tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018387523779914474.post3071642892545229986..comments2023-12-31T05:01:58.031-06:00Comments on Young Stranger: The Ninety and Nine (and the One)John Gustav-Wrathallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03557940681381951271noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018387523779914474.post-70258872406304440022010-12-08T23:26:19.354-06:002010-12-08T23:26:19.354-06:00Alan - no, I don't blame Göran for feeling the...Alan - no, I don't blame Göran for feeling the way he does about the Church. I often struggle with feelings of guilt in relation to the struggles we've had over faith, since it was my journey back that seems to have provoked some of the conflicts we've had over this. I'm hoping that getting involved in the gospel choir again can help us begin to develop some spiritual common ground again, something we lost when the two of us stopped attending the UCC.John Gustav-Wrathallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03557940681381951271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018387523779914474.post-2566432937635804052010-12-08T23:21:50.440-06:002010-12-08T23:21:50.440-06:00I feel a connection to my ward, I really do.
I ha...I feel a connection to my ward, I really do.<br /><br />I had a conversation with my friend, who's worked through his crisis of faith -- at least this stage of it. I told him that I realized I can't be saved without him. Either both of us will be saved or neither of us.<br /><br />This is a sense, at some very deep level, that I feel in relation to the Church as a whole, and ultimately to all humanity. We need to feel this as a Church or we aren't really being a Church...John Gustav-Wrathallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03557940681381951271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018387523779914474.post-32394945193106579582010-12-08T14:49:57.235-06:002010-12-08T14:49:57.235-06:00The title of your post is a reference to Boyd Pack...The title of your post is a reference to Boyd Packer's "To the One" (do I get a prize?). <br /><br />Sadly, as it stands right now, the Church (as an institution) wants to pull you from Göran. Even if individual members don't feel this way, the Church is affectively structured to lead you to feel this way over time, with its notions of "eternal gender" and "same-gender attraction as a struggle," etc. I'm sure Göran sees the heteronormativity differently than you do, and while it might just feel like a sadness at times that you can't both attend the same church -- I assume that you make it constructive to learn more about his viewpoint. I'm glad that you have the insight to not blame him for anything. Part of the reason I wrote <i>Ockham's Razor</i> was to give an account of the way the Church becomes a wedge between two people, as opposed to saying anything in particular about the morality of this wedge, because I think a big problem is people just don't know what this issue looks like from multiple perspectives.<br /><br />For example, many Mormons reading this post might be tempted to think your trial won't end because you keep going on the "wrong path." These Mormons may never connect the dots of heterosexism and the real violence it can do to one's psyche over time. But, I think the culture is going to experience an increasingly paradoxical state, almost like a vibrating alarm clock that keeps ringing and ringing until everyone reaches over collectively and turns it off. I don't know what this will look like, because it's more complicated than, say, black male ordination -- although ordaining women would solve many of the theological problems as far as I can tell.alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15705068701218002977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018387523779914474.post-6810910151312868102010-12-07T14:07:20.847-06:002010-12-07T14:07:20.847-06:00This post made me cry. I don't know why it aff...This post made me cry. I don't know why it affects me so. I desperately want the church of my youth to rise to the challenge of the times and extend fellowship to all. There is such an outpouring of love and good feeling when this happens. You felt it at the gospel choir performance, and I've felt it at a number of events and services I've attended recently.<br /><br />My thoughts are with you. You are loved by many.MoHoHawaiihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15086670779804942122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018387523779914474.post-4322567185465315222010-12-06T17:55:56.016-06:002010-12-06T17:55:56.016-06:00I've been going through a tough time as well. ...I've been going through a tough time as well. What's up with that? Is there something in the water? :)<br /><br />I am so sorry to read about your pain and suffering, your loneliness and isolation. But I'm excited for you and Goran to find a spiritual path together. It obviously is what you need, and Goran needs it, too. Singing together in the choir that is so welcoming and inviting sounds fantastic, particularly as you share the experience together.<br /><br />You're in my prayers, my friend.Beckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06159223254071653666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2018387523779914474.post-74223791341560112712010-12-06T15:15:27.085-06:002010-12-06T15:15:27.085-06:00Beautiful post John. I'm glad Goran is likewi...Beautiful post John. I'm glad Goran is likewise feeling the spirit. It has been a rough few months for me as well, and I don't have all the answers yet, but know that in the deepest trials, if I but endure, I find the greatest growth, peace, and deliverance.Bravonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02762204502534599107noreply@blogger.com