The "New" Mormon Reformation

[BlueK]

Originally Posted by Tex

What is there to complain about?



LOL, yeah ... that Joseph guy is a teeny part of the LDS faith. Who is he again?

I don't know. That's what I'm asking. And as usual, Seattle is out in left field with his comment.

[Archaea]

In fact, I argue, the LDS Church is all about charismatic leadership, starting with Joseph Smith down through Brigham Young to the present day. We are not creed based really, but about charismatic leadership, where God allows those authorized to lead to their best abilities, often making mistakes and inconsistencies.

The administrative move toward more openess is welcome.

[Sleeping in EQ]

Originally Posted by BlueK

Do you think the "mullah" types in the church are disturbed by these developments? I haven't really noticed that much complaining.

Mullahs have a way of going along with things usually in the name of obedience (except when they get too far over the edge and apostatize, like those folks did over Bo Gritz), but they're definitely not happy, and more than a few are feeling some cognitive dissonance. The Church's press release about the PBS documentary is something of a litmus test. Folks who are saying that, "Well, the Church has to say that it liked it for PR reasons" sound pretty sulky and in denial to me, as do the weird fundy denunciations that some have offered in testimony meeting about the documentary, or have sent to the Deseret News or other media outlets, or have (purportedly) sent to PBS.

So yes, they're disturbed.

Average American Mormons, what Mauss would call "the sheep" in a North American context, seem a little bewildered, but many of them have been spurred to ask questions. It is these folks, who are a large chunk of Church goers, who have driven the numbers on the Church's survey that has come back with "We want the Church to level with us about it's history." We are in the beginnings of all of this, but it is with these rank-and-file folks that the cultural shift is most discernible.

Oh yes, and I think the shift is basically healthy.

[Goatnapper'96]

Originally Posted by creekster

I have mullah-ish tendencies (at least as I understand the term) and don't try to hide it. I think it is a lot better to say culural shift than refomation, simply becasue the term reformation includes much that isn't applicable here. I think it is more of a process of accretion, as the cultural impulse to which you refer has always been around, it's just slowly growing as it is a more satisfying approach for more people.

Here's a question I have been wondering about: How much do you think the cold war environemnt influenced the mullah-ish tendecies decried by so many? And I mean much more than just the well-documneted Bircher tendecncies of some of our leaders. I mean the indirect influence of the whole cold war environment which was so pervasive in our national culture in the 50s and 60s and 70s.

I tend to agree with this line of thinking. I don't see these changes as so monumental as the LDS Church reacting to external influences as much as anything else. I think this is more cultural than doctrinal. Certainly nothing being taught is new, perhaps less popular but there is precedence for much of this.

I think that doctrinally and culturally the LDS Church and its members went more conservative in the wake of the cold war and the cultural changes that America went through in the latter half of the 20th century. I really enjoyed SIEQ's thinking out loud that highlighted some of those subtle shifts from a more liberal perspective than mine.

I would view today's shifts in much the same light. However, as techology makes the average joe capable of spending one hour on the internet and finding a great deal of information/disinformation about Church events and various inconsistencies based upon quotes from Church leaders the LDS Church has no choice but to react to those pressures.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by Goatnapper'96

I would view today's shifts in much the same light. However, as techology makes the average joe capable of spending one hour on the internet and finding a great deal of information/disinformation about Church events and various inconsistencies based upon quotes from Church leaders the LDS Church has no choice but to react to those pressures.

Amen to that. As I have said before, I think the internet has fundamentally changed (or is changing) the way the church reacts to these issues.