Gordon Monson: The LDS Church is divided, and that’s OK

Inside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a divide.

It’s always been there, but in a time of greater access to information, more communication, maybe even more enlightenment, the divide appears more evident and obvious, a bold line of demarcation between those who are what could be considered hardcore, conservative, orthodox believers and those who are equally faithful, at least in their minds, but more progressive, less zealous, more accepting, less judgmental.

Created by a mix of individual study, research, interpretation, opinion, agency, with dashes of tradition and politics blended in, and a whole lot of prayer and inspiration, people who embrace the same basic beliefs can come to varying conclusions as to how those beliefs are properly viewed and best applied to faithful living.

And we’re talking about the most fundamental of the basics.

If loving God is the first commandment and loving your neighbor is the second, how those edicts are better followed is deciphered differently depending on which side of the divide church members stand and sit.

On the one side, love is expressed by exhorting neighbors, members and people of other faiths, to follow God’s commands, to live the gospel, to get on or stay on the “covenant path,” to be “worthy” to attend the temple, to, in fact, attend the temple, to remain unbending and unwavering as not just followers of the faith, but defenders of it, to condemn that which ecclesiastical leaders say is against God’s wishes, to live the letter of the law.

On the other side, love is expressed by accepting and thereby loving all of God’s children, regardless of their behavior, their beliefs, their testimonies or lack thereof, their church attendance or lack thereof. To love does not mean to preach at or to judge or to denounce or criticize the actions of others. It means to receive them, to welcome and support and abide with them in their decisions. Doing good is great, but being good in the spirit of the law is greater.

On the one side, loving God is shown, above all, by keeping God’s commandments.

On the other side, loving God is shown by keeping commandments and extending charity here, there, everywhere.

Jesus is the Savior — on all sides

On the one side, Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and everyone and everything in it, but true followers must do their part, too. They must not be dishonest, not drink coffee, tea or alcohol, must not smoke tobacco or do drugs. They must follow the counsel of modern-day prophets and apostles without thought or question, must fulfill church callings and, if male and able, must serve a full-time mission, must read the Book of Mormon, must live according to baptismal and temple covenants, alongside additional fistfuls of do’s and don’ts. Faith without works is dead, they insist. They don’t come right out and say it like this, but you must earn your way into the celestial realm.

On the other side, Jesus Christ really is the Savior of the world. His atonement makes up for everything, all things. His grace is good. Recognition of and repentance for missteps are proper ways to wash the slate clean, but God is forgiving and understands when you screw up and doesn’t want you to dwell on mistakes for too long. God is love, not a taskmaster who has a checklist of strictures that must be followed and marked to gain his favor.

On the one side, all LGBTQ relationships, when physically acted upon, are sins, sins that cannot be endorsed. The family proclamation instructs that eternal marriages are made up of a man and a woman, end of story. Families consist of a husband/father and a wife/mother and their children. Everything else is peripheral and temporary, not sanctioned by God.

On the other side, God created all his children, including their sexual orientation, the way he created them. They are not spiritual mistakes who simply do not fit. They are to be loved, embraced, included in the same manner as heterosexual followers of Christ. The family proclamation says what it says and can be interpreted to include LGBTQ individuals and couples.

On the one side, the church does not make mistakes, nor does it have anything for which to apologize. That’s what at least one prominent church leader says.

On the other side, the church has made mistakes. A few church leaders also have flat-out said that. And that’s OK. Leaders are human. Humans are not perfect, not even the ones who hold certain priesthood offices.

On the one side, the church’s history is virtually pristine. There are explanations for everything, even, no, especially characterizations that have been misunderstood.

On the other side, the church’s history is complicated, complex, even controversial. That’s OK. That’s real. That’s relatable. That’s religion. And that thorny past, some of it hard to grip, still can be inspired then and inspiring now.

On the one side, following what the prophets and apostles say, without discussion, is the best practice, the way God wants believers to operate. Obedience is better than sacrifice. When the prophet speaks, the thinking’s been done.

On the other side, prophets and apostles are a modern blessing for members. Church leaders who can clarify certain scriptural passages as they relate to modern living. They are called of God to lead the faith. And they sometimes say things that could have been said better. Sometimes, they miss the mark. Sometimes, their personal frame of reference gets mixed into their messages. Check out some things Brigham Young said. Wow. But that’s the way it is. Leaders are generally good people doing the best they can. Still, it hurts when church teachings hurt others, inside and outside of the religion.

The kingdom hopping debate

On the one side, what is done by all people in this life will stick to them forever. It’s now or never. Do or die. This is the time of probation, not later, not the hereafter. In the afterlife, you’ll be sent to the place you deserve, and there will not be jumping from, say, the Terrestrial to the Celestial Kingdom. If you are valiant here, and only if you are valiant, you’ll be with your family forever.

On the other side, yes, this is a probationary state here on Earth, but because there are so many extenuating circumstances and complexities in individual lives, and Christ’s atonement powerfully extends to every person, eternal progression via ongoing understanding and compliance continues past this life. The divisions between the three degrees of glory are not walls; they are way stations that can be advanced through. There’s hope that loved ones, including those without temple recommends, can have joyous reunions through the eternities in the great beyond.

On the one side, women are cherished as sweet, precious, delightful daughters of God and mothers of children.

On the other side, women can be all of that but also should share full equality with men, in status and in positions of leadership.

On the one side, don’t ask questions; just believe.

On the other side, asking questions is a healthy part of progression, a part of grasping gospel principles more profoundly. Resulting personal inspiration is an answer to prayer and a gift from the heavens, a guidepost, and should be held in reverence and relied upon. That kind of inspiration soothes the soul and heals the heart.

An admission: Not everyone in the church falls absolutely into one side or the other. There are splinter sides, custom-made to individual members, as they are constructed in mind, spirit and body. All good.

Even so, the divide spoken of here does exist. It’s left up to all in the faith to make room for all. There’s ample room.

The one side is embraced and counted on by adherents to be their iron rod leading back to heaven. It’s what works for them. They put on and feel more comfortable in what they see as God’s protective armor. Praise Jesus.

The other side wants to live well, and get back to God, too, looking for hope and inclusion and mercy in a spiritual journey that at times can be made to seem rigid and harsh. It doesn’t have to be. Praise Jesus.

The tendency is to correct or dismiss those who draw different conclusions, to see them as suspicious or wrong, heretical or maniacal, even dangerous. And it’s not just the progressives who are seen that way. A Brigham Young University religion professor made a prediction, telling me back in 1975, that in my lifetime it wasn’t the liberals who would pose difficulties for the church but rather the fundamentalists. Not sure about who’s the greater threat and who isn’t. It doesn’t really matter.

What I do know or, check that, what I believe, is that the divide can be bridged, the church can be strengthened, that the basics — sincere faith in Jesus Christ and widespread charity — can be the foundation and the common ground for quality Christian belief for all those who choose this particular faith path, no matter how wide or straight and narrow. And that perhaps each side can respect, listen to, and learn a little something from the other.

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