Sunday, January 24, 2021

Global

And it came to pass that when the angel had spoken these words, he said unto me, Remember thou the covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel? I said unto him, Yea. And it came to pass that he said unto me, Look and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose foundation is the Devil. And he said unto me, Behold, there are save two churches only: the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the Devil. Wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church which is the mother of abominations, and she is the whore of all the earth.

And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters, and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters.

—1 Nephi 3:27-28 NC


Many of my friends, family members and loved ones belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is not surprising, given that I also belonged to that church for much of my life. The church has changed in many ways since they excommunicated my wife and me six years ago, to the point that much of what that church teaches, believes, and does is increasingly foreign to my experience as a faithful member of nearly 40 years. 

I’ll spare you the lengthy and rapidly increasing list of changes that have taken place as the church attempts to forge a completely new identity and rebrand itself into the world’s premiere mainline Christian denomination. Instead, I’ll just focus on a single, curious facet of the marketing makeover that caught my attention. 

I first started noticing right around Thanksgiving last year, when the church excitedly announced that President Russell Nelson would be giving a pre-recorded YouTube “Message of Hope and Healing.” What struck me was the number of times the word “global” appeared in the announcement and subsequent press releases (I added bolding in the examples):

“Russell M. Nelson, a global faith leader and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has a new message of hope, healing and unity…”

Global faith leader offers prayer of gratitude and invites people everywhere to do two important things…”

“…read President Nelson’s personal account of when and how he received inspiration to offer this global prayer of gratitude.”

“The Story behind My Global Prayer of Gratitude”

This huge emphasis on the “global” nature of the church is not coincidence. A quick glance around the church’s News website yields an unending supply of examples:

“Liahona to Provide Universal Messages for a Global Church”

“Latter-day Saints Participate in Global COVID-19 Relief Efforts” 

Global Effort to ‘Light the World’ Generates Donations for Charities”

“Below is a summary of how Latter-day Saints around the world participated in the global Christmas campaign…”

“The redesign [of the Church Office Building Plaza] will also emphasize and celebrate the global makeup of a Church of more than 16.5 million members in 196 nations and territories…We will remove this fountain, and we’ll have a large circle of flags here from many nations of the world to celebrate the international nature of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

So, you get the picture. The marketing types hired by the church to do the re-brand clearly polled and focus-grouped numerous terms and ideas, and settled on “global” as in important identity marker to help the church gain wider acceptance and prominence.


The “global” identity marker was even further bolstered by the First Presidency’s “Statement on Vaccination”:

“As this pandemic spread across the world, the Church immediately canceled meetings, closed temples, and restricted other activities because of our desire to be good global citizens and do our part to fight the pandemic…As appropriate opportunities become available, the Church urges its members, employees and missionaries to be good global citizens and help quell the pandemic by safeguarding themselves and others through immunization.”

So now it’s not merely that the church is “global” but is also made up of “good global citizens” encouraged by The Prophet™ to be such. (They’ve also amped up the Prophet identity, but that’s a different story for another time.)

“As a worldwide organization, we have an obligation to be good citizens and to act with caution as it relates to such a unique setting as general conference, which traditionally brings thousands of visitors to Salt Lake City from around the globe.”

These sentiments fit well with the general “woke” agenda the church is now openly pursuing, including endorsing Black Lives Matter and racial conflict, supporting LGBTQ issues, emphasizing government control, encouraging loss of basic freedoms, and reacting with fear by calling for greater government control during these challenging times. All this while openly condemning those with conservative political views.


Indeed, the “global citizenship” movement is embraced and promoted by the UN under many auspices and organizations, ultimately promoting a new world order, one-world socialist government, population control, forcible redistribution of wealth, radical climate-driven agendas, anti-patriotism, loss of national identity, and every other item on the hard-left wish list. 

By continually using the language and buzz words of the global citizenship movement, the church is clearly signaling their abrupt change in direction and emphasis. They want to be accepted as part of the “woke” club, and become a major global player. Evidently, their marketing firm has convinced them this is the key to future growth and acceptance of the church that until recently was viewed as strange, culty, and not at all part of mainstream religion. In the face of dismal growth and decreasing activity statistics across the board, the church has chosen to embrace what is popular, worldly, and promoted by athletes, celebrities, politicians, social media companies, Hollywood, and big tech. 

But hey, it’s their church, and their right to stand for whatever they choose. In fact, I believe you can build a good case from scripture that being a good global citizen is part and parcel of the gospel. 

Let’s look at the lives of some of the prophets…

We’ll start with Noah. He was certainly a good global citizen. He preached repentance, was rejected, and rescued his family. Then, shut up in the ark, he waited out the deaths of, well, everyone on earth. 

Hmmm…scratch that. Not such a good global citizen after all. 

But wait! Abraham! Shining example there, right? Well, other than that business with Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot and all the killing and capturing spoils…yeah. No. Hmmm…

Moses? Good global citizen? Kinda trashed the environment in Egypt, defeated the greatest world power, drowned their armies, then insisted his people repent and turn back to God, not government…So we’ll just skip Moses. 

Enoch! Now there’s an example to be emulated! He preached repentance and offended everyone…mostly because everyone feared him, so much so that they all fled to a new land to get away from him. Ultimately he and his people left this world entirely. So…not global citizens at all. 

Let’s get right to Lehi. 

Wait, no, never mind. Not nearly woke enough. He couldn’t even find acceptance in Jerusalem, let alone a major city. He just couldn’t stop offending everyone!

Nephi? Couldn’t even get along with his brothers.

Jonah? First refused to minister where he was needed, then spread fear and condemnation.

Abinadi? Executed for sedition. 

Paul? No respect for authority.

Captain Moroni? Too patriotic! He forced people to support the cause of freedom. That is so un-woke!

Hmmm. I’m having a great deal more trouble coming up with examples of woke prophets being good global citizens than I thought I would, given the “Church of Jesus Christ’s” emphasis on this idea. 

So what about Jesus Christ? Good global citizen? Loyal subject? Kept all the rules? On the right side of the issues? Obeyed the leaders? Broad minded and inclusive? Tolerant? Didn’t make waves and certainly didn’t make corrupt leaders feel threatened? 

Uh…no. His own people wanted him killed, and the Romans didn’t find him loyal enough to defend. He claimed to be a king, for goodness sake, but said his kingdom was NOT of this world. Not a “good global citizen” by any stretch of the imagination. Everything he taught involved our reverence toward God, and treatment of our fellow humans in our immediate lives. He ministered to individuals; Global activism was never part of his agenda. Though leaders feared he would cause an uprising, he never did. He taught his followers to love and serve as he did, not to push for global change. He had the power to change the world, but he didn’t do so through activism or attempting to “cancel” his opponents. He understood societies change only when individual hearts are converted to righteousness.

Well golly. I’m starting to see a pattern. 

True prophets preach repentance, and most often get hated or killed for it. They are awake and they awaken others to their awful situation before destruction. But they are not “woke.” They unapologetically preach truth, whether it’s popular or not. (Pro tip: It’s never popular.)

False prophets preach woke-ness, global citizenship, and a litany of ideas contrary to the gospel embraced by Abraham, Nephi, Enoch, Adam and Jesus Christ. In doing so, they seek to become popular and accepted in the world—which only happens on the world’s terms.

I can’t find a single “global faith leader” in the scriptures. That club is reserved for something distinctly unscriptural, un-Christian, and unwelcome in the kingdom of God. In fact, it’s starting to sound a lot like the great whore, who has dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. A “global” faith indeed!

I’ll close with a distinctly un-woke message from an actual prophet:

For the time speedily shall come that all churches which are built up to get gain, and all those who are built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world and to do all manner of iniquity — yea, in fine, all those who belong to the kingdom of the Devil — are they who need fear, and tremble, and quake. They are those who must be brought low in the dust, they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is according to the words of the prophet.

—1 Nephi 7:5 NC


Update January 31, 2022: A very interesting and alarming video on this topic has been posted to YouTube. I highly recommend watching it for a clearer view of the LDS church's agenda regarding globalism and wokeness. https://youtu.be/4X9p6s2Tlq0

22 comments:

  1. There might be a better way of thinking about this. It seems that you are closing the door on the possibility of having true peace in this world, instead espousing the belief that this world is damned no matter what and we need to get the hell out of Dodge.

    What if we embraced our power (the power the Lord offers and exemplifies) and didn't need to fear this world? What if we could be friends and make peace with the world without sacrificing any of our true principles and enabling abuse and fear? What if the wicked could be "consumed" by us inverting their fear into love and helping them to see the light and realize their own righteousness? What if they get "brought low in the dust" by us working with them to plant some new seeds in the ground, bringing new growth?

    I think that would be wonderful and marvelous indeed. Such a thing would certainly be different from anything that has ever happened before and wouldn't necessarily follow the "pattern" we have seen during past millennia. I suppose it would take something different and new to make a Zion here that actually stays on Earth.

    This post certainly has some ideas for such a way of living. It is different. But not really anything the Lord didn't already teach in His Sermon. Could be fun!

    http://knowofthedoctrine.blogspot.com/2021/01/a-new-song.html

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    1. Dan,

      It's a nice thought, but it seems you are forgetting what scripture prophesies. The scriptures are always our key to identifying truth from error because they establish the pattern by which God hand/works and can be discerned.

      Our day WILL be as the days of Noah: Ripe for destruction due to unrighteousness (though by fire) and filled with violence, with the love of many waxing cold.

      Indeed, "And it shall come to pass among the wicked that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety, and there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven, and it shall be the ONLY people that shall not be at war one with another. ... And it shall be said among the wicked, Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible, wherefore we cannot stand. ... And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion singing with songs of everlasting joy."(T&C 31:15)

      Additionally, with the Book of Mormon as a pattern, we see that it is only the more righteous part of the people who will be spared during the coming destructions. I believe it is this group, the more righteous that remains after the wicked are destroyed, wherein such a hope that you express will occur. But the prophesies do not declare the change you hope for happens without the great turmoil and conflicts, as well as the reality that Babylon is a whore which has overtaken the "world." The "world" (the nations, kingdoms, philosophies, teachings, values, traditions, etc. ---not the physical earth) at this point, is NOT the friend of righteousness...and never will be.

      Friends with the world? Christ said: "And you shall be hated of all the world for my name’s sake."

      Until there is a new world, brought about by the cleansing of the wicked, and the subsequent spread of Zion over the face of the world---with an entirely new society and culture of Zion permeating the globe--"the world" is the home of Babylon the Whore. She is not interested in being converted to love, truth and correct principles---for Satan is her master.

      Understanding the patterns and prophecies of scripture does NOT mean one is living "in fear" of this world. It is impossible to "make friends and peace with the world without sacrificing any of our true principles..."as you suggest. That is why this world (Babylon) MUST ultimately be brought down in order for Righteousness to reign. Prophets for millennia have attempted to invert fear into faith and help people be brought low to the dust and realize their potential through repentance. We are now at the end of 6,000 years of such labor and approaching the prophesied time of sifting and harvest. Those who respond to such prophetic invitations will be spared. Those who reject it cannot say they have not been warned.

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    2. A few points:

      We have been told that prophecy can only be recognized in retrospect, so that the "enemy" can't deceive those who are watching for such things. Therefore, I think we may be getting ahead of ourselves to interpret prophecy fulfillment as what is going on right now in the world as it pertains to the LDS Church and other institutions, and to proclaim that we understand what "cleansing" or "destroying" is in the mind of the ever-merciful Lord. And as far as we know, the real ones doing the "hating" could be us... we who justify ourselves in condemning our former brethren when the Lord clearly taught that we should bless them and do good to them.

      Secondly, the thing that is to be instituted or established will be "new," therefore, we cannot necessarily look to previous patterns as what was meant for us. Or maybe we do look at them, but view them in a new and different light... that is, the Light of Christ.

      Next, it is going to take something different this time around to find Zion. So far, they have all resulted in failure. I know that the City of Enoch never fell apart as a society, but they did flee this world and therefore left family behind. Why would they want to come back here? Why not just stay in their lofty city through the eternities and make that the goal for us? The next Zion will be established here and will stay here, never to flee. It is, after all, the Father's Kingdom.

      Lastly, I can think of at least 4 prophets who have a global mission. The three disciples from Bountiful and John the Beloved. They will be ministering among us (the Gentiles), although we will not recognize them. It seems that the pattern they followed is often overlooked as one to consider, if we must follow patterns, that is.

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  2. This is a great post. I have a list of quotes from general authorities emphasizing being good global citizens. It's been going on for a few years. Slowly at first and now accelerating. Besides the fountain change for UN flag similarities, the August 2019 Music and the Spoken Word had a whole segment on the lofty goals of the UN.

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith/2019-08-24/music-and-the-spoken-word-why-its-always-better-to-keep-aiming-high-157920

    It's been a while since I waxhed it but I think it's minute 17 ish.

    There are more than 1,500,000 clergy/churches in the U.S. that have signed on to the clergy response team. You can now easily see who they are. They preach Romans 13 to be submissive to the government OR push being good citizens by wearing masks and getting shots. That's how you are Christlike. Go lock and step with authorities. The 700 Club, Focus on the Family and the Church are easy to see now. Others are too.

    When money and 501c3's are involved there will always be compliance to the puppet masters.

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  3. W.O.K.E= World Organization Knowing Evil

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  4. Thank you Adrian for your very timely and humbling message. Pastor John MacArthur talked about, "Global" and the anti-christ. He is not afraid to stand up for Jesus Christ. He is with the Grace fellowship church in Los Angelas. He has had persecution, but still holds church. I forwarded anonymous bishop message to many people. Similar message as yours. Are we allowed to copy this information? Thank You! God Bless you ! 💟 Susan Hatch p.s. I am in the D.S. fellowship

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  5. Dan and Doug,I commend you both for your good natures and common sense responses which allowed for inspiration and recognition that all patterns will not repeat as interpreted by so many especially this last time if we expect all promises and covenants to be fulfilled while we are in the flesh. That bleak outlook surely limits our understanding of what God can do and will do in order to fulfill.

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    1. Thanks, RoJ, for the thoughts. Most of us having come from a certain theological background, we are limited in our imagination of what things are “supposed” to look like. But doing so, I believe, restrains what God can accomplish. Furthermore, our obsession with those we deem as belonging to the “kingdom of the Devil,” possesses us, in a way, with the very same spirit we claim to eschew.

      We may not even begin to comprehend the wide-reach of God’s mercy, not only for ourselves, but for those we accuse of being sell-outs and conspirers.

      What if the imagery of a beacon on the mountain-tops is referring to the Light of God’s mercy, extended to even the vilest of souls and darkest corners of the earth?

      What if those who consider themselves “cast off for ever” (like the remnant of the House of Israel… see https://scriptures.info/scriptures/bofm/title) could look up out of their horrible pit, out of their miry place of clay where they are overcome with guilt and self-loathing to find that even they are welcome to the festivities? Are there not children of Nephi who were led away captive, even as was the son of perdition? Could THEY be looking to their father, (who remember, having seen the demise of his children considered His afflictions great above all) to shew them the great things the Lord has done for them?

      Do we really think that the Lord will cast off for ever? And will he be favorable no more? Is His mercy completely gone for ever? Does his promise fail? Has He forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up his tender mercies?

      No. His way, His doctrine, which we should all well understand by now, is what will be the sanctuary. He STILL does wonders, and He is establishing something new, something different.

      What if the law to be written on our hearts is a belief that God IS that merciful? What if the new song of redeeming love is exactly what He said it was in the Sermon in Bountiful?

      I believe that if our eye is single to His perfect love, then it will shine and awaken those who feel they are afflicted and oppressed, whose souls are bowed down to the dust and cleaving unto the earth.

      And what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, right?

      But this is just one way of looking at it. I’m definitely open to others if it doesn’t constrain the Lord’s mercy.

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    2. What a remarkable comment Doug. Thank you for sharing.

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    3. Doug,

      Yes, God is a God of mercy, but we are also commanded to do our part. This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God and to perform our labors. This life is given to us so we can repent. If we do not accept the Lord’s gift, His atoning sacrifice, and repent while in this life, then ultimately we reject Him and His life-giving gift to us.

      God is bound by eternal law, and the law is that we must repent or we cannot dwell with Him because He cannot dwell in unholy temples. So when you claim that there IS another way, that the Lord will NOT really cast us off for ever, and because of His mercy His promises won’t fail, and that He WILL shut up His anger because of His tender mercies, I think you are forgetting our part of the bargain. His mercy is extended to us as long as we recognize our terrible state and lower ourselves to the dust, recognize our absolute dependence upon him, and turn to face Him and our sins no more. If we do not repent, the Spirit withdraws from us, the Devil takes power over us, and bound by the Devil’s grasp will be our final state, at least until another opportunity presents itself for us to try again.

      "Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer. For behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation. And therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God. Yea, behold, the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end. For after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. Ye cannot say when ye are brought to that awful crisis that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this, for the same spirit you hearken to obey while living in the flesh shall, upon your death, have the same power to influence you to hearken unto that spirit in the next life. For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance, even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the Devil and he doth seal you his. Therefore, the spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you and hath no place in you, and the Devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked. And this I know because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell. Yea, and he has also said that the righteous should sit down in his kingdom to go no more out, but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb.” (Alma 16:37, RE)

      (Continued)

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    4. And how about this one:

      “Yea, and there shall be many which shall say, Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die and it shall be well with us. And there shall also be many which shall say, Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God, he will justify in committing a little sin. Yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor, there is no harm in this. And do all these things, for tomorrow we die. And if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner false, and vain, and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord. And their works shall be in the dark, and the blood of the saints shall cry from the ground against them.” (2 Ne 12:1, RE)

      I think it is dangerous to start preaching that if we are guilty of a little sin, God may punish us a little bit, but alas, we shall all be saved in the Kingdom of God.

      The last days prophecies regarding the gentiles and their wicked state are not good. God has promised he will pour out His vengeance upon the wicked at the last day and the only place of refuge will be high on a hill, in the mountain of the Lord’s House. If God keeps His word, then I think we should all believe that good things are not coming if we don’t repent.

      And Enoch wept and cried unto the Lord again, saying, When shall the earth rest? And Enoch beheld the Son of Man ascend up unto the Father, and he called unto the Lord, saying, Will you not come again upon the earth? For inasmuch as you are God, and I know you, and you have sworn unto me and commanded me that I should ask in the name of your Only Begotten, you have made me, and given unto me a right to your throne, and not of myself, but through your own grace. Wherefore, I ask you if you will not come again on the earth. And the Lord said unto Enoch, As I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfill the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah. And the day shall come that the earth shall rest. But before that day, the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth. And great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve. And righteousness will I send down out of Heaven. Truth will I send forth out of the earth to bear testimony of my Only Begotten, his resurrection from the dead, yea, and also the resurrection of all men. And righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out my own elect from the four quarters of the earth unto a place which I shall prepare, a holy city, that my people may gird up their loins and be looking forth for the time of my coming. For there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem. And the Lord said unto Enoch, Then shall you and all your city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom. And they shall see us, and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other; and there shall be my abode. And it shall be Zion which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made, and for the space of a thousand years shall the earth rest. (Genesis 4:22, RE)

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    5. I didn’t get any of that from Doug’s comment if I’m being honest. I think what he was talking about WAS repenting, exactly.

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    6. Hi Tausha,

      Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts, which I have reviewed and considered. I am confident that there are many areas where we align in our beliefs. I also appreciate this forum, which I regard as one of the best classrooms available to us where we can have a friendly exchange of ideas, and where no one needs to call on me as I figuratively stretch my hand up.

      That being said, I don’t want to hijack the comments section. I am happy to respond to what you said here, but it will be abbreviated and summarized. If you, or anyone else for that matter, would like a more detailed explanation, I am signing in here though my gmail account (I think). You can send me a message and I will get back to you via email.

      Now, onto my reply…

      I recognize that the viewpoint that has been espoused is not popular. There have been plenty of people within the “movement” and without who have rejected it and subtly if not outright directly claimed it is inspired by the devil himself. That is fine, and I would not want to lead someone forcefully out of a belief system they strongly embrace. It is what it is and I say what I do with the caveat that everyone is free to choose their own approach. Just know that the conclusions I have formed have come from years of studying the scriptures and from real life experience/experimentation. You may be able to say the same about your conclusions and I respect that.

      We are both mutually agreed that we’re here on earth to make and act on our choices, then to learn from our weakness or the mistakes of our progenitors (repent). If we don’t do it here, then comes the long night where nothing can be done. I definitely do not condone digging pits for neighbors or taking advantage of them. Eating and drinking and being merry on the other hand… can be fun. :)

      Next, I don’t know if you were insinuating that I’m preaching that God will punish us just a little if we are “guilty,” and then bring us into his kingdom. To be honest, what God does with the “sins” of others is His business, although I would expect His standard to be at least the same one He preached Himself to those in Jerusalem, Bountiful and elsewhere. And that is the banner I hold up the best that I can… His doctrine.

      When you say that “God has promised he will pour out His vengeance upon the wicked…” who is this promise made to? Me? You? The wicked? If it’s the latter, then I would call it a threat rather than a promise. If it’s to me, then I would say that’s a little weird. I really don’t want much to do with that part. But the Lord said He claims vengeance as His own, anyway. Perhaps He won’t do with that exactly what we expect. Perhaps He will follow His own words and bless those who cursed Him.

      We are also agreed that there needs to be a sanctuary for those who are coming out of a world of chaos. But this is not an ivory tower where we can look down at the those who are getting their butts whooped. It is more like a safe place to come to know how the Lord speaks to us, seeing as how it becomes more and more difficult in “Babylon” to discern the Light of Christ.

      Thanks again for the conversation, and God bless.

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    7. “But this is not an ivory tower where we can look down at those who are getting their butts whooped”.

      I’ve never heard it summarized and put into words better exactly what this movement thinks “Zion” will be like. It’s clear we think that based on our collective words and deeds.

      “ But the Lord said He claims vengeance as His own, anyway. Perhaps He won’t do with that exactly what we expect. Perhaps He will follow His own words and bless those who cursed Him.” Just....wow. This falls perfectly in line with the description of the confusion at the last day of both groups who find themselves on His right hand and on His left. They both think themselves on the wrong side. I wonder what side this movement thinks they are on? I need to go back and reread “The Declaration” that surrounded the Guide and standard and see if I can figure out what we think of ourselves...

      I’ve felt and observed many in this movement who express actual joy at the suffering of others when they view it as God’s vengeance on “the wicked”. Heck, there is a dude who has a blog dedicated JUST to that exercise. (It’s not this blog) I’m not sure what could be LESS godly. It seems even with an Answer directly from the Master Himself, we still can’t comprehend how far from Him we really are.

      God is a God of mercy, BUT....

      There aren’t any buts. This is a being who voluntary gave up his life after being tortured for every soul who has ever come to this earth, without respecting any persons and without restraint. Not one of those souls deserved what He gave. At least for me, I won’t be pretending I have an ounce of standing or one ounce of leeway in judging all the myriad sins of others we are so obsessed with uncovering. When will a group who love one another be found on this earth? It’s pathetic how poorly we follow such a magnificently perfect example given to us by Jesus Christ.

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  6. The scriupture reference above as 1 Nephi 7:5 is actually 1 Nephi 22:23

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    1. HI Floyd,

      Thank you for catching that. I use the RE (Restoration Edition) scriptures in my references, but I neglected to mark it as such. I'll make that correction. It will show as "NC" because the RE Book of Mormon is published in the New Covenants volume, which contains the Book of Mormon and the New Testament. See www.scriptures.info for more information.

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  7. Headline today:
    "Wall Street's bets against GameStop went horribly wrong when users from a Reddit forum decided to bet on its success instead."

    The recent developments with GameStop might serve as a good representation of the power we possess. I won't get into the direct comparison, but the bottom line is that Wall Street was betting on GameStop failing, which would benefit the short-sellers. But an eventually very large group of "normal people" supported GameStop and increased their value a hundred fold or more within a couple of days.

    Imagine if we united together, and instead of expecting and even hoping for the demise of the world, we supported those who are not quite there yet in regards to knowing God? Or what if we blessed those who seem like they are (or rightly should be) on the verge of destruction? We could turn things around almost over night.

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  8. I have just discovered this movement, and was very impressed by Adrian's talk about "churching" at the 2020 conference on Youtube. I am a fairly recent convert to the LDS, and don't know the latter day scriptures particularly well, though I know the Bible reasonably well.

    My "big question" is this. How or can this movement coexist with the main LDS church? My faith journey as Jewish Catholic Protestant Latter Day Saint has brought me through a whole lot of faith traditions, and I learned a lot, and still have friends, at each place I traveled through. It appears to me that this movement's efforts to bring people wholly unto Christ is somewhat dependent upon them learning of Christ, and especially the Book of Mormon, within the main LDS Church. Do y'all have strategy to this reality or I have am I missing something as a new observer who has long followed Christ?

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    1. Hi Trey,

      Welcome, and thanks for the great question. You’re correct in your observation that this movement had its genesis among LDS church members who already believed in the restoration, the Book of Mormon, and Jesus Christ.

      Current efforts underway include outreach to Christians in general, to Native Americans, to Jewish people, and to the scattered remnants of Israel throughout the world. Obviously, we want to promote faith in Christ, introduce the Book of Mormon and the restoration, and invite everyone to look into these things for themselves. This requires a broad focus and specialized efforts specific to each audience.

      Here are some sites to check out:

      www.stickofjoseph.org
      www.scriptures.info
      www.learnofchrist.org
      www.restorationarchives.com

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  9. I don't disagree with your assessment of the Church's efforts to rebrand, embrace the left, etc. I find it interesting, though, that your own post is infused with far-right vernacular. So, they've moved left, and it seems the remnant moves right? (not just this post, but in other forums I notice the discourse becoming increasingly intermixed with politicized language over the last year). Are not the both the left and the right essentially the philosophies of men mingled with scripture? Is there a way to a higher road without sounding like a right wing pundit?

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    Replies
    1. Because sounding like a "ring wing pundit" is bad?? Interesting...

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    2. A lot of politicized views are disinformation. If this movement seeks truth, it should avoid framing itself within the lies that pervade many political viewpoints. The elimination of the FCC's fairness doctrine in 1987 dramatically altered the news landscape. Over the subsequent decades news and pundits have evolved into a profit motivated entertainment industry.

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