Mormon Expression: Why the Church Cannot Reform...

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_Meadowchik
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Mormon Expression: Why the Church Cannot Reform...

Post by _Meadowchik »

The full episode title is: Why the Church Cannot Reform on the Gay Marriage Issue. Since I am late to the party, as the podcast is no longer in production, I'd like to open it up for discussion here for anyone interested.

Independently, before a hearing, I agreed with John on this. My reasons basically came down to sexism. Mormonism is inherently structured around sexism, men and women respectively having unique relationships to God and each other.

To start, as John describes it, the church cannot go halfway on the issue because it would be a Separate But Equal Situation, undermining the church position even more brutally and directly at church and in church functions and ordinances.

Furthermore, the church cannot go all the way on supporting gay marriage because then it would have to make a gay couple equal to a lesbian couple. Then that means women are equal to men, which would mean priesthood for women.

Yet I am going to hedge, though, on my opinion and agreement. John, or anyone else: all this depends on the church's commitment to a coherent doctrine and practice.

Unfortunately, since the church is more concerned with the conservative, anti-intellectual membership, as these members sustain their loyalties to the church over time, their attachment to coherency will necessarily diminish. They will require themselves to juggle balls and spin plates on sticks to keep believing. Thus, with such cultural and institutional irrationality, the church can be incoherent. It can create any laws and bi-laws it wants.

This is not only a trend foreseeable in Mormonism, but in culture at large. Yes, we have the information age, but we also have paranoia and persecution complexes. People have the ability to tolerate cognitive dissonance when it feels preferable. So the cafeteria logic and reasoning and compassion will not only persist, but worsen.

So, yes, that's more than a hedge, it's outright disagreement. Yet it is contingent on the church's, institution and membership's, commitment to internal consistency. We'll see.
_kairos
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Re: Mormon Expression: Why the Church Cannot Reform...

Post by _kairos »

The RC church doctrine would place sexual activity, hetero-homo. outside marriage as sinful, yet there are hundreds if not thousands of RC faith communities that embrace all persons in a loving way and as participants in their faith journey. as i observe this i see that there is mostly a don't ask kinda sttitude. for example a gay couple is simply not asked, nor judged about their sexual lives-they leave it to the conscience of the involved persons and the lord. many gays in such environments like this sttitude.


in the Mormon church the scrutiny of persons through interviews with the bishop results in judgment ,comdemnation and often excomm or resignation when applied to an active gay person. if the gay person lies about his/her sexual activities then self-hatred in some form accompanies and the gay-chruch relationship will never be healthy imho.

will the church drop interviews-nope, control demands those interviews take place-sad!
Last edited by Guest on Fri Nov 17, 2017 2:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
_kairos
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Re: Mormon Expression: Why the Church Cannot Reform...

Post by _kairos »

duplicate
_kairos
_Emeritus
Posts: 1917
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 12:56 am

Re: Mormon Expression: Why the Church Cannot Reform...

Post by _kairos »

I remember the hincster being asked about apostates-gay or otherwise. hinck simply remarked that the church must act because the numbers of excommed will reallhy be small and thus the church must root out any challenge to its doctrine, theology and AUTHORITY! that he is sending them to hell so to speak cared not the least to the Hincster! Well imho GBH has lots of 'splaining to do in the heavenlies- i believe he got a huge surprise when he passed.
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