Orthodox members of the Church today often feel anchorless as the Church has changed its message to them. Other members are encouraged because there are no authoritative checks from the pulpit on their social agendas. The Church used to directly address its day's cultural and social ills and influences. Today, it is silent on these issues, except one, religious freedom.
Is the Church's tax-exempt status a muzzle? Or are we going in a different direction?
so I want to talk a little bit about the
messaging from the church and
uh how it's changed quite a bit over the
last several decades uh we used to get
something very clear in terms of the
environment that we lived in the social
and cultural issues that were going on
uh today it's kind of crickets honestly
with that and I'm sure there's good
reasons for it I I support the Brethren
completely uh but I want to talk about a
little bit because it's it can be very
confusing uh to members of the church
and I know that because I get so much
feedback from those members about uh
this messaging that has changed so much
over the last decades now this episode
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okay now back to the messaging you know
it used to be back when I was growing up
and uh afterward as as a young adult um
the church would specifically talk about
social
issues uh the and give warnings right
there was a prophetic warning voice that
would address issues such as things that
were focusing on uh on attacking the
family was it would be big one right so
anything that would attack the family
abortion uh uh the lgbtq agenda um the
feminism even right these things would
all be addressed to one degree or
another and then of course freedom of
religion that's the one thing that we
seem to still address on a regular basis
is freedom of religion but it it's kind
of you kind of imagine some concentric
circles and the the several social
issues are out on these outline
concentric circles they dropped those I
would say sometimes in the '90s to the
2000s and and then they started going
Inward and then dropping other issues uh
further more further into the uh that
are more internal in the concentric
circles a and now all that's left is
that one little sacred area that you
cannot touch and that is religious
freedom and and so they will address
that and they'll talk about that uh
whether it's in general conference or or
elsewhere but outside of that you rarely
rarely hear anything about cultural and
social issues and and things to be
warned about and here's the question I
have why why do you think that is now
there are several people that would say
on all the way on the end of the
spectrum that is preposterous to me
right is that uh well that's because you
know Russell M Nelson and others are not
prophets and and they no longer are able
to see and and distinguish these evils
that are out there I I do not believe
that for a second secondly one of the
things you get is the tax exemption and
that's something that for example with
Paul Mero just on my last episode we
talked about that and uh how that is can
be possibly a real muzzle to the church
and they're not able to talk about these
things and if they're not able to talk
about these things because they're going
to lose the tax exempt status in my mind
that's the worst possible option that is
the worst possible option I'll get back
to that here in just a minute going
beyond that are there other reasons that
you can think of why the church would
not address this another thing that is
brought up is well we just want to focus
on preaching the
gospel and and inviting people to come
with us as we as we just preach about
Christ you know okay there's something
to that I
suppose but
do you think it's important let me get
let me ask you this and we'll talk about
the roles of of these things well what
is the church's role and what is your
role as a parent or
grandparent um is it important for your
kids and
grandkids to understand and be aware of
the social ills that surround them and
if so I believe that's fully true and if
so is it your responsibility to do that
the answer of course that's a rhetorical
question the answer is
yes so then the next question is is that
the responsibility of the
church or do they another thing that
I've thought about is that they're
simply giving all of the responsibility
over to the family and and that they
want none of that responsibility
anymore I I find that a little odd
uh you know I it may be that that is
their strategy I don't fully understand
that they've never talked about that
being the case they've talked about
things like come follow me and centering
your home on Christ and on the gospel
but they sure are kind of uh veiling
that
change if that's the case if that's what
they're trying to do they're not coming
out directly and telling us that and
that is an odd thing and again it used
to be I've said this before it used to
be back in the day they would
always communicate to the members what
was going on what why they're changing
these things why they're talking about
these things this way they don't do that
anymore which is just seems very odd to
me which which unfortunately puts me
more and more into that camp of thinking
well it's the tax exempt status that
they're worried
about
because the problem with not addressing
these issues or at a minimum if they're
not going to address the issues the
social ills of the
day
then you need to tell the members
why why are you not addressing these
things anymore because otherwise members
are like what is going on and they are
right they are that way what is going on
why do we not hear this anymore why do
are we not prom because two things
happen number one Orthodox members of
the church become
confused and they're honestly seems to
be less of an anchor for people in in a
sea of culture and and
society and the reason is is because
when you define something when I Define
the Gospel of Jesus Christ when I talk
about the doctrine of Christ the
restoration of the
Gospel that is only half of a definition
when I'm talking about the positives of
what that
is and what I mean by that is that you
have to Define what it's not and what is
the context of it is like Lehi says in
second Nephi 2 there is opposition in
all things and so you've got to be able
to describe what it's not
you need to say what it is not or you
don't have a full definition you don't
even have a full
invitation because the invitation has to
be out of
something what are you inviting people
out of as you invite them
in that is a powerful message that is a
powerful
invitation that's a full
invitation so
the messaging of the church then is
orthodox members become
unanchored and number two those that are
a lot less Orthodox become a lot more
emboldened in working in that space of
what it's not because the definition of
what is
not the doctrine of Christ of what is
not representative of the church is
never
addressed so there are no checks on
those
things and so you get a much more
emboldened internal right
membership that is focused on things
like hope and change on the gospel and
the covenants hope and change on having
same-sex marriage in the temple hope and
change on women in the priesthood hope
and change on you know whatever it might
be and that seems like a problem to me
now I am not criticizing at all I am not
making any criticisms I am talking about
what is and I don't
think I am going out of bounds anywhere
of what is I don't think I think it's
extremely obvious and I think most of
you the vast majority of you can
identify with what I'm
saying so what is the reasoning behind
it
what what is
happening I go back again to Kor and
neor the problem again is if the
messaging isn't there to put a check on
what the gospel is not what the church
is
not then neor ISM
grows and it's not a matter of cor wh
which is you know an atheistic approach
to life
um honestly a a an extreme
libertarianism that that is where a lot
of the ideologies come from right very
secular ideologies come from right CRT
Marxism feminism all of these things are
rooted back into a very Godless secular
approach and they're
they're they're very influential but
within the
church within the church with belie
leaving members of the church that is my
greatest
concern and and that is about nior and
not not about Kor that is changing the
gospel that is changing Jesus into teddy
bear Jesus that is change trying to
change the Covenant of the of the
temple that is trying to change the
order of the family within the
church right that and still keeping some
type of a framework of the church in
place that's not kahor
all right Kor said that there was no God
he always knew there was but he said
that there was no
God neor simply said there was no Jesus
that's where their change was there was
no Jesus Christ there was no doctrine of
Christ and that is what prevailed in the
church not Kor Kor didn't do squat in
the
church very little neor took over swaths
of of groups of the Nephites right so
why do you think the messaging has
changed what has happened here why are
we in a position where some people feel
a little more
rudderless I I I would say as far as a
response since I don't know the answer
to that I can't say I know the answer to
that but my response is you have your
responsibility those in Salt Lake have
theirs right deal with your respons
responsibility don't lean so far on the
church that you take away your own
responsibility that is not
cool right you are not under the
church the church is under you and what
I mean by that is the the Sabbath was
made for
man man was not made for the
Sabbath and so I'm not saying pull from
the church away from the church you know
nothing like that right you guys know me
I'm a huge supporter
in of of the Church of Jesus Christ of
latterday saints always will
be and a huge supporter of the Brethren
right but make sure you've got the right
context with
this the church is there as a support to
your exaltation and your family's
exaltation that is what it's for it is a
support for you it is a
means for you
you can be a means for the church in its
growth but the church Works to support
you and your family in in a in a
spiritual sense and and that's why I
would think you would need a spiritual
message guiding you through Stormy
Waters that for whatever reason we don't
get
today and I don't know why again I don't
know why I'm just talking about what is
what are your thoughts on this what are
the reasonings behind this is it the tax
exempt status that we're so worried
about as Paul Meo said on my last
episode should we just get rid of it get
it out of the way
concede and be a non stop being a
nonprofit
organization and therefore not worry
about it because if we are doing that
right now the members of the church are
suffering so that we can keep that tax
exempt status in place I would
say
and if they're trying to keep both going
I I I don't
know right I I I just don't know how
that
works but
solution always the
solution work within your own influence
do what you need to do take on your own
responsibility make sure you are
fulfilling that responsib
ibility they can fulfill their
theirs thanks for listening
