I want to be proud of my religion, but it is too bad that we're - as a people - perceived to be so conservative and right-wing. Not all of us are Republican - and some of us are - dare I say it - liberal! Why should my political views be so assumed by others to be extremely conservative when I say "I'm a Mormon!" ?

I feel that families are forever, but it seems that our view of what "families" are tends to exclude a lot of good people, and I'm not sure that God intended such exclusion.

It's a little frustrating to me that Gospel Doctrine class seems to be more about getting through the prescribed course materials than it is about exploring concepts and ideas, and stimulating new insights into things. I don't need the same old thing constantly drilled into me.

It doesn't seem right to me that the gay people in my family should be expected to change who they are, or else be so excluded from my church.

I'm proud of how financially stable our Church is, but it is troubling to me that members of our Church in other countries continue to die from malnutrition and disease easily preventable by a fraction of what my ward pays in fast offerings.

It seems that a lot of revelation appeared during Joseph Smith's time. It seems a little strange to me that God would pour out so much information back then when the Church was so ill-prepared to handle it, and now when the Church is much stronger there's so little coming forth in the way of new information, when we could handle it so differently now - surely there's more to be revealed than the same routine I experience week after week.

I like how the Church is the same the world over - but there are times when the "sameness" aesthetic becomes a little dull and boring. Sometimes more than a little dull and boring.

I believe that Godhood awaits me...but it doesn't seem to me like I'm expected to learn much to prepare me for that - it seems that I'm more expected to obey rules. When do I get to learn more? If Godhood is just about obeying rules, do I really want that? What's the point?

I enjoy the Church's traditions and ceremonies...but I have this sneaking suspicion that we will either never get to all the deceased people, or getting to all of them, in the end, won't really matter - we do it for our own benefit.

Polygamy really bothers me. I know that it's still considered a valid thing in the hereafter, but this part of my Church's history and teaching is going to be a tough one to swallow when I'm expected to confront it...thankfully I don't have to now!

Evolution seems to make so much sense to me; but the creation story is beautiful and is so satisfying in many ways. Certainly there must be an explanation between the two that doesn't require me to believe the "6,000 year old Earth" idea, which all evidence contradicts. I'm a rational person and I don't believe that, if my church is true, it will require me to ignore scientific fact the way that the Christian church beheaded people for believing that the Earth revolved around the Sun.

I love my Church leaders, and recognize that they are human. I think they're trying to do their best. But sometimes I wish things were less about them ("Follow the prophet") and the sort of lock-step approach to things that pervades the Church. Why does everything have to be so "correlated?" "Approved?" "Authorized?" Certainly our views can stand up to other ideas and views, can't they? Sometimes it feels to me that my leaders would prefer I stick my head in the sand rather than explore what the world has to teach me.

I don't understand why the Church excommunicates intellectuals. Doesn't every Church have intellectuals? (Maybe I should take a look at other Church's approach to these things and find out...) Isn't there room for everyone? Do we all have to have the same exact opinions or view of history? Wouldn't this diversity make things more interesting, present more to be learned? We don't have anything to be afraid of, do we?

I wonder why more interesting, perhaps even controversial topics aren't addressed in Church. Don't we benefit from exploring these ideas, so we can see where we stand, as opposed to pretending they don't exist?

The missionary efforts of the Church are exciting. But only 50% of members are active. We could probably help the overall effort by figuring out why 50% of those who join the Church leave it, if we're prepared to do something about what we find out. Maybe these inactives shouldn't have converted in the first place - and if that's the case, maybe our approach to missionary work should be examined in the interest of not wasting our efforts. And if it winds up that Mormonism isn't really for everyone, what does that say about the Plan of Salvation?

It seems to me that Sunday meetings - most of the time - are rarely edifying. They're all about doing things, getting things done. It's a rare moment when I sit there, able to ponder a few things, and feel truly edified.

I realize that God only gives the Priesthood to males. I suppose I accept that. It doesn't mean, however, that it doesn't seem fundamentally wrong, like something from another era when men ruled the Earth...makes me wonder if, had we lived in a matriarchal society in the 1800's, if it might have been that only women were allowed to hold the priesthood. That women used to be allowed to give blessings in the Church but aren't really allowed to now also seems strange. And I hate it when little girls ask why they can't have the priesthood and I have to explain it to them...that's when it seems most wrong.

I've never been comfortable with the Church's policy on not giving the blacks the priesthood before 1977. It always bothered me that the new revelation came just in time for the opening of the Brazil temple, where literally no one would have attended had the revelation not come. I have a hard time believing in the "curse of Cain" idea and I think that when it comes right down to it, our Church entertained racist ideas rather than how God truly viewed black people in America. I don't think that, as a Church, we have fully come to terms with this history and its implications.