Meeting With The Stake President – Not What I Expected

I met with the Stake President at his invitation a few weeks ago. I came away a little surprised by our conversation. I had never met with this Stake President before, so he asked me to tell a little bit of my story. I did so, summarizing as best I could to fit everything from the past twelve years into a half hour. It did not all fit.

My last calling in the church was serving as the Stake Financial Clerk (Sep 2012 to Sep 2014). It was during this same time period that I was introduced to the writings of Denver Snuffer. I was open with my Bishop and Stake President at that time about what I was learning. We met often to counsel and pray together.

I think I naively expected our current Stake President would have some sort of record of my resignation. I was surprised when he said he had nothing. I shared with him a copy of the letter from my former bishop, which he read with interest. Like many members in California, I don’t think he had heard of Denver Snuffer.

Most Church Leaders Are Not CES Employees

I was also surprised by his response when I described some of the issues facing members of the church with what they find on the Internet. I don’t know why, but I assumed he would have received some sort of training or counseling by the area authority presidency on how to deal with people like me, who study these things.

The church has a policy (38.8.41) entitled “Seeking Information From Reliable Sources.” There is also a Gospel Topics guideline on how to “Consult Reliable Sources.” I had printed these out and was ready to discuss them with the Stake President. I think he was pressed for time. He summarized our meeting and stood.

This is a good man. He is the Sr VP and COO of a large local health system. He is a good listener, a capable leader and excellent administrator. This is the kind of man that is a perfect fit to lead a stake. But he is not a CES employee. I make that point because I think that’s what I was looking for – an expert on church history issues.

Gospel Topics Essays

The Church recognizes this problem and has been seeking to address it. I have watched the church website closely over the years. I corresponded with those who helped shape and guide it from the early days. I sensed their frustration as the Brethren were slow to move to adopt it, and address the “problem” of the Internet.

One of the best pages on the current site is the Topics and Questions page. It has launched a whole industry of podcasts, both pro and con. I only just this morning discovered Whitney Horning had published a new book of her own essays on the subject. I just ordered it. Should be here Saturday. Looking forward to reading it.

Here is a description if you are interested: “This book is a collection of essays which discuss topics such as marriage, women and the priesthood, death and the world of spirits, ordinances, the paying of tithes, and other principles with respect to God’s dealings with mankind as restored through Joseph Smith Jr.”

Defending Joseph Smith From Polygamy

I have been enjoying a long-running email conversation with a long-time reader about the subject of defending Joseph Smith from the accusations of polygamy. I know I am in the minority of people who don’t believe Joseph was a polygamist. There’s even a Facebook page dedicated to mocking people who believe like me.

I shared with him some thoughts about why I feel the way I do. My bottom line is based on personal revelation. I know something like this is very subjective, but I have heard the voice of the Lord after several days of fasting in response to my question about the legitimacy of some of the revelations canonized in the D&C.

When something is opposed by someone to the point of making a YouTube video about the subject, they must feel very strongly about it. Brian Hales does not make many YouTube videos, but he made this one almost two years ago. It is in response to Rob, Whitney, and Denver. There are 309 comments. Obviously still a hot topic.

Voting On Covenant Of Christ

There is an upcoming conference and vote on the Covenant of Christ. I won’t be at the conference. I’m not part of a fellowship, so I can’t send a representative to vote. But I wanted to make it clear I am in favor of the modern English translation and hope it will be adopted. I have read it and prayed about it. I know it is pleasing to the Lord. It’s interesting what the LDS Church says about this. The vote does not need to be unanimous. It just needs to be a majority. I’m praying it will be accepted.

I know there are opponents within the movement. I’ve read some of their stuff online. The work of God will always be opposed by those who are deceived by the adversary. It’s unfortunate that some of those people are talented and outspoken. They are well educated and can write persuasively, but in the end, they oppose the work of God. It’s sad to witness. I suspect some of them have mental or emotional issues. That seems evident by their writings, which are accusatory in nature.

I’m not a first-hand witness of some of the events of the Remnant Movement but am like an observer from afar. I sometimes feel like I am in a similar situation to the prophet Ether as he witnessed the destruction of the Jaredites. It’s as if I am watching from my cave as the world fights terrible self-destructive battles among themselves, including here in America. I hope I do not see the fall of our once great nation, but it seems inevitable that it will be swept away.