Posted on 04/23/2015 9:33:59 AM PDT by Colofornian
As Mormonism enters its third century, it faces a Goldilocks dilemma: Too much tension with the surrounding culture invites scorn; too little threatens its uniqueness.
But finding just the right balance to ensure a thriving and distinctive faith won't be easy.
{SNIP}
So, what are the Baby Bear options in Mormonism's future?
Too much conflict with the wider society, say on gay rights or women's roles, premier Mormon sociologist Armand Mauss argues, would bring "not only popular disdain but even repression and persecution."
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Female elders? Third, the LDS Church runs into much debate and even clashes over the "role and status of women," Mauss says. "Ordination for women [to the all-male priesthood] is not the only issue, of course, but it is clearly the most contentious inside and outside the church."
Pressure from within and without for gender equality, he says, "will eventually require considerably more adjustments in the tension level faced by the church over gender roles as the century progresses."
Ordaining women may happen "before the century has ended," Mauss says, " ... since there is no explicit doctrinal barrier."
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No matter how welcoming top Mormon authorities seem in their remarks, Mauss says, "it is not clear just how far church leaders, and other guardians of orthodoxy, might be willing to go in reaching out to those saints with serious doubts."
The Internet generation is awash in information, some of which is hostile to LDS claims, Mauss notes. "How much room will there be in third-century Mormonism for varied interpretations and understandings of fundamental doctrines and their traditional meanings? Will responsible scholarship and complete transparency in teaching its doctrines and history continue to be valued and implemented in the church during the coming century?"
(Excerpt) Read more at sltrib.com ...
StormPrepper Claims | StormPrepper Source | Authoritative Lds 'Prophet' Said | Source | Authoritative Lds 'Apostle' Said | Source | Authoritative Lds Church Document Clearly Says | Source | What has Lds Church been teaching investigators & new members for over 35 years in Gospel Principles? | Source | Authoritative Lds Church Curricula | Source | BYU Has Taught Its Students | Source |
Not being married in the Temple does not keep anyone out of the Celestial kingdom of God... | StormPrepper Post #34 | (1) Another thing that we MUST not forget in this great plan of redemption and exaltation, is that a man MUST HAVE A WIFE, AND A WOMAN A HUSBAND, TO RECEIVE THE FULNESS OF EXALTATION. THEY MUST BE SEALED FOR TIME AND FOR ALL ETERNITY IN A TEMPLE; THEN THEIR UNION WILL LAST FOREVER... (2)I pick up the evening newspaper sometimes, and I see pictures of very beautiful girlsthey don't put the pictures of the handsome boys in the papers-and I discover that those girlsmany of them are daughters of parents married in the temple and the children were born under the covenant--marry outside of the temple, maybe outside of the Church...But these parents see to it that the picture is put in the paper, with a fine article telling how the daughter is going to be dressed, whom she is marrying, what kind of reception they are going to have, and they seem to be very happy. They should put on sackcloth and sit in ashes. What are they doing? Of course there is such a thing as repentance. They should pray for that repentance. But they should weep, not rejoice; they should be sorry, not pleased, for they are assistingif they have never taught their children betterthey are assisting in sending those children to their deaths eternally....Where does the blame lie? Well, it may be a little with all of us, with the teachers who visit the home, and with those who talk to the members of the Church in sacrament meetings, the bishops of wards, all who hold the priesthood; but primarily it rests upon the shoulders of the parents for not teaching those children from their infancy, beginning to instruct them as soo as they can understand, what the kingdom of God means, what exaltation means, and how it can be obtained. I tell you, I would weep if I had a child who would marry outside of the temple of the Lord. Fortunately I never had such a thing happen. I tell you, I would | (1) Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:43-44; (2) Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol. 4, pp. 198-199, Deseret Book Co., 1979 | We must realize that we can no more have exaltation in the celestial kingdom without temple marriage than we can have membership in the Church without baptism. | Mark E. Petersen, Oct. 31, 1962, A Commitment to Temple Marriage, BYU Speeches of the Year, p. 5 | To be exalted in the highest degree and continue eternally in family relationships, we must enter into 'the new and everlasting covenant of marriage' and be true to that covenant. In other words, temple marriage is a requirement for obtaining the highest degree of celestial glory | True to the Faith, p. 93 (2004) | Our family can be together forever. To enjoy the blessing, we MUST be married in the temple. When people are married outside the temple, the marriage ends when one of the partner dies. When we are married in the temple by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, we are married for time and eternity...ETERNAL MARRIAGE MUST BE PERFORMED BY PROPER AUTHORITY IN THE TEMPLE...Not only must an eternal marriage be performed by the proper priesthood authority, but it must also be done in the proper place. The proper place is in one of the holy temples of our Lord. The temple is the ONLY PLACE this holy ordinance can be performed. | Gospel Principles, 1979, p. 222, p. 233 (chapter 36: 'The Family Can Be Eternal'; Chapter 38: 'Eternal Marriage' ). Note that 2009 revision is same on p. 209 and similar on p. 220: Eternal Marriage Must Be Performed by Proper Authority in the Temple * Why must a marriage be performed by proper authority in the temple to be eternal? An eternal marriage must be performed by one who holds the sealing power...Not only must an eternal marriage be performed by the proper priesthood authority, but it must also be done in on of the holy temples of our Lord. The temple is the only place this holy ordinance can be performed. 2011 digital version Gospel Principles, chapter 36, found here; 2011 digital version Gospel Principles, chapter 38, found here | Marriage in the temple is so important that those who do not receive this ordinance CANNOT enter the highest degree of the celestial kingdom (see D&C 131:1-4). | Relief Society Personal Study Guide 2: Learn of Me, 1990, p. 115 cf. Relief Society Personal Study Guide: 1987, (published 1986), p. 180 | Exaltation in that kingdom is the highest measure of salvation available. To ignore that there are different degress in the celestial kingdom and the highest 'heaven' is possible ONLY by obedience to ALL of the commandments, including temple marriage and its covenants, then one does not speak accurately. | Roy W. Doxey, Doctrine and Covenants: Section 76 and Sections 78 through 87: Education Weeks 1964 Edition, Associate Professor of Religion, BYU, BYU: Extension Publications, Provo, UT, p. 21 |
I'll tell you how bad it was getting for Lds general authorities and the Mormon Church.
One of 1010rd's complaints about Christians is eisegesis... the process of interpreting a text or portion of text in such a way that the process introduces one's own presuppositions, agendas, or biases into and onto the text. This is commonly referred to as reading into the text... (Eisegesis...
Yet what did we find the Mormon Church owned book publishing Deseret do in 1979?...when it was putting out Vol. 5 of Joseph Fielding Smith's Answers to Gospel Questions...
Well, you see Joseph Fielding Smith as the 10th Mormon "prophet" couldn't see how they could be so absolute in making marriage such a requirement for exaltation...'cause the evidence from the New Testament was that the apostle Paul was single...
So along came Joseph Fielding Smith's eisegesis' sleight of hand!
Question #39 in Vol. 5 of that series: Was the Apostle Paul Married?
Excerpt from Smith's eisegesis:
"It is my understanding that in Paul's day all ministers had to be married, however, I think the evidence is strong enough that Paul was married, based upon his own statement in 1 Corinthians 11:11: 'Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.'"
"The expression 'in the Lord,' would certainly infer celestial marriage. That being true Paul would have to be a married man." (pp. 151-152)
(Wow! You can always "tell" a "prophet" when they use some 'revelational' 'seer' language like 'would have to be'!!!!)
Of course, Joseph Fielding Smith had to read into the text here. Why? Because of Mormon D&C 131 biases...
He closed out his "response" with: "It would be inconsistent for Paul to teach others they had to be married and that marriage was essential for exaltation and then not to be married himself. Paul was worthy of exaltation, therefore, Paul was without any question a married man."
See, StormPrepper...even your Lds "prophets" were so much addicted to "ya gotta be married to be exalted" nonsense that they even put a ring on the apostle Paul's finger!
All in spite of Paul's clear expostion in 1 Corinthians 7:
7 For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. 8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I. 9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
So how is 1 Corinthians 7 "inconsistent" with Paul's other teachings -- as Smith claimed?
Mormon "prophets" were woefully Biblically ignorant...and full of eisegesis!
This is a double post. Also, I didn’t know you were a woman. I always thought another poster was a woman because of his use of colors and artistic flourish. Plus his sarcasm always seemed very feminine to me.
It’s the exact opposite with you. I always thought you were a man of about 65-75 years of age. It’s amazing how much the written word can confound.
Some FREEPERs have misid'd me as exMormon...
...or a disaffected Mormon...
A brief FREEPER thought he knew who I was...
Thought I was a Democrat...and misid'd my gender
I've actually given quite a few clues thru the years...
But I love to keep people guessing...
Adds a sense of shrouded mystery...
And, as one British recording artist said in a raucous live concert as he encouraged more crowd outbursts: "It all adds to the atmosphere"
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