Which Branch of the Faith Can Keep Up With Change


I took the time to read a long article by a young man who is both a writer in the secular press and a devout Mormon. He reviewed his time on the street being a "missionary" and the ever present pressure of the church hierarchy to adapt to social change. I had never quite grasp the interior workings of the Mormon church. Even after reading his article I still don't understand the mindset of a devout Mormon. Of course, I don't understand why anyone believes the tenets of any religion anywhere.

The link author obtained an interview with the current "prophet" of the Mormon church, a retired surgeon well into his 90's. The prophet keeps a note book beside his bed and when ideas pop into his head he writes them down. Later some may become the word from God. 

A lot of the interview sounded like I was reading from the Catholic Encyclopedia or hearing a devout Catholic maneuver his/her way out of the faith's inconsistencies. I can't tell how many times I've heard how much Catholic men love the women of their church. All the while they hold onto restrictions about women's rights or women's right to hold high positions like being clergy. 

The link author asked the Prophet how the church responds to gay people who leave because the Mormon faith does not love them. "Oh," the prophet said, "All of God's children are loved." 

The author then pressed his Prophet as to when the church might lift its prohibition on blessing gay marriages. The Prophet said it would never be possible to go against "God's laws." The slip sliding of the Prophet was exactly like that of those expressing Catholic dogma against women. As someone once said, the ability of the human mind to hold two contradicting views at the same time is almost infinite. 

The prophet explained it is necessary for many people in the denomination to review what God means to be saying at any time. Times change and it is sometimes necessary to rethink the message God is passing along. The link author, a Mormon, tells us that adopting to current times is what make the Mormon faith a truly American faith. 

We are a country, he explains, that adapts well to the world's changes. Other denominations are not quite as American.

Comments

  1. tsmDecember 19, 2020 at 5:51 PM

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  2. Jon LindgrenDecember 19, 2020 at 6:27 PM

    tsm "dead ...with the stream. living...against the stream"

    Well, Mormons float downstream with the culture. Orthdox Christians float downstream with current interpretations in the faith. "The faith never changes" is downstream.

    ReplyDelete
  3. tsmDecember 20, 2020 at 2:56 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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