Being raised Mormon my entire life, I see where you are coming from.
All of these fringe beliefs are blindsiding most of us too, other than those actually involved with these groups.
Giving the sculpture to your sister-in-law is a head scratcher for me. I do know of some members that are a bit extreme in their practices though.
I have seen those that have an unhealthy view where they view it through the myopic view that if you are not an "active" LDS member, that they want nothing to do with you. Not a very christian way to be, but people come in all flavors.
There also seems to be a natural hierarchy for many members, which may help explain some of this. Any male member can be called as a: High Council,Bishop, Mission President, Stake or Branch Presidents, Temple Presidents, Quorom of the Seventy, the Twelve Apostles, First Presidency and the Prophet. There are other important positions too, I've just highlighted some here.
To be called to these positions, is supposed to be a matter of Prayer and fasting in theory. In practice though, from an outside view (MOO), I've observed the following:
- Active members that attend all church meetings (3 hour block, recently changed to 2 hr block).
- All of these positions are held by those with active Temple recommends.
- Typically, these men have all served full-time honorable missions.
- These positions are held by men that are in a happy, healthy marriage. I've yet to see a man that is divorced or single hold these positions.
- At least State side it seems that many of these positions are filled by people that are in white collar jobs.It is rare to have a farmer called to be a Bishop or Stake President (both local callings), although there are a lot of farmers here in Idaho.
- There seems to be certain sins that will keep you from receiving certain positions in the church. Part of this is because certain sins keep you from having a Temple recommend. Although, there are certain past sins that would also keep you out of very high callings in the church. - MOO
- Those that get called to the Quorom of the 70's are typically very successful in there chosen careeers (Again made up of White collar workers). The majority of them hold Masters Degrees or equivalent (PhD, Doctorates, etc.).
- When one of the twelve apostles are replaced, they are called from among those in the Quorom of the 70's. When the Prophet passes away, the first counselor becomes the new prophet. At this point it is based on seniority.
There seems to be an unspoken atmosphere that if you aren't getting higher callings over time, you must not be living right. There are many that actively pursue to follow this natural progression in the Church.
I find the trends disturbing, even if this may not be intentional, and is largely influenced by the culture we live in. Many of these men that I have met are very humble and do their best.
There are those that I have met though, that are very prideful, and boastful. They do this to gain glory from the world, and these are the ones that concern me. I think that would describe Chad. He was on this path, and from what we can see he seems to be very prideful and boastful.
Being married to men in these positions, elevates your position among certain members. Their wives are typically looked up to, and are seen, as an authority figure. Their poor children, are looked up to as role models for their peers.
I can see, with the wrong attitude, how dangerous this attitude can be, Especially when you introduce all of these crazy fringe beliefs to someone who already has a big ego. It's like pouring gasoline on dynamite and lighting a match. Boom!
I am painting a picture with a broad brush, so others personal experiences could certainly be different from my own. I thought that this may be helpful to have some insight into some of the dynamics that may have influenced what we are now seeing.
Hope this helps with CD and LVD, and gives some valuable insight.
MOO