Dan Brooks's Blog, page 3
October 18, 2015
Imagine All The People Living For Today
As an older Sikh man rewrapped my free turban they provided, he gushed over me wearing it all day long the day before and marveled at how peaceful, understanding, compassionate and engaged everyone was.
And he said it could be like this everyday and everywhere. If only we wanted it bad enough. If only we dealt with push back, differences and even contempt with curiosity, compassion and understanding. And a longing to connect rather than divide.
Everyone I met was a disciple of God. Let me clarify that; Pride seeks to prove who is right, humility seeks to prove what is right but disciples of God seek to put it right. They seek to right wrongs, to bring about the justice God wants in the world.
They seek to build up the kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Around Christmas time in 1914 a widespread out break of peace, fraternization, Christmas caroling, gift exchanging, bartering for cigarettes, for food and for drink happened among the WW1 troops on the European front lines.
It was not universal among all the troops in all areas but it was one for the history books as it was unprecedented at least in range and scope.
People are fond of saying war is a necessary evil or even inevitable but it is always evil and even if it is inevitable it, as was done in 1914, can be stopped in its tracks over night. And if the gears of war can be clogged for a day they can be stopped for as long as we desire.
And if we can stop war cold we can stop the propaganda that dehumanizes groups, nations and races that are the processes that always prelude conflict.
Conflict over religious differences have been at the root of most of humanities conflicts. But if the gears of war can be stopped dead in its tracks because of Christmas then arguments can give way to understanding long before propaganda dehumanizes and scapegoats Jews, Muslims, Mormons or any group that would then result in internment camps, concentration camps, killing fields and ethnic cleansing.
We can have peace of we want it bad enough. We have to want peace more than we want to be "right." We have to want justice for all rather than the superiority of our own nation, race or faith.
Action without vision is chaos, vision without action is fantasy but the two are meant to be complimentary. So that we are capable of accomplishing what so many have said is impossible. Because the only people who have ever changed the world are the only ones who were crazy enough to think they could.
If world peace and the end of wars were easy it wouldn't be heroic.
Plato said: Only the dead have seen the end of war. But God's word says this:
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:6 KJV
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Isaiah 2:4 KJV
Who do you believe more?
God's word had predicted work peace or maybe it's just God's ideal or dream for His children. But we have it within us to achieve it. Those who say they can and those who say they can't are both right.
We can't do it alone but we can do it together. Making peace is hard to do but making war is hard to live with at least for those who fought it.
Would we rather be Kings of a graveyard or pedants in the kingdom of Heaven? The choice is ours. We Americans could end poverty by ourselves, worldwide, within a generation or we could keep fighting wars but we cannot do both. We can serve but one master.
Who do you serve?
October 17, 2015
Marginalization In The Name Of......
I grew up poor and lived in some really rough parts of town. I was always the new kid in a school where all the other kids knew each other their whole lives. I never fit in except with the outsiders. I was perpetually marginalized.
When I was 6 and 7 I lived in an all black school. I was one of 4 white kids in the whole school. Almost all my friends were black but I was still an outsider. All my friends were misfits and they never fit in except with the other misfits myself included.
So growing up all over the country with all sorts of people, I never understood why some people were in and others were out. I personally grew to see the worth of a person based on who they were and how they treated others. Racial, economic and religious divides I understood but could never relate to.
I quickly learned how to relate to and get along with people from all walks of life. All races, socioeconomic classes and religious origins I befriended and accepted. Thankfully no matter where I moved to next, there were misfits there to welcome me.
There were a few lessons I learned that helped me get along with damn near anybody:
1) You never know what someone's going to be prejudiced against, so let them do the talking and get to know them before talking about yourself.
2) Learn want people want, and what they will and will not do to get it. Then they become understandable and even predictable.
3) When in Rome do as the Romans do. It's better to be invisible than to stand out.
There are more but those 3 are the basic golden rules of getting along wherever you find yourself in this country or any other.
I've seen my friends beaten for being born black or poor or different from others in any way. I was always short and skinny as a kid. I eventually grew to 6'3. But still was skinny. But that's ok all the bullies were short. I can gain weight. What were they gonna do, gain a stack of phone books to stand on?
After living and befriending so many black kids when I was little I had seen pictures of black Jesus and routinely stated that Jesus was black as a statement of fact rather than belief. I knew the passages of scripture that backed that idea up. I believed it and even though my family or those at church kept saying Jesus' ethnicity did not matter, that that was missing the point, all that went by the wayside with outright contempt when I stated that Jesus was in fact black.
Now if the ethnicity of Christ is unimportant, which I do believe, then why does it become so offensive to suggest he was black? That shows me His race, Him being white is very important and possibly central to the belief of some.
There is intriguing evidence that Christ could have been black. Much more solid than believing the pyramids were built by aliens. It might not be true but it easily could be.
But for believing in this idea I was not called on in class discussions at church. If I spoke up it was as if I never spoke. No one made eye contact then. But heads would turn and eyes would glare as I walked through the halls and chapel as if I'd been caught pouring vodka into the sacramental water cups.
By the time I hit high school I lived with my paternal grandparents. So on the condition of allowing me to live with them I was forced to go to church.
At that time in my life I have never felt more unwelcomed anywhere than I did in LDS churches.
I felt such animosity that I fell away from the LDS church and then the idea of God seemed silly, arcane, and I felt that man made God to cope with reality and the power of his own intelligence and mortality. This lasted for almost 20 years.
I am 4th generation military. Some families all go to Harvard or Yale but my family all went to boot camp/basic training. So when I went in post 9/11 and it was the biggest decision of my life.
Failure was not an option. I refused medical treatment for a variety of illnesses and injuries. I graduated but no one in my family came out to see me graduate. I was the only soldier with no family present.
I was yet again alone and outside looking in. And because I wasn't super muscular I wasn't good enough to be a soldier. When I did well in a task or during training, it still wasn't good enough. Even when I graduated it felt like a hollow victory.
Then I went to my first duty station. And I got along pretty well with some soldiers but I wasn't as well built as most so I was still looked down on. More than a few soldiers I served with would do push ups next to me and make a point of doing more and doing them faster to show me and others I wasn't good enough. They laughed about it. Until it was time to run.
Then I was asked to lead the runs because I was so fast and I ran their arrogant and self important asses into the ground and then they whined about it. When I'd say they needed to train more just as they'd say I needed to train on push ups more they became resentful.
I gave up on thinking I could ever fit in. I gave up on thinking I was a real soldier. I never felt good enough. I felt like a fraud.
The hardest things I've done in my life, the most impressive things I've ever done and I didn't count them simply because I couldn't win the approval of those who would have never given me approval in the first place.
I'd felt like I was on the outside before but the Army was different. I was 4th generation military. I had no excuse for not being good enough, for not fitting in, for not excelling.
Because of my perceived failures in my military life and for feeling like I would likely get someone killed by my failure to be good enough as I was in the infantry(combat soldier). If I made any mistakes I could get someone killed. If I didn't do enough I could get someone killed. If I failed to do the right thing, if I failed to do it quick enough, if I failed to do it intelligently enough someone could die. That's a lot of stress and fear to instill in a person. And even if I do everything right I could still see my brothers in arms die.
I tried to talk to my chaplain whom I had never seen let alone met, but was told essentially that we all have problems and that a real soldier will suck it up and keep moving forward. I was also told if it looked like I was trying to get out of the Army I would suffer disciplinary action.
I acted like nothing was wrong. I joked around with the few friends I had. All the way up to just hours before I attempted suicide. I wrote about that experience in a post titled "You own personal Jesus." You can find it on the side bar to the right side of the page under my top posts of all time.
My insecurities are still there. They could eat me alive at any moment. But between meds, my wife and kids, my faith and Jesus Himself, I usually keep them in check. But just below the surface they are always there.
Because being marginalized has made me, more than anything, feel unworthy. It has made me feel not good enough, it has denied me connection and camaraderie.
The thing that has stood out the most of all these experiences which marginalized and ostracized me is that the very people who were the best at mistreating me were marginalizing me in the name of Christ. I didn't fit their checklist of normal or righteous so they loved only those who were like them. Who looked like them or thought like them or believed like them but they had no love for anyone else let alone their enemies.
The people who were best at making me feel worst were people who prided themselves on being followers of Christ. They were fans of Christ but they in no way followed the teachings of Christ.
Here's how inclusive Christ is:
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 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 25:31-46 KJV
And here we see what Jesus thinks of those who have a checklist of righteousness versus an honest understanding of their sin and the desire to repent and grow:
10 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 KJV
And immediately following this last passage we find another keeper which confuses many in terms of why the two passages were tied together. The context has been lost on many:
15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. Luke 18:15-17 KJV
The Pharisees thought they knew everything there is to know or maybe just all they "needed" to know. But children, by and large, are teachable. They are curious to learn more. They grow so fast precisely because they learn so fast and so much. But the Pharisees both ancient and modern will never grow because they are convinced they know all they need to know. Therefore they will never enter the kingdom as the kingdom is in part about continuing to learn and progressing on an eternal time frame.
I've been going to The Parliament of the World's Religions at the Salt Palace in downtown Salt Lake the last couple days. The Siks have been offering free Turbans and so today I got one. And wore it all day. At the Salt Palace going from booth to booth or session to session everything was fine until I set foot outside the magical bounds of the inclusive awesomeness that is the parliament.
Then I got glares, dirty looks and my favorite-people saying "I'm not racist, but.." Which is amusing in a way in that as soon as someone says I'm not racist but... They are about to say something that's racist as hell.
I have felt for only a day, and to some degree, what minorities feel every day throughout their entire lives. Kids thought the Turban was awesome but if they got too close the parents freaked out as if I was a bridge troll ready to feast on their young flesh.
People would go out of their way just to avoid me as if I was going to harm them in some way. Others would stare as if I were wearing only my Turban and just wandering around.
I only wore the Turban because I felt some solidarity with the Sikhs I've met the last few days. And once I realized I had in a temporary sense, stepped inside someone else's shoes and seen what it looks like and what it feels like to be someone else. I've had a small glimpse of what it's like to be "other" in a way I never have before.
In the heart of possibly the most religious city in the country, those who say they follow Christ, whose mission was to tell us we are all worthy of His love, His life and His Atonement, are often the best at making others feel marginalized, and unworthy and unloveable. Which is the antithesis of what Christ actually thought, felt and taught.
October 15, 2015
The Secret Not Sacred: Special Witness And Work Of Apostles
The very purpose of an Apostles ministry is to not just repeat the teachings of Christ or even to live by them but to bear witness of Him and inspire the rest of us to live by those teachings as well.
The 12 whom Christ personally taught and ordained lived among the people they were to serve. They had no opulent offices to delegate their responsibilities to others from. They clothed the naked, they fed the hungry, the visited the sick and those in prison. They did not pay the Romans or anyone else to do it for them.
They did not wear shirts with their own logos printed on them so that all men would know the good they were doing. Instead they did the work Jesus Himself did content in knowing God would know what they had done for all His children. For them that was enough.
Where ever they went they spoke of their personal knowledge of and relationship with Christ. They, according to scripture never stated that such knowledge was too sacred to discuss. For the Apostles the sacred was meant to be known to all. They weren't in the business of keeping secrets because if they were then none of us would know of Christ.
When asked about being a special witness to Christ and what that means LDS Apostles say it's too sacred to discuss. And they only mention Jesus when appealing to His authority or at the end of a prayer. This seems like a cop out to me. How can you be a special witness, the very essence of what it means to be an Apostle, if you, for any reason refuse to do your job!?
When people have told me, or bragged to me about the awesome knowledge they have on any subject and then state they cannot share it I tell them "I'm sorry for your knowledge." It must be quite the burden to know something you cannot share. And I think in Gospel terms, if it cannot be shared for all then what good can come of it?
26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:26-28 KJV
The power Christ had, and then His Apostles had was in part due to them being servants to the people. They ministered in Samaria, where Jews would not go, to Rome, the belly of the beast and to every land.
The power of Christ in part comes from the outlook of His disciples, an outlook Christ had, which was their ministry was not about them, it was about the children of God they were called to serve.
God gave us His only begotten Son to save each of us. And even Christ told God His service was for the glory of God not His own. Satan said the glory would be his. There's a telling difference.
Jesus said its not what goes into our mouths that defiles us, it's what comes out. Meaning that it's the contents of our character, the contents of our hearts that saves or condemns us. Our ministries must be about others rather than ourselves. The glory is God's it is not our own. We play our part but God wrote the script.
Most churches have pastors/reverends/bishops and whoever else that spend millions on mega churches and mere hundreds if any on feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, educating the children, visiting the prisoners, healing the sick.
It's about priorities. And God's work can't compete with the worship and comfort of Mammon.
Here is what Jesus says about service and discipleship:
32 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 25:32-46
And here Christ defines His disciples:
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 KJV
Do we see any of the modern LDS Apostles doing any of these things? From what I understand they make their way to various mission fields, churches to visit with those who already agree with them. They in no way advance the gospel in that way.
They delegate their Apostolic responsibilities to others rather than fulfilling them themselves.
They make speeches at General Conference, or religious gatherings. They do not serve the poor themselves, they do not visit the prisoner or heal the sick, they do not clothe the naked so to speak. So in what way are they truly Apostles? If it doesn't quack like a duck, if it doesn't walk like a duck, how can you claim it is a duck?
Here a small dose of scripture showcasing how Christ's first set of Apostles managed church funds:
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Acts 2:44-46 KJV
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. Acts 4:32:35 KJV
Does the LDS church, do modern Apostles manage money in the same way as the original 12 Apostles?
Did God change His mind somewhere down the line? Why is there such a discrepancy between modern Apostkes and the original 12?
Why do we tolerate such major discrepancies in a church that according to D&C that is governed by common consent?
October 14, 2015
All Are Worthy Of God's Love
God has sacrificed so much, Christ has sacrificed so much to see that His children can return to their true home.
Salvation is between God and each of His children individually. No one else may act as a mediator, no one else can stand in the way and no one but God has a say as to who is in and who is out.
Jesus is the Latin version of the Hebrew name Yeshua or Joshua in English. It means "God saves." Which is where the Jesus saves billboards and neon signs with His name crossed with the word "saves" come from.
We are all slaves to our sins and to our senses, to the material at the expense of the spiritual. Jesus has paid for our freedom in His Atonement. We are free. We can chose to return home with Him.
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:32-36
If Jesus has paid for our freedom with His blood, with His life then who can deny us the salvation that He gave us? Who can step in between Christ and any of God's children to say we are not worthy? God has made us worthy through His grace. If the Master's son has set us free no Pharisee can deny us what our one true Father has given us.
But in modern life we serve Mammon everyday of the week and on our day off we pay Christ our respects. We are slaves to a materialistic system because we go to work everyday to pay our bills then we work some more to pay even more.
We are anxious about the future and depressed about the past never fully living in the present. We drive to our work or back home, to get groceries or to the laundromat and don't remember the drive over because we live on autopilot when we have rare and precious free time. Then we die never truly having lived.
We were meant for more than to spend our lives working jobs we hate to buy stuff we don't need. You are not the contents of your wallet, your are not how much money you have in the bank, you are not the car you drive. You cannot assess your character based on the hotness of your spouse.
What we are is based on the content of our character, the way we treat others, the way we talk about others, the way we talk to others. We are the moments and memories we make with others. We are the impact of our life on the lives of others. We are also the absence we leave in the lives of others.
We are the joy, the laughter, the cries, the dreams-realized and still to come, we are the imprint of our souls on the souls of others. We are the service rendered to those who can do nothing for us. We are the kindness we respond to hate with.
So if who we are is so complex and sophisticated, if we can not be limited in any mold, if we are classified as black or white in an infinite universe full of color and life then how can we classify others so easily? How can we judge the book of someone's life based on the chapter we walked in on?
Others may judge us harshly based on their limited or non existent knowledge of us and our journey but God will judge them by the same standard with which they have judged. Which is why it is crucial that we not judge. It is paramount that we each respond to hate and hurt by trying to understand the other person rather than judging or plotting revenge.
When Christ said we are, as His disciples, to love one another as He loved us and by that all shall know we are His disciples, what if He means that we are to get to really know others because you can't love a person you don't know.
Jesus said this:
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:19-21
If we value God how can we diminish His children? If we recognize the beauty within ourselves or family and friends how much more does God love them? How much more does God love those we hate because they are His children and He knows them infinitely better than we ever will. Who are we to say they are unworthy of that love?
If our heart follows what it is we treasure then all that is required to love someone, an enemy or a stranger, is that we must treasure them. We must truly get to know them as well as we know ourselves if we are to love one another as He loved us and as much as we love ourselves.
Our salvation cannot be denied by anyone. And we cannot deny anyone else their salvation, but if we truly understood, knew, loved and respected ever single child of God, would we want to?
All are worthy of God's love.
All are worthy of our love.
October 11, 2015
The Children Of The Kingdom
Jesus taught that one must be as a child to enter the Kingdom of God. But what did He mean? Let's review:
"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.
15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." Mark 10:13-15 KJV
And here we have a parallel passage in Matthew 18:
"At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
It seems to me that for one, Jesus meant that one must be humble as children often are. But in antiquity children were property. If you needed free labor then you had lots of children. To work the fields, to household duties, to sell and to haggle, children did it all. And once they were 10 or so they were trained in their fathers profession. Children were considered adults as soon as they hit puberty.
Children did as they were told. Or they faced harsh punishment.
They were slaves in a sense but they were also an outcast group, they had no say in society or in the direction of their lives. And that's if they were male, if they were female they had even less "rights" or consideration.
So if one were to be given even a meager gift they would be eternally grateful. If they were given the gift of salvation, of eternal reward none would appreciate it more.
But more than that children, for the most part, are still teachable often because they are so humble.
There are many, like the Pharisees who thought they knew it all. Many feel as though they know all they need to know. But the power of the Holy Spirit, the infinite wisdom and compassion and especially the understanding of God cannot be contained in any one book, person or church. To progress to further light and knowledge one must remain eternally teachable.
To do otherwise is to be as the Pharisees both ancient and modern, who think they know it all. They fail to enter the Kingdom and they cause others to stumble on their paths as well. Thus they prevent or hinder those who are trying to choose the right.
"Do the best you can until you know better. Then, once you know better, do better." -Maya Angelou
For me the idea to be as little children means that we must remain teachable. Many interpret this to mean that we must remain sinless and pure. But to live is to make mistakes. To walk means to misstep on occasion. We cannot remain pure or sinless for long. It is destructive and harmful to think we can live up to this impossible goal.
I think that we cannot change who we have been. We cannot change who we are, but we can change who we become. Day by day we can do a little bit better than the day before and over time the difference will be immense.
If we strengthen and nourish the better angels within us and directly take on the Devils within us and refuse to feed our demons then we will progress in character, righteous and grow into further light and knowledge.
Remain humble, teachable and realize the Kingdom of God isn't just among us but it resides within us. We can only enter it through internal work.
We are all God's children. We always will be. He loves us as much as He loves the rest of His children from Jesus to Judas to our children to our enemies. We might not be able to exercise love that all encompassing but we can learn today to do what we can only do tomorrow.
October 8, 2015
Any Opposed Is Not A Rhetorical Question
"All in favor, please manifest it. Contrary, if there be any, by the same sign.
It seems, President Kimball, that the voting has been unanimous in favor of these officers and General Authorities, and we would ask those new members of the First Quorum of the Seventy to take their seats with their brethren, please.
Voice from the gallery: President Tanner? President Tanner?
President Tanner: Yes?
Voice from the gallery: Did you note my negative vote?
President Tanner: No. Let me see it.
Voice from the gallery: Up here.
President Tanner: Oh, up there. I’m sorry, I couldn’t see up in that gallery. We’ll ask you to see Elder Hinckley immediately after this meeting."
Note the difference between what President Tanner did in granting the one dissenter a meeting with an Apostle after the afternoon session to discuss why he opposed the sustaining, and what President Uchtdorf did in suggesting those opposed simply meet with their stake presidents?
This is because what had been done throughout LDS history was mostly what Elder Tanner suggested. It used to be under Brigham Youbg or even Joseph Smith that if anyone opposed they would either stop the meeting and discuss it there or arrange a meeting afterward and discuss it then.
President Uchtdorf simply brushed off those opposed. Whereas Elder Tanner addressed the issue as it was supposed to be.
However in 1978, 1981 and 1982 there were dissenters as well. And by the last dissenting conference those opposed were talked over and ignored.
For a solid account of these somewhat recent opposing votes and for audio of them go to
http://infantsonthrones.com/any-opposed/
Now fast forward to April of 2015 the attitude of the church hadn't changed since the early '80's when the church for the first time skipped over sustaining each General Authority and thus limited the ability to oppose as often at least but even then church leaders treated the question of any opposed as if it were rhetorical. Which it is not.
But many feel that these men are called of God and that sustaining them is an oath-like commitment. It is not. Yet that is how church leaders now describe it:
"You and I do not “vote” on Church leaders at any level. We do, though, have the privilege of sustaining them."
"Our sustaining is an oath-like indication that we recognize their calling as a prophet to be legitimate and binding upon us." Russel M. Nelson October 2014 "Sustaining The Prophets
First I would like to point out that Russel M. Nelson is saying that sustaining is an oath. But here's what Christ said about oaths: "Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." Matthew 5:33-37
So it is contrary to the word of our Savior to swear an oath to anyone or anything for any reason. And it is part of church history that many times members opposed. And they used to be listened to. But now they are talked over and ignored. Why? Why do we as a church demand total allegiance and obedience?
This all hinges on something I think most of us have heard but not fully understood which is the Law of Common Consent.
Here's some scripture and backstory:
From LDS.org
D&C 26:2. The Law of Common ConsentElder Bruce R. McConkie explained that “administrative affairs of the Church are handled in accordance with the law of common consent. This law is that in God’s earthly kingdom, the King counsels what should be done, but then he allows his subjects to accept or reject his proposals. Unless the principle of free agency is operated in righteousness men do not progress to ultimate salvation in the heavenly kingdom hereafter. Accordingly, church officers are selected by the spirit of revelation in those appointed to choose them, but before the officers may serve in their positions, they must receive a formal sustaining vote of the people over whom they are to preside. (D. & C. 20:60–67; 26:2; 28; 38:34–35; 41:9–11; 42:11; 102:9; 124:124–145.)” (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 149–50.)
Not only are Church officers sustained by common consent, but this same principle operates for policies, major decisions, acceptance of new scripture, and other things that affect the lives of the Saints (see D&C 26:2).
D&C 26:2. Could a Person Hold an Office in the Church without the Consent of the People?“No man can preside in this Church in any capacity without the consent of the people. The Lord has placed upon us the responsibility of sustaining by vote those who are called to various positions of responsibility. No man, should the people decide to the contrary, could preside over any body of Latter-day Saints in this Church, and yet it is not the right of the people to nominate, to choose, for that is the right of the priesthood.” (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3:123; see also D&C 20:65.)
1 Behold, I say unto you that you shall let your time be devoted to the studying of the scriptures, and to preaching, and to confirming the church at Colesville, and to performing your labors on the land, such as is required, until after you shall go to the west to hold the next conference; and then it shall be made known what you shall do.
2 And all things shall be done by common consent in the church, by much prayer and faith, for all things you shall receive by faith. Amen.
According to the church itself past and present "Not only are Church officers sustained by common consent, but this same principle operates for policies, major decisions, acceptance of new scripture, and other things that affect the lives of the Saints."
So why are those who opposed looked on with such disdain? Why is their faith in God questioned because they oppose policies or church officers?
I actually know one person who opposed at the April 2015 Conference. They lost their home teachers and visiting teachers. They are not allowed to take part in discussion at church. They have been ignored and shunned. Completely ostracized all because they cast an opposing vote.
How is it that a church based on the love and further light and knowledge of Christ turns so cold when someone doesn't vote or believe the same? How are we to love our enemies if we can't even love those who disagree?
And now I'm hearing from faithful members who do sustain the brethren that at this last conference several more people opposed yet when they watched the news and went back to watch their favorite talks online and to see the opposing vote again they found no evidence of an opposing vote.
That's right, more than being talked over and ignored now we are slicing and dicing audio and visual evidence to remove any memory of an opposing vote. It is shaking the faith of the most stalwart of Mormons because this tactic doesn't feel right. It feels wrong even to those who do sustain our leaders.
This Orwellian tactic reminds me of the Conference talk by Ronald E. Poleman in October of 1984 of all possible years for this to have happened. Here's the wiki article detailing what happened and presumably why it happened.
"In the October 1984 general conference of the LDS Church, Poelman delivered a sermon entitled "The Gospel and the Church". Controversy ensued when the version of his sermon that was published in the November 1984 Ensign magazine differed from the sermon Poelman had delivered orally. According to Poelman's brother, after Poelman had delivered his sermon, it had been pointed out to him by apostles that have dealt with apostate, often pro-polygamy, groups that the text of his talk might support these groups' claims that people do not need the LDS Church. In response, Poelman had revised the text of the sermon for publication in the Ensign[6] and re-delivered the edited sermon on film. A "cough track" was included in the retaping to make it appear that the revised sermon was delivered in front of an audience.[7] The church spliced the retaped sermon into the tapes of general conference prior to their distribution and archival.
One commentator has criticised the changes to the sermon as a dramatic shift in the meaning of Poelman's address:
"The rewriting and refilming of Elder Ronald Poelman's October 1984 Conference address, originally a rare and inspiring defense of free agency, so that it became yet another cry for obedience. His text was not edited — his ideas were turned inside out."[8]
How can we as a church built on free agency deny the agency we dislike? Isn't the point that we may choose as we like? And when some need to remind others about not being free of consequences this typically only refers to decisions we disapprove of. But even the negative consequences like ostracizing family, friends or peers with doubts, hard questions or opposing votes or views there seems to be no such thing as negative consequences.
We have every right to oppose policy, General Authorities and financial decisions. And we have the right to be heard by the body of the church and its leaders.
But that is not what's going on in the latter-days. Our church is not following its own scripture and its historical traditions as articulated by Joseph Smith in regards to the law of common consent.
The law of common consent aims to prevent our church from becoming an Orwellian institution.
The law of common consent has not failed us. We have failed to abide by the law of common consent.
October 5, 2015
The Face Of The Church Is Changing, Let Us Ponderize It
George W. Bush may think Ponderize is a derivative of the word ponder but it is not.
Websites and Facebook groups are now dedicated to this new "word" which is the religious and intellectual equivalent of the "words" swag and yolo.
The reason this made up word bothers me isn't just how stupid people spread their stupidity, its that otherwise intelligent people suspend disbelief and their own intelligence if the stupidity in question or the bigoted views come from leaders.
This is because of the insipid idea that the leaders can do no wrong. Or that they make mistakes but asking them to be held to account for those mistakes is fault finding or Anti-Mormon, the leaders deserve Christlike forgiveness. Yet if a member makes a mistakes they face diciplinary action. No immediate forgiveness is given.
Case in point; 3 Apostles died and left vacancies in the quorum of the 12. In a church where "The face of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is changing. Once consisting mostly of people from northern Europe and concentrated in the state of Utah, the Church’s membership has grown across the world since the mid-1900s. Today that face reflects every race and culture and has more color, more diversity, than ever before." -Mormon Newsroom, March 2015
"More color, more diversity, than ever before." Just not in the leadership. We have geriatric white men running a church whose members are more often than not non-white and 56% female and 44% make and yet there is more representation for white women than for priesthood holders of color.
But the face of the church is changing....from one group of old white men to another group of old white men. I'm sure these men are worthy but my point is that I find it hard to believe that God continually passes over His children of color. Especially when there are so so many worthy men of color in this church. It's not that I think these men are not worthy its that old white men are not the only worthy males available in a church whose membership is mostly made up of nonwhite members.
When I read I mentally replace the words "politically correct" with "compassionate and understanding human being." If even the law of averages applied to leadership roles the diversity of church members would be reflected in the leaders. This is not the case because the leaders are called of God. God just thinks that old white men from Utah make better leaders. Just ask Elder Bednar.
The church admits that though leaders for decades hid behind the mantra that black men were denied the priesthood because of God's will, when according to the current administration, it was actually their will rather than The Lord's. So in fact, these disappointing appointments to the quorum of the 12 are likely to actually be the will of the brethren rather than the will of The Lord.
And the same logic that members use to perform the mental acrobatics necessary to legitimately convince themselves and others that the church is not racist or sexist is the same "intellectual" process that is used to convince others that Ponderize is a word.
September 27, 2015
Shut Up And Pay Your Tithing
Here is the law of tithing in full as found in D&C 119:1-7
1 Verily, thus saith the Lord, I require all their surplus property to be put into the hands of the bishop of my church in Zion,
2 For the building of mine house, and for the laying of the foundation of Zion and for the priesthood, and for the debts of the Presidency of my Church.
3 And this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people.
4 And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy priesthood, saith the Lord.
5 Verily I say unto you, it shall come to pass that all those who gather unto the land of Zion shall be tithed of their surplus properties, and shall observe this law, or they shall not be found worthy to abide among you.
6 And I say unto you, if my people observe not this law, to keep it holy, and by this law sanctify the land of Zion unto me, that my statutes and my judgments may be kept thereon, that it may be most holy, behold, verily I say unto you, it shall not be a land of Zion unto you.
7 And this shall be an ensample unto all the stakes of Zion. Even so. Amen.
Notice nowhere are blessings mentioned. This revelation only states that if we fail to obey it we will not have our part in a Zion community.
But what about The Lord opening His window and pouring out blessings upon us? That often cited scripture is, and has been for decades, taken out of context. Here is the full passage from Malaci 3:
1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.
6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
7 ¶Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
8 ¶Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.
13 ¶Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?
14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?
15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
16 ¶Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.
17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
This passage is describing the Priests who pilfered the tithing money for their own benefit rather than the benefit of God's people. And God is saying they will be blessed but only if they are true to their tasks and responsibilities. The church has the responsibilities of being financially transparent to its members and to be governed by common consent on financial matters as well. It is not currently fulfilling its duties and responsibilities. And have absolved themselves of those duties. And yet they never tire of reminding us of our responsibilities regarding tithing.
God is not promising blessings for paying tithing. Nowhere in this passage, or any other I have found, does God promise blessings for tithes. But the brethren do.
And they say it is God who promised when in fact He did not. He only promised us we would lose our place in Zion and fail to even build up a Zion people if we fail to pay tithing.
So it seems that correlation has twisted God's own words against us. Because surplus and interest do not mean net or even gross income.
So here I present a large chuck of Rock Waterman's piece "Are we paying too much tithing." So bear with me. This section covers what the words "surplus" and "increase" mean as they are the key words in the D&C 119 law of tithing.
In the largely agrarian society of the early Saints, that might be additional chickens, cattle, apples, or anything over and above what a person might require for his family's needs. The early Saints would have been surprised at the modern assumption that tithing should be paid before you pay anything else, because in order to pay from your surplus, you have to wait and see what you have left over. That's why tithing was paid annually. In the Missouri-Nauvoo period, you would have to get your bills taken care of first, otherwise you would have no idea what your surplus was going to be. Surplus is that which is left over after all other expenses have been deducted.
The word Surplus is also defined in Webster's 1828 as being synonymous with the word "overplus," a word seldom used anymore but which happened to be the term to describe tithing used by John Corrill, one of the scribes who had been enlisted by Joseph Smith to write an early history of the Church. (Corrill's fascinating book, A Brief History of the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, published in 1839, has been hard to come by until quite recently. You can now find it reprinted in its entirety in The Joseph Smith Papers, Volume 2-The Histories). Here is how Corrill explained tithing among the early Saints:If a man gives for the benefit of the Church, it is considered a voluntary offering. Yet the law requires or enjoins a consecration of the overplus, after reserving for himself and family to carry on his business.(Emphasis mine.)Common sense would tell us that the suffixes "plus" in the words surplus and overplus would mean something like "in addition to," or "above and beyond," but you would be surprised how many Mormons will look at verse one in section 119 and remain convinced it means the early Saints were to give up everything they owned.Never underestimate the effectiveness of the indoctrination you received in Primary.
We see in verse four of God's law of tithing that after giving this initial surplus, "those who have thus been tithed shall pay one tenth of all their interest annually." Well, that's an unusual word in that context, at least by modern standards. Not sure about the meaning of the term "interest" to the early Latter-day Saints? The pertinent definitions provided by Webster's 1828 inform us that it is a "share; portion; part; any surplus advantage." There's that word surplusagain. It turns out that Interest is practically synonymous with surplus. As is also the meaning of increase.
Not sure what is meant by "surplus advantage"? For the definition of advantage we find "Benefit; gain; profit" also "Interest; increase;" and look, there's overplus again. But wait. Back up. Doesn't "gain" mean the same as earnings or wages? So in modern times when we are paid wages we have gain, right? Aren't we then supposed to tithe ten percent of our wages, since our wages represent a gain?
Nope. Not so fast. the meaning of Gain as it pertains to a person has always been akin to what profit would be to a business. The money coming in to a business might consist entirely of what it gets for selling its products, or sales revenue. But all that revenue does not give an accurate picture of how much money the business has actually gained, because a lot of that money has to go back out to cover expenses. What is left over after expenses constitutes how much money the business actually ends up with. That is the profit. Only when the business sees the profit left over has it experienced gain.
Similarly, your wages or earnings have always been defined as compensation for your time and labor. It is an even trade of value for value. It is not gain. There is no "gain" accrued when you receive your wages. You are simply being evenly compensated, which means given even value. Everything is still in equal balance when you got paid. You made an even exchange of your time in exchange for their money. There is no gain or overage involved in that transaction. There is no gain because there is no increase involved. Only after you have met your expenses can you enjoy your gain which is the money you get to use as you wish, to buy what you want, to save for some future purchase, or even to fritter away.
Still with me? Gain, Increase, and Interest are all synonymous with what you have left of your wages after providing for your needs. After you have provided for your needs, you get to use the rest of your money to satisfy your wants. (By the way, being able to tell the difference between what you need, and what you merely desire, is the mark of a mature adult. If you can honestly differentiate between the two, congratulations, you're all grown up.)
Today we might call this surplus our "discretionary income," the money we have left over after our fixed costs have been met and our basic living expenses covered. That's why complying with God's law is easy. Tithing isn't ten percent of everything you have. It's more like ten percent of ten percent. Who can't contribute ten percent of their discretionary income to help pay the costs of running a Church?
Well, actually, some people can't. That would be those who have no discretionary income, no surplus whatsoever; for whom everything they take in is immediately required just to survive. Unlike the way many believe today, the Lord never intended for the sick, the crippled, and the widowed to give what they did not have. Section 119 verse 3 tells us "and after that, those who have thus been tithed" (i.e. those who had a surplus to begin with) "shall pay one tenth of all their interest annually." That isn't everybody.
Only those who had already possessed tithe-able surplus were expected to continue to tithe ten percent of their additional surplus at the end of each subsequent year. The truly destitute have no surplus, so they are not expected to tithe. God is not a monster. Your Sunday School teacher may insist that tithing be paid before the rent and food, but the scriptures don't teach that. The scriptures teach "if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
So I hope this shows The Lord and His Prophet Joseph Smith meant surplus rather than net or gross income or wages. I also find it interesting that the brethren past and present seem to be the ones robbing The Lord's treasury to invest in businesses and luxury shopping malls which The Lord and our Savior never mentioned or intended His money to be used to invest in business but to build up Zion by helping the poor, the Widows, the fatherless, the sick, the downtrodden and those children of God in need. We should as Jesus did help his children who struggle and suffer rather than line the pockets of businessmen. We can't do both because we can serve but one master; Mammon or our one true God.
Capitalism is a religion. Banks are churches. Bankers are priests. Wealth is Heaven, poverty is Hell. Poor people are sinners and commodities are blessings because money is God. I feel that our church looks more like an example of capitalism than what the church looked like and behaved like in the book of Acts or in the D&C section in the law of consecration. Which is unfortunate. Unfortunate for us all really. If you scratch the surface of almost any sin underneath you find the sin of pride.
Pride cares about who is right, humility cares about what is right but disciples care about putting things right.
Suffering, according to Buddha, is the nature of existence but rising out of that to being completely self-aware thus becoming fully understanding, compassionate and loving which is Nirvana. Or that's how I look at it.
In my new church, Community of Christ, there was a business meeting where we were all provided paperwork detailing all financial matters, all income and money spent. Every last dime was accounted for and the budget was then voted on according to common consent. We were allowed to speak, disagree, oppose, vote in favor in anyway we chose.
Can you image the LDS church doing that? Because it used to and the Community of Christ/RLDS church always has.
So much of what I see going wrong with regard to financial transparency is that the church is no longer being governed by common consent.
There is a petition to urge the church to rectify their mistake of not allowing for governance by common consent and especially allowing for full financial transparency.
I hope you read through it to see why it's important for the church to live up to their responsibilities regarding financial transparency, common consent and tithing rather than leaving the body of the church on the hook while they absolve themselves.
“And all things shall be done by common consent in the church”DOCTRINE & COVENANTS 26:2As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints it is our desire to faithfully fulfill our obligation to our church by at least annually giving our “voice and Common Consent” as to the allocation of the funds that have been and are currently being donated by us to our Church.
We believe as President Hinckley stated that the financial information of our church “belongs to those that made the contribution”.
For most of our history our church provided full disclosure of its funds. Even in times of financial difficulties members could share in the joy of knowing that good works were being accomplished with their collective donations. We have confidence that a full annual financial disclosure will vindicate the virtue and integrity of our church’s financial affairs that are consistent with the principles taught by our Lord. Such open transparency will also dispel all mystery that often leads to unverifiable speculation both without and within our church: “And He doeth nothing, save it be plain.” (2 Ne. 26:33). We seek complete transparency in all our financial affairs by following the Lord’s counsel that monies placed into His treasury shall “not be used, or taken out of the treasury, only by voice and common consent” (Doctrine and Covenants 104:71).
Therefore, we the undersigned members formally request that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints once again publish a full annual financial report that provides sufficient details so that we as members can once again give our “voice and Common Consent” as to the allocation of monies expended by our Church.
September 24, 2015
The Pope's Address To America
"I am most grateful for your invitation to address this Joint Session of Congress in “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. I would like to think that the reason for this is that I too am a son of this great continent, from which we have all received so much and toward which we share a common responsibility.
Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility. Your own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by your legislative activity, to grow as a nation. You are the face of its people, their representatives. You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics.
A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you.
Yours is a work which makes me reflect in two ways on the figure of Moses. On the one hand, the patriarch and lawgiver of the people of Israel symbolises the need of peoples to keep alive their sense of unity by means of just legislation. On the other, the figure of Moses leads us directly to God and thus to the transcendent dignity of the human being. Moses provides us with a good synthesis of your work: you are asked to protect, by means of the law, the image and likeness fashioned by God on every human face.
Today I would like not only to address you, but through you the entire people of the United States. Here, together with their representatives, I would like to take this opportunity to dialogue with the many thousands of men and women who strive each day to do an honest day’s work, to bring home their daily bread, to save money and –one step at a time – to build a better life for their families.
These are men and women who are not concerned simply with paying their taxes, but in their own quiet way sustain the life of society. They generate solidarity by their actions, and they create organisations which offer a helping hand to those most in need.
I would also like to enter into dialogue with the many elderly persons who are a storehouse of wisdom forged by experience, and who seek in many ways, especially through volunteer work, to share their stories and their insights. I know that many of them are retired, but still active; they keep working to build up this land.
I also want to dialogue with all those young people who are working to realise their great and noble aspirations, who are not led astray by facile proposals, and who face difficult situations, often as a result of immaturity on the part of many adults. I wish to dialogue with all of you, and I would like to do so through the historical memory of your people.
Personal tribute to great Americans
My visit takes place at a time when men and women of good will are marking the anniversaries of several great Americans. The complexities of history and the reality of human weakness notwithstanding, these men and women, for all their many differences and limitations, were able by hard work and self-sacrifice – some at the cost of their lives – to build a better future.
They shaped fundamental values which will endure forever in the spirit of the American people. A people with this spirit can live through many crises, tensions and conflicts, while always finding the resources to move forward, and to do so with dignity. These men and women offer us a way of seeing and interpreting reality. In honouring their memory, we are inspired, even amid conflicts, and in the here and now of each day, to draw upon our deepest cultural reserves.
I would like to mention four of these Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton.
This year marks the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, the guardian of liberty, who laboured tirelessly that “this nation, under God, [might] have a new birth of freedom”. Building a future of freedom requires love of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity.
All of us are quite aware of, and deeply worried by, the disturbing social and political situation of the world today. Our world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of God and of religion. We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism.
This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind. A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms.
But there is another temptation which we must especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners. The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps. We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place. That is something which you, as a people, reject.
Our response must instead be one of hope and healing, of peace and justice. We are asked to summon the courage and the intelligence to resolve today’s many geopolitical and economic crises. Even in the developed world, the effects of unjust structures and actions are all too apparent.
Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples. We must move forward together, as one, in a renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating generously for the common good.
The challenges facing us today call for a renewal of that spirit of cooperation, which has accomplished so much good throughout the history of the United States. The complexity, the gravity and the urgency of these challenges demand that we pool our resources and talents, and resolve to support one another, with respect for our differences and our convictions of conscience.
'Voice of faith'
In this land, the various religious denominations have greatly contributed to building and strengthening society. It is important that today, as in the past, the voice of faith continue to be heard, for it is a voice of fraternity and love, which tries to bring out the best in each person and in each society. Such cooperation is a powerful resource in the battle to eliminate new global forms of slavery, born of grave injustices which can be overcome only through new policies and new forms of social consensus.
Here I think of the political history of the United States, where democracy is deeply rooted in the mind of the American people. All political activity must serve and promote the good of the human person and be based on respect for his or her dignity. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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” (Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776).
If politics must truly be at the service of the human person, it follows that it cannot be a slave to the economy and finance. Politics is, instead, an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one the greatest common good: that of a community which sacrifices particular interests in order to share, in justice and peace, its goods, its interests, its social life. I do not underestimate the difficulty that this involves, but I encourage you in this effort.
Here too I think of the march which Martin Luther King led from Selma to Montgomery 50 years ago as part of the campaign to fulfill his “dream” of full civil and political rights for African Americans. That dream continues to inspire us all.
I am happy that America continues to be, for many, a land of “dreams”. Dreams which lead to action, to participation, to commitment. Dreams which awaken what is deepest and truest in the life of a people.
In recent centuries, millions of people came to this land to pursue their dream of building a future in freedom. We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners. I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants. Tragically, the rights of those who were here long before us were not always respected. For those peoples and their nations, from the heart of American democracy, I wish to reaffirm my highest esteem and appreciation. Those first contacts were often turbulent and violent, but it is difficult to judge the past by the criteria of the present.
Nonetheless, when the stranger in our midst appeals to us, we must not repeat the sins and the errors of the past. We must resolve now to live as nobly and as justly as possible, as we educate new generations not to turn their back on our “neighbors” and everything around us. Building a nation calls us to recognise that we must constantly relate to others, rejecting a mindset of hostility in order to adopt one of reciprocal subsidiarity, in a constant effort to do our best. I am confident that we can do this.
Refugee crisis
Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War. This presents us with great challenges and many hard decisions. On this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is this not what we want for our own children?
We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation. To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Mt 7:12).
This Rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for others the same possibilities which we seek for ourselves. Let us help others to grow, as we would like to be helped ourselves. In a word, if we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities. The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us. The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.
This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes. Recently my brother bishops here in the United States renewed their call for the abolition of the death penalty. Not only do I support them, but I also offer encouragement to all those who are convinced that a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation.
In these times when social concerns are so important, I cannot fail to mention the Servant of God Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement. Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints.
How much progress has been made in this area in so many parts of the world! How much has been done in these first years of the third millennium to raise people out of extreme poverty! I know that you share my conviction that much more still needs to be done, and that in times of crisis and economic hardship a spirit of global solidarity must not be lost.
At the same time I would encourage you to keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They too need to be given hope. The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts, especially in its causes. I know that many Americans today, as in the past, are working to deal with this problem.
It goes without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution of wealth. The right use of natural resources, the proper application of technology and the harnessing of the spirit of enterprise are essential elements of an economy which seeks to be modern, inclusive and sustainable. “Business is a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth and improving the world. It can be a fruitful source of prosperity for the area in which it operates, especially if it sees the creation of jobs as an essential part of its service to the common good” (Laudato Si’, 129).
This common good also includes the earth, a central theme of the encyclical which I recently wrote in order to “enter into dialogue with all people about our common home” (ibid., 3). “We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all” (ibid., 14).
In Laudato Si’, I call for a courageous and responsible effort to “redirect our steps” (ibid., 61), and to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity. I am convinced that we can make a difference, I'm sure and I have no doubt that the United States – and this Congress – have an important role to play. Now is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed at implementing a “culture of care” (ibid., 231) and “an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature” (ibid., 139). “We have the freedom needed to limit and direct technology” (ibid., 112); “to devise intelligent ways of… developing and limiting our power” (ibid., 78); and to put technology “at the service of another type of progress, one which is healthier, more human, more social, more integral” (ibid., 112). In this regard, I am confident that America’s outstanding academic and research institutions can make a vital contribution in the years ahead.
A century ago, at the beginning of the Great War, which Pope Benedict XV termed a “pointless slaughter”, another notable American was born: the Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. He remains a source of spiritual inspiration and a guide for many people. In his autobiography he wrote: “I came into the world. Free by nature, in the image of God,
I was nevertheless the prisoner of my own violence and my own selfishness, in the image of the world into which I was born. That world was the picture of Hell, full of men like myself, loving God, and yet hating him; born to love him, living instead in fear of hopeless self-contradictory hungers”. Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the Church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions.
From this perspective of dialogue, I would like to recognize the efforts made in recent months to help overcome historic differences linked to painful episodes of the past. It is my duty to build bridges and to help all men and women, in any way possible, to do the same. When countries which have been at odds resume the path of dialogue – a dialogue which may have been interrupted for the most legitimate of reasons – new opportunities open up for all.
This has required, and requires, courage and daring, which is not the same as irresponsibility. A good political leader is one who, with the interests of all in mind, seizes the moment in a spirit of openness and pragmatism. A good political leader always opts to initiate processes rather than possessing spaces (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 222-223).
Dialogue and peace
Being at the service of dialogue and peace also means being truly determined to minimise and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts throughout our world. Here we have to ask ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.
Three sons and a daughter of this land, four individuals and four dreams: Lincoln, liberty; Martin Luther King, liberty in plurality and non-exclusion; Dorothy Day, social justice and the rights of persons; and Thomas Merton, the capacity for dialogue and openness to God.
Four representatives of the American people.
I will end my visit to your country in Philadelphia, where I will take part in the World Meeting of Families. It is my wish that throughout my visit the family should be a recurrent theme. How essential the family has been to the building of this country! And how worthy it remains of our support and encouragement! Yet I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without. Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.
In particular, I would like to call attention to those family members who are the most vulnerable, the young. For many of them, a future filled with countless possibilities beckons, yet so many others seem disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair. Their problems are our problems. We cannot avoid them. We need to face them together, to talk about them and to seek effective solutions rather than getting bogged down in discussions. At the risk of oversimplifying, we might say that we live in a culture which pressures young people not to start a family, because they lack possibilities for the future. Yet this same culture presents others with so many options that they too are dissuaded from starting a family.
A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it fosters a culture which enables people to “dream” of full rights for all their brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strives for justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did by her tireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton.
In these remarks I have sought to present some of the richness of your cultural heritage, of the spirit of the American people. It is my desire that this spirit continue to develop and grow, so that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream.
God bless America!"
Source: Al Jazeera
The Pope makes the point that all life is sacred which is why he opposes the death penalty. And it is why he is so concerned with the plight of the poor, the ostracized, and those of God's children that all societies allow to fall through the cracks.
The Pope reminds us that we can do better because we are better. We are better than the petty bickering or selfishness and even violent outbursts that crush souls, scar children and devistate individuals and societies.
As a people and a nation we have done great things which proves we can continue to do great things in the years ahead. The Pope is trying to inspire us to do so.
He is trying to inspire us to hold all life as sacred, rather than only holding fetuses as sacred but holding even the lives of our enemies as sacred and also holding the lives of the homeless, which the Pope ate with rather than with members of Congress, but also holding the lives of the hungry and hungry children by feeding them just as Jesus told us to feed His sheep.
The Pope says if we want something we must give it. If we want religious freedom we must give those freedoms to others. If we want respect we must give it. If we want Liberty we must give it. If we want acceptance we must give it.
Because if we take freedom, liberty, love or acceptance from others today we will be robbed ourselves of those very things tomorrow. And in terms of how we treat our fellow children of God, made in His likeness, we will ourselves be judged by the same standard we treat and judge others.
"Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye." Matthew 7:1-3
If we want to convert others to Christ we must first love, understand, accept and serve God's children as He did. If we want others to know we love God we must show them in how we love His children.
If we want others to know how sacred we feel life is, we must show them in how we care for the poor, the sick, the hungry and the homeless. And perhaps most telling and important in how we love our enemies as He commanded.
But it's not just about what we show others as much as how we feel or look at God's children. We must see them as Christ did. He never met a thief, an adulterer, a murderer or a liar. All He ever met were flawed but divinely created beings where The Kingdom of God dwelled within. He never condemned the sins of those He met, He only ever forgave them and encouraged them to sin no more. He gave them a second chance, a fresh start at a new life. Who are we to condemn who and what He forgave? Who are we to condemn a world He gave His life to save?
September 20, 2015
No Creed But Christ
-- Joseph Smith, History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, ed. B. H. Roberts, 2nd ed. rev. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1957), 5:340.
Joseph Smith was talking about a man who the Apostles excommunicated for erring in doctrine in his book about the book of revelation.
But I quote this passage because creeds are of men but the gospel is of Christ. I've been told by evangelicals I will be judged for not agreeing with them theologically. Whereas I believe I will be judged on whether I have shown my love for God by how well I have loved His children. How I've talked to and about those children is what I will be judged for not my misconceptions about history or theology.
Articles of faith are all well and good but it is whether or not we live our lives in harmony with what Christ taught that will determine our fate not how well we lived our lives in harmony with the creeds and edicts of men regardless of church affiliation. God's truth, His good news or Gospel, is for all mankind not merely for a specific institution, nation, political party, race or gender. The Atonement is for each of us rather than only for the worthy.
Worthiness plays no role in the grace of the Atonement because as Paul says in Romans 3:23 (KJV) "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
So if it really were about worthiness we would all be eternally damned since we are all sinners. Just because you sin differently than I do does not mean the sins of one are less contemptible than the sins of another. A sin is a sin regardless.
But what makes a sin a sin? I believe we are punished by our sins and not for them. Bad choices equal bad results and consequences and sometimes we are punished by the sins of others not only our own. Bad consequences are what make a sin a sin in my view. Otherwise they would be inane or even beneficial.
Going against the teachings of Christ may be sinful but not in the arbitrary rule breaking sense. See, the nature of life is suffering as Buddha said but what Jesus taught us was how to live in the harmony of God's creation, in the harmony of one another. That I feel is the spirit of the law that does not trump the letter of it but determines the application of it.
For example; Jesus tells the parable of The Good Samaritan and there are many lessons to be learned but one is that the Priests who walked by the mortally wounded Jew did not help not only because they did not care but that they cared more for their Temple worthy cleanliness than for the life of this mortally wounded man.
Because scripture says that to touch a dead body makes one unclean for a certain time and during that time the Priests could not perform their Temple duties. The performance of those duties meant more to those Priests than the life of this wounded traveler.
This attitude is sinful according to Christ because what good is it to be Temple worthy if one does not have more consideration for a human life than they do for ceremonial duties and recognition?
That is putting the letter of the law before the spirit of it.So it makes no sense to me to put the creeds, doctrines and edicts of men ahead of the teachings of Christ.
The purpose of the Gospel is to save us from the suffering inherent to life and not to put a velvet rope in front of the gates of Heaven and turn it into the VIP section of a nightclub. We are to unite under the banner of love for God and all His children not to put up walls between the worthy and the unworthy.
Many would argue that God Himself separates the cleans from the unclean. But I disagree. We do a pretty good job of picking and choosing who's in and who's out on our own.
I always understood the difference between those in Heaven and those in Hell to be that those who truly loved God and all His children and those who lived a life either not caring for anyone but themselves or who hated some of God's children for whatever reasons and made life miserable for those children of God. Or even those who hated the love, inclusion, acceptance and understanding that God and His son Jesus Christ stand for.
But I could have that wrong. No need to go on about it least it become a creed unto itself.
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