Running Scared

Many in the LDS faith don’t understand why I would call this post “Running Scared,” because many of them are either not aware of some of these issues or have chosen to bury their head in the sand. But an ex-mo, such as me, already knows of the multiple lies and attempted cover-ups that the LDS church has tried in the past. So when they try to play it off as if they have always made this information available it infuriates me. For those who have read 1984 by George Orwell, the phrase, “We have always been at war with Eastasia” comes to mind.

Those who choose to bury their head and to ignore the facts also ignore the press when a general authority (Marlin Jensen) confirms that members are leaving “in droves.” They continue to ignore the fact that Jensen was then given emeritus status after coming out and saying things that hurt the churches appearance. They don’t even bother to look into why other general authorities have also been given the same status or they aren’t even aware of the term emeritus status. I believe this is due to the fact that it is pounded into the heads of all members to look away when they hear something that goes against the church.

I think that the church is slowly coming to terms with the fact that so many are leaving. And that is the reason they are publishing essays on many of the disturbing issues in their history. However, the essays so far don’t actually share all the details; they just touch on the issue and then they play it off as if it has always been common knowledge taught in the church.

The first essay was about the multiple accounts of the first vision. But the church fails to go into the major differences in the different accounts. Why would they want to point out all the differences when it would just hurt them? Instead they just point out that various aspects were emphasized to different audiences but that the gist is the same. This statement is from the June 1957 Improvement Era magazine and points out a major difference.

“I cannot remember the time when I have not heard the story concerning the coming of the Father and the Son to the Prophet Joseph Smith.

“I am concerned however with one item which has recently been called to my attention on this matter. There appears to be going about our communities some writing to the effect that the Prophet Joseph Smith evolved his doctrine from what might have been a vision, in which he is supposed to have said that he saw an angel, instead of the Father and the Son. According to this theory, by the time he was inspired to write the occurrence in 1838, he had come to the conclusion that there were two beings.

“This rather shocked me. I can see no reason why the Prophet, with his brilliant mind, would have failed to remember in sharp relief every detail of that eventful day. I can remember quite vividly that in 1915 I had a mere dream, and while the dream was prophetic in nature, it was not startling. It has been long since fulfilled, but I can remember every detail of it as sharply and clearly as though it had happened yesterday. How them could any man conceive that the Prophet, receiving such a vision as he received, would not remember it and would fail to write it clearly, distinctly, and accurately?" Improvement Era, June 1957, p 436 (emphasis added).

The second essay was about Race and the Priesthood. This essay cracked me up as I read it because I think what person could possibly read this and not see how ludicrous it sounds. Why does God allow man to rule His church? Why doesn’t he stand up for what is right and have His one and only true church stand up for what is correct? Don’t we teach the youth of the church today to stand up for what is right? Why couldn’t God do the same thing? 

“Those realities, though unfamiliar and disturbing today, influenced all aspects of people’s lives, including their religion.” (taken from LDS.org article on race and the priesthood)

The previous statement makes me think that Joseph Smith was influenced by the times and man more than he was by God. Then there is Brigham Young who apparently didn’t talk to the same God as the other prophets. What a joke! If I was still a believer this would bother me greatly  and my shelf would be collapsing  This article makes me wonder when God will change His mind about same sex marriage; He does seem to change His mind a lot.