Replies

From the commentary written by this Lds columnist: In sacrament meeting last week, the bishop got up and announced he had received a letter from the First Presidency. As he prepared to read it, the congregation perked up. Moments like this are always attention-getters for Mormons. Normally, we get direction from the top during General Conference. Occasionally something can’t wait and it comes in the form of an official letter from the brethren telling us to start (or stop) doing something.“This is it,” my brain hollered as the bishop got ready to read. “We’re going back to Jackson County. I told you to change the oil in the truck. C’mon, let’s go find a map!”

From the column: The letter...told/counseled rank-and-file Mormons to stop pestering church headquarters for clarification of church doctrine. Apparently some members get so stressed about the finer points of doctrine that they’ll fire off a letter asking for the final word. Church HQ can’t handle the demand...According to the First Presidency’s letter, members with real doctrinal concerns were to seek the counsel of our local leaders — stake president, bishop, Scoutmaster, building custodian, etc.

Ah, the Internet is doing its job. So many questions are being raised by non-Mormons of Mormons, that the answers aren't there. Non-Mormons want answers. Grassroots Mormons are being deluged with such questions; hence, they, in turn seek answers from their authorities.

Yet when non-Mormons ask these same kind of doctrinal questions, what do some online lds apologists do? Why, they send them to lds.org and the First Presidency of the lds church.

Then what happens when the First Presidency of the church gets besieged by these doctrinal questions -- whether they come indirectly through their own members or more directly from inquirers?

Why, the First Presidency sends a Fall, 2010 missive to all their sacrament meetings around the world, telling them to stop sending their doctrinal questions to them because they can't handle most of them!

Ah, the "catch-22" of Mormonism! Ask a question. Get a redirect. Go to the redirected source. They send you back to the local level. Go to the local level. Oh, yeah, Lds keep their doors locked during the week. The bishop works his full-time job PLUS is a "bishop" during his off-hours. So he's "real" available. [/s ]

I guess Robert Kirby is right. Ask the building custodian!

Ah, such perfect irony...especially in light of daily posted links to lds.org as the answer to questions about Lds doctrine! ROTFL!

Dear Mr. LDS President,

I am personally, deeply wrestling with am important
question. Please provide me with the official
LDS position.

I’m participating online at a conservative
website called FreeRepublic. I’ve tried to stand
up for my faith by posting links to our official
sites, but as you know, they are pretty vague.

I’ve tried to tell the anti-mormons there that
our links address any possible question they
can raise about our true faith. They rightly
point out that every question is addressed,
but never answered! I hate it when they are
right!

Anyway, here is my personal question...

If God is ALL-POWERFUL, meaning that He is
more powerful than any other thing that
exists, how can there be more than one God?

Please do not tell me to look at the
official links.

I’ve tried looking at the official links
that I post on FreeRepublic all the time,
but I can’t find any answer that is logical.

Please help me. They even make fun of my
lack of answers. I will keep up my non-defense
of our true faith, but I just need an answer
for myself. How can this be?

Your faithful and worthy member,

Paragonia Non-Defender

According to the First Presidency’s letter, members with real doctrinal concerns were to seek the counsel of our local leaders

I spent nearly a year living in Utah. (In the interest of full disclosure, it was something like a week a month for around 4 years, so cumulatively it was about a year.)

During that time I had dozens of conversations with my LDS friends and hundreds of questions. To a person, when they got frustrated trying to answer my questions their fall back was, "We don't have to worry about these kinds of questions. If we have a concern we simply ask the bishop, (stake pres, custodian, etc.). Tthey give us the answer and we're good with that.

For me that has always been the same as suggesting that I ignore the brain God gave me. With all due respect to my Mormon friends and the LDS Freeper contingent, being spoon-fed theology is not what we are called to do. Ask, seek, knock. To simply ask and accept that on faith alone, subverts the next two steps.

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment. (Mark 12:30, KJV)

This is a rather amazing admission when you think about it

Almost all Christian denominations have stock answers to most questions of faith.

All Christian denominations have enough staff (e.g. Pastors) and volunteers to further explain these answers to anybody who has questions.

All Christian denominations relish the opportunity to minister to their members.

I know that the Saints have loads of their own standard responses ... think FARMS and FAIR.

I also know that the Saints have numerous Bishops who are supposed to be consulted and are supposedly qualified to handle questions of faith.

I also know that the vast financial resources of the LDS Church are more than enough to enable them to hire and train thousands of persons, if necessary, to answer questions.

You don't suppose this letter is a tacit admission that the Saint's standard replies do not stand up well to scrutiny?

And surely, you can't possibly think that the Mormon Church is having trouble keeping employees after they start thinking about some of the questions raised by their fellow members?

Can you?

From the article: the First Presidency

Q: The Mormon church claims to be a "restoration" of the original Church Jesus Christ started.

Well, imagine that! Either George Washington, who came up with that word "president" to apply to himself, either knew by some hidden occultic source that Jesus Christ used that strictly English term in the Middle East and the supposed Book of Mormon Americas 2,000 years ago...or...

...George Washington invented that term in the 1700s and Jesus was prophetically using that term 2,000 years ago...only for some reason, saw fit to have it stricken from the Bible...and the Book of Mormon.

All, what do you think as to which, if any, answer fits the bill here? [Of course, Option #3 is that the Mormon church isn't a "restoration" of anything remotely Christian]

From the article: the First Presidency

Oh, and for you non-Mormons, allow me to define "the First Presidency" as Mormons have defined it: It's who they regard as their "prophet" in conjunction with two general authority "counselors" -- often men who have served the Lds church as "apostles."

I mean...just think of all those letters the apostle Paul rec'd from New Testament churches at Ephesus, Corinth, Thessalonica, Rome, Philippi, the Galatians and the Colossians! Now imagine that instead of over 1/3rd of the New Testament being filled with Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Ephesians, Colossians, Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians, we have repetitive "form letters" from Paul reading:

Dear Insert Here,

In response to your letter, hey, stop pestering me for clarification of church doctrine. Besides, I'm on a mission, anyway. And you should know missionary rules mandate that I'm to write "less frequently to...acquaintances" [Literal missionary rule #32] than I am to my parents [Literal rule #31] Source: see Lds Missionary rules @ Post #24

However, if you’re asking these questions with sincerity and real intent, and if you’re a member that has real doctrinal concerns, please seek the counsel of your bishop or stake president.

(I know I haven't mentioned anything about these "stake presidents" in my communications with you...and I know Jesus didn't, either...but if you don't like that, take it up with the "First Presidency")

Uh. On second thought, don't. We're overwhelmed as is.

And, of course, I'll understand if you don't know what a "president" is...We'll explain that later...like almost 1,800 years later.

Signed,

The apostle Paul, Missionary and Missionary President-at-large
First Presidency with Peter and James