In this post, we reveal who's really calling the shots in Church Administration...

I recently received some comments by an Anonymous reader which I thought might be better suited as a stand-alone post (I did the underlining). My compliments to whoever you are!

"In April 2020, President Nelson and the First Presidency made no recommendation of masking. If masks were critical to protecting and preserving the lives of latter-day saints, shouldn't God have revealed that knowledge to his prophets? Why would God wait to reveal such important information, and then first to secular officials, and only after such officials spent months teaching contrary information?

Only after masking became a political issue did church leaders form an opinion. They reacted to the situation by siding with the government officials.

In a number of US states and communities masking is not mandated and not the social norm. Does the First Presidency expect members and missionaries to follow the local norm or to mask up?

It sure appears actual church policy on masking is dictated by local politics and culture, and not on the health benefits claimed in its press release.

Data from around the world and the US shows the futility of masks to change the trajectory of Covid transmission. Expert analysis of the virus confirms it spreads as an aerosol which makes cloth masks useless at stopping spread.

And yet the First Presidency puts the name of the Church on a press release touting the importance of masks to winning the war with Covid.

Why?

It appears the position of the First Presidency is it will never embarrass government officials and call for their repentance. No matter how egregiously wrong such government officials act in their duty, no matter how much they trample human rights and the principles of the Constitution, the official position of the leaders of the Church is to be apologists for government hubris, deceit and failure.

I wish it were not so but everything I have seen transpire the last 18 months shows this to be the case. Our church leaders care too much about avoiding criticism from the Great & Spacious Building and if made to choose, they will stand with the Great & Spacious Building and not with faithful saints who discern lies and deceit for what they are."

"Up until a few years ago the quorum of 15 were pretty successful at keeping the corporate church separate from the lay church. But with this First Presidency the corporate veil has been shredded and it seems this is intentional - it is as if President Nelson wants members to know he is CEO of this great corporate machine and by his leadership the corporation is going to be bigger and better than ever.

How else to explain the abrupt changes that have disrupted the lives and traditions of so many members? No more pageants. Constantly changing church meeting schedules and church organization. Top down control to prevent members from exercising faith in a way that would disqualify them as "good global citizens". Speaking of the pandemic as an immovable force that dictates church decisions - when in reality what we have is church leaders ashamed to take any action that would draw criticism from the Liberal media and its activists.

A prophet like Ether or Abinadi or Samuel or Lehi could deliver the message of their day on Temple Square and it would be just as applicable now as it was when they originally went forth to prophecy.

"Abinadi said unto them: I know if ye keep the commandments of God ye shall be saved; yea, if ye keep the commandments which the Lord delivered unto Moses in the mount of Sinai, saying: I am the Lord thy God, who hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other God before me.""