The church has the same issue as the medical profession?

I agree with the entire article. Thanks for posting something short, well-written and digestible, and to the point, by the way. Excerpts are even better to encourage readership right in the StayLDS post itself, but this one was a great synopsis of the podcast.

I think that what the medical profession faces is the same as what the church is facing. And what individuals and other organizations face on a regular basis. It’s the human condition, scaled up to organizations everywhere.

We all make mistakes. And when those mistakes have financial implications if you admit them publicly, it’s really hard on the organization’s leaders. How do you right the wrong without killing the organization financially? Is there some forebearance for the organization given the fact they were acting in good faith (literally, with respect to the church), trying to further a larger good (in their own minds).

When I make mistakes, I find the best thing to do is to admit it and say “I take full responsibility for the mistake”. But in my life, the mistakes are not often that far reaching. No one will sue me, and I’m experienced enough in my work that the mistakes aren’t the kind that will cause me to lose my job (so far, let’s keep our fingers crossed).

If the church outright admitted they were wrong, and people start leaving the church in droves, cancelling their tithing payments, etcetera, it would be devastating. So, my question is, how do you right these wrongs without decimating yourself, particularly when there are strong legal and financial implications for admitting you were wrong? One possible solution is to prevent it by making sure you have enough diversity of opinion and debate in decision-making circles. Also, to listen more to the grassroots members before making policies. But that is looking forward, not dealing with eminence mistakes from the past.