want a spanking?” you’re letting them know they’re crossing the line. You’re in effect warning them, giving them a chance to calm down or cut it out and informing them of what the consequences will be.

It is a catch-22. Keeping it Gospel Doctrine centered leaves out the human element that makes it more interesting. You’ll note that Jesus taught with stories about people. Anyone ever wonder if there was a Levite in the crowds around Jesus with burning cheeks as he listened to the story of the Good Samaritan?

queuno–good sleuthing! I am betting he wrote that wikipedia article himself.

Scott B–at least you have the wisdom to see your fumble and feel badly about it. Your HTers will get over it (and mend their ways?).

DKL–good point. I alway try to criticize people about things I have unassailably mastered.

HeidiAnn–we’ve all had those parenting moments we really hope no one else is witnessing. I am glad the lady thought she was at least talking about someone in a different ward!

Geoff J–I doubt it. I didn’t, and I wonder who there would have felt the right to censure his talk.

PDoE–I always picture the parables as being pure fiction, but maybe not?

“But HeidiAnn, by asking “Do you want a spanking?” you’re letting them know they’re crossing the line. You’re in effect warning them, giving them a chance to calm down or cut it out and informing them of what the consequences will be.”

I have more success with the “Slap first, ask questions later” method. Jack Bauer is my mentor and guide.

Glenn Beck got excommunicated?

annegb,

queuno has already identified (accurately, I believe) the radio personality in question and it isn’t Beck.

#30 You seriously hope for someone to be excommunicated? That’s terrible. I don’t care how much you dislike that person, that’s wrong.

I have never lost faith in the general cluelessness of people. I have also kept the faith that people will always believe that others are never clueless when insulting them.

Life has been much easy when I accepted my own idiotness, and then gave others the same courtesy.

#36 yeah, but we usually know the “famous” members or ex-members (local or national).

#35; wise words indeed…I shall try to implement them in my own life :)