Quote
Loursat says:
October 10, 2019 at 7:20 pm
It is legitimate for church leaders to be concerned about the effects on an institution when it makes an apology. It’s not a simple thing. What works when people can look each other in the eye doesn’t translate easily, and in some ways doesn’t translate at all, to the massive scale of a church with millions of members, a meaningful public profile, and a historical legacy..
However, this is not a persuasive reason to shun apologies. Of all institutions, a Christian church ought to take acts of contrition very seriously as an institution and not just for its individual members. In my view, if the church as a body considers itself above making apologies, it’s a sign that we don’t take seriously enough our most fundamental mission to express God’s love. We must hold ourselves accountable collectively as well as individually.
This is a principle that Latter-day Saints, of all people, should prize. Joseph Smith’s most profound teachings point to the unity of all God’s children. The gospel was restored to bring us together that we might be exalted, because we cannot be exalted alone. Our essential, natural state is togetherness. To deny this, to try to exalt our individuality, is a kind of Babel.
Figuring out how to be accountable collectively is a deep and interesting challenge of leadership. I don’t have the roadmap on this, and I’ll never be one of the leaders charged with figuring this problem out. However, I believe it is consistent with the burden of discipleship to ask our leaders to take this on. In the culture of our church, a refusal to apologize reflects our deep reluctance to acknowledge error. The truth is that we have made mistakes that divided us. Zion cannot be built–we cannot be one–if we do not collectively repent of those errors. Let us ask in faith. God will show us how.— Loursat
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