Why do they do this??

You never know when inspiration for another post will hit, and this one zinged right out of the blue.  

I was preparing a lesson for a church class and decided to include a story about my great, great grandfather, Allen Joseph Stout.  A snapshot of his life is in green, in case you're wondering.  (The rest of my post continues below.)

He lived in the 1800's, and had it rough.  Really rough.  He was only nine when his mother died leaving eight young children who were then shuffled here and there.  Allen and his siblings endured some not-so-pleasant environments.  He also dealt with poor health most of his life.  As an adult, he learned of the newly organized church called the Mormons, and after some months of study, decided to be baptized.  He wrote about restored health immediately upon rising out of the baptismal water,  and was able to serve a brief mission.  

He returned to Nauvoo, Illinois, then the head-quarters for the Church, because he heard that its founder and leader, Joseph Smith, was in danger.  Allen served for a while as Joseph's bodyguard.  He wrote of an interesting experience when he and Joseph were out walking and saw a stranger a short distance down the road.  Joseph told him to wait there and he went on ahead to talk to the stranger.  After a while, Joseph returned, but Allen was upset at himself for letting Joseph go off without his protection.  Joseph reassured him that he was safe.  He said the stranger was John the Revelator, who was blessed by Jesus to remain on the earth until the Second Coming.  (John 21:23)

Joseph eventually was murdered when he was supposed to be in the protective custody of the law.   Allen later went west with the Mormon Saints and was then sent by Brigham Young, the new church leader, to help settle southern Utah, an area nicknamed "Dixie" for its hot and dry weather.  If you study the history of those poor, bedraggled people who first settled what is now the thriving city of St. George, Utah, among them you will find my ancestors.  These courageous people nearly starved, yet gave it their all.  

A temple was eventually built in St. George, and Allen, who was then nearing the end of his life, lived about 39 miles away, and would travel that three-day journey in, I assume, a horse-drawn buggy and spend days in the temple doing by proxy, saving-ordinances for people who died without the chance to do their own.  He wrote about the difficulty of the journey due to age and poor health, then having to walk 12 blocks to and from the temple each day after he got there.  He would stay for weeks, spending every day in the temple, then endure the journey home.  He died leaving a large posterity, including Yours Truly.  And I am honored to be the descendant of this nineteenth-century Job.

  

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So I googled his name for my lesson, and up popped an anti-Mormon site.  I am familiar with online discussion forums, so in I went, curious to see what they had written about him.  

The thread (topic of discussion) opened with something like (paraphrasing) .... No wonder Joseph Smith was assassinated, with such inept bodyguards.  Then ..... get this .... apparently one of my distant cousins, who has dropped out of the Church, piped up with insulting comments about Allen Stout and his family in general.  

In spite of this online conversation being two years old, I spoke up.  

Because I do that.  

"I am descendant of Allen Joseph Stout and don't appreciate your flippant insults regarding my heritage. Such remarks speak of blatant ignorance and if you and I are related, then I am ashamed for you. Allen Joseph Stout was a man of sacrifice, much suffering, dedication and integrity. I am honored to be part of his family. Your attitude, which apparently drove you out of the LDS Church, places you in cynical company, as evidenced here in this forum. You probably don't see it, but your comments are a disgrace and show how far you've fallen. Please excuse my abruptness, but this really pisses me off."  

Yes, I used the P-word.  

I was addressing one of the comments in the thread, but it was then when I saw who had started the thread.  One of our deceased prophets, a Godly man who was revered by millions, is survived by a grandson who decided that the great church and gospel that his grandfather loved and to which he devoted his life, was a fraud and a cult.  This grandson apparently takes great pride tossing his big name around.  I've never met nor encountered him personally, but I had heard of him.  And here we were in this forum, face to face, or rather ... keyboard to keyboard.  

He immediately gave me a hearty welcome before he invited me to read the gossip and twisted historical "facts" concerning that which I hold dear.  He also made it clear exactly WHO had descended down from deity to speak to little me, by promptly stating his name and family ties.  I said:

"I know who you are and am unimpressed. Your grandfather was a great man to say the least, whom I greatly respect and you, most assuredly, broke his heart. You are free, as you well know, to choose your way, but stay away from my ancestors. Do not besmirch the names of those who are not here to defend themselves. I came from people who sacrificed their all, and I am eternally grateful for the blessings I have had every day of my life as a result. My life-long membership in the LDS Church has been the source of every happiness I have ever known and has given me a wonderful life, and I give much credit to people like my great, great, grandfather, for my heritage. I look forward to meeting him and thanking him for his sacrifice and example. You, on the other hand, may have a different experience when you face your own grandfather some day."

I also included some facts about Allen Stout's life and some of his own words from his journal.

Then Mr. Big Name said, 

". . . about Allen J. Stout.

So far, all she (referring to me) has produced has been a smelling-salts woe-is-me Shakesperean-drama death scene, delivered with typical TBM (True Blue Mormon) testimonial passion and fervor--i.e., long on faith, short on facts.

Earth to Kolob Brenda:

This is not a LDS fast-and-testimonial chant-fest. This is the real world.

Deal with the history; dispense with the histrionics.

By the way, my grandfather died of congestive heart failure. There was no broken heart. Thanks for trying."

Then me:

"Oh my goodness. Listen to you! You are really full of yourself, milking fame amongst this embittered crowd with your grandfather's good name. What a tragedy. And to say your grandfather, along with many others of your family, was not saddened and hurt by your choices, is saying he did not care about you. I don't buy it for one minute."

The conversation may seem a little choppy, because I didn't include everything.  Comments were rapidly firing into the thread from different people, but hopefully, you get the gist of it.  

The responses descended into crudeness and profanity after that, from the minions who have nothing better to do than to disparage someone's religion.  And then the thread that had sat dormant for two years, was promptly closed.  Just as well.  

I have been in similar forums defending my faith, but never have I had to defend my own humble, little-known ancestors!  Who ARE these pathetic people who find pleasure in insults and crudity?  Who are these disaffected former members of my faith, who cannot move on?  Who must stay and stir up strife and ill feelings?  Who twist and smear and try to do damage to something that has blessed my life beyond measure?  Why do they do this?   They are free to leave and to live their own lives.  But they don't.  Why is that?  

They cannot see the hatred that shouts from their words.  They cannot see the ugliness in their attitudes.  They justify themselves, thinking they are helping others to leave ...... but to go where?  Into depravity?  Into nothingness?  Into bitterness and contention?  Do they think I'd be tempted to leave that which is uplifting and good and fills my heart with comfort, and be attracted to their behavior?  Really??

It's so profoundly tragic and needless ..... and illogical.   And my heart aches for his grandfather.

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Update:  I looked back at the site.  A new thread is started and now they are going after me, and taunting me to respond.  Nice.  

 Instead, I think I'll go for a run.  

Are YOU on a list?

I don't have a clear grasp yet, on this newest arrival in a growing crowd of government scandals, but as I understand it ... our federal government has been collecting data on our phone calls, credit card usage, and internet surfing.  This mind-boggling-sized cache of info is stored somewhere, and only accessible through a court order.  As dangerous as this world is and the fact that there are nations of brain-washed people who will do anything to kill us, I can understand the necessity of strident security and the need for tools to track and block terrorists.  None of us like removing our shoes and submitting to body scans at the airport, but we see the point.  We want to be safe.  And if ever there is a reason for the existence of a federal government, it is to protect us from foreign threats.

Originally, the Patriot Act, enacted by President Bush after 9/11 and heavily criticized by then-Senator Obama, tapped into phone calls to and from suspect countries in the Middle East.  But somewhere down the line, that surveillance expanded to all calls, including MY calls to my pharmacist, to my mechanic, or to my husband.  And again, I can understand the reason.  I don't like it, but I get it.

I am willing to forfeit some freedom and privacy, in exchange for safety.  But here is the problem ... I must be able to trust the people gathering and holding my personal records.  And on the heels of the IRS scandal, which followed the Benghazi lies, the targeting of the press, added to the overall disingenuousness of the current administration .... what little trust I had, has been snuffed out.  Our president has lied to us.  Now he's asking us to trust him.  Really??

So in my opinion, the problem isn't the intrusion, it's the violation of trust.  My president has twisted the truth, evaded facts, smeared good people and backed bad people, covered his tracks, made secret deals to further his career, broken promises, and lied.  All, while he furrows his brow at us as if it's our fault and scolds us for being so uncooperative.  How do we know that some "obscure government paper-pushers in Cincinnati" won't tap into our calls because our political leanings don't jive with their's?  At which point the POTUS* feigns ignorance, saying, "Golly, I only learned about it on the evening news like the rest of you!"  Yeah, right.

"If you can't trust us, then we're going to have a problem." says Barack Obama.  Well, Mr. President, we already had a problem.  We don't trust the IRS.  We don't trust Eric Holder.  We don't trust Joe Biden, Susan Rice, Lois Lerner, Hilary Clinton, Jay Carney, Harry Reid, and we don't trust you.

For all I know, this little blog of mine possibly has landed ME on some watch-list.  It's a ridiculous thought, since my sphere of influence barely exceeds the walls of my own kitchen.  But nowadays, even the ridiculous is becoming less .... ridiculous.



*President Of The U.S.

Ordination of Women

Some say The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is run by men.  

In truth, it is run by Jesus Christ, under the direction of God the Father, via the Holy Ghost.  

It is not headed by Thomas Monson, nor by any preceding prophet.  Prophets serve as God's mouthpiece to his church and to the world.  (Amos 3:7)  The power by which this church runs is called the priesthood, which is the same power through which God operates.  Men receive the right, or the authority, to use this power, or in other words, act in God's name, in graduating stages beginning at age 12.  Historically, God has given this right only to limited groups and currently it is not given to women. 

But it's important to remember that it does not come from, nor belong to, mortal men.  It is not the power of men.  They can only use it upon strict conditions of worthiness.  If they lose this worthiness, including through unrighteous dominion, they lose their authority.  (D&C 121:37)

This priesthood power is used to administer necessary ordinances for salvation, such as baptism.  It allows that which happens in mortality, to be valid in immortality.  It is also used to give blessings of comfort and healing, available to us through the Lord's Atonement.  (Alma 7: 11-12)   It is not the only access to God's power.  Any and all of us can call upon God through prayer.  He hears ALL sincere prayers and especially, in my opinion, those of a mother.

Gender is part of our eternal identity and God has given each similar and differing roles.   The highest and most far-reaching role was given to .... women.  We can bear children.  This most important function in all of God's infinite realm must be protected and preserved.  Everything else revolves around it!  This world, mortal and immortal, was created through the priesthood to provide for the bearing of children, both spiritually, and physically.  It is the premier ... the highest form of creation that exists.  And God gave that profoundly important assignment to women.  In other words, exalted male deity create worlds, but exalted female deity create the bodies for the souls who rule those worlds.  Therefore, IF a hierarchy exists, women occupy the top.  

God shares his power with men to use as a divine tool to protect and support the creative power given to women.   And as is everything God does, or ever has done, it is all a form of serving us.  Through women, God creates mankind and through men, God serves mankind.  And we all must in turn, assist and support each other in our respective roles of serving, honoring, and obeying the Lord to further his great plan.  

Marriage and family are the God-given avenues in which women are to create.  Families must be protected, preserved, and assisted, and again, this responsibility falls heavily upon men.  Both husband and wife, father and mother, support each other and lead the family equally, but in their different roles.  And I do not mean laundry or lawn-mowing.  

Some people think it's time that women are ordained to receive the priesthood just as men are, and until this becomes part of our doctrine, women are short-changed or under-valued.  I disagree.  And since I am an LDS woman, I also claim the right to express my opinion.  Only if and when God wants this to happen, will it happen.  And if so, God will reveal it to his prophet.  It is our responsibility to remain humble, worthy, and open, for whatever God has planned for us.  And I suspect that he has much more in store for us than we realize.

Something to consider:  It could be that women are not currently ordained with priesthood power so to strengthen marriages and in turn, families.  If men and women were given identical roles, then they no longer need each other to become one, because they would be so ... in and of themselves.  (Matthew 19:5)  It is not God's plan to be alone.  Just as we are each given different spiritual strengths and gifts to edify and share with others to complete the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12: 7-14), a husband and wife are given different roles so that they can compliment and cleave to each other to then become one whole perfect unit. "... neither is the man without the woman, neither the women without the man, in the Lord."  (1 Cor. 11:11)  ....... Therefore, his priesthood is her priesthood.  

For women who cannot bear children, remember Abraham's wife Sarah who gave birth long after her "child-bearing years" and long after she, herself, thought possible.  This mortal life is just a sliver of all eternity, and every worthy woman will eventually experience her divine creative privilege.  If not in this life, then in the next.  And how this will be done, I don't know.  We also ALL have the same promise regarding marriage.  No blessings will be denied to anyone who faithfully does his/her best to obey God's commandments which exist for our benefit.  Anything we ultimately lose, will only be that which we willfully reject.  

Satan's influence has cheapened the sacred creative process through disregard for chastity, absent fathers, tampering with God's definition of marriage, and anything that weakens families.  And the claim that women are "second class" in this great church of God, is wrong.  In my opinion, these are also Satan's whisperings to lessen the value of the pinnacle creative power entrusted to women, and to pridefully place one's own wisdom above God's.     

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The LDS Church's Proclamation to the Family:    https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation