First of all, I do not have the authority to create a revival. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There are many good and beautiful fruits found in the church and I have been a recipient of many of these fruits. Here are some examples.
- The Book of Mormon has been translated into nearly 100 languages.
- The Book of Mormon has been carried throughout much of the world.
- There are millions of people who attend worship service each Sunday throughout the world.
- The structure of the church facilitates service which benefits both the giver and receiver.
- Jesus is the central figure of worship.
- Scripture study is strongly engrained into the culture.
- A culture of community love is instilled in the wards as ward communities.
- Semi-annual conferences lighten the world with wonderful talks bringing people closer to Christ.
- Temples dot the earth and the temple are always filled with the Spirit of God which benefits all who attend.
- Youth programs strengthen the youth of the church spring boarding them into a life of service.
- Missionary programs bless the world with both service and the spreading of the word of God.
I recieved my Baptism of Fire serving and building up this church while I lived in North Carolina. I continue to serve in this church as a Ward Temple and Family History Leader and I attend the temple 2 or 3 times per month.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a beautiful church and I highly recommend it to anyone.
Yet if I were to be designer of a revival, this is what I would see happen. And as you read, note that many are things that no man can make happen, only God.
- We will promote the rise of the indigenous as the rise of the Remnant of Israel. We will be one with them.
- There will be a real emphasis on using the priesthood to heal people. We will get rid of these watered down blessings of the doctor’s hands being skilled. Instead, we will bless the ailment to repair. And we will watch it happen.
- Polygamy will be condemned. The practice of one man one wife will prevail as it is taught in the Book of Mormon. Emma Smith’s name will be restored.
- The gift of tongues will find its way back in as was done in the day of Pentecost in the Book of Acts. People from all over the world speaking will hear and speak with each other in their own tongue.
- Tithing will be done away with and replaced with consecration. The United Order will be practiced.
- The sabbath will be restored to Saturday.
- Wine of your own make will be brought into the Sacrament.
- The Word of Wisdom will be restored to Words of Wisdom not by commandment. By making it a commandment, it leads to a superiority complex. It also excludes many from entering into the church. In reality, there are not many people who truly live the Word of Wisdom in its true original form. Instead the focus is on the temple recommend required items – no coffee, no tea, no alcohol, no Tabacco.
- No church would proclaim itself to be the one and only true church upon the earth as it is like unto standing upon the Rameumptom. We are all to become one.
- The Doctrine of Christ as specified in 3 Nephi 11 would be the only primary doctrine taught as truth. All other teachings will be seen as appendages.
- Repent
- Become as a little child
- Have a broken heart and a contrite spirit
- Receive baptism
- Receive the Baptism of Fire
- Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost
- We are to all become united in the Peacemaker
- We are united with no disputations nor contentions based on appendage teachings
- The Oral Torah will be made available for study and fully accepted.
- All indigenous records will be made available for study and fully accepted.
- If discrepancies exist between teachings in ancient records and beliefs, discernment and acceptance will be practiced. Eventually, the Peacemaker will clear the way on what is truth.
- The earth will be respected, restored, and preserved.
- Christmas will be changed to April 6 – the sacred date on which Joseph Smith established his church and believed to be the true birthdate of The Peacemaker.
- Easter would be renamed to “The Resurrection Celebration”. It would last an entire week. It would be a celebration week to remember the final week of the Peacemaker’s life up to his resurrection. It will also be used to remember the visits he did to the indigenous peoples of the world.
- Many will be visited by the Peacemaker.
Eventually, the Peacemaker will be here. Eventually, he will restore all truths to the earth. Eventually, we will all know what teachings are a truth and which are an error. In the mean time, we are to love and embrace each other. That includes polygamists and monogomists. That includes evolutionists and creationists. That includes heartlanders and Meso geography believers. That includes key clutchers and big tent believers. That includes indigenous and non-indigenous. All should be able to study and teach truth and teach error as we individually grow.
Key Principle: There is no place for contention and disputations over things that do not pertain to the Doctrine of Christ.
Let us fulfil the prayer which Jesus gave in Gethsemene. That we may be One.
John 17
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
My Confession
I accept the Brigham Young was a chosen leader to bring the church to the west. He was a prophet, but a much more fallible one than Joseph Smith was. Joseph was a GREAT prophet. Brigham was a prophet. Brigham Young made some serious errors. Some of his teachings were accepted by the quorum of the twelve when they shouldn’t have accepted them. The four known issues are as follows:
- Blood Atonement: a teaching that some sins require you to give your life as an atonement. This is not accepted by anyone anymore as a proper teaching.
- Adam God Theory: This theory purported Adam as being Heavenly Father. This is not accepted as a proper teaching by anyone anymore.
- Exclusion of Blacks from the Priesthood and Temple blessings: The exclusion has been rescinded. I believe the exclusion should never have happened. Jacob in the Book of Mormon also teaches against such an exclusion.
- Doctrine of Polygamy: This topic is hotly debated today in the church. Some say Joseph Smith practiced polygamy. Others say it began with Brigham Young. Regardless of where it began, it should never have been accepted, and I believe D&C 132 to be a doctrine of man.
- The Book of Mormon condemns the practice of plural maraige in both Jacob and in Ether.
- Emma Smith is condemned for having attributes which God loves according to the Book of Jacob.
- The Oath and Covenant as stated in Section 132 is a contradiction to other scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants as referring to a broken heart and a contrite spirit – not a doctrine of plural marriage.
About 5 years ago, I had a subscription to Deseret Books. I used the audio books functionality and listened to The Discourses of Brigham Young at least twice. Some of that audio book I listened to multiple times. I felt the spirit in that book. I loved his teachings. Later, I purchased the book and still refer to it. I also read a book by Nibley entitled “Approaching Zion”. The Brigham Young quotes in “Approaching Zion” are fascinating. I accept Brigham Young as a prophet. I also accept that he made some mistakes for which the latter-day church of God has paid a dear price. Had the blacks not been denied the priesthood and they never took up the mantle of polygamy, the church today would be 20 times its current size.
My additional confession is that I believe when members proclaim our church to be the one and only true church on the earth, they are acting like Zoramites in the Book of Mormon standing upon the Rameumptom. The mere fact that we denied blacks the priesthood for 130 years makes the church not completely true. The church was also found in condemnation in the Doctrine and Covenants for not remembering the importance of the Book of Mormon. This condemnation was declared again by the prophet Ezra Taft Benson. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. The Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith was a TRUE prophet. The priesthood held in that church is real and was given by John the Baptist and by Peter, Jame, and John. There are many truths found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It may even be the most correct church on the earth today. But “Most Correct” does not equal “The Only True”. The church is fallible. But that does not mean that I intend to walk away. On the contrary, I plan to go to the temple tomorrow. You want to come with me?
