In recent weeks I've read about influential members of the Mormon church offering alternative views on immigration, abortion, death penalty, and a few other items. It seems to me that as the Mormon church offers increasing resistance to progress on the social front some of it's members are not.

Could it be that Mormonism will reform or will it's members embrace a Catholic style believe but don't follow?

literally believe.

Conduct a test and approach any mormon you think is active with a list of all the items the church teaches are true or that literally happened.

I think most Mormons will say - I don't believe that, or I don't pay attention to that.

If you push, I think many will admit they attend because it gives them a purpose or makes them a better person.

I think you are spot on Frank, i'm seeing this more and more. I can show actual statement by LDS Prophets in official LDS publications and they read them and then say, 'That was just his opinion" even though it was clear a from the pulpit thus safety the lord moment.

I've spoke today to one TBM who is pro gay and insists the church does not judge and is not anti gay. Yet when shown past statements about it being a sin or of the devil or sending them to hell he argues that we just didn't understand back then and it'll all work out ok, the church is about a group hug.

It's literally becoming a social group a bit like a pyramid scheme run by the few fundamentalists who toe the party line.

What you are describing is a "third way." There are TBMs and ex-Mormons, and you are suggesting a "liberal Mormon" option like the Catholic church effectively allows: people who identify with the religion but follow its precepts with varying degrees of commitment.

That has been tried. A decade ago there were a number of bulletin boards that were more or less dedicated to helping people find a "middle way" or a "third way." StayLDS, Newordermormon, John Dehlin's ventures, etc. The LDS church pretty much killed that movement.

Why? Two reasons. One is the determination of the church hierarchy to maintain its claims to infallibility. They say that none of them are perfect, but anyone who points out a specific imperfection goes the way of all the world. The other reason is that the church is under fire from both liberalizers of the sort you describe and disenchanted fundamentalists who wonder what happened to traditional Mormon doctrine and to revelation. If the church were to allow more room for liberals, they'd see the Snufferite and related movements gain steam in the IMW.

The church is in a box. It made choices in the past that restrict its flexibility now. As Uchdort's demotion shows, the Q15 intends neither to reform nor to permit the emergence of a third way.

I remember a "Moderate Mormon" thing coming out that I tried to follow. Too many TBM leaders responded with the "all or nothing" kind of lectures. One told me:"There's no such thing as a Moderate Mormon. You are either ALL for the Lord (meaning their church)or you're not." However, I never picked up to full activity again. A physical handicap was coming on, but even if that had not happened, I had lost my feelings for the church and was just hanging on by the fringes.

That's the heart of the issue.

People want an intermediate status because they have lost faith in the church. They want to retain a relationship for various reasons but cannot remain in full activity.

When the church presents an all-or-nothing option, those "moderates" will almost always choose "nothing."

It is now and always will be about two things

control and money

I notice that some people are saying "a more nuanced belief" to describe this kind of Mormon behaviour.