Prioritizing Love and Belonging Over Rules and Doctrines

It's a question we ask ourselves all the time: Why do so many Latter-day Saints—leaders and members—seem to prefer nudging people to walk away from our community over doing the work of love? Mormons don't generally shy away from hard work, and we're devoted to showing our love for God. But "love" sometimes ends up in derisive air quotes in our collective discourse, rather than genuinely guiding our actions or our hearts.  It's hard to understand how a church that bears Jesus' name struggles to make room for everyone.