Hi -------------, Steve handed me a
printout of what you sent. It's all true and all happening. In fact,
that one thing that happened in Utah County at the stake conference
where the mother of the trans child spoke about "ministering" apparently happened in a stake
center up our street where two of our grown children and their families
go (unless the same sort of thing is going on all over, which it
probably is). They both got up and left the meeting with their kids and
told us all about it at the time. I am a firm believer that we are free
agents and shouldn't sit there listening to dangerous false ideas
because not only is it spiritual abuse but our very presence encourages
it. If a whole bunch of people had left the meeting that would have sent
a message. At least some people saw it for what it was.
I appreciated the scriptures
you pointed out. It is hard to read the Book of Mormon now because it's
all so painfully obvious, but we must. It is for us. We are the ones who
have it. But like you say, people aren't using the scriptures or
understanding them. So sad. They are caught up in the world and going
right along, albeit a few years behind.
Sunday is the hardest day of
the week for me too. Not only do I not get to hear the gospel, which I
really love and need to hear, also when I say anything in church it feels
like I am from another planet. I have been mocked several times for my
testimony of Christ as the only way to get back to God because we are
all humans and weak and lacking in one way or another, as it says over
and over in the scriptures. This derision usually happens in Relief
Society. When I was RS pres. I did feel as if I was wasting my breath a
lot. I got a lot of eye-rolling. That was a while ago. I had pulled back
recently, it was just so stressful (unhealthy!)to sit in meetings where
Christ is overlooked, which is essentially anti-Christ, and then to be
ridiculed for my deepest beliefs. But after a break I am feeling braver
and am speaking out again when it feels right to, come what may. It
takes a lot of faith and patience and thinking of people as the Lord
thinks of them and not caring if they think you are crazy or annoying or
unkind or any of those things. Everyone is precious and needs to know
the truth. So many are being deceived. You can just see it happening in
slow motion. Those invisible flaxen cords. Of course we cannot help
anyone very much--just throw out a few ideas which they can think about
and hold to if they wish. That's how important agency is.
I think when a people decide a
sin is not a sin anymore, as in sexual impurity/homosexuality, they equivocate on other
sins as well, perhaps even decide there are no sins they have to worry
about at all; those who surrender on one issue tend to surrender on
others as well. We find people hard-heartedly resisting the
idea of sin. Just once in a blue moon will I hear something true
properly emphasized. (There was a good talk in Sac. mtg. Sunday, which I
am sure some people hated if they were listening.) I have heard from
others that RS has become all about making the sisters feel good about
themselves, and there is no religion really. No Christ, no repentance,
no humility, no meekness, just self-indulgence. Dostoevsky wrote,
"Nothing in the world is harder than speaking the truth, and nothing
easier than flattery." I have especially studied the Book of Mormon
anti-Christs (there are lots!) and the one thing they preached in common
was that there was no need to repent. That sums up what is happening in
the trenches of our church, and in all churches. This is the secular
spirit of the times in which we live.
When one starts paying
attention and thinking for oneself there are lots of opportunities for
long-suffering and trust in the Lord alone. And isn't that a good thing?
I memorize scriptures to repeat and think about in my head to help keep
my sanity and spiritual-centeredness. As in Jacob, "Lift up your heads
and receive the pleasing word of God (it is pleasing to me!) and feast
upon his love, for ye may if your minds are firm, forever." Yes, you are
right about all this happening within the church; some years ago we
were told by a (now) apostle we know personally that the Church (capital C)
is evolving and the Brethren do not agree on some fundamentals, such as
homosexuality. Who knew this would be The Thing that would deceive so
many? A house divided . . .
We don't think it is helpful to
blame anyone. But we do feel as if we must take on the world and share
God's truth and righteousness wherever we happen to be whenever we can,
as the scriptures say. The Lord gave us hearts and minds. We are
supposed to use them. It is a blessing to find firm like-minded
people, now difficult to do even within our beloved church.
Still, we can't put our reliance on each other either. We have seen so
many people turn.
Hang in there. The trajectory
is bad and it's only going to get worse. It's a test! A hard one. I try
to remember opposition in all things works both ways. We can rejoice in
Christ and all Creation, in the good and true and beautiful, in God's
loving merciful plan, even in the midst of all this insidious creeping
falseness and evil and persecution. We can be made into different sorts
of people fit for God's presence right now.
Lord bless!
Janice
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