https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2018/11/11/don-gale-heritage-values/

Quote from the end of his essay:
Some of my family members are strongly committed to Mormonism. (One daughter will surely be the first female bishop.) Other family members are disillusioned. But I was taught that disillusion does not make some of us less worthy than others – only different. None of us is judged inferior.

Yes, I’m fortunate to be a Mormon. Church values are part of my heritage, and expecting Mormon flexibility is part of my experience. The LDS Church would grow stronger if leaders focused on values, heritage and flexibility instead of nicknames.


Don Gale was the editorial voice of KSL for many years, and a writer regularly published in both Dez Nooz and SLTrib. He mentions having not been active for decades, at the opening of this essay. I think he gives LDS Inc more credit than it deserves, but he is right, IMHO, that growing up Mormon has an indelible affect on your worldview.

My world view was never very consistent with the LDS Church and growing up Mormon.

From a young age I saw no reason to outlaw prostitution or drugs. I can see many personal reasons not to participate in those things but it's none of the laws business if consenting adults do those things.

So I don't think it has to do with Mormonism making your worldview because it certainly isn't an universal affect.

"You can try, but it's really, really hard to change how you grew up."
-- Judic West, Youth Minister to the Klingon 'B' Level Confederacy

True, it does have an indelible effect.

I would ask, however, whether that effect is constant over the generations. People who grew up in the 50s had one experience, those in the 70s and 80s another, those growing up now yet another.

One of the interesting questions for me arises over the fault lines between the "experiences," the degree to which the Q15 are caught with 1950s thinking that prevents them from understanding younger generations; also the cultural disjunction between grandparents, parents, and young people.

"Heritage" was never a compelling concept to me. And the veneration of heritage feels bizarre. That's the world/culture/country/religion/family/situation I came from? So? What about the present? What about the future?

I give my Mormon heritage credit for keeping me out of various kinds of life-damaging trouble. But it also kept me from life-enriching opportunities. My life might have been even better if I hadn't been a Mormon. I would certainly not have wasted a couple of decade getting over church-inflicted shame, self-loathing and feelings of worthlessness.

Brother Of Jerry Wrote:
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> Quote from the end of his essay:
> Some of my family members are strongly committed
> to Mormonism. (One daughter will surely be the
> first female bishop.) Other family members are
> disillusioned. But I was taught that disillusion
> does not make some of us less worthy than others
> – only different. None of us is judged
> inferior.

What the Hell kind of MORmONISM is that ????? NOT the kind that I was raised with. OH that's right! That is one of the super phony faces of MORmONISM that MORmONISM regularly presents to as it pretends to be a Christian religion and to hide the nasty dirty realities of nasty dirty ultra hateful ultra judgmental intentionally rabidly polarizing MORmONISM.

Back to reality. In the kind of MORmONISM that I was raised with and that I am familiar with, the slightly less faithful are inferior. And the disillusioned are unbelievers who are trash, and IF a disbeliever gets to be too much of a drag on the work of the Lord, then their head needs to be cut off to get them out of the way. See the first four chapters of the Book of MORmON.



> Yes, I’m fortunate to be a Mormon. Church values
> are part of my heritage, and expecting Mormon
> flexibility is part of my experience.

That MORmON deal when "flexibility" really means "rigidity"


> The LDS
> Church would grow stronger if leaders focused on
> values, heritage and flexibility instead of
> nicknames.
>
>
> Don Gale was the editorial voice of KSL for many
> years, and a writer regularly published in both
> Dez Nooz and SLTrib. He mentions having not been
> active for decades, at the opening of this essay.
> I think he gives LDS Inc more credit than it
> deserves, but he is right, IMHO, that growing up
> Mormon has an indelible affect on your worldview.



When Don Gale is ideologically kicking in your ass .....along with cheesy ass *EVEN* deceased Gordon BS Hinckley, then it is time to rethink what you (Russ Nelson) are doing.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lKQrYUE3yc

I have to admit that those kinds of statements always confuse me.

Why would somebody aspire to hold an official position of leadership in an obviously fraudulent organization?

I get the trailblazing ambition in the part about wanting to be the "first female [fill in the blank]." But why not put that energy and effort into something that is not negated by being part of a fraudulent organization?

It's like saying: "One daughter will surely be the first female to successfully operate a fraudulent charity scam responsible for managing more than $200 million in assets." (I guess that's impressive, if you don't have any problem with fraudulent charitable organizations.)

I guess what I'm saying is why, logically, would someone want to be the first female bishop (or Apostle) in the LSD Church? Even when I was trying to be a true believer, I thought it aspiring to hold positions of authority in the Church was a dubious ambition to have. Aspiring to a position of authority in an organization that you KNOW is false? Seems even more dubious.

Sure, the fact that females can't hold the priesthood stings. But if you believe that the LSD Church has mistakenly implemented this policy with 100% consistency from its founding up to the present day, don't you have to logically conclude that this means that it's not really an organization led by inspired leaders who get real revelation? Or is it just the idea of having authority over other people in a large organization is so appealing that it doesn't matter whether the organization is based on lies and engages in fraudulent activity?

Brother Of Jerry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think he gives LDS Inc more credit than it
> deserves, but he is right, IMHO, that growing up
> Mormon has an indelible affect on your worldview.

He is right about that.

The bishop-aspiring daughter knows that would be a whole lot easier than becoming a CEO of a large company, or a medical doctor, or a lawyer, or even a voted-in politician.

As a Mormon, she has been trained her whole life in the art of BS, in a cult that rewards liars. We were all trained. The difference is that some of us didn't feel right about Mormon values.

Just like becoming Miss America, this girl probably has the looks, and the bare minimum of showy talent (probably singing). She would never forego multiplying and replenishing the earth for higher education. Her TBM parents would never pay for it, anyway.

JS and the other prophets knew that cult religion could be a fast-track to fame and unqualified leadership.

An old boys club has its own definition of “qualified”.