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WHAT IS LIBERAL
MORMON SPIRITUALITY?
A SEARCH
FOR KNOWLEDGE
A CHRIST-
CENTERED LIFE
A CALL TO
GOD'S WORK
A VISION OF
LIFE'S PURPOSE
Why "Liberal"?
Why "Mormon"?
Why "Spirituality"?
Symbols and Icons
A Spirit of Discernment
Faith, Not Doubt
Does Historicity Matter?
Only One True Church?
A Place for Liberals?
Staying in the Church
Living outside the Church


Why "Mormon"?

The spirituality promoted on this website is Mormon because it is grounded in the scriptures and traditions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sometimes, individuals who no longer believe literally in certain aspects of LDS religion, such as the Book of Mormon, downplay those aspects, focusing instead on what Mormons have in common with other Christians, such as the New Testament. Other Mormon liberals, no longer believing in just one true church, may borrow eclectically from many spiritual traditions.

This website takes a different approach. The spirituality promoted here is based on teachings and practices that are specifically and distinctively LDS. This is a spirituality for people who find that Mormonism continues to be the language in which most of their communication with God occurs. This website shows liberal Mormons how they might reclaim LDS scripture, ritual, and sacred story, apart from conservative claims to historical truth or an exclusive dispensation of divine authority. The website asks: What does God communicate to us through the visions and writings of Joseph Smith? How do Mormon rituals or spiritual disciplines sustain and guide us?

Besides the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, headquartered in Salt Lake City, other religious groups trace their origins to Joseph Smith and thus could also be regarded as "Mormon." The largest of these groups is the Community of Christ (formerly the RLDS Church), headquartered in Independence, Missouri. It would be an interesting project to pull together spiritual resources from various Mormon traditions. However, that is not this website's project. This website focuses on the traditions of the LDS Church.


Heber C. Kimball: My heart is in "Mormonism;" it is my joy, and I have no joy in anything else. . . . Let me be made an instrument in the hands of God to play the tune which He influences me to play; that is my way. . . . I stick to "Mormonism," and I pray God that it may stick to me.

Journal of Discourses 3:231

Leonard J. Arrington: This was a great church, I came to believe. It perpetuated fine ideals of home, school, and community life; its approach and philosophy enabled its members to reconcile religion with science and higher learning; its emphasis on free agency encouraged individual freedom and responsibility; its strong social tradition taught its members to be caring and compassionate; and its strong organizational capability empowered its people to build better communities. As Brigham Young said, a central doctrine of Mormonism is that God's primary work is through people, and so our principal concern was with the here and now.

In short, it was a religion and a church worth working for. . . . I am still devoted to carrying out responsibilities which I trust continue to be helpful in building the Kingdom of God on earth. Spiritual experiences I have had and my intensive study of Church history [have] validated for me, intellectually and emotionally, this decision to serve the faith.

"Why I Am a Believer," Sunstone, January 1985, 38


This website is an independent effort to discern the Spirit's voice in LDS teaching. The site is not sponsored by the LDS Church. Quotations from the teachings of any individual should not be taken to imply that the individual does or would endorse this website or other statements made here.