DiscussMormonism.com

I admit sometimes I'm uncomfortable with this. I think it stems from selfishness and fear and should be avoided. The author of this article makes the same point http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on- ... _blog.html

She relates it to women in the workplace who are joked about by men who are uncomfortable with women rising in power from the fringe to center stage.

There is something else I fear. It's something I'm terribly uncomfortable with. I don't really know why because I'm sort of distant from the religion now. I fear the church is changing. I fear they will lose the "interesting" factor. I fear their belief in gods will be forgotten. I fear they will conform. I see it inevitable as part of moving to center stage.

Is that why I don't want LDS to grow?

Good OP - not sure what your fear is based on, but one thing I agree with is that a growing LDS church will become increasing less peculiar. It will become increasingly difficult to assert that Mormons believe the more peculiar things we all grew up "knowing".

zeezrom wrote:I admit sometimes I'm uncomfortable with this. I think it stems from selfishness and fear and should be avoided. The author of this article makes the same point http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on- ... _blog.html

She relates it to women in the workplace who are joked about by men who are uncomfortable with women rising in power from the fringe to center stage.

There is something else I fear. It's something I'm terribly uncomfortable with. I don't really know why because I'm sort of distant from the religion now. I fear the church is changing. I fear they will lose the "interesting" factor. I fear their belief in gods will be forgotten. I fear they will conform. I see it inevitable as part of moving to center stage.

Is that why I don't want LDS to grow?

I think inherently the Church was set up to be able to change, to some extent. We truly accept the notion that we accept all the future truths that will be known by mankind. The dynamic element is one thing that sets the Church apart. To me, its a good thing.

I wouldn't care if the church removed some of its damaging, dysfunctional doctrines.

Buffalo wrote:I wouldn't care if the church removed some of its damaging, dysfunctional doctrines.

or positions...like the prop 8 fiasco.

zeezrom wrote:I admit sometimes I'm uncomfortable with this.....

Is that why I don't want LDS to grow?

So relax.

Despite larger than average family sizes, and a huge missionary effort, the number of Americans self-identifying as LDS/Mormon has been stuck right down at 1.4% as a proportion of the US population for most of the last decade. And most of them are concentrated in certain parts of the country.

The CoJCoLDS really is not a particularly significant group as an ingredient in America, even if the musical and Mitt Romney are flagging it up as something for journalists to fill their columns with at the moment. Remember, they have to write about something.

Baker wrote:Good OP - not sure what your fear is based on, but one thing I agree with is that a growing LDS church will become increasing less peculiar. It will become increasingly difficult to assert that Mormons believe the more peculiar things we all grew up "knowing".

My own, personal, opinion (usually not of any value), is that it's a lose/ lose situation for the Mormon Church.

If the LDS church morphs into a generic protestant religion, it does so with some heavy burdens. Very high costs to be a member ( thything, offerings, callings, etc.). It will fail to gain converts and gradually lose it's members.

If it remains a "peculiar" religion (uncomfortable history and strange beliefs) it will also fail to gain converts and gradually lose it's members.

I don't see a light at the end of this tunnel.

stemelbow wrote:

Buffalo wrote:I wouldn't care if the church removed some of its damaging, dysfunctional doctrines.

or positions...like the prop 8 fiasco.

Indeed.

If the church dropped the misogyny and the homophobia and disavowed all the racist crap of the past, and backed off from the heavy guilt and shame routine (especially on the LDS children), the LDS church would actually be a really positive and valuable institution.

Oh, it'd help if they were more charitable too.

Hello stemmelbow,

Why do you use the word dynamic in regards to the church's changes if they conforming to changes the Christian or secular world has already made prior to the church's conforming. Unless you had something different in mind?

regards, mikwut

Quasimodo wrote:If it remains a "peculiar" religion (uncomfortable history and strange beliefs) it will also fail to gain converts and gradually lose it's members.

I don't consider this a lose/lose. Look at the Greeks. They lost most of their members but their beliefs are fascinating! Thousands of books have been and are still written about them. What a legacy!