August 17, 2014

Brothers and Sisters,

Greetings! It's time for another postcard. This is my fifth postcard. I've been sending three postcards each year on certain dates. My next postcard is scheduled for three months from now.

I'm still using an old ward address list, so, it's possible you're receiving this, and yet, are not a member of the LDS church. If this is the case, please pardon me.

So, how many of you are familiar with the Golden Rule? Aren't we all?

What if you discovered that the church didn't honor the Golden Rule? What if you felt that you couldn't sustain church leaders, because you couldn't feel good about supporting men who violate this rule? Would you continue to sustain them, anyway?

What if you pleaded with church leaders about your concerns, but they said to you, it's alright, all is well, the church is true, it's alright that we aren't abiding by the Golden Rule, it's in God's plan that we violate this rule, God won't allow the prophet to lead us astray, so even if we're violating the Golden Rule, we haven't been stopped by God, so there's nothing to worry about, you are a member of the true church, and so long as you do as we tell you to do, you will be saved in the Celestial Kingdom?

What if church leaders said this to you? Would you buy into this line of reasoning?

Are you willing to consider that this might be actually happening in the church?

My goal, is to return to church membership, but in order to return, leaders have required that I sustain them, but I won't sustain them, until they obey the Golden Rule.

In all my postcards, I've focused on the principles of a few scriptures. JST Mark 9:40-48 speaks of our need to pluck out leaders, even those ordained to show us light, if we find out that they are transgressors, rather than following them into hell.

So, do I have your attention?

Church leaders are considered, "Judges in Israel," but isn't this very title a violation of the Golden Rule? How many leaders do you know of, in doing their assignment, in judging members, are doing unto members as they would have members do back unto them?

And, what are the ramifications of this?

Now, because you've been so conditioned to accept this as standard operating procedure, you might be blind to its ramifications, which include the rejection of many other church teachings, in addition to being a violation of the Golden Rule.

And, it might even take you out of your comfort zone so much, to consider the ramifications of this, that you might feel inclined threaten me, like the person who wrote me after receiving my last postcard, that if I send them another postcard, they will call the police.

Now, it's not in my nature to refuse such a request, but I did go ahead and send this postcard to this person, and it's my hope that they will actually call the police.

They can discuss with the police how they don't like my exercise of free speech, and I can discuss with them regarding the church's fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress on members.

When the church declares it's a safe place, where the Golden Rule is honored, where those who control will lose their priesthood as stated in D&C 121:34-42, where members aren't required to blindly obey as stated in D&C 50:7-25, and then their disciplinary policy rejects the Golden Rule, establishes control, and includes the requirement of blind obedience, not only is it fraudulent, but it's also abusive.

When church leaders threaten to discipline members, because they won't accept church teaching blindly, even when members have asked questions which aren't being answered, and when that discipline turns into excommunication, it violates everything the church supposedly stands for.

Such threats are not only fraudulent and abusive, but they're criminal, as it's more emotionally abusive to be threatened spiritually, due to eternal ramifications, than if one's physical life were threatened.

Even a few months ago, when I met with Elder Dewsnup and President Bohne in my home, my request for the church to give me an assurance that the church would honor the principles taught in 2 Nephi 32:5, D&C 50:7-25, and JST Mark 9:40-48, was denied by Elder Dewsnup.

Elder Dewsnup explained, that instead of embracing these scriptural teachings, I needed to "subordinate" my thoughts to the thinking of church leaders.

Basically, Elder Dewsnup required that I reject the teachings of the church, including, but not limited to, D&C 121:34-42, 2 Nephi 32:5, Romans 8:14, D&C 50:7-25, and JST Mark 9:40-48, in order to be a member of the church again.

It reminded me of the saying, "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Why did he want to control me, rather than offering to answer any questions I might have, that we might achieve the mutual inspired understanding required of God in D&C 50:7-25?

Have you ever thought about these scriptures, about why they're important? Have you ever noticed that those who love to control, hate these scriptures, and those who hate to control, love these scriptures?

We learn in 2 Nephi 32:5, "if ye will enter in by the way, and received the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do." But, control freaks hate this concept, because they want to show unto you all things what ye should do.

In Romans 8:14 we read, "as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Again, no control freak likes this concept, because they want others to be led by them.

Did you know that it's taken seven years for the church to explain why I was excommunicated? I didn't attend my disciplinary council. I had asked that it be postponed, because I wasn't ready. I was still trying to acquire an enlightened understanding of the position I was questioning.

I was trying to abide by the teachings of D&C 50:7-25. I begged church leaders to work with me, until we achieved the mutual understanding and edification required of God in that passage. Many of my letters to church leaders even ended with the plea, "please, just answer my questions."

But they wouldn't, because President Davies has the mindset that members are to accept church teaching without question, which you can verify by asking him.

When I met with Elder Dewsnug, he explained that my questions weren't answered, because of the way they were asked, because they were challenging? But, is it wrong to ask challenging questions?

After this meeting, after begging for it once again, after seven years of begging, President Bohne finally explained why the church decided to excommunicate me, and to my dismay, the recorded charges against me weren't even true.

According to the record, I "openly" taught false doctrine.

Before the council was held, I explained to church leaders that I had discussed my concerns about the divine validity of a church position with two close friends and a few family members. I explained that this position wasn't being written on my heart by the Holy Ghost.

And, I quoted the words of President Faust, that "the responsibility for determining the divine validity of what one of the oracles of God states does not rest solely upon him. We can tell when the speakers are 'moved upon by the Holy Ghost' only when we, ourselves, are 'moved upon by the Holy Ghost.'" These words are displayed on www.lds.org.

So, did discussing the divine validity of a church position with two friends and a few family members constitute "openly" teaching false doctrine?

Also, it's interesting to note, that I explained to my two friends, family, and even to President Davies who called for the disciplinary council in the first place, that I agreed with the teachings of President Kimball on the subject, teachings that are "openly" displayed on www.lds.org.

So, what does all this mean?

In my November 17, 2013 postcard, I pointed out the prophecy in Ezekial 34, where in the Latter-Days the Lord would be against His own leaders, because they would rule with force and cruelty.

When you "think" about it, force and cruelty always stem from disobedience to the Golden Rule. And, as discussed earlier, the title, "Judge in Israel," implies an assignment for church leaders that causes them to violate this rule.

Have you ever heard a judge say, "in judging you, I'm doing unto you, as I would have you do unto me?"

If you haven't already noticed, there's an interesting harmony between the Golden Rule and the statement made by Nephi regarding the Holy Ghost's role in guiding our lives.

The phraseology, "all things," is used in Matthew 7 and 3 Nephi 14 to describe how often we should abide by the Golden Rule. And, in 2 Nephi 32:5 we're taught that the Holy Ghost will show us "all things" what we should do.

So, can we infer from this common phraseology, that those who abide by the Golden Rule in "all things," are also guided by the Holy Ghost in "all things?"

We can make this inference, and I will explain why.

First of all, let's think about the Golden Rule. It's the only rule that we can't be disciplined into obeying. We can't be disciplined into obeying it, because according to this rule, we're not commanded to do as we are told, but as we "think" we would want done back unto us.

Hence, as we "think" about how we would like to be treated, the Holy Ghost inspires us to know goodness, which we're commanded to act on.

In this way, we're to be guided by the Holy Ghost in "all things."

Jeremiah 31:31-32 explains it this way, "the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:"

And, in Jeremiah 31:33 we read, "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people."

Have you ever thought deeply about this? Are you guided from within in all things? Is God writing His laws on your heart? Or, are you doing unto others as church leaders tell you to do, which won't ever write God's laws on your heart, because you're not "thinking" for yourself?

Brothers and sisters, church leaders are actually killing members spiritually, by emphasizing obedience to the letter of the law, which is the same as emphasizing the idea of "subordinating" our thoughts to the thinking of leaders. In 2 Corinthians 3:6 we read, "for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."

Through disobeying the Golden Rule, church leaders not only deny the Holy Ghost's role in writing God's laws on their own hearts, but they also seek to prevent members from having God's laws written on their hearts, so the blind end up leading the blind.

It's like the situation at the time of Christ, written in Matthew 23:13, "woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."

And, in case you didn't know, Pharisees were strict in obeying the letter of God's laws.

Course, this denial of the Holy Ghost's role is subtle, and not easy to discern, but ask yourselves, have church leaders ever taught me to be guided in all things by the Holy Ghost? In worthiness interviews, have they ever asked if the Holy Ghost is writing God's laws on my heart? Do they ever ask, if I'm obeying the Golden Rule? Have they ever explained, that through obeying the Golden Rule, I'll experience God's laws being written on my heart?

Is it any wonder why church leaders won't work with me to honor the principles of D&C 50:7-25, which are all about the process by which the laws of God written on the hearts of leaders, are conveyed to those who are taught in a way that they're written on their hearts as well?

If leaders, in their pride, want us to obey "them" out of fear, and if we obey "them" out of fear, rather than being led by inspiration from within, then neither they, in their pride, nor us, in our fear, will be saved, because none will be baptized by the Spirit.

After discovering the charges against me, that were deemed sufficient to excommunicate me from the church, I was troubled, and so I prayed. Then, a few moments later, I was comforted to know why church leaders and I clash.

We clash, because they're expert at receiving revelation for others, where I'm expert at receiving revelation for myself. They see beams in others eyes, where I focus on motes in my own eye.

In fact, I don't even understand the concept of receiving revelation for others. It violates the Golden Rule. I've never heard a prophet, seer, or revelator say, "I'm receiving revelation for you, and in so doing, I'm doing unto you, as I would have you do unto me."

Instead of church leaders being prophets, seers, and revelators for others, in reality, they and we should all be prophets, seers, and revelators for our own lives. In Numbers 11:29 Moses stated, "would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!"

It's common in the church to say, "it's not possible for the prophet to lead the church astray," and so it's surmised that it's not possible to be led astray, since all cases of discipline can be appealed to the First Presidency, who can then overturn all local decisions that are inspired of darkness.

But, my excommunication was appealed, and my appeal was denied.

So, does this mean I actually did something so wrong that it warranted excommunication?

Or, is it possible that the First Presidency has lost the Spirit of God and now exercises control over members? They don't abide by the Golden Rule. They do judge.

In general conference, Elder Uchtdorf stated that he didn't know how to express the importance of "not judging others," with enough eloquence, passion, and persuasion to make it stick. After hearing his talk, I wrote him a letter, stating that maybe if church leaders stopped judging, members would too.

Essentially, those who judge, seek to control others, where they demand that others "subordinate" their thoughts to their thinking, but don't we read in D&C 121:34-42 that it's "amen" to the priesthood of men who exercise control over others?

Does God control the prophet, in order to prevent the church from being led astray? Those who believe in exercising control think so. Or, are we supposed to know truth so well, for ourselves, that it's impossible for a prophet or anyone else to lead us astray, because we know better?

Are we to know the truth of all things, by whether or not a prophet has stated it, or are we to exercise faith in the concept, that "by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things," as Moroni 10:5 explains?

Was it ever part of the Lord's plan, that we blindly obey church leaders? Weren't we meant to abide by the Golden Rule? Weren't we meant to be baptized by both water and "the Spirit?" Weren't we meant to be guided in all things by the Holy Ghost after being baptized by water?

Didn't God intend our joy, confidence, and happiness to come from knowing Him directly, where He would personally write His laws on our hearts, as opposed to feeling good about ourselves, because we've obeyed a checklist of dictates from church leaders?

Someday, I'd like to be a member of the church again, but I won't come back, until church leaders abide by the Golden Rule. In order to come back, I must sustain church leaders, but I won't, until they obey the Golden Rule.

In order to facilitate my return to the church, please consider opposing the sustaining of church leaders who aren't guided in all things by the Holy Ghost, because they won't abide by the Golden Rule. I've sought to reason with them for over seven years about all this, and it's not working. So, you are my only hope at this point. Please police church leaders, because apparently, they can't police themselves.

Brothers and sisters, I have no doubt regarding the existence of God. I know Jesus Christ is His son. His atonement is real. I've experienced the complete peace of having my sins forgiven, including redemption from evil, through God writing His laws on my heart.

And, for those of you who struggle with temptation, if you will turn to God, and ask Him to change your heart, He will. After forgiving you of your sins, He will change your heart, so that you no longer even desire to sin. In this way, all glory be to God for our salvation.

But, God won't change your heart, unless you cease from being prideful, because all who control, who seek to discipline others into obeying what they think others should do, lack sufficient faith in the concept that only God can change hearts, to actually experience this miracle for themselves.

I know that only those who practice and preach obedience to the Golden Rule experience this miracle.

The Golden Rule, really is, the law and the prophets, the straight and narrow path leading to life that few will find, the yardstick by which false prophets are discerned, and the rock foundation that will never fail, as stated in Matthew 7 and 3 Nephi 14.

The church, really should, consider changing the title and assignment of church leaders, from "Judges in Israel," to "Shepherds of Israel" as they are referred to in Ezekiel 34, that they may cease from disobeying the Golden Rule.

Aaron McMillan

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