LDS intellectuals tell why they don't stray

People who either leave or become inactive in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do so for a variety of reasons, some because of discomfort with its history or its conservative doctrine and practice.

Their stories are often part of the annual Sunstone Symposium, being held this week in Salt Lake City. Yet a group of LDS intellectuals detailed Thursday the reasons why they stay active in their faith, in spite of lingering questions they've been unable to resolve.

"This is the answer to the question, 'Are all Sunstone participants apostates?' " quipped moderator Charlene Durham, as she kicked off a panel discussion on the topic, drawing laughter from the standing-room-only crowd gathered in a conference room at the Sheraton downtown.

"My challenges are common," but they "need not be destructive," said Toby Pingree, chairman of the Sunstone board of directors and a former LDS mission president in Ecuador.

He mentioned three things that are troubling to his faith: "The unequal treatment of all God's children in the church" including minorities, women and homosexuals; the now-abandoned practice of polygamy in the church's early history and its implications after death; and the church's "profession of independent thinking and study" that he said runs counter to actual practice.

Most of those who followed his opening presentation echoed the same concerns. Yet Pingree joined social worker Mary Anne Hunter, Brigham Young University microbiology professor Bill Bradshaw, local feminist Grethe Petersen and playwright Thomas Rogers in a soul-bearing session that focused as much on why they believe as what they struggle with.

The intimate nature of the topic had the audience laughing one minute and in reflective silence the next.

One reason Pingree stays is that "I am a Mormon down to my genes. It seems to be intertwined with my DNA."

Hunter said her years at Berkeley and her marriage to the son of former LDS general authority Milton Hunter helped her understand not only the complexity of religious faith but the fact that church leaders make mistakes. "Though I continue to deplore the behavior of some leaders . . . I believe even those with whom I disagree sincerely believe they are right and act out of good intentions."