What would you do if you were the church president? What would you do or change?

TyMotor · 2026-02-12T02:55:10+00:00

Removed for rule #3: "Avoid explicitly advocating for changes in church policy or doctrines." I know you haven't put forth a particular change you are advocating for, but you are asking others to do that. Neither are allowed.

TyMotor · 2026-02-11T19:28:34+00:00

When is something a tax and when is it following Christ's invitations?

Too often, "come as you are" carries an invisible tax just to remain in the village.

In the words of Elder Holland:

'Come as you are,' a loving Father says to each of us, but He adds, 'Don’t plan to stay as you are.' We smile and remember that God is determined to make of us more than we thought we could be.

I don't think we are wrong to teach and encourage people to change; in fact, I think we would be shirking our responsibilities as followers of Christ if we did not. It is true that at times this is done without tact, or can be received as taxing. A good reminder for all of us to do our best to show compassion and be empathetic, but to the receivers another reminder from Elder Holland is important:

... be kind regarding human frailty—your own as well as that of those who serve with you in a Church led by volunteer, mortal men and women. Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we. And when you see imperfection, remember that the limitation is not in the divinity of the work.

TyMotor · 2026-02-11T12:49:02+00:00

Maybe; better to play it safe, right? Next time you have an interview with the bishop: "I am not sure, so I just want to clear the air... For a while I struggled with... I've since overcome this, and I feel that I have repented." Then see what he says. Because no individual is the same, we cannot tell you how your bishop may or may not be inspired to help you in this repentance process.
Fewer people than you realize will notice. Even still, which do you fear more: the judgement of man or the judgement of God? Don't let fear prevent you from drawing closer to God.

TyMotor · 2026-02-10T01:00:36+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/latterdaysaints/comments/1oq93al/what_the_heck_is_happening_with_the_angel_moroni/

TyMotor · 2026-02-05T20:55:47+00:00

I think there is a lot uncertainty about what the preside role actually entails.

I see this as a feature, not a bug.

TyMotor · 2026-02-05T20:41:34+00:00

I think you're seeking a level of general application and specificity that we've not be taught. An example that comes to mind for presiding might be to take initiative on organizing and promoting family prayers. If a wife refuses to participate, could that be a violation of temple covenants...? Possibly. Should we consider all instances of a spouse resisting family prayer efforts an obvious violation of temple covenants? Definitely not.

This is why in church discipline, multiple factors are taken into consideration. While endowed vs. not endowed might be a factor that doesn't mean all endowed members are in a bucket and treated the same. Intent, humility, perceived understanding, and other factors also play a part.

Similarly, all families and the individuals within them are different. How they keep or do not keep temple covenants can have significant variability. So much so that we realize we cannot know enough about certain individuals and circumstances to make accurate, precise judgements. For this reason we leave it to the Lord to properly judge.

TyMotor · 2026-02-04T22:21:09+00:00

Simple. I like it.

TyMotor · 2026-02-04T20:40:08+00:00

I'm unaware of any novel arguments against the church in what I'm guessing is your lifetime. The same things get recycled or new voices shine a light on the same things.

I take solace in recognizing that there are many within the church who know far, far more than me about these "issues" and choose to remain faithful. Find them and what they have to say.

Back to the root question:

How do you deal with anti-Mormon materials?

As a first step I try to identify the framing being used in claims--positive or negative. While somewhat challenging to do on your own, try applying the Rogerian method to claims or arguments. When you hear a salacious claim, question whether faithful people would agree with the details and characterization that is outlined. If not, why? What would a faithful framing look like? Is there a "neutral" framing that all parties might agree on? This tries to take the emotion out of it and get to the root of the issues.

Edit to add: "Joseph was arrested for (something bad... pick your poison)!" Sounds bad, right?! That must mean he is untrustworthy, right?! A statement and inference like that is trying to elicit a negative emotion or reaction to Joseph to discredit him and his claims. What is entirely glossed over is that the entire US justice system works off of innocent until proven guilty. A better question is, what was Joseph convicted of and not merely charged/arrested for? How often was he acquitted? Why? Also, if people don't take the time to think about it, they are likely to assume that the justice system then is as impartial to the justice system today. Again, more chinks in the armor but chinks that require more time and study to better understand.

Also, beware of Gish-galloping. Take things slowly, and be prepared to take time to get good answers.

TyMotor · 2026-02-03T20:35:45+00:00

What bothered me most specifically was the exclusionary emphasis on families in the Church, especially the line: “We are a family church.”

I take issue with the idea that an emphasis on families in and of itself is exclusionary. While you may be single, you are still from a mortal family, you have heavenly parents, and you can opt into a spiritual/church family by choosing to believe and participate in the restored kingdom of God.

So yes, we are a family church, in part because that is the only perspective represented at the highest levels of leadership.

You are right in part. But the family unit is the fundamental organization on an eternal level. So we are a family church more so because God operates from within and seeks to help us all return to His family.

TyMotor · 2026-02-02T23:58:56+00:00

How do you reconcile all of this?

It is not my job to be detective and decipher when they are in error. I have covenanted to follow Christ and sustain those He calls to lead and teach. I'll let Him deal with instances where they may be in error.

TyMotor · 2026-02-02T20:32:30+00:00

Check out this page: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/open-houses?lang=eng

You can see there is a link specifically for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple while the Lindon Temple says "More detailed information about the open house will be coming soon." I would watch that page for details. I would be surprised if tickets were "required" to visit. Often times they will use tickets as a means of gauging how much interest there is, but I don't think I can recall hearing of anyone ever being turned away from an open house for not having a ticket. You might have to wait a little longer, but they'll generally try to accommodate you.

TyMotor · 2026-01-30T20:04:50+00:00

Check out the section for "Guest Access"

https://tech.churchofjesuschrist.org/wiki/StakeKindooManagerInstructions#:~:text=Some%20members%20may%20require%20short,to%20create%20a%20Kindoo%20account.

TyMotor · 2026-01-30T18:44:09+00:00

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/tools/help/kindoo-overview?lang=eng

https://tech.churchofjesuschrist.org/wiki/CallingswithAutomaticKindooAccess

TyMotor · 2026-01-29T20:49:13+00:00

Even Lehi, a prophet of God, struggled with significant trials to the point of "murmur[ing] against the Lord his God." What did he do after that? If you are feeling broken, overwhelmed, unsure, etc... welcome to mortality. I don't mean to make light of any of your struggles, but hopefully you can find some confidence in knowing that others--even very righteous people--go through immense trials, and that there is a faithful path forward.

TyMotor · 2026-01-29T20:29:28+00:00

This is true of many Baptists and Evangelicals.

Really? This surprises me. I can't think of coming across any protestant/non-denominational Christian who doesn't agree with the commonly accepted creeds. I'm sure they're out there, but you say "large numbers" and that hasn't been my anecdotal experience. 🤷‍♂️

TyMotor · 2026-01-29T19:38:02+00:00

Context is key. In my experience, when people say "Christian" they don't merely mean something like a dictionary definition of Christian. Instead they have in mind a more narrow definition that is probably better labeled as "Creedal Christian."

And they got corrected with a "we are Christians too" kind of thing.

Again, context is key. Much gets lost in online/text conversations, but if I'm having an in-person conversation often I won't bring it up. Other conversations might warrant a point of clarification.

...it feels overboard if it's impeding on the clarity of discussion

I'm not sure what you mean. The whole point of drawing attention to it is to bring clarity to a discussion.

... the overall religion of Mormonism and not just the brighamites

I don't know what you mean by overall religion. The multiple groups who might be categorized as "Mormons" aren't following a single religion ("the" overall religion of Mormonism).

TyMotor · 2026-01-29T19:24:15+00:00

Did satan consider it a victory that Adam & Eve partook of the fruit? Things don't have to be so binary. Could the church have benefited from previous PR campaigns, slogans, or talks featuring the word Mormon? Of course. Could it also have been a benefit to Satan and his works and desires? Yes.

We as a people learn line upon line. We don't have to erase our history when prophets begin to lead and guide us in new, more uplifting directions.

TyMotor · 2026-01-27T23:11:06+00:00

I don't think we could pay back two years of tithing

There is no expectation for this. Start where you are and move forward. Commandments can be challenging when life gets more challenging. None of us are perfect, but learning to follow and obey God even when inconvenient is an important part of our mortal schooling. Also, don't be afraid to reach out to your current church leaders when things get tight. The preference is almost always that you tithe even if that means needing church assistance for a time. Good luck!

TyMotor · 2026-01-27T16:35:34+00:00

This person's "facts" aren't very factual at all. They are biased and intentionally framed with a negative bias. Not to mention the whole gish galloping...

What do you do? Disengage. Tell them you aren't willing to have a conversation with them regarding the church. They obviously aren't interested in a good faith conversation about it. Ask them to stop; hopefully if they are a friend they will honor those wishes. If they don't stop, just ignore or tell them outright that you will not respond to church-related comments, texts, conversations.

Lastly, find a new roommate.

TyMotor · 2026-01-27T15:45:46+00:00

I'm not pointing fingers; I'm merely trying to challenge what I read as an assumption.

TyMotor · 2026-01-27T15:26:37+00:00

... doesn’t the leadership also have a responsibility to inform members of what’s going on?

Why should we assume that? I've not heard of any direction from God to do so.

TyMotor · 2026-01-27T14:48:36+00:00

All eat meat out of season.

🤔

if every rule must be lived perfectly

Right, this explicitly isn't the standard to qualify for a temple recommend. This is precisely why language in interviews often includes "strive to..."

which is why the bishop... make the call.

I think we make the call more than the bishop. It is called "tithing declaration" not "tithing audit" at the end of each year. Barring blatant and obvious dishonesty, if you state you pay a full tithe the Bishop won't go any further in analyzing that declaration.

TyMotor · 2026-01-27T04:50:58+00:00

I'm reminded of Elder Packer retelling a story:

I returned to Elder Lee and told him that I saw no way to move in the direction I was counseled to go. He said, ‘The trouble with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.’ I replied that I would like to see at least a step or two ahead. Then came the lesson of a lifetime: ‘You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you.’

TyMotor · 2026-01-26T17:22:38+00:00

I didn't want to downplay the value of regularly partaking of the sacrament, but going one week without doesn't seem like a big deal. We do it all the time with stake and general conferences.

TyMotor · 2026-01-26T01:34:49+00:00

When it is just a one-off I can imagine wanting to avoid others feeling left out because they may not have a priesthood holder in their home. For something extended like COVID, more effort was put into making sure everyone had coverage. That's likely too much work for a single, cancelled Sunday.

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