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Ecumenical Mormonism

The Mormonism that has inspired me from childhood is the ecumenical Mormonism. It doesn't pretend to exclusive access to God, and it welcomes truth from any source, whether it be Mormon, non-Mormon or non-religious.

Too many Mormons, like many persons of most other religions, are sectarian in their outlook. They tend to see evil everywhere, and they tend to deprecate or altogether ignore the positive contributions of persons outside their religion. This saddens and sometimes angers me. It creates unnecessary divisions, inefficient social interactions, and weakens us as a human family.

That's not to say we should avoid voicing disagreements. To the contrary, let's voice and argue them passionately, yet constructively and humbly, recognizing that we are each limited and expect continually to learn from others.

I love how the Book of Mormon expresses the idea of God's inspiration going out to all of humanity:


Reflecting these words, a couple of my favorite quotes from Joseph Smith come to mind:


"Friendship is one of the grand fundamental principles of 'Mormonism'; [it is designed] to revolutionize and civilize the world, and cause wars and contentions to cease and men to become friends and brothers. Even the wolf and the lamb shall dwell together; the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf, the young lion and the fatling; and a little child shall lead them; the bear and the cow shall lie down together, and the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall play on the cockatrice's den; and they shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord of hosts. It is a time-honored adage that love begets love. Let us pour forth love--show forth our kindness unto all mankind, and the Lord will reward us with everlasting increase; cast our bread upon the waters and we shall receive it after many days, increased to a hundredfold. Friendship is like Brother Turley in his blacksmith shop welding iron to iron; it unites the human family with its happy influence. I do not dwell upon your faults, and you shall not upon mine. Charity, which is love, covereth a multitude of sins, and I have often covered up all the faults among you; but the prettiest thing is to have no faults at all. We should cultivate a meek, quiet and peaceable spirit. Have the Presbyterians any truth? Yes. Have the Baptists, Methodists, etc., any truth? Yes. They all have a little truth mixed with error. We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true 'Mormons'." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith 316)

Early Mormon apostle Orson Whitney (recently quoted on the LDS Church newsroom web site) provided a constructive assessment of the relation between Mormonism and other religions:


In 1978, the First Presidency of the LDS Church, under the direction of Spencer Kimball, released a statement that I like in general, although I don't think it sufficiently recognizes the limitations of the LDS Church. While we may claim the fullness of the Gospel of Christ, we certainly don't claim the fullness of truth. Like everyone else, we too have only a portion of God's light. Here's the statement:


Like most Mormons, I have found much inspiration both within and beyond my own religion. Together, let's do more to recognize that. Let's accept all truth, come from whence it may. Let's gather up all the good and true principles in the world, as encouraged by Joseph Smith, so that we may come out true Mormons.
Lincoln Cannon
New God Argument
Mormon Transhumanist Association
Christian Transhumanist Association
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Thrivous Nootropics for Cognitive Enhancement
Thrivous Nootropics for Cognitive Enhancement