It may as well be a dream. It involves our collective slumber. We get pictures in our head when we are taught some truth and presume that the picture is accurate. Then after we have repeated the "truth" often enough, we go on to believe the picture must be all-inclusive.
Once we've arrived at that point, the truth no longer matters. Our minds are made up. We've decided the answers, and no further evidence will be considered.
This certainty is reinforced when more people reach the same conclusion because they share the same picture in their head. You get together with others and testify that you are all in possession of the truth; not only the truth, but ALL of the truth. Before long every one of the group can pass a lie-detector test about the truth as they explain it.
As a result, this herd is incapable of ever seeing the picture differently. They cannot open their minds to the idea that their picture is skewed or off. It is most certainly incomplete. It is, in fact, so far short of the whole story that when any part of the remaining, missing information is shown to them they are certain it is a lie.
It is painful to part with our suppositions and the traditions we hold dear. It is painful to admit there may be much more of the picture we have not yet considered, much less seen. It causes anxiety and fear. So much fear in fact, that when it comes to "eternal truth," people literally put their lives in jeopardy if they denounce the falsehoods of the herd and proclaim the truth to those whose peace of mind and self-identity is tied to the incomplete and misleading picture they believe holds all truth.
Latter-day Saints are not immune from this process. We have wanted a complete, well defined statement of our faith since the time of Joseph Smith. We crave an "orthodox" faith so we, like the Historic Christians, can proclaim what is true and right and what is error and heresy. It gives us security. It is false security, purchased at the price of closed minds. It gives us hope. It is false hope, based on the foolishness of the deluded.
As we water down even further the true principles of what our faith contains by requiring Relief Society and High Priests to labor over a Gospel Essentials Manual as the sole fodder for our spiritual fare, we strain every particle of solid food out of the diet. The remaining gruel is so thin, lacking in substance, that we become universally malnourished. Yet in that emaciated state, as our bellies distend from the bloating of starvation, we all proclaim how well fed we are. Our bellies are swollen! We have enough of the word of God! We need no more of the word of God! All is well! Better than well, we prosper in the land of promise!
When you surrender your superstitions and arrogance and read the scriptures for the first time with an open mind, they will astonish you. They will condemn you. They will demand you repent, open your heart, and receive more. They will offer you the bread of life, a living fountain of revelation from which, if you draw, you will find not only sustenance, but also the capacity to recognize that there are those who are starving.
Once we've arrived at that point, the truth no longer matters. Our minds are made up. We've decided the answers, and no further evidence will be considered.
This certainty is reinforced when more people reach the same conclusion because they share the same picture in their head. You get together with others and testify that you are all in possession of the truth; not only the truth, but ALL of the truth. Before long every one of the group can pass a lie-detector test about the truth as they explain it.
As a result, this herd is incapable of ever seeing the picture differently. They cannot open their minds to the idea that their picture is skewed or off. It is most certainly incomplete. It is, in fact, so far short of the whole story that when any part of the remaining, missing information is shown to them they are certain it is a lie.
It is painful to part with our suppositions and the traditions we hold dear. It is painful to admit there may be much more of the picture we have not yet considered, much less seen. It causes anxiety and fear. So much fear in fact, that when it comes to "eternal truth," people literally put their lives in jeopardy if they denounce the falsehoods of the herd and proclaim the truth to those whose peace of mind and self-identity is tied to the incomplete and misleading picture they believe holds all truth.
Latter-day Saints are not immune from this process. We have wanted a complete, well defined statement of our faith since the time of Joseph Smith. We crave an "orthodox" faith so we, like the Historic Christians, can proclaim what is true and right and what is error and heresy. It gives us security. It is false security, purchased at the price of closed minds. It gives us hope. It is false hope, based on the foolishness of the deluded.
As we water down even further the true principles of what our faith contains by requiring Relief Society and High Priests to labor over a Gospel Essentials Manual as the sole fodder for our spiritual fare, we strain every particle of solid food out of the diet. The remaining gruel is so thin, lacking in substance, that we become universally malnourished. Yet in that emaciated state, as our bellies distend from the bloating of starvation, we all proclaim how well fed we are. Our bellies are swollen! We have enough of the word of God! We need no more of the word of God! All is well! Better than well, we prosper in the land of promise!
When you surrender your superstitions and arrogance and read the scriptures for the first time with an open mind, they will astonish you. They will condemn you. They will demand you repent, open your heart, and receive more. They will offer you the bread of life, a living fountain of revelation from which, if you draw, you will find not only sustenance, but also the capacity to recognize that there are those who are starving.
We still weep for Zion; for Zion has fled.
Try reading Alma Chapter 13 and take LITERALLY every word there. Don't bring any pictures in your head and read them into the text. Forget every popular and correlated notion ever spoken about the priesthood for a moment and just look at the words. You will be shocked. If you can bring yourself to do that, then read the Book of Mormon again. It was written for our day, testifying against us. A former group of inhabitants who failed and were destroyed wrote their best advice and sent it to us. We are the ones being warned. We are in a great deal of peril. Our church, if the Book of Mormon is true, is filled with corruption and priestcraft.
Or, on the other hand, just chant that "you know (insert the subject of choice here) is true" and throw about the "name of Jesus Christ" as you do. It is a tried and true mantra, which when repeated often enough, can dull the senses and reinstate the slumber we are so often wrapped. So relax. Hum to yourself a hymn and you will soon be back asleep.
Good grief.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even get past verse 1 before I saw something I never had before.
Gotta keep going.
I add my voice to those other that have expressed gratitude. This blog is heaven sent.
As we water down even further the true principles of what our faith contains by requiring Relief Society and High Priests to labor over a Gospel Essentials Manual as the sole fodder for our spiritual fare, we strain every particle of solid food out of the diet. The remaining gruel is so thin, lacking in substance, that we become universally malnourished. Yet in that emaciated state, as our bellies distend from the bloating of starvation, we all proclaim how well fed we are. Our bellies are swollen! We have enough of the word of God! We need no more of the word of God! All is well! Better than well, we prosper in the land of promise!
ReplyDeleteWhile I cannot disagree with any of this, I do wonder/worry that such words might lead to your expulsion.
Thanks Denver,for making me want to converse with you. Here's some shorts that come to mind.
ReplyDeleteNothing like knowing,
to keep one from learning.
Some make the evidence fit their truth; others make their truth fit the evidence.
Our Lord comes as one crossing the fields and streams of life, not following the paths and paved roads of men. Sometimes we may catch a glimpse of Him not knowing at first what we see. He only draws near as we value these moments of truth and light. If we lay them aside as having little worth, or apply our own prejudice to what he offers; we invite our savior to move on.
As always, Denver's insights are not only appreciated, they are cherished.
ReplyDeleteI, too, raised my eyebrows when I heard RS/EQ/HP study manual = Gospel Essentials. Has the church membership's spirituality really deteriorated and eroded to the point that we need reminding of the sheer basic, fundamental principles of the gospel taught at a 1st year seminary level?
Even my 16 year old is complaining that his SS manual is teaching him the same principles/doctrines he heard when he was 11.
It will truly be a "Marvelous Work and a Wonder" for the Lord to get us from here to Zion in a spiritual sense. He is truly a God of miracles.
Mecum Omnes Plangite!
ReplyDeleteSteve: We still get to have opinions. And that opinion about the manuals is so universally shared that you hear it spoken in every candid conversation in this area of the church.
ReplyDeleteI suppose there are sycophants who would never breathe a word of that to the higher-ups. But surely many people have told the 'manual committee' members just how dreadfully the current curriculum is being received by those who have studied the Gospel for years.
And yet, those who hunger and thirst will get their fill regardless of what happens for those three hours on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteCould there be some sort of sifting going on here?
One of my "pretend last-days scenarios" involves something like an EMP, where there is a huge communications break-down. Long term. No word from SLC. No GenConf coming on TV. No letters over the pulpit to tell us what to do. Can you imagine what the Church may look like after 6 months or a year of THAT? *gasp*
Oh how we could use Melchizedek today. I wonder at the great Spirit & love he must have carried to be able to teach & convince 'everyone' to repent, despite their corrupt state. How does one do that, especially with the seemingly 'past feeling'?
ReplyDeleteI wish that could happen today, we sure are at that same point as his people were before they repented, "everyone full of all manner of wickedness". It would be so wonderful to be taught & strengthened by someone like that.
But as verse 22-26 says, we still can receive such things & be told of Christ's coming by even the mouth of angels, directly to us.
I loved verses 27-30, I so hope I can do that sufficiently & maintain the 'Love of God' always in my heart so I will not be tempted above that which I can bear. It is so easy to fall.
Thank you so much Denver for pointing this Chapter out.
Sycophant= a fawning parasite.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Breathe... breathe... my stomach hurts. That was awesome.
I really ought to respond to Ben's comment. What is amazing about the verses, when taken literally, is that the literal interpretation fit much better than when it is overlaid with "interpretations" we are urged to adopt. In fact, many other scriptures are saying the same things. And Joseph Smith was saying the same thing, too.
ReplyDeleteIt is not so much that the truth is hidden from us, as it is that the truth is ignored by us.
The verses in that chapter offer a radical re-definition of what is going on here. One which is seconded by Paul, Joseph, Abraham and Christ, too.
I am struck all the time by the amazing insights which begin to emerge from taking the Book of Mormon as the plain, simple statement of truth that it is.
Denver said:
ReplyDeleteSteve: We still get to have opinions. And that opinion about the manuals is so universally shared that you hear it spoken in every candid conversation in this area of the church.
Steve said:
I did not know if we still get to have vocal opinions or not :-( Nor did I know that that opinion was so universally shared. I had pretty much only heard it in online forums. Please understand that I would not want your voice silenced.
The thought also occurred to me that if the block meetings are closed to real, team learning, then some members might take it upon themselves to organize their own. Personally I think that might be a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, I have heard stories that other such attempts did not end up well.
From V1-- I would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests, after his holy order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things unto the people.
ReplyDelete=================
It is God our Heavenly Father that is ordaining priests....after HIS order.
Are we talking about the Church of the Firstborn?
"in the first place"
ReplyDeleteV3 & V5
in our premortal estate? The first estate?
later verses...."sanctifies"... translated? to become terrestial? With power to freely move between telestial and terrestial kingdoms?
The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood is coming to mind.
I need more "ponder" time on this chapter too Ben.
Denver said: "I am struck all the time by the amazing insights which begin to emerge from taking the Book of Mormon as the plain, simple statement of truth that it is."
ReplyDeleteI'm 1/3 of the way through the book, "Prophecies and Promises" by Porter and Meldrum. It's amazing the paradigm shift that occurs (and the implications of such) when we take literal the Book of Mormon phrase: THIS LAND.
As Nephi said, "..wherefore, I have spoken plainly unto you, that ye cannot misunderstand. And the words which I have spoken shall stand as a testimony against you; for they are sufficient to teach any man the right way; for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not; for by denying him ye also deny the prophets and the law."
By "plainly" could Nephi mean literally? After all, it seems that most of the symbolic experiences he has (like the vision of the Tree of Life) he makes an effort to explain exactly what the representations mean. Yes, I do need to reread the Book of Mormon now!!
---Doug
Steve, I believe that the very fact that we would need to “worry about our expulsion” by a mere observation and criticism is at the very heart of the problem Denver is trying to open our eyes to. I say Hallelujah!
ReplyDeleteDenver said:
ReplyDeleteWhen you surrender your superstitions and arrogance and read the scriptures for the first time with an open mind, they will astonish you.
Steve said:
On a related note there are a small group of scriptures that dealt with a topic I was really interested in. I read them over and over again. And it amazed me the things I saw in later readings. How did I miss those things early on?
Denver: If you read scriptures with no preconceptions, do you not miss the advantage of building upon a pre-existing framework of knowledge?
lc: Someone pointed out to me that there is a process which the world has seen before which includes: Apostasy, uniting with the world, infallibility of our leaders. I guess to this we could add "knowing you have the truth and are the same church as that of your founder." King Benjamin and Moroni recommended that we awake to a remembrance/sense of [our] awful situation (Mosiah 2:40 and Ether 8:24). Only then can we repent. The challenge in doing that is you have to preach against what is perceived as a central truth: That all is well.
We're being set up. We will find ourselves like Peter who thought it was ridiculous that he, an apostle, would deny he knew Christ 3 times. Then the cock crowed and he "wept bitterly."
ReplyDeleteOne of the only ways we can truly become humble and have a broken heart is to be "set up" so to speak.
1st we are promised everything. Then we promise and make oaths to keep all the commandments. Then we pass through a chastening and we're shown we've failed completely even though we thought we were doing great. Only after that are we humble enough to proceed. Then we can be in full union with God.
Most of us are just like Peter right now. Soon we'll see that we may have denied knowing Christ and all that entails.
Reading Alma 13 anew is certainly opening my eyes. This is the first time I have actually noticed the phrase 'preparatory redemption' in verse 3. Not only the first time here, but the first time ever in anything in my whole life. What is this preparatory redemption? How is it tied to the holy calling which is both prepared with and according to it? I'm probably going to be studying and pondering this verse for a bit, as well as the rest of the chapter.
ReplyDeleteOh my heck and breakfast! WOW!!!!!! I had a few things in Alma 13 marked in yellow already, which means they refer to receiving the Second Comforter and things along those lines, but this time I had to color in almost the entire chapter.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I have so far to go.
Look at D&C 10: 46-70. Notice how the Lord talks about "this Gospel" and "this part of my Gospel" which would be brought forth by the Gentiles to the remnant of the branch of the House of Israel, who won't deny what the Gentiles have received but will build it up and bring to light the true points of [His] doctrine.
ReplyDeleteWe have things for them, and they have things for us. And we are so cock sure we have it all already, Alma 13 being an example.
The Book of Mormon might well contain the fulness of His Gospel. That doesn't mean we know what we have in it or have even begun to comprehend and live by it.
This may be interesting: (Don't worry, most of this is a cut and paste response e-mail I received from the church)
ReplyDeleteI was asked to teach elders quorum at the beginning of the year. I got the manual, flipped through, and based on that decided to e-mail the church curriculum department, and out of sheer curiosity ask (sincerely, and politely) who is on the correlation committee, how many people, and if it is a paid position, also asking what goes into preparing a church manual. Here is the response I got:
"There is a Correlation Department that consists of full time employees that prepare materials for the committee. The Church Correlation Committee is The First Presidency and the Quorum of The Twelve.
Curriculum manuals are written or compiled by a committee whose members are called and set apart by General Authorities. The committee members are ordinary Latter-day Saints working under the inspiration of their call, although most do have writing and educational experience.
Every quote and story and doctrine presented is carefully researched. Editors at Church headquarters meticulously check and double-check each quote and its source for accuracy. From time to time, lessons are sent to areas around the world to be taught to members and get feedback on how well lessons will work worldwide. This is becoming more necessary as the Church grows around the world.
Staffs of professional graphics designers select artwork, photographs, and other illustrations that relate to the topics of the material. They also design the cover and the layout of the manual of book.
Further review continues with staff and leaders in the Curriculum Development, Priesthood, and Correlation Departments of the Church. Preliminary drafts are also reviewed by auxiliary presidencies and members of the Quorum of Seventy, who suggest further revisions. Proof copies are then sent to the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve (Correlation Committee) for final review and approval. The material receives a final proofreading and is then sent for translating and printing. This entire process takes several years to complete."
Hope that was beneficial. I couldn't find anyone who knew anything about the correlation committee, so I decided to ask them myself.
Parts of that response were very interesting.
oops, In the cutting and pasting the order of the first two sentences got put one before the other.
ReplyDeleteIt should read:
"The Church Correlation Committee is The First Presidency and the Quorum of The Twelve. There is a Correlation Department that consists of full time employee that prepares materials for the committee."
Didn't change the meaning much but since I was quoting, I need to make sure it was accurate.
It should also be noted that the current Gospel Principals manual is "NOT" the same manual that was used to teach the new member class. At first glance it appears to be the same. However, many of the quotes have been changed. No longer will you find references from the "Discourses of Brigham Young." There is lots more if you care to look. There is a famine in the land!
ReplyDeleteDavid said "Some make the evidence fit their truth; others make their truth fit the evidence."
ReplyDeleteI say: Oh, say, what is truth?
Personally, I claim your latter statement, as for me and my house:
An individual's Truth is the interpretational correlation by an individual of a fact or set of facts, such that the interpretation is related to prior a fact or multiply related facts or set of facts.
Denver said "It is not so much that the truth is hidden from us, as it is that the truth is ignored by us."
Agreed wholeheartedly. I speak many times and say to all: "Read the scriptures for what they say, not what someone says they say"
I read the words of the scriptures using the original meanings of the words and the original intent as best expressed by a factual literal rendition of the context. Text without context is pretext--this abounds greatly--and is one of the great causes of us falling into the "presumptive delusion" of having ALL knowledge.
DKD said "The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood is coming to mind."
I'd ask, exactly what oath have you taken to receive any priesthood? I never took an oath to receive any priesthood even though I have made an oath not to reveal certain things about the priesthood.
What are the two priesthoods spoken of in D&C 84:32-33 and how do they relate to Moses and Aaron in Exodus 7:1; and to the two crowns, one of gold and one of silver, to be placed on the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest [Zechariah 6:11]; and the two servants in Revelation?
Finally to Taylor who requested an answer about the correlation committee. Good to hear things haven't changed much. I asked a pretty simple question about procedure and was told [in so many words] to "sit down and shut-up".
PS: Denver, do you ever share your email ... I might like to email you privately?
Stone: I was seeing "sanctification" in Alma 13 and "the renewing of our bodies" from the OAC of the priesthood D & C 84 as related.
ReplyDeleteConcerning DKD comment of June 12, 2010 10:19 PM, I am now officially interested about your rendition of the renewing of our bodies and what that might be. Is this "renewing of the body," in your view, related in some fashion to the "renewing of the mind" in Hebrews 12:2? It's obvious this latter renewing [of the mind] does not entail receiving a "physically" new mind. Based on this ancillary quotation relating to "renewing", does D&C 84:33 require a "physical" renewal? If not, what then becomes of "are sanctified" in the same verse? I'd love to hear opinions on this.
ReplyDeletePS: Sorry to be boorish, and I know this is Denver's Blogg; but I can ask 1,000s of questions relating to the interactions of "gospel" principles amongst themselves--which ones have precedence under a given situation or set of circumstances--not unlike queries concerning "conflict of law" issues and the settling of which has precedence under a singular, then under combinational situations.
The general practice of teaching principles and doctrines of the "Gospel" independent and isolated from other principles and doctrines, is in my opinion, another of the reasons we tend to fall into the "presumptive delusion" of having, or knowing ALL truth.