Mormon Cultural Revolution

[samizdat]

Mormons who go to church are too judgmental?

This is the biggest hypocrisy of the "Millennial Mormon Awakening" farce. They claim they long for a Mormon Church that accepts sinners and point to examples of people who have tats, or use drugs, or drink coffee, or are involved in relations that violate the law of chastity. But damn the people who choose to follow teachings of prophets on these things (even if those people have their own quiet sorrows and struggles). Their ideal church has no place for those who refuse to wear their sins like a badge of honor. But somehow the irony of judging people for judging is lost on the ME generation.

IMO, too many people come to church, or are visited by church people, or move in next to church people, or work with a church person, and when they feel the spirit they are reminded of the choices they have made and they feel convicted by their own conscious. In this moment they have a chance to repent, but the devil does not like that, and so the person is tempted to justify their behavior and reject the spirit. They turn a prompting of Godly Sorrow into feelings of blame and anger. By declaring the church people were too pushy or too judgmental they turn godly sorrow into blame and anger. They are fooled into believing they are the victim of others, when they are only the victim of their own actions and the consequences.

I will say what I said earlier. This revolution is going to happen for better or for worse.

For better in that it will teach people not to focus on the sinful past but on the present state of the members. I cannot help but remember the initial apprehension of the Nephites to give up the land of Jershon to give it to their old enemies who had since converted to the Gospel. Had they given in to the social pressure of not accepting the Lamanites for their past destructive ways, there would have been no stripling warriors and perhaps no Nephite nation after the wars of Captain Moroni and Co.

For worse in that it MIGHT lead to the temptation of people not only loving the sinner but the sin as well, tolerating it in their own midst, and then having it become widespread among them. Israel wanted to be like the nations surrounding it. For that reason it decayed and fell. America is currently in a similar predicament, and to a smaller degree the LDS Church. The more we try to look like the others, the less unique we are. The more we do our own thing, the more we stick out.

[shadow]

The so-called revolution won't happen for a few reasons.

1- The people mentioned in the fictional la-la land story won't come to church. Not because they don't feel welcome like people imply but because they have zero desire to come to church. Why would they? We teach the law of chastity, including Man-Woman = Husband and Wife. We teach our bodies aren't bill-boards. We teach the 10 commandments. We teach the Word of Wisdom. We teach opposing views of what most of these un-named people believe. It's not that most Mormons make them feel uncomfortable (I'm sure there are some instances where LDS are jerks. They're people too) its' that the doctrine makes them uncomfortable.

2- Had they a desire to come to church it would be because of some great come to Jesus moment. If that were the case then they wouldn't come loud and proud trying to prove that women can wear pants, men can wear ear rings and couples can be flamers. It doesn't work that way. If something happens to humble them enough to come to church and put God first, then judgmental members would be humbled by the same event(s).

3- There are people who come to church right now who have tats, who don't obey the WoW and who are gay. They already feel welcome.

[Matchmaker]

The so-called revolution won't happen for a few reasons.

1- The people mentioned in the fictional la-la land story won't come to church. Not because they don't feel welcome like people imply but because they have zero desire to come to church. Why would they? We teach the law of chastity, including Man-Woman = Husband and Wife. We teach our bodies aren't bill-boards. We teach the 10 commandments. We teach the Word of Wisdom. We teach opposing views of what most of these un-named people believe. It's not that most Mormons make them feel uncomfortable (I'm sure there are some instances where LDS are jerks. They're people too) its' that the doctrine makes them uncomfortable.

2- Had they a desire to come to church it would be because of some great come to Jesus moment. If that were the case then they wouldn't come loud and proud trying to prove that women can wear pants, men can wear ear rings and couples can be flamers. It doesn't work that way. If something happens to humble them enough to come to church and put God first, then judgmental members would be humbled by the same event(s).

3- There are people who come to church right now who have tats, who don't obey the WoW and who are gay. They already feel welcome.

I agree with your implication here that in many cases, it is someone's own conscience that condemns (too strong a word, maybe?) a person and not the uncharitable actions of the members in the Ward.

[JohnnyL]

Mormons who go to church are too judgmental?

This is the biggest hypocrisy of the "Millennial Mormon Awakening" farce. They claim they long for a Mormon Church that accepts sinners and point to examples of people who have tats, or use drugs, or drink coffee, or are involved in relations that violate the law of chastity. But damn the people who choose to follow teachings of prophets on these things (even if those people have their own quiet sorrows and struggles). Their ideal church has no place for those who refuse to wear their sins like a badge of honor. But somehow the irony of judging people for judging is lost on the ME generation.

IMO, too many people come to church, or are visited by church people, or move in next to church people, or work with a church person, and when they feel the spirit they are reminded of the choices they have made and they feel convicted by their own conscious. In this moment they have a chance to repent, but the devil does not like that, and so the person is tempted to justify their behavior and reject the spirit. They turn a prompting of Godly Sorrow into feelings of blame and anger. By declaring the church people were too pushy or too judgmental they turn godly sorrow into blame and anger. They are fooled into believing they are the victim of others, when they are only the victim of their own actions and the consequences.

I'd agree, often true. My relative was like this, and many people in the ward are like this.

[RAB]

I think we had a really good balance of this revolution in my last ward. I am sorry that the author has not experienced it. For example, I know of one many who committed to give up smoking, was baptized, but after returned to the vice. He came to church smelling like smoke, but was always loved and well received. He did not, however, advance in the priesthood. The bishop could not advance him until he quit smoking. He has now quit smoking because he saw it was holding him back from progression. There are many other investigators who showed up in street clothes, embarrassed that they were not dressed like the rest. We always just told them it was not big deal and we were just glad they were there. Over time, they changed their mode of dress themselves. We even had a homeless guy that came, smelling of alcohol...and other things. He was always well accepted and he felt it. I guess my point is that we as members do not need to judge anyone for how they are living their lives. It is the bishop that holds the keys of repentance and can decide when and what is needed for members to continue to receive further ordinances. We just need to love and be kind to all who walk through the doors.

[Red]

I'm a dude. I have thicker skin. I've never counted on the church to provide friendships, so I've never been disappointed. But the women in my life want friends who are members of the church. What they discover more often than not is that it's a catty club with cliques. Maybe you don't see it; perhaps you've never felt it. If so, lucky man you! But there is a problem with the culture of the church and it doesn't help to put on blinders and pretend there isn't.

It's often dependent on the local (and stake) unit(s). We've been in some places where it's pretty good, and others where it's not.

Lots of sisters have problems with similar things. From backstabbing/ lying/ manipulating to steal friends, to outcasting, to snubbing, to ignoring, to openly competing and bragging, to negative comments on FB, to cutting comments made to the air, etc. Lots of relatives have run into these problems.

On the other hand, we've been in a place where people with tattoos, jail time, WoW problems, law of chastity problems (in the past and present), married and divorced three times, and more are better accepted and more welcomed at church than my family and I are--reverse situation than the article. I have stood in line in the grocery store right behind and right in front of members who have done their best to ignore me, and done a great job at it. We have gone to activity after activity where we have to talk to people if we want to talk at all, and then only a few will talk to us. We have home taught families that didn't want us there (until it was so evident and non-changing that we stopped). It's so bad service projects I attend are always huge fails. Etc. Luckily my wife doesn't worry much about it, though I'm pretty sure we will be moving next summer, at the latest.

That's really too bad. Is this a ward in the south or Utah?