Mormon Open Forum

Mark Butler is contaminating M* with spill over from the dark side of New Cool Thang. Much of that weird stuff has lead me to ponder why some of Joseph Smith’s controversial works, like the KFD, are not canonized but others are? Not being canonized made it easy for open minded LDS to take the KFD at less than face value and allowed GBH to thankfully put the nails in that coffin. But what do we do with works that probably should have also shared apocryphal status like the KFD but have ended up in our standard works? Can anything be decanonized in a church as traditional as ours or are we doomed to be stuck on the dark side of some issues?

Steve EM

Fred the Younger says:

Can Reform Mormonism work?

It strikes me that many bloggernacklers and other Mormons who crave open discourse on the Internet are really Reform Mormons or even New Order Mormons (although NOMs strike me more as jackmormons, inactive or afraid to leave for various reasons).

There are so many posts on various blogs these days on why church is boring, uninspiring, too long, too restrictive, etc.

Do you ever see a day when Reform Mormonism will be a bigger draw than the institutional church? Why, or why not?

Jenson says:

Do you think that the polygamy practice will be something that is real in heaven? Many LDS members are at different poles when asked this question? Many women on blog sites don’t think it will be something that they will have to be involved with. Opinions?

notpfs says:

What can the Church do to retain converts? With the banality of correlated lessons, talks and McServices, is it just not enticing anymore?

Since this is an anything goes blog, ‘fess up…do you like church? Why do you go? Why do you stay?

Cindy Jensen says:

Gay members of the Church have it bad, as they say. They can be members in good standing if they never have a fulfilling relationship. What a trade.

However, luckily, they can still function as good members if they agree to celibacy. I have a good friend (single) who’s a temple worker in his 30s and never plans to marry or change his homosexuality (good luck, R.!).

People in the Church have conflicting views on what is allowed in terms of worthiness/temple-worthiness for gays. Some say two gay people holding hands would be breaking the Law of Chastity. Huh???? Does that mean two unmarried heteros would break the Law of Chastity if they held hands?

So how far in a friendship can a gay person go without breaking the Law of Chastity? Kissing? Cuddling? Anything but intercourse?