- Imaginator on My Meeting with the Pope: “Fantastic that the highest level of leadership in the Catholic Church is willing to engage on doctrinal research topics about their religion with a non-member. I wonder if our leadership would ever do the same?” Mar 13, 17:58
- on My Meeting with the Pope: “Second thought, that should have been first: This is really neat and thanks for sharing with the site’s readership. Unfortunate first thought: The photos above highlight a hazard of AI-generated images. Stephen C. frequently uses them at this web site, so I assumed the images were more imagining, this time of what it would look and feel like to sit down with Pope Leo, rather than actual photos. It took a bit for the context to correct the default that the images were the usual thing.” Mar 13, 14:56
- on What Did Church Lead You to Think About Yesterday, 3/8?: “Our Elder’s Quorum got into a substantial digression about valuing differences vs. valuing conformity, with the sense that the Church has shifted towards the former over time. How men should dress for church was used as an example. There was a strong consensus that we shouldn’t judge people for what they wear (which was probably good for our new convert to hear, given that he hasn’t adopted “the uniform” of a white shirt and tie). But then there was also a recognition that some people do have expectations, and we should be mindful of that, especially when passing the sacrament and such. I was impressed by the balance and generosity expressed. I only wish I’d thought sooner of C.S. Lewis’s line in the Screwtape Letters: “Without [the ceaseless labour of devils] the variety of usage within the Church of England might have become a positive hotbed of charity and humility.” It felt like Screwtape had been foiled this time. Lily, I’m so sorry for what you’re going through. Caregiver fatigue is very real and has nothing to do with character–Jesus himself took breaks from his public ministry to refresh himself. Sometimes listening by the Spirit at church means knowing something doesn’t apply to you right now and you can tune it out. I hope you have a good friend you can talk about this with, and there’s no shame in getting help from a mental health professional. At the start of Jacob’s famous rebuke of the Nephite men in Jacob 2, he first apologizes to those who “have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul.” And if that’s what they expected, then he must have been in the habit of giving more healing sermons than rebukes. I hope somewhere in all the “love your neighbor” someone is taking the time to say “God loves you.”” Mar 13, 12:03
- on My Meeting with the Pope: “Wow that is such a cool experience! How long in advance did this meeting get planned? I was a huge fan of Pope Francis. This new one seems pretty good as well.” Mar 13, 11:58
- on My Meeting with the Pope: “Lol, my coauthor joked about that. He does some Latter-day Saint-related research as well and mentioned that if I had snuck a name tag in and given him a Book of Mormon that would have given me the ultimate cred.” Mar 13, 05:54
- on My Meeting with the Pope: “Wow, that’s impressive. I hope we’ll get a post or two about your findings. My only regret is that you should have 1) shaved, 2) slid on your old missionary name tag, and 3) gotten the picture of a lifetime.” Mar 13, 05:44
- on The Cost of Glory: How Eliza R. Snow Found Her Voice in the Refiner’s Fire: “I’m glad Eliza R. Snow was celebrated as “Zion’s Poetess.” She was an important influence to me as a girl growing up in the church. My parents had taught me that she was a polygamous wife of both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. I somehow didn’t notice that at church we didn’t discuss Joseph Smith’s polygamy and so many people didn’t know she was a plural wife. I was sad to eventually hear that she was forced to keep her marriage to Joseph Smith a secret. Also I was sad to hear that Brigham Young had so many wives and didn’t treat them all well. At least she seems like she was one of the wives he respected.” Mar 13, 02:01
- on Will the Community of Christ Die Off?: “Thank you for this thought-provoking article, and I appreciate all the commenters as well. I live in the greater Washington DC area, and here is my recent (i.e. late 2025) CoC experience. I wanted to visit a CoC congregation, so I found the website of the nearest one (Springfield, VA). The website noted that they have in-person service two Sundays a month, and a strictly Zoom service the rest of the month, so I decided to show up for the in-person service. Well, I showed up, and there were no cars in the parking lot. The inside of the building looked abandoned. I left a voicemail for the contact phone number and sent an email to the contact email address from the website, and got no response. I then looked in to the next closest congregation (Washington, DC). I didn’t want to have another wasted trip to an abandoned church, so I emailed the contact given on the website. I waited a while and go no response. At this point I found the website of the nearest CoC Mission Center (Chesapeake Bay) and emailed them. They emailed me back that the DC congregation is, in fact, still functional, and apologized for the lack of response. The DC pastor also emailed me. The overall sense I got from this experience is that the CoC is really struggling as an institution in my area. And this, to me, is sad, because I admire so much about the CoC, its history, and the values for which it stands. I am indeed grateful to the CoC leaders who did finally reach out to me, and I do hope to attend a service soon. I send all love and good wishes to everyone who is fighting to keep the CoC alive.” Mar 10, 23:08
- on What Did Church Lead You to Think About Yesterday, 3/8?: “Kent, Thank you for your encouragement for us to think about how we think. I especially appreciate your “thought processes we go through while debating whether or not to get up.” In my case, whether to get up and leave when some egregious topic is being discussed, like the “revelation”/proclamation on the family, or raise my hand to join the discussion. In this case, patience was rewarded by some braver-than-me souls who offered that although it has some positive points, we also need to acknowledge the pain and brokenness that it can cause. In another meeting I was impressed with the courage of an admittedly left-brain person trying to make sense of a literal reading of Lot’s wife. Concluding that there are some things in scripture that can’t be reconciled literally, one needs to be careful about what may be added for clarification or explanation of symbols. I love the thoughtful people in my neighborhood.” Mar 10, 21:19
