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Ray, I love this thread and it speaks to a question I’ve been grappling with for some time. This may go a bit off topic, and it is late, so I hope I will make sense. Quote:The focus of this post is NOT about that claim necessarily, although I am fine with a discussion of it, but rather it is meant to highlight our tendency to focus on the “cutting edge” – the “speculative” – the “exciting” – the “controversial” – the “interesting” – the “unknowable” over the “simple” – the “mundane” – the “common – the “knowable”. SO many conversations I read around the Bloggernacle could be resolved, imo, if people simply were willing to acknowledge the unknowable, remember and discuss the more easily researchable, and not stake their ego or standing or any other element of their selves on being right – especially in areas where certainty simply is not possible right now.
Where does the adversary fit into these discussions, and more importantly into our personal concerns about the church? This is not to say that I think every intellectual/historical question or doubt is promoted by the adversary, or that we should be so fearful of intellectual exploration that we never delve into these problems, as I am sure my previous posts have proven, I am hardly rank-and-file. But, there has to be a “fine line” (at least for me as I know I’ve edged so close to it) between questioning and seeking “truth” and getting lost in the search. Does anyone have thoughts on this? (Or am I still way too stage 3?
I don’t have a lot of time right now to post, but I did want to briefly comment on the thread from George and MWallace: Once again, we may want to move this discussion to another thread, but I am glad we have been able to share our concerns. I think so much of this (racism; radical affiliations) is due to not being educated (not necessarily in the traditional sense, but informed). So many people in my area listen to radical radio/tv personalities without even questioning or researching the things they promote. Sometimes I think it is easier to “follow the crowd” than to actually have to think for yourself. But maybe if more people begin to address these things within our own families/friends/wards (I’m thinking of hwwkgrrl’s previous post) we can make a difference? Hi all, I did not watch that much of conference this year (I always get so much more out of the printed version), but I did watch the 2nd session on Sunday and felt that Bro.(Elder?) Ringwood’s talk was pretty spot on for me. While I agree that he was a bit repetitive and simplistic, it reminded me that the gospel is fairly simple and that sometimes when I grapple with the weighty subjects and intellectual and social challenges with the church, I end up making it much more complicated than it needs to be. I am thinking of a talk Pres. Eyring gave (maybe at a stake conf?) where he talked about the Lord’s mercy being so much more encompassing than we really understand. For me, these two messages mean that we don’t have to have all the answers, or see all of the problems resolved in order to feel the love of our Savior. Though simple, this was a peaceful reminder that I really needed.
George: your post makes me so sad, and I think points out the problems with racism within the church. I am so sorry you have to deal with this. In my opinion, people don’t realize how hurtful subtle forms of racism (tokenism, exotocism) can be. These problems are certainly not restricted to the church, but I also think the church promoted some pretty weird/harmful doctrine concerning race that though technically has been dismissed, these “traditions” continue to inform the culture of the church. I also think these experiences can be more hurtful for reasons I’ve mentioned in another post. I think the essence of spirituality demands some level of vulnerability, which can make a racist comment even more harmful in the context of the church. I don’t think most people attend worship services, or participate in the membership of church with “their dukes up” so to speak, because we expect a level of fellowship and safety. Hang in there, George. I love this last post. This is one of the most important things that keeps me in the church despite my conflicts. No matter what doubts I have, I can never deny the feeling of peace I experience in the temple, and this has come from just allowing myself to experience the rituals without the internal banter of validity and historical significance (which I have considered when I am outside of the temple). And, not being able to have access to the temple has been my lifeline to church activity-however tentative at this point. Quote:“Social justice is more than empty rhetoric. It requires strong empathetic identification with the underdog a process requiring critical reflection. Getting to this point is a painful process because many deeply held beliefs come under scrutiny. Those who are willing to engage these ideological constructions of the self will emerge as champions of equality…And can be counted on one hand.” -Darron Smith
http://mormonstories.org/?p=81 “Mormon Stories #022, 023, and 024: Black and Mormon-The Darron Smith Story” March 30, 2006.
