Still More Dogmatic Spoutings on Dutcher

This whole Dutcher-leaving-the-church situation is invigorating to discuss, I must say, and it's fun to spout conservative dogmatic feelings for once, since I'm usually kicking against those pricks in a culturally liberal way. I say dogmatic in the sense of "a point of view or tenet put forth as authoritative without adequate grounds"—I don't pretend to know how to really convince anyone logically or empirically. The last time I felt this somewhat-giddily out on a limb was when blogging against homosexuality a while back, which triggered vitriol from some people and led me to acknowledge that I am essentially homophobic.

Of course, this situation really boils down to what one believes about the nature of this particular church, whether the LDS faith truly is God's only authorized church on the planet or not. I believe that it is and that no other religion possesses the full gospel package or the prophetic authority like this one does. The way I see it, looking at any other faith or religion, whether institutionalized or individualized, from a converted Mormon perspective instantly reveals how it's only a portion of the truth and/or a counterfeit of the true faith. That is unavoidably our worldview, the way I understand it and have personally embraced it both spiritually and intellectually.

I see some potential latitude within Mormonism for different religious behaviors and attitudes and can even acknowledge some healthy benefits of downscaling one's involvement in certain ways for certain seasons, but I don't see a case for how leaving it altogether is a good or right decision under any circumstances. Like I said before, I fully believe that such a decision is a sign of spiritual illness that a person will be very fortunate to survive on the spiritual level, and if they do survive it's only through returning. That's because Mormonism is God's only true, authorized religion.

Evidently, creating independent-minded, boundary-pushing, exploratory art somehow tends to overstimulate the ego (or is the result of an overstimulated ego) in such a way that one becomes extra-susceptible to the spiritual disorder that would make it seem like a good, valid choice to leave. I hope it doesn't happen to too many more groundbreaking Mormon artists, but I'm afraid it will to some, just as it will continue happening to other kinds of academics and intellectuals unless they can somehow maintain the right balance.