MrShorty’s introduction

[MrShorty]

Hello, I go by MrShorty, and I have used this username on several discussion boards around the internet. I’m a life long LDS, served a mission, married in the temple, attend most every week, currently serve in my ward’s music division. For years I have wrestled with various aspects of the church. I would say my faith “crisis” hinges on the question of prophetic falliblity. I often bring up questions about the priesthood and temple ban because, as Scott Woodward once suggested on Stephen Jones’ podcast, it seems to be the best case study.

I’m looking forward to being a productive member of the community.

[gospeltangents2]

I hope we can move you from crisis to journey! 🙂 I’ve got a lot of interviews with Matt Harris, Paul Reeve, and Newell Bringhurst on the priesthood and temple ban.

[BigRoy]

Welcome Mr. Shorty.

I think that doctrinally and historically prophets have been very fallible. Why Then do we seem to suggest that they are above making mistakes in doctrine? I think it is for the practical effect of increasing unity and compliance in a top-down command and control structure. I won’t delve too much into that on your introduction. If you want a more robust discussion, we can start a new thread dedicated to that topic.

I find it interesting that you are part of the music division in your ward. That makes me think that you come from a large ward that they can have a whole music division. Are you from the mountain west or the “mission field?”

My personal hangup is the obedience bring blessings model or prosperity gospel.

BigRoy

[MrShorty]

@gospeltangents2: Yes, you have, and I’ve probably already listened to every one, maybe even listened to one or two of those interviews twice. Very good discussions.

@BigRoy: I’m in Utah, and I would say we have an average sized ward for Utah. I say music “division” because I have served in several of the music callings that most wards would have — primary pianist, sacrament meeting chorister, choir director, choir accompanist. I don’t play the organ well enough to be organist, and I was assigned male at birth, so I expect current policy on attending gender specific classes would preclude me from being called as RS pianist. At some point, I very well might start such a thread and see what this group has to say on the topic.

[BigRoy]

Welcome again to our private island of misfit toys.

I was commenting to my wife the other day that the church can work very well for some people, particularly if they check all or most of the standard boxes.

If you don’t check the boxes then the church organization will strongly encourage you to work harder to check boxes, and this can feel othering to those that do not naturally fit in.

Here, at LDS faith journeys, we all have different boxes left unchecked that make us stand out.

[MrShorty]

If you don’t check the boxes then the church organization will strongly encourage you to work harder to check boxes, and this can feel othering to those that do not naturally fit in.

I sometimes feel like one of the key skills to develop in order to stay in the church is to learn how to not feel othered when the church says that you don’t check all the boxes. Learning how to shrug off those comments and feelings and impressions.

[BigRoy]

That sounds like an amazing skill. I’m not sure that I understand how that would work exactly.

I feel that the LDS church is almost obsessed with measuring one’s box checking. Some boxes, like ministering, are more optional and some others, like tithing, WoW compliance, Law of Chastity, or cisgendered heterosexuality, are treated as more mandatory.

I think that I did ok with it for more than a decade by knowing within myself that God and I are good and that the church leaders do not speak for God. However, that presented it’s own set of problems because there is nothing that the church leaders hate more than doubting their authority. I had to outwardly pretend and project that I accepted their authority while inwardly managing the cognitive dissonance.

Is that what you mean by the key skill?

[MrShorty]

I’m not sure I can articulate all of what I think goes into this. I agree that putting on the right “mask” in most church contexts is one skill that helps. I think another skill is something that I see Chris Kimball say a lot — figuring out how to be in a “peer-peer” relationship with the church and leaders rather than a “parent-child” relationship. Another set of skills is the “cafeteria Mormon” skill set where you figure out how to pick and choose what is important for your journey and discard the “checkboxes” that don’t serve you. And, I’m sure there are more skills that we could enumerate, if we felt so inclined.

[Author]

Posts