Exploring Faith and Its Impact on Behavior
Live from Salt Lake City, Utah, this is Heart of the Matter ESPRESSO! where we do all we can to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. I’m Shawn McCraney, your host.
Show 21 550
Striking the Root – part I
May 16th, 2017
Well, we had a wonderful time with our brother and pastor of 47 years, Glenn Hill. Lots and lots of positive comments about him and his love – which is what we are all about. Glenn called and sends his love to all of you. We encourage all of you to contact Glenn directly and obtain his simple and straightforward approach to the question: Has Jesus Returned or Not? His contact information is on the screen.
Conversations with Atheists and Agnostics
Well, several weeks back we had an interview with atheist/agnostic Bryce Blankenagle – a young man I actually enjoy talking with. Prior to our interview on air, Bryce and I sat down and had a heart to heart on his podcast – which is now available at www.nakedmormonismpodcast.com. You will find the interview under Special Edition number 42 CARDIO of the STUFF with Shawn McCraney. Check that out. I thought I was able to present some things that are often greatly misunderstood about the faith.
While we are on the subject, I had a nice conversation with Bryce last week over the phone and after hanging up I realized something – separate from Bryce and his atheism – I wonder if Atheists – like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins – realize the following: That scripture says that this faith is for the weak of the world and typically not the strong, and that because of this faith in the lives of some very weak people (like myself) that the world is a safer place? I mean, they pick at believers and mock us and criticize the fact that we follow Jesus forgetting that in the case of TRUE CHRISTIANITY (not religion and its power plays but TRUE Christianity) that the world is a safer place?
The Role of Christianity in Personal Restraint
Put it this way, let’s say that Dawkins was my next-door neighbor and I had not found the Lord who has legitimately changed my life. And he possessed the following: A barking dog. A hot wife. And a propensity to anger me. Do these atheists realize that without Jesus in me I would secretly kill that barking dog, try to sleep with his hot wife, and with stealth and care take every opportunity where I wouldn’t get caught to knock his teeth out? I just wonder if in all their criticism and mockery of the faith if they realize that in the world the faith TRULY goes a long way to improve living conditions.
What they want is me to be peaceful and kind based on reason – but in people like me, reason is lost when we are annoyed. That’s why our prisons are full. And it's why Jesus does so much good work in prisons. He came for the weak and the lost – and it just seems ironic to me that most atheists don’t realize that without Jesus in the world that they could be the first to get taken down in this world?
Irony in Faith and Protection
I mean, it was like at the gathering we called, The Inquisition. I was put on trial and confronted for my views on God and during that some guy comes in and physically grabs my wife. And one of my accusers and attackers starts laughing at the spectacle while I am on stage unable to do anything about it. The irony was in the fact that while I am being attacked on my views about God, one of my attackers was laughing at the fact that my wife was being attacked. That’s when I said to him, “you’re lucky I’m a Christian because if I wasn’t, I’d punch you in the face.”
The irony being I was restraining my natural inclinations (in the name of the God I love) but my views on this God who I was following were being attacked by people who in that moment were being protected by my faith in Him! All this stuff has caused me to step back from outright attacks on people and their particular approaches to God and realize that if their faith encourages them to love more, I need to back off and let God work out the details in terms of doctrine and theology.
Got a couple interesting emails recently– The first is from Herbert Z who writes: I came
Exploring Personal Spiritual Journeys
Across one of your videos on YouTube, where you talk about the teachings of the LDS, I got a few visits from the missionaries and they gave me the Book of Mormons and asked me to pray to God to see if that was the book that I was supposed to be reading. I did exactly that, I got on my knees just before I went to sleep and asked God if the book had the message that he wanted me to have. That very same night I had until today the most horrible dream that I have ever had. Think of an Anaconda black as coal, on the edge of a cliff charging me, and I just move to my side and let it passed and it went down, down the cliff all the way to the ocean. I had to give the book another chance because I did not know if the dream comes from God or Satan can intercept our thoughts, but that is another theme.
The second night I did the same, I got on my knees and asked God the same question. It turned out that I had another nightmare but I don't remember it because it was like a year ago. I said to myself, "If I asked God about this book why don't I ask him about the Holy Bible." The third night I asked the same question but regarding the Holy Bible. I had a pleasant dream, I remember that my Mom's God Son was sitting on a chair by the dining table and out of nowhere he said, "God is Great." So, I took that as a message that the Holy Bible is what I should be reading. Jesus knows that what I'm writing is true and the Holy Spirit is my witness that it is true. Sincerely, Herbert
Contrasting Experiences and Beliefs
Dreams are interesting and while I love the imagery of Hebert’s dream and cannot accept nor deny it, the unfortunate thing about dreams is there are other people who have dreams that validate the BOM and will then join the faith as a result. For this reason, I believe we have the living Word at hand to check the claims of things like Mormonism – and dreams to perhaps motivate us to do the checking. In any case, this was an interesting email. Thank you, Herbert.
Shawn,
After 65 years believing in and serving in the Mormon church, and sending a son and a daughter on foreign missions, it's pretty devastating to find that my life and what I taught my 9 children has been based on fraudulent claims. Like someone has said, it is like I had my feet firmly planted on thin air. I am presently in limboland because this new knowledge totally complicates an already complicated life due to divorce after 40 years from a bipolar man who impacted my life due to his obsessions about the need to live "all" God's laws, which included plural marriage. I said no to him taking more wives, but mania in him distorted his reality so I basically lived with his phantom plural wives all our married life. Hence I hate Joseph Smith and what he did. I totally believe he was bipolar, exhibiting all the same symptoms as my bipolar husband: grandiose ideas, visions, narcissism, treasure hunting, over-sexed fantasies of being married to many women, charisma, intelligence, paranoia about Satan's power, and claiming supernatural power. Jeanette
Reflections on Faith and Belief
Pray for our sister, Jeanette, that she will not only be freed from her past in Mormonism but discover the true and living God through a direct relationship available to all.
Because most of our content is going to come from the Word I am going to skip that official segment and get down to business. A couple of weeks ago we wrapped up all of Noam Chomsky’s insights into how “the Few” seek to manipulate “the many” in Government and Major Corporations. I presented a chart on the board that laid out how organized religion has done the same using these principles. Here is an enlarged hard copy of this chart which will serve as the outline for the rest of the year’s programs (unless we have an unexpected guest). We called the programs where we examined Chomsky, “No More Hacking at the Branches.” Now that we have those principles underfoot we are going to call these future shows STRIKING the ROOTS.
And I suppose it’s time for me to explain some things that I believe – which will expose me to more scrutiny and scoffs but I think it’s important to say them.
The Restorationist Movement and Its Influence
Back in the early 19th century – perhaps before – a man came forth who believed it his call to Restore the Christian faith to its lost New Testament reality. Alexander Campbell was born in 1788 and was the founder of what is called the Restorationist Movement or the Stone-Campbell movement. He had a follower by the name of Sidney Rigdon who would ultimately disagree with him, join forces with another visionary named Joseph Smith, and together – for a while – they would produce their own system of beliefs relative to Campbell's Restoration Movement.
Many religious reformers and restorers in that day knew there was something wrong with modern Protestantism, that there was certainly something wrong with Roman Catholicism and Greek or Russian Orthodoxy, and they boldly stepped forward to renovate or restore what they believed was LOST over the centuries. Alexander Campbell was 18 when Joseph Smith was born and had that much of a running start at Restoring what they believed was the true church back to the earth.
The Role of Sidney Rigdon
It is my belief that Campbell's follower Sidney Rigdon was a major player in the development of Mormonism and in all probability the Book of Mormon itself – perhaps even the writing of it as the BOM addresses nearly all of the Restorationist movements views popularized by Campbell. Whether or not my suspicions are correct and Rigdon played such a role, one thing is sure – Joseph Smith personally possessed the tools needed – talents, abilities, charm, imagination – to take the seeds of the Restorationist platform, and forge them into a fairly comprehensive, amalgamated system of doctrines and practices – FROM HIS OWN IMAGINATION – and NOT . . . from a strict contextual reading of the Bible. From Smith, Brigham Young built upon the foundation Smith laid using his skills at organization and implementation, and the rest is history.
The Evolution of Mormonism
Moving out to July of 1972, when I was but a wee ten year old LDS lad, Apostle Mark E Peterson officially said: “We latter day saints announce that new light has come. That God has given a new revelation of Himself in modern times and WE are the custodians of that Revelation. He has raised up NEW apostles and prophets to labor among the nations as did Peter and Paul. WE are those apostles and prophets. WE are his divinely called representatives for today.” The We Peterson refers to could be reworded to say, “the few” and he was speaking to a growing audience of “the Many”
From all of this – from Campbell, to Smith, to Young, to Peterson to the present day, Mormonism embodies NOT, NOT, NOT a restoration of Jesus’ true Church, neither did Campbell's, “Church of Christ,” nor did Calvin, nor the denoms sprouting up from the Protestant Reformation NOR the Catholics twelve hundred years before because ALL OF THEM – every last one of these attempts to formalize the faith – whether planted last week or in 1830, or in 1550, or in 385 AD – every single last one of them ARE built on a FAULTY foundation.
Deconstructing Unbiblical Doctrines
And this is where it is going to get weird for some, most, or all of you – God has allowed me, better yet, created me, to be one (along with many others) to see it – LISTEN – not from my own abilities or imaginations or strengths – but He has allowed me to both see this – and to prove it – from the Bible. I boast only in Christ. Where He is holy and good and pure I am His fleshly opposite – without equivocation.
But from a very young age He has forged and molded and prepared my person to deconstruct (NOT reconstruct, or reform or restore) but to deconstruct centuries of unbiblical doctrines and practices – and to assist in the liberation of lives and minds from grip of religious controls – where “the few” strive to manipulate “the many.” This rhetoric will bother some of you – I realize this – and it actually goes much deeper than I am letting on here – but please understand, I am not a prophet, a religious leader, someone to follow or pay money to.
My life and mind have been prepared (as your lives and minds have been prepared) to accomplish (and in my case prove) some very specific things to any and all who will hear, namely: That the Good News is actually
Main Topic: Discovering Truth in Christianity
The reason for my specific mission – like it, believe it or receive it (or not) is to help seekers of truth discover it IN AND THROUGH the Bible while destroying religious traditions which are based on centuries of faulty thinking, faulty ideas, group-think, and the imaginations of Men. I ADMIT – again – I have no other purpose than to expose and teach the truths present in the Bible – take it for what it is. No one will ever be condemned or lost because they failed to follow me or my views – which are all in process. Condemnation will come for failing to seek God in spirit and in truth. So don’t think I am demanding any sort of allegiance to me or my ideas.
But if you ARE a seeker and want to know the truth I challenge any and all to test everything we present by the Word and then hold fast and sure to what you believe is SUPPORTED through a contextual analysis of what we present. In the meanwhile, I see the good that organized religion can do in the world. I begrudge nobody who uses it to enhance their lives or to give them support in this uncertain world. But understand, a model for the true Christian – not a model for organized Christianity – but the model for the “true individual Christian” is vibrantly presented in a contextual reading of the Word through the life and death and resurrection of Christ Himself. All the rest – no matter how well-intentioned or successful – is a product of Man.
The Good News and Religious Bondage
We call it “playing church.” I can say this with all certainty by the content OF the word itself where it is clear that all things are now by the Spirit, which resides in the individual believer and not in groups, institutions, or movements. Those always lend to a quenching, and extinguishing of the Spirit.
- The Good News: “Come, buy without money free of price” “all the world” Gratitude Freedom Love and Joy Conform to us by joining us. Always Bad News, somehow, in the end.
- Unburdening of Cares: Come unto me and I will give you rest. Yoke is easy, His burden light Joy Assignments and Demands of Man. Support our causes. Burdens
- True Humility: “Become as Little Children” “Weak things of the World” Humility and the Spirit Intellectualism Fleshly Wisdom Endless Debates Power Plays Politicking Arrogance Dogma Worldly Strategies
- He has all Authority: Christ is our direct Head by the Spirit. He is IN us. Faith, trust, and growth in the Spirit “We have the Authority” “We represent Him on earth.” Pleasing Man, trusting Man and fearing man more than God.
- We Live by the Spirit: Laws written on hearts Freedom to Love Misappropriating the Bible Content to their advantage Manipulation
- All things lawful and legal: Walk in the Spirit Freedom to be led internally by God through Faith “Legalisms” Law = Sin Hamster wheel. Measuring up.
- Open free Financial lives: Give Cheerfully and without compulsion The Spirit Leading Tithes and Offerings Law Burden Flesh
- New Eschatology: End of all things All will happen within a Generation Bible all about that day and age materially. Reasonable Context provides freedom & rest Second Coming is eminent This end is still coming! Uncertainty, compulsion, fear
- End of Material Religion: “Son of Man has no place to rest His head” and “he will shake everything until the only thing left will be unshakeable. “A Kingdom Not of this World” “It’s a Spiritual Kingdom.” “The Kingdom of God is within you.” Materialism Strategy Market Share Brick and Mortar Worship Concerts A Worldly Kingdom that reassures itself that it is not of this world. • Emotionalism • Materialism • Consumerism • Participationism
- Hell and afterlife punishment: He has had the Victory End of all things Satan is OVER Hope and Peace Hell and Lake of Fire! Satan! Demons! FEAR
- We worship and seek Him NOT the Bible: The Bible is a map not a manual. It is spiritually discerned not materially mandated A living witness to assist us in all we believe A Written Manual! LAW
- The Faith is ENTIRELY Subjective today: All “go alone” to God after this life. Mark 9 No man judges another Free by the Spirit Liberty in Christ Law written on hearts Freedom to seek a DIRECT relationship with God in whatever ways we are lead. An Oppressive Objective Faith Ontology of God Baptisms Holy Spirit Authority Rites/Observances Lifestyles Bible Types Judging Dogma Denominationalism In-fighting “Us versus them”
The System and Its Embrace
Those who have embraced all of the above become so ensconced in the system, so zealous, so committed to it, they have little time or inclination to question what the few are doing to them.
Understanding the Columns
Describe the first three columns and what they represent. Work our way down to outline the year. Then show how the Institutions take the Good News and try to play church.
The Biblical Antidote
The left side of the board is the biblical antidote (remember it’s the BIBLICAL antidote) to all that the few in the world try to impose upon the many. I am NOT creating biblical fictions – the text is there and we will present the information with everything we suggest. In other words, we are NOT just using our imaginations and our desires for things to be true to create these views – they are valid biblical views that we stand upon for our beliefs. This is REALLY, REALLY important to remember. It is also important to remember that when people differ with us on what the Bible is saying they have that right and our response is not to argue or hate or divide but allow them their opinion and view and to love them.
An Open Challenge
Having said this, and in Christ Jesus name by and through His Spirit, I challenge anyone who thinks they can prove my position on points one through twelve wrong to prove it – using the Bible in a contextually applied form. The podium awaits you. Not to debate but to discuss.
