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- 03/14/2014 by newnamenephi
Below is a breakdown a typical month in my family (wife & 3 teenagers - and we live close to a ward building):
Number | Miles | Hours |
4 trips to church for Sunday service. Many times we would drive two vehicles because of one of us would have to stay for meetings either after or before. | 24 | 12 |
4 PEC/WC/Welfare meetings | Counted in #1 - 10 | 10 |
1 BYC meeting | 4 | 2 |
1 Fireside | 4 | 2 |
1 Stake youth function-at the stake center | 15 | 3 |
1 Elder's presidency meeting | 4 | 2 |
1 YM Youth presidency meeting | 4 | 2 |
YW Youth presidency meeting | 4 | 2 |
1 Stake YW Adult presidency meeting | 15 | 2 |
4 Wednesday night youth activities (both cars used each time) | 32 | 8 |
4 Tuesday night basketball to reactivate/con non-members | 16 | 8 |
1 Home teaching to 2-5 members for the men | 15 | 4 |
1 Visiting teaching to 2-5 members for the women | 15 | 4 |
1 Monthly service project | 10 | 2 |
1 Scout committee meeting | 4 | 2 |
1 Ward social function | 4 | 3 |
1 Scout off-night function | 4 | 2 |
1 Scout campout | 100 | 12 (if you just say 'working' hours) |
1 Clean the church | 4 | 2 |
1 Splits with missionaries | 15 | 2 |
1 Adult temple trip | 180 | 8 |
20 EARLY MORNING seminary | 160 | 20 |
1 Being home taught for our family | in home | 1 |
1 Wife being visit taught by assigned sisters | in home | 1 |
Magnifying our callings (doing all the support work with lessons, activities, supplies, scouting, planning, counseling YW/YM, etc.) | 20 | |
Month | 683 | 136 |
Year | 8,196 | 1,632 |
8,196 miles @ 13mpg = 630gal @ $4 gallon = $2,520 | 1,632 hours @ $9.10 (Oregon min wage)... = $14,851 | Annual real expenses plus free service.. = $17,371 |
For all this free service and real expenses, I also got to pay another five figures in tithing/fast offerings so I could keep my cult club card!! (temple recommend)
Plus all the extra expense from buying TONS of things for the YW, YM, SS Class, Elders, RS, Scouting, church functions and lessons for which my wife and I never had the local ward reimburse us because it would get taken from their minuscule budgets. All while the big 15 are sitting on billions upon billions!
S-I-C-K-E-N-I-N-G!!!!!
- 12/12/2010 by rambo
I am 28 years old and I left the church 5 months ago around my 28th bday. Lets estimate how much time I wasted on church. Will start from 8 because that is when became an official member and I think church was still kind of fun until I hit 8.
Note: other church things means scripture study, prayer, fasting, hometeaching, callings, temple trips, and whatever else. The ages are up to the end of the year I put. For example 8-11 includes the year 11.
8-11 - 3 hours of church a week, other church things 1 hour a week. hours=4*4*52 = 832
12-14 - 3 hours of church, 4 hours of other things. hours=3*7*52 = 1,092
15-18 - 3 hours of church, 5 hours of seminary, 4 hours of other things. hours=4*12*52 = 2,496
Mission 2 years = 17,520
21-27 - 3 hours of church, 7 hours of other things. hours=7*10*52 = 3640
Total hours 832+1092+2496+17520+3640 = 25,580 hrs
or 1066 days or 2.92 years.
How much time did you spend on church?
- 03/29/2008 by Mason
My thirty years =
Sunday meetings: 30 years = 4,500 hours
Seminary: 4 years = 400 hours
YM: 7 years = 560 hours
Mission: 2 years = 10,950 hours
Talks: 80 talks = 320 hours
YM Leader: many years = 810 hours
Gospel Doctrine Teacher: many years = 675 hours
High Council: several years = 495 hours
Bishop and bishopric: several years = 1,420 hours
Home Teaching: twenty years = 480 hours
Church reading: 30 years @ 1.5 hours per week = 2,340 hours
= 22,930 hours
= NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Put another way: 40 hours per week = 573.25 weeks of work = over 11 years of work. Even at minimum wage, that is a huge payday.
Put another way: Imagine 22,930 more hours for family, friends, self, community, service, hobbies, travel, vacations, coffee shops and the local pub? Not to mention that I could have learned Spanish, started a charity, coached a few youth sports teams, had a part-time job, learned to play the guitar, and done a PhD. And this isn't even hyperbole.
I do not consider all of my church time wasted, many benefits came to me and my family. However, my life is great and things just keep getting better. A realistic cost-benefit analysis produces a STAGGERINGLY low return on investment. At the very least, there are too many better ways to get all the benefits and then some, without the nonsense and baggage.
- 03/29/2008 by ich
With a list of all the things they expected me to do. Between school, homework, after school activities, babysitting my siblings, work, volunteering, seminary, church activities, scripture reading (personal AND family), etc etc etc, my responsibilities averaged out to something like 26 hours per day, excluding sleep.
Their reply? "That's what God expects of everyone your age. You just have to have enough faith!" Guess I didn't have enough faith 'cuz I was constantly getting sick and was perpetually depressed.
- 03/19/2008 by Sister Outtathere
Sunday morning: stuff myself into pantyhose and a modest dress, gather up 22 pounds of primary materials, wrangle family into the car, smile and make nice while pantyhose slowly strangles me, lead music in Sacrament, turn in tithing and fast offering, teach Primary, help out in Nursery, arrange chairs for Relief Society, visit teach, call inactives.
Monday: Pack up kids and leave abusive Priesthood husband after he breaks my nose for the third time.
Next Sunday: Find myself suddenly and without warning "released" from my callings. Get called into the Bishop's office and be accused of being possessed by Satan.
Monday: Spend the day questioning inspiration.
Two years later: Walk out of the church and live happily ever after!!!
- 02/21/2006 by Joshua
The huge time requirements preclude time for much else. When I began adding it all up, I realized how massive the time drain was.
1. All day Sunday because it is the Sabbath and the only things allowed were church related. There goes 14% of a person’s total time for the year right there. If that is viewed as free time for the average person it would be something more akin to 22% (4 hours of free awake time per weekday subtracting commuting, eating, etc. Eight hours a day on the weekend after subtracting shopping, errands, cleaning, etc. = 36 available hours of free time per week. I will compute based on 4-week months rather than 4.33 to factor in putting on the suit and tie, arranging babysitters, extra trips to the gas station, etc.).
2. Family home evening takes care of Monday night. (Down to 32 hours a week available).
3. Home teaching and visiting teaching at least one night a month. If your families need you at different times, this would go up. Then when the spouse HTs or VTs that takes out another night or two. (Averaged over the month minimally down to 31 hours available).
4. Daily scripture study both as a family and individually. (Even if only 15 minutes/day for each down to 27.5 hours a week of free time).
5. Daily journal writing. (15 minutes/day again 25.75)
6. Weekly preparation for lessons or other callings. (Another hour 24.75)
7. Temple attendance at least once a month. Where I lived, that took out an entire day. (Even if only four hours that drops the weekly average to 23.75)
8. Week night activities; scouts, mutual. (Another evening: 19.75)
9. Monthly scout campouts. (A Friday evening and all day Saturday average over the month: (16.75)
10. Then what of the time they expect you to devote to exercise (dressing out, showering etc. another hour shot at least 3 times a week: 13.75)
11. The weeklong scout camp or girls’ camp in the summer. That takes up a significant amount of vacation time.
12. General conference takes two Saturdays a year plus the two Sundays that were a total loss regardless.
13. Running kids to early morning seminary or teaching early morning seminary. Losing an hour of real class time for those in the corridor.
14. The two years lost for a mission when others may be volunteering for real causes during breaks from college.
The average Mormon is likely giving in excess of 50% of their free time to the church. In reality, many members are devoting much more time than this and are actually accruing a sleep deficit because the only thing that can give is sleep. The truth of the matter is, there is no time for Mormons to devote to service for other causes.
The Mormon Church is a leach sucking the members dry financially and temporally to shore up a failing dike of lies.
- 10/30/2005 by browniebutton
When I was raising children several years ago, before the three hour Sunday stretch, The church consumed every single day of the week (early 70's).
Monday was Family Home evening --We didn't have it so we did other things and felt guilty all evening
Tuesday was Relief Society in the morning. This took the entire morning.
Wednesday was mutual (I taught)(now called young women's)
Thursday the children went to Primary.
Friday we were obliged to spend the entire evening at our ward helping with the chocolate project or be to some activity, or scout project or activity
Saturday was either Stake Leadership or we continued on with the chocolate project. Or go out and work on the church farm.
Sunday was church in the morning and church at night.
Once a month, homemaking meeting was an all day affair
There was also Seminary every morning and we always heard how we should be scripture reading every morning.
I also usually had at least two church callings and in-between all that I was supposed to do visiting teaching and have visiting teachers come to my house so they could go back and report that my dishes weren't done or that I was still in my nighty at 3:00 in the afternoon.
It was exhausting. It exhausts me just writing about it.
Anyone else remember the good ole days?
Friday night at stipper bar make eye contact with ward member, but pretend you both didn't see each other. And then again Saturday afternoon in Wyoming (hour drive from Salt Lake City) buying porn (the good kind). But nobody could have recognized us because we were wearing our clever "Gentile" clothing, a high collared sports jacket and a ball cap pulled down low. - 05/08/2005 - from KC
On Halloween, dress up like Satan with red face and horns, then put on a missionary uniform with elder name tag, backpack, and scriptures then go trick-or-treating to everyone in the ward. - 11/18/2004 - anon
Fireside on why the B of M is true even when the facts say it is not! - The bull will fly tonight! - 11/04/2004 - from Stephen
Visit so called faith promoting LDS church sites (more like faith destorying sites). - 06/26/2004- from stephen
Monday: Mail resignation letter to Greg Dodge at Church Membership Department.
Saturday: Ignore attending my scheduled church court since Greg should have recieved my letter by now. - 03/06/2004 - from jlorz
Fireside called " Progamming people for our Lord " and " How to learn - don't ask and never tell" - 03/06/2004 - from stephen
Go to camp and hunt for snipes. 02/27/2004 - from danishgrl
Add to calendar: BYC (Bishops Youth Committee) Held on Sundays to discuss events for youth. Our ward had this meeting at the beginning of the month on Sunday. - 02/01/2004 - from jg
Secret meeting to discuss how we can destroy the "non members" children in public school. - 02/01/2004 - anon
Meeting on Wednesday nights with the Bishop a/k/a bill collector wondering why we were behind on our tithing when we could barely keep clothes on our back and food in our mouths. True story for another time! Thank you for this incredible site.
Inviting sister missionaries in with their jello molds just as you're getting ready to spark a fatty! :) - 02/01/2004 - from ExMO from Zion (Independence, MO)
Friday: Talk to Christian's Drama Teacher about letting him out of all Monday night school play rehearsals.
Tuesday: Attend Christian's play rehearsal and point out all of the immoral portions that need to be cut.
Wednesday: Write letter to Drama Teacher condemning him for not upholding church standards.
Thursday: Pull Christian out of the play and his Drama classes if teacher doesn't acquiesce to my reasonable demands.
Friday: Form a committee to boycott the school play.
Monday: Family Home Evening topic: "Living in the world, not of the world". - 10/24/2003 - from MoInHiding
Go out with my friend and his wife...oops his wives - 07/28/2003 - anon
Saturday nite...spend some time on internet talk to other RM's and share stories about how we masturbated without waking up our companion - 06/24/2003 - anon
For Monday evenings; Since the Temples are closed, wash undergarmies before next endowment; accident during last weeks Veil ceremony when "The Lord" wouldn't let me go to pee. - 06/09/2003 - anon
Crying Repentance - 05/18/2003 - anon
Search the internet for information on gospel topics and come upon websites of bitter ex-mormons who really think that filling their calendar with "mormon" activities and then crossing them off is humorous when it is really a sad reflection on their carnal, self-centered state. - 04/12/2003 - anon
Take my neckties off the bed posts and re-hang in the closet...sleep with hands free to touch anything I want as long as I want and as fast as I want. - 03/28/2003 - anon
Please don't forget to add your fast on the Sat. before . You always want to be starving on you days off.Though we know most LDS women are 40% body fat and could use it. - 10/21/2002 - anon
Prepare talks or lessons that nobody will remember. - 06/02/2002 - anon
Home Teaching
Hosting visits by elders.
Visiting the sick.
Temple visits.
Wasting time talking to other brainwashed people at special events. - 05/25/2002 - anon
02/18/2002 - from Zeus
Have dad drive you, half asleep, to flunk (real class)
Chemistry at 6:00 in the morning so that you can take (joke class) release-time
Seminary, where you only argue with teacher about false doctrine's that he heard
from "a General Authority".
10/18/2001 - anon
missionary splits, at least twice a friggin week?
10/15/2001 - jezzy
yuck - who can forget DAILY early morning seminary every morning at the
wardhouse before high school from 6:30 to 7:30 AM. I can't believe I wasted
all that sleep and got up sooo early for 4 straight years all to hear the
same crap you can hear in Sunday School, mutual, or sacrament meeting!
10/11/2001 - anon
July 24th: Go to Wendover (should be mostly deserted)
08/11/2001 - from Lady from Florida (u-no-hoo)
The 25th: Congratulate yourself on successfully escaping: your 20 year marriage, your 18 year church membership, your first multiple orgasm and your growing bank balance which oddly increased by 10%.
07/19/2001 - Eighty9Accord@aol.com
Go to mormon household where one daughter is dating a non-mormon boy(me) and argue
with him for hours about how it is possible to become gods of their own
planets. (The story of my life)
06/13/2001 - anon
Go to Single Adult dances where there's 100 women for every man (and he's already been married 3 times)
05/08/2001 - anon
Relief Society rally to burn copies of Ed Deckers "The Godmakers"
05/05/2001 - dave.tompsett@sympatico.ca
you don't take any time to wash that sacred underwear
05/02/2001 - onnisgrl2
Make a bigger lacier collar for my Sunday dress.
05/01/2001 - pcolsher@marshall.edu
Splits with the Elders
Splits with the Sisters
Help Ammon prepare sacrament meeting talk on missionary work
Practice being reverant with the two year-old twins
Help younger children write faith promoting letters to their two older brothers and both sets of grandparents who are serving missions
Help children figure their tithing (especially Gadianton, whose birthday was 2 months ago and who still hasn't tithed on his birthday money - maybe we gave him the wrong name)
Write letters to ward members currently serving missions
Fertile period - have sex to provide physical bodies for more sweet spirits
Friday Date with spouse (leave that one in)
Most of you are obviously unhappy and unfulfilled with your new freedoms from "mormonism" that you now can spend hours detailing you past unhappiness with your church activity. If you are so happy doing what you want to do now why do you bother trying to talk bad about and actually calculate what you did for the church. You obviously have a unfulfilled life now. I think you are trying to justify your bad decision to leave. I feel sad for you. - 05/01/2015 - unhappy
Many of the things of the world are very good things, but, not the most important things. My kids have learned and achieved and grown spiritually because of the activities that we do.
I realize it can be overwhelming, but I think a lot of it is optional also. When we feel a pinch on our family's time, we choose to miss an activity or two.
The world today would have you believe otherwise, that sports, mowing your lawn, all of the other activities are more consequential. I don't belive so. - 03/19/2008 - Kristen
Sunday= go to church and teach. after church go with friends and chill at there house and watch movies all night. Home work. drive around. get FOOOOOD
Monday= work,FHE for an hour, go chill with friends and family or do what ever the hell i want.
Tuesday= work and school
Wednesday= Institute for an hour. the beauty of it is... I dont have to go. its optional but i go becasue i like it.
Thursday=work, school friends after wards.
Friday= temple once a month. stay up late, party and other various things.
Saterday= take care of mom and make sure she is ok. Do what ever i want. oh and if i have to teach on sunday, i study this night.
thats pretty much it. simple and alot of free time. Who says you have to be in ward choir. i play guitar and im a dam good singer but i dont sing in my ward choir. Enrichment night here is usually a service project for helping OTHER people. My sister teaches scouts so that the parents of the boys can have some free time together and so that the boys can have fun with other friends. 4 wheeling with shotguns was my favorite activity for scouts. oh so was paintballing while playing CTF. nothing like Utah mountains as your palyground. - 03/19/2008 - LT
Also, for girls, all the time spent completing all of your stupid personal progress goals so that you can get a necklace that tells the boys you're worthy of marriage. Monthly Stake Youth Activities/dances (Super Saturdays). For boys, monthly fast offering collections. For women (and sometimes older girls) monthly Enrichment meetings. Stake Youth Conference, youth conference committee meetings/planning sessions. All the prep for youth conference done outside of planning meetings. Stake Conference. General Conference. CES firesides. Youth (YW) Broadcasts. Priesthood broadcasts. Temple dedications. For youth, temple baptismal trips. Babysitting (without pay) for adults going on temple trips, for women going to enrichment meeting, etc., etc. Time spent preparing lessons....And on, and on, and on. - 02/17/2007 - SkyChild
And the Snows can handle their own move. Even though all those people helped me the 5 times I've moved I see your point. Screw them, it?s Saturday and I should be able to just watch college football.
And Young Men's, boy that was a waste. Spending time with my son as his scoutmaster was such a waste when there was good TV to watch. And how can I live with myself for that time I wasted working with those 6 young men (including my son) who got their Eagle Scout Awards. I could have spent that time playing golf. The world would be a better place if I had a 10 handicap instead.
The only thing that is confusing to me is that since I don?t have any time to do anything other than church stuff, I?ll have to tell the local college that it must not be me volunteering for that weekly entrepreneurship mentoring job. Must be some non-LDS dude that just looks like me.
But I really think you hit gold by identifying the big time killer as Family Home Evening, scripture study and journal writing. Why have I wasted all that time with my wife and kids? Now especially that my kids have grown old enough to move out of the house, I really resent all that time I wasted with them when they were young. To think I could have seen hundreds of Monday Night Football games instead. What was I thinking?
In fact, I can see where you are going with this. I bet you think your family is an even bigger time sink than Church. You probably have dumped them too. That would give you even more time to spend on yourself.
Thanks for opening my eyes. I never realized that being a helpful, compassionate
neighbor, friend, scoutmaster, husband and father was such a waste. But you've
really set me straight. - 12/08/2007 -
just curious - 04/23/2007 - TBM
But, let me get this right, you consider Family Home Evening a burdeon? I for one think any time I get to spend with my family is great. Call it what you want, Family Home Evening, Family Night, Leave Us Alone Night, whatever. It's really kind of childish to actually post Family Home Evening on this site as if it is something the Church "makes" you do. I don't care what religion a family is, this world would be a whole lot better off if families today actually took some time to "be" families. - 03/26/2006 - Whatever
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