Roger Hendrix on Mormon Stories

[_cwald]

I found the series interesting. Mr. Hendrix seems like the kind of guy that the church would want to keep in its ranks. There is too much of the authority/militarism style in the leadership and Mr. Hendrix, refreshingly, seems to be the opposite of this. ...

Right, but I think this has all changed now. Kish pointed out that after the Mormon Church declared war on the gays, Roger started feeling the heat and unwelcome.

Folks like Roger, those more socially liberal members, are not welcome in this church. They are not, and I don't care what the Bill Reels of the world claim. You may not lose your temple recommend for claiming to be Democrat...but you will most likely lose your temple recommend if you voice your support of a liberal agenda such as gay marriage, legalized pot, access to affordable and safe abortion etc.

[_Dr Exiled]

I found the series interesting. Mr. Hendrix seems like the kind of guy that the church would want to keep in its ranks. There is too much of the authority/militarism style in the leadership and Mr. Hendrix, refreshingly, seems to be the opposite of this. ...

Right, but I think this has all changed now. Kish pointed out that after the Mormon Church declared war on the gays, Roger started feeling the heat and unwelcome.

Folks like Roger, those more socially liberal members, are not welcome in this church. They are not, and I don't care what the Bill Reels of the world claim. You may not lose your temple recommend for claiming to be Democrat...but you will most likely lose your temple recommend if you voice your support of a liberal agenda such as gay marriage, legalized pot, access to affordable and safe abortion etc.

I agree with you and Kish. It's just too bad the liberally minded or social libertarians are not allowed any more. One must be firmly on the side of the religious agenda set by the repos and the religious right. It's too bad those like Mr. Hendrix are either forced out or forced to get in line. Hurray for religious dictatorship and President Nonsense Nelson.

[_lostindc]

You know what? I think I'll listen to this podcast. I want to say I listened to the Jeremy Runnells interview for a bit, but I can't say with confidence I did. That said, thanks to your breakdown of the interview I am now going to 100% listen to a John Dehlin podcast.

I hope he kicks a dollar your way, brother.

- Doc

As much as Dehlin takes heat, he has a lot of really good interviews, especially his earlier episodes.

[_Mary]

On Kishkumen's recommendation I have been working my way through these.

Initial thoughts... interesting that the GA's left the prophet well alone at lunch. They don't mix unless invited to do so.

Wow...what a boys club this is.

In my honest opinion the community will never be truly a community of Jesus until there is total equality. But ah well.

[_Kishkumen]

In my honest opinion the community will never be truly a community of Jesus until there is total equality. But ah well.

Yes. I am not sure whether any human organization can utterly do away with hierarchies, but there is much that can be done to minimize them, and the LDS Church is not designed to minimize them, really. There was too much nepotism in it from the beginning. Add to that the cursus honorum of priesthood offices. Moreover, the practical requirements of leadership mean that successful people are usually the ones asked to fill any position above bishop. I think the LDS Church could definitely do more to encourage equality, but I doubt they have the desire to do it. The whole theology is about progress and degrees. The Book of Abraham cosmology talks about graduated degrees of intelligences. Hierarchy seems baked in.

But, hey, look at Dante. There are degrees of salvation and damnation in his work. So, it is not clear to me that true equality exists in the larger Christian tradition, and it may be that not all kinds of inequality are bad. Presumably, in traditional Christian theology God is always above human kind and will always remain so.