After producing most of the content of this blog, in 2023 I found a group of individuals calling themselves The Mormon Community (Reform), dating back to 2002, that had come to nearly the same conclusions that I had (independent of each other). It has been deeply satisfying to find a group of individuals who after doing their own research and study of Mormon scripture and history, came to several of the same conclusions that I have come to on this blog and my articles. The fact that we both came to nearly the same conclusions independently of each other, has been validating. For I see that I am not alone in my desire to appreciate my Mormon heritage while thinking for myself, and that my opinions and point of view clearly has some credence since this other group came to the same or similar conclusions as myself.
For example, I agree that one does not need to meet in a chapel or interpret scripture literally to practice Mormonism. So I agree with the summary of Reform Mormonism:
Unlike most organizations based on Joseph's teachings, Reform Mormonism is a home-based spiritual path. Reform Mormons focus on the processes of self-actualization and Eternal Progression, seeking to become more like our Heavenly Father and Mother. … Reform Mormons are not fundamentalists or literalists in their approach to religion, but view all scripture and ordinances as artistic and symbolic endeavors, meant to inspire and assist individuals in their Eternal Progression.
(Source)
This summary above is similar to my own point of view. I found the article, Scripture as Art: Reform Mormons and Scripture on the Reform Mormonism Site, to be very similar to the interpretive lens of the website churchistrue.com that follows the Marcus-Borg-inspired sacramental paradigm. I agree with this interpretive lens of understanding scripture. Another article at reformmormonism.org/library, states:
Reform Mormons recognize that all scripture was written by human beings. It is therefore a man-made or woman-made object - a created thing. Does that object contain inspiration? Does any created object contain inspiration? You be the judge. We view writing that is inspired to be "scripture" - which means many other writings may "speak" more loudly to a Reform Mormon than the Book of Mormon, and play the role of "scripture" in their lives than does the Book of Mormon.
Whether or not the [Book of Mormon] is a literal history is a ridiculous discussion. Reform Mormons don't need to engage in it since we don't connect the idea of its "truthfulness" to the idea that we belong to "the one true church." These concepts mean little or nothing to us, because they're quite useless.
… [Reform Mormonism is about] Learning to recognize inspiration in writing, and allowing it to mean something to you that is emotional, satisfying, and more than just the sum of the words. Learning to evaluate and incorporate new facts, not just find ways around them or dismiss them. Learning to create our own writing, explanation, and definitions of what currently has impact in our lives, rather than adopting someone else's outside system of what should matter. Learning to be free agents.
This is how we learn to progress and grow. Scripture plays a role in this. It is not, to us, a "foundation." We are the foundation. Scripture merely allows us to see ourselves differently, to understand ourselves better, to observe areas of potential growth, and - at its best - to learn to connect to a deeper part of ourselves and confront the veil. This view of ourselves is clouded at best and completely inaccurate at worst if we adopt other people's insistence upon - or perspectives of - literalness.
(Source)
I agree with this as well. As of this writing, I am still reading the articles on the website but so far I I agree with nearly everything I have read so far. So while I'm not willing to just call myself a member of any denomination, I would say that I definitely fall into the category of a "Reform Mormon" in at least the sense of I am definitely more of a Reform Mormon than an Orthodox Mormon. I define an Orthodox Mormon as a member of the Utah-based LDS Church (Brighamite sect) who blindly obeys the Brighamite "Brethren," or a member of the FLDS, etc. Put another way, the difference between "Reform Mormonisms" in general and Orthodox Mormonisms is similar to the difference between Orthodox Judaism and Reform Judaism.
Furthermore, while reading through the articles on the website https://reformmormonism.org/library, I began to realize that the authors of that site had come to many of the same exact conclusions that I had. Specifically their understanding that Original Mormonism was a pro-body physicalist theology, which I point out in my blog series Sex, Gods, & Zion and my article The Secret Doctrine of God: Moving Toward A Theology of the Body. After writing all of the content in those links I then read through the articles at reformmormonism.org and noticed that the author(s) of that site had come to nearly the same conclusions that I had (again, independent of each other). This was vindicating to see, as it affirmed my own perspective, which I call The Emergent Mormon Perspective: in that it appears that anyone who honestly examines original Mormon scripture, history, and theology with an honest open mindedness, scholarly rigor, and rational frame, will likely come to similar conclusions.
Seeing somebody else realize the artistic literary beauty and liberating life-affirming theology of original Mormonism has been deeply validating. For example, as a heterosexual male, when I learned the true meaning of original Mormonism and it's pro-sensual message, I felt liberated from the toxic shame culture and induced scrupulosity I felt in my youth -- after experiencing phobia-inducing indoctrination from Brighamite Church leaders and its culture, based on wrongheaded ideas in books like The Miracle of Forgiveness and My Little Factory, etc. -- that produced a potent Shame Culture in the 1980s and 1990s when I was a Mormon youth (and continues till this day in Brighamite culture). So seeing that another group of people raised Mormon (at reformmormonism.org) had come to the same or similar conclusions that I did when reading the original Mormon documents, further vindicates my point of view; and supports my belief that one does not need to "throw out the baby with the bathwater," but they can keep the beautiful "baby" of original Mormonism's physicalist spirituality while throwing out the "dirty bathwater" of unhealthy and toxic creedal dogmatism in any of the mormon sects. One can thus maintain their identity as a "Mormon" (Reform and/or Emergent Mormon) and connect to their Mormon ancestors, the "Mormon People," and appreciate their LDS heritage and its core values; and find inspiration, meaning, and purpose in life through the Mormon Philosophy: without "checking their brain at the door of a Brighamite chapel," and instead go about mormoning in their own way, on their own terms; just as Joseph Smith himself did and exemplified.
