Interesting thoughts

[Archaea]

by Mr. Peters:

I think the role for the intellectual in the Church would be to lead in terms of Christian service. I don't like the model of the loyal opposition. Church is not parliament. I don't like the model of the intellectual as beacon unto the world. I think we, like most people, selfish and self-serving and defensive of our craft. I think that Lowell Bennion had the right answer. You know, that if you really want to philosophize, go out and paint houses for the elderly. Instead of excommunicating dissidents, why not call them on a mission to Africa and have them dig wells or teach parents there how to keep their kdis from getting diarrhea or something. I don't know; I think intellectuals can help clear away the traps that the inquiring young will fall into. A simple-minded conception of true and false, such as that retailed by the hard-boiled culture of modern science, is not religiously productive.

Peters Interview, page 45, Dialogue.

One thing that came to me, and has been discussed, is that our approach to those we disfellowship or excommunicate is counter-productive. Instead of under-involving those members, we need to increase involvement, perhaps not in leadership but in service positions. But the method used is to decrease involvement, not taking sacrament and not participating in service or other ordinances.

To me, the disfellowshipped is already isolated and needs more focus, but not in a project minded way but in service oriented way.