For as long as I can remember, my father has served in positions of heavy responsibility in the LDS church. I believe part of the reason he was called to these positions is that he was successful in his career, and higher-ups recognized that his leadership-skills could be well-applied within the church.
The net effect of this was that my mother raised umpteen children pretty much by herself in a constantly stressed and irritable state. I also never really got to know who my father until I grew up to be an adult.
Now that I'm a parent I look back on this situation and feel like it just wasn't right. My siblings used drugs, broke the law of chastity, and some temporarily drifted away from the church (and I had a minor scrape with law enforcement) all while my father was serving in time-consuming callings.
I cringe now when I remember how my mother used to stand up in testimony meetings to say how much the family was blessed as a result of my Father's faithful service.
2007-04-22 02:19:45 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
No doubt some of you will think I'm lying about all the trouble my siblings got into. But God is my witness: I'm not making any of this up.
2007-04-22 02:23:29 · update #1
Sounds to me like your father used his callings as an excuse to not be where he didn't want to be. Because a good bishop knows how to delegate, and knows when to be a father/husband, and when to be a bishop.
2007-04-23 09:15:51 · answer #1 · answered by mormon_4_jesus 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't you believe that your father's success in business was also due to blessings that he received?
Don't you believe that being able to raise umpteen children is a blessing?
As far as the choices that you and your siblings made.. they were still YOUR choices.. it is never easy to stand up to peer pressure or curiosity about things that you have been told are wrong...
I joined the Church at the age of 46.. there were no other members in my family...
Most of my family stopped talking to me, my friends stopped coming to see me or calling or writing...
My family now talks to me regularly, but my old friends are just memories and I have new friends that are struggling to do what is right instead of just doing "what feels good" like my old friends...
And, I feel that I am VERY BLESSED.. I was Married and Sealed in the Salt Lake Temple.. and I have a wonderful family with many problems.
2007-04-22 02:33:56 · answer #2 · answered by ♥Tom♥ 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
But it made you a more thoughtful parent didn't it?
My dad left when I was very young. I always made sure that I was there for my kids. I wanted them to have the best dad that I could be under the circumstances I was operating under.
I often wished that I could do more, but I did what I could.
Later I realized how much my dads absence had taught me.
Love and blessings Don
2007-04-22 02:26:46 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sorry that you had to go through all of that. Not all peoples calling are so time consuming, I know lots of my friends whos Fathers are bishops and whenever I go to their home their Father is home, usually Sunday is his busiest day and he is gone all Sunday but that is about it. Every situation is different. Your Father should have asked for more help from his councillors.
2007-04-22 02:34:31 · answer #4 · answered by divinity2408 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
God wants balance in your life and the church sometimes does not provide for that balance. That is why your father should have put more of his duties upon his councilors and less upon himself I bet if you ask him he truly regrets not being there more for his wife and kids and would do things different if he had it to do over again. He may take the calling but would choose how to do that calling different.
2007-04-22 02:33:57 · answer #5 · answered by saintrose 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Are you sure you want to bring this up now?
Go join some other miserable church.
Go join the Baptists, they can find a situation whereby your life will be miserable, and you can piss and moan over there.
.
2007-04-22 02:25:56 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I feel sorry for you. You cannot blame the church for all your problems though.
2007-04-22 14:09:37 · answer #7 · answered by cclleeoo 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well from reading this I would say Catholics have it right
2007-04-22 02:22:30 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋