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Saturday, August 14, 2021

"Wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders"

"Come now, and let us REASON together" (Isaiah 1:18)

The internet is on fire this week, with people taking sides (pro and con) regarding the First Presidency's August 12, 2021 letter to members re: wearing masks and getting immunizations. Many are saying "Follow the Prophet" while just a tiny few are saying, "Not so fast." I suppose there are some who are stuck in the middle, not knowing which direction to take.

Yet in choosing sides on this issue, many are consulting their emotions, not facts. 

I've tried to make this blog post pretty fact-based, as if the emotionless Spock wrote it. "Just the facts," not the opinions, is what you need. That's what I aim to deliver below.

"Careful and Ponderous Thought" 

"The things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out."   [1]

One key is to "seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom," to "seek learning, even by study and also by faith."   [2] 

Without knowledge, you cannot be saved   [3]. Without knowledge, God rejects you:

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee … seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God. …"   [4]

The lack of knowledge of which they suffered is plainly explained by Hosea:

"… the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."   [5]

That's a pretty heavy statement there. God doesn't want our sacrifices in times like this. He wants us to be knowledgeable, to have a command of the facts. Burning a metaphorical bull on an altar is nice, God says, but it doesn't necessarily bring you closer to any truth.

Yeats described the widening circle-the gyre-in which the falcon flew away from the falconer:

"Turning and turning in the widening gyre 

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold.

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity."

-"The Second Coming"

When the falconer is not heard, the falcon is lost. So are men when they cannot or will not hearken to knowledge. In Hosea, God links the concept of knowledge with his approval, so if we reject knowledge, we reject God, too. Thus, things fall apart in human life, the center cannot hold, trouble is born, and the "worst" -- who are "full of passionate intensity" -- do what they think best, regardless of knowledge. They then often impose upon those who are less intense and involved-and particularly upon the young-false constructions and interpretations of the meaning of life.

I believe that when it comes to taking action on COVID-19, we must diligently study all the facts, as well as the word of God. 

In Alma 32, Alma compares the word unto a seed. It must be planted and nourished. Then it grows into a tree from which the fruit of eternal life is picked. Throughout verses 28-43, he uses words like "knowledge" and "experiment" as one watches the seed swell, sprout and grow. Ultimately, Alma's conclusion (on how to decipher whether the seed was good or bad) parallels the Savior's own words: "Ye shall know them by their fruits."   [6].

So, it seems to me that if one is to arrive at a truthful conclusion, they need to take into account the "fruits" of their sources. Bad sources of knowledge never have and never will produce good fruits. That's one reason why investigative journalists and judges must evaluate the veracity of the sources used in deriving solid conclusions. To do otherwise would mean gross inaccuracy and even injustice.

When it comes to COVID, you should insist not on passionate opinion, but straight, solid, honest-to-goodness facts -- in other words, knowledge. Even God says you should get knowledge or stand unapproved of him. 

So let's evaluate some of the concepts introduced to us in the letter, and see what knowledge can do to help us in the decision-making process (source citations in brackets are listed at the bottom of this post):

Vaccines

Let's first start with the concept of a vaccine. "Vaccines actually are a legally defined term, and they're a legally defined term under public health law, they're legally defined term under the CDC and FDA standards. A vaccine specifically has to (1) stimulate both an immunity within the person who is receiving it, but it also has to (2) disrupt transmission."   [7]

Yet on 8/6/21, CDC Director Walensky stated, "Vaccines prevent death but what they can't do anymore is prevent transmission." In other words, vaccines don't meet one of the two definitions of a vaccine.

Masks and the Delta Variant

On July 1st 2021, Sweden dropped its last remaining mask rule - for public transport. As of 8/3/21, mask-free Sweden was close to ZERO daily Covid deaths, as country's chief epidemiologist played down fears over Delta variant's infectiousness. On that day, Sweden had recorded an average of less than one Covid death per day over a 14-day period. Compare that with 74 deaths in UK and 329 deaths in US per day over same period. The Delta variant has been the dominant strain in Sweden, circulating "for quite some time." But health chiefs in UK and US warn masks must remain because of Delta variant   [8] - without any substantiating facts.

The manufacturers

Would you trust a known felon - who paid hundreds of millions or even billions in fines for fraudulently promoting their pharmaceuticals - with your health? Well, guess who made the COVID "vaccines." What do you think of their track records so far?

  • AstraZeneca was fined $520 million to resolve allegations that it illegally promoted the antipsychotic drug Seroquel.   [9] Total pay outs over time for all drug-related fines: 21, totaling $1.14 billion. [39]
  • Pfizer paid out $2.3 billion in 2019 for fraudulent marketing, then the largest health care fraud settlement and the largest criminal fine ever imposed in the United States. Pfizer pled guilty to misbranding the painkiller Bextra with "the intent to defraud or mislead".   [10] Total pay outs over time for all drug-related fines: 71, totaling $4.6 billion   [11]
  • Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay a $2.2 billion fine to resolve criminal and civil allegations relating to the prescription drugs Risperdal, Invega and Natrecor. The government alleged that J&J promoted these drugs for uses not approved as safe and effective by the FDA, targeted elderly dementia patients in nursing homes, and paid kickbacks to physicians and to the nation's largest long-term care pharmacy provider.   [12] Total pay outs over time for all drug-related fines: 58, totaling $4.2 billion   [13]
  • GlaxoSmithKline agreed to pay a $3 billion fine to resolve civil and criminal liabilities regarding its promotion of drugs, as well as its failure to report safety data. This is the largest health care fraud settlement in the United States to date.   [14]

The studies

Drugs and vaccines must clear a variety of tests before they're ever administered to a human. 

  • Animal tests precede human trials. Yet in the case of the injections, after mRNA injections have been administered to cats, the virus arrived once again into the bodies (like a Trojan Horse) undetected by the cats' own immune system. The virus multiplied unchallenged and all animals involved in the experiment died from various causes.   [15]
  • Additionally, the following tests have not been conducted:
    • No long-term adverse side effects studies
    • No drug interaction studies.
    • No single-dose toxicity studies.
    • No toxicokinetic studies.
    • No genotoxicity studies.
    • No carcinogenicity studies.
    • No studies on pregnant women.
    • No studies on pre-or post-natal development   [16]

There was a childrens' study conducted. And sure enough, 86% of children who participated in Pfizer COVID-19 injection trial experienced adverse reactions.   [17]

"Vaccine" Effectiveness

President Biden claims that getting jabbed will prohibit you from contracting COVID.   [18] And in a 8/6/21 CNN interview, CDC Director Walensky said, "Vaccines work 'exceptionally well."   [19] But the facts state otherwise:

  • A 2015 Study concluded that "anti-disease vaccines that do not prevent transmission can create conditions that promote the emergence of pathogen strains that cause more severe disease in unvaccinated hosts."   [20]
  • And sure enough, that's what's happening. On 8/5/21, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen said, "New data suggests that fully vaccinated individuals are not just contracting COVID, but could be carrying higher levels of virus than previously understood, facilitating spread."   [21]
  • Then there's the issue of "Breakthrough" cases, where many who have already been jabbed still get COVID-19.   [22]. This is being seen worldwide: in the U.S., Israel, U.K., Singapore, Gibraltar and Iceland, for example.

"Vaccine" Safety

On 7/22/21, President Biden said, "We follow the science. If you are vaccinated, you are safe."    [23] Yet: 

  • Even Pfizer admits "that there may be adverse effects of the Vaccine that are not currently known."   [24] 
  • And sure enough, there is a long list of safety concerns and adverse side effects.   [25] 
  • In a leaked report, even a Moderna vendor reported that in a 3-month span, there were approximately 300,000 adverse event reports.   [26] 
  • According to an exasperated Dr. Peter McCullough (Professor of Medicine, Texas A & M College of Medicine), it normally takes only 25-50 deaths to shut down a jab program (go to 14:30 mark in video).   [27]
  • Watch this video for a very (unfortunately) rare pathologist's report on what he sees in those who died with COVID: https://rumble.com/vkopys-a-pathologist-summary-of-what-these-jabs-do-to-the-brain-and-other-organs.html

Masks

My basic questions regarding masks can be summarized in two points: (1) If the injections work, then why do we need to keep wearing masks? (2) Numerous studies prove that wearing masks is unnecessary and even dangerous.

  • We read above about countries like Sweden, who ditched the masks on July 1st and have had almost zero death rates since then. This is proof positive of an early World Health Organization publication which said, "facemasks are not required, as no evidence is available on its usefulness to protect non-sick persons." [World Health Organization. Advice on the use of masks in the community, during home care and in health care settings in the context of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak. Geneva, Switzerland; 2020.]
  • "Although several countries mandated wearing facemask in health care settings and public areas, scientific evidences are lacking supporting their efficacy for reducing morbidity or mortality associated with infectious or viral diseases."   [28] 
  • "It is not clear however, what the scientific and clinical basis for wearing facemasks as protective strategy, given the fact that facemasks restrict breathing, causing hypoxemia and hypercapnia and increase the risk for respiratory complications, self-contamination and exacerbation of existing chronic conditions"   [29]
  • "among symptomatic individuals (those with fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose ect…) there was no difference between wearing and not wearing facemask for coronavirus droplets transmission of particles of >5 µm."   [30]
  • "Wearing facemask mechanically restricts breathing by increasing the resistance of air movement during both inhalation and exhalation process."   [31]
  • "Trapped air remaining between the mouth, nose and the facemask is rebreathed repeatedly in and out of the body, containing low O2 and high CO2 concentrations, causing hypoxemia and hypercapnia."   [32]
  • "cloth masks have significant health and safety issues including moisture retention, reuse, poor filtration and increased risk for infection, providing recommendation against the use of cloth masks."   [33]

Some "thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders"


Breaking up families

  • On 7/27/21, the Centers for Disease Control publicly announced its "Shielding" Plan ("Interim Operational Considerations for Implementing the Shielding Approach to Prevent COVID-19 Infections in Humanitarian Settings"). You can read it here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/global-covid-19/shielding-approach-humanitarian.html 
  • The objective is to "limit contact between individuals at higher risk of developing severe disease ("high-risk") and the general population ("low-risk")" 
  • What this essentially means is that the government can now come into your home and "temporarily" "physically" relocate "high-risk individuals" ("older adults, the unvaccinated and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions") from your home and family to safe or "green zones" established at the household, neighborhood, camp/sector or community level depending on the context and setting.
  • If you read the document carefully, you'll see that there is no plan to release incarcerated "high risk" individuals once they transition to "low risk."
  • They would have minimal contact with family members and other low-risk residents.
  • This will help "prioritize the use of the limited available resources and avoid implementing long-term containment measures among the general population."
  • It will be sold as a way to "protect high-risk populations from disease and death."
  • The green zone and living areas for high-risk residents should be aligned with minimum humanitarian standards.
  • Even the proposal says, "there is no empirical evidence whether this approach will increase, decrease or have no effect on morbidity and mortality during the COVID-19 epidemic in various humanitarian settings."   [34]

Isolation Facilities

On 8/6/21, the Tennessee Governor signed executive order:

  • Mandating telephone-based "assessments" where you can be "involuntarily committed" if the government deems you mentally ill or suffering from "a serious emotional disturbance." It remains in effect until October 5, 2021.   [35]
  • Mandating construction of "temporary quarantine and isolation facilities." It remains in effect until October 5, 2021.   [36]

Solid plans for mass public isolation and quarantine 

  • An official Department of Homeland Security training provider is now offering a course for law enforcement, health care workers and other government employees that details how to prepare and execute a mass public isolation and quarantine (I&Q) of the unjabbed in rural areas of the United States.   [37] Here is their summary document. https://jabupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/MGT-433_course_overview.pdf 

Back to the letter

Now that you're armed with some knowledge, let's take another look at the First Presidency's letter, line by line. (remember: We need to keep in mind the good and bad fruits, right?):

"We find ourselves fighting a war against the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants, an unrelenting pandemic."

What's concerning to me is that the First Presidency now considers this "an unrelenting pandemic." What were the results of the two worldwide fasts of March/April 2020? If the fasts had worked, then why are we still in the midst of "an unrelenting pandemic"?

"We want to do all we can to limit the spread of these viruses."

Yet as we read above, worldwide scientific data, the CDC and even the injection manufacturers admit that the injections cannot and do not "prevent transmission."

"We know that protection from the diseases they cause can only be achieved by immunizing a very high percentage of the population."

We don't know that, because the facts are clear (even from the CDC): Even in populations that have received the injection, there is no protection from COVID-19. 

"To limit exposure to these viruses, we urge the use of face masks in public meetings whenever social distancing is not possible." 

You have now read that the World Health Organization, many studies and epidemiological experts have concluded that masks not only are ineffective, but constantly wearing them also produces a variety of adverse medical effects.

"To provide personal protection from such severe infections, we urge individuals to be vaccinated. Available vaccines have proven to be both safe and effective."

But yet according to the CDC (of all places), the vaccines are neither safe nor effective.

"We can win this war if everyone will follow the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders."

Where - where! - in the scriptures is "everyone" told to "follow" other mortals? How is this not "trusting in the arm of flesh"? When did God go back on his (very consistent) word?

Government leaders: With the border issues, rising national debt and inflation, increasing gas prices, mask-related hypocrisy, abortion, defunded police, socialist agendas, trivializing "the fundamental right to worship God below the ability to buy gasoline" (Elder Bednar's quote) and more, how can any sane American believe our government leaders are "wise and thoughtful"?

Medical experts: I would never consider the advice of proven, multi-billion dollar frauds as "thoughtful." That's just trusting in the arm of frauds. And as I have detailed here, (according to none other than God himself), the ONLY path to true safety from pandemics is repentance - a doctrine which the First Presidency never mentioned in its letter.

"Please know of our sincere love and great concern for all of God's children."

If the First Presidency had true love and concern for all of God's children, then why would they be promoting COVID strategies which even the most ardent supporters even admit are neither effective nor safe? Why would they be telling us to trust - excuse me - "wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders"?

Why were government leaders mentioned in the letter,
but the Lord / Jesus Christ NOT -- neither his
atonement nor repentance -- the ONLY God-endorsed
strategy to physically and spiritually extricate ourselves
from the pandemic?

Now you've been warned...with knowledge.

I earlier quoted the Savior, where he said, "Ye shall know them by their fruits."   [38].  Are you willing to bet your life by trusting the "wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders"?

You now have knowledge - facts - that there are no good fruits to the pro-mask, pro-injection mindset. The facts just aren't there.

Some may say, "Well, OK, the "bad fruit facts" are pretty obvious. But I think God wants me to make this sacrifice." Yet as Hosea brilliantly pointed out, God wants us to acquire knowledge -- to make informed decisions -- not offer sacrifices.

And others will say, "We've been commanded to follow the prophet. He knows the way." Yet would a true prophet counsel us to trust in the arm of flesh - and medical experts and government leaders, at that?

Sources

 1.   Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.137
 2.   D&C 88:118; 109:7, 14
 3.   Alma 37:8; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 217, 297, 305, 354, 357
 4.   Hosea 4:6
 5.   Hosea 4:1, 6:6
 6.   Matthew 7:16, 20; 3 Nephi 14: 16, 20
 7.   https://humansarefree.com/2021/01/dr-david-martin-on-experimental-mrna-technology-this-is-not-a-vaccine-it-is-a-medical-device.html; https://www.lewrockwell.com/2021/04/no_author/dr-lee-merritt-in-animal-studies-after-being-injected-with-mrna-technology-all-animals-died-upon-reinfection
 8.   https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9855651/Mask-free-Sweden-close-ZERO-daily-Covid-deaths.html
 9.   https://projects.propublica.org/graphics/bigpharma
10.   https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justicedepartment-announces-largest-health-care-fraud-settlement-its-history
11.   https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/parent/pfizer
12.   https://www.pandata.org/how-broad-is-covid-immunity
13.   https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/prog.php?parent=johnson-andjohnson
14.   https://projects.propublica.org/graphics/bigpharma
15.   https://www.lewrockwell.com/2021/04/no_author/dr-lee-merritt-in-animal-studies-after-being-injected-with-mrna-technology-all-animals-died-upon-reinfection
16.   https://www.bitchute.com/video/0OLRpCbnai2z
17.   https://www.naturalnews.com/2021-05-27-fda-document-pfizer-covid-vaccine-trial-adverse-reactions.html
18.   https://rumble.com/vk5yuj-biden-covid-shots-prevent-you-getting-infected-by-covid.-false.html
19.   https://www.kxly.com/i/covid-19-vaccines-work-exceptionally-well-against-severe-illness-and-death-but-no-longer-prevent-transmission-cdc-chief-says
20.   https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002198
21.   Dr. Leana Wen, https://citizenfreepress.com/breaking/cdc-vaccinated-people-exposed-to-virus-need-to-be-tested-and-quarantined-cdc
22.   https://www.bitchute.com/video/0OLRpCbnai2z
23.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYSsHetpWa4
24.   https://jabupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Albania-Pfizer.pdf
25.   https://www.bitchute.com/video/0OLRpCbnai2z; https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/pdf/VAERS-v2-SOP.pdf
26.   https://alexberenson.substack.com/p/some-actual-news
27.   https://rumble.com/vhp8e1-massive-world-renowned-doctor-blows-lid-off-of-covid-vaccine.html
28.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7680614/; World Health Organization. Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19. Geneva, Switzerland; 2020.; World Health Organization. Advice on the use of masks in the community, during home care and in health care settings in the context of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak. Geneva, Switzerland; 2020.; MacIntyre C.R., Seale H., Dung T.C., Hien N.T., Nga P.T., Chughtai A.A. A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers. BMJ open. 2015;5
29.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7680614; World Health Organization. Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19. Geneva, Switzerland; 2020; American College of Sports Medicine . Sixth ed. Lippincott Wiliams & Wilkins; Baltimore: 2010. ACSM's Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Priscription; Farrell P.A., Joyner M.J., Caiozzo V.J. second edition. Lippncott Williams & Wilkins; Baltimore: 2012. ACSM's Advanced Exercise Physiology; Kenney W.L., Wilmore J.H., Costill D.L. 5th ed. Human Kinetics; Champaign, IL: 2012. Physiology of sport and exercise; World Health Organization. Advice on the use of masks in the community, during home care and in health care settings in the context of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak. Geneva, Switzerland; 2020.
30.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7680614
31.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7680614; Farrell P.A., Joyner M.J., Caiozzo V.J. second edition. Lippncott Williams & Wilkins; Baltimore: 2012. ACSM's Advanced Exercise Physiology; Kenney W.L., Wilmore J.H., Costill D.L. 5th ed. Human Kinetics; Champaign, IL: 2012. Physiology of sport and exercise.
32.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7680614; American College of Sports Medicine . Sixth ed. Lippincott Wiliams & Wilkins; Baltimore: 2010. ACSM's Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Priscription; Farrell P.A., Joyner M.J., Caiozzo V.J. second edition. Lippncott Williams & Wilkins; Baltimore: 2012. ACSM's Advanced Exercise Physiology; Kenney W.L., Wilmore J.H., Costill D.L. 5th ed. Human Kinetics; Champaign, IL: 2012. Physiology of sport and exercise; Kao T.W., Huang K.C., Huang Y.L., Tsai T.J., Hsieh B.S., Wu M.S. The physiological impact of wearing an N95 mask during hemodialysis as a precaution against SARS in patients with end-stage renal disease. J Formos Med Assoc. 2004;103:624-628; United States Department of Labor. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Respiratory Protection Standard, 29 CFR 1910.134; 2007.
33.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7680614; MacIntyre C.R., Seale H., Dung T.C., Hien N.T., Nga P.T., Chughtai A.A. A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers. BMJ open. 2015;5
34.   https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/global-covid-19/shielding-approach-humanitarian.html
35.   (See Section 16) https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/pub/execorders/exec-orders-lee83.pdf
36.   (See Section 18) https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/pub/execorders/exec-orders-lee83.pdf
37.   https://ruraltraining.org/course/mgt-433
38.   Matthew 7:16, 20; 3 Nephi 14: 16, 20
39.   https://violationtracker.goodjobsfirst.org/prog.php?parent=astrazeneca

16 comments:

Anonymous said...


"Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation"

Do these evil designs no longer exist? Where is the revelation about that?

Christine Davidson said...

Thank you for your factually and scripturally documented posts. The absolute truths are refreshing. Powerful.

Rhone said...

Hear hear!

Anonymous said...

I know I'm posting anonymously, so I suppose that makes me a bit of a 'chicken', but as I'm not in a position to lose my LDS Church membership....yet, I will say this:

Russell Nelson and his cohorts in the First Presidency are not prophets. They're merely men who have taken a title that has no meaning.

And this from a person who is hardly a spiritual giant. But Nelson is, in my opinion, dangerous and self-absorbed. He's looking out for himself and maybe "the brethren", but virtually no one else.

aredesuyo said...

Russell Nelson is the first church president that I have ever heard actually refer to himself as a prophet, and I have lived through and payed close attention to the administrations of 6 presidents. Until Nelson, it seemed to me that the president of the church allowed us to call him a prophet, but never personally claimed to be one. Now that the person in charge seems to actually believe himself to be a prophet, and he has claimed that the "vaccine" is a "literal godsend" and an answer to our prayers, no one can be allowed to call the safety or efficacy of the shot into question. To admit their errors at this stage would undermine their perceived legitimacy.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave . . .

Robin Hood said...

The FP message conveys known untruths and this cannot have been done in ignorance. Either the FP are puppets of some secret combination inspired elite group, or they are liars. I choose to believe they did it under duress.

J said...

Something that has bothered me in the last several general conferences is the quotes used by the general authorities. In the past they would qoute all the prophets and then some. Now, they pretty much only quote Pres. Nelson in their talks. Anyone else notice this?

Unknown said...

I am pretty disappointed in the First Presidencies approach and response to this "Unapproved by the FDA" vaccine. I thought they would leave it up to the individual.

gruden said...

"...As I have detailed here, (according to none other than God himself), the ONLY path to true safety from pandemics is repentance - a doctrine which the First Presidency never mentioned in its letter."

Amen!
While God can use evil men to accomplish his purposes, calling this 'vaccine' a godsend borders on heresy. If one relies on corrupt people for mortal preservation, well, God have mercy on your soul.

Anonymous said...

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 wiah 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.

Latter-Day Truths said...

8/17/21 Anonymous,

You have achieved the near-impossible: A slow clap by my wife. (I rarely attain such soaring heights of acclimation).

Please contact me privately with your contact info via my contact page, https://ldtruths.blogspot.com/p/contact.html. Provided you live close-by, lunch is on me.

Alan Rock Waterman said...

I'm encouraged by the comments on this page so far. It shows that many, many Mormons are not infected with group think.

This post, as is all of your posts, LDTruths, is a breath of fresh air in a culture of delusion. Well done, my friend!

Chris VanCampen said...

Here is about all you need to know as to the "why" of recommending the jab by the LDS Church:

https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/03/07/lds-church-discloses/

Anonymous said...

LDT, someday we will need to have lunch. But for now I will comment from my cave. My greater compliments to you for hosting this site and providing a forum for raising important questions and sharing perspectives.

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."

Anonymous said...

While reading another URL which was discussing this topic, I came across this gem of a quote from Joseph Smith. I've heard at least one member in our ward say that she prayed about the vaccine early on, felt uncomfortable about getting it but given the subsequent guidance from the First Presidency, decided to change her decision and get the vaccine after all. Relating to the practice of blindly following priesthood leaders, here's what Joseph Smith had to say:

"And none are required to tamely and blindly submit to a man because he has a portion of the priesthood. We have heard men who hold the priesthood remark, that they would do anything they were told to do by those who presided over them, if they knew it was wrong; but such obedience as this is worse than folly to us; it is slavery in the extreme; and the man who would thus willingly degrade himself should not claim a rank among intelligent beings, until he turns from his folly. A man of God... would despise the idea. Others, in the extreme exercise of their almighty authority have taught that such obedience was necessary, and that no matter what the saints were told to do by their presidents, they should do it without asking any questions. When Elders of Israel will so far indulge in these extreme notions of obedience as to teach them to the people, it is generally because they have it in their minds to do wrong themselves." The Millennial Star, Vol 14 #38, P. 593-95.

No mortal who has lived on this earth, except our Savior, Jesus Christ is infallible.

Latter Day Truths said...

Thanks for the comment and the quote! I agree; that statement by Joseph just nails it.