Thursday, June 26, 2014

This Whole Kate Kelly Deal

Hey all. I haven't blogged in forever I know...but I just have to get my thoughts out there on this Kate Kelly deal. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go HERE to read a little more about it. The readers digest version is that Kate has founded a movement called Ordain Women. She feels that the LDS church should give the priesthood calling to women as well as men. The church has said no, that isn't going to happen. So she has created her own movement, along with discussions (which in my opinion are similar to the missionary discussions that missionaries give people who are investigating the church), encouraging people to join her movement and demanding change. People are now getting up in arms because she is going to be excommunicated from the church when she has "done nothing wrong" as she says. And a lot of people are saying it's unfair that she is getting excommunicated for simply "asking questions". She did ask. And she was answered.

And this is where I have a problem....

She asked. She got her answer. She didn't like her answer. So what does she do? She demands the religion change one of the principles that has been long standing since the creation of the church. THEN tried to preach against that religion and get others to follow her....THEN the leaders of that religion have nicely asked her to stop preaching against their teachings several times and she didn't stop.....so YES. They have every right to excommunicate her from membership of their religion. They haven't asked her to change her feelings. They haven't asked her to change her beliefs. They simply asked that she stop preaching against their teachings if she wanted to remain a member of the LDS church. And she didn't. So duh. They said this was going to happen...it's now happening. And this is what kills me. Our society is all sorts of crazed with entitlement and it drives me crazy. Stop. Just stop.

Now don't get me wrong. I understand that she feels the LDS church has a serious inequality issue, and she has every right to feel her own feelings as do all of us. But really, if she doesn't like one of the bigger principles of the religion, then stop following that religion. Membership in the LDS church is completely voluntary. Nothing at all was forcing her to stay a member if she didn't agree with how it was run. And there is no problem with her asking the leadership to reconsider this principle....but if she was really a devout member as she claims she would know that she can't just petition for the leadership to change something big and have it done right then. When things in the LDS religion change, it's because there was some serious thoughts/prayers/revelations that went into that decision along with several meetings with the leaders of the church. It takes time. A long time. It's not just a "Hey think we should change this? Okay lets do it." And someday it may change, but today is not that day. So like or not...that's how it is. If you can't handle that... then nothing is keeping you from practicing a different religion. End rant.