Young womens values part 5: Choice and accountability

With my new-found atheist viewpoint, I find this value the most ironic. Perhaps the most foundational tenents of the gospel is obedience, be ye as a little child. Submit to god (read: the church) as a child submits to his father.

The idea of choice and accountability actually goes against practices in the church. THe church is designed to take those choices away from you: you make the choice to be in the church, and you never have to think about another decision ever again. The answers are already laid out. There is no extenuating circumstances that allow you to drink alcohol; no reason for you to drink coffee. You CANNOT be alone in a car with a member of the opposite sex from the ward (even if you are both grown-ass adults). Every decision possible has an answer; if you don't have an answer, consult your bishop, and he will get on his batphone to god and tell you what to do.

The church teaches it's members this polarized, absolutest value system, but follows a flexible, situational morality itself. Members are accountable to the extent that any given priesthood authority decides they are; the church, however, is infallible. Any "sinning" member will be brought before a court of love (read: kangaroo court) to be tried and sentenced, their eternal soul hanging in the balance. In this court, priesthood authorities can ask whatever questions they'd like, probe for more information, bring in any witness who recognizes their authority, confer, exclude the accused, ignore the accused, disregard proof, find someone guilty based on their discernment and the spirit that god gives them. That doesn't work both ways--members are not supposed to ask questions, look into the history, inquire, probe, test, analyze, read, study, draw conclusions based on evidence. I was told that facts don't convert you: the spirit converts you. You can't reason yourself into the church. I always heard (and said, god help me), "if I wasn't born into the church, I never would have converted. God knew me well enough to put me into the church so that I could be a believer and be saved."

Mormons are required to disclose financial information; the church hasn't disclosed finances for half a century. The church demands money from its members, but access to the church welfare system can be as fickle as the bishop's mood. The church feels free to take time, talents, money from its members, based on the needs of the church; members are not allowed to chose what works in their life and what doesn't.

The church teaches that one size fits all. There is one path, one way, one life. It's the straight and narrow, praying to god, following jesus' example. THere is no concession made for culture, situation, preference, learning styles, etc etc etc. The church points out that the church is the perfect democracy, discriminating against no one because everyone is treated the same. Or they are discriminating against everyone equally; I'm not sure this is a strong position to argue from. There is no choice, no catering to the needs of the people. The members are there for the church, for the spiritual/temporal needs of the church, not the other way around.

In the church, you can really turn your mind off. This has been the most apparent to me as I go back with my new perspective:

I am 22, called as the stake single's representative. I joke that it is because if it wasn't my calling, I wouldn't go. I hate it.

I walk into sacrament meeting, walk past the wooden benches filled with screaming kids, interchangeably blank women, men in their suits getting their back scratched by their loving wife/girlfriend. Kids pass notes or color or lay on the floor or glaze over at the monotony. I go to the raised stand, where only the bishopric regularly sits (if there is a woman on the stand, she is either there for a time-bound purpose like giving a talk, or she is the chorister or pianist. Men lead the meetings; women lead the music... under the direction of the men).

I sit down, and look out over the congregation, trying to catch someone's eye; it's harder than I expect. People tend to look anywhere but the speaker, do anything but listen. During my talk, all my jokes don't even get a courtesy laugh (apply your sin screen both regularly and liberally).

I sit in my young single adults class. The teachers are young and rich and righteous, displaying all the necessary children and financial success. He will eventually become a bishop. The answer to every question is pray or obey the prophet or read your scriptures or pay your tithing or listen to the spirit. It's a running joke in the church, that read your scriptures and go to church are always the answer; no one thinks about the disturbing implications of the undeniable pattern.

The answer is never to do things differently; the answer is to do it MORE. If you find the temple ceremony disturbing or uncomfortable, go do a session more often, every week until you get spiritual enlightenment from it. If you don't believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet, read the Book of Mormon until you do. If you don't believe in the prophet's mandate that you not watch rated R movies, don't watch rated R movies until you get a testimony of it. If you don't believe that your priesthood authorities can mandate your sexuality, accept their sexual mandates until you do believe it. "You will never get a testimony of something until you do it."

Thinking is not required in regurgitation, but there is nothing else required by the church. You don't even have to be able to articulate it; you just have to do it. It wasn't until I stopped paying my tithing that the church came to find me.

This follow the prophet mentality isn't something outdated; it is something that is taught in general conference every session:
Watson--
>>Sometimes we may not always be able to immediately find the desired way before us, but the wisdom of those who have gone before, coupled with the wisdom of those who are with us still, will be our guide if we let them have the reins.
>>Important admonition has been given in general conferences of yesteryear and will continue to be expounded by those who have the wisdom of ages past, which allows our hearts to burn within us. It will be in following such counsel that we must be strong, never give up, and endure to the end.
>>“You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views . . . [or] your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if [we] listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that . . . ‘the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory’.”

Teixeira--
>>like other faculties, our consciences may become inert through sin or misuse.9 If we become desensitized to the things of God in our lives, we too lose reception of the signal needed to guide us. Keeping the commandments is our best assurance to maintain a strong signal with the Divine.
>>as we abide by the teachings we have received, we will make good choices, we will not be lost, and we will reach our eternal home...

Stevenson--
>>As Church members, we have recently received counsel from modern-day prophets which, if followed, will turn the doors of our homes more fully towards the temple.
>>the Lord has established standards through His servants, the prophets.

Oaks--
>>Some say “I didn’t learn anything today” or “No one was friendly to me” or “I was offended” or “The Church is not filling my needs.” All those answers are self-centered, and all retard spiritual growth.
>>when anyone obtains any blessing from God, it is by obedience to the law on which that blessing is predicated.

Snow--
>>First, follow the prophets. Listen to and abide by the counsel of the Brethren. Prophets often raise a voice of warning but also provide steady, pragmatic counsel to help us weather the storms of life. In the opening section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord reminds us, “Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (D&C 1:38). Prophets help us confront the changes and challenges we constantly face. The popular Primary song “Follow the Prophet”reminds us of this important principle: “We can get direction all along our way, if we heed the prophets—follow what they say” (Children’s Songbook, 110).

Then mormons have the gall to say that mormons can think for themselves, that they are encouraged to pray and receive their own revelations. Mormons will tell you that there isn't an emphasis on following the prophets, that they make their OWN choices instead of the choices and decisions already laid out for them. Mormons will look right at me and say, "you think that the prophets try to dictate your decisions? Well, that's because you lost the spirit and you are wrong and an apostate. I make my own decisions."

Choice also plays into this elitist mindset (please see CTR posts here and here). Mormons believe that they are a choice people. Jews used to be chosen, but now that chosen status goes to the mormons. They are the best of the best, the generals of the war in heaven. If we could just remember who you were, you would never chose to sin.

Mormons don't see that their teachings about satan reflect very closely the practices of the church. Mormons see satan's great sin NOT as wanting to be like god (the great miltonion sin), but his desire to take away our choice. Satan wanted to MAKE us all obey god so we would all go back to heaven. This was unforgivable and satan was cast out.

There is one lesson that my father loves to teach. He calls a smart, punk-ass kid up and has him look at a pair of handcuffs. Asks the kid if he could get away. Smiling and scoffing for his friends, he says of course. Dad has the kid lay his hand in the cuffs; what about now? Yes. Dad half closes the cuffs. Now? Sure. Let's the metal touch metal surrounding the kids wrist. How about now? Yes. One click: now? Yeah. Another click: can you still get out? It might hurt a little, but yes. Dad slams the cuffs closed, and twists the kid's arm up behind him. Dad asks the crowd: when did I have him? Various answers are shouted from the crowd, and from the humbled kid trying not to whimper, trying to look tough while he is helpless. I had him when he chose to come up here.

That is how satan gets you. He is conniving, and he has you at your FIRST bad decision. Another object lesson involves the thread: same thing, just with wrapping thread around your hands, showing how after so many bad decisions, the sheer accumulation makes it impossible to escape. That's how addiction is evil: it takes away your decisions, mimics satan's plan. Satan is behind all addictions.

Yet mormons cannot see that same inability to choose inherent in my general conference quotes above, in their practices, in everything they do. The scriptures say that where two people get together in the name of god, god is in the midst of them; I say that wherever two or more mormons gather, there in the midst is an analysis-free zone, reflecting in the blankness in their eyes, the ability to not listen, but to say "pray and follow the prophet" when called upon for an answer.