I joined the Church in 1975. Back then, much of what was going on in the world and believed by the world matched my new LDS views. There were issues regarding the new sexuality that pushed against the Church’s stance on chastity, however. Still, most things were kosher between the world and church.
40 years later, we see huge divisions between the world and Church. The chasm between the two have grown large enough that many believers are being forced off the fence. Continue reading
In light of the updated LDS Church policy regarding same gender unions and children raised by same gender couples, I was struck by what Joseph Smith did in Nauvoo in the case of Parley P. Pratt and Mary Ann Frost [Stearns Pratt].
Parley was a widower, having previously been married to the then-deceased Thankful Halsey, a widow herself when she married Parley. Mary Ann Frost was a widow who had greatly loved her first husband.
In 1843 Hyrum Smith performed a ceremony sealing Parley to Mary Ann. As soon as Joseph learned what Hyrum had done, he annulled the sealing. Continue reading
I did not write the following analogy, but I will happily post it here in the hopes it will reach people who feel Church policies are unjust.
If you are feeling angry and emotional about Church policies, my advice is not to comment at M* because your comments will not be seen by anybody. If you have sincere questions (and are not a troll pretending to ask sincere questions), then hopefully this analogy will help you. If you already understand the role of modern-day prophets, then I believe this analogy will help you explain the Church to others.
“Here’s a simple analogy that most people should be able to understand.
There’s a special concert being performed in a beautiful concert hall. You have several choices as to what you can do.
You can ignore the concert and go and do something else that is more to your liking.
You can enter the concert hall and listen to the beautiful music and enjoy it if you’re willing to pay the price of admission.
If you have prepared yourself sufficiently, you may participate in the orchestra, under the direction of the conductor. You will follow the conductor. You will read the music. You will sit in your assigned section as directed.
You can choose to go and start your own orchestra (or rock band) with any other musicians that you’d like to associate with and have your own concert with your own music.
Here’s what you can’t do.
You can’t stand up in the middle of the performance and ridicule the orchestra and the conductor. If you do, you will be asked to leave the concert hall.
If you’re a member of the orchestra and you play the violin, you cannot go and sit in the percussion section. If you do, you will likely be asked to get back in line or leave the stage.
If you’re a member of the orchestra, you cannot suddenly decide that you want to play the oboe part on your viola. If you do, you will likely be asked to get back in line or leave the stage.
You will have disqualified yourself from participating and you will no longer be part of the orchestra. You can blame the conductor. You can blame the other members of the orchestra and call them “sheeple” because they willingly choose to follow the conductor, play their assigned parts, and be part of the “crowd.”
In any case, those in the orchestra who play the selected music, in their assigned seats, and who follow the conductor’s direction, will be part of a beautiful experience that they would otherwise never experience. Similarly, those audience members who sit and pay attention will enjoy the beautiful music that has been presented to them.”
This is a guest post from Michael Davidson.
Last week, I attended all four days of the World Congress of Families IX, held at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. I’ve been letting the experience sink in and marinate prior to submitting a post on the topic. I didn’t want my post to be knee-jerk, as I was very much in an animated state of mind throughout this week. There was so much to comment on, that I was waiting for one theme or another to rise to the top, because otherwise I would have written a treatise. On the surface, it was energizing for a bunch of Mormons, Hindus, Catholics, Muslims, Evangelicals, Sihks, “mainline” protestants, and others to find common cause on issues related to the family. Continue reading
