The Legacy of Thomas S Monson

SD, great topic, I’m glad you brought this up.

I’ll give three thoughts below about his legacy, but want to address this first:

We did see a retrenchment in excommunication of contrarian leaders

You termed them “contrarian leaders”. I don’t see how the church could do anything other than excommunicate people who are seen by others as “contrarian leaders”. Just sayin’.

Legacy:

– While the Church strengthened its message being very clear that it was opposed to same sex marriage as a matter of doctrine, to the point of declaring those who participate in it to be apostates, the Church at the same time tried very hard to separate that issue from the individual. There has been a clear movement toward acceptance of homosexual individuals as long as they stay celibate. I’m not saying I love the distinction, but at least in that sense, it is better than before, which was essentially to ignore the individual and treat homosexuality as a sinful choice. During TSM’s time, mormonandgay.org was started, for example, to try to educate members to be more accepting, though I don’t think the message is quite as clear as it could be.

– The Church definitely has reached a level of (partial) maturity in addressing historical concerns under TSM. We here don’t usually agree with the Church’s assessment of the history, but at least the Church is much more open about the oddities. This is somewhat of an arc that began toward the end of GBH’s tenure (but while TSM was 1st Councillor).

– Finally, I think that TSM’s main legacy is a voice of outward-facing love. I think this is exemplified in his recent talk in GC, the talk where he looked like he might not make it to the end, and we were all holding our breath. To me, it is a very characteristic message from TSM:

It is often difficult to be different and to stand alone in a crowd. It is natural to fear what others might think or say. Comforting are the words of the psalm: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” As we make Christ the center of our lives, our fears will be replaced by the courage of our convictions.

Life is perfect for none of us, and at times the challenges and difficulties we face may become overwhelming, causing our light to dim. However, with help from our Heavenly Father, coupled with support from others, we can regain that light which will illuminate our own path once again and provide the light others may need.

To illustrate, I share with you the touching words of a favorite poem I first read many years ago:

I met a stranger in the night

And lighted mine!

My brothers and sisters, our opportunities to shine surround us each day, in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. As we follow the example of the Savior, ours will be the opportunity to be a light in the lives of others, whether they be our own family members and friends, our co-workers, mere acquaintances, or total strangers.

To each of you, I say that you are a son or daughter of our Heavenly Father. You have come from His presence to live on this earth for a season, to reflect the Savior’s love and teachings, and to bravely let your light shine for all to see. When that season on earth has ended, if you have done your part, yours will be the glorious blessing of returning to live with Him forever.

How reassuring are the Savior’s words: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Of Him I testify. He is our Savior and Redeemer, our Advocate with the Father. He is our Exemplar and our strength. He is “the light which shineth in darkness.” That each of us within the sound of my voice may pledge to follow Him, thus becoming a shining light to the world, is my prayer in His holy name, even Jesus Christ the Lord, amen.

Nuance is difficult for many people to understand and accept, as is incremental change.

I agree that his legacy is (or should be) service, love, and incremental change in controversial areas.

You could add that they also took strides toward more inclusion of women with the a) the elevation of Ward council as the decision-making body b) alternating General Priesthood Meeting and General Relief Society (assuming that happened, I got that from a source that hasn’t always been reliable) c) lowering the mission age for women (although you could argue that was to fuel missionary work as much as a gesture of inclusion). There are other examples I probably haven’t listed here. I know these steps aren’t enough for many people, but they represent small steps in ways that respond to the prevailing winds of society.

Yeah, you’re right about the missionary changes. Not only the age changes, but the introduction of leadership roles for sister missionaries.

I also could note that yesterday in SM, both prayers were by women. Two talks where by women. The only guy who spoke was a youth speaker. I talked to the Councillor in charge of the meeting afterward and pointed it out. He hadn’t even noticed until I brought it up. The tone is improved, even if incrementally and not enough for some.