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November 17, 2014

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It's time again for another postcard. This is the sixth postcard I've sent you. All my postcards are displayed online at www.aaronmcmillan.com, in case you want to refresh your memory.

Because my mailing list is outdated, it's possible you're receiving this, and yet, are not a member of the LDS church.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. Or, please feel free to read what I have to say, in my exercise of free speech.

As you all know, church leaders decided to excommunicate me over seven years ago, because I refused to accept a church position without question. Rather than answer my questions about this position, church leaders condemned me as apostate for not accepting it blindly.

And, by the way, church leaders still haven't answered these questions.

Since that time, I've had an opportunity to really think about the church and what it stands for. And, it's becoming more apparent with each passing day, that the church says it stands for one thing, but then practices something entirely different.

When I read in 2 Nephi 32:5, D&C 50:7-25, and JST Mark 9:40-48, that we're to be guided in all things by the Holy Ghost, I thought the church stood for these principles, but in reality, its leaders want members to obey their dictates, rather than wanting them to be led by the Spirit.

My questions about this particular church position stemmed from the fact that my mind wasn't being enlightened with spiritual understanding as promised in D&C 50:7-25 when something is true, and it surprised me, and still astounds me, that church leaders have rejected the teachings of D&C 50:7-25, in wanting me to receive this church position blindly, which is to receive it in a way that's "not of God" according to this passage.

Also, where it was my belief that the church stood for the Golden Rule, I've found that church policy and procedure isn't engineered to honor this rule, but denies it, causing leaders to exercise their priesthood in the realm of "do as I say" rather than "do as I do."

"Do as I say" leadership violates the Golden Rule, because no leader, in telling us what to do, is saying, "I'm doing unto you as I would have you do unto me, so, I want you to tell me what to do."

In my last postcard to you, I explained how church leaders, when they discipline members, aren't doing unto members as they would have done back unto them. After my excommunication from the church, my request was denied for a disciplinary council to be held in behalf of the leaders who judged me, to ascertain whether or not they exercised unrighteous dominion toward me, which proves that those leaders who sought to discipline me, weren't doing unto me as they would have me do unto them.

Also, I explained in my last postcard, that even the very common LDS concept, that church leaders are meant to receive revelation for members, is a violation of the Golden Rule, as no leader, in receiving revelation for a member, is doing unto them as they would have reciprocated.

Have you ever thought about the fact that when a leader receives revelation for a member, it always stems from a leader judging a member, from seeing a beam in their eye, that they're attempting to pull out, but this violates the Golden Rule, as no leader is ever willing to allow those they judge to return the favor?

In fact, the church has even gone so far as to say that it's Godly for a leader to receive revelation that judges a member, but that it's of the devil for a member to receive revelation that judges a leader.

But, we read in Matthew 7 and 3 Nephi 14 that members are supposed to judge their leaders, that we're to beware of false prophets who are wolves in sheep's clothing, and so, it's not of the devil for members to judge their leaders.

In reality, leaders should be expert in removing motes from their own eyes, leading by example, teaching members to do the same, as this approach would be without hypocrisy.

This would be "do as I do" leadership.

We read in D&C 121:41-42, "no power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy…" So, there's to be no hypocrisy, or in other words, the Golden Rule is to be honored in all exercise of priesthood authority.

Over and over again, in my postcards, in letters to church leaders, and in my conversations with them, I've emphasized the content of 2 Nephi 32:5, D&C 50:7-25, and JST Mark 9:40-48, which are central to a non-hypocritical atmosphere.

However, so far, in over seven years of pleading, church leaders have rejected my requests that they would honor the content of these scriptures, and it's baffled me, because these same leaders have all expressed that they believe these scriptures are the word of God.

Only when all leaders and members embrace these scriptures, only when everyone is personally led in all things by the Holy Ghost, only then will there exist an atmosphere without violation of the Golden Rule, or without hypocrisy.

It's interesting, that in 2 Nephi 32:5 Nephi stated that the Holy Ghost will show us "all things" we should do, and in Matthew 7 and 3 Nephi 14 the Lord stated that in "all things" we're to abide by the Golden Rule.

This makes sense, because we can't obey the Golden Rule in all things, without also being inspired of God in all things. When we obey the Golden Rule in "all things," we must think about how we would want to be treated in "all things," which results in being inspired of the Holy Ghost to know "all things" we should do.

And, really, if our actions aren't inspired of the Holy Ghost, if instead, we're guided by being told what to do, then we're denying our Spirit baptism, and breaking our covenant to "receive the Holy Ghost."

In D&C 50:7-8, it states that hypocrites are deceivers, who are to be detected and cut off from the Lord's church. Church leaders who preach that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, where it teaches that the Holy Ghost is meant to show us all things we should do, who then require our obedience to their dictates, or else, are contradicting themselves, are violating the Golden Rule, and are hypocrites.

So, how has this denial of the teachings of the Book of Mormon, this disobedience to the Golden Rule, or hypocrisy, crept into the church? I suspect that an LDS prophet of the past, fell, where his fall wasn't detected by those of his stewardship, and subsequent prophets continued to blindly follow corrupted policies and procedures established by him, like it's taught in JST Mark 9:40-48, that it's possible for a prophet to lead others into hell, if they blindly follow him, and are not led by the Holy Ghost.

It's taken me over seven years, but in that time, where I've pondered and prayed about church teachings and leadership practices, I've detected a key element in church policy that seems to be at the root of this hypocritical leadership tree which has grown tall and wide over time, so it won't be easy to chop down, replant, and regrow.

There's a covenant in the temple that establishes the prophet as a complete hypocrite, and because this covenant is believed to be of God, all temple going church members are led to believe that hypocrisy, or violating the Golden Rule, is of the Holy Ghost.

But, before I explain what this covenant is, it's important to note that in the temple, you're conditioned to take your guard down, enabling this covenant to be planted into your heart, where you don't detect that you're agreeing to deny the Golden Rule.

Before the endowment session, before you even know what covenants you'll be be entering into, you're told of wonderful blessings that will be given to you, should you continue with the endowment, and then you're invited to withdraw, if you don't want to proceed.

So, here you are, and who wouldn't want the blessings promised to you, so you decide to proceed, even before knowing what obligations you're committing yourself to, and thus you're conditioned to reject 2 Nephi 32:5, D&C 50:7-25, and JST Mark 9:40-48, where instead of being led by spiritual understanding, you agree to "trust" church leaders blindly.

Then, you're commanded to keep quiet about the covenants you make, including the covenant where you sustain the prophet's rejection of the Golden Rule, and you're admonished that if you don't keep these covenants, you'll be in Satan's power.

But, aren't we in Satan's power if we sustain hypocrisy? Doesn't a covenant to support the prophet in his disobedience to the Golden Rule, constitute a secret combination against that which is good?

So, what is the temple covenant that establishes the prophet as a complete violator of the Golden Rule, or in other words, as a complete hypocrite, which, according to D&C 50:7-25, makes him a deceiver?

When we covenant to not speak evil of the Lord's anointed, we are saying that we will not condemn the prophet for violating the Golden Rule.

Because we know that the prophet judges and condemns others, and we also know, by this covenant, that the prophet doesn't want others to judge him, by agreeing to this covenant, we support the prophet in violating the Golden Rule, in doing unto others as he wouldn't have them do unto him.

Course, then, in church meetings, we're taught to "follow the prophet," which if we do, causes us to violate the Golden Rule too, as we speak evil of others, but condemn those who spoke evil of us, like he does.

Have you ever been spoken evil of by the prophet? I have. Our current prophet, President Monson, joined with President Hinckley and President Faust in denying my excommunication appeal. Then, after denying my appeal, they refused to explain why it was denied. My many letters asking for an explanation have been either ignored or returned to me, unopened, with the label "refused."

My appeal was all about being guided by the Holy Ghost in all things, about the fact that I wanted to receive a particular church position by the Spirit of truth, that my questions about it weren't being answered, and thus I didn't understand it in a way that was "of God" according to D&C 50:7-25.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, that I believe this coldness on the part of church leaders, this lack of desire to abide by the Golden Rule, stems from this covenant in the temple which teaches that it's alright for the prophet to violate the Golden Rule, which encourages other leaders to break this commandment too, as they follow his lead.

If the prophet doesn't want to be evil spoken of, shouldn't he say, "I believe in doing unto others as I would have them do unto me, so because I don't want others to speak evil of me, I'm not going to speak evil of others?"

If the prophet can't see this hypocrisy, where he judges and condemns others, but won't allow others to judge him, where he's not doing unto others as he would have them do unto him, then isn't he totally blind, spiritually speaking? And, really, isn't this complete pride?

Hence, just as I requested in my last postcard, again, I request that you please consider voting to oppose the sustaining of all church leaders who violate the Golden Rule, as they are hypocrites to be detected and cut off from the church, according to D&C 50:7-8, being deceivers.

Basically, so long as hypocrisy is the norm, so long as the church is led by "do as I say," rather than "do as I do" leaders, it's the kingdom of fraud, rather than the kingdom of God.

We read in Matthew 7 and 3 Nephi 14, that the Golden Rule is to be obeyed in "all things," that we're to beware of false prophets who violate this rule, who are wolves in sheep's clothing, who appear righteous, but who violate this commandment and lead others to do the same.

Now, in addition to discovering the hypocrisy of this temple covenant, I've also discovered a few other key areas of LDS teachings, practices, and procedures that lead members astray from obeying the Golden Rule. Perhaps I will address these in future postcards.

Thank you for considering what I had to say.

Sincerely,

Aaron McMillan

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