Today's Church News

Today it was announced that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints would be purchasing historical sites and items of historical import from the Community of Christ.

I have never been accused of being dispassionate, or without opinion, so I'm going to tell you how I feel about that.

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Mixed.

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I have a great love for Community of Christ for being influential for me in a very vulnerable time of my life. They offered love, help, and community to me without duplicity of intent in their actions. They loved and cared for me because I needed love and care, and asked for nothing in return.

Similarly, I have strong feelings about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and those feelings are exactly the opposite.

I don't believe I've ever used the phrase "I love that for you," because it's kind of passive aggressive, but I use that phrase now, for Community of Christ, and I use it sincerely.

I love that for you. 

This last weekend I hosted a friend of mine in my home. She happens to be the Salt Lake City pastor for Community of Christ, as well as being employed by their communications department, so in hindsight...

That's fine. I don't mind being deceived in order for you to mourn. (Girl, you know it.) I just wish I had realized the 'why' at the time, because it would have made a few awkward conversations with local Community of Christ folks less awkward, and maybe we could have all cried outwardly, instead of me giggling awkwardly about ghosts and whatever other insensitive things I might have said, and recognize that YES, our tour guide WAS holding back tears - it was NOT allergies! Dammit!!

Anyway. That's a whole other thing.

I love this for you, Community of Christ.

For those local members on the ground at these sites, I am devastated for you, and for the loss of places that you loved and served. I imagine this will be difficult for you, as it's something that you've built your life around, and I mourn this loss with you.

For Community of Christ? Hells yes. Community of Christ is forging their own road, and they have been for some time. They dealt with the baggage that was Joseph Smith Jr decades ago, as they ceased to revere him as "second to Christ only," like some other religions do. They recognized him as a human, and moved on from him. And I am happy for them, that they can drop this "Mormon Baggage" and forge their own road forward in whatever their more authentic Christian way is. (Heck, money is nice too.)

For the ex-Mormons?  

Folks, we're not okay.

Today has been a gambit for me. It has involved Linkin Park, Twenty-One Pilots, and finally The Road to Nowhere by Radical Face on repeat. Big feelings. Confused feelings. Complicated analysis, and attempts to understand. 

I'm heartbroken. Firstly, I LIVE down the road from Nauvoo. My family has gone there on the weekend just CAUSE. I have blogged about the positive experiences I had there, with Community of Christ running the show - (Presenting the Message.) Having Community of Christ tell the history was so refreshingly HONEST, and I'm devastated that Kirtland and Nauvoo will be losing that honesty - and I didn't even get to see Kirtland as a Community of Christ site. That's devastating for this little "Mormon History Tour" gal, because any tour I do of Kirtland in the future will involve plastic, perfect lies about Elijah, not laughter and jokes about psychedelic sacraments. (This is infuriating.)

I'm heartbroken because the Mormons are going to be excited. 

(For the Mormons? Shut up.)

The Mormons are going to be excited about this. They're going to see it as a victory for God, despite the fact that Mormons are literally selling the holy land of Independence. They'll just proclaim Nauvoo their NEW "New Zion," and hope nobody notices the actual prophecies Joseph Smith Jr made.

For ex-Mormons, this is a day of family relationship trauma. We do this periodically. It happens every General Conference, it happens during the Sunday extended family gatherings, and it happens every time something unfortunate happens in your life. ("I put your name on the temple roll.") Today is a day to be reminded that your family believes and values very different things than you, and they're pretty sure they're better than you because of it, so just go enjoy your life of sin and remember that "wickedness never was happiness" and "You'll Be Back." (One way or another.)

Folks? Kindred ex-Mormon folks? This SUCKS. Avoid your family today. In fact, avoid them for a week, and celebrate the fact that you don't have a guest bedroom just hours down the road that Mormons everywhere are going to want to take advantage of, despite the emotional burden this will be for you.

For the Mormons.

Congratulations. You guys, I'm just so excited for you. I hope that this reinvigorates your interest in Church History. I've really been into Church History for the last seven years or so, and I've learned so much information about these sites. Walking the streets where history happened has really strengthened my beliefs in what I believe, and I can't wait for you to have that same opportunity that I had, to invest energy into studying Church History, so you can fully understand, FEEL, and appreciate the things that happened on these roads, in these buildings, and in these cities. I am SO excited for you to see it.

For the LDS missionaries, I can't wait to see how you explain the failed prophecies of the Nauvoo House, how you respond to the question of "Which room did the Martha Brotherton thing happen in?" in the Red Brick Store, and "Why are there so many hiding spots in Joseph's homes?" Make sure you keep telling people on the tours that recording is prohibited.

For the Mormon Prophet? 

Good luck with that.