Young Womens Lesson on Obedience
Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 4:44 pm
I ran across this wonderful blog on "Obedience" by a member.
http://beginningsnew.blogspot.com/2008/ ... ience.html
Most of it really makes my stomach turn. I knew about Hauns Mill but I didn't know about the part about Joseph Smith using this terrible event to teach the other members a lesson about Obedience. He says that they went contrary to his counsel and that if they would've listened to him they would have been spared.
How much more obedient would you be to the "Prophet" after hearing this? It is no wonder that young women married Joseph Smith when he told them it was from God and that Emma Smith finally went along with polygamy after Joseph told her that God would "Destroy" her if she did not accept it. Joseph Smith was able to convince these people that God was speaking through him and by obeying him, they were obeying God.
The writer of the blog then talks about the Bednar talk where the guy dumps his girlfriend because she did not listen to the counsel of the prophet to remove her extra earrings. She says that at first that it bothered her but now she sees the wisdom in it. She then talks about how people should not just "blindly obey" but then goes on to say that we should obey and not wait even if we don't understand why. Still sounds to me like blindly following.
It just amazed me to see people use critical thinking skills in one area and then totally ignore them in others.
Then the comment she leaves after teaching this obedience lesson to her young women just kills me
What if this person is the Prophet of God? We all know that Joseph Smith told many of his wives this to get them to marry him.
Now that I left Mormonism I see that there are Red Flags all over the place but I ignored them because I was trying to be obedient to the leaders who in turn spoke for God.
http://beginningsnew.blogspot.com/2008/ ... ience.html
Most of it really makes my stomach turn. I knew about Hauns Mill but I didn't know about the part about Joseph Smith using this terrible event to teach the other members a lesson about Obedience. He says that they went contrary to his counsel and that if they would've listened to him they would have been spared.
How much more obedient would you be to the "Prophet" after hearing this? It is no wonder that young women married Joseph Smith when he told them it was from God and that Emma Smith finally went along with polygamy after Joseph told her that God would "Destroy" her if she did not accept it. Joseph Smith was able to convince these people that God was speaking through him and by obeying him, they were obeying God.
The writer of the blog then talks about the Bednar talk where the guy dumps his girlfriend because she did not listen to the counsel of the prophet to remove her extra earrings. She says that at first that it bothered her but now she sees the wisdom in it. She then talks about how people should not just "blindly obey" but then goes on to say that we should obey and not wait even if we don't understand why. Still sounds to me like blindly following.
It just amazed me to see people use critical thinking skills in one area and then totally ignore them in others.
Then the comment she leaves after teaching this obedience lesson to her young women just kills me
On a more prosaic note, I did tell the girls that if one of them ever hears from someone she's dating that he got a revelation from God that she's supposed to marry him, then backpedal fast, because that's a real red flag. Obedience shouldn't be to just anyone who says that "God says so."
What if this person is the Prophet of God? We all know that Joseph Smith told many of his wives this to get them to marry him.
Now that I left Mormonism I see that there are Red Flags all over the place but I ignored them because I was trying to be obedient to the leaders who in turn spoke for God.