delete please

For me, it doesn’t inspire me to be less active. I AM active by the regular definition..being here has brought me a whole new and refreshing look at Mormonism that has made it kind of new again. Total realignment of my perspective and prioirites, greater focus on balancing my own needs with those of the church. Perhaps a less idealistic view of what hte church is capable of doing for myself and others, and a more realistic view of what I can accomplish in the church.

Certainly a more deflated view of the lds church than I once held, but a better and deserving one based on my life’s experiences.

I already knew about half the problems when I came here — maybe even more, and have a much more appreciative empathetic view of others as a result of the others I have learned about, such as the plight of peopel who have Same Sex attraction, people with doubts, people who don’t want to serve, and feminists. Also, I see the church as a far more temporal organization than I once did, and it has confirmed twigs of light that crossed my mind during my TBM days — those have expanded into a more clearer vision of what I think the church is all about now.

As Ray commented once, I think that if I ever return to leadership (unless I get blacklisted for the rest of my life for posting here), I think I’ll be a much more compassionate leader who balances the needs of individuals against the sometimes single-minded organization focus I have experienced at many points in my life so far, and even furthered in my previous life in the church.

I agree, BLC, that we try to have more of a balance here between the positive and the negative – since that reflects reality for most of us much more than the constant barrage of negative that occurs when a forum like this functions just as a vent-fest.

We need to admit and acknowledge the negative, but we also need to “keep it real” by admittimg and acknowledging the positive – and accepting the fact that the positive FAR outweighs the negative for lots and lots of members who don’t struggle primarily because of that simple fact.

Accepting a the balance of reality goes a long way toward diminishing unrealistic expectations – and that alone can be a huge plus in life.

I think it depends on what you say here, whether you get blacklisted too. Certainly someone who makes rosy comments all the time will have nothing to worry about. But if you start saying you don’t believe in core doctrines, are openly defiant, or share other things that a local leader might consider apostate, then you run a higher risk of being sanctioned or ostracized or denied opportunities by the local leadership.

One thing that really surprises me is that for a Church which has a pretty strong, codified list of guidelines (CHI), the local Bishops have a very wide span of authority when it comes to making certain decisions, with only a few checks and balances….threat of complaints to the SP, the watchful eye of the Ward High Councilor, and his Bishopric members. But even then, there is a wide range of decisions that are made in private with members that very few people will even know about.

Strange how loose policy becomes in the hand of a Bishop given our culture.