Today I sit down with Jaxon Washburn. Who is Jaxon? Only one of the stronger voices coming out of younger generation of Mormons. We tackle the idea of Prophets, Scripture, the LGBT issue and others in an effort to see how the younger generation is beginning to re-frame Mormonism. What does the future look like? If we base that ideal off voices like Jaxon, it is certainly kinder, more empathetic, more inclusive, and more desirous of a healthier faith.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
I think we can accommodate different types of sealings in the temple. A sealing of kinship or bondness, of special type of closeness.
There are certain members in the church that I feel specially close to or would like to be, and it would be nice to have sealings with them in the sense that we can become special friends to one another that go beyond this lifetime.
This is a way we can introduce LGBT people in the temple while still preserving the temple marriage. Just open it up beyond marriage with different wording.
Great discussion guys!!
I do see some possibility of the church actually changing due to people like Josh.
But it sure feels to me that the rate of change will all but guarantee I am dead by then.
I will comment that I can’t get my head around “the pope is the prophet for Catholics and the head of the Mormon church is the prophet for Mormons.” It seems too contradictory. Will I be damned for using birth control or is it up to a couple to decide. Do I need to get sealed in the temple (and thus pay 10% of my income to the church) in order to be with my family after this life or not. That just feels to me like a God that doesn’t care much and just says, “All of you kids do what you want” and doesn’t give them consistent direction. Sure they all say “don’t kill others” (other than the crusades, MMM, and such).
I do wish you luck and I REALLY want to hear how your mission goes. That isn’t a snarky comment. I am very serious. I hope it is great and I hope you even influence your mission president. I do think you have a healthy bit of spiritual self-esteem and will not looking at your mission president as someone it is critical to impress. I get the impression you are your own man. I have just seen a bit too many mission presidents that really demand that kind of respect. I have a kid that just got home and I am rather pissed at the mission president he had until this last summer. The man sure seems like a drill sergeant (but my son still “loves him”)
The church would benefit greatly from more voices like Jaxon’s.
One place I’d like to push him on, though, would be related to the LGBT question and whether there’s room for change. He mentioned that it would require changes in “fundamental” LDS doctrine surrounding the nature of God and the heterosexual union of a Heavenly Father and Mother to produce spiritual offspring.
I guess my pushback would be… how in the world is that “Fundamental” doctrine??? How spirit children come to be seems to be as far out into speculative theology as we can get. There’s literally nothing canonized, nothing in lessen manuals, etc that even teaches the doctrine (i.e. that intelligences become spirit children through some kind of spiritual birth as the result of some kind of sexual union between heavenly parents). Has it been explicitly taught by some GA’s. Yes. Is it commonly believed in the church? Probably.
I think far less has been revealed on the subject than we commonly like to admit. I really don’t think it would take that much… not even a “thus saith the Lord” type revelation for this to change. All you need is for some of the senior brethren to say that
1 – we’re not sure about how Spirit children come to be, but there’s nothing in our revealed canon which would stipulate that it absolutely must be done through a heterosexual bond.
2 – God created some of his children with a homosexual orientation.
3 – It is not good for Man to be alone.
4- Therefore, we see no reason why two men (or two women) can’t be sealed for time and all eternity.
Now, are there any current members of the Q15 who I can see doing that? No. But I don’t think for most members there would be a huge shift in fundamental thinking about the nature of God. Even for those who think God is a Heterosexual Polygamist, there’s nothing in that which would force the exclusion of accepting sealings for our LGBT members.
LDS apologetics is such a confusing, contradictive, and hollow waste of time. I listen to guys like Jaxon ramble on and on, nuancing every Mormon doctrine into oblivion! Seriously, I must be blunt and honest, here. As a natural skeptic/ agnostic I am simply shaking head in astonishment throughout this interview. What is this? This is new Mormonism? Really?
.
Neo-apologetics is using a lot of smooth rhetoric to say nothing. C’mon, Jaxon, just answer a question directly and clearly.
.
Why be a Mormon? He said nothing to make me believe Mormonism is God’s church or/ and the LDS church even holds a unique place in the eternal scheme of things. Defining or addressing simple concepts and topics “What is a Prophet?”, “What is priesthood authority?”, “Was The Book of Mormon a literal history of real people?”, “What are Mormons saying ‘translate’ even means?” , etc….
.
Wow, the 21st century new age of Mormonsim is a mess. Why belong to such a church? Seriously, this is so weird. I’m not impressed. No wonder religions are losing so many people these days. What a joke. Have fun with this riddle game.
Thanks Bill. Good luck, man.