Newordermormon.org

[taekwondave]

My wife just found this site. Someone should have told them we already built a place for that

[jay santos]

I like the idea. To me, it seems like it should be a place for people who have lost or changed their testimony, but still love Mormonism and want to stay in it. So it seems like it should have a more positive feeling. But it seems to be dominated by a core group of posters that also post at exmo and other more openly "anti" sites, and the tone of the site comes across angry and snarky.

[Moliere]

I like the idea. To me, it seems like it should be a place for people who have lost or changed their testimony, but still love Mormonism and want to stay in it. So it seems like it should have a more positive feeling. But it seems to be dominated by a core group of posters that also post at exmo and other more openly "anti" sites, and the tone of the site comes across angry and snarky.

It's the natural order of post-Mormon websites. Even Mormon Stories has evolved to the point that I finally removed myself from the FB group. The fact that CUF hasn't evolved to that point is a marvelous wonder.

[Shaka]

Agree with the above. I've checked it out a couple of times and it was taking on an RFM vibe.

[Surfah]

It's the natural order of post-Mormon websites. Even Mormon Stories has evolved to the point that I finally removed myself from the FB group. The fact that CUF hasn't evolved to that point is a marvelous wonder.

Isn't their already a Stayinmormonism.com website that Dehlin sends people who don't want to follow his path out of the Church?

The need for people to identify or label themselves as to what kind of Mormon they are bothers me. It's fractious and does little good IMO. Why do people have to be mainstream, TBM, progressive, new order, etc?

Why can't people just be Mormon? It seems like most of these groups like NOM all want a big tent church where unorthodoxy is accepted, but their approach seems counterproductive by pitching their own tents outside the church's tent.

[lambdacoug]

My wife just found this site. Someone should have told them we already built a place for that

I'm surprised people here didn't already know about this site.

[Pheidippides]

Why can't people just be Mormon? It seems like most of these groups like NOM all want a big tent church where unorthodoxy is accepted, but their approach seems counterproductive by pitching their own tents outside the church's tent.

What do you mean by "Mormon"? Doctrinal or ethnicity? I identify strongly as a Mormon ethnically. I do not strongly identify as Mormon doctrinally when I am honest about it - which is admittedly rare.

[Surfah]

What do you mean by "Mormon"? Doctrinal or ethnicity? I identify strongly as a Mormon ethnically. I do not strongly identify as Mormon doctrinally when I am honest about it - which is admittedly rare.

This is my point. What does it matter?

[Indy Coug]

Why can't people just be Mormon? It seems like most of these groups like NOM all want a big tent church where unorthodoxy is accepted, but their approach seems counterproductive by pitching their own tents outside the church's tent.

[Mormon Red Death]

Isn't their already a Stayinmormonism.com website that Dehlin sends people who don't want to follow his path out of the Church?

The need for people to identify or label themselves as to what kind of Mormon they are bothers me. It's fractious and does little good IMO. Why do people have to be mainstream, TBM, progressive, new order, etc?

Why can't people just be Mormon? It seems like most of these groups like NOM all want a big tent church where unorthodoxy is accepted, but their approach seems counterproductive by pitching their own tents outside the church's tent.

In times like this I follow the advice of Ron Burgundy

For just one night let's not be Co-workers. Let's be Co-people.

[Pheidippides]

This is my point. What does it matter?

It matters a lot. Without my ethnic ties, I'd be somewhere else in all likelihood.

[wuapinmon]

It's the natural order of post-Mormon websites. Even Mormon Stories has evolved to the point that I finally removed myself from the FB group. The fact that CUF hasn't evolved to that point is a marvelous wonder.

CUF is a marvel indeed. I rarely read the Mormon Stories stuff anymore unless a friend posts because there's a lot of grousing and cheap shots.

[Indy Coug]

It matters a lot. Without my ethnic ties, I'd be somewhere else in all likelihood.

I'm just trying to understand here. Do you preserve your ethnic ties by identifying yourself as something other than generically as a Mormon?

I perceive Surfah's comments to be directed at those that seem to seek to identify themselves as some form of Mormon subset which effectively serves as self-imposed segregation. Obstensibly, if those that view themselves differently than the mainstream wish to feel included and valued it would seem to make more sense not to create these lines of division to begin with.

[UtahDan]

Isn't their already a Stayinmormonism.com website that Dehlin sends people who don't want to follow his path out of the Church?

The need for people to identify or label themselves as to what kind of Mormon they are bothers me. It's fractious and does little good IMO. Why do people have to be mainstream, TBM, progressive, new order, etc?

Why can't people just be Mormon? It seems like most of these groups like NOM all want a big tent church where unorthodoxy is accepted, but their approach seems counterproductive by pitching their own tents outside the church's tent.

Labels are very useful and very problematic at the same time. This is not an issue that is unique to Mormonism. And there is lots of border keeping from all sides. Imagine if John Dehlin gave an interview where he said "I don't believe in the restoration, I think the BOM is fiction and I'm agnostic at best about God and I'm Mormon." Imagine he did that without any other qualifier or disclaimer. Many members would be beside themselves to point out that he is not a typical Mormon and many of them would say he is not a real or authentic Mormon. They would say that it is dishonest of him not to qualify his status as a Mormon. Remember Real World Julie and the furor over her living in a house with guys, dressing immodestly, saying that she didn't agree with the church on some things AND saying that she was a Mormon? The fiercest defenders of what is and is not Mormon are the faithful.

But I do think it is a good question to ask why someone who is other than faithful would care about a label. I think there are lots of reasons. Probably the big one is that they want to identify as Mormon in some way but not in all ways and these labels allow them to find one another in internet land. Maybe I'm wrong but I doubt too many people have run into others in person who want to be inside the tent and introduce themselves as NOM or unorthodox or what not. Maybe it happens more than I think.

I guess my question is why do you say that using some other label is counter productive and amounts to pitching your tent outside the church? Does the problem you are pointing to lie with the actions of the unorthodox, the reaction of the orthodox or both? Aren't negative reactions to that the sort of gate keeping I mentioned above? I think you are asking a good question as to why labels matter to the unorthodox, but I think it is just as good a question to turn it around and ask whether there is a good reason for the orthodox to be bothered or threatened by anyone doing that (not saying I think you are threatened).

[SeattleUte]

New order Mormon is dorky, it tries too hard and itself sounds cultish. Why can't everyone just call themselves progressive Mormons?