NOM

By Common Consent has a very nice tribute:

https://bycommonconsent.com/2018/06/19/ ... 1947-2018/

Mine: You were a breath of fresh air and a warm light to those suffocating in the cold darkness of Mormon legalism. You will be missed, but your good influence lives on in liberal corners of the church.

Robinson's Parable of the Bicycle and his book Believing Christ was an important part of giving me hope and keeping me going in the church long after the glow of my conversion had worn off. When my wonderful, loving and conscientious TBM son gets down on himself, I often quote Robinson to him, or refer him back to the book. If I don't believe in a literal Christ anymore, I do believe in the idea that we should give grace to ourselves and to those around us.

Rest in peace indeed.

He was one of the real embracers of grace within Mormonism that helped me when I was bogged down in feelings of self-doubt and unworthiness. The church is definitely better off when voices like his are heard.

I think I have his book somewhere given to me by a senior mission couple who we lived with in their spare bedroom on my mission.

I actually never read it considering it wasn't on the approved list of reading material.

How funny is that? A book called "Believing Christ" isn't approved for reading by so called ambassadors of Christ!

May his soul rest in peace or better yet do endless missionary work in the next life!

He may not have claimed to be a prophet, but he knew the God of love so much better than the men in our church (or former church) who do claim the title seem to. He knew that God loves us enough not to expect instant perfection and demand that we run faster than we have strength to even crawl. Back while I was still trying to believe in Mormonism, I had a big fight with my then fiancé (now husband of 48 years) about how the men who lead the Mormon church cannot be prophets of Christ because they have no clue what grace, or unconditional love even is. The church purposely teaches us that we need to do more than we currently do, with no clue as to how much we are currently doing. I think they are kind of like my grandmother who said that if you praise a child, they will think that is all they have to do. We humans are smart enough to know that if you try to train a dog, and never say, “good boy” when he gets it right, but only punish when he gets it wrong, that dog will not learn. In fact, he will only grow to fear you. But then we turn around and treat our own children like they are constantly bad dogs, and wonder why they fail to love and respect us. My grandmother once criticized my mother for not purposely “breaking my spirit” so my mother tried harder to criticize me more and praise me less. I have thought that the generation leading the church is still that generation where if you praise a child or give them too much love, you will spoil them. And they think God of course treats his children that way, demanding more than the child/person is capable of, never telling them ,
“Good job” or “I am proud of you” and we never get, “This is my son/daughter in whom I am well pleased” until AFTER we have been sacrificed on the cross after living a sin free life. That is the God of Mormonism.

I am glad that Brother Robinson believed in a different God, one who realizes a child cannot earn enough for a bicycle by earning pennies at a time and does not demand the impossible of His children.

I too have a lot of time for Robinson - Believing Christ was a great read, and it too helped me overcome a lot of needless guilt.

What was interesting to hear was how most members responded to the book - he tells a great story about how he did a fireside in some stake, and the stake president got up to correct all the false doctrine he heard.

https://wheatandtares.org/2017/12/13/st ... ars-later/

My only challenge with Dr. Robinson was how he believed the GA's loved his stuff, but the everyday members "just didn't get it." Uh, most members get their marching orders from up on high, and apart from Dieter's great talk on grace given a couple of years ago, I haven't heard a lot of conference addresses on the subject, but more than I can count on two hands about obedience, "the covenant path," etc. etc. So I'm not sure his views have a lot of traction up on high, so to speak, it just seems the more liberal element embraces his outlook. And after reading alas' post, I agree - Robinson's God is a great correction on Mormonism's conditionally loving God.

I've been watching the Deseret News and the Church News for something about Bro. Robinson's passing. I haven't seen anything yet. He change the way I thought, and I consider him a leavening influence on church members