Fascinating. Maybe, Mormonism, having publicly walked back doctrinal issues twice in as many centuries of existence (re polygamy and racial discrimination), is somehow a more flexible beast than...
Fascinating.
In 2022, the Church backed legislation to support same-sex marriage, and there has been a noted quieting of anti-gay rhetoric among leaders, even as anti-trans and anti-gay legislation are on the rise across the nation. Rumours, such as the one circulated in a viral TikTok in 2023, allege that the Church is going to change its official stance on same-sex marriage by 2025, citing the precedent of the 1978 Revelation on the Priesthood, which reversed the Church’s ordination ban on Black members.
Maybe, Mormonism, having publicly walked back doctrinal issues twice in as many centuries of existence (re polygamy and racial discrimination), is somehow a more flexible beast than the regular church, which still hides behind facades of "it wasn't all of us" or "wasn't all that bad" or "let's move on".
The ability for the Mormon church to repent, disavow previous wrong, and to make amends with those whom they have wronged, is commendable. But, my prediction is that they will continue to shrink. Not because they didn't somehow stand firm and double down, but because of 200 years of "we are not a cult" turtling formation create a lot of very unhappy ex-mormon folks. Even after they finally announce themselves allies, they will still have to manage 200 years of consequences of their hostilities and hurt feelings.
Whereas, the Protestant/Catholic churches have been culturally and financially dominant for much longer, at least in the West. Whenever they changed, say with divorce or race, the entire culture changed all at once with them. There isn't this awkwardness of Mormonism, where members are more or less conservative than the critical mass, because P/C make up nearly the entire mass. P/C look like they've always kept abreast of the times because they make up the entire clock. (But not for much longer.)
Fascinating.
Maybe, Mormonism, having publicly walked back doctrinal issues twice in as many centuries of existence (re polygamy and racial discrimination), is somehow a more flexible beast than the regular church, which still hides behind facades of "it wasn't all of us" or "wasn't all that bad" or "let's move on".
The ability for the Mormon church to repent, disavow previous wrong, and to make amends with those whom they have wronged, is commendable. But, my prediction is that they will continue to shrink. Not because they didn't somehow stand firm and double down, but because of 200 years of "we are not a cult" turtling formation create a lot of very unhappy ex-mormon folks. Even after they finally announce themselves allies, they will still have to manage 200 years of consequences of their hostilities and hurt feelings.
Whereas, the Protestant/Catholic churches have been culturally and financially dominant for much longer, at least in the West. Whenever they changed, say with divorce or race, the entire culture changed all at once with them. There isn't this awkwardness of Mormonism, where members are more or less conservative than the critical mass, because P/C make up nearly the entire mass. P/C look like they've always kept abreast of the times because they make up the entire clock. (But not for much longer.)