Mainstreaming

"Those who observe us say that we are moving into the mainstream of religion. We are not changing. The world's perception of us is changing. We teach the same doctrine. We have the same organization." -Gordon B. Hinckley^[1]

While Mormons were unequivocal and energetic about their early theological distinctiveness and radically new view on the nature of God and man, like many religions, the focus has significantly shifted from distinctiveness to common ground and similarity with the larger culture. Mormonism now defaults to a very minimalistic set of doctrinal distinctives, and is "anxious to shed [its] exotic history and theology" [2].

"The LDS church's professionalism and skillful image management worry many conservative Christians. The Mormon church has tried to position itself in the mainstream by conducting a careful marketing campaign. In 1982, the church added the official subtitle "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" to the Book of Mormon in order to emphasize that it was a Christian faith. In 1995, the LDS church logo was redesigned so that the words "Jesus Christ" appear three times larger than the rest of the text. The current prophet and president of the LDS church, Gordon Hinckley, has made high-profile statements that seem to play down the radical elements of Mormon theology." ^[2]

Multimedia Today Show Segment (YouTube) - video from November 1st, 2005 Finding Faith in Christ

• Hinckley refuses to affirm historic, core Mormon doctrine on television.
• Abandoned polygamy to gain statehood
• "Revelation" about blacks in 1978
• Increased the font of "Jesus Christ" on the book of Mormon.
• Shifted murals at Temple Square.
• Gordon B. Hinckley interviews
• Changes in Gospel Principles
• Change of content in General Conference talks
• Change of content in Church magazines
• Neo-Mormon theology
• Edelman did PR work for the Mormon organization. [3] [4]
• TV commercials
• Leaders no longer speak with doctrinal clarity. When a leader seemingly offers, intentionally or unintentionally, a point of doctrinal clarity, there is a sort of excited news-buzz.
• "Church changed all the quotes in the Brigham Young lesson manual from 'wives' to 'wife'" [5]

[edit] Notable quotes

• "Theological revisionism is a stumbling block to growth. How can its members trust a church that keeps changing its mind? How can a church maintain respect when it already has such a colorful history of revising its doctrines? More perplexing to members is that the leaders do not clarify the status and effect of the church's labyrinth of teachings, and emphasize instead on bare basics." [6]
• "[O]rthodox intellectuals use a discourse that, without relinquishing the LDS Church's exclusive claims to priesthood authority or the fullness of the gospel, legitimizes the faith and spiritual experience of mainline Christians. A cynic might see this tolerant discourse as an ploy to seize the moral high ground over combative fundamentalists; a more generous take is that orthodox intellectuals are trying to extend to mainline Christians the partial acceptance (without compromising fundamentals) that they wish mainline Christians would extend to Latter-day Saints. Orthodox intellectuals moving in this vein emphasize that the First Vision's condemnation of creeds should not be understood as condemning individual members of other churches nor the churches themselves." - John-Charles Duffy^[3]
• "They also want to put on an image of “hey we’re all just like you guys, let’s be friends!” It’s an attempt to make the Church look less threatening for new converts. We’re just good ol, barbeque folks who vote Republican. What could be more American? What could be more wholesome? Of course we’re Christians! All that Godmakers stuff is just smoke and mirrors.
  
  This isn’t true, and it smacks of dishonesty. We are very different from other faiths. Our unequivocal doctrines and our aggressive proselyting represent a direct threat to the other American churches. And yet we want to act like nothing is the matter between us and the Baptists while we quietly seek to annihilate each other’s membership bases. No, it’s not all hunky-dory between our faiths. Other Christians are right to call us on such ingenuousness.
  
  I’m not opposed to siding up with Focus on the Family for the purposes of combating pornography, etc. But I’m not willing to start shoving unique doctrines under the carpet just so I can ape “mainline Christianity.” This is a war of ideas we are waging."^[4]

[edit] Notes

1. ↑ Gordon B. Hinckley. "Living in the Fulness of Times". October 2001 Generance Conference. Available here: http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-225-1,00.html
2. ↑ [1]
3. ↑ John-Charles Duffy, "Defending the Kingdom: Rethinking the Faith: How Apologetics is Reshaping Mormon Orthodoxy". Sunstone, May 2004, 22-55. Available online here: http://www.sunstoneonline.com/magazine/issues/132/Defending_the_Kingdom.pdf
4. ↑ http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2006/01/once-again-are-mormons-christians/

[edit] See also

• Neo-orthodoxy

[edit] External links

[edit] Non-Mormon

• Once-radical Mormons move to mainstream (Salt Lake Tribune)
• The Angel and the Beehive: The Mormon Struggle with Assimilation - Book review by Merlin Brinkerhoff
• Mormons Heighten Public Relations Efforts

[edit] Mormon

• 'Mormon' term often misused (Deseret Morning News)
• Belief-O-Matic (registered trademark), by Amri Brown
• Once again: Are Mormons Christians?, by Kathleen Petty - "We emphasize the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith’s prophetic role. The Book of Mormon is controversial because of its origin, not because of its content. Joseph Smith’s really radical ideas about man and God, the nature of man and God, and man’s destiny, came at the end of his life. It’s these ideas that other Christians don’t like; it’s these ideas that we tend to soft pedal. But it’s these ideas I believe we ought to embrace the tightest. I fear that in the name of trying to present a less controversial image, we might trade our birthright for a mess of pottage."