Heart of the Matter

Welcome to Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology., live from the Mecca of Mormonism, Salt Lake City, Utah. I am your host, Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion.. Let's start with a prayer.

Understanding Yoking and Liberty

After four weeks of discussions, we started exploring Mormonism with conversations about communion, the Eucharist, and the LDS Sacrament. We continued by discussing the Commandments mentioned in the LDS Sacrament prayer, which highlights that "by always keeping the LDS commandments, the members might have the Holy Spirit to be with them."

Last week, we delved into The Law, using an example of the divisive effects of the simple command to wear socks to church. We've established these principles, and tonight, I want to talk about the biblical ideas of liberty and the religious notions of being yoked. Specifically, how do we explain the paradox of liberty in Christ while simultaneously bearing His yoke?

The topic is timely as my daughter forwarded a picture from Facebook posted by my younger brother’s wife. My brother, a faithful member of the LDS church, serves as an early morning seminary teacher in southern California. This picture depicts him teaching his kids in an LDS cultural hall through an object lesson. Here is the picture she posted online, along with her description:

"We could say early morning seminary has begun. These amazing kids are learning to ‘come unto’ Jesus Christ and to ‘take his yoke’ upon them so as to find ‘rest to their souls.’ (Matthew 11:28-30). Then she writes, ‘These two have learned the importance of being “equally yoked with their partner” (i.e., Great Marriage training ). Finally, she adds, if you know any teenagers who would like to join them, let me know. My husband (Beau) teaches the class at 5:45 AM, Monday – Friday."

The Para-Military Approach of Mormonism

I know my brother means well. He wants to teach kids to be their best, and what we see in this picture is a fair representation of the means he endorses to bring this about in their lives: rules, restrictions, and yoking them. If you have ever been LDS, you realize that this is the mode by which Mormonism trains and teaches people to moral living. They are loaded with instructions, make covenants of obedience and allegiance, implement ample opportunities to exercise these principles, and follow-up with interviews to assess progress and digression, applying disciplinary actions if necessary.

This para-military approach works for many, just like the military works for some. But what is missing or lacking in this approach to human conditioning? Does it only serve to harden the human heart?

Jesus' Teaching on Yokes

Success in the system often creates a hard, proud heart toward those who fail or rebel. It creates judgment for those who reject the system or aren't part of it. It can even create animosity and hatred for those who resist or condemn their system. In the picture, the biblical teaching about Jesus' yoke is cited. My sister-in-law wrote that "These amazing kids are learning to ‘come unto’ Jesus Christ and to ‘take his yoke’ upon them so as to find ‘rest to their souls.’ (Matthew 11:28-30)."

The words are correct. Jesus said:

"Come to me all you who LABOR and I will give you REST. Take MY YOKE upon you and learn of me, for I am GENTLE and LOWLY of heart. And you will find REST for your souls. FOR MY YOKE IS EASY AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT!"

Aren’t those amazing words that Jesus offers the world as He invites “all who LABOR (are tired, broken, worn down, and brought to their knees) to come to HIM and that He would give them REST?” But the picture shows two kids wearing a man-made yoke, on their knees, and struggling to move forward! This is because they have borne the…

Critique of Man-Made Religious Yokes

Yoke of man-made religion inside a church that ironically insists on calling itself, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. A yoke of man-made covenants, man-made demands, and man-made consequences!

Jesus said, COME TO ME – TO HIM – directly to Him – all who labor, who work and are tired – and he said, I WILL GIVE YOU REST. Religious institutions like Mormonism provide the opposite. You come to them and they burden you with demands, assignments, tithes, callings which only serve to crush you under the weight of their collective demands! And no church on earth does this more than Mormonism! But this is NOT what Jesus offers and promises to those who seek Him, is it?

Jesus' Promise of Rest

Jesus said: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me – for I am gentle and lowly of heart. Mormonism places ITS yoke upon its members and it teaches its congregates about it –

Its prophets
It’s apostles
Its doctrine
Its histories
Its policies

With only the rare opportunity to learn something of Jesus. And where Jesus gave the reason for taking His yoke upon oneself and to learn of Him because, He is gentle and lowly of heart,” But the results of taking the LDS yoke upon oneself typically winds up as the opposite of Jesus' gentle lowliness but becomes Arrogance, Pride, Judgments, Condemnation, Often through aggression and control.

The Oppression of Man-Made Burdens

And where Jesus says: And you will find REST for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light, We discover the exact opposite results in the labor camp of Mormonism – as we would expect to find in a para-military organization.

Look – if people want to use Mormonism to better their earthly life through regimentation and top-down directives, I support that choice. I would be an ignoramus to sit here and try and suggest that the institution and the way it is governed is detrimental to principled living, monetary success, and order. And for some people – some families – some parents . . . these things are paramount and compared with chaos, disorder, and lives of imbalance, Mormonism is a fantastic option. I get that and I see it and I respect people's right to choose it. Just like a stint in the military can take a lost soul and give them direction, Mormonism does the same.

But the problems lie in the following:

First, Mormonism ties what they do and prescribe TO Jesus and the liberty and comfort and rest He brings (like in the example of these seminary kids in the LDS cultural hall) and this is absolutely false. This is a false gospel. It’s a lie. Jesus works from the heart outward. His yoke (remember, it was His to bear ON our behalf – HE BORE IT – and His took when applied to others is easy and light, NOT burdensome). Practices that produce outward conformity in people will never suffice in changing the human heart – that was my problem within Mormonism – Towing the line of Mormon demands only served to polish the brass on the Titanic, but I was still full of dead, dried bones. When Jesus entered the picture my heart was changed, which ultimately altered the outward man. That is how His yoke works on a soul. Religion works on the outward in hopes of changing the inward – and it does not work that way.

And that leads us to the second major problem with Mormonism's Cultural Hall Yokes – people grow up believing that this is God’s way. But God’s way, because He loved the world so much, was to send us His Son, who bore a yoke we could not, and invites all to receive Him, and His burden, and to find rest, because in Him everything is light and easy. Innocent people – people wanting to really know and to really follow God, and to live lives that would please Him, are beguiled by the Mormon system of bondage into thinking that it is up to them to please God. That they must do all that they possibly can to make it into God’s presence. This attitude reminds me of what Paul said about his own people the Jews when he wrote:

Roman 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, they seek to establish their own righteousness but did not submit to God's. 4 For Christ

Faith and Transformation

is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified.

I want to wrap tonight’s show up with an absolutely true story from my own life – remembering that I came out of 40 years as an active Latter Day Saint and when I existed, I knew firsthand that their system of religion – that in fact, ALL systems of religion – would fail me.

And I was introduced to Jesus Christ by the Spirit. And I was taught by the Spirit and the Word that by faith I was saved and that I was to walk and trust by FAITH that Jesus in me would overcome my flesh – this I trusted. I refused to look to religion or religious men. I refused to let flesh and blood correct my fleshly failures – and when I first became a Christian I was full of fleshly failures. In faith I let them do what they would do – and by the Spirit, when empowered, I turned from them – but only when it was obvious that the Lord was doing the work. I possessed tremendous proclivities toward women, I was violent and mentally deranged to a great extent – but I refused to try and overcome these things on my own or through religion.

The Power of Faith

Why? I trusted that, in the light of FAITH and FAITH ALONE IN HIM ALONE – that God would ultimately remove my fleshly nature according to His timetable – and not my own. Some of my fleshly ways did not die for more than two decades. Sometimes I would fall backward in my flesh – in every way possible – AS a Christian. But I NEVER worried about the sins, the failures, or the weaknesses in my flesh and tried to reform them – I only LOOKED to Christ in faith and allowed Him to live and reign in me.

My toke was so heavy – if I tried to bear it. But when I surrendered it over to him day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year – He proved Himself faithful in gently removing my yoke and replacing it with Him. I don’t care what your issue is – it is a non-event in the life of a person who looks to Jesus in faith. You do not have to fix it. He will. Your call is to walk in faith, and let Him teach you how to love – both Him and others.

Finding Rest

In this way, His yoke is truly easy and His burden is truly light. And in this way, you will experience victory. Without religion. Write your comments! Write your questions here online and then join us Tuesday, tomorrow night as we review them, right here on, HEART OF THE MATTER!

RUN COME TO ME GRAPHICS

1

“We could say early morning seminary has begun. These amazing kids are learning to “come unto” Jesus Christ and to “take his yoke” upon them so as to find “rest to their souls. (And she cites Matthew 11:28-30). Then she writes, “These two have learned the importance of being “equally yoked with their partner” (ie, Great Marriage training (smiley face).

2

If you know of any teenagers who would like to join them, let me know. My husband (Beau) teaches the class 5:45 AM Monday – Friday.

3

Come to me all you who LABOR and I will give you REST. Take MY YOKE upon you and learn of me, for I am GENTLE and LOWLY of heart.

4

And you will find REST for your souls. FOR MY YOKE IS EASY AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT!

5

Roman 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
2 I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened.
3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, they seek to establish their own righteousness but did not submit to God's.
4 For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified.

6

Call in tomorrow night! Comment on the show below or email us! Let’s talk through all of this, here on Heart of the Matter!