Over the last few years, public discussions of the place of doubt in Mormon life have increased substantially. The sources of doubt are not new. Theological puzzles, historical messiness, fallible leadership, cultural weakness, personal sufferingâ??all these subjects (and more) have been addressed and/or wrestled with since Mormonismâ??s founding. The nature and depth of these conversations have varied, of course. But the LDS Church has never collectively had them as consistently and openly as it has in recent years.
The distinctive feature of this growth is institutional commitment. In just the last few years, talks by top church leadership have created space for discussion of challenges to Mormon faith in General Conference and other widely broadcast meetings.[1] The Churchâ??s Joseph Smith Papers Project continues to increase the openness and accessibility of the Churchâ??s archives. For the last two years, the Church has been gradually releasing online essays aimed at helping members understand difficult topics. The revamped Church History Museum recently began inviting visitors to ponder uncomfortable features of early Mormon history. The treatment of history in church curriculum is improving. And then thereâ??s the slew of new books written for Mormons grappling with new questions that are being published by institutions affiliated with the Church. (See, for example, the Maxwell Instituteâ??s Living Faith series and Deseret Bookâ??s publication of Terryl and Fiona Givensâ?? The God Who Weeps and The Crucible of Doubt.)
Read Full Article »