Fascinating, and thoughtful piece in the SLTrib today; give it a look. For me, the money quote came from Philip Barlow:
Disillusionment with LDS leaders “would evaporate,” says Philip Barlow, Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University, “if people saw the church not as essentially divine, marred only by the weaknesses of human administrators, but rather … [as made up] entirely of human beings — with all of their limitations — who are trying to respond to the divine with which they have (in faith) been touched.”I'm not sure if he's right, but it's an intriguing thought. Could such a change in paradigm be accomplished organically, or would it require active support of Church leaders? If the latter, then I don't ever see it happening — who would intentionally undermine his/her own influence? It's like congress voting to lower their own salaries: highly unlikely.
