Kishkumen wrote:I wish Bill and his family the best. Hopefully they continue to find joy in their new life’s journey.
Bill’s experience is evidence of a crisis in Mormonism today. I agree with him when he says it is a truth crisis, but I do not agree with his interpretation of the nature of the truth crisis. Mormonism was born in the midst of a collision between modernity and what came before. The phenomenon of religion is much older than modernity, and the concept of truth therein is not necessarily the one Bill has adopted. That is no one’s fault, really; it’s simply the way of things. The world changes, and growing pains are pains indeed.
Needless to say I think Bill’s assumptions about what is best for everyone are not necessarily correct. There are other people out there who are happy in Mormonism. There are those who are uncomfortable but respond to that discomfort differently than Bill has. Mormonism will continue to change, albeit not at a pace Bill was ready to be patient for. That’s fine. No one is obliged to be patient. What I regret about Bill’s framing of all of this is his tunnel vision about what is right and true. He finds validation in his ability to convert others to his perspective. I am sure Joseph Smith felt the same way.
I am not saying that Bill is a prophet, or a minister. Bill is an influencer, and the fact that he is good at influencing is not evidence that he is, in some ultimate sense, right. I agree with a lot of Bill’s criticisms, but I don’t see his choices as inevitable, or as the only authentic way of responding to this situation. Bill has done what he feels is right for him, and his family, presumably feeling the same way, has followed suit.
Other honorable, intelligent lovers of truth stay in Mormonism. I know that is difficult for some to conceive of, let alone respect, but it is true. And, until we are able to disagree agreeably and, moreover, see the good in others following their own paths, while not being overconfident of our own righteousness and rightness, we remain part of the problem. The problem is not that there is Mormonism, or religion; the problem is a lack of humility, sympathy, tolerance, and restraint.
This board exhibits some of those faults and problems on a daily basis, but, hey, we’re the good guys, right?
I think that humanity moves forward through a variety of innovations, and every situation does not merit the same type of conversation. Yes, I'd say we all need to know how to reason together, to empathize but, even better, to accept that we do not and even cannot understand another completely. That, after basic politeness and respect, are a foundation. But sometimes, morality will require hard measures. Usually, in my opinion, this is the case with, first, continued cruetly and violence from an individual, or, second, in response to systemic cruelty and injustice.
((Corporations are not people))
