Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Dani Bills's avatar

A thought-provoking read. I haven't followed a lot of your writing and am not on Facebook often, but I noticed your post and this is a topic I've thought about frequently. A scriptural reference I heard often while growing up was to “be in the world but not of the world”. I’ve always considered that to be a misunderstood phrase — that we are to be separate, to exist here without participating in the world. On the contrary, I’ve always interpreted this to mean that if we believe ourselves to hold something so precious as the truth of the restored gospel that we have a commission to share that BY being active participants in the world WHILE remaining true to our covenants. In general, I think this sentiment has been reflected in the messages promoted by Church leadership to seek the good and be unified with those surrounding us. Unification and assimilation are two different outcomes.

I agree that the “blurring of the lines” you discuss has led to confusion and many leaving. I continue to wrestle with what it means myself. I think the “blurring of the lines” can be misinterpreted as a softening of the principles and that some use it as justification to lessen their commitment to certain standards. In reality, I think it introduces the expectation to live a higher law - one according to our individual ability to communicate with the Spirit rather than rely on Church leaders to do so for us.

Expand full comment
Jon Ogden's avatar

Thanks for this reflection, Miles. Good to read your stuff here!

From my perspective, Russell M. Nelson has continued or even doubled down on the steady, decades-long approach toward assimilation. Taking the angel Moroni off of temples, trimming church to two hours, talking about Jesus more than Joseph Smith, discontinuing many of the Mormon pageants, reducing the strangeness of the endowment, removing the original artwork in the SLC temple, allowing missionaries to wear blue dress shirts without ties, and so on — it all feels like assimilation to me. Even the pivot from "Mormon" to "members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" feels like an effort to assimilate (i.e., "look, we're Christian — it says so in our name!").

As I see it, the Church is sort of in a bind. Members feel increasingly uncomfortable with our past, particularly as it relates to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and want the focus to be on Jesus. But if the focus is solely on Jesus, what makes the Church distinct? Why join? It's a tough situation for the organization.

Expand full comment
9 more comments...

No posts