Ordain Women or WHAT?!

I've been watching with passive curiosity over the past 6 months at the ridiculous antics and grossly inflated sense of self-importance that members of the "Ordain Women" movement seem to exhibit.  I suppose it's time to weigh in a bit, although it really is unnecessary.

The "Ordain Women" movement believes... honestly believes... that they are a "significant force for change" in the Church.  To those who actually HAVE a testimony of the Gospel, and more than a passing notion of how God works know that nothing in this universe could be farther from the truth.  They are an incidental speck of annoyance.  Nothing more.  And they never will be.  They are also yet another fulfillment of prophesy.  We are told that in the last days "even the very elect will be deceived," and we have not seen this occur in as graphically stunning of a demonstration in some time.

Chronic Ark Steadying has long been an unfortunate companion to the Restored Gospel for as long as it has been restored.  All it takes is a tiny group of spoiled, entitled small-minded whiners who either lost their testimony of the Restored Gospel, or who never had it in the first place, to insist that they know better than God how to run His Church.  That is, if they even think He stands at the head of it anymore.

Many, if not most of them believe that the Church is nothing more than a social club, which they eagerly want to mold into whatever the current cultural flavor 'o the week dictates.  They look at it as a huge corporate entity, wholly susceptible to the self-serving pressure of grassroots "campaigns" to change their policies and practices.   The concept of "inspiration" and "revelation" are completely lost on them, as is the idea that God may have His own ideas of how He wants His kingdom run that may not necessarily coincide with theirs.  "Divine authority" is nothing more than a buzzword to those who seek to create a "smooth god" in their own image and likeness, and carries no pragmatic weight.

At the most elementary level, OW's followers either 1)  no longer believe that God actively leads His Church, or that 2) the prophet and the 12 have become apostate, and no longer receive revelation to guide and direct the Church.  That is, if their direction doesn't agree with the Ark Steadiers.  They're just fine with them if it does.

They claim that these two options constitute a "fallacy of exclusion," and that there are "other possibilities" not being considered... which might be the case if they actually had another viable "possibility" to present.  So far, I've heard no plausible alternatives and a LOT of hand-wringing and whining over not getting their way.  

Yes, I've heard them posit that "No one has asked God," but that assumes that neither the living Prophet nor the members of the Quorum of the Twelve pray.  Which goes to Option #1, quite frankly.  Or at the very least, they claim that they don't believe they have prayed about THIS issue, and that since the Blacks holding the priesthood was kind of a massive goof-up, that got all sorted out once they actually PRAYED about it, that surely the ordination of women must be of the same ilk.

What they are obviously not aware of are the significant errors in their logic and reasoning, as well as their pathetically inept grasp of Church History.

First of all, the blacks not receiving the priesthood was not a "massive goof-up," and there is no evidence whatsoever to indicate that it was.  The most that can be said about it is that "we don't know" the reasons... not one of the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve has ever insinuated that it was incorrect on any level.  Strike one.

Secondly, there was precedent for the blacks being ordained, as Joseph Smith ordained at least one, if not more.  There is no precedent for women being ordained.  Not one prophet or apostle has either advocated it, or suggested that it might be something the Lord might consider in the future.  Nada.  None.  Zip.  Zero.  Zilch.   Strike Two.

The Lord (and His servants) have steadfastly and consistently taught that only males were to hold the priesthood, and that the basic roles of men and women are different.  Of course, such a statement immediately makes the collective heads of the OW minions implode.  "What about GENDER EQUALITY" they shriek.

The reality is that in the Lord's eyes, through the lens of scripture as well as revelation received through His servants, "gender equality" is alive and well in the Church.  What is not part of the Restored Gospel is the concept of equality meaning "sameness."  The ROLES of men and women in the Church are different.  There's no mystery here, and no ambiguity.   M. Russell Ballard, being quoted by Elder Oaks, commented on this very principle:

“Our Church doctrine places women equal to and yet different from men. God does not regard either gender as better or more important than the other. …"

Addressing this very question of differences in the last General Conference, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said,

"But even though these presiding authorities hold and exercise all of the keys delegated to men in this dispensation, they are not free to alter the divinely decreed pattern that only men will hold offices in the priesthood."

He goes on to say, "The Lord has directed that only men will be ordained to offices in the priesthood."

Now.  Either the Twelve are inspired servants of God, or they are not.  Either Elder Oaks prayed about this topic as he was preparing his address at General Conference, or he didn't.  Either God leads the Church, or he doesn't.  This really isn't rocket science.  It's a binary concept.

The two possibilities that I presented still stand.  Those who want to force the Church to bend to their will, instead of bending their will to that of the Lord, either believe that the leadership of the Church is apostate and uninspired, or they must believe that God no longer directs His Church.

EITHER BELIEF is grounds for excommunication, and quite frankly, those who embrace and openly teach them should be excommunicated for apostasy.

Anti-Cultural Mormons

We certainly live in interesting times, especially where the Church is concerned.  For instance, apostates used to be few and far between, most everyone knew who they were, and the apostates were soundly ostracized and marginalized to the point where they gladly left the Church rather than stay and endure the "shunning" that inevitably occurred.

Not anymore.

One of the more recent aberrations to appear over the horizon in Mormondom is the movement to embrace the culture of the Church while at the same time rejecting its teachings and doctrines.  Various groups have risen from the primordial ooze of apostasy to attempt to establish their turf as "legitimate" organizations that serve as "alternatives" for mainstream members who are butt-hurt over this or that.

"Reform Mormons," the ugly stepchild of the "New Order Mormons," or the NOM movement, is an attempt to de-spiritualize being a member of the Church, and to legitimize apostate membership.  Instead of being critical of church doctrines, stomping their feet, and wandering off into whatever strange roads that call to them, they have gotten their full-blown rebellion on and are now vowing to stay in the church as active, non-believing members, and work to "change" the church "from within."

The "Ordain Women" movement seeks to overthrow the sexist male-dominated hierarchy of the Church and force the church to yield to their bidding... namely to ordain women to the priesthood.  These people are under no illusion that the Lord approves of such a thing... they view the Church as nothing more than a corporate entity, which will cave to public pressure in time if they keep the heat up.

Some of us, myself included, have found ourselves both confused and disgusted at these movements, if for no other reason than the sheer illogic of it.  I have to admit, it renders me speechless... but not for the reasons you might imagine.

There is another movement in the Church which stands in stark contrast to the movements I described above.  Not much is said about this movement, and many don't even believe they're part of it, but I firmly believe that the sheer number of members that would joyfully and enthusiastically affiliate with this movement (if they knew it existed) would dwarf the handful of malcontents that fill the ranks of the other movements.  Were this movement ever to visibly rear its ugly head, it would surely be a force to be reckoned with.

This movement I'm referring to is called "Anti-Cultural Mormonism."  The core objectives and beliefs of this movement are exactly opposite that of the NOM's... While NOM's reject the doctrine of the church and the keys and authority of the living prophet in favor of the cultural and social aspects of the Church, Anti-Cultural Mormons are the opposite... they are deeply passionate about the Savior and His atonement and have very powerful testimonies of the Gospel.  They sustain the Prophet, serve faithfully and cherish the scriptures.  They also have a seething, white-hot loathing of "Mormon Culture." 

Anti-Cultural Mormons, or "ACM's" for short, do recognize the need for a Church structure with priesthood keys and authority, but consider the Church itself to be a sort of "scaffolding" surrounding the REAL building, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  They reject the freakishly absurd centrality that Mormon culture seems to play in the worship of cultural Mormons... who seem to actually replace Jesus Christ with green jello, Fast and Testimony Meeting travelogues and foyer-corner gossip.

To be honest, some ACM's would be perfectly happy to never again step foot inside a chapel if it were possible for them to take the sacrament somewhere else.  The frustration, hurt, and disenchantment are simply too overwhelming.

The experiences they have suffered through the years at the hands of insensitive local leaders and vicious, cliquish cultural Mormons has been painful and deeply traumatizing.  They are so repulsed by their own wards and stakes that they are seriously torn... they love the gospel, but want no part of the local Church or the Culture.

The judgmental slights, insults, passive-aggressiveness, and outright hostility to anyone who is in any way "not wearing the uniform" or who are not in the "inner circle" or "cool kids club" makes attending meetings a constant exercise in frustration and disappointment.  And it seems to happen every. single. week.  It's relentless and omnipresent.

Mistakes by leadership that leave sometimes permanent spiritual wounds are dismissed with a smile and a waive of the hand with the ever-popular "Oh, well... he must have been called to that position for his own growth." Very little is done to adequately train new leaders, and even less seems to be done to correct errant ones.  Almost every member of the Church can tell you horror stories regarding the personal failures or missteps of some local leader at some point in time.

The hushed, judgmental whispering at the deacon who wore a light-blue shirt instead of a white one to pass the sacrament... just loud enough for all around them to hear... is considered righteous and faithful.  "If those parents were really righteous, they'd never allow this (obviously wayward) boy to come like that.  Of all the nerve!  How disrespectful is that to the Savior?"  Never once allowing for the possibility that neither the boy or his parents can afford a white shirt.

And my personal favorite, the look of (very obvious) sheer, repulsive disgust at the humble investigator who bravely comes in faded jeans, reeking of cigarette smoke.  "Obviously we don't want HIS kind here.  He'll never fit in." Seriously?

The cliques.  The judgmentalism.  The pretending.  The shunning.  The musical-chairs of leadership callings between the same small group in the ward.  The condescending "spiritually-I'm-more-righteous-than-you" attitudes.  The Primary voice.  The refusal to actually study the gospel, while at the same time pretending to be an expert in its mysteries.  The erroneous and borderline apostate pseudo-scholarship.  The arrogant and reverential claims of being led by the Spirit, while committing serious sins during the week when they think no one's looking.  The hypocrisy.  The constant feelings of not being enough.  Of being less-than.  Of watching that new family be invited to speak, and receive callings when you've been in your ward for 2 years, have waited for 6 months for a calling, and have never been asked to speak.  The isolation.  The despair.

And I could go on and on and on.

I have to admit that I no longer look forward to going to Church.  I hate it.  I start getting a pit in my stomach around Friday, in anticipation of Sunday morning.  I count the minutes until Sacrament Meeting is over, which is the only meeting that I have the ability to endure.

Of course, in the grand tradition of passive-aggressive ecclesiastical counseling within the Church, those with legitimate and deeply felt concerns are assured, basically, that their issues are really their own fault.  It always comes back to that.  "There's nothing wrong.  Move along.  Nothing to see here."  It's always our fault.  We are obviously not "preparing ourselves" properly for worship.  We are obviously shallow or "don't have a testimony." Two more notches removed from being a "cool kid" now.

We are repeatedly told that if we're "truly prepared," then our worship experience will be gloriously transcendent and meaningful.  It will be about humbly partaking of the sacrament, thoughtful meditation and prayer, hearing angels singing reverently in the background, and being gratefully and richly fed through wave after wave of The Spirit washes over us as we  listen to the well-prepared, insightful talks that leave us feeling inspired and invigorated spiritually and ready to take on a new week with renewed resolve. 

Apparently, not for me. 

The reality is that I can't really hear the speakers at all, even sitting on the third row.  The talks are boring and poorly prepared.  Even the Bishop is asleep.  The thunderous din from over 125 toddlers and primary children is deafening.  The opening dirge, Sacrament dirge, and rest dirge all leave you desperately yearning for the closing dirge.  Rinse and repeat every week.  No matter HOW diligently I spiritually prepare.

Lately, I've taken to simply finding an empty classroom and reading the scriptures, or browsing through the last Conference Report.  That's all the spiritual uplift that I can expect.  And I can do that at home.

I've had to seriously re-evaluate the standard testimony-meeting chestnut of "I know this Church is true."   I suppose I do know that it's true, to an extent... the organization is correct... the priesthood keys are there... the gospel is true... the scriptures are a blessing... but that's where it ends.  I don't "know" that the way the Church works in my ward is "true." 

While the Bishop naps blissfully on the stand during a Dry Councilman's 40-minute talk on "obedience," the Miller kids are racing up and down their pew, screaming, and throwing Cheerios at each other while their parents sit by, seemingly oblivious to the disruption their Satanic spawn are causing and the annoyed stares boring into the back of their skulls from the rest of the ward.

Of course, kids are a double-edged sword.  In wards that are either "newlywed or nearly dead," there is little tolerance for the struggling, overwhelmed young parents who honestly do try to teach their children reverence.  Some parents are so exhausted and weary that they simply choose to just stay home rather then bring their brood of small children to be judged and condemned for... well... being small children. 

So, I'm an unapologetic member of the Anti-Cultural Mormonism movement.  I love the Savior.  But think that His Kingdom on Earth desperately needs a cleanup on aisle 9.  At least in my ward.

A Testimony of Apostasy

If I only had a nickel for every time I've heard the following statement:

"I've always been active in the Church, and have always had a deep and abiding testimony of the gospel, but now that I know that Joseph Smith picked his nose in the 2nd grade, I feel betrayed and lied to... I mean... if the Church hid THIS from me as an active member, what ELSE has it hidden from me?  That's why I walked away from the Church, my family, friends, and acquaintances.  I feel so much more freedom now that I'm living a world of truth, and not a world of fraud."

Seriously?

The latest contestant on "My Testimony Sucketh" is a former Bishop in the Pacific Rim, who was so spiritually traumatized by the Church's latest essay on Race and the Priesthood that he's questioning whether everything he ever taught was a lie... and this is the interesting part... because "the excuses he, as a Bishop, made for some policies of the church were incorrect."  But because some past leaders of the Church had used the same speculation, in his mind, this left the door open for any and all doctrine to be incorrect... never mind that the Church itself never endorsed or taught the reasoning that this former Bishop (or the past leaders of the Church) had employed.  Take a minute and let the pure ridiculousness and lack of logic sink in.

"Let's see... I taught things that were never official teachings of the Church, and then I found out that I was wrong."  Yeah, THERE'S a reason to leave the Church.  And, of course, the underscoring justification for this is that some past leader was equally out of line for using the same speculation-in-the-absence-of-divine-revelation. 

This whole mindset indicates a two-fold weakness... 1) it completely ignores spiritual confirmation of divine truth, and 2) it almost always infers (even if unstated) a belief in Prophetic Infallibility.

The main problem with this "Gosh golly, I discovered something sketchy with Church History, now my testimony is toast" rationale is that it completely and immediately reveals the individual to be one who has never had a true testimony to begin with. "But how can you possibly know that?" you ask?  Easily.  When the Holy Ghost truly testifies to your soul that the Gospel is true, it changes you.  During all of the trials, hurt feelings, etc. that come our way as we traipse through this minefield we call "Mortal Life," the one thing that sustains us is NOT our BELIEF that the Church is true... it is the sure knowledge that we received when the Spirit testified to us that it was true.

I've actually been asked by anti's what it would take to convince me that the Church is not true.  My response?  "You can't."  You see, even if they COULD manage to string three words together in a coherent sentence, much less prove to my satisfaction that Joseph Smith was a complete and utter fraud, that pesky issue remains... "But what do I do about the witness that I have received from the Spirit, which I could never deny?"  And that's it in a nutshell.  End of discussion.  Game over, man.  To this day, I've never received a satisfactory answer to that one.  The idea of a spiritual witness from the Holy Ghost is a concept that is completely foreign to most of those not of our faith.

As far as prophetic infallibility goes, one of the more glaring errors that Church members have made since the Restoration, and one which the Brethren are constantly struggling to teach is the fact that neither Prophets nor anyone else in the Church is infallible.  For some, however, "The prophet will never be allowed to lead the Church astray" is a de facto code phrase for "Everything the Prophet says, writes, or comments on is infallible, and is perfect."  As President Dieter Uchdorf reiterated in the Oct 2013 General Conference, this is clearly not the case. 

The reality, Bishop, if you're even out there, is that the Church *IS* true.  Yes, you taught foolish things that the Church never authorized, and I'm so very sorry that you're all butt-hurt over that, but guess what?  That doesn't render the Gospel untrue.  The truth is that you were incorrect... and that's on you.  And if you were actually a Bishop without having any witness of the Spirit of the truth of the Gospel... I'm sorry, but you had no business accepting the call in the first place, IMHO.  That's also on you.

The reality is that is should never matter what some Church Leader did or didn't teach, or whether Joseph Smith did or didn't pick his nose.  "We see in part, and we prophesy in part."  Line upon line, remember?  Yes, we may learn (to the horror of some) that the early leaders of the Church were human, after all.  And yes, we may even discover that the "Standard Gospel Answer" that we always taught was wrong.  Whatever.  But what we cannot jettison so neatly is the spiritual confirmation from the Holy Ghost that we have received.

One has their agency in this life to either be faithful, or faithless.  One can humble themselves, and petition the Lord in prayer and fasting for understanding and direction, or one can arrogantly hop up on the closest soapbox and scream their various doubts through the megaphones of the blogosphere.  But each choice, in its own way, reveals something invaluable about the individual.

Faithful to the End

Boy, we put an awful lot of emphasis in the Church on "being faithful," don't we?  Faithful this, faithful that, faithful the other thing.  Faithful wives.  Faithful husbands.  Faithful servants.  Faithful priesthood holders.  Faithful tithe-payers. Faithful, faithful, faithful.

It's gotten to the point, however, where I think some Definitional Drift has occurred, and some clarification might be in order.  You see, from what I've observed recently, "faithfulness" has drifted from the original meaning of "a condition of being full of faith," to being synonymous in some people's minds with "perfection."  Or even "Perfect Obedience." 

At the risk of offending some, may I suggest that that simply isn't the case. 

I think to an astonishing degree, we've forgotten what "faithfulness" really means... and it is taking a terrible toll on our own spiritual self-worth.  I think we do violence to ourselves and, ironically, our faith in Christ, when we constantly see ourselves as being "unfaithful" simply because we struggle in our weakness with various aspects of the gospel, or with addiction, sin, etc.  I think we are sometimes guilty of bearing false witness against... ourselves. 

How can this be if we are all under the bondage of sin?  If "perfect obedience" isn't what it means, what DOES it really mean to be "faithful"?

Very simple. 

For one to be "faithful," one must be "full of faith in the saving power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ."  Not "full of perfection."  Not "full of obedience" even.  But "full of faith."  None of us of are perfect... especially the ones who think they are pretty darned close.  Try as we may, none of us are 100% obedient.  And I believe that that's by Divine Design.  But does that mean then that we are not "faithful"?  I would argue a resounding "No."

But what then, IS being "full of faith"?  Alma describes it as follows, but with a small substitution: "faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of [the Atonement of Christ]; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for [the healing power of the Atonement of Christ] which [is] not seen, which [is] true." (Alma 32:21)  Paul, of course, describes it in similar terms when he taught the Jews.

In neither of these descriptions do we find the definition of faith to be "Perfect obedience to divine law."  And yet that is the standard that we sometimes impose on ourselves (and just as tragically, to others), to the point of violent emotional self-flagellation when we do not live up to the erroneous definition we have embraced.  Perhaps we would be better served by looking at these passages in the way I suggested.  Perhaps the "things not seen" constitutes nothing less than the atonement and our own salvation.  The true meaning of "faithfulness" becomes a lot more clear when we read those passages with this in mind.

We, imperfect creatures that we are, in our hour of deepest desperation and heartache, look forward with an eye of faith to the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His infinite perfection to save us from our sins.  We love him.  Our hearts are full in humility before Him.  He truly is our Savior and Redeemer.  We know all too well how unworthy we are without Him.  And so Every. Single. Time. we fall, every time we stumble, every time we succumb to temptation, even though our hearts ache with pain, regret, and godly remorse for whatever part we played in His suffering for our sins, we silently condemn ourselves... again... for being "unfaithful servants."  Unworthy of salvation.  Unworthy of His blessings.  Unworthy of Him, period.  After all, "God cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance," right?

And yet, the irony is that in the very act of doing this, we ARE being unfaithful.  We're not holding out faith that He will cover our sins.  We aren't trusting Him to be our Savior and Redeemer.  In a very real way, when we beat ourselves bloody for the mistakes that we make and refuse to forgive ourselves, we actually make a mockery of His atonement in the process, and convince ourselves that we are surely beyond even His reach.  In doing this, we stop having faith in Him, and in His atonement.  We then become deeply mired in the quicksand of legalism.

The only way we could possibly be justified in this feeling of unworthiness is if we somehow "earn" our way to heaven by our works.  But we know that that is false doctrine.  It is a Satanic doctrine.  It is a doctrine of defeat, of damnation, of "never-enoughness."  It is a doctrine of discouragement and despair.  It is not a doctrine of God.  Of course, all of us would rightly rebel against the idea that we work our way to heaven, but somehow would not bat an eye when refusing to allow that the Savior died for OUR sins... and instead content ourselves with beating ourselves bloody whenever we stumble and fall... and that, my friends, is true faithLESSness.

And let me be clear... it's not the sin itself that makes us faithless.  It's the failure to realize that our Spirits are perfect, and nothing we can do will ever change that.  One important Eternal Truth is that God, in His infinite goodness and perfection, cannot create imperfection.  If He did, He would cease to be God.  That's why, as one General Authority put it, our Heavenly Father created a Plan of Salvation for each of us, and not a Plan of Damnation.

In stubborn and unrelenting self-condemnation, we are not trusting He who designed this great Plan of Salvation that we embrace.  If we do not trust Him, we do not believe Him, and we are thus not exercising faith.  We are not being "faithful" servants.  It is ONLY at that point that we fall under condemnation.

Now.  That being said, obedience definitely plays a crucial part in our faithfulness.  Remember the Gospel of James?  "Faith without works is dead, being alone."   "But... wait a minute... doesn't that mean that we DO need to be perfect in order to have faith?  I'm confused."

No.

What being "full of faith" means is to approach the throne of the Savior with humility... on our knees... with a broken heart and a contrite spirit... and to look to Him and the infinite perfection He has as our Savior and Redeemer in abject faith; to plead with Him to apply His infinite perfection and eternal atonement on our behalf... to lift us up, help us get back on our feet, and to have the courage to keep putting one step in front of the other on our personal journey to where He is.  To heal us.  To sanctify us or make us perfect.  To put a heavenly stamp of approval on our efforts.  To keep trying.

That's what He expects of us, really.  To just keep trying.  Because when we arrive at the point where we give up, where we stop looking to Him, stop believing that He can heal us, and stop TRYING to do what He commanded... when we stop BELIEVING that He is our redeemer... we have then... and ONLY then... become "unfaithful."

When we look to Him through the white-hot tears of remorse with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, no matter how many times we have fallen down, we ARE being "faithful."  We are trying.  And that's all He asks of us.  One foot in front of the other. Fall down?  Get up.  Bloody yourself?  Learn from it, and apply the Healing Balm of Gilead to those spiritual wounds.  Dust off the dirt and the filth, and don't look back.  Never look back.  Only forward, with an eye single to His glory, in faith, to Him.

We are so wrapped up in beating ourselves up for falling down again and again and again and endlessly scraping our knees, that we fail to see the beauty of the Father's plan for us... which is, as I mentioned before, a Plan of Salvation, not a Plan of Damnation.  He doesn't merely want us to return to Him.  If that were all we were here for, we would have never left the pre-existence. 

He wants us to learn to become LIKE Him, and has provided a way to accomplish that... but we stop trying many times and just give up because we unrighteously judge ourselves.  We convince ourselves that we're just "too far gone," and that we're simply "not worthy." That we are failures.  That we are unfaithful.  The truth is that it's through falling down and scraping our spiritual knees that we BECOME like Him.  Think about that for a moment.  That is the moment where we realize just how deeply and how desperately we need Him.  That's the very moment when we cling to His promises... when we reach out to him in sackcloth and ashes.  When we are the very closest to Him and His love.

Take faith and be of good cheer.  The price for sin HAS been paid in full.  An infinite amount of perfection is waiting to be applied to you.  You were given the reward of a place at the Father's table when you entered the waters of baptism.  That place was sealed upon you when you entered the New and Everlasting Covenant.  The only thing that can ever deprive you of that, no matter how badly you stumble, or how often, is faithLESSness... when you stop trying, stop believing in the atoning sacrifice of the Savior, and just up and give in to Satan.

Never stop caring.  Never stop trying.  Never stop believing.  Never stop putting one foot in front of the other and always keep one hand on the iron rod.  Eventually, we'll reach our destination.