schleppenheimer wrote: I would guess that a good chunk of us who are saddened by what we have learned used to be terrific defenders of the faith. It is not with a happy heart that most of us come to the conclusion that we cannot agree with the discrepancies that we find. ... Because I am guessing that many of the people who are searching for the truth, who are perplexed by discrepancies in the church... help me understand the discrepancies in a way that makes continuing church membership viable... Most of us are just trying to understand the discrepancies.
It appears that some of your problems are related to "do as I say, not as I do" issues. I'm assuming that a good portion of the correlated doctrine and/or practice that we have in the church today is not a major issue for you. Faith, repentance, listening to the Spirit, prayer, sacrament, covenant making, service, tithing, worshiping God and Jesus, baptism, honesty, charity, chastity, etc. These are the basics. The things that are "do as I say". Or from a faithful and believing perspective, we believe God has said through his prophets.
Your issues are probably due to instances in church history where "do's" seemingly didn't match up with what was said.
Discrepancy between "say" and "do". Problem is, we are separated in time and space from what was purportedly done (and said) and the WHY. To make a judgment call NOW becomes a guessing game and may result in significant inaccuracies. Especially when you throw in incomplete or distorted accounts, biased or prejudicial information, motives, agency of individuals, disobedience/sin, etc.
People out of our time and space lived as they lived and did what they did in response to their own environment, including temptations to choose inappropriate behaviors/actions. The question for me is, was what was said
then by
first person accounts in regards to things such as the First Vision, Book of Mormon, Priesthood Restoration, Temple Ordinances, Polygamy, Nature of God and Christ, etc.
true at their core. I believe that there is reason to respond affirmatively or at least with a plausible yes. Having questions, doubts, and incomplete understanding of various
events is natural as one becomes more widely separated in time and space from Joseph Smith and others involved in the restoration.
In my estimation, questions, doubts, and incomplete understandings are manageable within the framework of participating in and being an active member of the church. Those people that take a binary and somewhat simplistic or undeveloped view of reality, In other words"s either/or...black and white...
one right or
one wrong...no matter what POV, are bound to have problems with perceived discrepancies seen through the often distorted lens of time and space.
As one moves along with issues and concerns and yet seeks to retain a sense of balance without throwing out the baby with the bathwater, so to speak, it is possible to develop a more nuanced and realistic, at least in my view, perspective on the discrepancies you are concerned/troubled with.
Best wishes on your path,
MG