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Does LDS doctrine even the watered down version we have today have any meaning for you? Do you find value in or believe in things that are exclusive Mormon? If so what? I am not talking about cultural oddities here but the doctrine that is or has been preached over the last 150 years.
I still find the doctrine of God as my Heavenly Father, perfect and all knowing comforting to me. I’m not sure how He intervenes in my life, but believing He is there instead of the universe being random and without Creator is still something I cling to. Secondly, Jesus as my Savior and Judge is also a peaceful doctrine to me. I picture Him in my mind as compassionate and long-suffering despite my weaknesses, I believe He cares for me.
The doctrine that doesn’t seem to matter to me as much anymore is the 3 degrees of Glory. Oh ya, and if you call WoW a doctrine….pfff…it’s way low on my doctrine radar nowadays.
Present-day revelation and spiritual activity. I also find some value in linking up with my ancestors, as I have few close relatives.
As food for thought, yes. As I always say my foundation is JS statement that Mormonism IS truth. That makes my job to seek out and try to understand truth – both physical and spiritual. I appreciate the concept of continuing revelation, that says to me our “knowledge” is always changing and progressing. The Mormon worldview is hugely expansive and fruitful when you don’t get caught up in the literalistic and overly exclusive cultural elements of it. Yes, the LDS doctrine has value for me. Such as:
1. Iam a child of God.
2. Jesus is the Christ. (Everything else is secondary.)
3. The pre-existence. (This was never taught in the Methodist church.)
4. Life is clearly defined after death. (Don’t ask me to do it here.)
5. We can continue as a family after this life.
6. Temple ordinances. This is the closest personal spiritual experience I’ve had. (Don’t ask me to explain this either.) I just felt myself letting go of this life when I was there.
Everything else keeps getting in the way.
Mike from Milton.
I agree with everything Mike from Milton wrote minus the temple ordinances. Aside from my marriage I just have never been comfortable in the temple. Part of that is the fact that my temple pants are too tight 
But the others MIke mentioned, I am totally on board with them, and those priniciples are what keeps me coming to church.
Yes. The theological foundation of Mormonism still blows my mind on a regular basis. Hmmm? No, not really. I can’t think of anything uniquely mormon that has value in my life. There are some great teachings in the LDS church. But the Mormon church doesn’t has a monopoly on any of the ones I value.
Let me ask you folks a follow up question, if I may Spock. What is uniquely mormon (doctrine) in the church that is valuable?
For me, there are passages in the Book of Mormon and doctrine and covenenants that are truly unique to our religion. I won’t go into them all, but I feel peace and the Spirit when I read them, and I have tried to live my life by them in many ways. They aren’t found in the Bible, and I was never taught them when I was raised in a traditional Christian church when I grew up. The idea of a pre-mortal life also made sense, as does the passage in the D&C that suggests that our “final judgment” may not be as final as everyone thinks. I came a cross a passage in my school studies yesterday that sums up how I feel about the Church right now:
Quote:Political realists see the world as it is; an arena of power politics moved primarily by perceived immediate self-interests, where morality is rhetorical rationale for expedient action and self-interest. It is a world not of angels but of ANGLES, where men speak of moral principles but act on power principles” — Saul Alinsky,
Rules for Radicals. Now, this sounds a bit harsh on the surface, but let me qualify what I think it means….in a Church context.
We have some good moral principles that make the foundation of Mormonism. However, I find the Church administration uses them in order to further the goals of our organization at times (at MANY TIMES) even at the expense of individuals, or what is actually good for the membership as a whole. They are often used to exert power over the membership to make them behave in ways that further what is good for the LDS Church, when it actually hurts individuals. The intention is not to hurt individuals, but it’s the bi-product at times, of single-minded organizational focus like our Church has.
I honestly think this loyalty to the organization is an outgrowth of the persecution that JS and his followers experienced, and he did everything he could to make his Church survive. We could quote at length how power is exerted over the members so they serve the Church — sometimes in unhealthy ways — all in the name of morality. As a leader myself, I was always trying to attach the gospel to the day to day work of the quorum so I could motivate the group. And looking back, at times the linkages were a big stretch.
One example of this was when I was in the MTC and the chapel cleaning mandate came down the pipe. At the MTC they had the missionaries cleaning the chapel on their P-day — the only day they had for a change of pace and a break. The maintenance guy sat us all down in a foyer and “trained us” in how cleaning the chapel would help us teach by the Spirit. It was the most convoluted logic, and myself and my companion were frustrated by it. We just wanted to enjoy the break from the long days where we ate, slept and drank the gospel during our missionary training. The this maintenance person was essentially getting the labor of cleaning the building done, but trying to motivate us through appealing to our belief in the gospel — and it was disconnected. He probably had a mandate from someone above him, and was trying to accomplish that mandate as best he could. And in our Church, the natural tendency is to appeal to people’s faith in the gospel as a powerful motivator in the gospel.
Hopefully that makes sense.
When I was in the LTM, I really prayed about whether JS was a prophet. I got no answer. Yet, I did get a good feeling about the law of eternal progression. The idea that we were/are eternal intelligences God did not create was huge for me because I could no longer blame God for how he made me. I took more responsiblity. It was like the idea of matter in chemistry. It could not be created nor destroyed, just changed in form. The idea that God clothed my intelligence with a spirit, and then got a physical body, the atonement, judgmental, and becoming perfected and little gods made alot of sense to me and I still like. It gives me a goal to reach of the pursuit of excellence and bettering myself. Just as a prince or princess can become Kings and Queens and inherit all that God has was a rational theology to me. The Word of Wisdom was parting of doing all to keep my body a temple. The rest I don’t know about, even though the trinity being 3 spearate beings makes alot more sense to me.
cwald wrote:Hmmm? No, not really. I can’t think of anything uniquely mormon that has value in my life.
There are some great teachings in the LDS church. But the Mormon church doesn’t has a monopoly on any of the ones I value.
Let me ask you folks a follow up question, if I may Spock. What is uniquely mormon (doctrine) in the church that is valuable?
There is just one doctrine if it still is doctrine that has value. Men or women can progress eternally and become like god. The church should make this their main theme and let the missionaries run with it. Any other Mormon doctrine seems only of value if eternal progression is a reality
Even in my current agnostic ways I still want to believe this is true. The idea that I can learn forever has value to me.
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