Uplifting Spiritual Experience Thieves

We have a couple, let's just say they are in our Stake, who love to "recycle" stories from the Ensign 40 years ago. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who don't realize that these people do that. As a result they are often regarded as "spiritual giants". I view them as a plagiarists, and...let's just say it, liars. Over the years my family has engaged in a little game we like to play whenever one of these people is speaking at a church meeting, it's called "name the Ensign they stole that story from", there are extra points if you can name the General Authority as well. Anyway, my family (because we never forget anything) can name literally dozens of examples of this behaviour.

What absolutely amazes us is the number of people who believe that this one couple has had all these wonderful, poignant, life changing experiences. They manage to make every one of them sound so personal. I wonder sometimes, if they take turns telling the stories to each other in order to get all the voice inflections and emotional turning points sounding just right. Maybe they practice in front of a mirror, in order to get all the facial expressions perfected.

Additionally, this couple also has a lot of people believing that they have personal relationships with some of the General Authorities, and are special consultants on many church programs. Well, that all sounds so special...except that when you have known these particular people for many years, you begin to pick up on a couple of the idiosyncrasies. You remember the failed businesses, which years later, they claim were such successes. You remember their children and how that story isn't quite how you remember it. You remember that all those stories simply don't add up.

One of the problems with living in the ward or stake that you grew up in, is that you know way to much about all of the other people who grew up here. But, the reverse is also true, I'm sure they know way to much about me. That's ok, I won't deny my mistakes of childhood, teenage years, or even college years. That's part of life. But stealing life changing, spiritually uplifting stories from others...pretty sure there is someone keeping track of that, not just the Whiting clan.