What should the church remain neutral on?

[Red Ryder]

Pick one item and let’s create a list of things the church should remain neutral on:

1. Everything in the bedroom.

[Just This Guy]

2. Politics including taking stands on any candidate or political movement that does not directly affect the church or it's members. I include things like gay marriage because no where has there been a law that would force the church to recognize or perform gay marriages. They need to stay out aof anything that is forcing someone to submit someone else's morals when it does not affect them.

[Not Buying It]

2. Politics including taking stands on any candidate or political movement that does not directly affect the church or it's members. I include things like gay marriage because no where has there been a law that would force the church to recognize or perform gay marriages. They need to stay out aof anything that is forcing someone to submit someone else's morals when it does not affect them.

Politics for sure. The Church hardly even bothers to hide its influence in Utah politics. This article from a few years back is fascinating:

https://utahpolicy.com/index.php/featur ... ho-you-ask

A new UtahPolicy poll by Dan Jones & Associates finds that three-fourths of the faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints say their church has “about the right amount of influence” on state lawmakers’ political decisions.

But when you ask the same influence question of non-Mormons, you find super-majorities – 79 percent of Catholics, 84 percent of Protestants – say the Mormon Church has too much influence on Capitol Hill.

It is well known that any major – and sometimes, even minor – changes in Utah state liquor laws don’t happen unless Mormon leaders stay neutral on the change or endorse it.

For example, it took a lot of work with LDS Church leaders for the Legislature several years ago to do away with private liquor clubs and allow liquor-by-the-drink in properly-licensed bars.

It was a major change in Utah alcohol laws and LDS Church liquor stands.

Part of that deal was the installation in new bars and restaurants of the so-called “Zion Curtain,” a 7-foot barrier that keeps patrons from seeing liquor bottles and alcoholic drinks being mixed.

Several legislators – both Mormon and non-Mormon – have since tried to repeal the Zion Curtain (Jones’ polling has consistently showed most citizens want the curtain law repealed), but LDS Church officials have not agreed to such a change and the bills have always failed – as one did in the 2015 general session.

[Emower]

3. What kind of underwear 15 million people should be wearing at all times.

[RubinHighlander]

Working moms

Let families figure out how they will support themselves without the church heaping more guilt and feelings of inadequacy on women. It's created an unhealthy cast system in local units where women who do work are shamed or made to feel less worthy than those families with stay at home moms. Just stop making it a thing and the local units won't be as inclined to make it a thing. It seems they've backed off this narrative, but the prior preaching has made a lasting stigma for many wards and stakes, at lest here in Mordor.

[Linked]

5. What scientific studies mean.

My dad told me that at education week he learned that science is a method of trying to find god.

ETA 5.

[Just This Guy]

6. Family Size.
It's none of their business how many people a couple chooses to have or not have. It's better to have fewer kids who are well taken care of than many kids and parents who can't support them financially, mentally, physically, emotionally, time, etc.

7. Clothing.
It doesn't matter what a person wears if it meet community/society expectations for decency. It's not their business if stomach, leg, or shoulder is shown if society does not object.

[wtfluff]

Oh boy. This thread should be good, should I break out the popcorn?

Politics was the first thing that came to my tiny brain, so +1 to that.

Something else I've thought of that hasn't been mentioned:

8. Counseling: The Corporation of etcojcolds should get out of the business of counseling. LDS Family Services? Shut it down. Bishops offering "counsel"? NOPE. Send folks in need of help to real professionals and stop telling people that an invisible alien in the sky can fix anything.

[2bizE]

Worthiness. This is not for the church to decide.

[Anon70]

Might have been a shorter list to identify what they should have an opinion on.

10. Diet. Sugar is ok but coffee isn’t? Let the doctors/nutritionists be the experts.

[græy]

11. How much money any individual or family feels is right to "give back" to God. Also, there should be zero expectation of giving any money to "his church."

[Corsair]

What would the LDS church actually have left if they stopped talking about these items? I think they would be left as a generic Protestant church focused on Jesus (hopefully, I suppose). All of these items are what makes the LDS church not only distinctive, but gives them a reason for existence in most instances.

You're not wrong about these items. But I just can't imagine that they will stop bothering us about these things because it will lead to their greatest fears: being irrelevant and in obvious decline. I suspect that their statistics department already understands this better than LDS leadership, but can't state this openly.

[Random]

3. What kind of underwear 15 million people should be wearing at all times.

You beat me to it. "What kind of underwear a person wears," was the first thing I thought of.

[Random]

12. Who a person confesses sins to. (I'm thinking along these lines: If my spouse cheats on me, that's between me and him and God. Confession may help relieve pressure, but it should be up to the "sinner" who they confess to.)