David 'My Words Are Scripture' Bednar lowers the bar for miracles

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IHAQ
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David 'My Words Are Scripture' Bednar lowers the bar for miracles

Post by IHAQ »

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is occasionally asked why Latter-day Saints don’t experience the types of miracles that defined the early days of the Restoration.

The Apostle’s reply is always the same: “We do!”
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-a ... les-202156

He then goes on to compare the trials of the pioneers who suffered on their treks west, to a person getting an appointment to do some temple work.
The miraculous power of the “fire of the covenant” was recently evident in North America when, on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, government officials in a large jurisdiction announced that religious organizations should suspend all public gatherings in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
The announcement included a three-day warning that all such religious operations should cease by day’s end on Friday, Nov. 13.
Because the temples had been closed for a period of time earlier in the year, temple patrons and leaders in the affected jurisdiction were disappointed that ordinance work would again be halted.
“Temple leaders and workers in one temple prayed earnestly for direction, counseled together and sought inspiration from heaven,” said Elder Bednar.
Soon the answers came.

The decision was made to keep the temple open around the clock on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to accommodate as many patrons as possible. The doors of the temple would remain open, and the lights would not be turned off until midnight on Friday, Nov. 13.

The tasks that needed to be completed seemed overwhelming. Patrons needed to be contacted to confirm existing appointments and reschedule appointments affected by the changes. Temple workers schedules had to be evaluated and extended. Cleaning efforts needed to be arranged and modified.

“The work began,” said Elder Bednar “Phone calls were made. E-mails were sent. Text messages were delivered and answered. Volunteers were requested, and they responded by the dozens. The temple doors opened early Wednesday morning, and the lights were not turned off until midnight on Friday.”
Presumably the operating of that temple for those three days had already been prior to any decision to close it? So it should just have been business as usual until the Friday night at which point it would close, just like it does at other times.
To illustrate the “remarkable experiences” that occurred in that temple, Elder Bednar shared quotes from eight individuals who were involved, first-hand, in that unprecedented temple effort.

Said one person:

“Office clerks and secretaries spent countless hours calling patrons affected by the closure to see if they would like to reschedule their appointments. Every time I walked by their desks they were on the phone. When they hung up, they would have smiles on their faces as they filled the schedule with new appointments for ordinances to be performed throughout the night. I have never seen such dedication as these sisters worked so hard to accommodate patrons in the work of the Lord.”

And from another:

“Serving in the temple during the middle of the night, as the Nauvoo pioneers of old, was one of those treasured once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

“Our entire shift was in awe of the light that showed in the eyes of the patrons that came and their gratitude — and touched by the sacrifice and the privilege it was for us as workers to serve them in this way.”
It's not like the people waiting for the symbolic rituals were in a rush. Perhaps had they closed the temple faster they would have helped reduce the spread of Covid-19? With all the efforts of the medical personnel around the globe, Bednar picked a temple conducting normal symbolic ritual operations for 3 days as an example of a latter day miracle akin to the pioneer treks.
Miracles occurred when the temple secretary and a patron were able to schedule an appointment — in an almost completely filled schedule — at the precise time that the patron could come to the temple.
The bar for what constitutes a miracle just plummeted even further...
Lem
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Re: David 'My Words Are Scripture' Bednar lowers the bar for miracles

Post by Lem »

Stuff like this makes me wonder at how stupid people are. The reason they were given three days was to accommodate the shutting down process. Clearly, the risks of infection were already there, so Bednar just created a 'round the clock' superspreader event.

Last fall, Provo high school tried to skirt the zoning rules regarding their Homecoming football game. They were in a zone where covid spread was such that they were not allowed to hold the game with spectators, so they moved the venue to a school, literally, just yards outside their zone, and announced that happily, they could now have all the spectators they wanted for this Very Important Event. Everyone in the high risk zone would be happy to travel, en masse, to the slightly lower risk zone, to share their illness! Luckily, the superintendent of the school they announced they would use had a little more common sense and nixed the plan.

By Bednar's logic, finding a venue just outside their zone so they could live the letter of the law while egregiously violating the spirit of the law would ALSO be a miracle, right? What an ass Bednar is.
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Kukulkan
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Re: David 'My Words Are Scripture' Bednar lowers the bar for miracles

Post by Kukulkan »

I remember that I was taught that this era of the church was facing more spiritual attacks rather than physical attacks and therefore the miracles we see are no longer grandiose like those that supposedly happened in the early church. So yeah, Jesus these days just helps us find our lost keys and helps us make it to our masonic ritual appointments.
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dastardly stem
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Re: David 'My Words Are Scripture' Bednar lowers the bar for miracles

Post by dastardly stem »

Because the temples had been closed for a period of time earlier in the year, temple patrons and leaders in the affected jurisdiction were disappointed that ordinance work would again be halted.

“Temple leaders and workers in one temple prayed earnestly for direction, counseled together and sought inspiration from heaven,” said Elder Bednar.
Soon the answers came.

The decision was made to keep the temple open around the clock on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to accommodate as many patrons as possible.
Hah..Stupid. Not a miracle at all. "Dozens" of people going to the temple over a 3-day period? Doing, likely in some cases, repeated work for those who have passed...this is more a political point by Bednar than anything. His pet issue of the government being bad because it's position that religion should hold off with their meetings for a while, as if its some infringement on religious liberty is silly.
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Moksha
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Re: David 'My Words Are Scripture' Bednar lowers the bar for miracles

Post by Moksha »

Some say it was just a coincidence that the year David A. Bednar became President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint was also the start of the Big Exodus.
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cinepro
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Re: David 'My Words Are Scripture' Bednar lowers the bar for miracles

Post by cinepro »

Larry King was in my ward years ago. He would attend occasionally, and he could never stop making comments in Sunday School. One week, we were talking about miracles in the Old Testament, and Larry (sitting on the other side of the room) raised his hand and asked "How are you defining 'miracle'?" A really old couple was sitting in front of me, and the husband leaned over to his wife and loudly whispered "Look at your marriage!"
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