NOM

Today in the Salt Lake Tribune, our favorite smart alec columnist (Robert Kirby) has declared his independence from the Brethren:

For reasons almost certainly particular to my own psychology, I'm not worried about LDS Church leaders. What? No, not even the really important ones like apostles and prophets.

They're guides, counselors and spiritual leaders, to be sure. But my church's leaders really don't have any more authority over my life than what I'm willing to grant them. They can't, for example, ground me, send me to bed early, or even speak harshly enough to hurt my feelings.

This (claiming one's own personal power) is one of the central revelations of spiritual growth beyond Fowler's Stage 3, and is a crucial element for the transitioning Mormon to put in place. You can read the rest of Kirby's column here: http://www.sltrib.com/news/4493889-155/ ... er-fearing

It reminds me of a scene from the 80s movie Labyrinth. As the movie reaches its climactic moment, Jennifer Connelly confesses to David Bowie in a dramatic realization of personal power: "You have no power over me".

Now this doesn't mean we shouldn't be courteous, but we should certainly feel justified to say "no" when we wish and know there is no threat of spiritual annihilation. Ultimately, each of us knows what is best for our own spiritual journeys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1AD6LPmJO4

That was a great article from Robert Kirby, as usual. I would love for him to contrast his experience with BYU where the school really does have profound authority over students. The threats that he so casually and humorously dismisses would have enormous financial and scholastic effects on students. I can only imagine that some poor BYU student caught in the cold embrace of the Honor Code office reads this article. He or she would have the painful realization of seeing what the church will do when it actually gains power over people and does not have to rely on persuasion of conscience.

If you have ever worked in LDS leadership you know the struggle required to get people to fulfill their callings. I have a good man as my bishop and I know that this is one of his challenges. He was so relieved when I gladly agreed to simply give the closing prayer in sacrament meeting yesterday. He has no ability to hold any legal or financial threat over my head like the BYU Honor Code office rules over students. I suspect that this is more than a little like Utah used to be in the late 1800s under Brigham Young. Luckily, LDS leadership relaxed quite a bit over the 20th century. I would not willingly want to be a citizen of the nation of Utah should LDS leadership get overt government control. To be fair, the same type of political power tends to concentrate in tyrannical governments wherever it arises. Imagine the Iranian version of Robert Kirby. I think Brother Kirby would be keeping his head down under both the secular oppression of the Shah of Iran or religious tyranny the Ayatollah Khomeini.