Month: March 2017

Take Responsibility for Destroying the LDS Church

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You are destroying the Mormon church–my church.  That’s right.  I’m pointing a finger directly at you…all of you who continue to vote approval.  You are destroying my church…one member at a time…thousands every month…tens of thousands every year.

Your sustaining vote upholds the violation of Christ’s law of common consent.

Every vote of approval gives license to unrighteous dominion.  Our own scriptures warn us of the certainty of this colossal danger.

Every sustaining vote condemns Christ’s system of checks and balances, converting it into nothing more than a hollow & pointless practice.

Condemnation

Our current prophets have condemned 160 years of our racist past.  They have Condemned the racism of our policies, practices, doctrine and teachings.  I don’t completely blame the prophets for our condemned racist history.  Yeah…they do SHARE blame.  But, I place the majority of the blame and shame on the members…you and me.  Our racist past is our fault.  All of our racist doctrine was implemented…without our consent.  We sat by and let it be implemented…without exercising the rights, privileges and responsibilities that Jesus had placed squarely on our shoulders.

Today, we are operating under a whole system of policies and teachings that have never been exposed to the light of common consent.  At best, that makes them temporary policies.  At worst, they are the misguided ideas of men.  According to scripture, doctrine and prophetic pronouncements, they all MUST be put up for a vote of the church body.

Three Hundred and Eighteen

318 brothers and sisters have now broken with the ranks of silence.  We have taken on the responsibility of saving the church.  Actually, we took on this burden when we were baptised and committed to follow the commandments of Jesus.  We further committed in the temple…where we made a covenant to obey the law of God.

On the other hand, those of you who choose to sustain MUST take responsibility for the dire effects that disobedience is wreaking on the church.  Five, ten, twenty years from now, we will condemn and disavow current tenets that were never presented for approval.  That will be on your heads, not on the heads of the 318.

We are taught that there is safety in keeping the commandments.  Well, the church must be in grave danger as it openly defies Christ.  No favors are done for the apostles by simply saluting everytime they ask for a vote.  Rather, we are putting them in danger of the corrupting influence of unfettered power.  Christ has provided the check.  We are dismissing it.

Twenty-four days from now, general conference will be upon us.  You can take the responsibility of contributing to the church’s destruction.  Your sustaining vote will sustain the subversion of common consent.  Or, you can stand on Christ’s side and vote to uphold His law.

For me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Follow Jesus by Voting Opposed

There is only one way that this beautiful part of the restoration will be restored to its rightful place.  It up to us to take it into our hands and to lift them in opposition to the continued disobedience of the Savior’s Law of Common Consent.

Go to conference, in your home, in your chapel, or in SLC, and vote to have our rights and privileges of consent restored.

You can start by registering with 318 other members on the Common Consent Register …HERE.

Other Resources

Common Consent Scriptures & Doctrine, click HERE.
Common Consent Register—A Record of Those Who Disapprove, click, HERE.
Do We Love Jesus Enough?, click HERE.
The Only True Hope for The Only True Church, click HERE.
An Apostle Speaks Up for Common Consent, click HERE.

Would You Go To A Church?

IMG_0175Would you go to a church where your ideas and opinions are worthless?

Would you go to a church where you are told to keep your worthless ideas and opinions to yourself?

Is there a church that DEMANDS 10% of your income in order to meet God….and…. DOES value your ideas and opinions?

Have all Members Lost their Testimony?

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This post is addressed to:

Members of the LDS church.  The rank-and-file, along with all levels of leadership.

Over the past year, I’ve voted opposed at 5 voting conferences:  2 General, 2 Ward and 1 stake.  Of course, I was outvoted.  So, I sustain, recognize and accept the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles…until the next voting opportunity.  That comes up on April 1st at spring General Conference.

As a result of voting my true opinion this is what people say about me:

  • I’ve lost my faith.
  • I’ve lost my testimony of the restoration.
  • I’ve lost my testimony of Joseph Smith.
  • I don’t qualify to hold a temple recommend.

Well, I’m turning that sentiment on its head.  It’s not me who has lost faith or testimony. It’s you!!!       You have either lost or never had faith or a real testimony in the first place.

Jesus Christ

Where is your faith in Christ?  Why do you pick and choose which of His commandments to keep and which to completely disregard?  It’s you who condones the breaking of His law of consent.  Not me.  I have placed my faith in Jesus Christ.  I am certainly not perfect in following His commandments.  But, no way am I disrespecting, dismissing or discounting His commandment to actively participate in common consent.

The Restoration

I’ve lost my testimony of the restoration?  Nope.  I embrace the restoration.  Consent from the general membership is taught in the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  This beautiful principle has now been restored in our glorious dispensation.  What happened to your belief in the restoration?

Joseph Smith & Revelation

Joseph Smith holds claim to many a revelation, several of them involving the Law of Common Consent.  He made sure that the church lived by this law during his lifetime.  A salary for him was even put up for a vote.  It was voted down by his fellow members.  What happened to your testimony of this prophet?  Mine hasn’t withered.

Modern Scripture

We have one book of scripture that contains modern revelation concerning the restoration and the organization of the current church…the Doctrine & Covenants.  What happened to your testimony in the scriptures?  Or are you a cafeteria Mormon, only picking what you like?  What’s the point of a modern canon if you ignore it?  Common Consent is referred to several times in the D&C.  It’s most clearly stated in sections 26 verse 2 and 28 verse 13.

Temple Recommend

Really, I don’t qualify for a recommend because I strive to life the Law of Common Consent?  Nope.  I question whether YOU qualify.  I sustain the apostles.  But, I will vote opposed at the next conference….  opposed that we are not following the law of consent.  One of the qualifying temple questions is this, “Do you strive to keep the covenants you have made?”  In the temple, I made a promise to obey the law of God.  Modern revelation and scripture mandate that common consent is the law of God.  What caused you to lose your resolve to keep your temple covenants?  Isn’t it you who should be forfeiting your recommend?

The Church is True

Today is testimony meeting.  Many of you will stand and bear witness of the truthfulness of the church.  Then why do you scorn its doctrine?  “Policies, major decisions, acceptance of new scripture, and other things that affect the lives of the Saints” are to be presented for approval or disapproval.  This is taken directly from a doctrinal statement on LDS.ORG.  Why do you ignore this doctrine that was established by Christ?

Modern Prophets

Another witness we will hear over and over again is of Thomas S. Monson being a prophet.  Why don’t you have a testimony of that anymore?  Or do you believe it and just choose to ignore him when he speaks?  Here’s what he taught 5 months ago in October’s General Conference:  “Learn, search and pray.  We need to know God’s laws and live them.”  What new law of God did you learn about?  Not common consent.  What new law of God have you started to live at the direction of President Monson?  Not common consent.  Where is your testimony?

At the same conference, Elder Russell M. Nelson, president of the Quorum of the Twelve, follow up with this:  “Every day that we keep our covenants and help others to do the same, joy will be ours.”  I am actively helping people keep their baptismal and temple covenants to obey the Law of Common Consent.  Oh joy!  Joy will be mine.  Where is your joy in shrugging off a command from Jesus to His restored church?

Rights and Privileges

An apostle, Hugh B. Brown, spoke of our role in common consent as a right and a privilege.  Today, my rights and privileges as a church member have been curtailed.  So have yours.  I care about that.  You should, too.  No longer is the sound doctrine of common consent being practiced.  However, there are 318 of us who want our rights and privileges back.  You should, too.  There are 318 of us who are voting to get our rights and privileges back.  You should, too.  There are 318 of us who desire to keep our covenants.  You should, too.  Start by joining the 318 HERE.

Follow Jesus by Voting Opposed

The only way that this beautiful part of the restoration will be restored to its rightful place is for us to take it into our own hands.  To lift our hands in opposition to the continued disobedience of the Savior’s Law of Common Consent.

You only have 27 days from today before the next vote is called for.  Now is the time to:

  • Get your house in order.
  • Get your testimony of the restoration in order.
  • Get you testimony of Joseph Smith and his revelations in order.
  • Get your testimony in the scriptures in order.
  • Get your testimony in your covenants in order.
  • Get your testimony in church doctrine in order.
  • Get you testimony of today’s prophets in order.
  • Most of all, Get your faith in Jesus Christ in order.

Then go to conference, in your home, in your chapel, or in SLC, and vote to have our rights and privileges restored.

Other Resources

  • Common Consent Scriptures & Doctrine, click HERE.
  • Common Consent Register—A Record of Those Who Disapprove, click, HERE.
  • Do We Love Jesus Enough?, click HERE.
  • The Only True Hope for The Only True Church, click HERE.

An Apostle Gets the Gay Policy Right

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I grew up in the era of Hugh B. Brown.  He served in the LDS church both as an apostle and as a member of the First Presidency.  From my childhood, I recall the specifics of very few talks by the apostles.  But…I remember one by Elder Brown.  It was the story of a currant bush growing on his farm in Canada.  I won’t detail it here.  The point is that he was an eloquent speaker who made a positive and lasting impression during my early years.

Hugh B. Brown was also a man ahead of his times.  For example, he favored lifting the priesthood ban on black Africans.  When President David O. McKay died, Brown was not retained as a counselor in the First Presidency.  This had never happened before in the history of the church.  It’s rumored that this unusual occurrence resulted from his support of blacks receiving the priesthood.  Unfortunately, he passed away just 3 years prior to the ban being lifted.

Elder Brown’s Wisdom Lives On

Today’s apostles now condemn our past racist policies, practices and teachings.  Elder Brown got it right…and years before the prophet and other apostles of his time.

So, what would he say about our current LGBT policy that was announced in November 2015.  This policy dictates that lawfully wed gay couples are apostates.  It further decrees that their children are to be banned from church ordinances until 3 things happen.  First, that the reach the age of 18.  Second, that they disavow the lifestyle of their parents.  Third, that the First Presidency formally gives approval for the ordinances to be performed.

Fortunately, we know where the Apostle Brown stood on this new policy:

“Official statements of the First Presidency that have not been submitted to the membership of the church for its approval are matters of temporary policy only. Under present conditions, for example, the First Presidency may say, ‘We recommend this or that.’ But conditions may subsequently change, and when they do the First Presidency may wish to make a statement which may not be in complete harmony with a former statement. We have to keep our theology up to date by submitting everything that is intended to become a permanent part of the gospel to those whose right and privilege it is to so interpret and then by having it sustained by the people as a definite rule of the church so that all things may be done by common consent.” (Hugh B. Brown, An Abundant Life: The Memoirs of Hugh B. Brown, ed. Edwin B. Firmage [Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1999], 124-125).

What a great statement buttressing Christ’s mandate for common consent!!!  According to Brown:

  • The gay policy can only be a temporary policy since it has not been submitted to the membership of the church for approval.
  • The membership has the right and privilege to interpret what is being submitted for change.
  • The membership has the right and privilege to vote on whatever is intended to become a definite rule of the church.
  •  All this so that “all things may be done by common consent.”

I liked Elder Brown as a child.  I love Elder Brown as an adult.  He views the members of the church as adults not as children.  He views us as an indispensable part of church governance.  We have the right and privilege to interpret and form our own opinions about church policy.  Then everything must to be presented to us for an up or down vote.

According to this great apostle, the gay policy is at best temporary.  It must be presented to the us, the members, for approval or disapproval.

Rights and Privileges

Where is Hugh B. Brown when we need him to declare and defend our rights and privileges?

Well, he’s dead.  

What modern apostles are standing up to defend our rights and privileges as members?

So far…none are.

Then who IS going to stand up for our rights and privileges?

At this point it’s up to you and me, the rank and file members, to stand up for ourselves.

To stand up for the law that Jesus revealed as a vital part of the restored church.  

To stand up for our rights and privileges as members of Christ’s church.  

To stand up and for what we know to be right.  

Not to stand against the apostles.  

Rather, to stand with them in our quest to follow the commandments of Jesus Christ.

My fellow church members…Let’s live by the Law of God…the Law of Common Consent.

Other Resources

  • Common Consent Scriptures & Doctrine, click HERE.
  • Common Consent Register—A Record of Those Who Disapprove, click, HERE.
  • Do We Love Jesus Enough?, click HERE.
  • The Only True Hope for The Only True Church, click HERE.