New Order Mormons Choking out the Wheat; D&C 86

The probability of a New Order Mormon (self-described as Finding the Middle Way in Mormonism, http://www.newordermormon.org/) near you, teaching your children to disbelieve the Principles of the Gospel in Primary or other auxilary groups is increasingly real. In case you’re thinking what I was when I first heard of this, no I don’t think the name is a coincidence. Click here for something to ponder.  A New Order Mormon ‘stays in the Church to change the Church’ or because they don’t believe what is taught but find it culturally easier to stay. The following quotation is an entry from the Feminist Mormon Housewives Society. As you read consider the warning and direction in D&C 86:

3…the tares choke the wheat and drive the church into the wilderness.

 4 But behold, in the last days, even now while the Lord is beginning to bring forth the word, and the blade is springing up and is yet tender—

5 Behold, verily I say unto you, the angels are crying unto the Lord day and night, who are ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap down the fields;

 6 But the Lord saith unto them, pluck not up the tares while the blade is yet tender (for verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the wheat also.

7 Therefore, let the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe; then ye shall first gather out the wheat from among the tares, and after the gathering of the wheat, behold and lo, the tares are bound in bundles, and the field remaineth to be burned.

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“So, I have a great success story that may give hope to those in the trenches…I was asked to speak in sacrament meeting on “How I Know That the Gospel is True” and how if you just pray about something then you’ll get an answer (ARGH!!) I spent two rough weeks and a very late night putting together version after version, trying to strike the right balance between subversion and love. I ended up giving a rather ……unconventional talk on how I don’t see black and white anymore; I know that the Church is NOT true, that the Spirit does not always testify of truth, and that we should not say “I know that the Church is true” or at least clarify what we mean by it. I explained that sometimes we focus too much on getting witnesses that this or that is true rather than believing in and talking about Christ and His grace and living by faith.

I used my old job researching cosmic rays and the machinery we used to track them to explain that all the instruments that are supposed to help us draw nearer to God (leaders, scriptures, temples, church, organization, prayer) require an error measurement to account for inaccuracies and uncertainties in the machinery. I said that some of the scriptures were not God’s word (gave examples), that President Brigham Young was flaming crazy and leaders can be wrong (gave examples), and that not all impressions come from the Spirit. I said that the church is not true because the church changes, that we believe that God will yet reveal many great and important things, and that we must be open about these changes: “who knows, maybe women will receive the priesthood or God will reveal more about gender and families than we previously understood. We have to be open about receiving more light or it won’t come.” I was definitely the only woman in the congregation wearing pants.

This is the awesome part, that very morning my bishop asked if I would be the Young Women’s President, so I was sustained as the YW President and then gave this whopper of a talk as the last speaker.

And the stake president was there, and he went straight to me afterwards (I went and sat down with my family) and he told me he loved it, and how it had inspired him. Ten other people came up and said they loved it too, including one of the missionaries. The bishop taught Sunday School and he mentioned my talk several times, particularly how leaders are imperfect. My husband said that in priesthood meeting it was also brought up a couple of times in connection with obedience. YW was awesome and open. Then I went to ward council for the first time (we were not invited when I was a missionary – another good change) and I fully participated.

My first act as Young Women’s President will be to add “and Heavenly Mother” , to the YW theme. “We are daughters of our Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, who love us, and we love Them.” I did it with my Young Women in the Marshall Islands so why stop there?

This is why I must stay in the church, even though some people, policies drive me crazy- (It was much worse growing up in Utah), because I have the capacity to change things that need to change, even if it makes people feel uncomfortable and challenges cultural norms.”

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At the time, years ago, when I read this I was astonished! As I watched family members I knew praise this person’s story online, I emailed several friends in dismay:

“Okay, excuse me for saying but it is not my wish to have the church simply absorbed into the popular culture around it. THIS is why you stay in the church???? To diminish My child’s faith in the prophets and replace it with your own doctrine???

She speaks of FAITH, and has none for prophets called of God to lead her. She in fact mocks them. She speaks of greater light and knowledge while belligerently rejecting what has been given.

This brings out Mama Bear instincts in me. I believe the scriptures. I believe the prophets. Yes even Brigham Young. I believe the Spirit testifies. I believe prayers are answered.

THAT is what I wish my children would hear about when I take them somewhere as simple as ………..church.

Love you all,

Amy”

Some had responded with:

“I don’t think any of her story is true Amy. There is no way, the Stake President came up to her and said he was inspired! There is no way they would let her finish a talk like that at the pulpit….”

or

“I believe it. It is quite common and is part of the growing New Order Mormon culture. I’ve been unpopular in wards for not going along with it and keeping my kids away from classes with such teachers.”

Unpopular is a small price to pay for ensuring our children are not “choked out” by Satan’s doctrines. Joseph Smith said: “We understand that the work of gathering together of the wheat into barns, or garners, is to take place while the tares are being bound over, [in preparation] for the day of burning, that after the day of burnings, the righteous shall shine forth like the sun, in the Kingdom of their Father.” (Teachings, p. 101.)

While it may be easier for a  New Order Mormon to remain secure in callings of teaching in our LDS Churches than one who openly testifies of the principles lived and taught by Joseph Smith the Prophet of this Dispensation, we would be better to choose one side or the other for we know the Lord has stated:

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” (Rev 3:15-16)

May we ever steer toward the barn where the wheat are gathered, and away from Lukewarm doctrine, ~Amy K. Brown