The leader of the Church of Jesus Christ is the Lord Jesus Christ. He leads this church actively and directly. And this isn’t meant in some theoretical or technical sense. It is meant very literally. This is shown in this LDS Classic as President Heber J. Grant recalls a revelatory vision he had of the Lord Jesus Christ deciding to call him to the Apostleship.
Tag: General Conference
The Great Blessings of A Modern Prophet
This article is a talk I was asked to give in church as our ward prepares for the coming General Conference. In it I talk about how the importance of the modern prophets, how they actively receive revelation from God for us right now, the blessings and truth to be gained by following the Prophets and Apostles, and exactly what so many in the world are so threatened by the existence of modern prophets. (Hint: It has to do with their money and power.) I end by sharing a tool that we can use to get the most out of General Conference and the talks of Prophets and Apostles. Come, brothers and sisters, let us listen to the Prophet’s voice and hear the Word of God!
Apostles Destroy Nationalism and Statism at General Conference
General Conference was earlier this month. Among the many inspired messages shared by the Prophets and Apostles were some that directly and indirectly criticized the worldly philosophies of nationalism and statism as well as the spirit of contention these ideas are based upon. The remarks of Apostles Jeffrey R. Holland and Dale G. Renlund especially presented nationalism as being in direct opposition to the doctrines of Jesus Christ.
What Christians Should Think of Memorial Day
Today I want to share a talk that a friend of mine delivered the Sunday before Memorial Day in 2017. He used Apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s General Conference address, “Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear,” to counter the endless bombardment of propaganda that takes place at this time. My friend told the truth about the pro-state, pro-military lies that inundate us, preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and focused on the Gospel’s demand that we renounce violence and fear as means to achieving our social, political, or economic ends. In turn he also talks about the War on Drugs, the War on Terror, the US military, the idolatry of worship weapons as if they can keep you safe, missionary work, serving our enemies, loving those who hate us, and the way to build Zion.
President Oaks Taught The Principles of Anarchy at General Conference
This past weekend was General Conference and President Dallin H. Oaks delivered an address where he outlined five inspired principles of government which he taught are what make the U.S. Constitution an inspired document and why Latter-day Saints should feel some special loyalty to the document. Outside of the typical American culturalism in his talk, what really astounded me was that the five principles he outlined are not unique to the U.S. Constitution. They’re not even fully realized in the Constitution because of how the violence of statism limits or altogether prevents these inspired principles from operating to their fullest. But they do in consensual, non-statist government systems such as those found in libertarianism, anarchism, and voluntaryism. In this article I explore each principle individually, demonstrate how they are hobbled in the U.S Constitution, and how they are actually principles of consensual governments like anarchy, libertarianism, and voluntaryism because those forms of government allow these divine principles to operate at their highest and holiest potentials. In teaching these divine principles as the basis for righteous governments, President Oaks has inadvertently made the strongest argument for the rejection of the U.S. Constitution and the embracing of anarchy I have heard from any General Authority.
How To Achieve World Peace
Last weekend was both Pascha (Easter) and General Conference, making it a weekend doubly full of spiritual blessings. One of the most powerful talks given was Elder Jeffrey R. Hollands discourse “Not as the World Giveth,” he addresses the problems of the world – its violence, hatred, and contention, all of which originate in Satan and wicked influences – and explains how we can find solutions to these problems can be found in the Covenant of Peace – the concepts, teachings, and ordinances that can only be fully found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the world we find wars and rumors of wars, rape, murder, greed, anger, social division, isolation, oppression, mockery, corruption, riots, mobs, and every excuse humans can think of to despise one another, kill one another, and hate our blood. Elder Holland then goes on to talk about the solutions to these problems and mentions three Christian principles that, if fully realized, would end all the problems of the world. These are Faith, Hope, and Charity. In this article I breakdown each of these principles and doctrines of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and show how they hold within themselves the power to truly transform the world into the place of peace, love, and liberty that we all wish it was already. Within these three principles is the key to world peace, to Zion.
What Do You Do When An Apostle Is Wrong?
This is a topic that I think is important to address, yet it is one that we are often afraid to address. Perhaps this is because we feel like that by pointing out or acknowledging where the Brethren are in error that we are questioning the Lord Himself or like we might damage another’s faith. Yet we all know it happens. Apostles are often wrong when citing scriptures and when citing history. And refusing to address the issue creates a very unhealthy aura of infallibility around the Brethren that not only forces more weight upon their shoulders than they already carry but it also creates a very weak and sandy foundation upon which to build our own testimonies. This article is dedicated towards answering this important question in a way that will help the believer maintain and build faith in the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Restored Church of Jesus Christ, and His appointed leaders while also acknowledging and understanding their own fallibility, their ability to commit error, and how their doing so should impact our own understanding of the scriptures.
True Manhood and Toxic Masculinity
What does it mean to be a man? I don’t just mean in the sense of having a penis and some testicles. That makes you male, but that doesn’t make you a man. So what makes you a man? How can you look at someone and recognize there is a true man. It is an important question, especially in the modern age where even the concept of there being such a thing as masculinity, maleness, or definitive manhood is under fire. Gratefully, the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us definitive guidance on how to recognize both toxic masculinity and true manhood, what the qualities of each are, and how to fulfill our potential as men of God in the image of the Great Father.