Is there really a place in the church for gray?

Many members who learn of the troubling issues and facts that all but completely discredit the fundamental claims of the church still want to associate and attend the church.

They take a more liberal and laid back approach to doctrine and what the brethren say. But in a church that is so black and white, is there room for gray in the middle?

According to what church leaders have said, the answer is 'no.'

“Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned, or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground.”
Smith, Joseph Feilding. (1976) Doctrines of Salvation. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft. Vol 1, p. 188

…[t]hat becomes the hinge pin on which this whole cause turns. If the First Vision was true, if it actually happened, then the Book of Mormon is true. Then we have the priesthood. Then we have the Church organization and all of the other keys and blessings of authority which we say we have. If the First Vision did not occur, then we are involved in a great sham. It is just that simple. (Italics added)
from the lesson manual Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley

“I would like to say that this cause is either true or false. Either this is the kingdom of God, or it is a sham and a delusion. Either Joseph talked with the Father and the Son, or he did not. If he did not, we are engaged in blasphemy"
Hinckley: Conference Reports, October 1961, p.116

…the Book of Mormon is the keystone of testimony. Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the Church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon…if it can be discredited, the Prophet Joseph Smith goes with it. So does our claim to priesthood keys, and revelation, and the restored Church.
Benson: Ensign, November 1986

Based on what church leaders have said, and the information I now have, I have no choice but to conclude the church is a fraud.

Does God exist?

Maybe there is something valid about the idea of God. However, does he exist in the form we are taught in Sunday school? Maybe. But I tend to believe if he/she/whatever exists, it is in a completely different form. 

And I doubt our relationship to him is that of a father-child relationship. I guess as our creator one could say he is our father, but I don't believe it extends beyond that. 

As for the Spirit, I have had very powerful experiences not easily explained away. I wonder if there is indeed some cosmological explanation for the Spirit. And those feelings are real. However, I have experienced "the spirit" under many different conditions. And not all of them stemmed from church activities. Many different books, many of them not religious at all, have inspired me with feelings of the Spirit.

Because of this, I tend to believe religion as an institution is still man made. I think maybe religion capitalizes on this "spirit" and uses it to create and perpetuate belief among the members. They teach their members to interpret these feelings as being a manifestation their particular church is true. That would explain why religion gets it right sometimes, but misses the mark on other things. The strongest feelings I've ever felt from the Mormon church were while viewing an art exhibit at the Conference Center. But I have never felt anything remotely close to that while doing Endowment sessions in the Temple. Yet we are taught the temple is the place to go where we will be the closest to God. My experience has been the exact opposite. 

All of this also explains why so many religions describe the exact same feelings as the source for them "knowing" their mutually exclusive beliefs. 

More people are beginning to question

The church is heading into a perfect storm. The facts regarding the church's history are now readily available more than ever before. And members are feeling the urge to spend more time with their families.

As more and more people discover the legitimate questions regarding the authority of those leading the church, the more members will question why they are required to sacrifice so much for the church, at the expense of their family time.