| November 17, 2018 Dear Copper Hills 8th Ward Members, Greetings! This is my 18th postcard. I’ve sent my postcards, 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 Because my mailing list is outdated, you might be receiving this, and yet, not be a member of the LDS church.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. Why are church leaders telling you what to do? Why isn’t the Holy Ghost showing you all things what you should do, as 2 Nephi 32:5 explains? Why won’t the church respond to any of my many requests, asking them to officially verify that the church believes 2 Nephi 32:5 to be true? Is the church hiding something? Here is a copy of my 115th request, that the church would please indicate whether it believes 2 Nephi 32:5 to be true or not. I’ve sent these requests every ten days. Doesn’t it raise a huge red flag, that these requests aren’t being responded to? Please read my 115th request and let me know what you think. November 11, 2018 THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS OFFICE OF THE FIRST PRESIDENCY 47 EAST SOUTH TEMPLE STREET SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84150 115th Request Dear First Presidency, 2 Nephi 32:5 states, “For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.” Please officially indicate the church’s position regarding this passage by circling either (a) or (b) below. Please be aware, that my local leaders will not provide this to me and neither will they ask you for it. (a) The church recognizes this concept as being true, if a person will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, “it will show them all things” what they should do. (b) The church does not recognize this concept as being true, if a person will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, “it will not show them all things” what they should do. Sincerely, Aaron McMillan P.S. Why is it so hard for the church to answer a simple question? Is the question unreasonable? Does God approve of the church’s unwillingness to answer this question? If I were to ask Jesus, in person, who you claim, “leads the church,” who you claim to be subordinate to, would he answer my question? Isn’t Jesus a “do as I do leader?” He didn’t just teach us to love one another, but to “love each other as he loves us.” And, he taught, that we’re to “do unto others as we would have them do unto us.” But, does the church do this? In refusing my request, are you doing unto me as you would have me do? Could it be, that you’ve lost sight of “do as I do leadership,” where you’ve replaced it with “do as I say leadership?” Isn’t this why you won’t answer my question? Isn’t 2 Nephi 32:5 a contradiction to the idea of “do as I say leadership,” because it’s about the Spirit guiding us in “all things” we should do? In “do as I say leadership,” isn’t there always a promised blessing for compliance. In a letter the First Presidency wrote me, it said, “if I would agree to hearken to the counsel of leaders, then my church blessings could be restored.” In Africa, I remember reading that President Nelson promised great blessings if people would pay their tithing. In general conference, I remember reading that President Nelson promised there would be blessings beyond description if people referred to themselves, not as LDS, nor as Mormon, but as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. However, this is all in the realm of “do as I say” leadership. In “do as I do leadership,” the focus is not on obtaining blessings for ourselves, but in seeking to bless the lives of each other. When Jesus asked us to love each other as he loves, he didn’t want us to seek to be blessed, but instead, was wanting us to seek to bless each other. Also, when Jesus said we should do unto others as we would have reciprocated, he wasn’t leading us to seek to be blessed, but was wanting us to bless others. It’s explained in the New Testament, that the fruit of being led by the Holy Ghost, is love. And, we know that Jesus was led in all things by the Spirit of love. So, it stands to reason, that those who “do as he does,” who follow in his footsteps, will also be led in all things by the Holy Ghost, just like he was. Hence, the passage above, 2 Nephi 32:5, which states, that if we will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show us “all things” what we should do, must be true, as this is what Jesus did, and if we’re to do as he did, we’ll do the same. But, this isn’t currently being practiced by the “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,” is it? In fact, those who want to be led by the Holy Ghost in all things, those who live up to the charge given at baptism, those who seek to “receive the Holy Ghost,” are often deemed “unworthy” of church blessings, because they’re not “obedient” to the counsel of church leaders, and they end up excommunicated, like what happened to me eleven years ago, am I right? Years ago, there was a church position that I challenged and questioned. It wasn’t being written on my heart by the Holy Ghost. It referred to something as love, that in almost every case, was something people selfishly wanted to get, rather than to selflessly give. And, because I questioned this position, because I wouldn’t accept it blindly, because I disobeyed church leaders who required me to accept it without question, who threatened to discipline me if I wouldn’t, my church membership was taken from me. Also, I find it interesting, that I’m now being held to a different standard than new converts, in obtaining church membership again. New converts aren’t required to commit to obey church leaders in all things, but that’s what’s being required of me. Why is that? Perhaps I can explain it. Have you ever heard the saying, that if you place a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will immediately leap out, but if you place the frog into a pot of cool water, and then turn up the heat very slowly, it won’t notice, until it’s too late, where the frog is boiled alive? Well, new converts to the church are being offered cool water, to entice them in, but I’m being asked to jump back into very hot water, because the church wants to continue, from where they left off, the process of turning up the heat even more, until I’m boiled alive, so to speak. The cool water, that new converts are being offered, comes from being asked to read, ponder, and pray about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the church, for they’re told, that “by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things.” Then, after their baptism, the heat is turned up slowly over time, until they cease from knowing truth by the power of the Holy Ghost, where instead, they’re expected to “obey the prophet in all things, blindly, and without question, because they’re led to believe, “it’s not possible for a prophet to lead the church astray.” Basically, new converts are led from the coolness and safety of seeking to be led by the Spirit of love, where their desire is to selflessly bless others, toward a boiling pot of obedience to church leaders, where they selfishly seek to be blessed, for their compliance. In other words, the church takes a selfless person, and over time, turns them into a selfish person. In the beginning, new converts will love, without thinking of a reward, but in the end, they’ll do, what appears to be loving, being motivated by a desire to obtain blessings. The process begins, and the heat is turned up slowly, each and every week, as members are exposed to sacramental prayers, which lead them away from being led by the Holy Ghost, and toward obedience. The sacramental prayers have been carefully crafted to deceive members into believing, that if they will “keep the commandments which God has given them, they will always have his spirit to be with them.” The sacramental prayers are deceptive, because they lead members to believe that the Spirit is obtained through obedience, that it’s obtained as a reward, that it’s obtained through selfish seeking to be blessed with its presence. The question is, does the Spirit come first, filling the hearts of people with love, enabling them to obey the commandment to love as Jesus loves, where their desire is to bless the lives of others, or does obedience come first, where those who comply are blessed to have the Spirit with them? The truth is, and I challenge you to refute it, the Holy Ghost comes first, as a gift, to those who exercise faith in God, who is love, because it’s only when they exercise faith in the principle of love, only when they seek, not to be blessed, but to bless the lives of others, do they experience the Spirit. In fact, in the moment we selfishly seek to be blessed, in that same moment, we actually remove ourselves from the presence of the Holy Ghost. And, if you don’t believe me, then I invite you to experiment with this yourselves, to see for yourselves. In the scriptures we’re taught, that it’s no longer about obedience to law, as was the case under the Old Covenant. It’s now a New Covenant, it’s no longer the law of Moses, it’s now the gospel of Jesus Christ, it’s now about love, and you can read this in the New Testament, it’s now described as, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” In addition to the deceptive nature of the sacrament prayers, new converts are also conditioned toward obedience and away from being spiritually led, through being called to positions in the church. Rather than positions being listed, and members asked to volunteer, as moved upon by the Holy Ghost, the idea of leaders calling members, conditions members to think in terms of obeying leaders. Then, there are worthiness interviews, which are always about obedience. In these interviews, church leaders never inquire about whether or not the member is “receiving the Holy Ghost,” whether or not they’re being led by loving spiritual prompting. Instead, through these interviews, members are further conditioned, or groomed, if you will, only to think about obedience, promised blessings, and the judgment of leaders based on their compliance. The truth is, that the Spirit comes to the unworthy, as they exercise faith in the principle of love, and those who purify themselves, until they feel nothing but love for others, need not obey any rule, because their changed heart will guide them correctly in all things. In fact, those who believe they’re worthy of God’s spirit, are actually denying God’s spirit, because those who believe themselves to be worthy, are filled, not with love, but with pride. Finally, when a member has been conditioned enough to show that they’re sufficiently willing to blindly obey church leaders, then they’re introduced to the temple, where devotion to “blind” obedience is taken to the next level, where perhaps, if possible, their trusting of church leaders is “made sure.” After one enters the temple, and before they proceed with their “full endowment,” they’re told that great blessings await them, if they proceed, but if they proceed, they’ll take upon themselves sacred obligations, which if violated, will bring judgment from God upon them, for “God will not be mocked.” If one doesn’t want to proceed, they’re invited to withdraw. But, if they do proceed, they’re choosing to be obligated to commitments that they don’t even know what they are, ahead of time, so in addition to these sacred obligations, they’re also choosing to agree to blindly trust the church. So, if a person advances, they’re basically saying, “I trust what lies ahead, without even knowing what it is.” In essence, they’re giving up their right to evaluate these obligations, through using the Holy Ghost to know the truth of them. Rather, they proceed with a commitment to blindly obey whatever will be presented to them. It’s like the heat being turned up on the pot, so to speak, so highly, that the concept of being led by the Holy Ghost, or determining truth by the power of the Holy Ghost, is now completely gone, and like what happened to the frog, they end up boiled alive. Also, at the end of their endowment, temple attendees aren’t told to “receive the Holy Ghost,” like they were told at baptism, but they’re now told to “give strict heed to the counsel and teachings of the apostles of the church,” in order to qualify for the richest of God’s blessings. Thus, the church takes a humble follower of Christ, who selflessly loves, and slowly, over time, turns them into a prideful follower of Satan, who selfishly believes they’re worthy and deserving of all blessings, including becoming a God. Clearly, a new convert’s focus, changes from selflessly seeking to bless others, from possessing a heart filled with love, to being obedient in all things, to the words of church leaders, in order to be selfishly worthy of all blessings, including Godhood. So, it actually makes sense, why the church won’t answer my question, is 2 Nephi 32:5 true or not? The church won’t say it’s true, because that would turn down the heat of their boiling obedience pot, and they won’t say it’s false, because it would alarm members to the pot’s heat, where they’d jump out. So, are these assertions true, or not? Well, why not do your own analysis? Ask yourself, has the church led me to be like Jesus, am I in cool water, am I filled with love, am I led by the Holy Ghost, where I’m selflessly seeking to bless others, or am I being boiled alive, am I obedient, where I appear loving, but not actually loving, because I’m selfishly motivated to be blessed for my compliance? |