“Trust in Me”

“Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.” (2 Nephi 28:31)

Trust is such a fascinating concept. I often like to ask friends why they trust or believe anything they see, read, or listen to. And, I might add, why do we often trust the opinions of others rather than our own intuition? “Trust the experts”, right? Most of us are familiar with the Jungle Book song, “Trust in Me.” There’s a grain of truth to that song. When we place our trust in someone else, there’s a tendency for us to fall into a deep sleep. We begin to act not on our own will and desires, but according to the will and dictates of another. And sometimes there’s good reason to weigh the thoughts and opinions of others. And other times we can truly find ourselves led astray. 

One of the greatest parables taught by Christ focuses on the idea of trust, which subsequently defines our reality. (See JST Mark 9, Parable of the hand, foot, and eye) God is very aware of how we learn and are taught in this mortal sphere. We are born into a family where our parents and siblings guide our learning. We are taught to trust them from an early age. This is the “Hand” or nurturing phase of our development. As we age we find ourselves out in society following the paths and teachings of others. This is the “Foot” phase and includes anyone in society, be that a career, political affiliations, or general societal beliefs. And for many of us, the “Eye” phase includes those who are truly enlightened by God. We connect with these people on a more spiritual level. 

In every instance, Jesus taught that any of these groups of people can lead us astray. Basically, Jesus is teaching that everyone in mortality is susceptible to their own ego and errant beliefs and practices. And what does he invite us to do when that happens? He asks us to separate ourselves from those false ideas, teachings, or practices. And that doesn’t mean we don’t love and pray for these people, simply that we must understand the power of our own agency and ability to make choices. Nestled within this parable is a very important idea: (JST Mark 9:44)

“Therefore, let every man stand or fall, by himself, and not for another; or not trusting another.”

As part of my awakening process, one of the first scriptures that really hit home this principle of where and how we trust others was 2 Nephi 28:30-31. When I read these verses with a new perspective, I couldn’t believe how far we had strayed from Christ’s teachings. Verse 30 talks about being taught by Christ and verse 31 hits home this idea of trust:

“Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Growing up I was taught to trust church leaders. I was even taught that they could never, yes, “never” lead me astray. But when I read this verse, I was shocked to realize how wrong this teaching was. Now, church leaders do have their way of explaining themselves. They do teach people to listen to the Spirit. But, almost within the same breath, they say that your revelation cannot contradict their revelation, because they speak for the Lord. (Insert the circular argument about never leading astray). Around and around we go. Christ was not mincing words here. The only stipulation He uses for defining truth is that we verify all things through the power of the Holy Ghost. That’s it, he doesn’t give special treatment to your calling, title, or your supposed “keys and authority”. 

I’ve told many friends that I’d be back in the church pews this coming Sunday if the church leaders taught this simple principle. I’d be right by their side if leaders taught that the only way we are to know if their words are true is through the Spirit of personal revelation and that there may be occasions when they can lead us astray. That is all it would take. And why, you might ask? Because then we could start to have a dialogue. We could then ask questions and make our voices heard without the fear of reprisal. We could express the thoughts and feelings of our heart and what the Lord has taught us, and not simply trust the arm of flesh. 

This idea of trust is so important that we find it in every major canon of scripture. It is one of the most basic and fundamental principles of the gospel. It has direct application to personal revelation, how God speaks to us, and the reality we create in this life. The Lord never taught that we can place our complete trust in any mortal person, regardless of how enlightened they say they are. The corralling of the mind is a powerful tool. In other words, mind control is very real. The first of the 7 Universal Laws is the Law of Mentalism. Our reality is created first in the mind. When a person wants to control our minds, they want control over our reality. (See essay: 7 Hermetic Principles)

I hope that reviewing how each of these demographics or categories teach the principles of “trust”, can help you navigate the world in which we live. I would suggest to anyone that they “pluck out” any person or group, regardless of their prominence, if they teach that we can trust them completely. It is an anti-Christian philosophy. Now, exactly what plucking out means for you is an individual thing that you can work out with the Lord. At a minimum, I would think that it means you don’t follow or heed their counsel when no witness of the Spirit is received. It’s kind of ironic that I’m inviting you to do the same thing the president of the LDS church recently taught. The major difference is that he wants you to not heed those who don’t follow him, while the Savior taught that you are to only follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Seeds of Faith

Trust really is the seed of faith. Alma, from the Book of Mormon, gave a masterful sermon on how we can plant a seed and experiment upon the word. First, we plant it in our hearts, nourish it, and then watch to see what begins to grow. If the seed is good, it will produce fruit. If the seed is bad, it will not flourish, but eventually whither and die. Toward the end of his parable, he explains the beautiful quality of the fruit that ripens from sound doctrine: (Alma 32)

41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.

42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

This parable from Alma about planting the seed came after a group of people had been kicked out of their churches because of their poverty. He wanted to know how they were coming unto Christ and partaking of the fruit that only the Savior could offer. Listening to the spirit means that you worship the Lord according to the dictates of your own conscience as guided by the Spirit. Members of the LDS faith should be somewhat familiar with that phrase as it comes from their very own Articles of Faith as taught by Joseph Smith. Let’s see what Alma said to those who were cast out: (Alma 33:2)

And Alma said unto them: Behold, ye have said that ye could not worship your God because ye are cast out of your synagogues. But behold, I say unto you, if ye suppose that ye cannot worship God, ye do greatly err, and ye ought to search the scriptures; if ye suppose that they have taught you this, ye do not understand them.

Toward the end of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, He ends on a similar note as to what Alma was teaching, specifically the fruits of men. Christ knew that with true prophets, there also come false prophets. And how are we to know the difference? By their fruits. (Matthew 7)

15 ¶ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Now, this seems simple enough, right? I actually think determining the fruits of a person in our day can actually take great effort on our part. In this parable, the false prophet was wearing all the vestiges of a follower of Christ. They looked the part and said the right words. Oftentimes a person can attach truth to a lie and understanding the distinction can be hard. In the example(s) of the LDS church I noted previously, they do teach us to follow the Lord, but it is almost always followed by “and the prophet.” “Follow the prophet” and “Follow the Lord” are ubiquitous in LDS culture, because to them, the prophet literally speaks for the Lord. No questions asked. Within the LDS church, it is never taught that a leader CAN lead you astray and it is the responsibility of each person to discern their words through the Spirit. The difficulty is in discerning fractional theologies or truths. Partial truths can be some of the most misguided due to what is attached to them.

I’d be very willing to give all people, even prophets, the benefit of the doubt, to forgive them for their mistakes and allow them to repent. But that doesn’t mean I have to follow them. What often happens in church culture today is you can’t even question the leaders. It’s literally in their own handbook. To express anything that calls into question the teachings and actions of the church labels you an apostate and places your membership on the chopping block of excommunication. They are seemingly above the law. And guess who put them there? They did. They are the ones who taught this false philosophy. They are the ones who have made lesser gods of men and have broken the first commandment. Remember the words of Alma in that “ye ought to search the scriptures.” We are only as ignorant as we allow ourselves to be. The poor need not be poor in doctrine and gospel understanding.

Preaching Priestcraft

I think it’s important to add a bit more clarity to what we see happening in the world today and what it means for any person or organization to preach that you need to trust them. Most people define Priestcraft as selling religious books or taking money for preaching. While there may be some truth to that, Nephi clarifies that Priestcraft occurs when any person or group of people set themselves up as a light or standard to live by. What do you call it when a person says that you can “trust them completely”? Are they pointing you to Christ, or to themselves? Often the hashtag #HearHim really means #HearMe. (2 Nephi 26:29)

“He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.”

Joseph Smith, A Prophet Ignored

I’ve often told friends that “Joseph Smith would hardly recognize the LDS church today.” And it’s true, they’ve changed many principles and doctrines that he taught or practiced. Now, that may seem like an unfounded statement, but in reality, there have been many lies taught about Joseph. Let’s take a look at how he was striving to stop the spread of lies and false doctrines in this statement to the Elders of the church abroad. Joseph was adamant that they study and live doctrine as found in the scriptures:

“If any man writes to you, or preaches to you, doctrines contrary to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or the book of Doctrine and Covenants, set him down as an imposter. You need not write to us to know what you are to do with such men; you have the authority with you.—Try them by the principles contained in the acknowledged word of God; if they preach, or teach, or practice contrary to that, disfellowship them; cut them off from among you as useless and dangerous branches,” (Times & Seasons, Vol. 5, April 1, 1844—Keep in mind, Joseph was referencing the early edition of D&C .)

So what do we say of a modern church leader who teaches ideas that directly contradict the gospel as taught by Christ? Isn’t it fascinating that Joseph used almost the exact language from the parable of the hand, foot, and eye in Mark 9? He invited you to “cut them off.” Now, what happens if the person who is teaching false doctrines is the president of the church? Well, there were safeguards for that in the early days when they lived the law of Common Consent. But the church leaders have done away with that practice and you can no longer voice your concerns. You either sustain them or leave. The following quote sheds light on Joseph’s mindset of religious autonomy:

"I did not like the old man being called up for erring in doctrine. It looks too much like the Methodist, and not like the Latter-day Saints. Methodists have creeds which a man must believe or be asked out of their church. I want the liberty of thinking and believing as I please. It feels so good not to be trammeled. It does not prove that a man is not a good man because he errs in doctrine." (History of the Church 5:340)

Now, to give a little context here, both of these quotes need to be set in proper context. If you set them side-by-side, you could claim they contradict each other. The first quote about teaching doctrines contrary to the scriptures and cutting people off was in response to the many rumors of spiritual wifery (aka polygamy) and the easiest way for him to stop any and all false ideas was to tell the elders to become students of the Word. The second quote came earlier in his life and showed his support for freedom of thought. This stemmed from being told what to think and believe when he was younger. If those quotes weren’t enough, chew on this one, also from Joseph:

“The first and fundamental principle of our holy religion is, that we believe that we have a right to embrace all, and every item of truth, without limitation or without being circumscribed or prohibited by the creeds or superstitious notions of men, or by the dominations of one another, when that truth is clearly demonstrated to our minds, and we have the highest degree of evidence of the same.” (Letter from Joseph Smith to Isaac Galland, Mar. 22, 1839, Liberty Jail, Liberty, Missouri, published in Times and Seasons, Feb. 1840, pp. 53–54. Definition of “domination” 1) supremacy or preeminence over another 2) exercise of mastery or ruling power 3) exercise of preponderant, governing, or controlling influence. Sure sounds a lot like the LDS church leadership hierarchy.)

Joseph's words are in direct contradiction to the various creeds espoused by the modern church today. And guess what? I honestly think the church knows this. Why? Because they have leaders giving talks in their general conference that say things like this, “Brothers and sisters, unlike vintage comic books and classic cars, prophetic teachings do not become more valuable with age. That is why we should not seek to use the words of past prophets to dismiss the teachings of living prophets.” (Elder Haynie, April 2023 General Conference, A Living Prophet for the Latter Days) This quote from Elder Haynie was laughable. To even believe such a statement would suggest that we supersede the scriptures, even the very word of the Lord, to these “living prophets.” Do you really think Joseph would be a member of the LDS church today?

Joseph’s quote about the Methodist sect really hit close to home with me as he said they would often tell people to “believe or be asked out of their church.” A few months ago my former Elders Quorum president visited our home. His goal was to ask us back to church. During the conversation, I mentioned that there were certain doctrines of the church that directly contradicted Christ’s teachings. Instead of asking what those doctrines may be, he simply said, “Why don’t you just leave the church?” I was astounded, to say the least. I was raised to believe that rigorous spiritual discussion was important and that asking questions was important. Today, that doesn’t appear to be the case. You either believe or leave.

I think this clearly shows that Joseph was willing to hear the thoughts and opinions of others and to have deep doctrinal discussions and debates about theology. That also doesn’t mean that everyone is correct in their understanding. The question is often asked, “What happens when two people receive opposing answers to the same question?” Well, it can mean a few different things. First, it depends upon the question or truth being sought after. In some regards, the Spirit can guide one person in one direction, and another person on another path. And that’s totally fine. The Spirit could encourage one person to stay in a church, and another person to leave. The other possibility is that one person is more correct than another. It is always possible that someone misinterprets the promptings of the Spirit. And that’s the beauty of agency. “Allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.”

Who is a Prophet?

Some of the most oft-quoted—and in my opinion the least understood—verses with regard to the role of church leaders are Amos 3:7 and D&C 1:38. Here we learn that the Lord will do nothing save He reveals it through a prophet and that whether it be the Lord’s voice, or one of His servants, it is the same. Because of this perspective, many members (especially leaders) are able to justify nearly every action of these “prophets” and often blindly place their trust in them. This was NEVER intended to happen. First, we would need to define and recognize who is actually a prophet or servant of the Lord. These people would need to show the fruits of a prophet. (Remember Matthew 7 and the wolves in sheep’s clothing?) And secondly, when a true prophet does speak, the only time we follow their counsel is when it is received through a witness of the Holy Ghost. That is it. The gospel of Christ is that simple with regard to this topic.

When a leader says “trust me”, what they really mean is that they want you to put your faith in them. And, as the Lord taught in 2 Nephi 28, what happens when we place our trust in the arm of flesh? A curse! Yes, we will be cursed. Have you ever thought about what that curse looks like? Well, if we took a look at history, that means sexual sins were twisted to be exalting doctrines (polygamy), that racial prejudice was justified through religious tactics (Blacks and the priesthood), that women and their role as daughters of God have been repressed (leadership roles and subservience to men), that members took an experimental shot that killed or maimed and where they were told to follow the government (plandemic), and a whole list of other curses that are spawned from blindly placing our trust in the arm of flesh.

Appeal to Authority

A very interesting phenomenon that arises during discussions surrounding the topic of church leaders is the Appeal to Authority fallacy. Members often trust them because they supposedly have “keys and authority.” But what we often fail to realize is that keys and authority are not merely passed through laying hands on heads. I know, some of you are thinking about the Article of Faith that states, “We believe in the laying on of hands…”, yet what is often forgotten is that this ordination only comes through a personal commission to the individual from the Lord. And, I might add, any and all keys and authority are just as easily removed through unrighteousness dominion: (D&C 121)

37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.

And with that, I would shout a hearty “Amen!” to the words and actions of modern LDS leaders. Yes, they do quote scripture, and they do give a small portion of the saints’ money to the poor, but we also must step back and realize what they have done to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They have locked up their definition of salvation and exaltation behind the obedience (sustaining) of men, among many other egregious practices to where they are gratifying their pride.

It has been often said, “The church is true, but the leaders are imperfect.” To which I would say, “How is the church not the leaders?” Nearly every single doctrine or theology practiced by the LDS church came from one of the church leaders and their perspective of scripture, or worse, from their own vain ambitions. And sure, they may say it is all “revelation”, but to believe that revelation was received in all instances is to believe in a God that is constantly changing, and many of those fluctuations happened right after the death of the prophet Joseph.

Trust in God

I believe strongly that one tactic of a false prophet, or a false tradition among believers, is the invitation to trust them. And for sure, they’ll also tack on the idea of trusting God, or the Spirit. A true and humble servant would invite you to trust God alone and His ability to convey truth through the power of the Holy Ghost. I also believe that we can trust each other to varying degrees. Most children develop a high degree of trust for their parents, but even in that nurturing environment, a parent devoted to the teachings of Christ will instill in their children a desire to take all things to God. This same principle applies to any follower or disciple of Christ regardless of their stewardship.

That is my invitation, to seek out and develop a relationship with God and to validate the words of any person through a witness of the Holy Ghost. I hope that seeing the contrast between doctrines in scripture as compared to modern ideologies and teachings was helpful. One of the greatest things we can do is learn how to receive personal revelation. Will we always be perfect in discerning the promptings and knowledge we receive? Most likely not. But over time our ability to listen to and heed the promptings of the Spirit will become refined. Listen to that inner voice and know that God wants a personal relationship with you.

If you are interested in diving in a bit deeper, please check out the additional resources below. Sending you all my love and prayers.

Shalom

Disclaimer: Only a small portion of my thoughts and feelings are contained within this essay. It is nearly impossible to condense a lifetime of study, thoughts, and impressions, into a few paragraphs. I value and encourage the need for altering perspective as new light and knowledge are acquired. One of the best ways to know a person’s heart is to sit down and talk face-to-face, perhaps while consuming a mild barley drink or frothy glass of chocolate milk.