I'm aware of your feelings regarding changes in Mormonism and didn't mean for this to turn into a religious bashing session. I don't see how you can't respect a community who by and large promote industry, self reliance, and effective, community based charity. I can also sympathize with the fears of government creep into more and more facets of our lives while promoting laziness and instability.
With that said, I think the current crop in Utah are misguided in their anti-government fervor. There's some cognitive dissonance that takes too much thought for busy and productive people to get over, and good on them for it, really.
Franklin, it's not religious bashing to expose hypocrites for their irreligiosity. whoever they are. I don't have a problem with the Christianity as expounded by Christ. And it's not "fears of government" but simple recognition of the evil principles that underlie bad governance, or bad religious policy or doctrine. And the cognitive dissonance I see in ardent LDS advocates of original US Constitutional intents and the ideals of human liberty is in fact tragic for those who can't cope with the contradictions now present in their circumstances.
It's time for the the LDS people to see the situation for what it is.
Early LDS teachings, as per Joseph Smith, could be seen as tenets of grace and tolerance, with a remarkable lack of ideological imperatives that in human hands can often stunt the humanity of human souls. The Word of Wisdom was advice, not strict command. . . . old doctrines were being looked at in new light generally. . . . dogma was not the "original intent" of Mormonism. Mormons could voluntarily unite in meeting the needs of any day, and in large measure retain their wealth and/or their control of their lives. That is a form of socialism our modern progressives and elitist governance intellectuals have failed to understand or implement. Mormons could, from day to day voice completely opposite opinions and not get called out on it. . . . In short, they were free people who could think for themselves, and resort to practical solutions for any crisis. Not ideological or doctrinal morons stuck on stupid abuses of sometimes inappropriate applications of otherwise useful ideas.
thus LDS leaders have been on record for lots of kindly-meant opinions addressing some aspect of then-existing needs. . . . if you look at them as articles of a catechism and expect Mormons to strictly avoid all contradictions you're never going to get Mormons right, at least in the old days. Today, the whole project of the "correlation committee" is rubbing against that liberty within the Church, as do the policy manuals of the past fifty years . . . . though I consider the recent changes in those instructions to be a refreshing rebirth of liberty and good sense.
In regard to your ideas about redistribution of wealth, as enjoined by BY and others. . . . it was something BY did not practice as he preached. At his death, he left substantial "Church" property, as for example, the Temple block, in the hands of his children, whom he intended to continue in a dynastic rule. Exhortations towards consecration, and experiments in "United Order" economics, were plagued by leadership that often had the practical result of concentration of wealth in the hands of management elites. . . . while many others suffered extreme deprivation. . . . just like is seen today in some of the apostate groups who claim to practice these ideals.
The plain fact is that sentimental expressions of ideals and practical solutions to problems in any day will give rise to variance. . . . to cognitive dissonance. . . . while folks don't deal with the inconsistencies of the situation. And LDS exhortations have always been better understood as pleas for individuals to make choices, not as orders from leadership that must be absolutely obeyed. And LDS leadership has always been clearly failing in practice of what they preach. And none of these proofs of humanity among Mormons has any real significance as proofs against the faith.
