Comments on: Elton John in primary

By: obi-wan

obi-wan — Sun, 28 May 2006 02:39:34 +0000

I just heard this song for the first time last night — Kaimi is right on; the first several bars are a complete rip-off of “Can you Feel the Love Tonight.” Not exactly Elton’s best work. Maybe we could have some primary songs that sound more like “Rocket Man” or “Crocodile Rock”?

(And, so sorry, Heather B — if this Primary program were truly inspired, it would surely plagiarize Elvis Costello rather than Elton John. I have to assume the First Presidency handed it off to some mid-level supernumerary who was out of tune. With the Spirit, I mean.)

By: Debbie

Debbie — Sat, 27 May 2006 21:53:41 +0000

Providing entertainment is not what primary is about. Teaching the gospel through word and song and most importantly the spirit is what is needed. I am a primary president and live in SLC and have never felt pressure to spend tons of money on “props”. Use your scriptures, let your children see them in your hands. Relate scripture power song to everyday life, use examples from the scriptures and bear testimony. None of that costs anything. Read Teaching No Greater Call. Sharing time can be interesting and enjoyable without providing props or entertainment.

By: Heather B.

Heather B. — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 05:47:51 +0000

WOW! I have just been called to the Primary Presidency and I came to this site and started reading some of the blogs and I thought for sure that I was either in grade school again or that some people are just afraid of change. If this song, “Scripture Power” was not approved by the First Presidency then it would not be a part of the Primary Program this year. I for one, think it is great! I love to see the excitement in the kids faces when we get ready to sing it. As a presidency, we sing right along with them. You can not teach a child on an adult level….(when I was in RS I wanted to fall asleep sometimes) This song helps the children want to sing and remember their scriptures.

By: Julie M. Smith

Julie M. Smith — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 18:34:07 +0000

lmw,

Maybe you should consider teaching the song without visuals.

By: lmw

lmw — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 17:23:33 +0000

It’s not so much that singing the Children’s Primary Music is bad or anything, it’s just that providing entertainment for 20 or more children can get expensive. I’m currently looking for Free Scripture Power Visual Printouts on the internet. Not because I already know that somethng like this is not provided on the internet but because I’m trying to avoid a $15.00 or possibly $20.00 expense from having to purchase that stuff, and 3 hours worth of my time looking for the stuff in/at a store(s), here in Salt Lake City. I think people put a lot of pressure on an individual holding a calling. Those individuals above them will see that other people are put in that person’s calling because they couldn’t adequately provide an hour’s worth of entertainment which includes a $15.00 or $20.00 purchase every single Sunday, and including a 3 or more hours worth of shopping in stores looking for adequate visuals and books. There’s a primary song with the lyrics, “I always have a happy feeling when I go to church.” Well, for me, sometimes my song is “I always have a scared and inadequate feeling when I go to church.” I put a lot of hours into my calling but cannot find any free printouts. This stuff should be free to use or at least some things provided to make shopping for visuals less of a hassle!

By: annegb

annegb — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 06:56:00 +0000

lol It’s been a good couple days on the blog. Starting at the end of the alphabet.

By: kdw

kdw — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 06:35:08 +0000

Lynda,

You are absolutely right. I shudder to think of the poor non-member whose budding testimony is irrevocably shattered by these complaints about the aesthetic strengths of Scripture Power. Oh, the humanity!

You are absolutely right about obedience, as well. It is clearly not for nothing that the scriptures state in numerous places that we are not to criticize the musicality of Primary songs. Never. It is unthinkable. That law is really, in my book, the third great commandment. Love God; love one’s neighbor; and never, ever, ever, under any circumstances, criticize the melody of a Primary song.

I applaud your courage for calling these shiftless heathens to repentance. (They have clearly forgotten – or more likely, never read in the first place – the scriptural anecdotes of great and abominable wickedness that began with a bit of misguided musical criticism).

It is in moments like this that I reflect on the well-known mantra: All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men not to comment on other people’s blogs when those other people make criticisms of Primary songs that the first people (not the other people) realize is not good, but that the other people don’t realize (or perhaps don’t care) is not good, or perhaps that they like the fact that it is not good, which is also not good, which is why it is a good thing that there are people like you to tell those other people that the stuff that is not good is not good, just in case those other people didn’t realize that it was not good, or perhaps they just needed a good swift kick in the pants, which is normally not a good thing to give someone, but if it’s a someone who is not good, then it may actually be a good thing indeed.

By: Lynda

Lynda — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 03:11:20 +0000

I agree with Amber and Linda! (agreeance has nothing to do with the name). I feel strongly compelled to make a comment. Whinge -murmur murmur. I too am disappointed by many of the comments. I came to the site also looking for helpful information on “Scripture Power” and though some comments were positive in nature, much of what I’ve read is negative. Very disappointing. Negative comments are best kept to oneself or vented in a private or otherwise appropriate forum. Not good if non-members happen to visit here. Whatever happened to willing obedience?

By: Jea

Jea — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 03:44:25 +0000

I’m enjoying primary actually!

By: farah

farah — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 08:31:34 +0000

about scripture power, i’m teaching it to our primary right now & they love it, as do i. however, i TOTALLY heard the ‘circle of life’ similarities too! that is so funny that some other people actally noticed that- and yes, i do know that scripture power is from 1987:)