My Lengthy Response to a Facebook Post on Mike Stroud

Really long post, so bear with me, please😊

“If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”

~13^th Article of Faith

29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!

30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

31 Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 ~2^nd Nephi 28:29-31

“The Lord said to the people of ancient America, “And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good.” (Ether 4:12.)
To be good, one must seek after truth, for truth is the ingredient which, when inculcated into our lives, changes us for good. “Truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.” (D&C 93:24.) “Truth abideth and hath no end.” (D&C 88:66.)
Intelligence is the ability to use knowledge properly. The Lord has said, “The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.” (D&C 93:36.) ~Royden G. Derrick, General Conference 1984

“Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.
“And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.”
~D&C 130: 18-19

“It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.” ~D&C 131:6
~ ~ ~

I love this gospel so much! And I glory in learning. I glory in the basic gospel principles (milk) and the deeper doctrine (meat.) Heavenly Father has made it all available for our benefit and our growth, and nothing is hidden.

There is a reason I try to pound into the heads of my family members and readers of my blog how vital it is that we truly come to know the Savior, that we become so in tune with the spirit that the gift and power of discernment is able to work overtime in each of us.

Now, we know that we are all on different levels when it comes to spirituality and knowledge of the gospel, and “milk before meat” is quoted so much that I want to rip out a few of my braids each time I hear it.  Yes, we need to study and implement basic gospel principles, but in order to reach toward our full potential as far as intelligence, we have got to move on from baby formula to solid foods. In fact, we are commanded to.

I think I’ve mentioned our youngest son, Nikolas, in the past, but I would like to share a little more about him and why we have been so blessed to have such an amazing young man in our family. I know why his spirit was sent to our home, and I am continually in awe that Heavenly Father entrusted us with one of his choicest spirits.

Nikolas was born with Asperger tendencies which he outgrew, and the catalyst for that growth was the scriptures. He didn’t learn to read well until he was twelve. Then the scriptures opened to him and his path in the pursuit of gospel knowledge was sealed. The kid was like a sponge, eager to take in all he could, and his brain never shuts off. His studies went deeper by the day, and his closet shelves and bookcases in his room are filled with doctrinal books from prophets and apostles. He also studied Hugh Nibley, the Apocrypha, and the Hebrew language. His room is quite literally a gospel library, and nothing makes him happier than learning. It is because of his burning desire to learn and to share what he’d learn that my husband and I upped our gospel study and pursued preparing ourselves more spiritually.

Nikolas started taking mission prep classes when he was sixteen. I had never seen a kid so anxious to serve and teach the gospel. He knew that even though he had all this knowledge in his brain just begging for release, he would need to stick with the basics on his mission, and he’d studied Preach My Gospel to the point that he could not be more ready.

Because he had all this knowledge and was so full of questions, his seminary teachers would get a little frustrated. One teacher even told him to stop asking questions. The teacher said – just like so many other misguided souls –  that those deeper things he pursued were not pertinent to our salvation.

I thought, are you kidding me? Anything pertaining to the gospel is pertinent to our salvation! The seminary teacher did apologize after class, but Nikolas was hurt. The teacher was concerned that, should Nikolas continue in his pursuit of deeper doctrine, he would apostatize one day just like someone else he knew.

There have been many things said, by YM leaders, by Sunday school teachers, and by men in higher church callings – things that hurt Nikolas, and us as his parents. But you know what? It’s okay, because Nikolas has been blessed with a strong, resilient spirit, and despite all the opposition he faced, he kept going. He is the perfect walking example of God’s ways trumping man’s ways. No matter what, He is in charge, and His plan for each of us will not be thwarted by any man, except when we alter His individual plans for us by our own individual choices.

Nikolas is now serving in the New Mexico Farmington mission. He is continuing to learn and grow, and he is doing what he was born to do, which is teaching the gospel of Christ. His knowledge of Hebrew has even come in handy when they encountered someone while tracting that speaks and studies the language. His trainers had no clue what the man was talking about . . . but Nikolas did. He was over the moon! Who knew his study of Hebrew would actually be useful in the mission field?

God knew!

What if Nikolas had kicked his studying to the curb as was suggested by so many because he was “looking beyond the mark,” and “in danger of falling into apostacy?” God would not have been able to use him at a crucial moment. That young man is a walking encyclopedia of gospel knowledge who probably knows more about Hugh Nibley than Hugh Nibley! (Just kidding! Maybe.)

(“Looking beyond the mark” is another phrase that so many people quote, but they use it in a context befitting their own agenda instead of the way Elder Cook intended, and it makes me want to add some beads to my braids and whip something!) I love Elder Cook and I read his talk on looking beyond the mark. It was excellent!

However, studying the deeper doctrine itself is not looking beyond the mark. It is only when we let it consume us and carry us spiritually down a path that we shouldn’t tread that that term fits. When we disregard basic doctrine and principles and place them on the backburner in pursuit of deeper doctrine, wresting the scriptures, twisting the gospel to fit our beliefs, is when we are in spiritual danger. Putting the philosophies of men mingled with scripture ahead of the teachings of the Lord’s prophets and apostles is not a wise choice. When that happens, we really are in some serious trouble. But . . . they are imperfect men, and I’m sure they would be the first to tell you that.

Christ, however, IS perfect, which is why the Brethren are spending so much time stressing the importance of coming to know the Savior better than we have ever known Him. This is where our focus should be.

Since the Book of Mormon was written for us, the members of the church, we can know that 2^nd Nephi 28:29-31 is for US. (See scripture above.) So, it is the Holy Ghost that will help us to discern what is truth, and hopefully, we will be receptive to the promptings.

Now, I will share the spiritual experience:

Some months ago, a link was posted by someone my husband I know who thrives on breeding racial tension under the guise that he is just “bringing attention to a problem.” The article was written by a black woman who is a member of the church. The article talked about racism in the church and how it is a “problem” to many. The article bothered me because, just like other media pieces focused on racism, it distorted the views of others and only served to perpetuate a problem that isn’t really a problem. I’m sure there are members here and there who harbor racial views, but a problem in the church? No!

Because everyone was so fixated and focused on this “problem,” I commented, sharing my thoughts about what we should really be focused on, which is the Savior. My comments contained clear and concise basic doctrine that we should all be living every day. I’m talking basic, basic. Well, this was a baby formula-fed crowd with a nasty case of colic. I was literally roasted on a spit, and they twisted everything I said. Trying to defend my remarks was useless.

My husband was concerned about the anger escalating and suggested that I remove my comment. I didn’t want to because all I spoke was the truth. But I went ahead and removed it, crying as I did. I said what I was spiritually prompted to say. I said nothing but truth, but they didn’t want it.

While I sat and cried, this heavy feeling of sorrow came over me, and then the words came into my mind, “This is what Nikolas feels when he tries to share what he knows with seasoned members who have clung to the basic doctrine for years and have no desire to move from their level of comfort.” The feeling was so tangible, I can feel it even now. It is a painful thing to want to share – and even expound – on thoughts pertaining to basic doctrine, but no one wants to hear it. I take comfort in the fact that the Lord knows our son, just as He knows each of us. And He has some great things prepared for Nikolas.

I have heard people say, “The Brethren aren’t talking about food storage and emergency preparation anymore.” At first, I thought, “Well, why should they? They have been telling us for decades, and how many of the members are prepared?” But they really have still been counseling us to be prepared, only now the emphasis is on spiritual preparation.

So many have taken on that spiritual preparation challenge. They are studying the scriptures more than they ever have. They are reading books by the prophets and apostles, and other men of God. They are attending institute classes in addition to church attendance. And they are earnestly praying for the guidance of the spirit.

Like all who have been called to teaching positions in the church, institute teachers do their best to teach by the spirit. They strive to teach the things of God, sharing their own personal lessons and experiences. During these teaching moments, we are invited by the teacher to ponder and pray and receive our own witness of their words. A good teacher would do no less.

The point is this: Each of us needs to develop our own close relationship with the Lord. We need to become completely at one with Him, so much so that we rely solely on Heavenly Father and His Son, and no one else. When we truly get to that point – when we truly achieve this – we will be swayed by no mortal man. We will be in tune enough with the spirit to the point that discerning what is and is not of the Lord will become a part of us. When we hear truth, we will know it, and we will develop the wisdom to act on it. (Something Mike Stroud actually teaches.)

Now, do I listen to Mike Stroud?

Yes.

Do I take everything he says at face value?

No.

Do I ponder and pray about the discussions?

Yes.

Have I been uplifted and edified by his podcasts?

Yes.

Am I going to try and convince any of you to listen to his podcasts?

No. We make our choices.

Am I going to try to convince you to embrace what he teaches?

No. We each think for ourselves.

Am I going to try to discourage anyone else from listening to his discussions?

No. I hold a great respect for Mike Stroud, for his desire to serve God and his firm counsel to look to the prophet and apostles who lead and guide the Lord’s church.

I don’t like saying this, but if you want to see the perfect display of the separating of wheat and the tares, look no further than the LDS groups on Facebook.

Offering advice and hopefully some wise counsel is one thing, but this is not what we do. We make our suggestions and state our cases, then we sit back, and we judge, and judge, and judge, and judge, and judge. And if we can’t bend others to see things our way, we judge some more, making ourselves feel justified in our judgement.

This is not the Savior’s way, and it makes me so sad to see how far we have fallen. Talk about looking beyond the mark. That is exactly what we are doing with these actions. The discussions become controversial and turn into a stone-throwing free-for-all, completely defeating the purpose of the groups, which is to uplift and edify one another while preparing spiritually for the times ahead.

I love that our opportunities to learn and grow are never-ending, even after this life. And I love that the gospel principles and doctrine we learn on this earth aren’t really new. They are principles we already know, we have only forgotten them, so we are relearning. Each time anything of God strikes a familiar chord, we are remembering what we learned before. I also love knowing that the gospel knowledge we acquire in this life will be carried into the next.

It’s an amazing thing!

(Preparing now for the throwing of cyber stones 😊 )