Jan. 2022: When the Church of Russell M. Nelson of Latter-day Saints became more emboldened in its worship: Four examples in one month alone.

January continues to be a month in which church members are celebrating the transcendence that is Russell M Nelson. Here are a few examples:

Following Pres. Nelson = increased discernment

In a Europe-area devotional earlier this month, Wendy Nelson asked,

"What would happen in only 30 days if you chose to follow the prophets with exactness?"

She then went on to say,

"Your love for your Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will grow, as will your desire to keep your covenants with them. Your ability to discern between what is true and what is not will increase." [1] 

Which is just the opposite of what Joseph Smith said:

"President Joseph Smith read the 14th chapter of Ezekiel [see, for example, verses 9-10: 'If the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing...the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him.']...said the Lord had declared by the Prophet [Ezekiel], that the people should each one stand for himself, and depend on no man or men in that state of corruption of the Jewish church -- that righteous persons could only deliver their own souls -- applied it to the present state [1842] of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- 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..."  [2]

Whenever Elder Bednar hears President Nelson speak, he hears Jesus Christ.

During a Stake Youth Fireside at Fort Mill South Carolina Stake in 2022, newly called mission President Thaddeus Brown spoke about his family's meeting with Elder David Bednar, who set him and his wife apart for the calling. 

During that encounter, President Brown's 9 year-old son asked Bednar if he had ever seen Jesus. Elder Bednar responded by saying whenever he hears President Nelson speak, he hears the voice of the Savior.

"Thus saith the Lord God; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!" [3] 

Sister Rasband feels the power of God emanating from Pres. Nelson's finger.

At a January 9, 2022 Young Adult English Area Devotional, Melanie Rasband recounted an incident in which she was late to a church meeting where she was required to sit behind the podium. But as she was looking for a seat near the back, she caught the eye of President Nelson, who was seated on the stand.

"He smiled. I smiled back, despite my embarrassment for being late," Sister Rasband said. Then President Nelson held her gaze as he motioned with his finger for her to come take a seat on the front row. Not wanting to draw attention to her late arrival, Sister Rasband indicated that maybe instead she could stay and sit near the back. But President Nelson continued to smile and again beckoned, with his index finger, for her to come and take the front-row seat that had been reserved with her name on it.

"There was power in that pointing finger," Sister Rasband said.

"Come follow me," the mortal said.

The New Testament is filled with the Savior's invitations to follow him. Here are a few:

• "And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." [4] 
• "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." [5] 
• "come, take up the cross, and follow me." [6] 
• "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" [7] 
• "If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour." [8] 

Nowhere, in any of the scriptures, are we invited to follow a mortal. In fact, we are told quite the opposite: that those who follow mortals are destined for Telestial, not celestial, glory:

"And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one; for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world;

For these are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas.

These are they who say they are some of one and some of another-some of Christ and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch;

But received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant." [9] 

Yet, as often happens these days, there is an exception. Although it has not been canonized in the scriptures (yet), you will be blessed if you follow one and only one mortal: Russell Marion Nelson. Here is his wife again, from the same teleconference, telling us how we can follow President Nelson (Note that never once in her talk does she mention following the Savior. Not. Once.):

"And now how will your life be blessed as you choose to follow President Russell M. Nelson, THE prophet of god on the earth today, who for four years has led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the direction of Jesus Christ himself. I'm grateful that my husband is the kind of man who many years before he was called to be an apostle said quote, 'I never ask myself when does the prophet speak as a prophet and when does he not. My interest has been how can I be more like him?' As his wife, may I offer you several examples of President Nelson's life that you may want to emulate."

Idol Worshippers. All of them.

As I wondered in my last post, why is it that the Church isn't mentioning God, his gifts, powers and promises, in any of their mentions regarding Covid? Now you know: We have "a prophet" (which, parenthetically, has not prophesied one thing that I'm aware of). A prophet whose words outrank those of Joseph Smith's. When he points, it's with power. When he speaks, it's as if you are hearing Jesus Christ. And as long as he lives, you should follow him, not God.

It's clear to me that President Nelson wants to be positioned to a status that's on-par with Jesus Christ. Otherwise, he would be condemning such exalted descriptions and examples of him. 

Here's what the Lord said about such people:

"For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." [10]  

And what about those who follow -- and encourage others to follow -- such man-made gods? Here's the Lord again:

"They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall." [11] 

And Nephi:

"Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost." [12] 

And Pres. Kimball:

"Whatever thing a man sets his heart and his trust in most is his god; and if his god doesn't also happen to be the true and living God of Israel, that man is laboring in idolatry." [13] 

Forget Nelson. Get to know the real Jesus Christ.

A friend recently asked me how I thought one could better know Jesus Christ (beyond prayer, scripture study and serving others).

I said that was a good question, because you first need to know what you're listening for in your prayers and dialogues with God, and if you don't, you're likely to miss what they're saying.

Author John Eldredge said,

"For to come to know Jesus intimately, as he is, as he wants to be known, is to release a redemptive landslide in your life. There will be no stopping the goodness. The first purpose of your existence will be resolved, and from there you are set to fulfill all of God's other purposes for you.

Consider this one piece of evidence: millions of people who have spent years attending church, and yet they don't know God. Their heads are filled with stuffing about Jesus, but they do not experience him.

The records of Christ are written so you can experience him as they [his disciples] did, this intimate connection with the Father and the Son. John says that you can enjoy the same friendship with Jesus that he knew. For this Jesus came.

So, if you do not know Jesus as a person, know his remarkable personality-playful, cunning, fierce, impatient with all that is religious, kind, creative, irreverent, funny-you have been cheated.

If you do not experience Jesus intimately, daily, in these very ways, if you do not know the comfort of his actual presence, do not hear his voice speaking to you personally-you have been robbed.

If you do not know the power of his indwelling life in you, shaping your personality, healing your brokenness, enabling you to live as he did-you have been plundered.

This is why we pray,

Jesus, show me who you really are. I pray for the true you. I want the real you. I ask you for you. Spirit of God, free me in every way to know Jesus as he really is. Open my eyes to see him. Deliver me from everything false about Jesus and bring me what is true."

The author of that quote -- John Eldredge -- wrote a beautiful book which is (in my opinion) the best book ever written about Jesus. Called "Beautiful Outlaw," its contents provide the best description of Jesus I've ever found. Go here to order it and see what others have said about the book (you can also watch the YouTubes of the book, found here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmUK0-mwMsk)

The second thing you can do is to watch The Chosen. It's a powerful portrayal of Jesus and his original associates. The actor who plays Jesus, Jonathan Roumie, nails it. Here's the climax of Season 1, Episode 1:

Between those two resources, you should be off to a solid start in getting to know and develop a vibrant, thriving relationship with Jesus.

Because it's time to stop playing with the big kids who think they're cool, and start dialoguing with a God instead.

Sources

 1.   https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-nelson-europe-devotional-january-2022; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKzTucXZLk8&t=44s
 2.   Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith p. 237-38.
 3.   Ezekiel 13:3
 4.   Matthew 4:19
 5.   Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23
 6.   Mark 10:21
 7.   John 10:27
 8.   John 12:26
 9.   D&C 76:98-101
10.   Luke 14:11; D&C 101:42
11.   D&C 1:16; italics added
12.   2 Nephi 28:31-32; italics added
13.   "The False Gods We Worship", June 1976 Ensign, https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1976/06/the-false-gods-we-worship

VIDEO PROOF: "Salvation Comes ONLY through the Church" -- An Official Church Doctrine

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Since last August (when the First Presidency released its (in)famous message to the world about available "vaccines" having been "proven to be both safe and effective" and that we should "follow the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders"), [1] I've been wondering why the church has never once referenced the Savior, his power, his mercy and more in their public pronouncements regarding Covid. 

Despite ample scriptural justifications and examples, the church has never tied the ongoing pandemic to mankind's lack of repentance. Nor has it ever referenced in its messages the gifts of the Spirit nor the Word of Wisdom and its wonderful promises. 

So, I concluded in my last post that church leaders have instead chosen to deny God.  

This has, in turn, led me to ask God for answers. Why no Jesus? Why no Savior? Why no Master Healer? Why no Gift of Healing? Why no divine hope? 

Why is the church ignoring you? Why do they deny you? Why is it - when we need you the most - you're mentioned the least?

And then, the other day, in a social media post stray comment, someone led me to the answer:

The church doesn't need Jesus anymore.

In fact, if you want to be saved in the kingdom of God, you need look no further than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That's because…

"Salvation is in the Church, and of the Church, and is obtained only through the Church."

Did you catch that last part - "only through the Church"? As one person who read that phrase said, "I have never heard or was taught this message. It would seem that what is being taught here is not correct. If salvation only comes through a church, then why have a savior? Why not only have a church??"

My thoughts exactly. Now here's the kicker:

This doctrine was pronounced over the pulpit by an apostle in General Conference, published in the Ensign magazine and is currently "Suggested Lesson Material" in a current Institute class ("The Restored Gospel and World Religions").

If you think I'm making this up, here's Elder Mark E. Petersen's April 1973 General Conference talk, "Salvation Comes through the Church":

To me, the main portion of the talk is right at the front:

"When the Savior established his church during his mortal ministry, and as it was further developed by the twelve apostles of that day, one important fact became conspicuously clear, which is: that salvation comes through the Church. It does not come through any separate organization or splinter group nor to any private party as an individual. It comes only through the Church itself as the Lord established it. It was the Church that was organized for the perfecting of the Saints. It was the Church that was given for the work of the ministry. It was the Church that was provided to edify the body of Christ, as Paul explained to the Ephesians. Therefore, it was made clearly manifest that salvation is in the Church, and of the Church, and is obtained only through the Church." (italics added). 

In the intervening 49 years since Petersen gave his talk, only one General Authority has dared expound upon the distinction between the church and the Kingdom of God. 

The Poelman Modifications Reinforce the Primacy of the Church

In the October 1984 general conference of the LDS Church, Elder Ronald E. Poelman [2] delivered a sermon entitled "The Gospel and the Church". Controversy ensued when the version of his sermon that was published in the November 1984 Ensign magazine differed from the sermon Poelman had delivered orally.

According to Poelman's brother, after Poelman had delivered his sermon, it had been pointed out to him by apostles that the text of his talk might support claims that people do not need the LDS Church. In response, Poelman revised the text of the sermon for publication in the Ensign [3] and re-delivered the edited sermon on film. A "cough track" was included in the re-taping to make it appear that the revised sermon was delivered in front of an audience. [4] 

Here are a few of the revisions Poelman "voluntarily" made to his talk:

As you can see, the revisions Poelman "voluntarily" made are so far removed from his original, that I cannot believe for a second that they were "voluntary" "clarifications". All of the revisions turned the "distinctions" between the gospel and church into "harmonies" - a 180-degree turn intended to create greater reliance upon, and fealty to, the church.

Here are more resources re: Poelman's talk:

Side-by-Side textual comparisons: 

• https://rationalfaiths.com/changing-the-word-of-god 
• http://web.archive.org/web/20071007024635/http://mormonmessenger.org/2002/the-gospel-and-the-churchelder-ronald-e-poelman-of-the-seventy 

Analysis

• https://sunstone.org/elder-poelmans-most-famous-speech 
• https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/079-50-53.pdf 
• http://puremormonism.blogspot.com/2010/02/best-conference-talk-you-never-read_13.html 
• http://infantsonthrones.com/a-tale-of-two-poelmans 

Oaks: Even your personal spiritual growth Is dependent upon the church

Most recently, Dallin H. Oaks not only reinforced the necessity of the church, but also its role in your personal, individual spiritual development. In his March 2020 Ensign article "The Lord Leads His Church through Prophets and Apostles", he stated:

"Only through an organization can the individual members of what the Apostle Paul called "the body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:27) receive the opportunities they need to achieve the spiritual growth that is the purpose of their creation. And only an organization with different talents and a variety of efforts can achieve what is necessary to accomplish the Lord's work." (italics added)

Did you catch that? Only organizations can accomplish the Lord's work. It's as if Oaks is saying, "[1] Your individual efforts are insufficient to the Lord. And [2] the Lord is incapable of unilaterally gathering people with different talents to accomplish his work. 'ONLY' an organization can do that."

Also, your ability to be sufficiently charitable and be an emissary of the gospel are also dependent upon the church:

"Things that can be accomplished only through organized groups of believers include major efforts to help the poor, to proclaim the gospel in all the world, and to build and maintain temples." (italics added)

Do you also need to be "reproved or chastened for sin and error"? That's right - "Only" a religious organization can pull that off (sorry, God - looks like you're not good enough at this job):

"Individual believers also need to experience religion through a religious organization because only in this way can we be authoritatively reproved or chastened for sin and error. That chastisement is essential for our spiritual growth (see Doctrine and Covenants 136:31; 101:4-5; see also Mosiah 23:21-22)." (italics added)

He went on to quote Neal A. Maxwell, who apparently 

"gave another reason for religious or spiritual persons to be organized: 'because random, individual goodness is not enough in the fight against evil.'"

(Hmmm, I thought that was one of the two purposes of mortality - to (individually) gain a body and to (individually) overcome sin).

To summarize: We have almost 50 years of unrelenting teachings, by general authorities, that say your salvation is dependent "only" upon the church.

Now it all makes sense: God isn't mentioned because God isn't needed.

God wasn't mentioned in the August, 2021 Covid message because he wasn't needed.

Repentance hasn't been mentioned in conjunction with Covid because God's forgiveness isn't needed either.

God's Word of Wisdom hasn't been mentioned regarding Covid because we have "the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders" instead.

The Gift of Healing isn't needed because we have "vaccines" which have been "proven to be both safe and effective.".

The Gift of Discernment isn't needed because we have "vax passports."

God's direct intervention isn't needed because we have real priesthood leaders with real keys (who are not known to have healed even one person during the Covid crisis).

This is all fascinating because (as we read in Oaks' talk),

"President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, has said: "In today's world, where 24 hours a day television and radio commentators spew forth conflicting opinions, where marketers compete for everything from your money to your vote, there is one clear, unpolluted, unbiased voice that you can always count on. And that is the voice of the living prophet and the apostles. Their only motive is 'the everlasting welfare of your souls' (2 Nephi 2:30)."

And Moroni also said, 

"by their works ye shall know them, for if their works be good, then they are good also." [5] 

When you combine these two concepts, we see that "the living prophet and the apostles" (the leaders of the aforementioned church upon which your salvation is dependent) ought to be displaying good "works" - especially the work of "the everlasting welfare of your souls."

How's that going?

As I mentioned in my last post, the church is facing some awfully big challenges these days. One of the biggest: a 0.6% growth rate - the worst in both the 20th AND 21st centuries: [6]

If these men can't even reverse a nose-diving growth rate, what makes you think that they have the wherewithal to help manage something as important as your eternal salvation?

If you're shaking your head like I am, then strap in your seatbelt and "eat your vitamin pills".

Coming up: An inside scoop (that is, something that's not been mentioned on the internet yet) into the church's plans to reverse equally declining membership attrition rates. 

Covid Updates "Available vaccines have proven to be both safe and effective." "We can win this war if everyone will follow the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders" "We know that protection from the diseases they cause can only be achieved by immunizing a very high percentage of the population." (First Presidency message of Thursday, August 12, 2021) "by their works ye shall know them, for if their works be good, then they are good also." (Moroni 7:5) "That which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually." (Moroni 7:13) "Whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil." (Moroni 7:17)

"Safe": Over 1000 scientific studies referencing injuries and deaths from Covid vaccines "Safe": A new online database - "How Bad is My Batch" - tracks jab batch numbers and associated deaths, disabilities and life threatening illnesses. "Safe": NY Times admits Covid "booster" shots damage immunity, leave body defenseless against virus "Effective": Israel has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world. Nearly half of its citizens have received three shots. It's now leading the world in new daily cases per capita.

Sources

1.   https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/first-presidency-message-covid-19-august-2021

2.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_E._Poelman

3.   Peggy Fletcher, "Poelman Revises Conference Speech" Sunstone, January 1985, p. 44

4.   Lavina Fielding Anderson, "The LDS Intellectual Community and Church Leadership: A Contemporary Chronology," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V26N01_23.pdf

5.   Moroni 7:5

6.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_membership_history#Table_for_recent_growth