Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised by a story, written and posted by the Associated Press, about the expanding influence of women in the church. Entitled "Mormon women's influence expands despite priesthood ban," it highlights the progress women have made in the church since the first spark of the Restoration. Baby steps? Yes. But also very solid, inspiring ones.
Sharon Eubank: The Revolution within an Evolutionary Church
In my opinion, no one personifies this progress better than Sharon Eubank, who is shown atop the article in a photo of her sitting beneath portraits of past General Relief Society Presidents. Although she is not herself such a president, she is currently First Counselor in the General Relief Society, president of Latter-day Saint Charities (the church's humanitarian arm) and is the church's de facto Ambassador to the United Nations (go here and here to read my previous posts about her UN associations).
In my opinion, you have to travel back in time to Emma Smith to find a woman as potentially influential in the church as Sharon Eubank. Just as Emma was instrumental in the early, formative steps of the church, Sharon is perhaps the point person in helping the church obtain respect and acceptance among world leaders, especially the United Nations, its non-governmental organizations and the Catholic church.
She is not only influential, but unique as well. As the AP story points out, Eubank "is neither married nor a mother but glad to embody a different image of womanhood as one of the top female leaders in the male-dominated faith widely known as the Mormon church." In a church and a (Utah-centric) society where temple marriage is equated with exaltation, her status as a single woman (confirmed by the church here) - in such elevated levels of leadership - is striking.
The Ring of a Thousand Questions
Intrigued by the articles I've linked to above, I sat down today to watch a few of the General Conference addresses she's given. And it's there that I saw something which confused me:
Sharon Eubank is wearing a ring on her left-hand ring finger…in not one, but two Conference addresses and one international forum.
When you think of Nazis, what words cross your mind? "Evil"? "Devils"? "Monsters"? "Criminals"?
And probably worse.
But what if someone, or something, just as bad came along? Well, naturally, the general public would say that they would never, ever allow another Adolph Hitler to come to power. And I'd agree; Any political leader who wrote a book calling for the genocide, the extermination, of an entire world race would be appalling to us.
But what if another Hitler were to come along who had the same intentions, the same capabilities (if not more), than the original Hitler? Could we detect him then?
Could the church, which is helmed by "Prophets, seers and revelators" who say "You keep your eyes riveted on the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. We will not lead you astray" [1] ever detect an evil, devilish Hitler and his regime?
Let's see.
"Keep Your Eyes Riveted"
In 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed German Chancellor. He called boycotting Jewish businesses, opened the Dachau concentration camp and established the Gestapo. In 1934, Hitler proclaimed himself Führer und Reichskanzler (Leader and Reich Chancellor). In 1936, Germans marched into the Rhineland (previously demilitarized by the Versailles Treaty) and opened the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. On July 15 1937, they opened the Buchenwald concentration camp. [2]
Now let's say you're the President of the Church at this time (and remember: you're a prophet, seer and revelator. You know stuff most of us don't). As the one who has a direct line to God, would you travel to Germany and hang out with a bunch of Nazis? Would you get photos taken with them, add to their credibility and seek to glorify them? Or would you stay at home, and perhaps even condemn the Nazis?
Well, if you chose to avoid the Nazis and condemn them, then you would be choosing the incorrect course of action. In all actuality, the Church President at the time - Heber J. Grant - chose to spend several weeks in Germany, praising the people and Nazis at every turn. He oversaw the church when it glorified Nazi actions (and even took credit for a few of them). And it was the church Grant led which excommunicated a church member who directly opposed the Hitler regime.
"Good Citizens"
In December 1933, the Deseret News published an article with glowing descriptions of the Nazi's adoption of "Fast Sunday," Hitler's personal physical superiority by adhering to a form of the Word of Wisdom, and the praise members had been receiving "for their patriotism": [3]
A little over two years later, Nazi basketball players participated in the 1936 Olympic Games, held in Berlin. They were trained by none other than LDS elders (on the left). [4]
In his Book "Moroni and the Swastika," author David Conley Nelson stated,
"Mormon missionaries played a small but significant role in the German national basketball team's 1936 Olympic efforts. It was not enough to help a hopelessly overmatched team win even a single game, but it helped Mormons win friends among government officials and assert that the American-based sect was no foe of National Socialism. Young elders introduced basketball fundamentals to some of the athletes who had been picked to play on the German team before a professional coach could be hired. Four missionaries kept the official score books for the first round of Olympic basketball play."
Also in 1936, the Deseret News published a picture of the European Mission President, Joseph F. Merrill, speaking at a Berlin podium adorned with a large swastika. [5]
More than 700 people attended that soiree.
The next year, in the summer of 1937, President Heber J. Grant visited both German-speaking Switzerland and Nazi Germany. [6]
Below is a picture of Pres. Grant at a banquet with the Saints in Frankfurt, Germany on July 8, 1937 - a few days before the Buchenwald concentration camp (the third one to be constructed) opened. [7]
By this time, Nazi Germany had curtailed many freedoms, including religious freedoms. More than thirty different denominations had been prohibited from preaching there. [8]
And check out that Nazi flag in the background. To the Nazis, it was displayed as a requirement of the National Socialist Government. To us, we posted it because we LDS "believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law" - evil or not.
In other words, the Nazis had already shown a significant hatred for the Jews and had curtailed the religious freedoms of thousands of people. But we were OK with all that (after all, our missionaries were competing against fewer Christian denominations for converts), and to symbolize our okay-ness, the church president plopped himself directly in front of the Nazi flag.
It is reported that there were about 870 people present at this meeting -- one of the largest groups of saints that had ever assembled in Europe." [9]
All of these efforts above were synergistic in positioning the church, its leaders and members as non-threats to the Nazis. Nelson summarized:
"From the top to the bottom of the ecclesiastical chain, Mormons in prewar Nazi Germany cooperated to survive and prosper. Many happily believed that they were favored citizens in a police state. Some ordinary congregants convinced themselves that Hitler had read the Book of Mormon and was a secret church member. Mission President Roy Welker, whose wife rode with Hitler in the Führer's limousine, told a civic meeting in Salt Lake City in 1937 that "Jews are safer today in Germany than they are in many parts of the world." [10]
As BYU professor and historian Douglas F. Tobler summarized (regarding Arthur Zander, the Hamburg Branch President and a Nazi party member),
"He wanted to show that latter-day saints were good Germans, and there was a tremendous amount of pressure that was put on by the government and the party to quickly separate those who are who are good Germans and those who aren't." [11]
Tobler also said,
"I believe Zander put that [a pro-Nazi sign] up there [in a church building] partly as an expression of his support for the regime and partly to communicate that latter-day saints were good citizens in the Third Reich and partly perhaps to protect his own flock."
We are told that God will "inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." [12]
Are praising, assisting, validating and glorifying Nazis "good" things? I'd say no.
Where was the power of discernment amongst the prophet and apostles? How could they not have had any clue that Hitler, that the LDS Church wrote many praising things about, was within a few years of becoming the most evil man in history?
That being the case, is it possible that the Lord was telling the church, its leaders and members to avoid the Nazis, and to quit giving them credibility? If he didn't, then he abrogated his responsibilities of "Standing for Something". If he did, then it looks like the Jehovah's Witnesses got the message (see below). But why not the LDS Church?
Let's see what happened to one member who did resist the Nazis, and went on to define what a real hero is made of.
The (Nazi) Traitor in the Midst of the Church
If you're not familiar with the name Helmuth Hübener, you need to be. Click here for the Wiki article about him. Or better yet, watch these YouTubes about him. It would be well worth your time to do so.
And of course, I can't recommend enough THE definitive work on this topic, David Coney Nelson's book, Moroni and the Swastika, available here.
To summarize:
"Helmuth Hübener, a 16-year-old Mormon youth living in Hitler's Germany, exhibited unprecedented moral courage in opposing the propaganda machine of the Nazi regime in the summer of 1941.
By all accounts, Helmuth Hübener was a remarkable boy - a worthy role model for any teenager, male or female, then or now. Unlike his peers in 1941…Helmuth acted on his discomfort with the ever growing restrictions on civil rights and personal freedoms in the totalitarian dictatorship and specifically with the treatment of Jews. Following his conscience rather than his fears, he secretly tuned into illegal German-language BBC broadcasts and discovered the distortions and outright lies in the Nazi propaganda about the progress of the war effort, as compared to the details provided by the BBC. He discretely enlisted Rudolf "Rudi" Wobbe and Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, trusted Mormon friends from his St. Georg LDS branch in central Hamburg - the largest branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in its West German Mission with over 400 members at the time - (and later also his colleague Gehard Düwer) to help him distribute leaflets typed using the branch typewriter, which he kept at home as part of his work as Branch Secretary. As noted, his resolve was fatal.
For his trouble he was arrested on February 5, 1942 (less than a month after turning 17)." [13]
What is not commonly known is that when Hübener was arrested it put the whole branch in danger. The Gestapo scrutinized the branch even more intensely, with agents frequently attending meetings and taking notes. The Gestapo naturally believed that adults in the branch had influenced Hübener and his friends to act, which it did not.
Thus, 10 days after Hübener's arrest (15 February 1942), Hübener's branch president excommunicated the young man without consulting his church superiors or holding the church court normally prerequisite for excommunication or other discipline. [14] The reason: for "intercepting and spreading foreign broadcast transmissions." [15]
"In removing Helmuth's name from the church membership rolls, and simultaneously defrocking him from the universal Mormon male priesthood, Arthur Zander had decreed that Helmuth Hübener's soul could not enter the Celestial Kingdom, the Mormon concept of Heaven. That was a steep price to pay for defaming Adolf Hitler, but apparently the Nazi Party was pleased with Zander's actions and with the attitude of his congregants. On February 24, 1942, nine days after Zander's excommunication of Hübener, the Hamburg district leader for the Nazi Party wrote to the Gestapo: "This [St. Georg Mormon] church congregation is legally recognized and stands on a firm footing with the present government." [16]
What a place to have your congregation - "on a firm footing" with Nazis!
"[Hübener was] brutally interrogated and later tortured in Gestapo prisons in Hamburg and Berlin, and then finally beheaded by guillotine in the Gestapo's Berlin Plötzensee prison on October 27, 1942 as the youngest person (at age 17) to be sentenced by Hitler's special "People's Court" and executed for conspiracy to commit treason against the Nazi regime." [13]
Hübener died with a clean conscience. He was executed for engaging in acts of heroism against a truly evil totalitarian government. Here are the last words he said in mortality:
“Now I must die, even though I have committed no crime.
So now it's my turn, but your turn will come."
"Standing for Something"? Damn straight he did.
Amidst a church which had adopted - from top to bottom -- an enthusiastic attitude towards the Nazis, it's clear to me that Hübener acted as inspired by the Spirit and was morally right in warning others about the evil Nazis.
On January 24, 1948, Pres. George Albert Smith ordered the reversal of Hübener's excommunication. [17] Hübener was later ordained an Elder and endowed by proxy on June 8, 1948. [18] So, the church and its leaders abandoned Hübener when it actually meant something, then supported him after he'd been long dead and it's the popular opinion again. How brave! While some members may see this as a good thing, it's the most awful example of how fickle, cowardly and pathetic the church's leaders really are.
The church's Hitler policy was to display allegiance to the Nazis in hopes that the church would thrive. The Nazis had power, and the church's leaders needed power in order for the church to survive in Germany. So, they aligned themselves and promoted this powerful political entity. Conversely, Jehovah's Witnesses spoke out against the Third Reich. They were sent to Buchenwald concentration camp. They suffered dearly and many were murdered. I admire them speaking out against Hitler.
(One might think, "Well, the LDS Church had to go along to get along, in order to maintain its membership base there," but that would be wrong. If membership numbers are any indication of inspiration, the Jehovah's Witnesses (who opposed the Nazi regime) still come out on top. The LDS Church currently has around 40,000 German members [19], whereas the Jehovah's Witnesses have four times that much, or 161,931 [20]).
Still, the story of the church's very public admiration and assistance of the Nazis and its excommunication of a Nazi resistor among its membership is proof enough that the church's leaders were not in tune with God.
"I don't know what we accomplish by dredging these things up and trying to sort them out."
In 1992, BYU produced a play, Hübener, which enjoyed sellout crowds and gained national acclaim and recognition. Yet because German Mormons in Utah and Europe (many of whom were former Nazi party members and military officers) feared the play would cast them in a bad light, church leaders (specifically Dallin Oaks, then the university's president) asked the play's producer not to make the play available again. [19]
Of the play's quiet suppression, then-apostle Thomas S. Monson stated, ''Who knows who was right or wrong. I don't know what we accomplish by dredging these things up and trying to sort them out." [21]
That's called "sweeping it under the rug" -- a classic action which demonstrates an unwillingness (or perhaps inability) to learn from the mistakes of the past.
Which takes us to today.
Have the church's leaders learned from their mistakes?
Because of our natural human predilection not to learn from the past -- and church leaders' ambivalence toward learning the lessons of Nazi sympathy and Hübener's excommunication -- neither the general church membership nor its leaders are in a prime position to ensure past mistakes are never repeated.
And as we know, God's pretty fond of teaching us the same 'ol lessons until we get them.
Today, the church is dealing with a number of interesting situations:
Because these recommendations involve partaking of something proven destructive to human immune systems and their bodies in general, they have the potential to obliterate an entire class of humans (those who have taken the jab) (see here, here, here and here).
As I asked earlier, what if someone, or something, just as bad as Hitler and the Nazis came along?
Will we have the necessary discernment to detect evil?
What this all means to you...NOW
We are told in 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."
"And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee"
Is literally kai phOs luchnou ou mE phanE en soi eti, or "And light of lamp not no may be appearing in you." (source)
This cross-references with Jeremiah 25:10: "I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle"
"the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee"
The bride (righteous, faithful mortals) and the bridegroom (the Lord) no longer resonate within them. See Jeremiah 7:34; Jeremiah 16:9.
"for thy merchants were the great men of the earth"
The Greek word for merchants is emporoi (plural of emporos) (source; source)
They - the great and important of the earth - are selling something. What are they selling? Keep reading…
"sorceries"
Is pharmakeia (far-mak-i'-ah) - the root word for words we commonly use today, like pharmacist and pharmaceutical.
It not only means "drugs," but also "poisoning" and/or "the use or administering of drugs" and/or an "enchantment" (source)
"were all nations deceived"
Is eplanEthEsan panta ta ethnE, or "all the nations were strayed/deceived" (source)
Because the faithful lack the light they need to detect these sorceries, Hosea 4:6 kicks in:
"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. …"
Joseph Smith once explained how members develop darkness in their minds. He said,
"if the people departed from the Lord, they must fall -- that they were depending on the Prophet, hence were darkened in their minds, in consequence of neglecting the duties devolving upon themselves..." [22]
Or, as Brigham Young stated,
"What a pity it would be if we were led by one man to utter destruction! Are you afraid of this? I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken the influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way. Let every man and woman know, themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not. This has been my exhortation continually." [23]
Question: Would true "prophets of God" encourage you to put your trust in "medical experts and government leaders" [20] -- in other words, the arm of flesh -- or in God? [24]
They've aligned themselves with "government leaders" before, and with tragic consequences.
Seems to me since church leaders are reluctant to do it, it's time for us to not be found having a lack of knowledge. We need to learn the mistakes of the past, and ensure they are not repeated today…
"Choose your friends wisely. They will provide the foundation of spiritual strength that will enable you to make difficult, extremely important decisions correctly when they come in your life." [1]
“Choose your friends wisely, for you will tend to be like them.” [2]
"I have found that the right friends have a powerful influence on your life. Choose your friends wisely. Make certain they will help build within you the right standards with which to govern your life." [3]
"Choose good friends. Friends help to determine your future. You will tend to be like them and to be found where they choose to go. Remember, the path we follow in this life leads to the path we follow in the next." [4]
"Choose friends who have high ideals. Choose friends who will help you to be good." [5]
We Mormons have been fed a steady diet of “Choose your friends wisely" since we were kids. As adults, we realize its importance, as our children spread their wings and undertake their own social interactions.
Logically, we can and should conclude that the church is doing the same; that it, too, is "choosing its friends wisely."
In my past posts, I've highlighted some of the church's friends:
"Government authorities" who may require "us to give up certain freedoms" [6]
United Nations member states who develop and implement plans without even the remotest scintilla of thought regarding God. [7]
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. [7]
"Medical experts and government leaders" like the Centers for Disease Control, who have developed plans to remove non-vaccinated family members from their own homes and indefinitely quarantine them in a government facility. [8]
Pro-abortion, pro-socialist organizations. [9]
Policymakers who protect baby killers. [10]
Now added to the list: The manufacturers of the Covid-19 injections.
In the First Presidency's August 12, 2021 letter [11] to members re: wearing masks and getting immunizations, church leaders told members, "We know that protection from the diseases they cause can only be achieved by immunizing a very high percentage of the population" and "To provide personal protection from such severe infections, we urge individuals to be vaccinated. Available vaccines have proven to be both safe and effective."
One of the church's official investment arms -- Ensign Peak Advisors (EPA) -- has added to the church’s list of "friends" (companies it trusts, and would refer 16 million others to) those who manufacture the Covid-19 injections. In the U.S., that would be AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer.
Tithing-Paid Investments in Covid-19 Injection Manufacturers
Not only has the church glowingly referred these business’ products (Covid-19 injections) to its members, but the Church has also invested OUR tithing money in those very same Covid-19 injection manufacturers in the form of stocks.
"In 1991, the President of the Defendant's church, Gordon B. Hinckley, explained that Defendant would set aside a portion of the tithing funds paid to the Church as a rainy day fund."
"In 1997, Defendant [the church] incorporated Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc. ("EPA") to be the Defendant's primary investment vehicle for the Defendant's reserve tithing funds. The reserve tithing funds would be invested in stocks, bonds, and securities." [My emphasis]
"First, [David] Neilsen [a former Senior Portfolio Manager at EPA from 2010 to 2019] conflates tithing funds with earnings on invested tithing funds. Specifically, he states that "EPA's senior leadership and other EPA employees referred to and revered all funds of EPA as 'tithing' money, regardless of whether they were referring to principal or earnings on that principal." [34; my emphasis]
Here is how much the church (via EPA) has invested our tithing payments in these companies over the last couple of years:
2019-12-31 [12]
2020-03-31 [13]
2020-06-30 [14]
2020-09-30 [15]
2020-12-31 [16]
2021-03-31 [17]
2021-06-30 [18]
AstraZeneca
$2,834,000
$1,044,000
$1,044,000
$8,747,000
$8,188,000
$9,866,000
Pfizer
$80,705,000
$86,321,000
$86,321,000
$95,869,000
$157,683,000
$152,578,000
$163,008,000
Johnson & Johnson
$645,924,000
$501,068,000
$501,068,000
$465,903,000
$530,704,000
$524,249,000
$499,776,000
Moderna
$5,355,000
$3,504,000
$3,707,000
$3,399,000
TOTAL
$729,463,000
$588,433,000
$588,433,000
$567,127,000
$700,638,000
$688,722,000
$676,049,000
Callings
In fact, the church called Richard Hutchings as an Area Seventy for the North America Northeast region in April, 2019. [19] Hutchings is Executive Director for pharmaceutical sciences for Pfizer, responsible for oncology and anti-viral development. [20]
Fines
On the surface, people might say, "OK, so what?"
Remember those quotes about choosing your friends wisely? That's where these relationships take a strange and (to be frank) dangerous turn:
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". [21] Total pay outs over time for all drug-related fines: 71, totaling $4.6 billion. [22]
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. [23] Total pay outs over time for all drug-related fines: 58, totaling $4.2 billion. [24]
AstraZeneca: Was fined $520 million to resolve allegations that it illegally promoted the antipsychotic drug Seroquel. [25] Total pay outs over time for all drug-related fines: 21, totaling $1.14 billion. [26]
Moderna: Four fines totaling $311,972. [27]
All totaled, the church has not only made friends with, but has also invested in, four pharmaceutical manufacturers who have racked up combined fees of almost $10 billion.
And on top of it all, it's told its members -- and the world -- to trust these very same companies into which it has invested tithes for our "personal protection."
Some Serious Questions Arise
President Nelson gave a speech at BYU on April 23, 2009. It's title: “Neither Trust in the Arm of Flesh”. [30] There, he quoted two scriptures: “Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm” [31] and "neither trust in the arm of flesh.” [32]
What happened in between April 23, 2009 and the First Presidency's Covid letter of August 12, 2021 which made trusting in the arm of flesh a divinely-endorsed spiritual strategy?
Would church leaders be comfortable with you making such friends?
How does the church interpret this scripture, including giving "money be given to the exchangers"?
"And while they were yet laying the foundation thereof, they began to say among themselves: And what need hath my lord of this tower? And consulted for a long time, saying among themselves: What need hath my lord of this tower, seeing this is a time of peace? Might not this money be given to the exchangers? For there is no need of these things. And while they were at variance one with another they became very slothful, and they hearkened not unto the commandments of their lord. And the enemy came by night, and broke down the hedge; and the servants of the nobleman arose and were affrighted, and fled; and the enemy destroyed their works, and broke down the olive trees." (D&C 101:47-51)
Where are we told in the scriptures that it's actually fine with the Lord for the Quorum of the Twelve Businessmen to invest tithes in pharmaceutical manufacturers?
3 Nephi 13:19-20 (which I assume the Brethren still believe is divinely inspired) says, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal." How are pharmaceutical investments "treasures in heaven"?
We are also told to "Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven." (D&C 121:45)
(The definition of virtue is "behavior showing high moral standards"). [28]
How does the church show "high moral standards" when it invests in pharmakeiOn manufacturers which are convicted felons having paid billions in fines?
How does the church show "high moral standards" when it promotes to 16+ million members (and more) pharmakeiOn which has consistently displayed horrendous adverse events in those using it? [33]
A woman (who took the Pfizer jab a week before) experienced Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, which doctors have attributed to the vaccine. She had "no previous medical history.” [29] How does the church explain its investment in, and promotion of, this injection which almost killed this woman?
Today I was amazed to find Brother (Mitt) Romney is either tight enough with -- or embarrassed enough about -- God that he's chosen to refer to Him as just G:
(I would encourage all Utahns to do the right thing in 2024 (when Brother Romney is up for re-election) and send Mitt and his binders full of women (and his comments regarding women needing support so that they could get home each day to cook dinner for their families). [11] But the way things are going, we'll either be a full-blown totalitarian state (less likely) or in the middle of the Tribulations (more likely) by then).
Jesus: He who shall not be named
Now granted, Brother Romney isn't one of the Brethren (thank goodness). But he does highlight a growing trend of being embarrassed about God.
As my first piece of evidence, I refer you to the August 12, 2021 First Presidency letter re: Covid. [1] No mention whatsoever of Jesus Christ or the Lord's ONLY solution to the pandemic, repentance. [2]
As my second and third pieces of evidence, I refer you to Pres. Nelson's March 26 [3] and
April 4, 2020 [4] announcements of a worldwide fast. Again, no mentions of the Lord's ONLY solution to the pandemic, repentance. [2]
In fact, none of the church's Covid-related plans (as of 8/17/21) incorporate repentance. [5]
Why is the church so hesitant to mention the R word?!
In fact, last year, Church leaders encouraged us to seek out and "Hear Him," [6] which I thought was a wonderful strategy to get members less reliant on listening to mortals and instead listen to He who saves us all. IMHO, "Hear Him" was an inspired strategy.
But a year later, something has changed. The strategy has shifted to us not only hearing, but also following, "the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders." [1]
But the world and its plans? Yeah, we'll name and endorse those.
Just as a follow-up to a recent post, "Follow the Brethren? Great! You're now a U.N.-loving Pro-Choice Socialist!" (here):
As you read in that post, in 2015, all United Nations member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, [7] which provides a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future." At its heart are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for mankind to achieve by 2030. Now, the annual High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development serves as the central UN platform for the follow-up and review of the SDGs. [8]
As an official church representative, Sister (Sharon) Eubank expressed why the church wants Agenda 2030 -- and its SDGs -- to succeed:
"The way forward is to do just what this forum has as its goal. Invite and respect as many faith actors as possible, build understanding among them, and integrate them into every aspect of the 2030 SDG agenda. It will lead to the greatest success possible for equity, justice, and peace." [9]
Elder Christofferson pretty much endorsed Agenda 2030 -- and its SDGs -- in the October 2020 General Conference:
Not to be out-done, here's Elder Ballard in an image taken during his visit to the United Nations in 2019. See that pin he's wearing? According to the article, it's "a 17-color pin on the lapel of his dark, pinstriped suit. The pin represented the U.N.’s 17 sustainable development goals." [12]
It bewilders me why the Church isn't organizing, promoting and participating in worldwide conferences focused solely on Zion. "Oh, but they are! In General Conference!" you say? Show me your proof. Here's mine:
Also, I learned that another organization -- Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (which was created by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) -- stated that "Immunisation is one of the best buys in global health and has a crucial role in achieving 14 of the 17 SDGs. As one of the most far-reaching health interventions, it closely reflects the ethos of the SDGs: 'leaving no one behind.'” [10]
Last July, after witnessing an alarming spike in coronavirus cases, Church leaders amped up their support for wearing masks by asking all Utah Church members "to be good citizens by wearing face coverings when in public." [1]
This isn't the first time the Brethren have counseled us to "be good citizens." Pres. Monson said we should "be good citizens of the nations in which we live." [2] So did Spencer W. Kimball [3] and Ezra Taft Benson. [4]
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): New Church beliefs you probably haven't heard of.
In 2015, all United Nations member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, [5] which provides a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future." At its heart are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for mankind to achieve by 2030. Now, the annual High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development serves as the central UN platform for the follow-up and review of the SDGs. [6] The Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) provides substantive support and capacity-building for the SDGs and their related thematic issues. [7]
In other words, whatever country you live in, your country supports the 17 SDGs [8] which (admittedly) on the surface seem innocuous:
Remember: Because you're a good Latter-day Saint, you believe in being a "good citizen," which means you support these SDGs, too. Let's take a look at a few of them:
Guess what -- You're now Pro-Choice.
"3.7 By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes." [9]
"5.6 Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences" [10]
See that phrase "sexual and reproductive health"? Those are code words for abortion, taken from the International Planned Parenthood Federation's mission: [11]
It's a well-known fact that the United Nations is pro-choice. The U.N.'s High Commissioner for Human Rights said, "denial of abortion services may constitute torture and / or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment." [12] And at the U.N. Conference held in Salt Lake City in 2019, Conference organizers canceled a workshop which included pro-life representatives, saying it wasn't inclusive enough. [13]
I've blogged before about abortion (here) and wondered why the Church doesn't do more to combat abortion. Now I see why not.
Guess what -- You're now Pro-Socialism.
Perhaps the single most striking feature of Agenda 2030 is the practically undisguised roadmap to global socialism and corporatism/fascism. Consider SDG 10, which calls on the UN, national governments, and every person on Earth to "reduce inequality within and among countries." [14] To do that, the agreement continues, will "only be possible if wealth is shared and income inequality is addressed." [15]
As the UN document also makes clear, national socialism to "combat inequality" domestically is not enough - international socialism is needed to battle inequality even "among" countries.
"By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources." [16] the document demands. In simpler terms, Western taxpayers should prepare to be fleeced so their wealth can be redistributed internationally. In other words, "Socialism."
Why the church loves these SDGs (and thinks you should, too)
I wouldn't think that being soft on abortion and socialism would be a priority of the Church, but its relationship with the U.N. takes a pre-eminent status. The U.N. and the Church have worked together in an official capacity since 2011, when the U.N. recognized Latter-day Saint Charities, the humanitarian arm of the Church, as an accredited nongovernmental organization.
As Sharon Eubank (head of LDS Charities and General Relief Society Presidency 1st Counselor) said, "It's important for the Church to have these relationships because we're a multilateral organization, we work in multiple countries, multiple political systems, multiple cultures, and the United Nations does as well. When multiple countries are involved, you have to work with the United Nations. So it's good for us and a sign of the maturity of the organization that Latter-day Saint Charities and the United Nations have this relationship." [17]
OK, fine, so the church is arm-in-arm with the United Nations. But what about Agenda 2030 and all its SDGs? Here is Sharon Eubank again, speaking as a representative of the church:
"Part of the look forward is in recognizing the importance of mobilizing women of faith to work on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) issues and to acknowledge their faith not as a barrier but the key to progress and success. The 2030 agenda won't happen without religion, and religion won't happen without women. They are the movers.
The SDG goals on gender equality, peace, and justice are tackling how to change culture and behavior. Faith has a power greater than almost anything else to motivate people to act, to change minds, to alter behavior." (Sharon Eubank, G20 Interfaith Forum in Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 3, 2018) [18]
In this statement, it's clear that Sharon Eubank wants Agenda 2030 to succeed:
"The way forward is to do just what this forum has as its goal. Invite and respect as many faith actors as possible, build understanding among them, and integrate them into every aspect of the 2030 SDG agenda. It will lead to the greatest success possible for equity, justice, and peace." [19]
If that isn't enough, here is Elder Christofferson endorsing Agenda 2030 in the October 2020 General Conference:
[https://youtu.be/KS3iK9mr40M?t=10]
For context, here's Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying almost the same thing:
The Church is a big believer in being a good "Global Citizen" - enough so that it sponsors numerous United Nation functions and conferences. Top Church leaders -- including other apostles, seventy and mission presidents -- give keynote addresses at these events.
And the organizations it supports, in turn, also support pro-abortion and pro-socialist agenda.
What does God say about all this?
We are called to not be of the world:
"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." [20]
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." [21]
Instead, we are commanded to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness:
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." [22]
We do this by being a peculiar people…
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." [23]
…which means we give the world zero place in our hearts.
"Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men." [24]
The Book of Mormon warned about churches which will someday seek the world's acclimation:
"For the time speedily shall come that all churches which are built up to get gain, and all those who are built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity; yea, in fine, all those who belong to the kingdom of the devil are they who need fear, and tremble, and quake; they are those who must be brought low in the dust; they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is according to the words of the prophet." [25]
It's a concern that Joseph F Smith had almost 140 years ago…
"It is very evident that some of us are yet "of the world" [26]
…and Boyd K Packer reiterated over 30 years ago:
"In recent years I have felt, and I think I am not alone, that we were losing the ability to correct the course of the Church. You can not appreciate how deeply I feel about the importance of this present opportunity unless you know the regard, the reverence, I have for the Book of Mormon and how seriously I have taken the warnings of the prophets, particularly Alma and Helaman. Both Alma and Helaman told of the church in their day. They warned about fast growth, the desire to be accepted by the world, to be popular, and particularly they warned about prosperity. Each time those conditions existed in combination, the Church drifted off course. All of those conditions are present in the Church today. Helaman repeatedly warned, I think four times he used these words, that the fatal drift of the church could occur 'in the space of not many years.' In one instance it took only six years (see Helaman 6:32, 7:6, 11:26)." [27]
With the church's endorsement of SDGs which are soft on abortion and espouse socialism, tell me:
How is the church's status of being peculiar, of being in the world not of the world, doing?
How God wants a better world established
Brother Joseph said that:
"We ought to have the building up of Zion as our greatest object. … The time is soon coming, when no man will have any peace but in Zion and her stakes." [28]
Zion is not to be established via the ideologies of man, but instead, the words of God:
"In regard to the building up of Zion, it has to be done by the counsel of Jehovah, by the revelations of heaven." [29]
There is no indication that Jehovah has been behind the drafting, approval and implementation of SDGs. There is no mention of God in them whatsoever.
What would Joseph say about this state of affairs now?
"So long as unrighteous acts are suffered in the Church, it cannot be sanctified, neither can Zion be redeemed." [30]
And what if the Church continues to embrace man's ideologies, not the counsel of Jehovah, in building a better world?
"If Zion will not purify herself, so as to be approved of in all things, in His sight, He will seek another people; for His work will go on until Israel is gathered, and they who will not hear His voice, must expect to feel His wrath. Let me say unto you, seek to purify yourselves, and also all the inhabitants of Zion, lest the Lord's anger be kindled to fierceness. Repent, repent, is the voice of God to Zion; and strange as it may appear, yet it is true, mankind will persist in self-justification until all their iniquity is exposed, and their character past being redeemed, and that which is treasured up in their hearts be exposed to the gaze of mankind." [31]
Even though the Church is not intent to forward the work of God on God's terms, you still can:
"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward." [32]
Knowing that the building up of Zion should be "our greatest object," here is my question for you:
