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The new and updated version of the “How to Stay” article is now available: http://www.staylds.com/?page_id=29 I’d love to get feedback and thoughts. The PDF version is the best right now. I am not completely done with the plain HTML version. What’s there is a place holder, a straight export into HTML from Word, which makes it ugly and uses all kinds of funky microsoft-specific coding that I don’t like.
Main updates:
-Changed the order of the material and regrouped into three main sections/concepts.
-Major revision of the language, style and grammar (consistent formatting)
-Updated material inserted
-Clarifications on how should use the ideas and how (added disclaimers)
-Clarifications on who is maintaining the project now
HTML version is up now too. I spent some time making it look pretty much like the printed version. I still need to go back and add a lot of link coding for the table of contents, and also the links to various documents the article quotes. Brian, I read through it carefully. I am one of those who had placed copies of the original version on several Bishop’s desks. After a year though, not so much. I became concerned that It was offering false hope and perhaps creating more cognitive dissonance. I am therefore happy to see these changes introduced. There are still many members who need to leave the church and never look back. We must offer strong affirmations of good will & safe voyage to them. Probably most of our gay and lesbian members fall into that category, certainly the ones who are active in gay relationships.
I noted the change in title. I think I liked “How to stay in the LDS church” better. By using the formal name of the church (a trademark of the Corporation of the President), we agree with the church stance that the church name must never be shortened. I personally use “Mormon church” in explaining to those who ask about my spiritual quest, i.e., “cultural Mormon, a friend of the LDS church.”
Part of the new material was additional clarification in the “Forward” about who the article is written to, how it should be used, and with more explicit wording about using this if it helps you, but people are not failures if they can’t make the middle-way work. I agree with you George about our gay brothers and sisters. Theirs is probably the hardest of all situations to mold into a middle-way form of Mormonism in the LDS Church. I have hope for the future, but it is going to be really tough. On the other hand, the more that are willing to make the sacrifice and effort to take a stand and stay and make it work, the more likely it is that changes will happen in a positive way (whatever that ends up being). I would love to see the church find better ways of incorporating and integrating diversity better into the social and religious culture, all the people on the edges of the current Mormon culture (and different, non-Utah cultures).
Good stuff Brian, but… “What Happened to You”
What about people who become inactive over time, and fall away for no specific reason? There are plenty of them. It doesn’t always happen through sin, as you know.
Some also leave as part of growing up, but later feel they want to return.
Maybe this comes under “not feeling inspired”.
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