Posted by:
derrida
(
)
Date: March 01, 2012 09:37PM
This seems like low-hanging fruit, but I at least haven't seen this issue brought up this way before. And at any rate it really hit me as I listened to Tom's farewell to Mormon Expressions on the Mormon Expression Voices podcast.
1) The LDS church hammers, pounds, into its members' heads the notions of honesty, integrity, truth, virtue, valiance, character--in fact these are basically buzz words in LDS church education documents and culture.
2) The LDS church does not adhere to these virtues itself when it so blatantly dissembles about church history, uses church funds for shopping malls and real estate ventures, punishes "liberal" Mormons who speak candidly about the historical truth claims of the church, deceives* investigators and members, and actively seeks or has sought to diminish people (gays, women, blacks) who do not fit the perfect Mormon citizen model.
3) The LDS church and its more besotted members will shun, isolate, disfellowship, excommunicate, and otherwise punish any member who questions the official church narrative and present or past doctrine or who disaffects from the LDS church.
4) I think the point has been made this way before: The LDS church holds members to a higher standard than it holds itself to. They are called to repent or are punished. The Mormon church refuses to recant or repent of anything. It is perfect, never wrong (despite the historical record of changing doctrine, Temple rituals, etc.).
5) What do you do when your church is a hypocrite, when your church lacks honesty, integrity, virtue, valiance, character? Seems like a most ironic point.
* Whether through omission or commission hardly matters--and I think it's safe to say both apply.