Since I am a woman I don’t care about the division between the younger and older men.
My beef is that I think the meeting should be made public. Nothing being said to the men is stuff the women shouldn’t hear.
Not that I am at all interested in going to the church, eating junk food, talking sports and hunting and then watching Priesthood session with the men. I would like to be able to watch it on the internet at home so when my husband came back from church I could hit him up on how he is going to be a better husband, father and magnify his Priesthood responsibilities like the Brethren have just said.
Now that I think about, that is probably why they don’t want women there.

I would like to be able to watch it on the internet at home so when my husband came back from church I could hit him up on how he is going to be a better husband, father and magnify his Priesthood responsibilities like the Brethren have just said.

While it’s true that the most effective nagging takes place immediately following the priesthood session, videos of priesthood sessions are available from October 2008 (and print archives back to 1974) on lds.org for slightly less efficacious (though arguably dramatically more annoying) forms of retrospective nagging.

living in zion,

Where do you live that priesthood bearers of the Lord Jesus Christ would participate in hunting against all the statements by prophets and apostles that such a sport is an abomination to the Lord?

ESO–my last EQ’s budget was $50. For the year. I guess we could have done it entirely potluck (meat and all), but otherwise we just didn’t have the funds. RS on the other hand–in my experience, the women get a lot more money for their budget than the men do, perhaps to make up for receiving considerably less as YW.

I’ve often wondered about the seeming secrecy of the priesthood session because when I read what actually occurred, it just seems like one more boring meeting. Bill’s terrible–he never goes to those meetings. AND he doesn’t read the Ensign, either. He hasn’t missed that much.

I’m GLAD we only have one meeting a year! I HATE meetings. I hate being talked to by speakers—and two hours??? I’ve never read anything all that great from those meetings either. I just think how much time it would save all of us to print the talks in the Ensign and have them do a checklist or something to make sure they get read.

When Bill was in the high council and bishopric, he attended the meetings. I think it made him feel special. Still don’t care.

I do care that ONCE AGAIN a man opened the meeting in prayer in my ward. Actually, it was the counselor in the bishopric who heavy handed us about the FOS. I thought it was a big middle finger to me until Bill said the guy who was supposed to pray didn’t show up, so the counselor just gave the prayer. Bill said, “EVERYTHING isn’t about you.”

Capitals added on purpose. Say those words louder in your head.

In the areas I’ve lived they usually do a huge BBQ before Priesthood Session, I think they have found more people come to the meeting as a result.

We currently live in an area that does some sort of dinner/appetizer for both the RS and the Priesthood before their general meetings.

I’m not sure how I feel about creating more meetings for people to go to. While I understand the logic, it just seems like another thing to need to go to. Plus, for the youth that can’t drive that requires parents to cart them off to yet another meeting or activity.

#5 – The guy who instituted the “Kill it and Bring it” supper before priesthood session was our Bishop. He saved up all year to serve possum, deer, snake, skunk, etc. His wife loved the event, it cleared out their freezer from a whole bunch of meat she had no intention of ever eating. He also regularly bore testimony of the spiritual nature of the hunt, and missed at least two weeks of church at the opening of hunting season. Sanctioned by the Stake Pres., it was a condition of his accepting the call.

#9 – I am in the same boat. I suffered through the men open/ women close prayer thing in my last ward. I got my hands on the new church handbook and pointed out in the book how wrong the practice is. Unfortunately, we moved shortly thereafter so I didn’t get to see that change. My new ward (in a different state, but still mid-west) does the SAME THING!!! Now I’m stuck because I don’t have the member cred to demand change for at least a year. I graciously accepted a calling that puts me in working proximity of the Bishopric in the hopes I can create enough friendship I can influence them to make this change. My husband thinks the whole thing is ridiculous. On Sunday we were asked if one of us would give the closing prayer for Sunday School class. Before he could reply I piped up, “Brother Young would love to!” and then I whispered to him, ” It would be good to set an example that it is possible for a man to deliver the closing prayer.” If he could have, I definitely think he would have pinched me. It really is all about me. Sorry.

“[Isaac] ‘Hale was a mighty hunter,’ wrote Rev. George Peck, a Methodist Episcopal minister who frequently visited the Hales because they were of like religious persuasion. ‘In fact, [Hale] … fixed his home in this new region for the purpose of pursuing game. … He slaughtered about 100 deer annually, most of which he sent to the Philadelphia market. He often killed bears and elks, as well as a great variety of smaller game, of the flesh of which I often partook at his table.’” (Ensign, Feb. 2001)

When they read this, many Mormon hunters had deep feelings about being born a couple centuries too late. It left me with additional admiration that Joseph Smith eloped with the man’s daughter.

I’m of the opinion the RS and YW could do much better with integrating like the Aaronic and Melk. Priesthood, so rather than change the Priesthood session, I think the YW/RS should be combined twice a year. As you point out, not only are the YW leaders RS members, but they are doing the more valuable service if training up the next generation or RS leaders.

amen, chris! I think combining the women for broadcasts, like the men, would help the YW transition more easily to RS eventually, seeing it as the obvious path instead of this disjointed new thing.

#20 FTW
Love that idea.

If it were available via the internet I would be much more satisfied. Even if we were encouraged to come to the church building and watch it, It would still take 30 minute less time than going all the way to the stake center.

There is no way on God’s green earth I’m going to meet with YW every week. I would leave the church before I accepted a calling in YW. RS is already hard enough.

I think I misunderstood. Anyway, I vote for less meetings. Much less.

26 – E,
And I think that is the problem…. RS and YW are seen as “different stages of life” rather than being on an continuum of progression. One viewpoint connotes and heavily emphasizes “different” and the other emphasizes a linkage through progression. Nevermind the fact that within the relief society itself you could make the exact same point that the sisters are all at different stages of life (or even testimony).

If we want to zero in on differences, we can see a world of differences between an aging high priest, stuck-in-a-rut elder, recently RM elder, a priest who just got his drivers license, and a 12 year old deacon. And yet, there is a unity created and it’s not just through the construct of the priesthood, but how “the priesthood” is actually treated.

The YW, are future RS sisters. Particularly, with Pres. Becks emphasis on speaking to her grand-daughters, and her overall emphasis in her ministry on catching the vision of what RS is (should be), I think it makes perfect sense to have the YW more tightly integrated. I definitely see your point E, that they are certainly at a different stage in life, but a talk given about subject X, can apply to on individual now, can enlighten the mind and provide insight to a sister who has already experienced X a decade ago, and can act as a forerunner preparing the way for what a YW will be experiencing in the future.

All that being said, the RS and YW organizations are definitely inspired, and if it’s God’s will then this change could be coming in the future. However, I’m equally comfortable with the fact that perhaps I’m just projecting my desires and mindset about the current priesthood organization onto the YW and RS. Maybe we’ll see the opposite and have separate meetings for the two priesthoods. You can tell I certainly have a preference though…

you should probably stop thinking about it.

MCQ – if you have something to add or wish to disagree it would be nice if you did so in a way that was more expressive rather than dismissive.

#34 – That is plain funny and I will use that again and again. Thanks for restoring my faith in the practical nature of the Priesthood rules.

Chris, there are no outsiders in our discussions. Anybody’s opinion can have validity. We’re an I’m okay–you’re okay crew here.

As the father of a YW, I can tell you most YW hate the thought of RS: The prevailing attitude amongst my daughter and her peers is that RS is where dreams go go die. Probably good they have separate broadcasts.

queuno–women are indeed encouraged to gather to watch, but the broadcast is available streaming on-line and on TV live, just like the general sessions of GC. Not like the PH session.

My complaint is with the announcements made during that session. Are 50+% of members not good enough to hear those announcements?