In the next few days, a new blogger/essay writer will make his debut on our site as a full member of our team. Going by the moniker of Larscapo, he is sure to stir things up a bit. He is a good friend of both Darth_ender and myself. In fact, I have known Larscapo for ten years, and in that time, I have watched him master the skill of writing. Hopefully, you will enjoy his writing as much as we do.
Ideologically , we three are very different, representing different ends of the spectrum. We three are different enough to cover the spectrum of Mormon thinking. Since we are adding a third to the blog, it seemed an appropriate time to cover the philosophical point of view of all three of us.
Darth_ender is more conservative, both politically and religiously. He is a firm believer in aligning one’s self to the prophets, although he admits that they are human and are sometimes wrong. He considers himself open-minded and soft-hearted, and tries to be sympathetic to the differences and plights of others. While somewhat a traditionalist, Darth_ender is willing to explore and debate ideas that are different from his own. His essays tend to be doctrinally based and quote the scriptures heavily, but he is usually willing to push the envelope of LDS thought.
On the extreme other side, Larscapo tends to be liberal, progressive and somewhat of an anarchist. Politically, although he started out on the right (when I first met him), he has shifted more and more to the left, and currently considers himself an Anarchist. Religiously, he can be regarded as a progressive Mormon. He has been working on a essay for several months that I hope to see posted here, explaining his point of view much better than I could do. Although I have not seen many essays on Mormon topics from him, I know Larscapo’s interests tend to lie in political realms, and suspect that he will write from that perspective as often as not. Also, since he is working on a PhD in history, I suspect a historical/political slant in his doctrinal essays is likely.
As for my own viewpoint, I tend to be in the middle. I am a centrist. Politically, I am a cynic who does not believe politicians have my best interests at heart, no matter what they say. I am not truly able to accept the platform of any party, so I am an independent at heart. In practical terms, I try to find the common ground between the extremes. I can usually see both sides of any argument and believe there can be merit to both sides. Religiously, I am not as cynical, but I recognize that people make mistakes, whether they be politicians, prophets, citizens or church members. While I have strong beliefs about the church and the doctrine, I also have concerns and doubts. I explore human foibles, both in writing and in my career (as a future mental health counselor, as soon as I graduate and get licensure), so it should be no surprise that I see the human foibles in religion, too. Despite some cynicism, I am a humanist. My essays tend to make commentary on social issues in the church, but I also have my heavy doctrinal essays, as well. I have been known to use satire, as well.
We three make up the core team on this blog (although we reserve the right to have guest bloggers and adding other people to the team in the future, should the occasion warrant it). Our main focus here will continue to be essays that probe the depths of Mormon doctrine and thinking. Thoughtful comments are always welcome.
The ideological differences between us are pretty pronounced, yet we remain good friends. We have an upcoming project in which all three of us will be writing about the same topic from our various perspectives. You shall see how different our thinking is in the next few days.
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