Questions and shelving

The LDS Church claims to allow questions, but that's a lie. Only the questions within the prescribed parameters get through; anything that actually challenges the narrative is quietly shelved. If your question requires thought, explanation, intellectual honrst, or a real answer, you could expect it to be rerouted to a canned response, deferred, or ignored altogether. The church says there's openness. But this is only in theory. It's censorship and mind stopping in practice. The boundary between “allowed” and “forbidden” is enforced with a thinly veiled, bureaucratic shrug.

Dissenting voices and uncomfortable questions are often labeled as “anti” or discouraged, sincere seekers are steered toward approved explanations, and institutional preservation frequently trumps transparency. We were often taught to just put it on the shelf and worry about it until later. I no longer wanted to give up my autonomy to an organization that refuses to be transparent and open.