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Surely we are not the first generation to question and doubt. A conversation with a dear friend kindled this thought – before the advent of the internet and of being able to express ourselves in forums such as this, what happened to those in the past who questioned and doubted? Without this I would likely not be a member or worse. I turn here for peace and support and nonjudgmentalism and Christian love among other things. Without this forum I wandered aimlessly for years, and I can’t imagine having to have to endure that longer than I did. There was and is no one in my immediate surrounding in which I can confide the way I confide here. I mourn for those who came before, their lives at times must have seemed unbearable. What did they do? How did they survive and cope? Maybe they were reincarnated into the current set of doubters. I doubt it. 
I believe I have an Uncle-in-law from a previous era. I was very young and don’t know many details, but I remember that he was in the family and then there was a divorce, and my aunt moved to Utah with all the kids and restarted. I suspect, based on conversations that he was a Sunstone/Dialogue subsriber, eventually everything wore out. He couldn’t be traditional again. Ironically, I believe my Aunt hoped to move to Utah and remarry some GA or Mission Pres. type. It never happened. He on the other hand did marry and I believe returned to some church affiliation because his step-daughter was part of my circle of friends. In the long run, I think most did what most are doing today, leaving. The church has never made room for them. Even the biggies had to restructure, accept demotion and be pretty distant. Eugene England was once a leader, by the end though only a leader to the struggling and disaffected. Leonard Arrington, Lowell Bennion, Armand Mauss all found ways to stay but at a cost.
Yes, we are lucky to have this. Like you I think of the others a lot. I ache for them, for us, for how far we have not come.
The world has really shrunk for us, it is probably hard for us to imagine prior generations that had the village mentality, and all information came from that. Even the radio and then the TV provided a few channels for filtered and controlled information. People had less to wonder about, as they farmed to stay alive, and depended on their community to thrive. There have always been splinter groups for the LDS church. More than we know of because it is not discussed in our church history. But there were from the beginning. I read a book about it (can’t recall the name), and it definitely made me think how common our questions are and always have been…and certainly polygamy and authority has always been a big driver for splinter groups.
There were also different church experiences. There were some high councils that were excommunicating people for drinking coffee well before the Word of Wisdom was codified. At one time, the church in Missouri and in Nauvoo was functioning quite differently.
People doubted polygamy, and they doubted the end of polygamy.
For my parent’s generation, there was a time people were organizing in homes for “study groups” to discuss things. My mom always had a liberal minded twist to all her beliefs…and yet would never consider leaving the church. Just liked to be a little edgy and challenge popular thoughts. I think I get it from her
:shh: Then that was discouraged strongly, because many groups were discussing speculative doctrines, and the correlation movement was pushing for approved topics.
No…we’re not the only generation…we just have different tools and outlets. There have been enough troubles in the church from it’s beginning to try anyone’s faith, in any generation.
My father was a doubter, but I never realized it till now. I just thought he was a lazy mormon when I was young. He has been gone for 32 years. What I would give to have a conversation with him The exact same thing as now – in all organizations. The difference now is the availability of groups of people with similar experiences and/or supportive hearts. I actually think it’s much easier to stay actively involved, to various degrees, now than in the past for many people – even though we obviously have a lot to do in that regard still. We have a higher activity rate now than at most points in the past, and I think that is due, at least in part, to being able to hear and read confirming, comforting voices of agreement and support. Previously, it was more of an all or nothing / active- or jack-Mormon alternative.
* They left. * They set up their own churches.
* They reconciled themselves in a more complex way.
* They got excommunicated.
* They suffered and never told anyone, because of family etc.
I think pretty much the same as a lot of people today.
Back in the days where travel wasn’t as easy as it is now I’m guessing that religion was tied to community even more that it is now. In relative isolation (both isolated from other people and from conflicting information) maybe it was harder to doubt, or maybe doubts didn’t run as deep. Example, if you believe in a flat world do you doubt before you’ve been exposed to any counterarguments? If so how important is that doubt to you? Maybe the earth isn’t flat but that’s not really important with the day to day. That said I’m sure that what we go through isn’t unique to our times.
What happened to questioners/doubters in the past? How far in the past?
No one cared because the primary concern was hunting/gathering.
Stoned to death, burned at the stake, etc.
Formed their own church or converted to another denomination.
Got a patent for inventing something cool.
And this one isn’t too hard for me to imagine, suffered/pondered in silence. Pretty much what I was doing before I found StayLDS.
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