As I said in my last post, 2020 has been a garbage fire of a year. Each day is something new that is scary, bizarre or on any level of insane.
I like to say that "the best prize is a surprise" (from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) but waking up each day in 2020 is an attempt to prove that wrong.
It can even feel difficult to revel in the joy or happy things that come along in the year because it is pushed aside by fear, concern, and anger that comes with the rising challenges of the year.
On some level, all of us has been touched by the flames and embers that rage with the rise of each new social media post or government regulation (or lack thereof depending on where you fall in opinion). And it isn't even fire season yet.
Each year around my birthday and the first of the year, I get very reflective. They are both the starts of new chapters and are about 6 month apart so they are properly spaced for mental check-ins.
Last year, I posted on my birthday about how we should always have hope. Hope for change or becoming better, whether we are on a steady rock or lost on the ocean. My family was vacationing on the beach during my birthday so my views very much looked like this:
This year, we drove to the west side of the state for camping and time with Corey's family around my birthday. While driving, I was thinking again how hope is again the most important thing that I learned this year of life, as I did the year before. But I didn't really know how to put it into words to share any new or added insight.
Well the camping trip was full of learning opportunities, as we are two inexperienced adults with a puppy trying to live out adventures. But one of the opportunities came when we did a hike that was not oringinally planned.
We climbed a mountain called Norse Peak in the Mount Baker-Snoqualamie forest. The bulk of the climb took us through a previously burned area
There were many blackened trees still scarred by the damage that had been done likely several years earlier. They were just dried sticks that were remnants of the past.
But alongside them were:
Wildflowers, green grass sprouting and whatever the green plant is. Still don't know what it is but I am obsessed with it now. Despite the scarring effects of the fire, growth is happening. In some ways, the fire allowed for the growth to happen. Even the burned out trees were starting to flake off their charcoaled bark and starting to show the fresh new skin of a young tree once again. Corey and I both remarked how amazed we were to see the contrast of the growth along side the scars and burns.
Sometimes, traumatic events happen. Whether they are the result of a nationwide pandemic, economic failures, or more individual based events. That is the result of living and being human. But they are not to punish or to harm us. As much as it may feel that way. The forest did not do anything wrong to have the fire happen, but rather it is the result of more natural forces. But growth is still possible. Growth is needed after these events. These events allow for growth.
In discussing the coming events of the Second Coming, Malachi chapter 3 states:
And he shall sit as a arefiner and purifier of silver: and he shall bpurify the csons of dLevi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an eoffering in righteousness.
The process of refining a metal such as gold or silver is to place it in heat until all of the impurities burn away. And the way that you can tell this is by being able to see yourself in the metal. So when the Lord is sitting as a refiner and purifier, he is looking to see himself in us.
Change and growth are not comfortable. Hence the term "growing pains". But that does not mean that it is not worth it. I often have kids at work tell me, "It's so hard though!" when I ask them to work on a skill like tying shoes or buttoning. My go to response to this is, "We have to work on it so that it is no longer hard." We have to go through the hard times of practicing our Christ-like attributes, relationship with the Savior, and conversion to the gospel so that it becomes more easy to be like Him. This means going through the fire of burning out our impurities to make them become new.
This does not mean that there will not be a lasting effect of our experiences. There may be wounds that take years to heal. But healing comes as we rely on the Savior and use the full power of the Atonement. We allow his balm to cover our wounds and use his assistance to grow and change for the better.
The 3rd verse from the Hymn "Did You Think to Pray" says:
When sore trials came upon you,
Did you think to pray?
When your soul was full of sorrow,
Balm of Gilead did you borrow
At the gates of day?
The Balm of Gilead is what was used in Old Testament times to heal wounds.
The best person to understand our pains is the one who has truly felt all of our pains. The one to tell that you are struggling, is the one that knows why you need to struggle. Who has felt your struggles. He can help you heal. He can plant new seeds in your wounds. He will help us develop wildflowers and greenery while we are still healing the scarred trees in our hearts.
Am I allowed to start this by saying, "What is 2020?" We all joked about having 2020 vision this year but I don't think we had any insight to what 2020 would bring us. Each month has seemed to attempt to top the level of crazy we were experiencing.
During these months, I have had so many thoughts roll into my head of what to say in a blog post to offer support or words of encouragement but none of them felt right to say. And then something new would happen and again I would think about what to say, but the words left my head almost as soon as I started to think them.
Then May happened. And the pressures of continued racism came to a head. I have been reluctant to write any words regarding this for many reasons. I did not want to add any false or misleading words to the rhetoric that is being shared by all viewpoints. I did not want to be another person sharing my white guilt but still not offering true hearted support to those that are actually experiencing racism and hate. I wanted the people who had authority to speak to be able to be heard without adding to the noise. I also watched people who loved each other, tear each other down on social media in an attempt to make themselves feel better. But now there are words in my head that have moved to my heart that I must get out.
Before I dive in, I just want to say, nothing in this post is meant to be condemning or accusatory in anyway. If you have a strong response to my words, please know that my goal is to educate and to promote thought, rather than to place judgement. As I often teach the kids I work with, emotions are our body's way of telling us how we are responding to a situation. So listen to those emotions and try to understand why you have them.
I have seen a video going around the last few days entitled "White on Purpose". It is a thought provoking video discussing how the LDS church has a history of racism and promoting the question of how we have inspired leaders while still having this strongly biased history. I have also seen a similar medium article pointing out the leaders of the early church having a history of racism and how members need to be better. I have since lost the link so I have not put it into this post, but I will edit it later if I find it.
I have really tried to think about the points raised in these posts, along with the tweets made by Joanna Brooks referenced in the videos. Here is how I can belong to a church that has this history, abide by the gospel, and hope to change for the better with that knowledge:
The beginnings
First, let us just look at Christianity and racism in general. A lot of people that owned slaves in the past, were God fearing people. They attended church every Sunday, contributed to society and served their community. Looking at this now, that may seem counterintuitive. People that believe God loves all, are also literally owning another person. But let's think about where racism starts in Christian texts: the story of Cain and Abel.
1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare aCain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a akeeperof sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the afirstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto bAbel and to his coffering:
5 But unto aCain and to his boffering he had not crespect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be aaccepted? and if thou bdoest not well, csin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall bedhisedesire, and thou shalt rule over him.
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and aslew him.
9 ¶ And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my abrother’sbkeeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s ablood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou acursed from the bearth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a afugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13 And Cain said unto the Lord, aMy punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, thatevery one that findeth me shall aslay me.
15 And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lordset a amark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
22 And Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the sons of Adam; and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam save it was the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were ablack, and had not place among them.
Then there is the case of Ham (father of Canaan), Shem, and Japheth. Ham finds his father, Noah, in a drunken, naked state. He tells his brothers, who cover up Noah without looking. When he wakes up, Noah proclaims:
25 And he said, aCursedbebCanaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
26 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his aservant.
Right from the very start, we have a separation of people, a "curse" placed to mark the skin of the sin of one man. Now we don't know exactly if the people's skin were literally dark, or if it was a metaphor like many other terms in the Bible. But what we do know, is that many people have used this curse as a reason to view someone with dark skin as being "worse" than someone with light skin. This was the view adopted by many people that were slave owners, or justified their racists views in the last few hundred years of society.
We also see a similar example in the Book of Mormon. Alma 3 states:
6 And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a acurseupon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men.
9 And it came to pass that whosoever did mingle his seed with that of the Lamanites did bring the same curse upon his seed.
14 Thus the word of God is fulfilled, for these are the words which he said to Nephi: Behold, the Lamanites have I cursed, and I will set a mark on them that they and their seed may be aseparated from thee and thy seed, from this time henceforth and forever, except they repent of their wickedness and bturn to me that I may have mercy upon them.
In both texts, we see that people with dark skin are cursed as punishment of one person's actions and the whole group is looked down upon as a result. These views easily were adopted by people of the church.
The early church and racism
Now let's look at the founding members of the church and their views. The church was founded in 1830. A time in which slavery existed. Members experienced extreme hate and persecution, leading to mass migration from New York, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois and then eventually what would become Utah.
I followed the citation of one of Joanna Brook's tweets to this site. It is a academic thesis covering Utah's history with slavery and analyzes the role that leaders of the early church has with this.
First he talks about Joseph Smith's own views of slavery. Which is hard to tell because he appeared to be neutral, with the exception of his presidential campaign in 1944. But if you think about society at the time. Slavery was real. The church had spent a good period of time in Missouri, which was a slave state. And the history covered in this thesis shows that if the church was anything but neutral, mobs would form (page 26). So by self preservation, they attempted to stay neutral, as persecution was already very high at the time.
Then the church moved to Utah, began to gather converts that were slave owners, and continued on in a social culture of racism and segregation.
Then we get to Brigham Young, who wrote in his own personal history:
The negro...should serve the seed of Abraham; he should not be a ruler, nor vote for men to rule over me nor my brethren. The Constitution of Deseret is silent upon this, we meant it should be so. The seed of Canaan cannot hold any office, civil or ecclesiastical....The decree of God that Canaan should be a servant of servants unto his brethren (i.e. Shem and Japhet [sic]) is in full force. The day will come when the seed of Canaan will be redeemed and have all the blessings their brethren enjoy. Any person that mingles his seed with the seed of Canaan forfeits the right to rule and all the blessings of the Priesthood of God; and unless his blood were spilled and that of his offspring he nor they could not be saved until the posterity of Canaan are redeemed.
He wrote and said many similar racist views, citing that curse of Canaan as the reason why people of color should not have any civil rights. Brigham Young was not the only church leader that was racist. This is what led to Utah legalizing slavery. And these views did not change for a long time. If fact, there are still many in Utah experiencing the effects of the racist culture established in Utah from the beginning.
Please, whatever you do, do not let this part be the last thing you read of this blog. It gets better, I promise.
How do I reconcile this?
Okay, so learning that beloved and revered church leaders were racist is not exactly a happy thought. There are many that look at the church's history and leave as it is not in line in how they feel good believers of the church should act. So how do we reconcile this?
First let's make three things clear:
1: When I was at BYU, I was fortunate to take "Teachings of the Living Prophets" from Lloyd Newell (the voice of the Tabernacle choir). Something that he emphasized weekly in class was that we do not believe in infallible prophets. What he meant by that was the men who lead the church are not perfect. We learn many times over in the church that humans are not capable of perfection in this life. The flesh is carnal and susceptible to temptation, weakness and flaws. We cannot expect anyone in the church, including any of the current or past leaders to be perfect. That is setting everyone up for failure.
He also taught us that every word that comes out of the prophet's mouth is not to be taken as scripture. That is to say, there is a difference between the man and his role as a prophet. When he speaks for the church, he speaks revelation. But when he speaks as a man, he speaks as a man.
2: Another thing emphasized in my church history classes is that the restoration of the gospel was not a single event that occurred via Joseph Smith. The restoration is continuous that is still happening today. That is why we still sustain the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve to be prophets, seers, and revelators. There is still more to be revealed.
We believe all that God has arevealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet breveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
That is why we consider general conference talks scripture. That is why we have continual changes in policy, new proclamations made, and continual revelation from our leaders.
3: Revelation comes to those that are ready to receive it. We talk much about receiving light and truth "line upon line, precept upon precept". This is why we go through a lengthy preparation process to receive ordinances. We must be prepared and ready to receive the next gospel truth.
So let's keep these things in mind as we go forward. No, we are not near the end and even as I type this, I too wish we were. Please bear with me.
Was skin really cursed?
First, inside those same texts that say darker skin is a sign of a curse, we learn that parents who do not teach their children properly, will answer for the sins of their children. This is in Moses 7:39, 2 Nephi 4:6-8, and D&C 68:25. So even though the curse may be on their skin (if we take the literal interpretation), the child is not responsible for that sin that caused the curse. It is the sin of the parent. We should not be punishing a person with a different skin tone for something that happened at the beginning of history. Or even 600 years before Christ. Because it is not their fault.
Right now, many people are saying "I never owned a slave, why do I have the pay the price of the past?" We don't want to be held accountable for the choices of our parents. So why are we not analyzing and checking our own views that are putting judgments on the children of sinful parents?
Second, when God changes people's countenances in the scriptures, the focus is usually on the person's face. When Moses talked to God, his face shown. Same with the Mount of Transfiguration. We talk often in the church of the light of Christ showing in their face. Most notably when the Jerusalem center was built and government officials were concerned that the light in the students' eyes would convert people, even when they were not proselyting.
We also talk about people losing the light of Christ when they are no longer righteous.
It is a possible conclusion that rather than a literal changing of the skin, it is rather an increase or a decrease of the light of Christ. We see this most in the Book of Mormon. When the Lamanites repented, their skin lightened. When either they or the Nephites became very wicked, their skin darkened. Because they had the books of Moses, they used similar language to what we see in the Bible. Making it possible that they are talking about the change in countenance as the receive or reject the light of Christ.
That second thought is not doctrine, but is a possible interpretation. Either way, the culture of religious people thinking the curse of Canaan is a justification of racism, is not correct.
How could racist people be inspired?
Joanna Brooks does make a good point in the video about how can this be possible. But let's talk about people in general for a second. We are all have biases and prejudices. Whether they be strong or mild, they are there. And they are a product of our culture, education, and belief systems.
Example:
I grew up in a predominantly white city. Compounded by the fact that our family spent most of our time in the most white parts of the city. So I can actually remember the first time I saw a Black person. I was in the back of the car and I had gone downtown with mom for some reason. I remember seeing him on the street corner and thinking, "What is he doing here? He doesn't belong here." No one taught me that, rather it was a product of never really registering that a person could look different than me before. It wasn't until later that people had to teach me that there are many people with different colored skin and that is perfectly ok. Hence my marriage to a very beautiful indigenous man.
Also locked up in my cringe memory box, is a conversation I had with a teacher I had. She was married to a Japanese man. She had to explain to me that not only what race was, but that there were many different races out there beyond black and white. Because I just never knew up until that point.
These are two examples of me as a child, but I am still continually learning about my own biases and how to adjust them according to my new knowledge. I went through a huge growth with this in graduate school specifically.
So biases exist in all people. Even leaders of the church. Because, as I stated above, we do not believe our prophets to be infallible. Although our culture likes to put them on a pedestal of awe and wonder, each current and past leader of the church is a person just like you and me. They are subject to bias, temptation, and weakness just like you and me.
Each person is also permitted to have inspiration. We are all entitled to revelation for ourselves according to the light and knowledge we are prepared and willing to receive. As we are doing our best to bring ourselves closer to Christ, we are able to receive revelation. Revelation is based on our willingness to act upon what we receive. Priesthood leaders can receive revelation for people that they lead, according to the knowledge and willingness to act upon that revelation they receive.
So even though the early leaders of the church had biases that we now recognize as wrong, they were ready to act upon the revelation needed to restore the gospel to the earth and start the church built upon its principles.
But this is also why it took so long for many policies rooted in bias (including those that are biased outside of racism) to change. The leaders that are seeking the revelation had to be ready to receive it. We can see the thoughts that Brigham had as a man in the quote above. He was in no way ready to act upon the revelation that all members of the church who are worthy to receive the priesthood and temple ordinances should receive it. The thoughts shared by the following leaders show the same.
Many people think that the church changed its policy regarding people of color and the priesthood because it succumbed to social pressures of the time. But the civil rights movement happened in the 1960s. The policy change occurred a decade later.
When learning about this in church history classes, my teacher brought us through the entire process that President Kimball went through to reach to bring about that policy change. He thought, studied and prayed hard about that policy and was willing to act regardless of what the Lord said. And then he immediately acted upon it. He ordained a janitor in the temple as soon as he received the revelation.
He received the revelation because he, the other leaders of the church, and the church were ready for it.
Bruce R McConkie wrote regarding this, saying:
Forget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President George Q. Cannon or whosoever has said in days past that is contrary to the present revelation [on the priesthood]. We spoke with a limited understanding and without the light and knowledge that has now come into the world. We get our truth and our light line upon line and precept upon precept. We have now had added a new flood of intelligence and light on this particular subject, and it erases all the darkness and all the views and all the thoughts of the past. They don’t matter any more.
Should they have received this light sooner? Probably. I am in no way justifying the biases of our past leaders. But it is our responsibility to prepare our hearts for what comes. Policy changes occur when the leaders, and the church as a whole, are ready. This also congruent with other biased policies. As the leadership, and the church, are prepared to receive changes, the changes come.
In summary, we need to remember that not all words from the prophet's mouth or writings are policy and doctrine. They are entitled to be imperfect men. As they are able to prepare and receive revelation, they are able to enact policies reflecting the light God gives them through their role as prophets, seers, and revelators.
We are the same. We must continually prepare, study and act according to the light and knowledge we receive. This may be from scriptures, general conference, the experiences of those we surround ourselves with, or from emotions and thoughts that prick our hearts from daily life.
Church vs the Gospel
Many people today have trouble with the imperfections of the church and the people in it, and therefore lose their testimonies of the gospel. These are two different things. A talk that helps define this is difference is entitled: Converted to His Gospel through His Church by Donald L Hallstrom in April 2012. In it, he discusses how the Gospel is the truths given by God to lead to eternal life. The church is an organization of believers in the gospel to promote righteousness and community to help all return back to God.
The gospel is the true plan of happiness, outlining commandments and principles to abide our lives by to receive exaltation and redemption for our sins. That will never change. It was given to Adam and given many times throughout the course of human history. If it was ever changed or altered, it was due to the people losing their light, or mixing their own opinions, rather than the actual principles changing.
The church was established by Christ during his life, but was lost after the Apostasy. The church was then restored started by Joseph Smith and the process continues to this day. The only ever perfect person apart of the church was Jesus Christ himself. All other members, in the past and now, are imperfect. We are all carnal by nature as a result of the fall of Adam (Alma 42:9-12). This means that it is run and full of participants of imperfect people. The purpose of the church may be for the perfecting of the saints, but the real perfection can only come through the redeeming atonement of the Savior. So there will be people who offend, have opposing views, and have very real biases. Members will make mistakes. Leaders will make mistakes. Because that is natural.
Our jobs as members of the church and believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is to do the best we can to abide by the principles of the gospel we believe in, act according to the light we have, and continually seek for improvement and growth.
Our baptismal covenants are described in Mosiah 18:
And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are adesirous to come into the bfold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
9 Yea, and are awilling to mourn with those that bmourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as cwitnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the dfirst resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being abaptized in the bname of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a ccovenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?
This does not mean to mourn with those that had the same experience as you. Comfort those that you relate to. Stand as a witness when it suits you. We mourn with all those that mourn, even when we do not understand or have experienced it ourselves. We comfort all those that need comfort, even if they look, talk or act differently than you. We stand as a witness of God at all times. We all seek for our burden's to be light. And when we carry our burdens together, rather than adding to each other's burdens, everyone's load is lighter.
We must listen and learn from others, especially when their experience does not reflect our own, so that we can mourn with them. Opening our hearts allow for comfort. When it challenges us, it is a time for us to expand our understanding. As we expand our minds and open our hearts, we lighten the burden placed on our Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) brothers and sisters by the previous actions of our ancestors and imperfect leaders.
27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their aweakness. I bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my cgrace is sufficient for all men that dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make eweak things become strong unto them.
We all have weaknesses to grow from. Including current and past leaders of the church. It is given to us to grow and become better through humility. Fighting those challenges are the result of pride. First recognizing those weaknesses leads to growth and development that leads up to be the people that the Lord has intended for us.
We are only accountable for the sins that we ourselves commit, and pass to our children. Handed to us is a history of extreme bias, both inside and outside the church. Now as we are presented more and more the experiences and trauma that our BIPOC are experiencing, we have the opportunity to prove our commitment to our baptismal covenants to mourn those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort and stand as witnesses of God at all times. Listen, learn, comfort, and help as you are able. Search your hearts, pray for understanding and seek how these uncertain times are an opportunity for you to grow and become strong.
We have an opportunity to stop the history of the people (and culture) of the church being racist, intentionally or unintentionally. It is a time to welcome all people. We are the generation to bring the light of the gospel to all kindred, tongues and people. We learn in the Book of Mormon that "in (our) aprosperous circumstances, (we will) not send away any who were bnaked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and (we will) not set (our) hearts upon criches; therefore (we are) dliberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no erespect to persons as to those who stood in need." (Alma 1:30)
For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he ainviteth them ball to ccome unto him and partake of his goodness; and he ddenieth none that come unto him, black and white, ebond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the fheathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. (2 Nephi 26:33)
Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be arestored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the bFather, and the Holy Spirit, which is cone Eternal God, to be djudgedaccording to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil. (Alma 11:44)
Teach all people the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then help them continue to feel welcomed and fellowships throughout their entire time in the church. Regardless of their past, their looks, or their differences before us. That is our job as laborers in the vineyard in the last hour. Continue in the church, even when it is hard, so that you can stand as an example and help others change their own biased views and increase the positive environment of church meetings.
Start educating yourself. Start with videos such as this:
and books about the bias and how to improve.
Then analyze your own biases, your own experiences, and how you can become better. If you think you don't have any, please reconsider and try again. I once thought this too, but then quickly realized my pride when I was challenged. I still recognize that I have it and work daily to improve.
I firmly believe and testify of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be true. I also recognize the imperfections of all members of the Church of Jesus Christ, especially myself. We are entitled to making mistakes. But we have the opportunity to change and improve through the redeeming and atoning power of Jesus Christ. He knows who we can and will become. He can show us how we need to improve and what weaknesses to overcome. If we ask in faith and act upon the answer. I know that President Nelson is called to be the prophet now, as he is the leader the Lord needs. I believe this of all current and past prophets and apostles. But I also recognize that they too are working to overcome weaknesses through the Atonement of Christ. The past is not justified, but we can continue to promote change and improvement.
Again my purpose is to educate and to promote thought. To invite change and increase our community for all people among the church and believers of the gospel. The more we improve ourselves, the more we can improve the church and be ready for more revelation and restoration in the church. The more we support our communities and promote growth, the more we can live in peace during difficult times. Find in yourself how you can promote positive change in yourself, family and others. Then act on it. This is how we become better followers of Christ.
