NOM

Just give it a read....

The Myth of the Unrighteous Parent

That's really good and outlines the fears I have of having my kid raised in the church that will constantly tell him what an unworthy person I am.

What a great example of the cast system at work at the local level! Lower class saints who become pitied, judged and perceived as less worthy or not as righteous. Melded families, families with less actives and non believers, single parents and even lower income families all get pegged as projects and made to feel like they will never measure up to the 5-10 "great" families in each ward.

If Jebus visited any given ward, based on the NT descriptions, do you think he'd go and hang out with the "great" families? I'd venture a guess that he'd feel more at home with those folks who have had more struggles in their lives and are down trodden, not just from their circumstances, but from their own ward family and especially those pious priesthood holders.

I loved the article as I grew up with a dad who wasn't a leader in a ward where half of the men were Mission Presidents or G.A.'s. I kind of felt a little less than. Looking back, there really isn't any justification for this, but leadership and activity worship is prevalent in the church. Leadership positions and activity define members too much, but that is the way the church wants it because it is the real family authority. The Bishop offering to give father's blessings to the family where the father had resigned is part of this. Wearing garments is a constant reminder of this. Pressure to conform to mormon customs is part of this. The church is like the busy body neighbor looking in your backyard to see what stuff you got, to make sure you are conforming to your HOA regulations. TBM's will bob and weave when confronted with this as it looks culty, but that is the reality of mormonism, organization uber alles.

That is an excellent article. Lucky for me, I only have one child where I worry about how the Church impacts what they think of me, the rest of them see the Church for what it is. Of course, with my wife, I will never be the "worthy priesthood holder she married", and I can only imagine how it makes her feel every time some lady gets up in Testimony Meeting and goes on about how blessed she is that her husband is a worthy priesthood holder who magnifies his priesthood blah blah blah (and odds are probably secretly looks at porn no matter what she thinks). I am sure my wife is probably an object of pity among her believing member friends, all in the name of one of the most ridiculous religious organizations ever to grace the planet. The "unrighteous spouse" idea is every bit as messed up as the "unrighteous parent" idea.

But it is wishful thinking to suggest that the Church would ever in a million years give up the doctrine that separates families in the eternities - because it is such a powerful tool for keeping members chained to the Church. If members don't think they have to do what the Church says to be with their loved ones in the Celestial Kingdom, a lot of them won't bother. Making people think you can separate them from their families is a pretty powerful motivator.

This was a great article. I worry about this with my kids a lot. I think I will share this with DW. Or maybe do a selective reading of it to remove some of the more antagonistic parts and focus on the things that I fear; keep it on topic.

LHP is a very important figure in modern mormonism. She is a hero to me, and she's damn smart.

Thanks for posting this Hermey. I thought it was a great article, and it really sheds a bad light on the Mormon culture.