Delayed Thoughts about Time Out For Woman

I'm posting this over a year later. I didn't want to offend anybody.

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Last night I went with some friends to a really weird pocket of latter-day saint culture: "time out for women."

It's basically a cross between a wannabe general conference and EFY with all the fun sucked out of it, but on the same tech platform as RootsTech.

"Are you looking forward to going?" my friend Melanie texted.

"Honestly... Not really. It seems like hours and hours of extra church."

"But you get to clap!"

Hahahahaha

My mom bought us tickets because it was in Des Moines this year, then couldn't go because she was in Brazil for the birth of my nephew. I invited my friend to take her ticket. This friend and I have gone to RootsTech together.

She and I would have both rather spent three hours talking about the massive new ancestry DNA update.

It was very much like spending 3 hours listening to the Mormon Channel (is it still called that? I can't really stand it, so I don't listen to it. It's wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy too cheesy, not academic enough, and it basically just serves to make me feel frustrated and riled up) while sitting on uncomfortable chairs without the benefit of accomplishing mundane tasks like folding laundry or doing dishes. It wasn't as good as General Conference, not by a long shot. General Conference is inspiring and uplifting, and it always feels so good. This felt like a fake version.

The singer was good. He had a great singing voice, similar to Josh Groban. He was a mediocre speaker. But a sing along? That made me feel pretty patronized.

There was also this really negative element of priestcraft. Aka feeling like I was buying a religious experience. I have strong feelings about that being evil. Church should be free.

I'm never again going to this event. Ever.