When the Church Refused to Love as the Savior Did

As I read the New Testament, I am astounded by the Savior's love for others. Story after story, sermon after sermon, his message was of love, love and more love. With an immeasurable height and an eternal width and breadth, I doubt neither you nor I will ever be able to fathom how deep his love goes.

(Sometime, open up the scriptures and see how many times the Savior used the word "Love." Then count how many times he used the word "Obey").

Who he loved was -- and still is -- considered radical and revolutionary. To the Samaritan woman, he said "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." [1]. To the Roman Centurion, he said, "Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour." [2].

As "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth" [3], one would expect to see the church behave in a manner which parallels, if not perfectly mirrors, the Lord's behaviors. Those truly in need could hypothetically come to the Lord or his church, and receive an equal amount of love.

Let's look at a recent, if not contemporaneous, example of a group of people with no rejected status (like the Samaritan woman) nor are despised (like the Roman centurion):

Canadians!  😀

When God Dumped a River of Water from Above

On November 14-15, 2021, southern British Columbia was hit by catastrophic flooding.

Southern British Columbia gets rain all the time. But this time, it was different. B.C. was hit by an "Atmospheric River" -- a long, narrow band of moisture in the atmosphere that can extend for thousands of miles. These rivers in the sky can transport 15 times the volume of the Mississippi River. When that moisture reaches the coast and moves inland, it can rise over mountains, generating rain and snowfall. [4]

Unfortunately, with respect to this storm, the area's infrastructure (including pumps in and around the Sumas Lake area) never had a chance. [5] Thousands of British Columbians were displaced - some having been trapped, shivering, in their vehicles for days. Thousands more were evacuated. Human and animal lives were lost. The costs of damage to highways, railways, farmlands and infrastructure is in the billions. Supply chains have been severed. Grocery store shelves have been emptied. And roads into Vancouver have been virtually cut off from the rest of the country…all due to the floods.

And here's the kicker:

The flooding isn't over yet. There's another line of storms hitting B.C. right now.

And all this comes after another atmospheric river drenched the same area almost two years ago. [6]

So, you tell me: Do you think that people there need a little help? Maybe with some basic necessities, like water, food, blankets, sanitary supplies, medicine and most of all, hope?

When Love Appeared in British Columbia at JUST the Right Time

Fortunately, many people got the help - and most importantly, the understanding, caring and love - they desperately needed:

• The Salvation Army in Kelowna (where evacuees from Merritt and Princeton are staying) has been collecting donations like winter clothing and toiletries, and giving them to people whose homes are affected by the floods. [7]
• Seventh Day Adventist Church: People can leave their cars and have a place to eat and sleep - and bathrooms," Bill Gerber, director of the center run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. [8]
• St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church: A donation plate was set up to collect money for the residents of Merritt and Princeton. [9]
• St. Anthony of Padua Church in Agassiz (Catholic): First responders and volunteers at the community center have been busily organizing clothing, blankets, food and water being brought in by local residents. Parishioners have opened up their homes to total strangers who were displaced by the floods. [10]
• Baptists: The Grace Baptist Church in Hope, B.C., is offering a warm welcome to dozens of stranded travelers with every comfort it can provide, right down to the padded pews at bedtime, says lead pastor, Jeff Kuhn. [11]
• Alliance Church: "If anybody needs anything, you can walk in there and come out with eggs and milk and produce," said Shawn Vickar, a pastor at Yarrow Alliance Church. [12]

Most impressive: The local Sikh community. (Background: In the Sikh religion, Sikh temples are called gurdwara. These places have daily feeding programs called langar, which serves meals to all free of charge, regardless of religion, caste, gender, economic status, or ethnicity. People sit on the floor and eat together, and the kitchen is maintained and serviced by Sikh community volunteers. [13]  This is in contrast to the LDS Church, which announced earlier this month that it will be closing all temple cafeterias in 2022). [14]

In Surrey, volunteers at Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib cooked more than 3,000 meals a day for travelers who were stranded in Hope because of the double mudslides that came down on Highway 7. They then hired private helicopters out of their own pockets to ensure the food was delivered to people in need. [15] Check this out:

Who Was Absent from Relief Efforts

With everybody from tiny parishes to Sikh communities involved in rescue and relief efforts, it would be natural to expect the LDS Church to be in the thick of things. 

(After all, the Vancouver British Columbia temple is located just 14.3 km (8.9 miles, or 24 minutes) east of the aforementioned Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib).

That's where things take a sad turn.

Of the eight stakes and one district in B.C., [16] only one -- the Abbotsford British Columbia Stake -- has been severely impacted by the flooding. Yet you'd never know it by looking at the "Abby Stake's" Facebook page, nor the church's Canadian homepage (full-size screen captures taken 11/26/21 are located here and here). 

Not a word mentioned about the floods. Not even one "Helping Hands" yellow jacket.

However, I have learned from a first-hand source that one ward in the Vancouver, BC stake did tell its members (1) to "consider reaching out to your ministering assignments, friends and neighbors and see if they are in need of assistance", (2) it is "seeking counsel from Stake Leadership on how best to respond and render assistance" and (3) to contact the Elders Quorum or Relief Society if "you or anyone you know is having challenges at this time."

Interestingly enough, the church's financial reserves (estimated at well north of $100 billion) are intended to serve as a "rainy day fund" for the church. [17] (If ever there was a rainy day in Canada, I'd say now would be the time). 

The man who created that "rainy day fund" for the church was former apostle and First Presidency member, N. Eldon Tanner. He hailed from -- you guessed it -- Canada…(Alberta to be specific; British Columbia's neighbor to the east). [18]

Tainted Love

Are the Brethren aware of the troubles in southern British Columbia? It's highly likely.

Could they order Latter-day Saint Charities to assist that area's residents? Yes.

Why haven't they?

We are told "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." [19]

With respect to Southern B.C.'s current conditions, where are the fruits of the Lord's love via his "only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth"?

I'll admit that the Savior did say that we should not let our alms be seen of men, and we shouldn't let our left hand know what our right hand is doing. [20]

But is the best the Church can do is to wait for instruction from above the hierarchy chart and in the meantime let leaders know if anyone in a cataclysmically devastated area "is having challenges at this time"?

It'll be interesting to see what the church does (or doesn't do) when the heat of the pre-millennial tribulations really gets turned up.

Sources

1. Matthew 15:28
2. Matthew 8:13
3. D&C 1:30
4. https://www.inverse.com/science/atmospheric-river-storms
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQdsRd77Gmo
6. https://globalnews.ca/news/6489579/what-is-an-atmospheric-river
7. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/merritt-princeton-evacuees-donation-1.6258925
8. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-hope-amid-the-chaos-disaster-brings-out-the-best-in-flood-hit
9. https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/11/21/particularly-dark-kamloops-bc-pastor-urges-parishioners-to-help-those-in-need.html
10. https://www.catholicregister.org/item/33761-faith-and-the-b-c-floods
11. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1974625859970
12. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/yarrow-chilliwack-bc-floods-volunteers-relief-centre-1.6260193
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langar_(Sikhism)
14. https://www.deseret.com/faith/2021/11/5/22766173/the-simple-reason-the-church-is-going-to-close-all-temple-cafeterias-in-2022
15. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/canadian-sikhs-help-flood-hit-in-british-columbia-340457
16. https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/statistics/locations/canada
17. https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2019/12/20/despite-whistleblower
18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Eldon_Tanner
19. Matthew 7:20
20. Matthew 6:1-8

Is the Church’s COVID-19 "vaccine" advocacy leading you astray? Could it kill you, or is it OK?

What if you decide not to take the jab?

It's become increasingly obvious that when it comes to taking the COVID-19 vaccination, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

In January (and again in March, in a General Handbook of Instructions update), the First Presidency said, "Individuals are responsible to make their own decisions about vaccination. In making that determination, we recommend that, where possible, they counsel with a competent medical professional about their personal circumstances and needs."  [1] 

Two months later, they added this statement to the General Handbook:

"Vaccinations administered by competent medical professionals protect health and preserve life. Ultimately, individuals are responsible to make their own decisions about vaccination. If members have concerns, they should counsel with competent medical professionals and also seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost." [2] 

So, what happens if your doctor and/or the Holy Ghost recommends not taking the jab, and you obey their advice? Clearly the church would discourage your dissing their advice.

But here's the deal: If you don't get the COVID-19 shot, you're considered a bad global citizen (and by implication, a bad Christian)…

"…the Church urges its members, employees and missionaries to be good global citizens and help quell the pandemic by safeguarding themselves and others through immunization."  [3]

…who is therefore unworthy to serve in significant church callings, like the Tabernacle Choir…

…and not supportive/sustaining of the Prophet (who got his jab while calling it a "godsend"): [4] 

To underscore its commitment to COVID-19 vaccination:

• In February 2021, the church humanitarian aid non-profit, Latter-day Saint Charities, gave $20 million to support COVAX, a global campaign to provide 2 billion COVID-19 injections to people in low- and middle-income countries. [4]
• On June 16, 2021, the church's Church Educational System Administration Board of Trustees (composed of the First Presidency and several apostles) announced that BYU-Hawaii students are required to get the COVID-19 jab in order to attend that school. [5] 

So there you have it: If you don't take the jab, then you don't sustain the prophet, the Brethren and the Church, you aren't a good citizen and you don't care about others' health. 

What if you decide to take the jab?

Obviously, you're going to be perceived as a good, obedient citizen, Christian and member.

But are there consequences as well?

I think there's a pretty good chance. Let's read Revelation 18:23: 

"And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived."

That's a pretty interesting verse right there when you read it in Greek. Take the word "sorceries," for example. In Greek it is the word pharmakeia - the root word for words we commonly use today, like pharmacist and pharmaceutical.

But have "all nations" been "deceived" about a pharmaceutical (specifically, the COVID-19 jab)?

On its way tripping over itself to embrace "the jab," have church leaders missed sight of the fact that the COVID-19 jab harms, injures and even kills people at rates never before seen and in ways which are undeniable?

Could they have been deceived, and in so doing, have deceived church members?

Let's take an in-depth look. Note that in these notes, I am wholly disinterested in conjecture, assumption and ill-founded conclusions. All I'm interested in are facts - and if stated by an expert, then all the much better. And if those facts are unjustifiably censored by Facebook and/or Google, then all the much better (because it's been my experience that those who seek to hide or bury truths are scared of them):

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW THESE IN-DEPTH NOTES, WHICH ARE UPDATED ON A (ROUGHLY) DAILY BASIS.

SOURCE CITATIONS RELEVANT TO COVID-19 AND NOT THE CHURCH ARE INCLUDED IN THE LINKED DOCUMENT. CHURCH-RELATED SOURCE CITATIONS ARE BELOW.

"A Global Faith Leader"

How can something so destructive be so praised by the church and its leaders?

Can a "prophet" ever mislead us? Here is what we are told:

As Pres. Dallin H Oaks recently stated,

“They [the apostles] teach and counsel as directed by the Holy Ghost, with no desire other than to speak what is true. Their voices can be trusted. Their voices are: clear, unpolluted, unbiased. You can always count on them. Neither the President of the Church, nor the First Presidency, nor the united voice of the First Presidency and the Twelve will ever lead the Saints astray or send forth counsel to the world that is contrary to the mind and will of the Lord.” [6]

"The Church of Jesus Christ has always been led by living prophets and apostles. Though mortal and subject to human imperfection, the Lord's servants are inspired to help us avoid obstacles that are spiritually life threatening and to help us pass safely through mortality to our final, ultimate, heavenly destination . . . While neither perfect nor infallible, these good men and women have been perfectly dedicated to leading the work of the Lord forward as He has directed." [7] 

Please review the facts regarding the jab I've included above. 

Do these facts demonstrate that "the Lord's servants" 

are helping you to "pass safely through mortality"?

Yet as I demonstrated in my past post, [1] We are told unequivocally NOT to trust in the arm of flesh, without exception and [2] prophets CAN screw up -- big time. It's happened before. Multiple scriptures and early church leaders repeatedly warned us not to trust in the arm of flesh, be they church leaders or not. 

Yet we, as a church culture, are instructed and advised to ignore such warnings, and that despite the absence of such, there's never, ever been an asterisk, exception or escape hatch to the "trust in the arm of flesh" injunctions.

Joseph Smith Jr. is considered the head of this dispensation. Here's what he said about trusting in the arm of (medical expert) flesh:

"I preached to a large congregation at the stand, on the science and practice of medicine, desiring to persuade the Saints to trust in God when sick, and not in an arm of flesh, and live by faith and not by medicine, or poison; and when they were sick, and had called for the Elders to pray for them, and they were not healed, to use herbs and mild food." [8]  

He later warned members about those physicians "going about the country pretending to cure you of all diseases, and you swallow what they give you like young robins, without knowing what it is. I wonder you don't die, taking their nostrums!"

Why is it that some are so eager to throw Brother Joseph under the bus and disregard his words? Why do they instead believe Russell M. Nelson is a prophet who's looking out for your best interests…when multiple, multiple facts prove otherwise?

Which prophet do you believe: Russell M Nelson (who trusts modern medical doctors) or Brother Joseph (who said we shouldn't)?

Could the tiebreaker be "By their fruits ye shall know them"? [9]  If that is the case, then what kind of fruits are the COVID-19 injections producing? What do the facts demonstrate?

Historically, prophets have warned mankind to repent. They were adamant that people not focus on the messenger, but the message, of repentance.  

These days, we are receiving NO message of impending destruction, 

but instead, a message to partake IN destruction.

With the church's steadfast, eager promotion of the COVID-19 injection, I'll leave it to you to evaluate the facts and judge if the church is misleading you today.

After all, the only thing hinging on your judgment is your mortal life (as you entrust your life, and the lives of your family, to pro-COVID-19 injection advocates) and your eternal soul (if you feel God's now OK with your trusting in the arm of flesh).

If (and likely, when) the mass casualties start happening, there's a very good chance that those who followed the prophet and got the jab will be fearful as they see the death count rise. What does one do in such an instance? How do we prevent and combat the inevitable despondency, depression and demoralization? [10] 

SOURCES

1.   First Presidency News Release, January 19, 2021
2.   38.7.13; https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/general-handbook/38-church-policies-and-guidelines?lang=eng
3.   First Presidency News Release, January 19, 2021
4.   https://www.deseret.com/faith/2021/4/29/22407953/president-nelson-on-covid-19-vaccine-comments-speeches-actions-prayers-shot-church-news
5.   https://news.byuh.edu/announcements/covid-19-immunization-requirement-for-students-beginning-fall-2021
6.   “The Lord Leads His Church through Prophets and Apostles”, Ensign, March, 2020.
7.   M Russell Ballard, "God Is at the Helm," Oct 2015 General Conference
8.   Joseph Smith - History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sunday September 4, 1841,Vol. 4:414
9.   Matthew 7:16-20
10.   https://www.bitchute.com/video/TYXeUgOHTohC

"Glory to the Church in the Highest"

Oh Lord it's hard to be humble

Over 2,000 years ago, Pharisees put on an exceptional religious show. I mean, the mere theatrics involved must have qualified some of those priests for an Oscar AND an Emmy award.

Jesus must have been awestruck as well (but not in a good way):

"Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." [1]

The Pharisees were doing the right things, but for the wrong reasons. 

I find it likely that in this parable, Jesus was not necessarily comparing the deeds of the two men, but the attitudes of their heart. One came to the temple to pray and be seen of others. The other came to pray and do good by stealth.

Jesus never criticized the Pharisees for their acts of piety. He took them to task because their acts of private devotion had become, for them, nothing more than public displays of religiosity. 

People are no different today. They often use things like giving, prayer and fasting as public displays of devotion.

We have two choices in life: Let people know of the good we've done, or do it anonymously:

"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly." [2]

Then again, we're also told "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” [3]

How can we reconcile “Let your light so shine” [3] and “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them” [2]?

These two texts do not target at the act of service or sacrifice itself, but instead, spotlight the results of those acts. 

In other words, the question is not whether the act should be publicly known or not, but instead, who is glorified?

In Matthew 5:16, the result is glory to the Father. In Matthew 6:2, the men giving alms robbed the Father of his rightful glory. Instead they (the men) were glorified:

Whatever we do -- whether we do it publicly or in secret -- it should bring glory to the Father. We should never rob the Father of his rightful glory.

Years ago, Serena Williams won the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament for the first time. She was asked by a reporter if she was bothered by the English tennis fans rooting against her. She replied, “No. I understand. I’m not British. What’s more, there have been people rooting against me all my life. Besides, my dad was sitting in those stands, and I knew he was rooting for me. And I wanted to please him. That’s all that matters to me.”

“You get your reward when you get the praise of men. His teaching was to do good by stealth, that it might not be known, and that men might not get honor from their fellow men.” [4]

“He smiles upon us as we offer these heartfelt acts of compassion, especially acts that are unseen and unnoticed by others.” [5]

“Let not any man publish his own righteousness, for others can see that for him” [6]

Pastor John Ortberg once facetiously said, “I know I’m supposed to be humble, but what if no one notices?”

I like Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of this passage in The Message: “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding.”

Yeah for Us!!!

Perhaps much of this inclination to let our good works be seen of men stems from the culture we're part of.

Which takes me to the email I received the other day. As you can see, the church is doing some pretty good deeds in 57 countries. [7]

This isn't the first time the church has publicly publicized its humanitarian relief efforts:

• It donated $10 million to construct housing for homeless in Salt Lake City.
• It donated $5.5 million to COVID-19 relief efforts across the United States.
• It donated funds to help the Red Cross get new emergency response vehicles.
• It donated $10,000 to Wetumpka AL (Montgomery AFB) disaster relief.
• It provided over $120,000 in assistance to victims of a volcano eruption in the Philippines. 
• It helped with volcano relief efforts at a collection center in Guatemala City.
• It sent 79 pallets -- loaded with 220,000 particulate respirator masks, more than 6,500 pairs of protective hospital coveralls and 870 pairs of protective goggles -- to Shanghai, China. 
• Here's Sister Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the General Relief Society Presidency, presenting a grant from the Church to the Reverend Monsignor J. Brian Bransfield, general secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, on May 14, 2019. The grant will be used to assist refugee resettlement efforts in the United States. Again, a real PR coup!!!! (The picture of her was taken two months after Pres. Nelson "embraced" "His Holiness," Pope Francis).
• The church is so good at giving, it even got an award for it!
• The church donated nearly $2 million to Lebanon after the big explosion.

In fact, the church’s 2018 annual report shows it assisted with 2,885 projects in 141 countries. And in April 2020, the church announced that it had provided over $2.3 billion [$67.6 million annually] in assistance, including cash, commodities and in-kind donations in 197 countries and territories between 1985 and 2019 (34 years). [8]

I believe the church could have anonymously performed these humanitarian efforts while maintaining its overall anonymity. 

"But how would their light so shine," you ask? 

Because God would have rewarded the church openly. 

"How?" 

Who knows? "How" doesn't matter. What does matter is that in attributing the glory to whom it rightfully belongs (which is what Jesus constantly did), God would have rewarded the church. Light would have surely accompanied it. For example, those who donate or assist others anonymously are doing so while accompanied with the light of Christ. This causes the donor to shine Christ's light, so their countenance is brighter as well.

When we put God first, and give glory to Him and not ourselves, we cannot help but emanate greater light.

QUESTIONS

Based on the aforementioned facts, I have the following questions:

• When Jesus was alive, to whom did he credit for all good things?
• Would he expect his disciples, his leaders, his church to do the same?
• Where, in all this publicity and these news releases, is glory given to the Father? 
• Where is the seriousness true disciples of Jesus Christ take to ensure their left hand (the publicists) didn't know what their right hand (humanitarian efforts) were doing?
• Why didn't the church discourage its members from bragging about their good works on social media?
• Would Jesus be happy with all of this self-promotion?
• If not, then why was it allowed and even encouraged?

"For do I now persuade men, or God? 

or do I seek to please men? 

for if I yet pleased men, 

I should not be the servant of Christ." [9]

CHECK THE COMMENTS BY LATTER-DAY
TRUTHS BELOW FOR UPDATES TO THIS POST 

1    Luke 18:10-14

2    Matthew 6:1-4

3    Mathew 5:14-16

4    Elder George Q Cannon, JD 20:90b

5    Elder Dieter F Uchtdorf, April 2017 General Conference

6    Joseph Smith, TPJS p. 194; December 19, 1841; DHC 4:478-479

7    https://www.thechurchnews.com/global/2020-04-14/coronavirus-covid-19-relief-efforts-humanitarian-aid-181328

8    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSqT1bPmYb8&feature=youtu.be&t=1178

9    Galatians 4:10