Mar
2
2010
Poor Wayfaring Man
Here is another example of LDS Church leaders retiring unwanted doctrine by playing with the concepts of “policy” and “doctrine” in order to avoid violating LDS stare decisis.
Despite early acceptance of black men into the LDS priesthood, the Church, beginning with Brigham Young in at least 1852 (and possibly earlier, with Joseph Smith), taught for more than 100 years that black people bore the Mark of Cain, which labeled them as a cursed and disfavored people in the eyes of God, and unable, therefore, to be part of the LDS priesthood. Continue reading
2 comments | tags: Brigham Young, Curse of Ham, David O. McKay, general authorities, General Conference, Gordon B. Hinckley, Jeffrey R. Holland, Joseph Smith, LDS Church Policy, LDS legalism, LDS morals and ethics, Mark of Cain, Mormon Doctrine, Mormon History, PBS documentary, policy vs. doctrine, Priesthood, priesthood authority, prophets, racism, Sterling McMurrin, Wilford Woodruff | posted in List Item 01, List Item 03, List Item 07, List Item 11, List Item 12, List Item 13, List Item 16, List Item 18, List Item 19, List Item 21, List Item 22, List Item 23, Mormon Culture, Mormon Doctrine
Mar
1
2010
Poor Wayfaring Man
Here is an example of LDS Church leaders retiring unwanted doctrine by playing with the concepts of “policy” and “doctrine”, and then making overtures of respect to the originators of that doctrine, in order to avoid violating LDS stare decisis.
In the nineteenth century, leaders of the Church taught that the practice of polygamy was an inextricable doctrine of Mormonism, and the only way to reach the highest levels of heaven. Continue reading
3 comments | tags: Authority, Brigham Young, doublespeak, Gordon B. Hinckley, Heber C. Kimball, John Taylor, Joseph F. Smith, Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, Larry King, LDS Church Policy, LDS legalism, Mormon Doctrine, Mormon History, policy vs. doctrine, polygamy, priesthood authority, prophets, spin, stare decisis | posted in List Item 07, List Item 11, List Item 13, List Item 19, List Item 21, List Item 23, List Item 24, Mormon Culture, Mormon Doctrine
Feb
18
2010
Poor Wayfaring Man
Here is another post inspired, in part, by a reader’s comment. Deep Throat in the Deep South, in a comment rich with interesting Mormon cultural material, wrote the following:
Every blessing we have is predicated upon a law. You break the law, the blessing is gone.
There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. (D&C 130: 20-21)
One must be intelligent not to confuse administrative actions with the Gospel of Jesus Christ (i.e. truth) in its purest mode. There is a different between administration of earthly issues, the Truth of the Gospel, and, and what I call the “Doctrine of the Culture,” that some people cling to instead of the doctrine.
As a Mormon, I struggled with the legalistic LDS belief that all blessings a person receives from God are actually dependent upon his or her obedience to a specific Law (or body of Laws) of Heaven. The reason I struggled is that I could never pin down exactly what the Law was, despite the fact that I was desperate to follow it. (That seems to be a common theme in the LDS Church.) Continue reading
no comments | tags: Apostasy, Book of Mormon historicity, Boyd K. Packer, Brigham Young, doctrine & covenants, general authorities, Gordon B. Hinckley, heresy, LDS apologetics, LDS legalism, LDS spirituality, Leaving the Church, Mormon Doctrine, Mormon fundamentalism, Mormon History, obedience, polygamy, priesthood ordinances, prophets, skepticism, testimony, Truth | posted in List Item 01, List Item 19, List Item 20, List Item 23, Mormon Culture, Mormon Doctrine, Mormon Stories
Nov
12
2009
Poor Wayfaring Man
My mom and dad married in the Salt Lake Temple at the ages of 18 and 19, respectively. They were civilly divorced when I was still a little kid.
By “civilly divorced”, I don’t mean to say that the divorce process was completed in a civil manner, without petty bickering (though I believe that is true). I mean they were legally divorced. Free, in the eyes of the state, to remarry and move on with their lives.
This is an important point, because their divorce was not fully recognized by the LDS Church. Continue reading
3 comments | tags: Catholicism, divorce, general authorities, Gordon B. Hinckley, Larry King, LDS morals and ethics, local authorities, Marriage, Mormon Doctrine, Mormon fundamentalism, polygamy, separation of church and state | posted in List Item 03, List Item 13, List Item 16, List Item 17, List Item 19, Mormon Doctrine, Mormon Stories
Oct
15
2009
Poor Wayfaring Man
When I was a BYU student, one of my professors was a fundamentalist-leaning member of the LDS Church. He took very seriously everything that LDS prophets have taught, from the beginning of the movement to the present. And LDS prophets have taught a lot, particularly in the beginning. Back then, they were real micromanagers, with an opinion on everything, and the expectation that their directions would be obeyed as the Word of God to His People (see e.g., this 1877 sermon, which is full of prophetic advice on domestic matters, including how to properly bake bread and feed children).
Continue reading
no comments | tags: Brigham Young, doctrine & covenants, FLDS Church, Gordon B. Hinckley, Larry King, LDS PR, Mormon fundamentalism, polygamy, prophets, revelation | posted in List Item 01, List Item 07, List Item 11, List Item 23, List Item 24, Mormon Culture, Mormon Doctrine, Mormon Stories