Thursday, October 27, 2016

JRClark and Mormon Truth

 

If we have truth, [it] cannot be harmed by investigation. If we have not truth, it ought to be harmed.

J. Reuben Clark
J. Reuben Clark: The Church Years. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1983, p. 24

Investigate the church, we invite the world (non-members) to investigate our claims. Those who are learning and considering joining the church are even called “investigators”, like they are a detective or sorts. We present only faith promoting stories and rumors as the true narrative and then use elevated emotion to receive a firm commitment to join the fold. Missionaries are trained in the best ways to ensure solid commitments with things like the “commitment pattern”.

Put J Reuben Clark next to President Oaks, who says when we are troubled by something in church history, that “research is not the answer“. Do not investigate further, we have to assume that he says this because he knows where the research will lead us to conclude.

However, deeper investigation is frowned upon. Reading anything that is not the official faith promoting narrative of the church is considered dangerous and even dismissed as “anti” literature. Members are told that these things are complicated and hard to understand mysteries of God. The stories are covered up and glossed over. With deeper research, however, it seems that some of the most damning sources are the original sources – especially when comparing the original actual history to the white-washed version we are taught in sunday school, seminary and even institute. Sunday school, understandably, may not be the best place to dive deep into church history academically and should be a place to build faith – it is during church afterall. But, it seems that seminary and institute are meant for that purpose. “Milk before meat”, or is it milk followed by more milk with scraps of meat mixed in.

If we have truth, [it] cannot be harmed by investigation. If we have not truth, it ought to be harmed. – in context

Studying deeply leads us to realize that the church has changed and does change. The doctrines have changed and do change, as often perhaps as our leaders change. Are they “true messengers” from God? Do the stories we are told add up?

Why for example, did none of the sermons and early church leaders talk about the first vision as we do today? It wasn’t even mentioned in the church for decades. Brigham Young, John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff all either didn’t know about what is considered today the central story of Mormonism, or they understood it completely different. Today though, this event stands as the founding of the church, and as defending doctrines.

Real Truth Cannot be Harmed by Investigation

Clark proclaims that “there must be no forbidden questions in Mormonism”. Can the truth be harmed by investigation? Harmed may be an awkward word here, but ideally truth is found by investigation. With proper investigation into the church nearly all the truth claims fall apart. With investigation, eyes can be opened and things we thought were true (based on emotion) become less true and even irrelevant myths. Clark even concludes that following his investigations and rationalizations he “would be drowned in a sea of doubt”. All of the confidence of J Reuben Clark’s commitment to rational inquiry in religious matters evaporated.

If we have not truth, ought it to be harmed?

Should the church be harmed because it doesn’t have the truth? Attempting this is a fast road to being dismissed as “anti”. It is in fact anti to attempt to harm the church, no? Is there another option? The narrative is that we can’t leave and leave the church alone. This quote promotes that narrative and turns those who do investigate into easily dismissed anti-mormons with an “agenda” or an “axe to grind”.

Just leaving is an option, but we are so enmeshed with the culture that a clean break is not very practical usually. We also care for family and friends who, even though they are happy, are believing the myth and drinking the Kool aid. There is a real desire to help them, but they can’t see something that they won’t look at, especially when looking is discouraged from on high in their current belief system.

Investigation and research does not usually end up reinforcing faith, but leads to a crumbling. Does the church withstand the investigation? Being true, it should withstand and even stand unsoiled in all investigations. Understandably, faith is required sometimes, but it seems that faith is the answer in every single case! Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, not to to hope to unsee or hide things or to believe things that after researching do not make any sense.

This doesn’t sound like a plea to leave the church alone. If the truthfulness of the church crumbles then, what should we do about it?

Democracy is dependant upon multiple factors if it is to be effective and lead to

the calm and free life its citizens have in mind when they think about their

freedom, personal lives, and opportunities. 

It cannot function in the absence of some factors-- at the very least it will distort,

and become less effective and more likely to tilt in favor of one group or another.



Of all the necessary factors, it seems there are three MOST important are:

1.  An educated population

2.  A responsible population

3.  A respectful population

If any of these are lacking, the freedom democracy is designed to provide will

deteriorate. 

Today, we are suffering some serious issues within our democratic nation

because of lack in each of these three areas.  They are not lacking in everyone,

probably not even in MOST people, but their lack makes itself known in every

area where it is significant. 

Of the three factors, education is probably by far the most important.  Educated

people are more able to be responsible, and more likely to be respectful because

of their awareness of the needs and experiences of others, and because they

have learned, through education, to problem solve and see different ways of

looking at life.  Thus, they are more able to cooperate and work with others to

find the best result when faced with a complicated problem.  Furthermore,

educated people are able to see when things are not going in a positive direction,

and are more likely to sound the alarm when things begin to go awry.  If a person

has no knowledge that a certain way of living didn't work in the past, what would

make them hesitate to try it again?  If, on the other hand, through education they

have learned the downside of some patterns of living, they would be more likely

to say "wait a minute, let's consider some other options before we dive into this

way of living and interacting". 

Currently, we have a dearth of education in our country-- not because most

people choose to be uneducated, but because education has become less and

less available on many levels.  Often, schools are filled with bullies and

uncivilized people who intimidate other students and make it difficult or

impossible for them to do well and find the talents they would discover in a more

positive school environment.  An offshoot of this issue is that many children learn

to hate school and dont want to pursue higher education.  Another is that many

parents try home schooling, and limit the exposure of their children, not only to

other children, but also to information that might round out their education.  They

tend instead to reinforce dogmas they have adopted in their lives, but which give

their children no educational benefits.  After all, education is designed to broaden

the lives of a child, not just reinforce whatever biases the parents have

developed over the years.  Often these biases are the result of fears that haven&t

been addressed; bad information they received either as adults, or children; or

just a bad attitude that will add no dimension of maturity or problem solving to the

childs life.  In any case, it appears that children who are educated at home have

a more difficult time interacting with others as adults, so this makes it more

difficult for them to participate in cooperative problem solving than they might

have been had they interacted with a variety of ideas and personalities

throughout their early school years.

Furthermore, we tend to let education go when we become adults, finding it too

difficult to keep up with the things that really matter in this information age

where we are bombarded with facts that have no bearing on our lives in equal

measure with those that make all the difference. 

And often, students who would dearly love to go to college are denied the

opportunity due to the extremely high costs involved, and a lack of confidence

that the years of schooling they are paying for will lead to years of productive,

money-making opportunities.  Often, people train for a position that pays very

little, or that only exists for a few years.  This is discouraging to those who are

deciding how much money and effort they should put into an education. So the

idea of education becomes one of luxury rather than necessity.  And perhaps

education WON'T make getting a job easier, or more likely; but it WILL ALWAYS

enlarge the person who is educated and make their lives more productive and

enhance their ability to live effectively in society.

When a person doesnt have an education, including at least some classes

beyond high school, their problem-solving skills can suffer, and this allows them

to sink into a poor me syndrome.  If you cant figure out any way to improve

your life, or make things happen that seem necessary, you can easily get

discouraged and give up.  Right on the heels of this decision comes the desire--

even the need-- to blame someone for the situation.  And of course, the easiest

target is always the government.  Why doesnt the government do more for me?Why doesnt the government do less for these people who get welfare and

assistance all the time?  Etc., etc.  If you are not able to see how to solve a

problem, you will almost ALWAYS blame someone-even if on some level, you

believe it's your fault, you will still blame some one else and wish they would

figure out a better overall situation, thus enhancing your chances for success. 

So the second great requirement for a democracy is the willingness to take

responsibility for yourself and your world.  People who are free can either

contribute or take away from the quality of life for themselves, their families, and

their neighborhoods.  Those who accept this responsibility and act in the best

interests of all of the above enjoy a much different life than those who neglect

their own health or other aspects of their personal lives, neglect their families, or

show no consideration for their neighbors or neighborhoods.  This lack of

responsibility shows up in many forms.  If you expect to be able to do nothing

and have other members of your family or neighborhood take up the slack for

you, while you are able bodied and capable, you are not being responsible.

Those around you become resentful, and difficulties ensue.  If you throw trash

around, believing it is someone else's job to pick it up, you are not being

responsible.  If you believe it is someone else's job to take care of the earth, you

are not being responsible.  And the same goes for the government.  If you

believe it is someone else's job to vote, to study the issues and make informed

decisions about them, and to spread information about what is going on, you are

not being responsible.  What if things don't develop in a way that creates a

positive result for your life?  Can you honestly say you did everything you could

to support the decision that was not made, or do you just complain because

"they" didn't think it through well enough?  If the population is not informed, the

population will be duped by those who have their own agenda.  An informed

population won't let that happen.  Again, education is the key, but education

cannot inform if people do not choose to be informed.  Hopefully, education

encourages people to stay informed, and allows them the tools to do so more

effectively.  And with that knowledge and those tools, blaming someone else for

difficulties becomes less appealing. It can then be seen for what it is: a

roadblock to more positive experiences.

And I am fully aware there is a plethora of misinformation, much of it intentional;

and there is just SO MUCH information that it is difficult to sort through it all.

However, we are in a situation where it is critical to stay informed, and we cannot

let the efforts of those with the power and desire to do so maintain control of the

information we read and consider.  We also cannot allow the opinions of those

who THINK they know what they are talking about override our personal

research and ideas.  Sometimes there are those we can trust, but often, unless

we look at "the facts" on our own, we will not have the information we need to

make a responsible, useful decision.

And the third important component of a democratic society is respect.  Without

respect for other's ideas, needs, and situations, we cannot structure a democracy

that works for everyone.  As it turns out, at the present time, we are in a crisis

with regard to respect.  People are just angry, and want to blame SOMEONE--

ANYONE!!!  But this will only make matters worse.  The less respect we show to

those around us, the greater the likelihood that THEY will become angry and pull

things even further in a different direction.  Respect requires listening, actually

HEARING what other people are saying. As we shout louder and louder at one

another, our ability to hear diminishes proportionately.  Our emotions take over

and we become completely immersed in them, as opposed to engaging in a civil

dialogue with other rational human beings. 

So right now, what do we have?  We have a LARGE percentage of our

population who are less educated than they would like to be, or need to be to act

as effective citizens.  We have too large a percentage of our children who are

home schooled or undereducated in the public and private school system;

making them less capable of thinking outside the scope of their parent's

perspective, and possibly less informed regarding democracy and civil interaction

than they should be.  They also do not interact with others in a way that prepares

them to participate in a healthy democracy.  They can perhaps function in a given

task or profession, possibly; but they are not prepared, typically, for the kind of

interaction that is required to problem solve in a city or even a complex

neighborhood.  And there are many other students who just drop out of school,

either because of financial reasons ( parents working and not supervising their

daily activities could come under this category as well) or emotional reasons- -

(bullying, or drugs, abuses, etc).  And even for students who stay in school,

often, the classes needed to prepare an individual to live in a democracy are not

available to them.  There are few schools still offering debate and "civics"-- a

class that discusses the responsibilities and organization of national and local

government entities, and how they impact our lives.  These classes should be

mandatory for every child to obtain a high school diploma, but many schools

don't even have a teacher who could answer basic questions about these

subjects, let alone teach an interesting and provocative class that would

stimulate students to take an interest in their local and national government

activities. 

This lack of education has caused many people to make the government the

"other".  It's "them", not US!!  But isn’t democracy is "Of the people, By the

people and For the people"? It is not some strange entity that's trying to control

our lives!! It is US making decisions together about how we want life to work--

unless we turn it into something else by ignoring what is happening or abdicating

our responsibility to some one else. 

If the government is “OF the people”, that means it is created by us--WE make

up the laws we want to have govern us-- WE send to congress the people we

believe will represent OUR best interests.  WE watch them, we listen to what

they say, and we demand that they LISTEN TO US!!  We elected them, we have

no voice but theirs in a congressional setting. If they are enacting things that are

NOT in our best interests, we need to speak up, and put them on notice. 

“BY the people” means just that-- we, as individuals, have as much right to an

opinion as anyone else.  We have as much right to run for office as anyone else.

We have has much right to change the laws as anyone else.  ONLY if we pay

attention and act, however, does any of that matter.  NO ONE is going to

force you to be involved, and NO ONE is going to act in your behalf unless they

hear from you. Will you speak up, get involved in good causes and work toward

better understanding, or will you sit back and blame others and become more

and more angry and hateful?

“FOR the people” indicates that what is happening in our government is

supposed to HELP US-- MAKE OUR LIVES BETTER, MAKE OUR COUNTRY A

BEAUTIFUL, LOVELY, SAFE PLACE TO LIVE.  We work together with others

in our neighborhoods, our state, and our nation to make things work for

everyone-- in so much as possible.  But currently, our government, and the

laws WE have allowed to be enacted seem more to support a very FEW people,

than all the people.  It appears we have changed our national focus from being

OF THE  PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE to being OF THE

CORPORATIONS, BY THE CORPORATIONS, AND FOR THE

CORPORATIONS.  There is little in the law that protects me and my family, but

there is a great deal that protects corporations and their right to continue to

control things.  How did this happen?  I am sure there is blame to go around for

everyone, including every one of us who has not kept abreast of the legislation

over the last 20 years, and the slide to the right that has made owning a

corporation an amazing adventure in America, and being an average working

person an increasingly difficult experience with growing insecurity.   But one thing

is clear, we have lost a lot of our power, and we CANNOT GET IT BACK BY

SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE WHO OWN AND LOVE CORPORATIONS, WHO

MAKE MONEY, BY CHEATING OTHER PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR FAIR

SHARE. 

And because government has begun to "tilt" toward one group at the expense of

others, we have come to believe government is not to be trusted.  Instead of

saying, "it's time I took part in the government" many are saying it's time for a

NEW government-- well what does that mean?  If our government was designed

to be “of the people, by the people, and for the people”, how are we going to

come up with a better program?  We probably can't, but we CAN begin to

participate in this government designed to give us a voice,-- to question,

make suggestions, and do a bit of follow up to see what is happening, and

why.  Those who advocate just throwing it all out have given up and want to

blame rather than take responsibility, and become involved.  Obviously, we are

busy, we have a limited amount of time to devote to the governing of our nation,

but we probably have more time for it than we are currently giving, and we waste

that time doing things that don't really matter nearly so much.  It's a matter of

habit, and of pacing ourselves so we can participate without raising our blood

pressure to the boiling point from sheer frustration. 

There are people in our nation today who believe we would be better off with a

"dictator".  They are willing to vote for a "dictator".  Why?  because of the three

things listed in this message. 

1.  Ignorance, or lack of education.  They simply haven't thought enough about

how the government works, and why it currently ISN'T working in their behalf to

know how foolish that would be.  Donald Trump supporters say he will "fix"

everything.  NO ONE CAN FIX EVERYTHING-- except a dictator, and he would

fix everything to suit himself, not the general population.  It would be a matter of

taking the government that is currently being bought by corporations, and giving

it directly to those corporations.  No money would even have to change hands,

and the laws enacted under that system would CERTAINLY not be in the best

interest of the average American citizen. They would ALL support the goals of

the corporations.

2.  Responsibility. We each have issues or situations in our lives we would like to

modify.  There are several ways to go about this.  One is to deny there is a

problem--simply pretend nothing is wrong, that you like your life as it is (battered

wives who believe their husband is just one moment away from reforming, or

young people who pretend they don't care when they are bullied and become

more and more withdrawn, just tuning everyone out. etc., etc.). 

Another is to blame others.  "If only my boss weren't so rude and selfish, I

wouldn't steal the office supplies", “if only the neighborhood were better, I'd clean

up my yard, but what's the point?"  If only my wife took better care of herself, I

wouldn't cheat on her", etc. etc. Each of these leaves a bitter taste in the mouth

and a sense of helplessness that allows the blamer to feel justified in NOT

solving the problem rather than looking for a positive solution.

And the third approach is to say "I am not happy with the current situation.  What

tools and options do I have that I can use to make some changes?"  This is

taking responsibility.  It doesn't change your boss, your neighborhood, or your

spouse, but it does change you, and you begin to see your life in a whole new

light.  What if the universe gave you your particular situation just as a “challenge”

to see what you would do with it?  If you knew that for sure, would you use

drugs?  Cheat on your wife or husband?  Steal from your boss?  Of course you

wouldn't!  You would put on your thinking cap, and look around you at the

endless possibilities that DON’T INVOLVE CRIME and you would find solutions

that made sense and that you could work with to make your life and the world

around you better.  You wouldn’t spend a minute blaming others, but you would

roll up your sleeves and acknowledge that “by cracky”, I’m up to this!!

So long as we look at the government as "the other", the "problem", something to

blame for everything that's wrong with our lives and our society, we will NEVER

be able to improve it-- or ourselves.  We will just get more and more frustrated

and angry and less and less able to think or see solutions that are staring us in

the face.  The people who are the most angry, who are ready to elect a dictator

to change the government are still in the "blaming" mindset that leaves them

feeling helpless, abandoned, and afraid.  Only a millisecond of changed thinking

is required to turn the whole scenario around.  But when you listen, nonstop, to

negative, blaming, hateful rhetoric, you do not think in problem-solving terms.

You do not think about how you can help, how you can change, how you can

contribute to making the world a better place.  And so the anger grows, the fear

grows, the lack of respect grows, and none of these present a positive

opportunity for real change. 

WHEN YOU BLAME, YOU DON'T THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN HELP.  YOU

ONLY THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN GET EVEN, OR BEAT SOMEONE ELSE

OUT OF WHAT YOU PERCEIVE AS THEIR ADVANTAGE OVER YOU.  If we

allow our society to sink into this drivel, we will NOT be a democracy any more.

We will fill our streets and neighborhoods with anarchy, chaos, a police state,

and a dictator of some stripe, who will see to it that we are all treated "equally"--

equally badly.  There is NO PROGRESS in blaming, hating, and looking for some

"savior" to step in and take over.  Whenever democratic people relinquish

individual power and responsibility to a group or another person, the democracy

is over.  It is no longer OF THE PEOPLE, it is of ONE PERSON.   It is no longer

BY THE PEOPLE, it is “by” ONE PERSON.  It is no longer FOR the people, it is

FOR ONE PERSON-- the one person who believes he is the savior, and to whom

foolish people have relinquished their power and free will.  This is NOT

DEMOCRACY AT WORK!  This is a group of frightened, intimidated people

caving in to foolishness because they haven't had the chance to take a civics

class to know how important their good works and thoughtful problem solving are

to making democracy work! Please!! Let’s get people talking, thinking and

problem

solving in ways that can make our country strong and our democracy work for

everyone. Every wobble we experience is brought on by our failure to mutually

accept responsibility for the well being of each member of our society. It is

simply in the best interest of every American citizen that we educate ourselves,

take responsibility for our government by contributing positive ideas and

thoughts, and by respecting the rights and needs of ALL AMERICANS. Listen.

Pay attention, identify fears and care—both about your own fears and the fears

of others! Then let’s put on our thinking caps and work together to create the

democracy we all desire so deeply!! It’s all up to us, and WE CAN DO IT!!