I have written six books and published nearly a year’s worth of posts on this blog at a frequency of two a day on average. They represent what I think, what I believe to be true, and what I teach. I do not have a spokesman. I have not authorized anyone to say something different than what I’ve made publicly known in my writings. Therefore, when someone claims there is some private conversation where they have learned some insider tidbit regarding what I think about plural marriage and Joseph Smith, or any other topic, they are making fools of themselves and anyone who listens to them.
I have explained my views on plural marriage in this blog. In a series of posts on Section 132 and in Beloved Enos, I have explained what I think. If you want to know what I have said, read those sources. DO NOT trust a private conversation attributed to me.
When I have met with people for lunch, or listened to them in a private moment, I do not always feel inclined to argue with them, or to correct them. Particularly when there is limited time to do so. It is completely inappropriate and wrong for such private discussions to be interpreted to mean that I have done more than just listen to the speaker. Silence is not agreement!
It is apparent that some people are unwilling to allow me to confine my work to what I’ve been specifically limited to do. Therefore, as much as I would like to have associations with all of you, I cannot.
I will finish the discussion on the blog currently underway. Then, should I have anything further to say, I will confine it to books. I am not willing to be misquoted. I am not willing to have things attributed to me that have been misinterpreted in a “private” or “secret” meeting. I am not willing to have people contradict what I have written, or what I have said publicly.
If you want to know what I think, read what I’ve written. If it is a second-hand, allegedly “private conversation” then don’t trust it.
Some private correspondence has been the catalyst for what I’ve written on the blog. The responses have been posted here publicly, available to all to read. That way I do not have to confront any accusation that I’ve said something in private or written some secret thing. I put it here so that what I think, and what I believe is clear. You don’t have to rely on some verbal grapevine to know what I think is important.
Further, I am not important. Some of the ideas spoken of in what I’ve written are important, but I certainly am not. None of you should be a “fan” or think I’m someone worth following. I don’t want to lead anyone. I have no intention of doing so. There is a universal need to take the Book of Mormon more seriously and to repent. That is clear from the text itself. I’ve elaborated on it using other scriptures to support the Book of Mormon’s message. That is quite important. Other things are less so and I am not at all important.
If anything I’ve written is to have value, it can only acquire that value by the Spirit testifying to you it is true. Then it becomes a matter between you and the Spirit, and not you and me. At that point I cease to have any importance, for you have it from the Spirit.
Prove all things. Hold fast to those things the Spirit testifies to you are true.
I’ve been trying to teach you to take the Book of Mormon seriously. But more importantly, I’ve been trying to get you to read it for yourself. I’m trying to work my way out of a job. I hope that at some point you need nothing more than the Book of Mormon, your scriptures, prayer, and the Lord to find everything you need. You should develop to the point that you do not need anyone to tell you “know ye the Lord” because everyone of you, from the least to the greatest, will know Him. Then all will be equal, and the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters do the sea. Then no one will need to teach you, because He will be your tutor and not any man.
You need to find the Lord. Soon I will stop posting here for your good, because it is becoming a hindrance rather than an aid for many of you.