I propose that the doctrine of mormonism is nebulous and that mormon culture is black and white.
All those who agree please indicate it by raising your right hand to the square while thinking of a new name for Tommy Monson.

I was thinking along these lines while reading the "unwritten rules" thread. Concepts like love, forgiveness, and compassion are very abstract and difficult to judge. Finger-pointing at concrete behavior is easy. Do you have love your neighbor as yourself? Who's to say. Any fool can count earrings.

I remember a crazy moment at a friend's house when someone found mocha almond fudge ice cream in her freezer; she looked positively busted. At the same time, she was ecstatic that her daughter was getting married one week after she graduated from high school.

Yes, just ask any mormon their views about a major mormon doctrine and you will get a different answer every single time.

But ask them if it is ok to have a tattoo, how many earings, how they spend their Sundays, what they wear to church, or what their goals are in life (education, marriage, children, etc...) and the answers are all the same.

the only real doctrine of the mormon church (at least the only doctrine that doesn't change) is obedience to the priesthood. The reason you get different answers for what they believe yet blind obedience to the silly rules is evidence of Mormon culture focusing on obedience.

There is no other doctrine. Which is why I get blank stares when I point to things Kimball or McConkie said AS REVELATION. They aren't in charge so nothing they said counts, except inasmuch as it supports what Tommy or your bishop currently believes.

I agree with the others who've posted.
You can ask hard questions and nobody knows or say they don't know. You can't even look to the church website for answers to hard questions. If you try to ask the missionaries, they just ask you if you've read the BoM. You can't read a previous prophets words without getting more questions and the current leadership never says anything except reminders.

Inevitably though, the answer is usually something along this line- "I don't worry about those things, I just trust that the Prophet knows what he's doing, and all I need to worry about is whether I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing"

Or the answer is often- "We just need to follow the brethren, and let the Lord take care of those other issues"

But the rules on the other hand are black and white:
Pay a full tithe
Obey your leaders
The church is true
The book of mormon is true
We are led by a prophet
Joe saw the Father and the Son in the grove
The Priesthood is restored through the LDS church
Never say no to a calling
Do not ask hard questions in class
Word of Wisdom and Chastity
etc.

I have found that many people do not even know what they believe. Older folks have a set of beliefs that younger folks are unaware of, and the older folks know it is wrong to share those beliefs because they are no longer accepted. The younger folks think such things are antimormon lies.

No, the church's teachings are so nebulous and shifting that you can never truly learn your way to the CK, but you better not go astray or you'll never make it. It's as simple as black and white.

blueskyutah Wrote:
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> All those who agree please indicate it by raising
> your right hand to the square while thinking of a
> new name for Tommy Monson.


How about "Count Chocula"?