Christ’s Church or Man’s?

Once again the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is in the news and those within and with out the church are all up in arms about a change in policy dealing with children living in homes with parents in a same gender relationship. My purpose today is not to debate the policy but to pose a question to everyone that is saying this policy is one of hate and they are leaving the church. Is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the restored gospel of Jesus Christ (as the church declares) or is it simply another church of man’s making? For those who want more information on the policy itself go here:

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/handbook-changes-same-sex-marriages-elder-christofferson?HP_FR_11-6-2015_dPAD_fCNWS_xLIDyL1-A_

or

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865640934/Elder-Christofferson-explains-updated-LDS-Church-policies-on-same-sex-marriage-and-children.html?pg=all

For some of the best discussions about the policy check out these:

http://blog.fairmormon.org/

and

http://gaymormonguy.blogspot.com/2015/11/waiting-on-lord-same-sex-adoption.html?m=1

and

http://wellbehavedmormonwoman.blogspot.com/2015/11/response-to-new-church-policy-gay-marriage-children-baptism.html

For now, back to my question, is the LDS church really Christ’s Church today or not. If it is his church, and Christ is the Head of the Church then he directs the affairs and policies through his chosen leaders – the living prophets. If it is Christ’s Church, and I testify that it is, then there is a reason for the policy and it is one of love, not hate and no amount of posturing or protesting will effect His commandments. If the LDS Church is not Christ’s Church but just another church founded by a man for whatever reason, then everyone can go on protesting and threatening to leave the church hoping that the leadership will will come to their senses and realize the error of their ways and change.

So there is no misunderstanding where I stand on this question; I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ’s Church on the earth today. President Thomas S. Monson is the Lord’s Prophet and speaks for him to all of God’s children wherever they are – to all nations, kindred, tongues and people. I stand with the church’s leaders, the policies, practices, teachings and programs. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord and his prophets.

The simple reality is if this is Christ’s Church, then everything about it is true; if it is not Christ’s Church then it is all false and it really does not matter what the church does or does not want to do. There is no middle ground. Parts of it cannot be true and other parts not true. God does not work that way. One of the teachings that the resurrected Lord taught the people here in America was what the name of his church should be:

Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day;

Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name…

And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.

And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it.

But if it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence there is no return. (3 Nephi 27:5-11)

The first way to tell if it is Christ’s Church is it will bear his name, not the name of a man or something else. The second test is if it is built on his gospel. Christ himself testifies of the restoration through the Prophet Joseph Smith:

Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments;

And also gave commandments to others, that they should proclaim these things unto the world; and all this that it might be fulfilled, which was written by the prophets—

And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually—

What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same. (Doctrine and Covenants 1:17-18, 30, 38)

Let me share the story of Saint Denis, the patron saint of Paris, to illustrate my point. The story says that Saint Denis was martyred in A.D. 250. After his head was cut off, Denis is said to have picked up his head and walked ten kilometers (six miles), preaching a sermon the entire way (News That Matters). The number of miles he walked does not matter. If the story is true, the number of miles has no bearing on the validity of the story; if he indeed was able to pick up his head and take that first step is all that matters. If he did that, then he could also walk the ten kilometers.

The same argument can be made as to the validity of the LDS Church; if God and Christ did indeed appear to Joseph Smith, if the Angel Moroni did appear to him and give him the gold plates, if he did translate the gold plates into the Book of Mormon, and if he did receive the priesthood to restore Christ’s Church again on the earth; that is all we need to know because the rest is true as well.

Every member of Christ’s Church needs to know for themselves if these things are true and then commit to sustain and follow the Prophet, the Twelve Apostles and other general and local leaders. Any member who has a testimony of the truthfulness of these things understands that Jesus Christ leads this Church through His Prophet. The policies, commandments, ordinances, priesthood authority are his and only He can change them. It is not changed through any protest or pressure from an individual, group, or government.

It saddens me to see friends and family covering their Facebook profile pictures with rainbow colors in support of same gender relations, coming out in opposition to, and threatening to leave the church. Either they never had a real testimony that this is Christ’s Church or something has happened in their lives that has caused them to lose the Holy Ghost that they once had and the light of their testimony has gone out, or they are simply going along with the crowd in support of political correctness.

The scriptures teach that in the days before the Lord’s return even the elect will be deceived. I invite those who are struggling with this policy or any other aspect of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to go to the source of truth and not the voices of apostates, or those who have no concept of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their agenda is to spread lies and animostity about the purpose of Church doctrine and policies. Go to the Lord and ask him in faith, test the Lord by keeping his commandments and see if this is Christ’s Church or Man’s. I testify that it is Christ’s Church.

Your comments and questions are welcome.

When Men Oppose God

Last week we celebrated Father’s Day. We paused to remember what our mortal fathers have done for us in giving us life, supporting us, and teaching us to love our Heavenly Father. We remembered that we would not be who we are today without the influence of our fathers in our lives. Studies have show that families with both fathers and mothers provide the best environment for children.

In recent decades, high rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births have resulted in an exceptionally large number of single parents. Many of these single parents have raised exemplary children. Extensive studies have shown, however, that a husband and wife who are united in a loving, committed marriage generally provide the ideal environment for protecting, nurturing, and raising children (“The Divine Institution of Marriage”)

This past Friday (June 26^th, 2015) the US Supreme Court ruled that all 50 State must allow same-sex marriages and recognize the same marriages from other states. With this decision the U.S. joins 20 other countries around the world that have legalized same-sex marriages (U.S. News & World Report).

Marriage has always been sacred and ordained by God. It is part of His plan of happiness for all his children and without it God’s work to bring us back into his presence would not be possible. Christ reminded us that marriage was to be between a man and a women when he taught during his mortal ministry (Matthew 19:4-5). What happens when men turn against God’s laws? Mosiah, an ancient American Prophet, taught his people that as long as the people who were brought to this land obeyed the commandments they would be protected, but if the time would come when they chose wickedness they would be destroyed.

Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people.

 And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land. (Mosiah 29:26-27)

This land, North and South America, was to be a choice land, a land of freedom and liberty as long as the people here kept God’s commandments but if the time came that they rejected God they would be scattered and smitten by other nations (2 Nephi 1:9-11). The Book of Mormon tells of two nations that were completely destroyed after rejecting God’s commandments and when they were ripe with iniquity.

Two cities in the Old Testament (Sodom and Gomorrah) were destroyed because of homosexual behavior (see footnote b of Genesis 18:20). The Apostle Paul condemned these practices (Romans 1:26-32). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has reminded us of the importance of the family and that failure to sustain laws supporting traditional marriage and families would bring the calamities foretold in the scriptures (The Family: A Proclamation to the World).

You will not see me out on the streets with a sing warning of the end of the world, in fact I still believe that the majority of the people still choose to keep the commandments of God. I believe as Mosiah said that it is the “lesser part of the people” that are causing these laws to be passed. As in Book of Mormon times, it is our judges and rulers that are brining us under this condemnation. We have been warned that changing the laws to support same-sex marriage does not change the standards and laws set by God.

Many advocates of same-sex marriage argue that traditional standards of sexual morality have changed and that “tolerance” requires that these new standards be recognized and codified in law. If tolerance is defined as showing kindness for others and respect for differing viewpoints, it is an important value in all democratic societies. But as Elder Dallin H. Oaks has observed, “Tolerance does not require abandoning one’s standards or one’s opinions on political or public policy choices. Tolerance is a way of reacting to diversity, not a command to insulate it from examination.”

In addition to using the argument of tolerance to advocate redefining marriage, proponents have advanced the argument of “equality before the law.” No mortal law, however, can override or nullify the moral standards established by God. Nor can the laws of men change the natural, innate differences between the genders or deny the close biological and social link between procreation and marriage. (“The Divine Institution of Marriage”)

While we should not compromise our commitment to God’s commandments, we must remember to follow the Savior’s example to love one another. When he was confronted with the women caught in adultery, he did not condemn her, but he also did not excuse her sin (John 8:11). Dallin Oaks in the October 2014 General Conference warned members to avoid being contentious:

On the subject of public discourse, we should all follow the gospel teaching s to love our neighbor and avoid contention. Followers of Christ should be examples of civility. We should love all people, be good listeners, and show concern for their sincere beliefs. Though we may disagree, we should not be disagreeable. Our stands and communications on controversial topics should not be contentious. We should be wise in explaining and pursuing our positions and in exercising our influence. In doing so, we ask that others not be offended by our sincere religious beliefs and the free exercise of our religion. We encourage all of us to practice the Savior’s Golden Rule: “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).

When our positions to not prevail, we should accept unfavorable results graciously and practice civility with our adversaries. In any event, we should be person of goodwill toward all, rejecting persecution of any kind, including persecution based on race, ethnicity, religious belief or non belief, and differences in sexual orientation. (“Loving Others and Living with Differences”)

I am saddened by the decision of the Supreme Court but I know that it does not change the commandments of God, I know that those who support the decision and those who choose to live in opposition the what God has said are still his children. None of us are without sin and should not be casting stones at those who disagree with us. The fact also remains that when we choose wickedness and rebel against God there are consequences. We will all stand before Him when we die to be judged of our works whether they are good or evil and will receive the rewards for the lives that we live here.

Your comments and questions are welcome. To leave a comment, click on the no comments link below.