Midterms Election 2018

The only thing I will say about this election is that we Americans may need to remember the lesson taught to King Croesus as written by the ancient Greek author Herodotus:

“None may escape his destined lot, not even a god. Croesus hath paid for the sin of his ancestor of the fifth generation: who, being of the guard of the Heraclidae, was led by the guile of a woman to slay his master, and took to himself the royal state of that master, whereto he had no right. And it was the desire of Loxias that the evil hap of Sardis should fall in the lifetime of Croesus’ sons, not his own, but he could not turn the Fates from their purpose; yet did he accomplish his will and favour Croesus in so far as they would yield to him: for he delayed the taking of Sardis for three years, and this let Croesus know, that though he be now taken it is by so many years later than the destined hour. And further, Loxias saved Croesus from the burning. But as to the oracle that was given him, Croesus doth not right to complain concerning it. For Loxias declared to him that if he should lead an army against the Persians he would destroy a great empire. Therefore it behoved him, if he would take right counsel, to send and ask whether the god spoke of Croesus’ or of Cyrus’ empire. But he understood not that which was spoken, nor made further inquiry: wherefore now let him blame himself. Nay, when he asked that last question of the oracle and Loxias gave him that answer concerning the mule, even that Croesus understood not. For that mule was in truth Cyrus; who was the son of two persons not of the same nation, of whom the mother was the nobler and the father of lesser estate; for she was a Median, daughter of Astyages king of the Medians: but he was a Persian and under the rule of the Medians, and was wedded, albeit in all regards lower than she, to one that should be his sovereign lady.” Such was the answer of the priestess to the Lydians; they carried it to Sardis and told it to Croesus; and when he heard it, he confessed that the sin was not the god’s, but his own. And this is the story of Croesus’ rule, and of the first overthrow of Ionia.
The Persian Wars, Book 1 - Herodotus

The lesson? Looking past the obscure names and archaic language the point King Croesus learned was that the fate of his kingdom was decided long before he was born as punishment for the crimes of his ancestor. There was little to nothing that could have been done to change his fate, or the fate of his kingdom - the sins and crimes of his ancestors needed to be answered.

A similar lesson is taught in the Christian Bible through the fall of the Kingdom of Judah in punishment for the sins of King Manasseh, son of Hezekiah.

What If Abinadi Lived Today

Perhaps the most repeated defense for the Prophets and leaders of the LDS Church, and why members or non-members (mostly ex-members) cannot or should not criticize the Prophet or other Church leaders, is that these men have the Authority to speak for God. To so many active and devoted members of the Church their authority seems like an impenetrable defense, unfortunately for them however, it is actually a very weak scriptural defense, one that is contradicted regularly in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. There are multiple accounts in both scriptural records proving that a Prophet's Authority is not enough to protect a Prophet from being rebuked over his own wrongdoing. Anyone who desires to protect the Prophets and Apostles will need to prove the defense of their leaders by other means after these examples are published and explained.

Abinadi's story is well known to Mormons, as is the painting of his trial before the Wicked King Noah, but perhaps the details of his situation are not so clearly understood.

Consensus vs Dissension

We regularly hear in the Church the idea that Consensus between the Brethren (Prophets and Apostles) is an indication of Truth. If they are united on a principle it is more likely to be appropriate and doctrinally true, or at least that we are told. We've also been told frequently (as was reiterated in Elder Rasband's talk this past General Conference) that it is acceptable to have questions but never to be "questioning" the Brethren. We are taught to sustain and unite with the Brethren in word and in deed. In essence we are told to be in Consensus with the Brethren of the Church at all times.

But is Consensus all that it is cracked up to be? Is Consensus always considered a good thing? President Monson openly acknowledges that it is not always for the best to be in Consensus and that sometimes Dissension is necessary and right.

So sometimes Consensus is right and sometimes Dissension is right.

Are Mormons at War?

It may not be obvious to everyone but what you say and how you say it does and will affect the behavior of those who listen to you. Regardless of your intentions, your words have the power to inspire good behavior or extremely inappropriate actions. My purpose in this article is show that the LDS Church has repeatedly encouraged hostility against LGBT individuals worldwide, despite some official statements denouncing bullying and the like.

NOTE: In this post I am not contesting the Mormon position on sin. I do not believe that homosexuality is a sin but I recognize that at this time that is not the position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Instead my focus is literally that hostile quotes frequently circulated in the Church inspire and encourage, as well justify, various forms of bullying among the LDS people.

I imagine a lot of people will ask me why the opinions the Church or its members would or should hold any weight to me after all the horrible pain they've caused me over the years. If you want some clarification on that bad blood and history feel free to read one of my previous articles The Church and I. As for the question itself, I'll counter with a question. Let's say you had an abusive parent or sibling, yet you still found place in your heart to have love for them (they're family); would you care about their perception of you? For some, the answer is undoubtedly "no", but we can see examples of a resounding "yes" all around us. The Church has meant everything to me for my entire life and their opinion still has the power to hurt or uplift me to some degree. Mind you, I do not consider the opinion of the Church to be always be the same as the opinion of God; if they were always the same there would be no need for future revelation on any subject. Nevertheless, the Church has its pull on me spiritually.

The Church and I

I've been thinking lately that I've never truly explained who I am and what my situation is with the LDS Church. Today I'll give a short (hopefully) overview of my story and why I am willing to risk so much to criticize the Church on the errors and injustices I see. Even though I'll be sharing my story honestly I do not intend to share all I've been through, I intend to be very candid and forthcoming about my experiences but there are definitely things that are better left unsaid or said in very limited detail.

Technically I was born a third generation Mormon since it was my grandparents who were baptized which incidentally led to both my mother and I to eventually be born into the Church. I say "technically" because for a long time my mother and I were the only ones in our family to actually be active members. I was baptized by my Bishop at 8 years old, received the Priesthood at 12 and served in virtually every Presidency available to young men my age. I graduated Seminary (Mormon youth scripture study program during the high school years) with all the extra awards for full attendance and scripture memorization etc. I served a Full Time 2 year Mission for the Church, Spanish speaking, received a 4 year Diploma in graduating Institute (the college version of Seminary), and served in various leadership and teaching positions. I studied the scriptures so much, and thankfully had a good memory, that whenever others had gospel related questions they usually came to me for the answers.

Mormonism 101

So I'm thinking that somebody, somewhere, somewhen (yes I know that isn't a word), might find my blog even though they aren't actually Mormon and I'm thinking that they might not know a lot about what the Church is and whatnot. I understand that there is a lot of mixed information out there from different sources and so I thought that this might be a good place to just go over a few basics; how the Church got started, what it claims to be, what certain terms mean, what the organizational structure looks like etc.

I know I've written a lot of really long posts lately so I'll do my best to keep this short and sweet!

Dear Sister Nelson

 Dear Sister Nelson,

I would kindly ask you to refrain from spreading false doctrines in your official speaking assignments. No one can completely condemn you just for your sincere (though incorrect and non-doctrinal) beliefs but you are not safe from scrutiny and condemnation when you teach those falsehoods publicly.

Now, you might very well become defensive and upset at hearing a statement like this and that is understandable. Nevertheless it is much more polite than what most members of the Church (and leaders) have said to members of the LGBT community and to persons who are friendly to our community, even recently. Still, it is true that you said things that are not doctrine and are in fact not accepted by the First Presidency. I am not simply stating my own opinion of your words but I intend to prove by the words of the First Presidency and various Apostles the truth of my own claims.