CUTTING OUT, REMOVING, SHORTENING and DISCARDING TRUTH

I've spent some much-needed time in the mountains over the past couple of weeks. Despite the challenges we all face in life, I always find comfort in spending time hiking even though I am getting older and have to deal with the pain and sore muscles, I am always in awe of  God's creations.  We are at the cusp of a season change, from summer to Fall. Probably my favorite time of year. This world is a world of change. Nothing remains the same. Either we are gaining more light or we are losing light. I recently read that "One either searches out new truth — finds it, lives it, and thereby becomes restored to truth — or one backs away from it. If one is backing away, losing it, neglecting it, and discarding it, one is in the process of apostasy. With respect to God’s people, apostasy is always marked by a change of ordinances and breaking of the covenant."

Photos taken in July 2024 up Big Cottonwood Canyon

As everyone knows, over the past few years, the LDS Church has undergone numerous change especially to the Temple.  It seems like this is the new normal. Every time I go to the temple there is something that has changed.  Makes me wonder if these changes are driven by convenience, survey results, public opinion, or the needs of the rising generation. For instance, if it were deemed crucial for everyone to read the Book of Mormon for their salvation and we sought to make it easier, would we consider removing entire sections of scripture, such as the war chapters in Alma? Removing almost a quarter of the content without warning or divine revelation would be significant. While one might argue that removing repetitive or contentious passages could be inspired, it raises the question of how we would react if large repetitive sections of the Temple Endowment narrative were removed out. Were they not inspired in the first place? Was there is purposed for the repetition? If it is inspired to do this to the sacred rituals. Why stop there? maybe we could consider removing all repetition and editing things down to only to shortened versions of our scriptures, conference talks and Sunday School lessons. 

"If we fail to keep God’s ordinances exactly as prescribed, 

they are broken and no longer effective."

(Isaiah. 24:5.)

"House is always to be built for His presence. When accepted by Him it must remain exactly as He ordered it, or there are only two results: First, If the ordinances are not kept, He withdraws and the house is no longer His. Men are then free to do what they choose within the temple because God neglects it. The other result is that if the Lord still claims it, then those who offend within His House offend God.

Given the vanity and pride of mankind, it seems unlikely there will ever be people who are willing to strictly observe only what He asks as He asks it. It is a mistake to think we can improve on what He gives us, and yet we do.

When there is a House built for God (New Jerusalem), it will necessarily be through people of restraint, meekness, humility and patience who take no credit and think themselves no better than their fellows. It will be an undertaking requiring a heart like our Lord’s, full of the virtues He displayed. There will need to be a priest, like Moses, who was the meekest of all men. (Num. 12:3.) There will need to be someone, at last, who knows the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the Powers of Heaven, and when the heavens are offended, they withdraw. When withdrawn, other false spirits rush in to please and reassure us in our vanity and pride."