Category: LDS Church

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The LDS Church Needs to Follow Its Own Teachings

“And your churches, yea, even everyone, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts. For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.”

“Alma saw the wickedness of the church…Yea, he saw great inequality among the people, some lifting themselves up with their pride, turning their backs upon the needy & the naked and those who were hungry, & those who were athirst, and those who were sick & afflicted.”

“But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor, & they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their god. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also.”

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.”

Jesus said, “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater. “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee…So is he that layeth up treasure for himself.”

Jesus said, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. ” And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.”

“Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gives less than 1/2 of 1% of its tithes to help the poor and needy in humanitarian work. Surely, with its vast wealth, it can do better to follow its own scriptural teachings.

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The Strengths of a Christ-centered Church over a Family-centered Church

In our past General Conference, the First Presidency stated that our Church is family-centered. In our family-centric Church, members are encouraged to marry only in the temple, ideally when young, and to have larger families. Those belonging to active families with parents who married in the temple are idealized. Children of LGBT members cannot be blessed or baptized. God’s love is seen as conditional, depending on one’s adherence to the dictates of the prophets and apostles.
In our family-centered Church

• families with parents married in the temple who have children are the ideal. [1]

• singles or childless couples are sometimes marginalized. [2]

• heavy demands are placed on mothers, who are defined as the nurturers—and now the teachers of gospel principles—of their children. [3]

• married heterosexual couples are idealized at the exclusion of LGBT couples and members. [4]

• divine love is taught as being conditional and is based on a person’s obedience to commandments. [5]

In a Christ-centered Church, because leaders emphasize God’s unconditional, infinite love for all of His children, they value and love each member equally. Every member and person is recognized as a beloved child of God: LGBTQ, single, married, childless, divorced, widowed, never-married, active, less-active, non-members. People of all races, social classes, religions, genders, ethnic backgrounds, and sexual preferences feel welcome to attend.

• Members do not “discount, disregard, or discriminate against anyone. [6]

• No one is considered unworthy or unredeemable, including social pariahs, adulterers, sinners, mentally ill, those with doubts about their place in God’s kingdom, or those who are less active. [7]

• Speakers in Sacrament Meeting focus on the Savior and on His Atonement. [8]

• All children can be blessed,including those whose parents are LGBTQ. [9]

• Divine love is taught as being unconditional and eternal. [10]

Only when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints becomes a Christ-centered church will all members and visitors feel welcome and valued. Classism, racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, and inequity will end, and all will feel enfolded in the arms of God. All children will be equally valued and loved. Every child will have the opportunity to receive a blessing and to be baptized, including children of murderers, adulterers, and rapists. Children of LGBTQ families will not be excluded from being blessed or baptized. We will not teach or imply that one person is more esteemed than another, including single and married members. Members’ love for God will motivate them to want to do better and be better. Members will love others more fully and will want to follow God and to obey Him not out of fear or duty but because of their love for them.

[1] Pres. Russell Nelson said, “While salvation is an individual matter, exaltation is a family matter. Only those who are married in the temple and whose marriage is sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise will continue as spouses after death and receive the highest degree of celestial glory, or exaltation. A temple marriage is also called a celestial marriage. Within the celestial glory are three levels. To obtain the highest, a husband and wife must be sealed for time and all eternity and keep their covenants made in a holy temple.” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/celestial-marriage?lang=eng

[2]Pres. Dallin Oaks said, “We live in a time when many women wish to have no part in the bearing and nurturing of children. Many young adults delay marriage until temporal needs are satisfied. The average age of our Church members’ marriages has increased by more than two years, and the number of births to Church members is falling. The United States and some other nations face a future of too few children maturing into adults to support the number of retiring adults. Over 40 percent of births in the United States are to unwed mothers. Those children are vulnerable. Each of these trends works against our Father’s divine plan of salvation.” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/10/parents-and-children?lang=eng

[3] President Eyring said, “You might ask, ‘How does that make faithful sisters a primary force to help the Lord pour out knowledge on His Saints?’ The Lord gives the answer in ‘The Family: A Proclamation to the World.’ You remember the words, but you may see new meaning and recognize that the Lord foresaw these exciting changes, which are now occurring. In the proclamation, He gave sisters charge to be the principal gospel educators in the family in these words: ‘Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.’ This includes the nurture of gospel truth and knowledge.” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/10/women-and-gospel-learning-in-the-home?lang=eng

[4] President Dallin Oaks said, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is properly known as a family-centered Church. But what is not well understood is that our family-centeredness is focused on more than mortal relationships. Eternal relationships are also fundamental to our theology. “The family is ordained of God.” Under the great plan of our loving Creator, the mission of His restored Church is to help the children of God achieve the supernal blessing of exaltation in the celestial kingdom, which can be attained only through an eternal marriage between a man and a woman (see Doctrine and Covenants 131:1–3). We affirm the Lord’s teachings that “gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose” and that “marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/10/truth-and-the-

[5] In a talk entitled “Divine Love, President Nelson states: “The Conditional Nature of Divine Love: With scriptural patterns of conditional statements in mind, we note many verses that declare the conditional nature of divine love for us. Examples include:
‘ If ye keep my commandments, [then] ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.’” https://www.lds.org/ensign/2003/02/divine-love?lang=eng

President Nelson cites examples when we may not experience God’s love and suggests that, therefore, divine love is conditional.

[6] Elder Uchtdorf said, “The love God speaks of is the kind that enters our hearts when we awake in the morning, stays with us throughout the day, and swells in our hearts as we give voice to our prayers of gratitude at evening’s end.
This is the inexpressible love Heavenly Father has for us.
It is this endless compassion that allows us to more clearly see others for who they are. Through the lens of pure love, we see immortal beings of infinite potential and worth and beloved sons and daughters of Almighty God.”
Once we see through that lens, we cannot discount, disregard, or discriminate against anyone. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/10/believe-love-do?lang=eng

[7] Elder Gay said, “Can any one of you imagine our Savior letting you and your burdens go unnoticed by Him? The Savior looked upon the Samaritan, the adulterer, the tax collector, the leper, the mentally ill, and the sinner with the same eyes. All were children of His Father. All were redeemable….Can you imagine Him turning away from someone with doubts about their place in God’s kingdom or from anyone afflicted in any manner? I cannot. In the eyes of Christ, each soul is of infinite worth. No one is preordained to fail. Eternal life is possible for all.” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/10/taking-upon-ourselves-the-name-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng

[8] Elder Cook said, “The Sunday Church meetings will consist of a 60-minute sacrament meeting each Sunday, focused on the Savior, the ordinance of the sacrament, and spiritual messages.”
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/10/deep-and-lasting-conversion-to-heavenly-father-and-the-lord-jesus-christ?lang=eng

[9] “Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.” Matthew 19:14-15

“But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for how many little children have died without baptism!” Moroni 8:12

“For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.” 2 Ne. 26: 33

“And for your salvation I give unto you a commandment, for I have heard your prayers, and the poor have complained before me, and the rich have I made, and all flesh is mine, and I am no respecter of persons.” D&C 38:16
See also Deut. 1:17; Isa. 56:7 (3–8); Acts 10:34; Eph. 6:9; Col. 3:25; Alma 1:30; Moro. 8:12.

[10] When he was a member of the First Presidency, Pres. Uchtdorf taught, “God does not look on the outward appearance.8 I believe that He doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compassion, God’s love encompasses us completely.
“He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked.” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/the-love-of-god?lang=eng

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Becoming a More Christ-Centered Church

In my teens, in Sunday School we studied “Christ’s Ideals for Living” by O.C. Tanner. We brought our scriptures to Church each Sunday and learned about Christ’s attributes and how to become more like him. In meetings, we quoted passages of Scripture in our talks while others followed along in their Standard Works. The sound of rustling pages was delightful.

Today we sometimes quote as much from the Brethren in our lessons and talks as we do from the Scriptures. Some ignore Jesus’ teachings about blessing little children and speak about excluding some of them from receiving blessings. Some ignore Jesus’ teaching about casting stones at an adulterous woman and cast stones instead at those who are already marginalized. Some become more focused on ways to exclude others than to include them.

I would not return to a time when my black brothers and sisters were denied priesthood blessings. I would not return to a time when women could not pray in Church or speak in General Conference or when brutal punishments were enacted in temple ceremonies. But, I would return to a time when we focused on Jesus and his attributes: mercy, compassionate, honesty, kindness, and love.

Perhaps by becoming a more Christ-centered Church, leaders would enact policies and procedures that better ensure that are alike unto God. We will decide to safeguard children and women instead of protecting perpetrators. We will bless all of our children. We will find a way to love a little more.

I do not suggest we become Pharisaic followers of the law, but do suggest that perhaps as we focus on the Word, we can become more Christ-like as a Church and as members.

I attend many Sacrament Meetings where Christ is seldom mentioned except for the sacramental prayers. I hear many talks that extol the virtues of Church leaders rather than of Jesus. I participate in too many lessons where General Authorities’ edicts trump Christ’s teachings about mercy and justice and charity.

As a Church, we can do better.

We must do better.

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May the LDS Church Reflect Christ’s Love in its Decisions

We are devout, devoted, temple-recommending holding, tithing-paying, imperfect members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We love the Church. We love worshiping God there, serving others in our congregation and community, and learning to love, give, serve, and forgive.

The Church is our tribe. Some of our ancestors gave everything they had, including their lives, to follow the prophets and come to Zion. Others experienced peace and joy when they joined the Church one generation ago. We have seen ourselves, and others, transformed by the power of Christ’s Atonement.

Some of the imperfect teachers and leaders in the Church have showed us how to feel Jesus’ love, which has transformed our lives. Some have not.

After all, no one is perfect.

Some of us have seen miracles: the dying healed, and the broken-hearted comforted, the weight of sin and sorrow lifted by others who radiate godly love. We have seen miracles in our own lives as we have experienced the sanctifying power of God’s grace.

The standards of the Church have helped us avoid the heartbreak of addiction, adultery, and abuse. Jesus’ example has become the light and compass of our lives. We fail and falter often to follow Him as we should, but His unfailing love for us gives us hope and courage that we can be forgiven.

We seek not to criticize Church leaders to challenge them to become a little more Christ-like, just as we seek to do so ourselves.

We seek to be honest in our dealings.

We seek to protect and comfort children, abuse survivors, and the suffering.

We seek to help those in need, especially those who are destitute, forgotten, or despised.

We seek to bring everyone into our circle of love: those who are single, married, divorced, or widowed, straight, LGBT, women and men, people of all races, backgrounds, and beliefs.

We seek to be honest in our business dealings and as we speak to and about others.

We ask the Church to do the same.

We believe that all are alike unto God, including the children of those whose sexual orientation may differ from our own. We ask Church leaders to adopt policies and practices that invite all to come unto Christ.

We believe that children are precious in God’s sight. We ask Church leaders to protect the vulnerable in its congregations, including its children, and to stop defending perpetrators. No victim of sexual violence should be silenced or ridiculed.

We extend to Church leaders the same grace that we expect them to extend to those who speak up to protect children.

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Are We a Corporation or a Church?

With the Church’s recent threat to excommunicate Sam Young, a former LDS bishop who fasted for twenty-three day to protect LDS children from one-on-one bishop interviews with unacceptably explicit sexual questions, we ask:

Members need to evaluate whether the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is operating as a church or as a corporation. If a church’s decisions are based solely on preserving the church’s wealth, image, or power at the expense of women and children, it is acting as a corporation. If it is serving the least among us, including the sick, poor, displaced, elderly, dying, or the suffering, it is acting as a church.

Our church does much to help those who are suffering, but it can do much more, especially in giving generously of its tithes to help the destitute–in homeless shelters, refugee camps, the starving, malnourished, those who have no access to clean water, health care, and housing. Almost half of the world is living in situations that can be considered as destitute.

Based on current LDS Church income, about .07 percent of its income or $50 million goes to humanitarian projects each year. Although the Church does much to provide food and clothing for its neediest members, The Church can do much more to help those throughout the world who need humanitarian relief.

Consider the wise counsel of Brene Brown, who wrote, ““When the culture of any organization mandates that it is more important protect the reputation of a system and those in power than it is to protect the basic human dignity of the individuals who serve that system or who are served by that system, you can be certain that the shame is systemic, the money is driving ethics, and the accountability is all but dead.”

The LDS Church must make love its driving ethic, not money. It must protect the human dignity of all who serve in the Church or who are served by the Church. It must make its highest priority the protecting its children, not increasing its corporate power.

The leaders of the Church will discover that as they seek to love and protect all of its members, including its children, it will become a greater force for good throughout the world. It will become all that God intended it to be.

We trust and pray that this will happen soon.

“But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14 KJV

“If anyone causes one of these little ones–those who believe in me–to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matthew 18: 6 NIV

“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 18:10 KJV