Brothers and Sisters, last weekend I had the pleasure of speaking at a conference which, while not affiliated with the LDS Church, was held at the Conference Center and in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building on Temple Square. The subject of my presentation was, ‘Blogging Your Faith,’ which is interesting because the most Faith-Blogging I do is under a pseudonym. That being said, the main points that my co-presenter and I made were:

1. Know your audience
2. Live with Integrity and Blog with Authenticity

Authenticity is a buzzword right now, and there’s a reason for it: too many people online are insincere about how they portray their lives online, and it has the potential to alienate readers. Particularly when blogging about our faith, we need to use language that is inclusive rather than exclusive, and this includes the ability and willingness to say the words, “I don’t know.” If you’re not certain about an aspect of your faith – whether it relates to doctrine, practice, or culture – you should feel free to express that; it doesn’t make you less of a member of your faith for questioning. In fact, on the journey of faith, I believe it’s helpful to express areas where we may need more understanding if for no other reason than that others can contribute to the conversation and help us gain insight. That being said, I also feel that inquiries should be made respectfully and toward the best sources; most always, we can find whatever kind of answer we’re looking for.

One thing that stood out to me as we were giving the presentation is how much the LDS religion’s language can be alienating. Knowing that there will always be people who look to be offended no matter what, I’ve been thinking about the things we say and wondering how we can be more inclusive. It’s pretty easy, when we use the word ‘ward,’ to clarify that we mean ‘congregation.’ But what about saying things like, “I know that this is the only true church”? I mean, we can each own that statement because of the words, ‘I know’ at the beginning; but is saying ‘only true church’ alienating? I think so, even though it’s part of my beliefs. I would say it in an appropriate setting, such as a testimony at church or at home, but I don’t know that I would use those exact words in sharing my beliefs with someone who is a faithful member of another religion, because I think it borders on being elitist. President Hinckley was known to talk about the process of, “Bring[ing] the goodness you have and let’s see if we can add to it,” and when we say that we know ours is The Only True Church, that statement, in and of itself, doesn’t build on any common beliefs.

What do you think, Brothers and Sisters? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this topic in the comments section. Have you, whether you’re a member of the LDS Church or not, felt alienated by things said to you by another Mormon? What words or phrases do you think would be more effective in expressing the things we ought to express?