August 17, 2017

Dear Copper Hills 8th Ward Members,

This is my 14th postcard.  My postcards have come to you, three times each year.  Because my mailing list is outdated, you might be receiving this, and yet, not be a member of the LDS church.  If this is the case, please pardon me, or feel free to read what I have to say.

My postcards have all focused on a concept taught by the church, in the Book of Mormon, considered the most correct of any book on earth, 2 Nephi 32:5 states, “if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.”

I was excommunicated from the church ten years ago, because I believe in this concept.  I’ve wondered, ever since then, why the church would expel someone for practicing what the church preaches.  In my quest to get closure, I’ve asked the church, seventy times, over the last few years, to please officially answer the question, does the church recognize 2 Nephi 32:5 as true, or not?  But, I’ve received no response.

Hmm…  What does this mean?

The only reason I can think of, as to why church leaders wouldn’t want to answer my question, does the church recognize 2 Nephi 32:5 as true, or not, is because they want to exercise control over others, wanting people to obey their voice, rather than be led by the voice of the Holy Ghost.

In my opinion, this constitutes an abuse of authority.  And, according to what I read in D&C 121:34-46 and D&C 50:10-25, their priesthood is voided, because the priesthood of those who exercise control over others, isn’t recognized by God.

The first presidency has given permission to local leaders, to ask for clarification about church teaching, but since local leaders won’t ask questions in my behalf, I’ve been asking the first presidency, directly.

The first presidency has responded to me a few times, but always, they’ve skirted around the questions that I’ve asked, so I’ve narrowed down my questioning to one question, which I’ve now asked seventy times, does the church recognize 2 Nephi 32:5 as true, or not?

I’ve also written letters to other general authorities.  Many times, my letters to the first presidency and other general authorities have been returned to me, unopened, with the label, “refused.”  If you’d like to see these returned letters, please come to my home and I’ll show you.

It’s felt very cold and unloving to me, that church leaders have purposely ignored my questions and even rejected my letters, which have taken countless hours to think through and carefully compose.

I’ve wondered, how can these church leaders and general authorities be disciples of Jesus Christ?

In John 13:34-35, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Love, according to scripture, is the fruit of the Spirit.  Love, is not the fruit of obedience to rules, laws, or commandments.  Jesus was always filled with love, not because he obeyed church leaders, but because He was always led by the Holy Ghost, and in order to love as He loves, we too must be led by the Holy Ghost in all things, but the church doesn’t really teach this concept, do they?

One of the three missions of the LDS church, is to perfect the saints.  However, from my perspective, the church isn’t teaching people how to experience a heart that feels nothing but love for others.  Rather, members are taught and disciplined to obey church leaders, as a means to obtain godly perfection, which isn’t the way Jesus exemplified.

Ever since being excommunicated from the church ten years ago, I’ve worked on living in a way where my heart feels nothing but love for others.  There are times when I slip, when the actions of others bother me, but it’s not very often.

Over time, each time I’ve felt anything but love, I’ve pondered and prayed, to know how I might think differently, in order to be delivered from the darkness of my heart, and little by little, the Spirit has enlightened me and transformed me.

I’ve been thinking about the general authority who was recently excommunicated from the church.  I’m certain he wasn’t judged by the first presidency and apostles, according to the criteria of a disciple that Jesus taught us to use, by his love, or the lack of love in his heart toward others.

Rather, I’ll bet he was judged according to whether or not he was obedient to the dictates of church leaders, where disciplinary measures were put in place to cause that he would once again become completely obedient.

There’s a huge difference between being loving and being obedient.  Jesus didn’t say that His disciples would be known by their obedience.  He said that His disciples would be known by their love, which requires that they be led by the Holy Ghost in all things.

Because love is the fruit of the Spirit, because it’s only available through the Spirit, all other motivation for action, including obedience to the dictates of church leaders, is based in the opposite of love, or in other words, based in fear.

In my opinion, the church has no other option, than to cease from requiring obedience.  If it wants to be the “true” church of Jesus Christ, members must be led by the Holy Ghost in all things, or they won’t be disciples of Jesus Christ according to the criteria given by Him.

Also, in 2 Corinthians 3:6, we’re taught that, “the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.”  Obedience is always associated with the letter of the law.  Those who obey rules and regulations are not led by the Holy Ghost.  Thus, there’s no fruit of love, and the consequence is spiritual death. 

Because LDS members are required to obey their leaders, which is leading them toward spiritual death, rather than church leaders urging them to be led by the Holy Ghost in all things, if I were to bear my testimony, right now, I’d have to say that I know the church is “not” true.

Now, it may come as a shock to you, to hear someone bear testimony that the LDS church is “not” true, but haven’t I clearly illustrated, that the church is misleading members to believe, that darkness is light and that light is darkness?

If you’ll be honest with yourself, and think, you’ll start to realize that your desire to belong to the church isn’t because you have faith in the principle of love, but that you fear to be judged unworthy of church blessings and privileges, am I right?

When was the last time you heard someone bear testimony that their heart was filled with love, born of the Holy Ghost, and that they felt constantly motivated by that love?  It’s not something that members or leaders bear testimony of, is it?

You might be thinking, “but, it’s been declared by the church, that it’s not possible for a prophet to lead the church astray.”  On the contrary, it’s also been declared, in JST Mark 9:40-48, that we’re to refrain from trusting our leaders, that we’re to stand or fall by ourselves, and that it’s possible to follow our leaders into hell.

Ten years ago, I refused to follow my leaders into the hell of not being led by the Holy Ghost in all things, and I was excommunicated from the church because of it, but I didn’t fear them, and the Holy Ghost stayed with me, and I know it stayed with me, because I feel so much love in my heart for others.

I’m now seeing the church as an organization that’s establishing a clever substitute for genuine love, an organization that’s doing, what appears to be, “good works,” or works of light, but we all know that Satan can appear as an angel of light.

If the so called “good works” of the church are motivated by a desire to obey leaders, if they’re motivated by a fear to displease leaders, then they’re not works of light, but are of darkness.

Because alleged “good works” can be motivated either by fear or by love, it’s challenging to discern between those inspired of the devil and those of God, for both appear the same from outward appearances, yet one is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

My vision of a “true” church of Jesus Christ, is an organization that doesn’t control or require obedience to church leaders, but instead, gives loving encouragement for all to be led in all things by the Holy Ghost, so that all might be filled with love, which results in “loving works.”

In other words, my vision of a “true” church of Jesus Christ, is an organization that exists without fear, or fear tactics, that produces the fruit of love, that does “loving works,” that’s known, not by their might, or by their so called “good works,” but by their love.

It’s often said of LDS people, that they do many “good works,” but I can’t ever remember it being said of the LDS, that they’re a “loving” people.  Isn’t this because their “good works” aren’t actually motivated by love, but are, rather, motivated by a desire to obtain the approval of church leaders?

Please be honest, is your heart filled with love?  Or, do you feel good about yourself, because of your obedience to church leaders?  Would you say that your works are “good works,” or “loving works?”

Both the Bible and Book of Mormon teach that perfect love casts out all fear, which includes the fear of being judged unworthy by church leaders.  I know what it feels like to be judged unworthy by church leaders.  I faced that fear ten years ago.

Church leaders told me to accept a certain church position that I was questioning, or else.  I wasn’t able to honestly accept it.  The Holy Ghost wasn’t verifying the truth of it to me.  I had questions about it.  Church leaders refused to answer my questions.

Over time, while I’ve remained outside the church, I’ve discovered how the church is keeping members in a state of fear, which is preventing them from experiencing the perfect love which casts out all fear.

There’s a secret path that few will find, a path to feeling perfect love, that the LDS church doesn’t want you to know about, because if you knew this path, church leaders would lose their power over you, to control you.

Control is all about leading others to value what you think of them.  If someone cares what you think of them, then you have power to control them, by telling them you don’t approve of what they’re doing.

In the church, everything is engineered to cause members to value what their leaders think of them.  And, being excommunicated, is the harshest punishment for not caring what a church leader thinks.  Also, the only way to come back to the church, is to repent of the alleged sin of not caring what the church thinks of you.

So many times, in order to be accepted back in the church, I’ve vowed to church leaders that I would always seek to be led by the Holy Ghost in all things, but this isn’t what they want.  Rather, they’ve instructed, that in order for me to come back, I must agree to obey church leaders in all things.

Basically, church leaders want me to live in fear of their judgment, rather than wanting me to possess the love which casts out all fear, which is only available through always being led by the Holy Ghost.

The secret to always feeling love for others, which casts out all fear, is to simply cease from caring about what others think of you, and cease from wanting others to care about what you think of them, but in order to do this, you’d need to leave the church, because church policy dictates that you’re to care about what church leaders think of you.

Jesus taught, “don’t judge,” which also entails, “don’t be affected by the judgment of others,” for when we cease from judging and from acting on the judgement of others, only then are we completely open to guidance from the Spirit in all things, which produces the fruit of love, which casts out all fear from our lives.

In the church, it’s taught that the fruit of obedience is the Spirit, that one must first, obey rules or law established through church leadership, in order to be worthy of the Spirit.  But, this is false doctrine, which is actually engineered to prevent members from experiencing guidance from the Holy Ghost.

In reality, there’s nothing we can do to become worthy of the Holy Ghost.  It’s a form of pride to believe that we can earn or merit the Holy Ghost through our obedience.  Also, if we obey law, then we’ll be guided by law, rather than guided by the Holy Ghost.  Hence, those led by rules or law, will never experience being led by the Holy Ghost.

We’re taught in Galatians 5:22-23, that the fruit of the Spirit is love, and against such, “there is no law.”

Think about it, we’ve all been given the ability to love.  We don’t need to obey any rules or law, in order to love.  Hence, this proves we can be led by the Holy Ghost, without needing to obey any rule or law.

And, it’s certain that whenever we do feel love, which is only possible when the Spirit of God is working within us, that our sins are completely forgiven, because the Holy Ghost can’t dwell in unholy temples.

So, whenever you don’t feel loving, simply pause, think, cease from fearing, and seek for, through prayer, that loving feeling again.  And, when it comes back, know, again, your sins are forgiven.

It’s only because Jesus paid the sin debt in full, that we can be filled with love.  It’s not because of our merits or obedience.  It’s because of His merits that our sins are forgiven, which enables us to easily experience the Holy Ghost, which empowers us to easily love one another as Jesus loves us, which explains why Jesus taught, “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

If you’re familiar with the scriptures, you’ll know about the Old Covenant of obedience to law, and the New Covenant of love.  Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant law.  He introduced a New Covenant of love which replaced the Old Covenant law.  It’s no longer about obedience to law, it’s now about love.

Basically, so long as you keep that loving feeling in your heart, you’ll be a disciple of Christ, who like Him, will always walk in the Spirit, being led in all things by the Holy Ghost, where your works will be “loving works,” rather than so called “good works,” which can be done without a loving feeling in your heart.

According to Ephesians 2:8-9, we’re saved by the grace of God, through faith, and not of works, lest any man should boast.  In other words, we’re not saved by doing so called “good works.”  We’re saved by receiving, from God and by the grace of God, a loving heart, which enables us to do “loving works.”

Hopefully, by reading all this, you’re feeling empowered with a new sense of confidence and spiritual independence, with the ability to walk the straight and narrow path leading to eternal life, without needing to be told what to do by church leaders.

Hopefully, you’re beginning to be de-programmed from the false church teaching, that in my opinion, has been engineered to control you, where you’ve been deceived into believing that you must obey church leaders, and care about what they think of you, in order to be saved.

Hopefully, you’re seeing the straight and narrow path that few will find, the path of constantly enjoying that God given loving feeling toward others, where you’re led in all things by the Holy Ghost, where all fear is cast out of your life, where you know the truth that will set you free as promised by our Savior.

Sincerely,

Aaron McMillan

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