Dan Brooks's Blog, page 24

Along The Journey

Along the journey of life we meet many people. I've heard some say that most are NPC's or non player characters, a term derived from gaming, meaning they are there for decoration not meaningful interaction.
But that's only true if you want it to be. And only you can decide which people are allowed into your inner circle. But they can choose whether or not you become an NPR in their story as well.
When Jesus bore the weight of His cross after being beaten, Simon of Cyrene, a man who was an NPR suddenly took on a large role in Christ's final hours by bearing the burden of His cross.
So at any moment a non player character can play a vital role in our lives and even become central to our story.
In all my life I've never met anyone who wasn't important.
Jesus is a NPC in the lives of many. These people don't turn to Him or His example for guidance or His teachings for implementation.
It's not just that Jesus is important because He really lived, because His teachings are true and we should follow them with blind obiedience we should understand why those teachings better our lives and the lives of others.
Jesus waits for us to find Him and no matter how many times you wander off, no matter how many times you stray from the path He waits patiently for you to return to Him.
Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is within us. It is waiting for us anytime we choose to seek it. Seek and ye shall find.

Sinners And Saints

Jesus had a parable to teach why it is that good things happen to bad people and bad things may happen to good people:

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. Matthew 13:24-30

So basically God may give rain to all the crops good and evil and not until the harvest are the two separated. Maybe because you can't hurt one without hurting the other?

Jesus explains what the sticking points of salvation are in another excerpt of scripture:

And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. Matthew 25:33-46

So if we are to be saved we need to save one another as we are to love one another as Jesus loved us . If we are as good to one another, as respectful and as loving, as Jesus was to each person He met. Then we can say we are His disciples and that itself is salvation not just for us but for those around us, for those we meet.

Jesus Welcomes Us All

Jesus didn't just preach to those who were deemed worthy by the religious elite to recieve God's love or even His approval.
He preached to sinners of all kind, hated tax collectors and Samaritans, and all who would listen to and act on His teachings.
Like the Samaritan woman He met at Jacob's well:

Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. John 4:6-25

Jesus said He came to call sinners to repentance not the righteous since they were already on the path. Jesus wanted to gather His lost sheep.

Jesus also preached using many parables one of which He used to make an enemy of the Hews into a hero in His parable to redeem the image of this enemy and prove that any member of any group can be righteous. 

In the way that Schindler, a Nazi, still did much good despite being a Nazi officer. The Good Samaritan did the righteous thing in Jesus' parable.

Jesus did more than just preach to sinners, He invited them into His inner circle.

Many of the twelve Apostles were lowly sinners who were considered by the religious elite to be unworthy of God's love and approval.

Simon the zealot was a hard liner who believed in military action against the Romans and the religious elite who were allowing the Roman occupation and even facilitated it.

Yet Jesus molded him into a righteous man.

Simon Peter was just a fisherman with no obvious leadership skills yet Hesus chose him to be the foundation on which He would build His church.

Matthew was a tax collector, who robbed the poor to give to the Romans, yet he was humble and may have been the inspiration of a parable set at the Temple:

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Luke 18:10-14

So though some may say we are not worthy Jesus seemed to show us otherwise. The paths of our lives shape us into what we are called to be, we can accept that and learn from these things or we can fight it.

But to fight our destiny is like swimming upstream, we will wear ourselves out and eventually go down stream where we were always meant to go. We have our agency to refuse the call.

But to accept the call as Jesus accepts us flaws, sins and all is to be who we were meant to be. 

Jesus will meet us wherever we're at and He will guide us from there. He did that for all He ministered to and for all those He invited into His inner circle so why would He do any differently for us?

Jesus Saves

The name given to Jesus by The Lord through an angel translates into English as Joshua, as in the Joshua of the Old Testament but more than that what the name translates to from the Hebrew into English is "God saves."  This is why you see all the sings saying "Jesus Saves" because the rest of Christianity believes Jesus to be God incarnate.

This along with many other signs like Him being called the Prince of Peace from Isaiah or being descended from King David as also stated in Isaiah were markers of the messiah or prophetic signs to be fulfilled by the messiah. Not simply arbitrarily given as His birthright.

Jesus saved each of us, saved us all through the Atonement.  It's grace is on-going and helps us get back on track throughout our lives it is not a fixed point in time, it is a moment of timeless expression that is eternal.

So the Atonement aside, how else does Jesus save us? I think it is by living out His teachings in everyday life that we take part in His ministry, it is how we love one another, our neighbors and even our enemies, that is the true mark of a disciple according to Jesus.  It is by our love for one another that He and all others will know we are His disciples.

So what forms the bedrock of His teachings?  It is love that forms the bedrock of the Gospel, all the laws and all the prophets hang on the principle of love.

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:36-40


34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34-35

Mosaic law covers many situations there are afterall 613 of them.  But no matter how extensive any set of laws is it can never cover everything.  If, However, you set your moral compass by a principle rather than any set of laws however righteous then you will know the righteous course of action in any possible situation.  And living by the principle of love isn't always easy but it is what's called for in all of our lives.  

For me, if any teaching helps us to understand good from evil it is this;
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Matthew 7:16-20

So if there are evil results from any teaching, it cannot by Christ's teaching here, be considered to be a good teaching.  Good teachings bring forth good fruits because good cannot produce evil. 

There is a new teaching in some Young Women's where 5 dollar bills are taped to young girls and they are told to imagine walking through "The Ghetto" dressed like that.  It would clearly invite nothing but trouble and then they are hit with this "That's what dressing immodestly is like, you invite nothing but trouble."

Teachings like the chewed gum or licked cupcake analogies and this new one all reinforce the idea that young girls and young women are responsible for the actions and reactions of men, that they are to blame for any sexual attacks because they were asking for it by the way they dress or they were asking for it by flirting or they were asking for it by allowing themselves to be around the wrong people. 

No means no and no one is responsible for any actions, reactions or words that are not their own.  And what of the fruit these teachings bear?  Young women not wanting to escape their kidnapper and rapist because they feel that they are a chewed piece of gum that no one will want as Elizabeth Smart once explained.


"I remember in school one time, I had a teacher who was talking about abstinence, and she said, ‘Imagine you’re a stick of gum. When you engage in sex, that’s like getting chewed. And if you do that lots of times, you’re going to become an old piece of gum, and who is going to want you after that?’ Well, that’s terrible. No one should ever say that. But for me, I thought, ‘I’m that chewed-up piece of gum.’ Nobody re-chews a piece of gum. You throw it away. And that’s how easy it is to feel you no longer have worth. Your life no longer has value.”

I was given the licked cupcake analogy lesson at church as a young man where i was taught t look at women that had had sex as licked cupcakes that are no longer desirable.  I was being taught to define women by their sexuality, to treat them like sex objects.  These teachings are toxic to men and to women.

Jesus treated every woman He met as they should be treated, as a beloved daughter of God, not as a sex object.  He ministered to them when no one else seemed to care like the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well.  He knew she had been with other men, by law they were all her husbands because to consummate the relationship was to wed and so Jesus was correct in numbering her husbands.  That alone meant she would have been shunned in her town as she would be shunned and judged in church these days.

But this was not the case for Jesus, He saw a daughter of God when everyone else saw a floozy.  Not only was He nice to her even though she was a Samaritan and He was a Jew, enemies at the time, He ministered and preached to her.  He was looking out for her temporal and spiritual well being, thinking of her as a beloved sister of His.

Jesus sees what's on our hearts and judges not by appearances but by the contents of our hearts.

7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.  John 4:7-26

You are not just your actions but your intentions also, your words and the contents of your heart.  You are not the clothes you do or do  not wear, you're not the contents of your safety deposit box or your bank account, you are not merely a collection of your sins you are also a collection of your virtues.

You are not an object to be defiled or placed on a pedestal in a gilded cage, you are a child of God.
Jesus teaching us who we are, who we can become, how we can save ourselves and each other is how Jesus really saves.

Patriarchy Is Transitory

People often say that things like marriage between one man and one woman is not only Biblical but the only arrangement that is Biblically supported. This idea is false.
In the Bible there are 8 types of marriage allowed. From Patheos I give you this:
Polygynous Marriage

Probably the most common form of marriage in the bible, it is where a man has more than one wife.

Levirate Marriage

When a woman was widowed without a son, it became the responsibility of the brother-in-law or a close male relative to take her in and impregnate her. If the resulting child was a son, he would be considered the heir of her late husband. See Ruth, and the story of Onan (Gen. 38:6-10).

A man, a woman and her property — a female slave

The famous “handmaiden” sketch, as preformed by Abraham (Gen. 16:1-6) and Jacob (Gen. 30:4-5).

A man, one or more wives, and some concubines

The definition of a concubine varies from culture to culture, but they tended to be live-in mistresses. Concubines were tied to their “husband,” but had a lower status than a wife. Their children were not usually  heirs, so they were safe outlets for sex without risking the line of succession. To see how badly a concubine could be treated, see the famous story of the Levite and his concubine (Judges 19:1-30).

A male soldier and a female prisoner of war

Women could be taken as booty from a successful campaign and forced to become wives or concubines. Deuteronomy 21:11-14 describes the process.

A male rapist and his victim

Deuteronomy 22:28-29 describes how an unmarried woman who had been raped must marry her attacker.

A male and female slave

A female slave could be married to a male slave without consent, presumably to produce more slaves.

and of course …

Monogamous, heterosexual marriage

What you might think of as the standard form of marriage, provided you think of arranged marriages as the standard. Also remember that inter-faith or cross-ethnic marriage were forbidden for large chunks of biblical history.

- See more at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unreason...
So if I may, the idea that a rapist give the father of his victim fifty shekels and that the victim must marry her rapist is not just wrong but sick and I cannot fathom a just and loving God condoning this.
In every one of those types of Biblical marriage the man is in charge and the woman is sub servant to the men in her life.
But in possibly the most important household in Biblical history the man was absent for reasons unknown and was in fact raised by a single mother.
Jesus was raised by Mary in a single parent household most of His life.
So to me the idea that a patriarchal society is the only proper society is absurd. In the Bible men are placed in authority over women but nowhere is it written that all men should always be in authority over women.
Nor is it written that women should be denied the priesthood so to say so is to infer that because it is never stated as such.
Moreover, we have this from Bruce R. Mckonkie in Mormon Doctrine:

Priestesses.  See CALLING AND ELECTION SURE, CELESTIAL MARRIAGE, ENDOWMENTS, EXALTATION, KINGS, MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD, PRIESTHOOD, PRIESTS, QUEENS.  Women do not have the priesthood conferred upon them and are not ordained to offices therein, but they are entitled to all priesthood blessings.  Those women who go on to their exaltation, ruling and reigning with husbands who are kings and priests, will themselves be queens and priestesses.  They will hold positions of power, authority, and preferment in eternity.

So women can have the priesthood in the next life just not this one? Why? Who's standing between women and their priestesshood?
And also I find it hard to believe that so many people still teach that women are to deny themselves and submit to their husbands or that modesty is their responsibility as are the sexual actions and reactions of men. It is morally bankrupt to define anyone by their sexuality or hold anyone responsible for another's actions, reactions or words.
The reason I bring up the patriarchy is not just to dismiss it as arcane but to point out that our culture, society and terms like Jew, Muslim, Christain are all transitory it exists and only holds meaning in this life because in the next there is but one truth but even then it will be filtered through every personality.
All these terms that carry such weight in the here and now will fade away like winter passing into spring it's not that these things are unimportant, they have a purpose, it's that these terms do not define who we are or what we are.
It would be like introducing yourself as the make and model of the car you drove to church. It's just your mode of transport it's not who or what you are.
Your gender says nothing about what kind of person you are, neither does your race or country of origin. 
You're not your job, you're not how much money you have in the bank, you're not the clothes you wear.
You are a child of God, a human being with a spark of divinity within, with the kingdom of God within you.
That is who you are and who you've always been buried under the weight of life and the stains of sin, that's who you are.

In The Name Of The Lord

I used to be an atheist. Mainly because I saw such hatred and bitterness and shaming and shunning done in the name of The Lord by his "disciples."
If you weren't like them you were a socialist or communist but mostly just a child of Satan.
Because of these hateful attitudes I fell away from church as a teen. If God was ok with His followers treating others this way then the idea of God was not ok with me.
As I studied all religions as a teen and through my early 30's I came to understand these were the ways of men not the ways of God.
Jesus has this to say about the laws of God:"Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:36-40

So love is the foundation of Gods laws and the edicts of all His prophets. If it is not in the name of love it cannot be rightly said to be in the name of The Lord.

There is one scene in the New Testament which pits Mosaic law against Jesus and the results are deeply meaningful:

And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:3-12

So he who is without sin may cast the first stone and none in the crowd holding stones were without sin so they sulked away humbled and yet there was one among them who was without sin yet Jesus did not throw a stone, He refused to even condemn the woman. 

He saved her life and told her He did not condemn her instead He set her free and said only "go and sin no more."

That is an example of love trumping arcane practices. So it seems that law of Moses was of Moses and not of God much like divorce.

And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.

3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?

4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.

5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.

6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;

8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.

9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.

11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.

12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.

14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Mark 10:2-14

Now if Moses write the law of divorce for men and it was not from God then what other laws are from Moses and not of God?

If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;

29 Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days. Deutoronomy 22:28-29

This law states that a rape victim must marry her rapist and must pay her father fifty shekels of silver because that totally makes this okay.

I don't for a second believe this is the way of The Lord to put a rape victim through such a horrifying ordeal. Just like I believe a husband can still rape his wife if she refuses him. So I think this law amongst a few horrifying others in Mosaic law are from Moses not from God.

And so knowing that love is the foundation of Gods laws if we live by the principle of love we will filufill all of Gods laws. And through that love extended to all around us, even our enemies, all men will know, will see that we are His disciple. (John 13:34-35)

Righteous Disobedience

Jesus had a very counterintuitive way of dealing with oppression by the Romans over the Jews. When asked about taxes he asked for a coin then said "give to Ceasar what is Ceasar's and give to God what is God's."
Which is a way of saying "Ceasar made the coin but I made Ceasar, and you."
But in terms of what we should do when forced to carry a Roman soldiers fear one mile for him or what we should do when they ask for the shirt off their backs, or what we should do when slapped in the face Jesus said this:

But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Matthew 5:30-42

Jesus' idea of civil disobedience was to kill them with kindness. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate only love can do that." As Dr.King said.

When Dr.King led his marches he instructed all who walked to turn the other cheek and never resort to violence when attacked. And this instruction was obeyed and so many were beaten and then imprisoned.

What did they do in prison? They sang, they sang joyful hymns and eventually they were freed. And all because they refused to allow the spirits to be broken even if their bones had been.

Dr.King was aware there were those who wanted him dead and many who were actively trying to kill him.

Yet he continued in his mission to change Anerica enough to have it live up to its creed that "All men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Dr.King was a practitioner of what Walden termed civil disobedience but he followed the teachings of Christ and used the same play book as Gandhi to accomplish his goals and like Gandhi Dr.King was killed for his troubles.

He knew it may happen but for the benefits of millions of people he took the risk and gave his life rather than take a life in the name of The Lord.

Turning the other cheek, going the extra mile and allowing your bones to be broken but refusing to allow your spirit to be broken and killing your enemy with kindness is a tried and true method of changing governments laws and policies for the betterment of its people.

We are to love our enemies into submission not render an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

Control

The very purpose of religion is to control yourself, not to criticize others. Rather, we must criticize ourselves. How much am I doing about my anger? About my attachment, about my hatred, about my pride, my jealousy? These are the things which we must check in daily life.” -The Dalai Lama
We must use our faith to keep ourselves in check, not to criticize and "righteously judge" or justifiably condemn others.  Because in the end we only have true control over ourselves not over each other.  We can lead by example but that is the limit of our ability to influence or control others.  Anyone with children knows you guide them you by no means ever control them.
But this does not mean that relationships of every kind do not become controlling.  Sometimes it becomes a you do this for me and I'll do this for you thing.  It even degrades into a situation where people withhold their love, not just their approval, from another if that person fails to meet their expectations.  This is a toxic relationship.
I think most people in their lives have been in a relationship that was controlling and unhealthy.  Controlling relationships are unhealthy and toxic because for the one being controlled, they never get the chance to blossom and grow in the ways that are good for them, in the ways they need to grow because they are always walking on egg shells consumed with fear and dread of upsetting and/or angering the one who is controlling them.
This relationship dynamic is evident in cultural and social situations where members of a group shun, shame and slander outsiders and ex-members.  It is a classic red flag of a cult.  The word cult conjures up frightening memories or scenarios of mind control or programming and of total control over an individual.  But the real problem is not that these are indicative of cults, its that it's indicative of controlling relationships.
Control stifles personal and spiritual and even intellectual growth by inhibiting our ideas, our questions, our reading material, scientific inquiry and social growth.  It forces the one being controlled to live, think and even feel according to the standards of the person or group in control.
When I was a teenager and being forced to go to church I was biding my time by grilling the teachers and authority figures in my church.  I asked questions they didn't like, "If God made Cain black as a mark to identify him as being protected by God(being avenged 7 times for any harm done to him), as his punishment was to be forced to live with what he did, then how is it true that his mark was a curse since it was clearly a mark of protection?"
Back when I was a teen the whole "Curse of Cain" doctrine was still being preached as an explination for the priesthood ban.
My point is that I consistently challenged the status quo and social norms in LDS culture.  Simply bucking the system was forbidden, they wanted obedience not questions and answers because whatever my questions were more often than not the response was "I don't know."  Well if they're teaching the class shouldn't they know? 
I understand not knowing everything but these were basic questions, I thought.  Yet with the questions the other kids asked they seemed to know the answers and those answers led to other topics diving us deeper into the lesson.
It's a nifty trick called circular logic.
"The prophet can never lead us astray."
"How do you know that?"
"Because the prophet said so."
"How do you know he's telling the truth?"
"Because the prophet can never lead us astray."
People ask questions to which they already know the answer to get a boost of self confidence for knowing the answer.
And if the circular logic is imbedded deeply enough no outside inquiry will ever be able to penetrate the bubble they live in.  Circular logic is a form of intellectual, if you can call it that, control.  It's like a mental safety blanket.  It's like eating comfort food when you're upset or by fasting when you're upset, it is a means of control.
Now science has many sacred cows one dare not kick so don't think that circular logic is unique to Mormonism, or religion or what have you.  It can infect any mind or group.
My point in that sacred cows link is it links to a book about questioning the dogmas and "unquestionable" facts of science.  And being shamed for questioning the status quo of anything in any gruop, religion, institution or field of study is a form of controlling the situation so that outsiders and doubters and excluded from the conversation so that the circular logic may continue.
The are varying levels of control, some worse than others.  But in the end aren't we taught by Christ that the merciful will obtain mercy, that if we want to be forgiven by God we must be forgiving, that we will be judged by the same standard by which we judge others so when we judge another give them the benefit of the doubt and judge them favorably.
We are taught how to control ourselves.  Abusers and abusive relationships are controlling and I cannot fathom The Lord having the same mindset.  And in the end Jesus tells us "By their fruits ye shall know them."
In other words good trees produce good fruits and likewise for evil trees producing evil fruit.  So good teachings produce good fruits and bad teachings produce bad fruits but controlling relationships and people do not produce good fruits they always produce evil and unhealthy fruits.
And no person, culture or system is immune from this behavior and tactic. 
Our faith is about being the best version of ourselves that we can be not by controlling others but by controlling ourselves.
Better and healthier means of control are, am I controlling my angry feelings well enough?  Am I controlling my outbursts well enough, frequency and harshness?  Am I compassionate enough, merciful enough, or forgiving enough?  Do I love others as Christ loved us, do I love myself as Christ loved us?
For as unhealthy as control can be, when used to temper our bad qualities and magnify our stellar qualities it can be very healthy.  Whereas controlling others is destructive and unhealthy.

Our True Nature

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:24
In Judeo-Christianity most feel that our true nature is sinful and that it is only through effort and the grace of God that we become righteous.
But in Hinduism as with many unorthodox Christian/LDS feel that our true nature is divine and a tangible spark of God that connects us with Gid and all of humanity. And it is the sin in the world and all it's material splendor that corrupts us and leads to sin.
We are all sinners begging a merciful God for mercy we may not feel deserving of. But with that divine spark within we may hasten the onset of our own righteousness.
Jesus said the Kingdom of God is within you. "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 7:20-21

So though we are all sinners we have an internal connection to the divine. We can repent and carry on until we need to repent again.

The problem I see in saying we are all sinful by nature or to our core in other words is that it teaches people that they are basically bad it seems harmful to tell people they are inherently sinful.

To tell people that they haven't lead a good life but that they are good people seem to be judging them favorably and giving them hope that they can learn how to nourish and get in touch with their true nature seems like it produces good fruits as compared with telling people they are inherently bad.

Think of most of the things that are sinful, every one of them I think is a learned behavior. Children seem so pure as compared with adults and the bad habits we pick up as we grow.

We all have the kingdom of God dwelling within us. It is up to each of us to open it up and let ourselves in and bring others too.

Sinner At The Temple

In the Gospel of Luke chapter 18 Jesus teaches His parable about a tax collector/sinner and a Pharisee. The Pharisee counts off all the superficial reasons he is righteous and pious and thanks God that he is so much better than the others present at The Temple like the tax collector.

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

In John Jesus tells us there is more than meets the eye to consider when judging others.

24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. John 7:24

Jesus is telling us to judge with the scales weighted towards innocence rather than guilt. And He is saying appearances can be deceiving or in other words one can appear righteous and in fact be sinful.

Like the Pharisee who was self-righteous, he thought that by checking off his list of commandments and laws he was righteous and better than others. But it was not so. 
Yet the sinner/tax collector humbled himself and beat or smote his chest because he knew he had fallen short of the glory of God.
As we all do but he felt shamed and he repented as well as he was able. And because of all that Jesus says he walked away from The Temple justified before God.
How is it that Jesus was cool with sinners going to pray, worship and repent at The Temple but now a sinner is forbidden from The Temple?
Why is The Temple no longer a gathering place for all and instead a place that is symbolic of exclusion as much as it is symbolic of The Lord?
If The Lords ways are eternal why the change in policy? Jesus taught much in His short ministry but He never mentioned Temple Recommends, why?
Jesus mentioned being prepared but He never spoke of worthiness as we understand it today.
To Him repentance and a humble character would absolve one of their sins.
Of all the parables He used to teach one of them mentions a sinner at The Temple and the sinner walks away justified before God so why is it that a sinner is the hero of this parable and not the Pharisee who commanded the respect and fear of everyone in Judea during the time of Christ?
I think it's because the Pharisee was self-righteous and very boastful and therefore prideful. Whereas the sinner was humble and repented.
The truth is every one of us is a sinner to one degree or another so for any of us to condemn another is hypocritical. When Hesus used the word hypocrite it was almost always in the context of one condemning another.
Back during the 2nd Temple period there were 3 courtyards on the Temple Mount; the Men's court, the women's court and the court of the Gentiles.
Meaning in Jesus' time everyone was not only encouraged to go to The Temple, they were welcomed, even those who weren't Jewish or believing.
I can't find anything scriptural to justify a changed to something that is supposed to be eternal and unchanging.
Jesus preached against many things but the only thing about The Temple that ever got under His skin was the money changers. The sinners (all of us) were not bothering Christ in any way so far as He never preached against them at The Temple because if you were to exclude sinners truthfully you exclude every one of us.