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An independent project: This website offers personal
reflections on the scriptures, teachings, and spiritual practices of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The site is not sponsored
by the Church.
Resources, not prooftexts: Scriptural references and
quotations from LDS Church leaders appear throughout this website. These
are not intended as "prooftexts." Rather, quotations that appear
here are offered as resources within the Mormon tradition that may resonate
with individuals who are interested in liberal spirituality. Mormonism
also contains resources, of course, that lend themselves to more conservative
religious styles.
No endorsement implied: This website represents one
effort to discern the Spirit's voice within the body of accumulated LDS
teaching. When a particular author's work is quoted, the purpose is not
to grasp the nuances of the author's own intentions and worldview. Rather,
the goal here is to be alert to how the Spirit may speak through
an author's words, leading readers toward ideas which may or may not have
been in the author's consciousness. For this reason, a quotation from
someone's teachings should not be taken to imply that the person would
endorse this website.
Why so few Bible references? The website contains substantially
fewer references to the Bible than references to other LDS scriptures.
This was done to highlight the resources for liberal spirituality that
are distinctive to Mormonism. It is these resources that make liberal
Mormon spirituality Mormon.
Gendered language: Many texts quoted on this site use
masculine language where today gender-inclusive language is preferred.
In some cases, the webmaster has substituted inclusive language using
square brackets. Substitutions of this kind often lack elegance, however,
so in many cases masculine language in a quotation has been left as is.
Readers are trusted to do the necessary mental editing for themselves.
Multiple sources of Mormon teaching: While the teachings
of General Authorities carry special weight in LDS tradition, they are
not the only source of "Mormon teaching." All Latter-day Saints
are charged to teach one another, and the scriptures tell us that anyone
may be an instrument of inspired teaching (Alma 32:23;
D&C 68:3-5; 88:122). This website therefore refers to other
sources of teaching beside General Authority addresses. These other sources
include hymns and songs, as well as writings from Mormonism's independent
sector (such as Sunstone magazine).
Contact the webmaster
about additional resources within Mormon teaching that you have found
to inspire liberal spirituality. Particularly needed are more quotations
from:
- women authors
- the independent sector
- Latter-day Saints from outside the United States
- poems, hymns, and other creative works
- older texts in danger of being forgotten
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