A friend of mine does a podcast as “Radio Free Mormon” or RFM. He also does a Wednesday evening show/interview on YouTube with the title “Mormonism Live.” That YouTube show is hosted by both him and Bill Reel. RFM has often asked me to come on the show and I’ve repeatedly refused…until 10 days ago. I agreed to put an announcement up on my website beforehand.
The interview will be on the Wednesday evening prior to Thanksgiving. It will be on the Mormonism Live YouTube channel, and will begin at 6:20. I will put a link up beforehand for anyone interested in listening or watching it.
We’ve agreed that we won’t talk about polygamy. RFM thinks it is too big a subject to cover in an hour-long interview. And I think it is too boring a subject to re-plough again.
We also exchanged views about discussing the subject of ‘seeing Christ.’ I explained that profound religious experiences are sometimes important to discuss. But when Joseph Smith retold an event and either added a detail, or omitted a point, the differences in retelling became the basis for a great deal of criticism, even skepticism for others.
When I have had an encounter beyond the veil, I have recorded it in my journal. The account was contemporaneous, and reduced to a finite account that could not grow like a fish story with the retelling. Also, it was a reliable record for me to use when (and if) the experience was made public.
I have taken excerpts from my journal and made them public. The committee who assembled the new scriptures thought some of those had enough merit to justify including the accounts in the new scriptures. They proposed adding several accounts to the new scriptures and a conference approved doing so. The accounts in the new scriptures can be read at these places in the new volume titled “Teachings and Commandments”:
T&C 160: https://scriptures.info/scriptures/tc/section/160
T&C 161: https://scriptures.info/scriptures/tc/section/161
There are also other materials, visions or revelations in the T&C that are mine, but I think these are the two that would be directly responsive to questions about seeing Christ.
It has been my experience that a certain kind of superficial personality gravitates to claims of the fantastical and supernal. They are, for lack of a better term, sign-seekers. They are drawn to those who tell otherworldly experiences, and are quite fickle in their beliefs. They are easily led, and therefore easily led astray. These superficial folks often display a great deal of enthusiasm, and draw unwanted attention by their attendance at gatherings. I’m not altogether sure about the mental stability of the sign-seekers, but I do know that when great religious claims are made some of the very first attracted to the claimants include these sign-seekers.
I’ve had enough of them to last a lifetime. I don’t want to attract yet more from the Mormonism Live audience. So while I am willing to reference these two sources that people can read and reflect on in their privacy, I will be leaving it at that.
When teaching about something profound, I try to always use scripture as the primary content, and to not resort to adding something from personal experience unless absolutely required to do so. The things of God are of deep import, and careful, ponderous, solemn thought is required. After all angels only show themselves “unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.” (Moroni 7:30)
I have also noted a number of religious pretenders who are not concerned with elevating others by what they teach. They are instead interested in attracting followers by the claims they make, like Carnival barkers inviting people to throw baseballs, rings or darts. Instead of stuffed animals and cheap pocket knives, they offer salvation. For a fee. Always for a fee.
I try to leave people better off, more well informed, more deeply connected with God and interested in studying scripture and searching for truth themselves. I want other people to connect with God. It troubles me when people want to instead form an attachment to me, as if following me were enough of a religious experience for them.
Also, giving new details about things beyond the veil supplies the pretenders and charlatans with new things to imitate or claim. There are others who scour what I have taught and then mimic, without attribution, to try to gather a following or bolster their spiritual pretensions. It is inevitable, I suppose. But I try to dial it down, and focus on things that will help other people connect to God for themselves. That is what improves lives, improves marriages and improves families. And I take nothing as compensation, always losing money for the cause.
People who are capable of solemn reflection take a much longer time to consider a matter before deciding. I have met some very impressive people who believe as I do. These include some of the best of the LDS who have left that organization in search of something more. These people were among the best and brightest in the LDS organization, when they worshiped there. Associating with them elevates me, and others, who share their company. These people have been rebaptized and joined in the chorus of those who believe God is up to something now. They have not only added, but have taken the initiative to accomplish a great number of things. Books have been written, conferences have been organized, video presentations have been prepared, and profound teaching has taken place.
There is so much left to be done that there is no reason to stop and ask for praise or to be noticed for what has been accomplished at this point. Right now there are glaring things missing from the restoration: Where is Zion? What is the “fullness of the priesthood” God mentioned to Joseph in January 1841 and how/when will it return? And many other incomplete teachings, ordinances and events that belong to the last dispensation. I’m working on it. I’m a long way short of accomplishing much as yet.
Not sure if the interview will be worth watching. But if anyone is interested, I will put up a link beforehand.