[Sleeping in EQ]

Originally Posted by Goatnapper'96

I read a bit. It was interesting that he pointed out that when he joined CES out of college, the Church was genuinely interested in legitimate scholarship. However, that changed. My brother in law's younger brother was a Fulbright Scholar at Penn who did his master thesis on the LDS Church getting more conservative. I haven't read his final thesis, but in conversation he indicated that he believed external influences were the biggest variable impacting this shift. He believed that as the acceptable values of society began to shift farther and farther from those of the LDS church the LDS church became more and more basic. He even spent a lot of time researching GC talks from the 1st half of the 20th century and spoke of how they routinely touched on deeper LDS theology, but starting in the 50's things began to get more and more basic.

It is an interesting dichotomy facing the Church. It is going to need its scholars, but it often alienates them. With the growth or the internet and Mitt thrusting us moreso into the public view scrutiny is going to come. This is not just the anti shit we find in "Christian" bookstores. However, the Church seems wary of its own scholars. Just on this venue it seems that no believing LDS Scholar feels as if he or she has any street credential until they have endured some extent of ecclesiastical interference. I certainly sense a divide between the LDS Church and its community of scholars. Does BYU even keep its best scholars? I guess the answer is in certain disciplines it does but in those subjects where legitimate scholarship will lead to those issues the leaders rather not have public, I doubt it.

Interesting times ahead over the next couple of years.

Whereas now the boobs are out, perhaps as the Church recognizes it needs its scholars some of you boobs will be in.

That's very thoughtful, Goat. And quite true.