What is the Celestial Law for Marriage?

If you thought living consecration was hard, how about celestial marriage!  

Consecration and marriage are related.  Consecration means we are equal with our brothers and sisters (D&C 82:17); celestial marriage means we are equal with our beloved (Gen. 2:24). 

In both instances, the object is to become "one."  The law of consecration and the Holy Order of Matrimony each reflect the heart of God our Father:

   That they may be one,
   even as we are one . . . 
   that they may be made
   PERFECT in one.

(John 17:22)

The intimacy (and primacy) we share with our spouse in marriage is a type and shadow of the celestial union we enjoy with God:

   Thou shalt love thy wife [God]
   with all they heart,
   and shalt cleave
   unto her [Him]
   and NONE ELSE.

(D&C 42:22)

The Savior in the Intercessory Prayer made clear that the law of Zion is the law of "perfection" ― that is to say, the law of "oneness."

There is no perfection found outside of this union with God and with each other.  No man on a deserted island ever became "perfect" because perfection is the fruit of sanctified relationships.

Thus we see the reason, in God's eyes, for why "inequality" is so evil: because it makes us not-one (whether it be in temporal blessings or in our marriages).

Apply the following words to marriage:

   And [ye] are not united
   according to the union
   required by the law
   of the celestial kingdom;

   And Zion cannot be built up
   unless it is by the principles
   of the law of the celestial
   kingdom.

(D&C 105:4-5)

If we thought the early Church's attempt to practice the law of consecration was a disaster, just wait until we see what they did with marriage.

(Apostle George Q. Cannon surrounded by his polygamous jailbirds at the Sugarhouse jail they called "Uncle Sam's Hotel")

Is Jesus Christ the author of concubinage?

I say "concubinage" because what is polygamy but a dressed-for-dinner, respectable-looking version of religious concubinage ― minding its P's and Q's, hoping we don't notice that it is, in fact, what the Most-Correct-Book-On-Earth calls "whoredoms" (Mosiah 11:2) and "abomination" (Jacob 2:28)?

And so we must ask, is the doctrine of concubinage compatible with the gospel of Jesus Christ?  (If not, what were our ancestors thinking?  How were they so thoroughly deceived?)

​The answer to this simple question will save us a lot of time.  Rather than reading this post, you could go hug your grandchildren, or watch a sunset while petting your puppy, or eat ice cream directly from the carton with an oversized serving spoon (don't deny it, we've all been there).

But if you're still here (you must be a glutton for punishment like me), let us reason together and see what we can learn about Zion and the principles of celestial marriage.

And then, as I said, we have more important things to attend to ― before the Cookies & Cream melts.

Felons of Faith

On July 25, 1887 the most powerful man in Utah lay ill upon his deathbed.  The irony is that the bed was not his own; his final hours were spent in the safehouse known as the "exile home" located a short distance outside of Salt Lake City.

The man was a wanted felon, who had gone into hiding eight months earlier to escape arrest by U.S. Marshals.

That night, a few of his fellow outlaws gathered quietly around his bedside; his friend Samuel Bateman had spent the day with him, watching for any signs of improvement.  When none appeared, Bateman smuggled in some of the man's loved ones for the final hours, to say their farewells.

And thus it was that John Taylor ― third President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ― died.

   *****
I've tried to steer clear of the polygamy debates until now.  I've not wished to take sides when I believe God transcends all sides.  But here we go (heaven help me).

My interest in polygamy has largely been academic and genealogical.  But the doctrinal underpinnings of plural marriage are deeply tangled with the roots of the Restoration, and must be addressed head-on.

The Church still practices polygamy, not only among Fundamentalist sects, but also among the eternal polygamists who are sealed to multiple wives whom they wish to be reunited with in the resurrection.

Recently the controversy has returned to whether Joseph Smith was a polygamist (or not).  Those who advocate for or against polygamy based on whether Joseph Smith did (or didn't) practice plural marriage are committing two mistakes:

   (1) They are making Joseph Smith ― and not Jesus Christ ― the arbiter of their faith; and

  (2) They are letting the past dictate the law of God, rather than inform it ― as if God were dead and did not speak today, letting history do the talking for Him.

We are not so unlike our Nephite cousins, to whom Jacob said as a special witness of Christ (2 Nephi 11:3):

   They seek to excuse themselves
   in committing whoredoms,
   because of the things
   which were written concerning
   David, and Solomon
   [and Joseph Smith
   and Brigham Young
​   et. al.].

(Jacob 2:23)

As I said in Part 7: A Faith Beyond:

"Our narratives are contingent; they are being recapitulated as we speak.  For each generation invariably reinterprets and wrestles with the historical record (which is something even religious professionals can't agree on).

"And with our eternal lives at stake, do we really want to tie faith down with the capricious cords of historiography?  So remember: the past is a memory, and has only the authority we grant it.  

"Faith will forever transcend yesteryear; she looks beyond what has been towards what may yet be."

I would prefer to leave polygamy alone.  But since "the Principle" is a perennial source of confusion for the Lord's people (Jacob 2:24), here we go.

"Excuse me, sir, you got my order wrong"

​The life of Father Abraham was complicated.  Chances are, life is complicated for you, too.  Mortality is messy; human relationships are messy.  Ask Hagar.

And if "that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there" (D&C 130:2) in heaven, I want to suggest the possibility that heaven is going to be a lot more interesting (read: exciting and diverse) than we expect.

A buttoned-up heaven of absolutes and razors' edges is the product of a fanciful imagination.  After all, until recently, Lucifer was a leading figure in the celestial realm, who exercised "authority in the presence of God" (D&C 76:25).  So you never know who you'll meet hanging around the throne (God is far more liberal in His views, and patience, than we give Him credit for).

Heaven is presided over by our Father who (spoiler alert) will not impose order on His children by fiat ― for all intelligence is ordered upon self-existent principles (D&C 93:29-31) and cannot be compelled.

   And the Gods watched
   those things which they
   had ordered
   until they obeyed.

(Abraham 4:18)

"Watched" is such a passive verb!  Why don't the Gods do more?  Why don't they jump in and get their elbows greasy?  (Some do; we call it "condescension.")

Isn't that what we want: Gods who will "set things in order" by knocking the bad guys around until they get in line?  Why would God allow polygamy to run rampant?  A knuckle-sandwich gets things done far quicker than persuasion and love unfeigned.

Well, families are not Legos; we cannot shape our posterity like modeling clay.  As God explained to Jeremiah, Israel is a muddy mess (Jer. 4:4) and He starts over with us again and again ― "a kingdom to pluck up, and to pull down" (Jer. 4:7) ― trying to get us to "turn from [our] evil" so He can organize us into Zion (which is itself represented as a marriage between the Bridegroom and Bride Zion).

The important thing to understand is that "order" is not a lifeless construct; it does not exist outside of us; it is not independent of its members.  Marriage was created for man, not man for marriage.

Also, there are multiple "orders" in heaven.  Yes, the highest and holiest is that of the Order of the Son of God (D&C 107:2); but don't think that is the only one.

   In my Father’s house
   are many mansions [orders];
   if it were not so,
   I would have told you.
   I go to prepare
   a place for you.

(John 14:2)

The disorganization and confusion we see among the human family is actually a feature of God's plan, not a bug.  In consequence of our disorganization we are able to reconstitute ourselves and reorder the House (Family) of God in novel ways that contribute to God's glory.

In other words, to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life, God allows us to self-organize (such as the family of Israel) ― but He also allows us to leave those families, sometimes for rebellion (Lucifer) and sometimes to start our own branch (Enoch).

No one is stuck.  The Tree of Life is alive; it is always growing and being pruned, worlds without end.

   For intelligence cleaveth
   unto intelligence; wisdom
   receiveth wisdom; truth
   embraceth truth; virtue
   loveth virtue; light
   cleaveth unto light; mercy
   hath compassion on mercy
   and claimeth her own.

(D&C 88:40)

Mortality is a turnstile by which we select the order ("family") we want to belong to.

God allows us to sort ourselves according to just and holy principles ― and chief among them is the self-governing principle of common consent.

Reynolds v. United States

In 1878 the First Presidency of the Church asked polygamist George Reynolds (former secretary to Brigham Young) to act as the guinea pig in a "test case" to challenge the constitutionality of the Morrill Act (the federal law that Abraham Lincoln passed in 1862 that made bigamy a felony).

When Congress passed the Morrill Act, Brigham Young stood up in a church meeting and preached (I love the energy he's channeling):

"Polygamy they are unconstitutionally striving to prevent; when they will accomplish their object is not for me to say.  How will they get rid of this awful evil in Utah?  They will have to expend about $300 millions of dollars for building a prison, for we must all go into prison.

"And after they have expended that amount for a prison, and roofed it over from the summit of the Rocky Mountains to the summit of the Sierra Nevada, we will dig out and go preaching to the world."  (Quoted in Richard D. Poll, "The Legislative Antipolygamy Campaign," BYU Studies 26, n. 4, 1986: 109).​

In Reynolds v. United States, the Church argued to the U.S. Supreme Court that the First Amendment explicitly protected the practice of polygamy under the Free Exercise Clause.  All nine Justices ruled unanimously against Reynolds on January 6, 1879.

The Court concluded that to allow polygamy would justify individuals to trample the laws of the land; for if polygamy was allowed on religious grounds, why not human sacrifice?

​Approximately 1,300 Mormon men were convicted and sent to prison for polygamy in the nineteenth century.

Many men, like Wilford Woodruff and John Taylor, went into hiding to avoid prosecution.  Thus was born the "Mormon Underground."​

Is Marriage Good?  Necessary?

The Matrimonial Order of heaven is a reflection, foremost, of God's faithfulness.  Celestial marriage is "living" because God is living; and, like all living things, marriages grow and reorder and renew.

God loves us, whether we are monogamous or polygamous.  We are all precious to God.  He loves seeing His children marry and has consecrated ("made holy") the joining of two persons in matrimony.

But why?  Why is marriage godly?  And most importantly, how does marriage relate to the Doctrine of Christ?

In the beginning God created Adam and Eve in His image, in His likeness ― that is, to bear His countenance in their visages, which image is that of a faithful love; for God is love, and is He not faithful?  Therefore, He hallows the joining of those wedded.

But heaven does not mirror a fallen world.  "There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy" (Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5).

The Spirit of Christ does not play at sexual politics.  Marriage is a blessing from God and should be celebrated, not treated like a merit badge that must be earned to obtain the highest heaven (D&C 131:1-4).

For God has decreed that even eunuchs shall take hold of His everlasting covenant and enter into the kingdom of heaven (Isaiah 56:4-5).  Paul himself extolled the virtue of singleness (1 Cor. 7:25-40).  God's grace is strong enough to bless the differences and uniqueness of all His children, according to their faith and desires.

Paul said:

   Now concerning virgins
   I have no commandment
   of the Lord: 
   yet I give my judgment.

(1 Cor. 7:25)

And Paul goes on and gives his opinion, as he did on other matters.  So let's keep things in perspective.

But what about polygamy?  Does it belong in heaven?  Well, if you desire a theology for polygamy, you've only got to read the Journal of Discourses and shall be delighted.  But fair warning: the God of polygamy is a jealous God.

I admire the faith of our pioneer ancestors who struggled to strip themselves of "jealousies and fears" (D&C 67:10) and "covetous desires" (D&C 101:6) in a system that followed Babylon's creed of "more is better" (as in, more wives).

But careful: the first practitioner of polygamy we find in scripture was Lamech, who took two wives (Gen. 4:19).  The fact that Lamech was a Master Mahan (Moses 5:52) and followed in the tradition of Cain, should be treated as a red flag.

Gwendolyn Wyne wrote, "Polygamy is either important to God because it is celestial marriage, or it is important to Satan because it destroys celestial marriage.... If polygamy is of God, so be it. We should be able to find it within the doctrine of Christ.  But.  If polygamy is a tare, sowed by the enemy of all righteousness, then we [should] discover its true nature."  ("An Enemy Hath Done This: The Seed and Weeds of Polygamy," November 22, 2022.)

So are the principles of celestial marriage embodied in polygamy or not?

I Am a Son of Polygamy

I am a descendent of Arizona polygamist William Flake (who later became a member of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame).  William served a prison term in the Yuma Arizona Penitentiary for being a polygamist.

Great-great-great-grandfather Flake was so pleased with his prison suit that he took it home with him after his release and wore it in parades and at special celebrations around town.

William married his first wife, Lucy Hannah (my Great-great-great-grandmother) on December 30, 1858.  About a decade later he was instructed to take a plural wife.

When asked by Eliza R. Snow if she was willing to accept the Principle, Lucy replied, "I said [I] am quite willing to try."

In her late recollection / autobiography, Lucy wrote about the "test" she faced when William approached her to take a new wife:

​   *****
"Lucy dear, could you share your husband with another woman?"
  
I thought he was joking, and laughing answered, "Only if I could retain first place in your affection."

"Lucy, I have been counseled to take another wife, if you are willing."

Of course I was not willing; He was mine!  Mine by all the laws of men and God.

The baby cried in the cradle.  Duty was calling me.  It seemed duty was always calling.

William went to the field to work.

For days I went about my household tasks, outwardly calm, but within my soul was a battle raging.  How I prayed during those days that my duty might be made plain to me.

I went to mother and asked her what I should do.  "Daughter," she said gently, "that is something you and Heavenly Father have to decide; that is one thing I cannot advise you about."

I tried to picture in my mind what young lady had won a place in my husband's affections.

[One] night [after] supper . . . we walked out to the back of our lot and sat on a fallen log.

"Who is the young lady we are going to marry?" I asked.

"We?"

"Yes, we," I answered.  "We were made one a long time ago, you and I; who are we going to marry?"

[Later I wondered] was it possible for a man to love more than one wife?  [The thought came to me]: "Greater love hath no woman than this, that she would give her husband to another woman for wife."

(Lucy Hannah White Flake, To the Last Frontier, Chapter 14, "The Crucial Test," edited for brevity.)

"Do You Know That You Don't Know?"

Before he went into hiding, President John Taylor was called as a witness in the polygamist trial of Rudger Clawson, who was being tried for unlawful cohabitation in 1882 (and who would later be called as an apostle in 1898).

The Prosecuting Attorney, whose name was Dickson, put John Taylor on the witness stand because he wanted to know where the marriage records were kept to show Clawson's plural marriage (after all, the LDS are scrupulous record keepers).

President John Taylor feigned ignorance (the same as we saw from President Joseph F. Smith when testifying before Congress in the Reed Smoot hearings).

Under examination, Dickson asked President Taylor if he could find out who had the marriage records. 

Dickson: "Who is the custodian of the records?"

President Taylor: "I cannot tell you."

Dickson: "Did you ever know who the custodian of the records was?"

President Taylor: "I do not know that I ever did."

Dickson: "Do you know that you don’t know?"

President Taylor: "Yes, I know that I don’t."

Dickson: "You know that you have never known who the custodian was?  Have you ever inquired of anyone where the record was?"

President Taylor: "I could not say positively whether I have or not."

Dickson: "What is your best recollection?"

President Taylor: "I don’t know."

Dickson: "You don’t know as to whether you have inquired as to the custodian of the record?"

President Taylor: "I do not think I have."

(David S. Hoopes and Roy Hoopes, The Making of a Mormon Apostle, Lanham: Madison Books, 1990, 78.)

   *****
To understand the reason God allows so many things that fall outside of His celestial ideal, we need only ask Jesus His opinion on divorce.

Clearly divorce is not ideal.  And yet it was lawful under the Law of Moses.  Even today, in 2024, divorce is a part of our religious life, and we throw a blanket of charity over those affected by it.

Jesus explained:

   It was because your hearts
   were hard that Moses
   wrote you this law.

(Mark 10:5, NIV)

Much of what we call "the law" of God is actually not God's law at all ― not His celestial law.  Paul said:

   The law was added
   because of transgressions.

(Galatians 3:19)

It isn't easy discerning the celestial law amid the telestial ones we preach as if they were God's best and highest.  Often, because these lesser laws carry cultural credit and bear the weight of historical precedent, we don't even stop to question them.

Since I believe charity is the holiest gift of God undergirding oneness ("perfection" - D&C 88:125), I think the best way to view those who have fallen into the snare of polygamy is to have compassion on them and to succor them.  There's no need to judge or condemn them, for we too have fallen short of the glory of God.

Desert Rose

Heat has fallen away;
   coolness has returned to the desert.
I am as a finch bathing in a desert spring
   ancient as the sea, dark as an owl
risen with the moon.
 
Look! the moon transforms the night
   into the garden of our Lord;
her face glistens with pleasure.
   Here the lesser-light is honored;
her renown spreads, spiraling
   outward from our refuge
to embrace the rushes and sawgrass,
   the sedges and pickerelweed.
  
The noonday glare is forgotten.
   The waters stir with song and lyre;
the evening stars sing,
   welcoming all to gather round
the well of Jehovah.
   The morrow will come
(as it ever will)
   but this night we take no thought
for the morrow.

None shall thirst again;
   wine flows as sweetly as spring
bringing warmth to mountain snow;
   my Lord's wine fills the dry places
where drought once etched its name
   and washes away the grief of day.
For none looked for floods
   where cactus water was precious,
where fire burned sand and sky:
   none but those who waited upon the Lord.
 
The smell of gladness like cinnamon
   fills the night; lilies and spikenard
make our hearts to rejoice―
   for He is here! here
His presence fills the garden
   as a rose
whose petals hold their perfume
   forever and ever.​

Zion on a Budget

"I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?"

   ― Vincent Van Gough

Financial chastity means we are faithful to the Lord's law of equality (D&C 78:6).  We call this the "law of consecration."

They never taught us in Seminary that the scripture-mastery-verse D&C 82:10 was specifically given in the context of consecration:

   I, the Lord, am bound
   when ye do what I say;
   but when ye do not
   what I say, ye have
   no promise.

(D&C 82:10)

I love Hugh Nibley's simple synopsis of the spirit of the Law:

"In passing through anyone’s vineyard, you may help yourself to whatever you can eat, but you may not carry off any in a container.  If the owner denies you what you need, he is greedy; if you take more than you need, then you are greedy (Deuteronomy 23:24)."

Elsewhere Nibley explained consecration this way: "Everyone gets what he needs and nobody keeps more than he needs."

If you haven't read his book, Approaching Zion, you are in for a treat.

The Top Ten Principles of the Law of Consecration

   1.  Let every man esteem his brother (and sister) as himself (D&C 38:24).

   2.  Be one, or equal, in temporal blessings; and if we aren't one, we're not God's (D&C 38:27).

   3.  Remember the poor and provide financial support to them (D&C 42:30; D&C 44:6).

   4.  We are stewards over our temporal property, not owners (D&C 42:32; D&C 104:55-56, 70).

   5.  Everyone's needs should be met (D&C 42:31-33; D&C 82:17).

   6.  We should give away our surplus to the poor and needy freely and generously (D&C 42:34, 55; D&C 70:7).

   7.  From the Lord's perspective, the great reason the "world lieth in sin" is because of temporal inequality (D&C 49:20).

   8.  The Lord holds us all accountable for how we use our temporal blessings (D&C 72:3; D&C 104:12-13).

   9.  If we are not equal in earthly things, we cannot be equal in heavenly things (D&C 78:5-6).

   10.  Zion cannot be built except upon the celestial law of consecration (D&C 105:4-5).

The verses I quoted are from the Doctrine and Covenants; I respect the principles contained in the D&C regarding consecration, but I hold no regard for the manner in which the early Church practiced the United Order.

It was an abject failure, and I see no reason to administer finances through the Bishop's Storehouse any more than to deny Blacks the priesthood or to practice polygamy.

What the Church needs is a twenty-first century vision of consecration that is grounded in love ― and not in ecclesiastical authority (which was so often abused).​

"I don't know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream."

   ― Vincent Van Gough

Question:  How much money would it take to build Zion?

Sewers aren't cheap; real estate isn't given away for nothing; temples require cash (the going price for an average temple in 2023 was $70 million).  If we add it all up, how much money would we need to get Zion going?
​
Answer:  Zero dollars.

Surprise!  (What?  Were you expecting $265 billion?)

"Wait, Tim!" someone objects. "The annual cost to run the church's global operations is around $4-6 billion.  So Zion DOES require money.  Lots and lots of it." 

Okay, but I would like to offer an alternative perspective.  Of course we can buy anything in this world with money.  No one is arguing with the fact that you can accomplish a lot of good with money.

And if our goal is to build a first-rate corporate faith-empire, then yes, that's got a hefty price tag attached to it.  Golden calves need to be bankrolled somehow.

But back up.  Are you telling me we need money to build the kingdom of God?  Because if money is what it took to convert the world to Christ, and to live in holiness, wouldn't we have Zion by now?  With a quarter of a trillion dollars, I'd think we would be drinking piña coladas under the shade of the Tree of Life.

But what if, instead, our riches served as a detriment, and in fact kept us from doing God's work because we were so busy managing Mammon's work?

Guess who has ZERO MONEY.

   Little children.

Let that sink it: a little child has Zero Net Worth.  No one mentions this aspect of little children ― their total financial insolvency ― when we quote the Savior's words:

   Except ye . . . become
   as little children,
   ye shall not enter
   into the kingdom of heaven.

(Matt. 18:3)

See the irony?  No one wants to become like little children financially.  Are we crazy?  That's why we lug around wallets in our diapers and suck on silver spoons and platinum pacifiers.  "This baby ain't broke, no sir."

Here is a mystery, then: how do little children survive without money?  Is it even possible for the children of the Kingdom to bring about Zion if they're penniless?  What, God doesn't want Zion to resemble a tent city (Isa. 54:2) or a refugee camp (Psalm 146:9), does He?

Ask yourself: how do children afford bubble gum and baseball cards at the grocery store?  Who drives them to little league practice and buys them Cracker Jacks?  No four-year-old is given a Mastercard.

The only way little children are able to accomplish anything is through their Parents.

"Check, Please"

"Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it."

   ― Vincent Van Gough

As I've studied the history of the Restoration, I am struck, foremost, by its covetousness.  Our forbearers were filled with faith and with the desire for their faith to bring them prosperity.  We descend from a long line of wealth-seekers.

But there was an obstacle that stood in our way: Christ's gospel.  And so we were required to develop a sophisticated theology to justify our covetousness, and make it appear holy.

If ever there were a people who wished to prove the exception to the rule by officiating between God and Mammon, driving their camel pell-mell through the eye of the needle, it was the Latter-day Saints. 

Joseph Smith started out with Josiah Stowell in search of Spanish gold, and so it has gone ever since, with members carrying their scriptures alongside the spirit of speculation, buying up real estate in Commerce, Illinois (thanks, Mr. Hotchkiss) while singing Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise, hoping to have the Spirit of God guide us to Zion by way of financial success and security.  Which is why, of course, we have never arrived.
​
   Lay not up for yourselves
   treasures upon earth . . .
   for where your treasure is,
   there will your heart be also.

(Matt. 6:19, 21)

Have you read The Book of the Law of the Lord, 1841-1845?  "Received of Sally Ferrin 1 pairs of Socks.  $0.37 1/2" (page 71).

At first it seems noble, how the saints donated their possessions and surplus property.  A sign of sacrifice, right?  Surely they were living the Law of Consecration.  But their hearts fell short, for did you notice those socks were valued at 37-and-a-half cents?  How very American of them, and us, attaching a price to everything ― even our devotion, as if faith required recognition and receipts.

The great symbol of our faith, over time, became the idol of Tithing Settlement (now Tithing Declaration), which stands for the proposition that God is a transactional Being who counts the hairs on our head as would a bean counter, a divine keeper of debts rather than the Payer of them.

Thus we've witnessed the way the Restoration has, from the very start, danced to Mammon's Mariachi music, a gnarly tango between the Kirtland Safety Society and harvesting sugar beets in order to pay the Eastern banking syndicate.

Somehow we have not learned this one lesson, that the Church cannot serve God and Mammon.

(Well, to be fair, the Church did divest its stock holdings in the Philip and Morris tobacco company in 2010.)

Interlude: Shearing Sheep

​​"I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things."

​   ― Vincent Van Gough

Growing up we raised sheep on a little farm.  In the springtime we hired a professional shearer to remove the wool from the flock, so they wouldn't overheat during the hot summer months in Northern California.

I've seen shearers use motorized blades, but for the most part I recall them using handheld shears (they look like big scissors).

Wool, when it comes off the back of a sheep, is not clean; it is full of dirt and poo and weeds.  If you've ever handled raw wool, you'll know how greasy it is.  The fat is called lanolin; it feels waxy.

So before you can spin the wool into yarn, you have to wash it.

Our hearts need to be washed in order to strip away the "jealousies and fears" (D&C 67:10) and "covetous desires" (D&C 101:6) that stand between us and Enoch's people.

In my poem Lanolin, I describe the washing of wool as a metaphor for the work that lies before us.  Christ was the Lamb of God; where is His wool?  We desperately need His healing lanolin.

Lanolin
a poem

   Who collects lanolin
from sheep sheared
   for market
 
   washing viscous wax
from fouled wool
   sitting on wooden stools
 
   and wondering why
water flows to positive
   and negative ends
 
   while oil balances
between cloven hooves?
   Wondering is an ache
 
   settled deep in their hips.
They search for the words
   in lathered soap―
 
   words to enchant
the wet wool lying limp
   against the side of the metal tub.
 
   How does one emulsify
past and future?
   Grief exists only now

   as a fleece, a blindfold
for seeing what others cannot
   with their unsoiled truth.
 
   Questions remain enough:
answers are never whole.
   Knowing is a thimble
 
   to yearning faith
needling
   the soul.

Knights of the Kingdom

"I dream my painting and I paint my dream."

​ ― Vincent Van Gough

If we trusted the Shepherd, we wouldn't place faith in our storehouses.  The Savior said:
  
   Take heed, and beware
   of covetousness:
   for a man's life
   consisteth not 
   in the abundance of things
   he possesseth.

(Luke 12:15)

Covetousness is writ large across our faith, as seen in the height of our temple steeples and SEC filings; we see covetousness in the way tithing takes the widow's mite in order to build bigger barns (Luke 12:16-20).

Bigger and bigger, never sated, our faith consumes in a truly American fashion, the home of "Super Size Me."

As a student at BYU, I spent time in Special Collections with the Jesse Knight Papers (I was a history major). Jesse Knight was a successful businessman, the silver mining magnate of Tintic fame whose riches bailed the Church out of financial hardship in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

I read Jesse Knight's three patriarchal blessings and his correspondence with President Heber J. Grant (another businessman), being extolled for his wealth and the good he did with it.

Jesse Knight claimed an angel appeared to him in a dream as he napped one day under the shade of a tree near Payson, Utah, searching for treasure in the Tintic hills.  He was shown in vision where to dig (wouldn't that be nice to have angels lead us to the motherlode ― or at least give us some good stock tips!).

Lo-and-behold, Brother Knight struck it rich.  In 1896 he staked a claim to the Humbug mine, which raked in $13 million worth of silver and lead (about $450 million in today's dollars).  He was the J. Willard Marriott of his day.

Thanks to his generous philanthropy, Brother Knight has a building named after him at BYU; he believed his millions were a gift from God, given to him "for the purpose of doing good and building up His church."

We see this same attitude today among those who dream of becoming successful in order to contribute to and serve the Church.

This is the spirit of covetousness the Church fosters; it is wrapped in holiness; for wasn't Abraham rich?  Can't we all do a lot more good if we were, too?

The Church's culture of success is reflected in the people it promotes to positions of leadership.  I was reading the Church News a while back and was struck by the number of Stake Presidents who were successful CEOs.  The following list is from a SINGLE Church News, dated 10 December 2023 of newly called leaders:

Capistrano Valley California Stake

   - Robert Austin, President and CEO of Advanced Civil Group
   - David Sedgwick, CEO of CareTrust REIT
   - Nathan Carlson, Executive Vice-President of The Wolff Co.

Chino California Stake

   - Bryan Tanner, Healthcare Executive
   - George Mautz, Managing Director of Alterdomus
   - Joshua Dalton, Director of PwC

Highland Utah Stake

   - Steven Norton, Chairman and founder of ASEA
   - Todd Gurney, President of Gurney & Assoc. Real Estate Appraisers
   - Bryan Durfey, Owner, Jostens

Kaysville Utah Deseret Mill Stake

   - Sean Morrison, Vice-President of Mountain America Credit Union
   - Tyler Christiansen, Assistant Secretary to the Twelve Apostles
   - Stephen Lindsey, Managing Partner, Mountain West Container Services

San Clemente California Stake

   - Robert Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hoag Memorial Hospital
   - Ronald Darby, CEO of MessagePay
   - Steven Davis, Radiation oncologist

Taylorsville Utah YSA Stake

   - John Huber, Shareholder at Greenberg Traurig LLP
   - Donald Williams, President of Unlimited Designs
   - John Hall, Vice-President of Fidelity Investments

This small sampling illustrates an important fact about what we value as a people; it shows that, in terms of building the kingdom, we honor those who can make money.

For money allows us the luxury of sailing the seas of mortality without God's spiritual gifts (which provide the divine wind in our sails).  Who needs sails, if we can run on internal combustion engines?

And isn't wind unpredictable?  Waiting around for a favorable wind is such a hassle (John 3:8).  Better to rely upon the dependable engines of our yacht.  Don't want to be late for our dinner reservations.

"More gravy, please!"

On Sunday, October 24, 2021, I was fired from teaching at Church.

Not disciplinarily ― nothing so formal; I was released because I had fallen out-of-favor with those in charge for the things I had taught during my lessons.

Since then I haven't been asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting or to teach a lesson (although, to be technical, I've substituted in Primary a few times; my youngest is 8 and I love to regale the kids with Bible stories ― you should see my Goliath impression).

Don't feel sorry for me because (spoiler alert) my story has a happy ending (and, thanks to God, always will; which is one reason we can accept disappointment without becoming bitter).

The wheel turns, and turns again.  What was lost shall be restored; and what is gained shall be given away.  Such is the order of things.  I am grateful my journey has led me here, and yours, too.

Back in 2021 I was serving in the Elders Quorum as an Instructor.  I erred in being a bit too liberal in my sentiments; at times I was too candid in my observations to be considered mainstream or "in line."

As Walt Whitman said:

"I know I am restless, and make others so / For I confront peace, security, and all the settled laws, to unsettle them."

Back in 2021 I was like a newborn foal trying its legs, still learning to walk the tightrope that comes with being 'a voice in the wilderness.'  I had this desire to warn my neighbors, but how to do that without becoming an annoyance?  Occasionally I pushed too hard, too focused on my point rather than on my listeners, and I fell off the rope in my zeal (thank goodness for the Lord's safety nets of grace.  And do-overs).

Preaching the gospel has always been something of a passion of mine.  For me, a life without teaching the word of God would be like serving mashed potatoes without gravy: dry and boring.  "More gravy, please!"

On that fateful Sabbath afternoon, I received a visit from the Elder's Quorum President, just hours after I had taught my last lesson.  Fittingly, knowing what was coming (I had been apprised of the situation by a friend in leadership), I chose to teach my final message on the Atonement of Jesus Christ (might as well go out with a bang ― after all, knowing my pink slip was coming, what could they do, release me twice?).

I opened the door and warmly shook the hand of my then-EQ President.  I know better than to burn bridges; I salt no earth.  I had prepared myself, emotionally, to bow before my fate as the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi had theirs (Alma 24:21).

I welcomed the EQ President into my living room, grateful he had come in person to deliver the news rather than sending a text (the coup de grace deserves a personal touch).  We sat next to my piano (which I play poorly).  I remember wearing shorts and a t-shirt, feeling underdressed, the way we often do for occasions that become significant in hindsight.
 
The EQ President was very polite and diplomatic, and let me know they had called someone to replace me.  Had I not been informed of the backroom discussions going on about me, I would have been none-the-wiser.

I thanked him and we embraced.  It was done; that concluded my twenty-plus-years as an instructor in the Church ― which had started as a 19-year old missionary, so idealistic and hopeful, serving in Melun, France. ("Je vis une lumiere plus brillante que le soleil desendre peu a peu jusqu'a tombe sur moi.")

As I like to say, life rarely travels as the crow flies.  That’s part of the fun: all the twists and blown tires on the freeway of life, and the unexpected moments of grace.

But if my experience has taught me anything, it is the straight and narrow road is rife with potholes.  At some point our motor vehicles overheat and won't go any further, the engines on fire, with steam pouring beneath the hood.  We have to leave our cars by the wayside and walk the remainder of the way.

It is only when we get out of our cars that we encounter other travelers on the path, equally weary and windswept and sunburned, carrying gas cans in hand ― and then we realize we don't need those gas cans after all; for in the end, it was never about the path, but the company.

The Lesson I Never Had a Chance to Teach

Hosea was a minor prophet with major truth-bombs.  He reframed Israel's relationship with the Lord as that of man-and-wife (gotta love Gomer).

Jesus Himself quoted Hosea in Luke 23:30; many of the patterns we observe in ancient Israel are repeating themselves.  I want to draw your attention to Hosea's words about the temple, found in Hosea Chapter 8:1-14.

"Set the trumpet to thy mouth."

The Lord is telling His prophet, Hosea, to raise a trumpet, which is significant; trumpets are loud; they carry over large distances.  This is God's way of saying to Hosea, "Don't be timid, it's time to broadcast my word on the 10 o'clock news."  Trumpets represent God's "public-facing" word, His voice unto all peoples.

And boy, does God have a message for Israel!

"He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord."

Waaaaait a minute.  God compares himself to an eagle; eagles are fierce and fearsome creatures; this is no Dove.  We're talking sharp beaks and razor claws: which God shall turn towards . . . His house?  Why?

Why would God be against the house of the Lord?

"Because they [his people] have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law."

Look!  The eagle is circling, above us, even now.  Watch its slow descent just before the dive.

"Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee."

I love the people's response; Israel's reaction to the Eagle circling above is not to repent, but to cry, "Hey, Lord, it's us, your people!" waving their arms, confused.  "Why are you unhappy with us, when we're dutiful, temple-attending, church-going folk, who study the words of the prophet and go to seminary and pay tithing?  Don't you recognize us and our covenants?"

"Israel hath cast off the thing that is good"

This is important: what is "good"?  What has Israel cast off?  Well, it must be referring to God (who is the only "good" thing I know).

Instead of being draped in God's garments, Israel has dressed herself in another's garb; her garments smell of her paramour's perfume, and stinks.

Who is Israel's new beau that has replaced God in the bedchamber?

"They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not"

Ah, yes, we have courted and consorted with spiritual pontiffs and presidents; our popes and prophets.

Instead of faithfulness to our Betrothed (Christ), we have assembled ourselves in a Harem of Honey-Lipped Pretenders, a polygamy of priests.

"Of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off."

You see, infidelity is about so much more than sex: we have surrendered our virtue on beds of ivory; with gold and silver we have sold our birthright for temples that lack the Spirit of Him who is our Husbandman.

"Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off"

The calf, of course, is referring to the golden calf that Israel is famous for.  Samaria refers to those who trust in the flesh, and are now betrayed by it.  We are "cast off" the heifer's hind-end.

"Mine anger is kindled against them ...
for from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God"

What God is saying through Hosea is that Israel's temples, you see, have become a calf; an idol.  God points to the workmanship of our hands, the marble and stained glass and crystals and gold leaf, and says, "That is of men, and not of me."

This is why the martyr Stephen was able to declare to his Jewish brothers:

   And they made a calf
   in those days,
   and offered sacrifice
   unto the idol,
   and rejoiced in the works
   of their own hands.

   Howbeit the most High
   dwelleth not in temples
   made with hands.

(Acts 7: 41, 48)
   
What is the result of God's people trusting in their temples and in their own workmanship?

"Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel.... [For] Ephraim hath hired lovers."

The effect of a temple-theology is more insidious than we think: it results in the Lord's people being diluted among the nations, until they resemble them so well we can't tell them apart from the Gentiles.  This is ironic because it shows, over time, temples become a sign not of our peculiarness, but our worldliness.

"But the Lord accepteth them not"

Yikes!  What is the cause of the Lord's rejection?  This is truly awful; what is the precipitating cause for the Lord unfriending His people, and "accepting them" no more?  Look:

"For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples."

That is the reason, believe it or not.  The triggering event for the Eagle's dive is when Israel makes the temple their God.

Hitchhiking on the Covenant Path

The first blog I wrote after I was released from my calling was November 1, 2021, the post, "And There Was No Contention In All the Land: Part 9." 

In it, I quoted one of my favorite verses, Alma 1:20, which describes my Pollyannaish vision for believers:

   They did impart
   the word of God,
   one with another,
   without money
   and without price.

(Alma 1:20)

​What strikes me about this verse is the way it connects God's word to money.  It makes me wonder if those who share it freely "without money and without price" are the ones God trusts with it.

Does the act of putting covenants behind a paywall deprive us of the word of God?  If that's true, then it has profound implications for the Church.  Today the Church has grown rich, and as a consequence, has become poor.

(Now I think you're seeing why I was fired from my calling.  The one thing the Church doesn't like is when we apply the scriptures, out loud, to our policies and doctrines.)

But you know my heart, and the way I love my brothers and sisters in the Church; I wish for nothing more than for God to deliver us from the pickle we're in, caused by the doctrines and policies of men that place a premium on what God has decreed to be "free" (2 Nephi 2:4).

This was the message of my poem, Sign, which is a dramatization of Alma's confrontation with Korihor, highlighting the cost of religion versus the yoke of the gospel.

I remember composing the poem over several months, while in the midst of a basement remodel, which meant my desk (and all the furniture from the basement) had been crammed into my bedroom, which is on the second story, and in August it gets so hot our air conditioning doesn't have enough oomph to keep the top floor below 80 degrees, and so I was hunched over my keyboard, a sheen of sweat across my brow, trying to get it 'right.'

Korihor, remember, accused Alma of fleecing the flock and profiting from his calling as High Priest.  Alma took the charge seriously; he didn't dismiss the accusations lightly, but confronted them head-on.  Being accused of receiving a stipend for his ministry as High Priest was probably the worst insult Alma could have received.

Alma:

   A price will be paid
   but not by you. To restore
   our perfect frame
   God himself shall burn
   away our shame
   with scalding milk
   and blood-red honey.

Korihor, though, wasn't convinced; he had preached with great success (especially with the ladies, see Alma 30:18), and he projected his own priestcraft onto Alma (very Freudian).

Korihor:

   You make merchandise
   of the cross. But
   I will believe you
   are one of the humble few
   followers of that Christ
   you say will come
   only on this wise:
   show me a sign.

I tried to capture in poetic fashion the sign that Alma gave Korihor ― the one we always miss.  For some reason, everyone focuses on the fact Korihor was struck dumb.  But that wasn't the main sign Alma gave to Korihor.

Alma:

   Know this:
   the narrow way
   requires no money
   at all to follow Him
   who will be crucified.
   But the cost
   to keep your self-
   righteous pride?
   You will pay
   handsomely
   to enter the wide.

The Covenant Path, as practiced and preached today, resembles the wide way, the broad path that leads to death and hell, because it functions as a Toll Road.  Tying tithing to temple worthiness has turned high priests into highwaymen.

And so Alma gives Korihor the sign of a true messenger from God, even that of a High Priest from the beginning:

   I bear no purse, carry no scrip:
   I hold sacred the sign of my apostleship.

​​      According to the Holy Order
      to which I am called
      I give you this sign:

          As high priest
          I refused to take
          so much as a single
          senine.

A Fine Vintage

An Aesop fable called The Fox and the Grapes tells of a hungry fox who tries to grab some grapes on a high vine, but is unable to reach them.

Disappointed, the fox walks away and remarks, "Oh, those grapes weren't even ripe yet.  I don't need any sour grapes."

This is where the expression "sour grapes" comes from.  I think the moral of the story is that humans are prone to rationalize our shortcomings.

Speaking of shortcomings, there is one food I don't eat (the only one): olives.  Maybe you love them: if so, no need to convert me, because every olive I leave on the table is another you can eat.

I don't subscribe to a Mediterranean diet (unless you consider 'Grease' to be a food group).  But you can actually get by your whole life, just fine, avoiding olives (except on that pesky piece of supreme pizza).

Perhaps this distaste subconsciously contributed to my semi-autobiographical poem, Fig Tree, in which the narrator kneels and cries out, "Lord, see my weakness / my heart is an olive pitted / by your hand, its stone / carried forth with the ark / of testimony."

Spiritually, though, I love olives.  Olive trees represent peace, so it was fitting that the Atonement should be performed in a grove of olives, where Christ brought eternal peace, not through conquest, but through submission.

For it was peace, not war, that was promised at Christ's birth.  Long before the thorns and nails ― before the scourging and tearing of His flesh and before the veil was rent in twain ― there was joy shouted from the heavens by angels singing:

   Glory to God
   in the highest,
   and on earth peace,
   good will toward men.

(Luke 2:14)

Christ conquered death not by fighting against it, but by succumbing to it.

So where has the "good will" gone today?  I've witnessed a growing division among members of the Church, and between members and former members, and between those of different faiths.  Families are broken apart, wards are scraping by, and everywhere I look I find heartache and anger, on all sides.

Instead of faith uniting us, it has become a source of division.  I wonder what can be done.  How can we be reconciled?  Is there no balm in Gilead?  Why aren't we using the Lord's power to heal each other's wounds?  Why, instead of kneeling with the Lord in Gethsemane, are we standing with our swords drawn (John 18:10)?

I'm no medic, but I know something is fundamentally wrong with our view of "reconciliation."  We tend to think it's a matter of the other person coming to their senses and changing.  "Why can't Billy repent?  If he'd just come back to Church we could be friends again."

Christianity has become a cacophony of bruises and swollen black eyes, of severed ears needing reattaching.

Wanted: Peacemakers

Maybe we need fewer pastors and prophets and more peacemakers ― fewer would-be Moseses and Aarons swinging their staffs and rods around like Medieval knights in a Monty Python skit, and more Zipporahs yielding knives of wisdom, carved from olive wood (Exodus 4:24-26).

Jesus said:

   Blessed are the peacemakers:
   for they shall be called
   the children of God.

(Matt. 5:9)

Children of God?  Then why are so many of us wearing corporal badges and adult-sized duty-belts?  Why have so many gone into religious "law" enforcement ― policing correct doctrine and behavior ― rather than pursuing a degree in gospel nursing, caring for the lame little lambs who are limping along the straight and narrow?

Christ was a physician, not a Pharisee; He warned against wolves who would treat the flock like target practice; Christ succored those who had been wounded by wolves' teeth and musket fire: He wiped away the tears and offered water from the well to those we call undeserving; He sat with sinners and smiled upon the broken, even those we shun, supposing they suffer from spiritual leprosy.  But Christ?  He raised them into His embrace, festering-sores-and-all, declaring them to be "whole" (Luke 17:17-19) and "clean" (Mark 1:40-42) whilst the priests saw only uncleanness.

The Church encourages wolfish behavior when it endeavors to protect its borders rather than enlarging them (D&C 82:14) ― when it encourages us to be "defenders of the faith" instead of defenders of the Lord's lambs; when it protects its reputation above protecting flesh-and-blood-and-wool.  That is the faith; that is the body of Christ ― not a pile of Handbooks and procedures and bank accounts.

Objections

"Enough of that namby-pamby talk, Tim," some might say.  "We need to fight for what's right; the Church must uphold good morals in our schools and nation, even if we have to get our hands dirty doing what needs to be done."

So what's the answer?  We're going to imbibe the spirit of mobocracy and call it building the Kingdom?  We're going to keep snapping our fingers like the Sharks and the Jets until the other side is all dead?

   First cast out the beam
   from thine own eye.

(Matt. 7:4)

Why is everyone so upset?  What's really going on?  Because there's a lot of finger-pointing and vitriol and name-calling.  The thing that is surprising, though, is how angry the disciples of Christ are.  I think I know why (luckily I have Nephi on speed-dial):

   For behold, at that day
   shall he [the devil]
   rage in the hearts
   of the children of men.

(2 Nephi 28:20)

I've seen it, even at Church.  I have seen members become angry at those who have sinned, and at sin in general, while Christ is over here in the corner beckoning to us:

   Let not your heart be troubled:
   ye believe in God.

(John 14:1)

Notice the reason we have peace; Jesus says it is because we "believe in God."

So why is our belief in God so often expressed as anger towards those we think are sinning, when Christ's own reaction to sin was not anger, but compassion?

"Tim, you just don't get it.  We've got to stand up against Satan's lies; God expects us to fight for righteousness in a dark world."

   But I say unto you,
   That ye resist not evil.

(Matt. 5:39)

"Stop quoting the scriptures out of context, Tim.  Start looking at what our children are being taught in schools; they're being taught to accept sin.  Good is being called evil and evil good.  Do you want us to lose the culture war?  BYU needs more than muskets; it needs machine guns!"

Who said we're at war?  We're told in Church that the War in Heaven continues here on earth.  But why?  I thought Jesus overcame death and hell.  So what are all these soldiers doing?

Will the war ever end?  Long after Satan has been banished with his hordes and vanquished to the Place That Shall Not Be Named, then what?  What are we going to do with all these soldiers?

It has been said, "Mass movements can rise and spread without a God, but never without belief in a devil."  You know, don't you, that the wolves stay in business by riling up the herd, getting us to be angry with the "other" guys who (we're told) are ruining things?

Be watchful of those who cast sinners as the adversary, the villains, the boogeymen ― for that is not the Spirit of Jesus, but of Satan.  Those that preach prejudice are like Amalickiah who incited the Lamanites against the Nephites, getting men atop towers to spew hatred toward the Nephites to inspire the hearts of the Lamanites to war (Alma 48:1-2).

Ah, now we have someone to contend with!  We get such a dopamine rush from it.  Thank God for a devil, is that our motto?

I wish I could mediate between these opposing camps ― between the Israelites and the Philistines (for I consider myself both) ― and remind everyone of Christ's First Rule, which was to love our neighbors and our enemies.  Truce.

   I say unto you,
   Love your enemies,
   bless them that curse you,
   do good to them that hate you,
   and pray for them
   which despitefully use you,
   and persecute you;
   That ye may be
   the children of your Father
   which is in heaven.

(Matt. 5:44-45)

"No Tim, no.  Not until all of our public restrooms are safe.  Until then, stop this business about mother hens and nursing children and the dove-talk.  Instead of healing in His wings, give us missiles for wingtips.  Let us bring the might of God's military-industrial-complex to bear on them sons-of-Ba'al.  Let us follow not a Lamb, but a Ram whose horns shall grind the rebellious to powder.  Where has that Old Testament God gone?  Bring Him back.  He knew how to handle the Canaanites once and for all.  Let heaven rain down fire upon the ungodly.  Give us some old-fashioned brimstone upon the hills of Idumea; let us watch Sodom's sands burn until the desert turns to glass."

Wow.  See?  The wolves are hungry.  Do you sense the power and energy of contention?  Is it any wonder the Church is in a world of hurt?

"Woe be unto the shepherds of Israel"

The wolves are sharpening their teeth in the name of righteousness; that's what scares me.  No one is more dangerous than he who believes he is on God's errand while setting flame to Satan's dynamite.

The wolves have donned the sheep's wool, cloaking themselves in zealousness for God, to defend the Church against feminists and intellectuals and homosexuals, for starters.

I would think the greatest dangers to the Church came not from drag queens and democrats, but wolves.

For it was to the wolves the Lord said, "Woe be to the shepherds of Israel" (Ezekiel 34:2).  What did the wolf-shepherds do to grieve the Lord?  Ezekiel lays out the charges like a legal indictment; and nowhere in the charges do we find anything about feminists, homosexuals, or intellectuals.

In a single verse Ezekiel described the most pressing issues we're facing today (Ezekiel 34:4):

   1.  The diseased have ye not strengthened

How do we strengthen the diseased?  By telling them to stop being diseased?  "Your cancer is not welcome here; come back when it goes into remission."

How ironic the Church calls itself a hospital and yet admits only healthy individuals. 

   2.  Neither have ye healed that which is sick

Could we please, at a minimum, stop labeling people "sick" who are not ill, and start treating the actual causes for our symptoms?  And then, would it be too much to ask to stop disseminating Snake Oil?  (Yes, for you readers who are keeping score, you can check the bingo-square of "carnal security" under the heading Snake Oil.)

   3.  Neither have ye bound up that which was broken

This reminds me of the Savior's parable of the good Samaritan.  The priest and Levite considered themselves to be holy men of God, holders of His law and priesthood, to thereby excuse themselves, and neglected the very fellow who had fallen into the gutter, who desperately needed their help (Luke 10:29-37).

   4.  Neither have ye brought again that which was driven away

It doesn't say who "drove" them away; but how tragic is the fact that it is often the shepherds themselves, and their loveless teachings?

   5.  Neither have ye sought that which was lost

It doesn't say how the lambs got lost.  So why do we spend so much time assigning blame to the lost, for having gotten themselves lost? 

Shepherd: "When you come to your senses, catch a flight home.  We'll be waiting for you."

Lost sheep: "I don't have money for a flight."

Shepherd: "Then you'll have to walk."

Lost sheep: "There's an ocean between us."

Shepherd: "That's not my problem.  I didn't wander off.  Figure it out."

Lost sheep: "Could you wire me some money for a ticket home?"

Shepherd: "What?  No, no, that gives the wrong impression, it would."

Thus we see the shepherds of Israel standing in the cozy sheepfold with a bullhorn, blasting into the darkness the love of the Stake Presidency: "If you're out there, know, we love you!  Goodnight!"

   6.  But with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.

"Force" is such a strong word.  It connotes violence.  And Ezekiel combines it with "cruelty."  That really speaks to how bad things have gotten; this describes the way the Lord views the "leadership" style of the shepherds in Israel (if you wish to go to the source, read Ezekiel 34 and ask God His opinion on the matter).

Peacemakers, but . . .

The Lord promised to deliver us from the wolves playing-at-shepherds  Look at these promises which God is now fulfilling among us; we are witnessing it:

   I will deliver my flock
   from their mouth,
   that they may not be meat
   for them.

   For thus saith the Lord God,
   Behold, I, even I,
   will both search my sheep,
   and seek them out.

   And I will bring them out
   from the people,
   and gather them
   and will bring them
   to their own land.

And remember those emaciated ewes?  Remember those limp lambs?  Recall how the sheep were starved by their shepherds?  Well, the Lord's gonna fix that:

   I will feed my flock.

(Ezek. 34:10-11, 13, 15)

"Tim," someone says.  "Are you confused?  Addled in the brain?  You began by discussing olive branches and peacemaking, but now you're going after the shepherds of Israel.  Seems a bit contradictory.  What happened to all the kumbaya?"

Excellent question.  As with most things, to every rule there is an exception.  Just as there is one food I don't like, there was one category of people that drew the Lord's ire: the religious leaders who "shut up the kingdom of heaven against men" (Matt. 23:13).

Sinners, publicans and prostitutes didn't faze Jesus in the least; but those who tried to sell access to God?  Those who feasted on, and fleeced, the flock?  Jesus called them "the children of hell" (Matt. 23:15) (not my words).

But to you, my brothers, I say, Peace.  Shalom, sisters.  Let us lay down our weapons and cease contending one with another; let us instead take the fight where it belongs ― to spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).

What weapons do we have?  How shall we defeat falsehood and priestcraft?  We have but one weapon: the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17).

Everything else in the Armor of God is defensive (the helmet, shield, breastplate, and so forth).  But this one thing ― the sword! ― is given to slay error and to sever the power yielded by those who preach it.

And guess what?  The apostle Paul taught that the sword of the Spirit is, in fact, the word of God.

   And take the sword of the Spirit,
   which is the word of God.

(Eph. 6:17)
​
This is the way.  This is how we topple wickedness in high places, by holding fast to God's word.  For what is the word of God?  What is this sword whose hilt is wrapped in swaddling clothes?

   For the word of the Lord
   is truth, and whatsoever is truth
   is light, and whatsoever is light
   is Spirit, even the Spirit
   of Jesus Christ.

(D&C 84:45)

Let us sustain our Leader-in-Chief, even our Captain, who is Christ; and also all who follow Him and His living word.

The Solution to Wickedness in High Places

The shepherds in Israel are kept in power only because the word of God does not yet abide in us as breath itself, the very breath of life, flowing in and out, unceasingly.

In the vacuum nature abhors, we have grown accustomed to relying upon the precepts and commandments of men.

I would refer you to Clark Burt's treatment of this topic, describing the way we mistranslate the language of truth into the tongue of carnal commandments, in "A New Language" (Given By the Finger of God, March 6, 2022).

In it, Clark contrasts the "Language of Tradition" with the "Language of Truth."

   - Follow the prophet vs. Look to the Lord and live

   - The gospel is about our worthiness vs. The gospel is about our unworthiness

   - Be good vs. I am the light that ye shall hold up

   - A gospel of performance vs. a gospel of repentance

   - I know the Church is true vs. I stand as a witness of God in all times and in all places
​
Clark loves to quote from Isaiah (an acquired taste for some), but I have come to appreciate Isaiah's way-with-words.  In fact, Isaiah 5:7 has become one of my favorite verses of scripture.

Thus we return to where we started: with grapes.  Wild grapes, to be precise.  Isaiah uses word play to make a powerful point (and if you haven't noticed, I really love word play).

   And he looked for judgment,
   but behold oppression;
   for righteousness,
   but behold a cry.

(Isaiah 5:7)

Isaiah is describing the "wild grapes" that have sprung up in the Lord's vineyard.

   My wellbeloved hath a vineyard
   in a very fruitful hill:
   he made a winepress therein
   and he looked that it should
   bring forth grapes, but
   it brought forth wild grapes.

(Isaiah 5:1-2)

Picture it: the Master of the vineyard enters the field, stoops down to taste His grapes, ready to harvest them after the long growing season, expecting them to be sweet and delicious, and has got His winepress ready to make a fine vintage ― (for on the outside, the grapes exhibit a rich color and look juicy and perfect) ― but to the Master's dismay, when He samples the grapes He discovers they are "wild"; they are sour and bitter.  As such, they are unsuitable to bottle into wine.

The wild grapes could not be distinguished from the good grapes until He tasted them, because they looked the same.  Watch how Isaiah reinforces this point about the grapes with wordplay:

   And he looked for judgment
   (MISPAT) לְמִשְׁפָּט֙

   but behold oppression
   (MISPAH) מִשְׂפָּ֔ח

These words in Hebrew sound nearly the same; they are just a bit askew, Mispat vs. Mispah.  They represent the grapes hanging side-by-side on the vine like the wheat and tares; you can hardly tell them apart.

   for righteousness
   (DA-QAH) לִצְדָקָ֖ה

   but behold a cry
   (A-QAH) צְעָקָֽה׃

Do you see the bait-and-switch?  Do you see the way we have dressed ourselves in the near-semblance of godliness, but in fact, are sour grapes?

(Now, I don't speak Hebrew and I am embarrassing myself in front of real scholars, but hey, I'm just a guy with an internet connection and Strong's Concordance; maybe one day I'll build a time machine and pop back to Joseph Smith's Hebrew School for the Elders and check my math).

This is how wickedness in high places thrives: by replacing the Lord's sweet grapes with similar-looking sour ones.

This is why, if there is one hard line in the sand that the True Shepherd draws, it is against wolves in sheep's clothing who would supplant Him by promising the sheep figs, and feeding them thistles.

One Big, Happy Fold?

We've discussed aspects of individual faith; but no man (or woman) is an island.  The Lord intends His children to live in communities of charity and consecration.

As social creatures, our destiny is to spend eternity as part of a heavenly society.  We're here to learn how to "get along" with each other.  That's what mortality is primarily for: to be a nursery school where we learn to not pull ponytails and give wedgies.

The difference between Babylon and Zion is that of wolves and lambs.  Wolves hunt in packs and follow an Alpha Male (what we would call the man with the most "keys" ― or in Brigham's case, wives).

Lambs, by contrast, do not hunt.  They do not follow one of their own.  There is no 'head sheep' when a Shepherd leads them.

But let's be real: Christianity is a mess.  The sheep are a mess.  Wolves are everywhere.  We really need that Shepherd!

The history of Christianity has been marred by discord, contention, and unrighteous dominion.  Lots and lots of wolves.  Yes, there have been exceptions, where we find shining examples of Christlike discipleship (looking at you, Francis of Assisi and Mormon and Jean Valjean and Mother Teresa ― and Mom, hi!).

But for the most part, the story of Christianity is one marked by in-fighting, burning of heretics, schisms, accumulation of wealth, political intrigue, and peacocking (and that's just Girls' Camp).

If we take a good-hard-look at our Churches, we'll find they have more in common with the novels of Alexandre Dumas than they do the New Testament.

Imagine how the Lord must feel seeing His legacy ― all the fractured branches of Christianity spitting at each other.  We're like a beautiful stained-glass window that has smashed itself to smithereens.  It's hard to see the original design when we lay in so many pieces.

The vision of the Restoration was to restore the stained glass window to its former glory.  Zion was going to raise an Ensign to the nations, undertaking the reunification of Christianity.  Our blueprint was contained in the Book of Mormon, which promised God would:

   gather his children
   from the four quarters
   of the earth . . . and there
   shall be one fold
   and one shepherd.

(1 Nephi 22:25) 

But our ecumenical dreams were dashed upon the shoals of sectarianism.  One fold?  No way.  Each church boasts a narrative that makes it better than its brothers; each sect feels superior to its sisters.

How will the Lord heal the schisms among His children when every Church is so certain it is the "right" one?

The great irony is that the Restoration was born from a boy's desire to get away from the religious jarrings and warrings of his day ― when now, 200 years later, we have joined the fracas like a Pro WWE Wrestler.

Alas, the Latter-day Saints have become one of the worst offenders: for do we not cite D&C 1 to claim God likes us best, being the "only true and living church" upon the face of the whole earth?  "Body slam, bro!"

Hulk Hogan would be proud.

The Lord's Pattern: Raise Up Prophets in the Land

A reader messaged me recently on Facebook, after reading my post The Last Charge Meeting, and it got me thinking about the wasted potential of this dispensation.

Whatever happened at the Last Charge meeting in 1844 ― and whatever Joseph told the attendees (this was all verbal; there was no bestowal of priesthood authority by the laying on of hands) ― it was all given to the Council of Fifty to whom Joseph was speaking.

Since the Council of 50 went extinct 100 years ago, whatever authority it held from Joseph has long-since vanished from the earth.

So what authority, exactly, do our churches possess today, if any?  Let me suggest an answer that no one seems to like.  Forget about angels for a moment; forget about Peter, James and John and supernatural priesthood rendezvous and back-dated ordinations; forget the narratives we've heard in Church and the apologetics.

Ask yourself: how did Brigham Young and Joseph III (and the leaders of all the other Latter-day branches) obtain their authority?

I have concluded that the church possesses the authority that is derived from the consent of the governed.  And make no mistake, there IS authority found in that ― for common consent IS a just and holy principle for the governance of the kingdom, and God honors the choices we make, even if it turns out badly.

In other words, God grants authority to the Sauls of the world whom the people wanted, even when accompanied by the condemnation of Samuel (1 Sam. 8:10-19).

This is true in the realm of religion as well as politics (and we would be wise to apply Samuel's prophecy to our churches as well as to our nations).

And what did the Lord do during Saul's reign, and David's, and Solomon's, and all of their descendants, down to the present day?  The Lord raised up prophets in the land, like Nathan.  And Ahijah and Iddo (bet you haven't heard of them), and Johnny Appleseed and Emily Dickinson and Charles Spurgeon and Walt Whitman and Confucius and C. S. Lewis and countless others, whom He raised up to help lift our eyes to Him (and when people knew not His name, to resonate with the light within them).

And it's still going on: every generation, one after another, the Lord is the same, yesterday, today and forever.  He continues to call upon us through the mouths of mothers and prophets and poets and madmen who are crazy enough to hope in a better world.

   The Lord doth grant
   unto all nations,
   of their own nation
   and tongue,
   to teach his word, yea,
   in wisdom, all that he seeth fit
   that they should have.

(Alma 29:8)

For God has lambs everywhere, among all peoples, nations, and churches.  His lambs are scattered throughout all of Christendom and beyond.

How will the Lord gather them in one?  And where is He going to gather them to?  There must be "places of safety" (and I am not just talking about geographic refuges, but spiritual ones).

Well, chances are you're thinking, "The Lord will lead those little lambs to [insert your institutional affiliation].  We have the truth!  Olly Olly Oxen Free!"

But what if your [insert institutional affiliation] was not the Ark you think it is?

​Because Nephi plainly taught there will come an end to "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" (1 Nephi 22:23).  This includes, in my opinion, most (if not all) of the institutions we find on earth today.

At the same time, the Lord must make provision for His lambs during the coming floods and famines.  He's not going to leave them high-and-dry.  That is why the Lord is raising up prophets, right now, who are preparing His lambs for what is to come.

(I hear there are a lot of them on YouTube.  Seriously!  I don't watch YouTube much, so I can't say, but I don't doubt it.  To paraphrase William Tyndale, "The TikTok star shall know more of the word of God than the leaders of institutionalized religion.)

God is no respecter of sheep.  He is about to do a marvelous work and a wonder that shall, in particular, see our institutions "brought low in the dust" and be "consumed as stubble" (1 Nephi 22:23).  Those words were spoken directly about our churches.

So the question is: what is the Lord up to?  What is He planning?  And how will His lambs be gathered before the end?  The time is far spent; things are heating up.

The answer, of course, is writ-large across the scriptures so that no one can miss or mistake it; it looms as a bright shining billboard over the straight and narrow way, with blinking neon lights and blaring trumpets.

Simply, the Lord will draw His lambs to the Church of the Lamb (we also call it the Church of the Firstborn, but it doesn't matter what it's called).

This is the main message of Biblical prophecy ― and Book of Mormon prophecy, too, and the Doctrine and Covenants.  God is working, now, among us: He is gathering out from the fields and farms and faiths, into His barn, a motley crew of misfits I call Owls, but He calls Zion.

​But Zion is not a creature of this world; it will descend from above and we shall rise to greet Her (yes, even this ragtag bunch that we are).

Wedding Planner

The Lord's got it all planned.  The Big Day, I mean.  For if there's one thing the Lord knows, it's how to plan (have you heard of the Plan of Salvation?  Plan of Redemption?  Plan of Happiness?  Lots of plans within plans within plans).  He is the ultimate Wedding Planner.

   Blessed are they
   which are called
   unto the marriage supper
   of the Lamb.

(Revelation 19:9)

So let's take a deep breath and remember the Lord is not "winging it."  There's a plan!  But you might be skeptical, from how things are going, and the sketchy-sorts on the invite-list.

In fact, the whole thing is bound to look mighty strange to us.  In the parable of the wedding supper, Jesus explained:

   Go out quickly
   into the streets and lanes
   of the city, and bring in hither
   the poor, and the maimed,
   and the halt, and the blind.

(Luke 14:21)

   1.  Well, right away we're off to a bad start.  The servants (angels) are told to go out among the "streets and lanes of the city" (Luke 14:21).

That is, honestly, the very worst place to go!  it's the last place on earth we'd expect to find respectable religious folk.  After all, who lives in the streets?  Well, the unhoused, the homeless, the outcasts and lepers.

We're talking about the spiritually-unsheltered.  These are they who have not treated with Babylon, who refused the Beast's mark, and who have experienced the "fellowship of His suffering" (Phil. 3:10).

   2.  Now, take a good look them.  Does the guest list include the "saints" we would expect?  Not by my estimation: no, the angels swoop down to the rat-infested squalor of skid row, among the hungry and hallow-boned, searching the alleys for waifs and lost souls who are (shall we put it politely) in rough shape.

These are they whom the Lord loves, and whom He calls to His Wedding.  They are the misfortunate; the misunderstood; those who have been rejected and shunned, as He was.

Look at how the Lord categorizes them:

   a.  The poor
   b.  The maimed
   c.  The halt
   d.  The blind

These are the blemished lambs whom He carries upon His shoulders like VIPs, setting them at His side at the wedding table, in the place of honor.

And what a feast it will be!  Whilst those who were well-fed, who failed to open their doors to the starving and shivering lambs, who ate the fat-offering and persecuted His saints, shall be invited to an altogether different supper that the scriptures call "the Supper of the Great God" (Revelations 19:18).

There is a great contrast between the Wedding Supper of the Lamb and the Supper of the Great God, so it's best not to confuse them; they could not be more different.

The Supper of the Great God is when the angels (the fowls who nested in the mustard bush, Matt. 13:32) now become vultures, carrion birds, who devour the "flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men" (Revelation 19:18).  We're talking Horse-Bridle-Levels of blood (Rev. 14:20).

Who do those peoples represent?

   a. Kings
   b. Captains
   c.  Mighty men

Conflicts of Faith

During the winding up scenes, things are going to get a bit crazy (yes, even more than they currently are).  Faith will help us to not panic when "all things shall be in commotion (D&C 88:91).

As part of this upheaval, we're going to see increasing instances of conflict, especially between our faith in Christ coming into conflict with our faith in the Church.

We've lived in peacetime and have been able to split-the-baby, like King Solomon; we've been able to "render unto Caesar" his coin while remaining faithful to the Lord.  But in the coming days, it may become harder to reconcile the growing disparity between the gospel and the church.

I'm not talking about little quibbles ― not the quirks of church culture that can be chalked up to the foibles of human imperfection, or the indignities of dealing with an untrained ministry.  We can throw a cloak of charity over all that.

No, I'm talking about systemic, structural error ― like when the Church enacts a formal policy that is contrary to the gospel (the 2015 Policy of Exclusion) ― or teaches rubbish that firmly takes root.

It will not be easy, navigating the conflicts that will invariably arise between our conscience and our institutional loyalty.  For my part, I generally try to follow the Savior's (oft-ignored) teaching to "resist not evil" (Matt. 5:39), and not worry too much, knowing the Lord may call upon us in an instant, warning us to "flee out of the land" (Omni 1:12).

For its part, the Church's answer to the growing disaffection has been: "Stay in the boat and hold on!"  That was literally the title of Elder Ballard's talk, and is the sort of rhetoric I grew up with.  I've heard many talks about the importance of remaining "true" to the Church and becoming "converted" ― to the Church.

You can see this in the way the Church measures "conversion"; its metrics are tied to a person's institutional loyalty and activity.

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom said it explicitly in the General Conference talk, "Converted to His Gospel Through His Church" (April 2012) ― the title says it all.

Elder Hallstrom encouraged members to "focus on the ordinances and covenants" administered exclusively by the Church in order to "unite the gospel with the Church" (emphasis added).

But there is a definite hierarchy between the two, and the gospel is on bottom.  This means that, as the Church evolves and changes, so must the gospel with it.

But supposing the gospel to be eternal and unchanging, at what point would a deviation become so serious that we could not tolerate it?

Conversion vs. Faith

At the end of the Savior's life, there was a touching exchange between Him and Simon Peter.  The Lord said, "When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:32).

What did Jesus mean?  Didn't Peter already believe Jesus was the Christ; wasn’t Peter "converted" by the time we reach Luke Chapter 22 ― after his feet had been washed and he had declared his willingness to die for his Lord (Luke 22:33)?  Sounds like Peter was converted to me.  So what's going on?

The context for the Savior's saying is found in the first half of the verse:
 
   But I have prayed for thee,
   that thy faith fail not.

(Luke 22:32)

Ah!  The Lord was talking about faith.  Of course.  This was not about being "converted" to a specific church or creed or institution (at the time, there were none).  Peter's faith was the issue, and always seemed to be a sore spot, the way Jesus kept commenting on it (Matt. 14:31).

The New Living Translation renders this verse differently; it says nothing about being ‘converted’ but uses the word 'repent':
 
   But I have pleaded
   in prayer for you, Simon,
   that your faith should not fail.
   So when you have repented
   and turned to me again,
   strengthen your brothers.

(Luke 22:32, NLT)
 
Not to disappoint all the General Conference talks we've sat through about being "converted," which quote this verse, but the word "converted" is not found in the Greek.

The word is "turned back" (ἐπιστρέψας), epistrepsas, which means to "return."  Christ is literally saying, "When you return to me, help your brothers."  Help them do what?

Well, those who are going through faith crises need our shoulders to lean on; they could use our prayers and encouragement and compassion as they reconstruct their faith.
​
As I've always said, we're not having a crisis of faith, we're experiencing a crisis of love.  The Savior expressed His love to Peter ("I have pleaded in prayer for you"), and He loves us just as much as He does Simon.

I want to suggest in all seriousness that Jesus is praying for you, by name, right now.  Christ's heart is drawn out in prayer continually before His Father in our behalf, pleading our cause and advocating for you and me.  He's truly our Shepherd (D&C 45:3-5).

Why does Christ want us to turn to Him?  He avoids the limelight; He has no ego needing flattering.  It is because He wants us to witness Him praying for us, speaking words of redemption in our behalf, beholding the glory of Him petitioning the Father for us (3 Nephi 19:31-36).  If your faith needs a boost, listen to Jesus pray.  It is the voice of mercy all the day long.

He whispers to us, "My little one, my bowels are moved with compassion because of you.  Listen to Him who calls the stars by name and gives them light to shine upon the world: I am Jesus, the Son of God, and you are my child.  I love you, see the Token?  Who am I?  I am He who pleads your cause before the Father.  You are a precious stone in my crown forever."

I love the symbolism of the crown; it is something that sits on our head, and what better way to represent the fact that we are kept near the Lord’s mind, never far from His thoughts?

This is the crown our Lord wears: not a gentile crown to rule, but a Crown of thorns with which to remember His love for us always.

This is the crown our faith bears.  Not the crown of belonging to the one true Church, but of belonging to the One True God and His Christ.