Just a couple of thoughts…

1. The church seems to have the requirement that asks the membership to conform. Conform to doctrine, beliefs, dress, etc.

2. Don’t ask a lot of questions. If you do, you run the risk of exclusion. Not being accepted, validated & excluded from callings.

What’s interesting to me is these things coexists with the genuine belief that the church is for everyone. There’s the idea that every person on earth needs and should be a part of the church, but we also don’t make many concessions to accommodate all types of people.

We visit the inactive because we know with a surety that they need to be at church but we simultaneously enforce a culture that many find inhospitable.

On this forum, we seem to be a group who have the qualities of:

– Being ourselves above all else.

– We have a tendency to question authority, teachings and doctrine.

– When we can’t or won’t conform, we may find ourselves on the outside looking in or remaining silent.

Chicken and the egg? Do people end up having a faith crisis because they are naturally inquisitive and have a strong sense of self or do those traits start to come to the forefront because of the faith crisis? I think the answer to that question is, “yes.”

We all question authority, teachings, and doctrines, even orthodox members… but we tend to question other group’s authority, teachings and doctrines. Maybe the turning point is when we start to question our own group with the same degree of skepticism that we usually reserve for external groups.

The same could be said about our identities. We conform to the groups we identify with. An orthodox member could say that they are being themselves because they identify with orthodox Mormonism, it’s what they want and have chosen. But what happens when we feel like a stranger in a strange land? Take an orthodox member and put them in a group of Jehovah’s Witnesses each and every Sunday and they will likely remain quiet and feel out of place. Another interesting question would be, why would an orthodox Mormon feel compelled to voluntarily remain in a group where they feel that they do not belong?

2. Don’t ask a lot of questions. If you do, you run the risk of exclusion. Not being accepted, validated & excluded from callings.

The restoration began because of a question, majority of the D&C was received as answers to specific questions. so it odd that even though the restoration is ongoing, specific questioning about doctrine/policies procedures are not sought after with vigor. I do understand that there has to be some conformity and regulation or chaos ensues.

More so then most as a people because of our roots, we should welcome and encourage probing questions and not shy away from difficult questions/answers. This may spur more restoration and revelation not less….how to make this happen in a gentle yet progressive way is the key to excellent discussion/teachers. I wonder if our classes were structured more like the self reliance classes if that would lead to more openness and authenticity?