When my parents joined the Mormon Church in 1966, it seemed a fairly reasonable organisation. David O. McKay was president. The impression we got of him (at a distance, we never met him) seemed to be that of a reasonable, caring man.
After his death, things started to worsen. It became more restrictive, harsher, less caring, less feeling. There was less Christianity in it. Or was this always how it had been? Was I, as I grew older, noticing what I had failed to notice as a child?
The welfare programme in Britain came and then went. The Mormon church began the welfare programme in Britain right before a slump and as they realised it was costing more than they'd expected, they callously shut the programme down without warning, throwing faithful members onto the dole or Social Security.
They also introduced LDS social services. This consisted of one qualified nurse and a psychiatrist. Yes, ONE one and ONE psychiatrist for the whole of Britain and Ireland. Members with mental health issues were told that there was a five year waiting list to see him. The whole thing was, in my opinion, nothing but a PR exercise.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Yes, I was in the Mormon Church when David O'McKay was president... and I was living in Utah. And it was different... I think you are right that there was a big change in compassion. There was also a big shift towards tithing and fast offerings. We were hungry a lot... but my parents always always paid the money.
Post a Comment