Interesting Blog on "What does the church offer?"

The way they spell the church COJCOL-DS made me think they were talking about the Community of Christ at first. I then realized they are talking about the LDS church.

He makes a good point — even if it’s not true, there MAY be reasons to stay with it due to the benefits. I personally see these benefits:

1. The church is committed to its youth.

2. It tends to attract good-hearted people.

3. It gives you a ready made worldwide community if you move.

4. You get to serve alongside some talented people if you can get into a Bishopric or Stake Presidency, or sometimes lower levels like Stake leaders.

I won’t go into the negatives right now. I found it hard to create the list above. But let’s ask the question — if it was a fact that church is not true, what other benefits are there to belonging that might make it worth the effort to some?

It is odd – I do have friends and I am a member of various societies but the church is the only community that I am part of. Community has broken down outside the church. I remember it, but it has largely been destroyed by greed, selfishness and mass media.

I meet genuinely pleasant people through the church – it is not all painted on smiles like some people think thanks to our unusual missionary culture. Sure, there are the phoneys and dislikable people but I find in general I meet more pleasant people there – I do not have to watch my back constantly as I do outside the church. I find it much easier to trust church members. We help each other out. It also affords me some of the few opportunities I get to provide service to my fellow people.

There are qualities the church promotes such as honesty, kindness, and love of family which I find positive to some degree. My only misgivings about the latter are that it can be used against homosexuals etc and there are people like me who seem doomed to eternal bachelorhood. But a stable loving family is actually a good thing which is in decline in the west. I also like the fact that our church trains people as speakers and leaders from an early age, something that will remain with them wherever they end up, and that its salvation message applies ultimately to everyone.

The other problem I see is that the community aspect is highly conditional on you full TR status, not saying “no” to anything they want you to do, marital status, sexual orientation….

Well I’ve said no and don’t hold a current TR but still feel part of it. I am not gay but am unmarried.

The other problem I see is that the community aspect is highly conditional on you full TR status, not saying “no” to anything they want you to do, marital status, sexual orientation….

Well I’ve said no and don’t hold a current TR but still feel part of it. I am not gay but am unmarried.

My daughter is struggling, and I’m realizing it’s hard to discuss this community idea. She’ll say, It’s not a community when you don’t feel part of it. Well, true. There doesn’t seem to be anything to say in response, so I just wait to see what the next wave brings.

Mormonism clearly appeals to some people and not to others; it works for some people and not for others.

There it is. Everything laid out in one sentence. :thumbup:

The article raises some interesting points. I think at one time the message that families can be together forever really resonated with people outside the church. That may have accounted for the conversion boom several decades back. Nowadays I feel like eternal families are seen as the rule rather than the exception, it may no longer be as big of a selling point.

What is the church’s new selling point? From my little corner of the world it appears to be exclusive authority and a death grip on the nuclear family. Does that resonate with people in 2017? If those things fail to resonate with the rising generation what might come next?

work/life/church balance.

I like that. I have heard forever about work/life balance at work, but for sure “church” is tied into that also with Mormon life. That is not just how many meetings you go to, but how many other things we do day in and day out (all the prayers, temple worship, service, HT/VT, …).

The people for whom Mormonism “works” are somewhat less likely/motivated to start asking the questions that will lead them out the door, but sometimes they do. Such people are often inclined to construct a more nuanced faith — perhaps pick an alternate definition of “true” — in order to continue in the Mormon community and lifestyle they value.

I can definitely see fruits of the church that make me grateful I was raised in it, but I see these fruits as being available in other faith traditions as well. As I progress in my own faith transition, I realize I’m leaning more and more towards the church isn’t true, at least not in the literal sense I was taught to believe. I don’t feel particularly inclined to develop a nuanced faith or try on a different definition of “true” either. Essentially, I stay for now for the community and some of the fruits, but mostly for social reasons. I believe I could also find these fruits elsewhere.

I’ve heard this said before but don’t know where it comes from. “What’s good in the church is not unique. What’s unique in the church is not good.” And while I don’t completely agree with that sentiment, I do believe it deserves some consideration.