Monthly Archives: September 2014

“Like” One Another

I recall sitting in a special meeting called by our stake president a couple years ago, where we were asked to make sure everyone in our wards, including the youth, were on Facebook ASAP. We were then instructed to go to the Prophet’s Facebook page and “Like” him, as well as the other general authorities. Ironically, at that same time, I was feeling prompted to hold a special fireside for parents of the youth to talk to them about my very serious concerns over our children’s time wasted online and the dangers of pornography and sexting, which were ever so prevalent in our ward. The message I felt inspired to share seemed to fall on deaf ears with the sudden push by the church to get more connected and to go online more.

Elder Bednar was also simultaneously asking our youth to go online (on their smart devices) to do indexing. My kids came home from those meetings with all kinds of new “revelatory” reasons for why we needed to buy them iPhones. It was hard enough that all their church friends all had phones, and now pressure, instead of support, from the top.

“Social media is a gift to accomplish the Lord’s work” Tweeted Elder Bednar recently

And yet not too many years ago it seemed like every general conference talk was warning us about the dangers of the Internet. “Keep your computer in the kitchen in the view of everyone,” for example. Now, every 10-18 year old youth in my ward (practically), has their own hand held smart device. Most kids who confessed a pornography problem during my tenure said their problem began with their smart phone, often while sitting in the living room with their whole family present, “talking.”

The clear message from the church for many years was one of great caution regarding the Internet and such access. Here’s a sample talk from that era from President Hinckley.

You can read the entire talk by clicking on the image above.

“This is not the only letter I have received. There have been enough that I am convinced this is a very serious problem even among us. It arises from many sources and expresses itself in a variety of ways. Now it is compounded by the Internet. That Internet is available not only to adults but also to young people.

I recently read that pornography has become a $57 billion industry worldwide. Twelve billion of this is derived in the United States by evil and “conspiring men” (see D&C 89:4) who seek riches at the expense of the gullible. It is reported that it produces more revenue in the United States than the “combined revenues of all professional football, baseball and basketball franchises or the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC” (“Internet Pornography Statistics: 2003,” Internet, http://www.healthymind.com/5-port-stats.html).”

And now, the message from the top seems to be, “If you don’t have a Facebook page, or a Twitter account, or you’re not LinkedIn, not texting, or at a minimum equipped with a smart device, get with the program!” In its desire perhaps to improve its image, to preach the gospel online, do more Family History, to rank higher in the search engines, or perhaps even to fight against anti-Mormon messages online, the leaders of the church now encourage members getting online. I understand the church has whole departments at the church office building (COB) devoted to such efforts. Missionary couples and others are also called as full-time volunteers to work in the cyber trenches for the church. It’s really quite amazing.

The church also seems to spend a lot of money on Google Adword campaigns. I find it somewhat amusing that when I do a Google Search for “Pure Mormonism,” I often see the LDS Church’s Pay Per Click (PPC) ad, by itself at the top, just above Rock Waterman’s Pure Mormonism blogspot. This means that the church is paying for that keyword search (Pure Mormonism) and seems intent on intercepting people searching that term.

As a side note, I remember in a leadership training meeting where Elder Bednar told the story of how he was asked the following question: “How are you guys (referring to the brethren) so in tune with the Lord?” Elder Bednar’s response was interesting. “First of all,” he said “we are not ‘guys’. We are prophets, seers, and revelators. We are special witnesses. Don’t refer to us as guys.” (I caveat that I mean no disrespect to Elder Bednar. I simply relay the experience as I recall it.)

But, in the same training and later that weekend, Elder Bednar used words like “rad, dude, gnarly, and freakin'” and he gave all the youth “his” cell phone number and asked them to text him. Oh and to go “like’ their Facebook pages. The social media push feels very much like a “guys” and “dudes” attempt to make the world “Like” us more.

Showing a further commitment to the church’s new direction, missionaries in many parts of the world are now required to bring an ipad to the MTC. Now, I admit that it is perhaps easy to critique such decisions from a distance. Some commentators have already criticized me for doing so. But, I will say that as a parent, the last thing I want my child to have on their mission is an iPad. Some of the miracles I saw with young men overcoming pornography were because they were sent to places like Mexico and were disconnected from such distractions. I could tell numerous stories, were I permitted to, of missionaries who came home early because they went online in the mission field and got into trouble.

Now, some of you may be saying, “But Bishop Anon! You sound like an old dud unwilling to adapt! These kids will be online whether we like it or not, so why bury our heads in the sand? Let’s get them online using such devices to ‘Do the Lord’s work!'” I get that concern and can respect the argument, to a degree.

I guess my feelings are mixed. I grew up in the church being told we were peculiar and that we should not try to be like “the world”. I grew up on the East coast. We were often confused with Mennonites, Quakers, and the Amish. I was taught it was okay if people didn’t “like” us. It seemed like even in a modernizing and changing time, we were still being taught to be somewhat old-fashioned and to be careful about our focus on the worldly and about ever becoming too up with the times or sophisticated.

Here’s an interesting quote from Harold B. Lee:

“Our failure to be a “peculiar” people in maintaining our standards, despite the jeers and the criticisms of the crowd, will be our failure to be chosen for that calling to which we are called. The Lord has told us, “Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen” (D&C 121:34), and then in the same revelation points out two reasons why men fail of their blessings. The first reason he gives is that their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and the second is that they aspire so much to the honors of men. So then as Church members let us beware lest we set our hearts upon the things of this world and lest we aspire so much to the honors of men that we compromise our standards. If we do so, we will be cut off in the Day of Judgment and will lose our blessings. Our reward for daring to live the gospel despite the oppositions from the outside world will be to have blessings added upon our heads forever and forever.”

I not saying that all technology is evil or wrong. But, I believe our obsession with being popular with the world, wasting countless hours in so called urgent stake meetings teaching other leaders and members how to “Like” each other, and our encouragement of more time online, feels to me like a step in the wrong direction.

If ye “LOVE” me, FEED MY SHEEP.

Will I go to Heaven? YES!

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Do we believe in hell? Click here to read more…

I went out with the missionaries tonight and ended up having a very interesting discussion. Over the course of our conversation one of the young elders said he believed that because God is a God of mercy, most of His children would be saved in the Celestial Kingdom.

He said he viewed it as an upside down triangle where most people enter in and only a few go to “Hell.” Curious, I asked what brought this missionary to this conclusion. He said he’d been taught this idea at BYU by his religion professor and by many others in the church throughout his life.

The church states the following on its website on the topic of Heaven and Hell:

“Will I go to heaven?” Yes! God will judge all men fairly and reward them appropriately with a place within His kingdom.

Click above to go to website

I think the declaration on its website, using an exclamation mark that “Yes!, everyone will go to heaven,” begs the question, “Do Mormons really believe in Hell?” Based on the church’s comment above coupled with prevalent teachings I hear from others in the church, I’d have to say we technically do not. But is this truly what the scriptures teach? For example:

And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance. (2 Nephi 28:22)

I should make a caveat here. I do not believe the church is teaching, like my young missionary friend, that all or most will go to the Celestial Kingdom. I think the church is claiming that ALL will go to a kingdom of glory, or in their own words, all will enjoy a degree of Heaven, far better than this earthly existence.

So where did this teaching or idea come from? All of us are familiar with the faith promoting rumor often attributed to Joseph Smith or Brigham Young “that if we could see the Telestial Kingdom, we would be tempted to kill ourselves to get there.” Here’s what a quick search on Holy Fetch brings up to provide some background on this teaching:

“There may be some truth to this statement, but the only record we have of it being uttered, unfortunately, is a third-hand account from Charles W. Walker in 1877. He wrote the following in his journal:

And on Friday last while speaking at the Funeral of Matilda Moody [Brother Woodruff] said we should improve the present time and do all we could for our dead ere death called us away. He referred to a saying of Joseph Smith which he heard him utter (like this) That if the People knew what was behind the vail, they would try by every means to commit suicide that they might get there, but the Lord in his wisdom had implanted the fear of death in every person that they might cling to life and thus accomplish the designs of their creator.”

You’ll note that this statement was recorded more than 30 years after it was allegedly originally said, and that it’s Brother Charles Walker, saying what he “heard” Brother Woodruff at a funeral, recall what he heard Joseph Smith say. That makes this statement now (coming from me) fourth hand information. Yet, the idea the Telestial Kingdom is a kingdom of incomprehensible glory it seems has become our doctrine. This is in large part, in my opinion, because of this idea from what we “heard” Joseph once taught.

Despite disagreements over how many are saved in each kingdom, I think most of us agree that all of God’s children do go to one of the three kingdoms of God, namely the Telestial, Terrestrial, or Celestial, save those sons of perdition (D&C 76). But, the question becomes whether the Telestial Kingdom is a literal kingdom of glory or if it is Hell, where its entrants experience eternal torment and endless punishment.

Endowed members will recognize the statement that the Telestial Kingdom is “the world in which we now live.” I think this is a very strong clue. Is this fallen world glorious?

I like Paul’s and other prophets’ descriptions on the subject. There are those whose “bodies” are Celestial and Terrestrial, who condescend to this world with great advantages, and yet who will make great sacrifices for the progression of less advanced spirits being tried and proven in this dark and fallen world (see 1 Nephi 1:9-10).

I think if we had any idea what the eternal implications of our being “sentenced” to here were (rather than “called” perhaps), I think we would preach day and night to ensure that NO ONE, not a single SOUL, would be required to come here without great protection and advantages.

Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble. (Mosiah 28:3)

I personally do not believe that all of God’s children go to “Heaven.” I am of course using a different definition than the church for the term in question. I disagree with the general way this doctrine is now taught and apparently understood in the church. I sincerely believe it is dangerous to faith and to our growth. If in fact true, ironically, the LDS Church may be the only church I know of that does not believe in Hell.

Here are some more good scriptures on this topic:

2 Nephi 28:8,9,22, 23

Meet the Mormons

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Meet the Mormons, coming to theaters October 2014

I just received an email from my file leader encouraging me to share this, like this, dig this, and watch this “real” movie which will be playing in a movie theater near you, maybe.

In all fairness I have not yet watched this movie, but here are just a few observations and concerns based on the very little I know so far:

The church has gone into the commercial movie business, which from the little I know, can be quite risky. Movies cost a lot of money to make, and judging by the quality of the trailer, this movie seems to be no exception. My best guess is that the production and advertizing will cost the church (tithing payers) as much as $20M, maybe more. I remember Living Scriptures owner Jared Brown bearing his testimony in a ward I was visiting in Layton where he said he lost or might lose $50M with The Swan Princess, which he said was a flop because of its poorly timed opening coinciding with Disney’s Lion King. Perhaps I’m wrong on the costs, but if this is a real movie, there should be a real accounting so the members can voice their opinion (common consent) on such proposals in the future.

Elder Holland, in the promotional email I received, takes about 4 and half minutes to introduce us to this very “bold” and “unique” new endeavor. You can see his pitch here. I find it a bit awkward. At the end he repeats what seem to be talking points and provides a rallying cry to coordinate member efforts to promote this film, stating that “we should buy out a theater if we can afford it, and that all who can should attend.”

Elder Holland states very clearly that this movie is “not a proselytizing effort.” This begs the question: why not? The church is spending a very large sum of money and yet the purpose isn’t to attract converts? Maybe the church had to agree that missionaries would not stand in front of movie theaters, which would be understandable I suppose. But would it be wrong to state clearly that the real purpose for the project, despite some commercial, public, limitations, is to share the gospel? Is this not what churches do? Shouldn’t preaching the gospel be the objective? Especially when the clarion call from leaders today has been to “Hasten the work!”

I also find it really strange that Elder Holland promotes that the church is “not doing this to make money” and that “all proceeds will go to charity.” The charity of choice for the church apparently is the American Red Cross. Wait, I thought the church was a charity? Why would we want to give the money to a different charity, run by people who take large salaries and waste much of the money it is suppose to give to the poor? According to Snopes.com the CEO of the American Red Cross was paid $652k in salary plus expenses and given a 6 week paid vacation in 2009. You can read more about this here. You can also read here about how the Red Cross supports abortion.

The church, I thought, was the best charity in the world. Part of its now fourfold mission being to provide relief to the poor. It almost feels like the church is going out of its way to make itself appear more altruistic by not wanting any of the proceeds and by donating them to perhaps a more “approved” non-religious charity, in the world’s eyes. I think it’s a missed opportunity.

Why didn’t the church decide to use the proceeds, assuming there will be any, to the build a fresh water system in Congo or somewhere else in need of such simple basics we take for granted? Where the church could assure the money would not be wasted? After all, senior couple missionaries can do these types of projects and are free to the church. It’s almost as if the church is sensitive to recent criticisms of spending money on large and expensive controversial projects. And so to assuage concerns it’s teaming up with the Red Cross. I think the move could backfire and as I said, wastes an opportunity to do something more concrete with potential proceeds, that the church could put its name on, that could make a difference.

Elder Holland also mentioned that the church was initially only going to show the film in the Legacy Theater. But, when their professional research department started to report back polling data, they changed their minds. The church’s frequent polling is a sore spot for many active members. Some may ask, “If the church is run by revelation and at a minimum inspiration, then why so much emphasis on such worldly and often unreliable tools?” How much do such studies cost of the widow’s mite?

I also find it a little odd that this movie is rated PG and that it is not suitable for all audiences. It just feels like the church is trying really hard to put all the right marketing touches on this effort. Perhaps in this case, trying too hard. I assume their analysts advised them accordingly. Maybe it’s the title that makes it PG. “Meet the Mormons.” Makes me think of “Meet the Parents” or its less reverently named sequel.

Lastly, the church seems intent, based on those people being highlighted in this film, to make itself not look like Utah. The movie by its title leads one to believe it will be talking to a few of its own regular, average Utah Mormons. Apparently not. We are going to meet a young, African American bishop, a Polynesian college football coach at the Naval Academy, a kick boxing mom, and a few others. The church seems to want to show a diverse and interesting group of people. I actually love the diversity, but it does seem a little misleading. It provokes the question whether or not the church has an image problem. Either way, is highlighting the interesting 10% (at most) of the church really accurately portraying who we really are?

I think this is an attempt to show the world how normal we are. Perhaps not peculiar, but “normal.” Or better said, extremely, interestingly, and successfully normal. It’s a logical approach from a marketing standpoint. I’m just not overly comfortable with it. Time will tell, but I am hopeful that in this process we will be shown the costs and profits or losses from the project.

UPDATE on 12-15-2014

Meet the Mormons to date has grossed $5.8M. Reviews from movie critics is averaging about a 5-10% like rating vs. a 90-95% dislike rating. Interestingly, according to Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of all viewers have liked the movie. This translates as many if not most or all movie goers likely to be LDS.