Wheat & Tares welcomes guest poster Bill Reel once more for a discussion on Julie Willis’s BYU Speeches Talk – “Gaining Light through Questioning”
Mormon Discussion Podcast So takes a closer look at the ability to ask tough questions within the LDS culture.
– Do you feel comfortable asking tough questions in your Ward and Stake?
– Do you bring up tough questions in the 3 hour block or do you prefer to do it outside of Church?
– Have you asked tough questions in the past and how did others respond to them?
This episode is found HERE
Resources for this episode
BYU IDAHO Speech by Julie Willis on Video
BYU IDAHO speech by Julie Willis Audio
Church article to the youth on Questioning
Bill Reel is the host of Mormon Discussion Podcast. The podcast tries to deal with the tough issues forthrightly while “leading with faith”.
Wheat & Tares 
Way too much Kool-Aid, not enough Gatorade in this talk and podcast.
If you want to ask God, just ask him but don’t expect it to be that simple at church because you will be passive aggressively censored in a dozen different creative ways that will be packaged as being either good for you or good for the group. It’s not the question, no TBM is afraid of hard questions (B.S.), it’s the way you ask the question or your tone in asking or you’re unwillingness accept the (caned Sundy school) answer and it’s your lack of faith.
I have been very forthright with my ward in sharing a nuanced perspective. I am always pointing out bad assumptions we make and why things may not be quite as we thought they were.
I agree that simply going into a class and saying “Critics claim the Book of Abraham is false as it has nothing to do with the papyri, and I feel deceived by the Church, can you explain?”…. your right that won’t go over well and people will because of their discomfort and desire to keep things easy and simple will avoid tackling such things and even shunning the individual.
That said there are plenty of ways to have both charity and seek truth. If we ask questions but generously allow room for faith as we do so, people will be inclined to be more open. The idea of being defensive is not a mormon cult position, but rather it is common in the Human experience. People who took position A and were unware of information XYZ will almost always be defensive when position B is presented using the new information.
Some people are defensive when I ask questions and others welcome them and have no problem dealing with new information. Just today, I am giving a Sacrament talk. In my talk I am going to explain how the creation and garden story are likely more figurative then most of us believe, how tithing may not be 10% of groos, and how we got to a place where we accepted blindly teachingsa on evolution, race, and age of the earth.
For many it will be new and it will contradict their view. I don’t expect to be shunned or to be marginalized. Why? …. because rather than tell people they are wrong I offer the new information as a alternative and I back up each thought with quotes from leaders. I also don’t pose my questions or information in any kind of critical way… I “Lead with Faith” and those hearing what I say don’t feel defensive at such an approach.
Tough Questions are being encouraged by top leadership but it will take some time to filter down to those who remain defensive.
In my sacrament meeting today, I am hopeful of a message of the goodness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and encouragement in Christlike living and the importance of faith, hope, and charity. I’m glad I’m not in billreel’s ward.
I also am seeking for more Christ-based sacrament talks. Anyone, let me know when you find them. Recently I’ve had a RM speak about how “there are no coincidences” and a rehash from a CES high councilman of one of his previously given EFY talks. YMMV
billreel,
I like your comment and I agree that more fact based less folklore based concepts can be taught in our wards provided we are careful how they are packaged and presented. The bigger problem as I see it is the innocent member who is currently experiencing considerable dissonance even leading to or including the feeling betrayal as their shelf is collapsing around them. They must now contain their increasing discomfort while they tactfully and diplomatically repackage and disguise their crisis related questions into something so subtle it won’t trigger others. Few people are aware and centered enough to deftly manage this mess in a way that would be found acceptable in church.
I considered the use of a informed ombudsman for this purpose but official LDS ombudsman would quickly become apologists and the member would be blamed or made to feel stupid. Perhaps a ward advocate could be assigned to the questioner and both meet with a stake ombudsman? This is a bulky formalized approach, it would serve to isolate those with questions from “infecting” (informing) others. I suspect the church would like this isolation since they prefer innocent ignorant members who pray, pay and obey with out asking questions but in the end doesn’t this information need to finally come out of the closet? If so isn’t it time for open questions and discussions during the 3 hour block?
My bishop is amazingly awesome. I love him and his family. But I still don’t feel comfortable asking him the tough questions, mostly because I am afraid of threatening his faith. I tried and he just looked bewildered and afraid for me. I felt guilty and selfish. So I am going to a protestant church now. And Kristine A (I am a longtime fan), today’s sermon was only about the Saviour. As is every one I have attended so far.
interesting thing about the “tough” questions — who do you trust to give the “right” answers?
If one already knows the answers he or she wants to hear, well, then, go to the person who will give those answers — one can always find someone to give the desired answers.
If one doesn’t already know the answers but trusts someone, go to that person for the answers.
Why ask for someone to answer questions if we already know we are going to reject the answers he or she gives?
Why do we want to dispute about doubtful doctrines?
I’m what some would categorize mockingly as a TBM (true believing Mormon), but I don’t want to hear the answers many will give. For disputations about doubtful doctrines, I don’t want to hear from the scoffers and mockers and intellectuals, and I also don’t want to hear from “theologians” or other experts among TBMs. I don’t trust any of these to give the “right” answers. So I’m not in favor of Howard’s call for a question-and-answer session during our three-hour block. I’m not so sure that request was made for the purpose of edifying anyway.
We need to approach a point where we ask questions in good faith, and accept answers in good faith. Like a teenager or young adult asks questions of his or her parents, and then takes those answers and forms his or her own conclusions — which conclusions are subject to change as time passes and more learning occurs. We ask questions of parents because we appreciate their insights, not because we always expect the “right” answer. And we don’t mock our parents when they give us imperfect answers. When we’re ready to approach questions like this, honestly and in good faith, that will be good. In the meantime, I’m happy avoiding doubtful doctrinal disputations and instead looking for and sharing messages of faith, hope, and charity. That’s where our attention needs to be, anyway.
…we ask questions in good faith, and accept answers in good faith.. Isn’t this what the current system purports to be? The problem is a lot of those faith promoting answers don’t square with the facts so for the thinking member this approach is just circular bullshit.
I bet there will be more talks like this in the future , I am looking for a transcript so I can translate it into spanish since that information never reaches non-native english speakers.
Talking in a sacrament meeting about issues and false assumptions is not my way of doing things , That would be too weird for first-time visitors.
The Church needs to do better in presenting the history as it is and not the faith-promoting stories only , I have been a member since 2001 and four days ago I learned this
In 1921, the Lord inspired Church president Heber J. Grant to call on all Saints to live the Word of Wisdom to the letter by completely abstaining from all alcohol, coffee, tea, and tobacco. Today Church members are expected to live this higher standard. (History.lds.org).
Members going through faith crisis aren’t understood by most members, People share lots of false assumptions and people don’t even say a word but a member going through a faith crisis says that he or she is using I believe or I have faith instead of I know , I know without any doubt and they get weird looks .
Thanks for posting this. Listening to this gave me the courage and clarity I needed to ask for something in prayer I have not been ready to do before. Not anything about doctrine change or anything like that, just for some personal decisions that will impact my family.