One of the greatest false stories people outside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (heretofore referred to as “the Church”) hear is that we are not allowed to theorize or have ideas outside of Church doctrine. Anytime someone who is a member of the Church is excommunicated for having ideas outside of official doctrine, anti-Mormons, mass media, and other voices decry the Church is purging their intellectuals.
This is absolutely and quantifiably false. False in its entirety. No active member of the Church is excommunicated for having ideas, theorizing, and conjecturing about doctrine, the nature of the universe or the nature of God. On the contrary, the Church asks us to ponder, pray, and have our own opinions. We are encouraged scripturally, doctrinally, and publicly to seek the mysteries of God. And, through our faith and efforts, the mysteries of God can be revealed to us.
However, while we are encouraged to conjecture and use our intellectual faculties to seek out the “deep doctrine,” it is only – ONLY – ever a problem if the person making conjecture or theorizing begins to preach to other members publicly that what they conceive of as doctrine that we should embrace. We are allowed to receive what we believe is personal revelation for ourselves, but we are not entitled to receive revelation about doctrine or interpretation of doctrine, for anyone else within or without the Church.
For instance, many within the Church believe that there is a Mother in Heaven (something I can discuss later and have written about before), and the Church actually has a position on our Mother in Heaven. We can discuss this belief with friends and family, and we can discuss Mother in Heaven in certain church settings. There are some logical arguments for a Mother in Heaven. But, it isn’t until someone introduces concepts, such as praying to a Mother in Heaven at Church, that we have a problem. When someone chooses, on their own regardless of what they believe they are being spiritually told to do, to go against standard practice and doctrine, and/or introduces their idea of doctrine into mainstream church activities, they are choosing to act against the Church. They will be counseled to stop. They will be asked to repent. This will happen many times until they choose to repent and stop or become excommunicated.
The Church doesn’t purge intellectuals, they sadly and painfully excommunicate the unrepentant. To be unrepentant is to put your own pride and ideas ahead of those that legitimately receive revelation and inspiration, then vet it through roughly 223 people with unanimous vote.
Why am I saying all this? To make it clear that I am not introducing doctrine, I am not claiming revelation, and I most certainly am not speaking on behalf of, or representing in the least, any official Church doctrine, policy, or belief.
This section, Conjecture, is purely my own thoughts, arguments, and investigations. I believe that the Gospel and all the mysteries were shared with Adam and Eve, and then were diminished, lost, or bastardized by men who added their own philosophy and taught it to strangers – “the philosophies of men, mingled with scripture.”
I am fascinated by the process that truths were lost. Many criticize the Church because of the similarities to other religions and beliefs, but I believe it is the opposite – the many religions and beliefs all contain parts of our Gospel and doctrine because men added there bits and it took Joseph Smith to reconstruct the Church of Jesus Christ that was established by Him during His lifetime and taught to Adam, Eve, and their progeny.
Conjecture is my attempt to reconcile current beliefs and similarities with new age ideas, other religions, and philosophical theories. It is all a mental exercise and my pursuit of truth and the One religion that our Heavenly Father first established. We, members of the Church, know and believe that not all has been restored fully – there is much more to come. This is my entertaining mind play at postulating what some of those things may be.
