Faithful Mormon historian Richard Bushman admits Mormon church leaders have been misleading members

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3 жыл бұрын

Faithful Mormon church historian and former stake president and patriarch Richard Bushman admits that Mormon church leaders have been misleading members about its history for multiple generations.
Transcript:
Question: Yes sir. I’m wondering, us so for me a lot of the incongruity that exists now, that is giving rise to a lot of crisis of faith and bad situations seems to be caused, in my view, by by the disparity between the dominant narrative, what I call the orthodox narrative, which is what we learn as missionaries, what we teach you know investigators or we learn in Sunday school. Then as you get older, you start to experience Mormonism in different ways. And those ways become um very important, even dear to you but sometimes they may not jive with some elements of orthodox narrative. And so what I’m wondering is, like in your view do you see room within Mormonism for several different, multiple narratives of religious experience? Or do you think that in order for the Church to remain strong, they will have to hold to that predominant one?
Bushman: I think for the Church to remain strong it has to reconstruct its narrative. The dominant narrative is not true. It can’t be sustained. So the Church has to absorb all this new information or it will be on very shaky grounds, and that’s what it’s it's trying to do. And it will be a strain for a lot of people, uh older people especially. But I think I think it has to change. Uh, you know Elder Packer had the sense of “protecting the little people.” He felt like the scholars were an enemy to this faith, and there was the grandmothers living in Sanpete County. And that was that was a very lovely pastoral image. But the price of protecting the grandmothers was the loss of the grandsons. They, they got a story that didn’t work. So we’ve just had to change our narrative.
Question: It seems to me the the like what you're saying I agree with you wholeheartedly, I just wonder - we have such a strong tradition of them deciding the predominant orthodox narrative. And so you know wow does the Church do that without, like you say, pushing some people away? While also introducing you know the idea that it’s okay to experience Mormonism in different ways.
Bushman: Yeah, yeah the question is will we leave room to experience Mormonism in different ways, or is our strength the fact that we can all hold on to same tree? All hugging the same true. Uh. Tree huggers. Uh. I actually am concern about that, and I think people who have a more progressive view or who are up to date on what’s going on, they know “a truer version,” have to be very sympathetic for people having trouble letting go. There just have to be many branches for growth in the Church, we want them to be sympathetic of us as we struggle on. It has to be a brotherly and sisterly act. We don’t want to break up our community, which is our great strength and the beauty of the church in the name of finding some abstract truth that works better for each one of us. Um, so it’s going to be its struggle for the next, I don’t know, two or three decades, anyway, as we go through this process.

Пікірлер: 140

@39dwc 3 жыл бұрын

When I first heard these comments, I almost couldn’t believe it. I have since spent the last year deconstructing the dominant narrative.

@ElyssiumEarth 3 жыл бұрын

Good work, bro!

@Hanleia1 3 жыл бұрын

Congraduations. Welcome to the other side.

@manderson4803 3 жыл бұрын

This ticks me off. My Mother is a grandmother in Sanpete County and this church has lied. Its lies have deteriorated our family connections and attacked my parents quality of life and peace of mind. This is the very reason I will never ever be back!

@personofinterest8731 3 жыл бұрын

Same here. I look at the lives we all could have had. The further away I get from the church, the crazier it looks. Thankful to be free of all that, but several stepchildren miserable as hell, still in, just because their father believed two 19 year-old zealots from a foreign country in 1954. The accents! 💜

@personofinterest8731 3 жыл бұрын

I saw this when it happened. Sent it to tbm relatives. It was never spoken about to me. I resigned in Nov 2015. Happy old lady!

@ginamiller6754 3 жыл бұрын

Good for you! Have you given up on God, or finding another way to worship?

@rheabloomfield8990 3 жыл бұрын

Figured out the lies 22 years too late. Wish I could get that time back, but I'm out now and so thrilled to finally be living life.

@gigi1332 3 жыл бұрын

Me too Decades and decades as a golden convert completely wasted over so many lies??!!! Devastated 😭

@scootipup 3 жыл бұрын

38 yrs, also considered a "golden". I want those nearly 40 decades back. I want for the trauma my daughters endured to be erased. None of that can happen, yet still these creatures lie and manipulate and devour lives without any conscience or accountability.

@ginamiller6754 3 жыл бұрын

Never too late to leave! Good for you!

@phoenixfireclusterbomb 3 ай бұрын

Yes, grew up in the church. Not sure reality is any better though. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. Regardless, I’d still prefer to live in reality even if it does kinda suck too. However, I am grateful for the good things that came from being associated with the people. I learned many valuable lessons. I do wish I could reclaim my 20’s and 30’s back. Trying to be a “good” Mormon prevented me from succeeding in other areas of my life. I was running faster than my feet could follow but I thought that was just how it was supposed to be. I just assumed there was something wrong with me because it seemed like so many others were doing just fine. However, they had alot more wealth and family support they could lean on. You’d be surprised what one can accomplish when you don’t have to worry about basic utilities and repairs. Its all a crapshoot and you have to swindle your way to the top. I refuse to be inauthentic with myself and people now. Unfortunately, even in the real world people aren’t much different.