I believe there is an unstoppable reformation beginning in the LDS community & Christianity in general— not unlike the Protestant reformation of the 15th century. Much like Gutenberg’s printing press, the internet has brought about a new era of information availability, historical awareness and cultural questioning in the world’s politics and churches (this is especially true for Islam & Christianity). Religious adherents around the world are reading details of the histories, scriptures, doctrines and experiences of both their own religious traditions comparing them to those of other religious adherents all over the world; and its forcing them to reconsider how their own religious traditions can fit into the diversity of the whole (see Jacob 5:48–64). Many dogmas, exclusivity claims and narrow viewpoints of the past are being questioned… and millions of religious adherents are pressing for reforms as the Spirit sweeps the earth with information and truth.

I’m an active Mormon (member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), and I care a lot about my faith. As I’ve combed the internet to look closely at Mormon history over the last decade and compared it to religious traditions across the world; I’ve had to radically reshape the beliefs and world-view I was taught as a child. Like many, I’ve found that because of limited information, the views of LDS leaders and past generations were often false, contrary to our own scriptures, narrow, prideful, exclusive and egotistical. Many of their actions were occasionally far less than holy.

I offer the following as topics to think about. I don’t say any of these things to be dogmatic or divisive—to the contrary, as I read through LDS blogs and forums, I see way too much division and way too many people leaving the Church with very ill feelings.  Its something I’ve given a lot of thought and study to, and as I’ve prayed and searched through the scriptures for answers I’ve felt inspired with the following list of divisive cultural traditions, teachings and practices which seem to go against our own founding revelations. Each reform uses LDS scripture to show possible corrections to our incorrect cultural practices. As I’ve implemented these reforms in my own belief system it has transformed, universalized and enriched the way I look at worship and religion. I hope it may equally help the reader who may have been led here.