Remember the Prophets Were People

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Of late, both in the wake of scandal and with organizations not under any scrutiny, you see the rise of criticism of religions and religious leaders. A protracted campaign exists to delve into the darkest recesses of church and those who belong thereunto in an effort to drag skeletons from the closet. All of this exists so that the detractors can justify their own decisions to abandon faith and the Faith, to slander and libel the leadership and pass judgment on adherents who decide to stay. It also ignores the true role and origin of religious leaders. Through time and all eternity, Judeo-Christian church leaders exist for the sole purpose of pointing congregants to the Messiah. Sure, there's a lot of pageantry and prose, but that's all window dressing for their primary responsibility- help people find salvation and exaltation. Secondly, the campaign ignores how and who God chose to act in His name. Sometimes we lionize leaders, in particular those of religious organizations, as if they were paragons. Historically, God did not choose the best. He chooses those who are willing to listen to Him, those who need to be taught by Him, and those who can bring other people to Him, even if the people come in spite of the prophet rather than because of him. Many prophets were chosen when they were young; some were chosen, and in some cases retained, in spite of serious character flaws. Remember Balaam, who defied God and was saved by his ass! The point of that story is that God will not let His prophets lead the people astray. The people decided to stray on their own.

Criticism of church leaders abounds in our day. Church members and people of faith obviously forgot some of the lessons taught in scripture about those people. More importantly, those who criticize and question essentially deny the Christ or at the very least forget that even prophets need repentance. In their zeal to find rationale to abandon church or faith or a Faith or God in general, many people seem overeager to notice the mote (or beam) in the eyes of men who profess Christ and then notify all they can of the flaws they discover. It really constitutes a vain and vapid effort to condemn as many other men to hell in advance of their own trip to that fiery furnace. Any imagined slight, any misstep, any inarticulate expression, any flawed communication of dogma is viewed as justification to condemn the entire organization, to deny faith and churches and men as speakers for the Judge of the Quick and Dead. Instead of seeing the great things, the good is oft interred with their bones and the evil persists in the eyes of any who seek for information after they die. We would do well to allow the Atonement to save whom Christ wills it to rather than claim wisdom sufficient to know who ultimately shall be saved.

Consider for a moment that you lived in a time ensconced in scripture rather than now. Note that you would probably be illiterate and know only the scriptures recited to you by a scribe or other ecclesiastical leader. Now imagine that you knew Saul when he traveled with his Pharisee friends in the tradition of his Pharisee father and yet you learn he became the newest Apostle. Consider how you might feel if Noah came to you and told you that if you did not repent, you would be killed in a flood. Ask yourself how you’d feel if you were a Jew under Egyptian task masters whose life became even more difficult because Pharaoh refused to grant Moses’ request. Think for a minute how you’d feel if someone who wronged you suddenly became a prophet of God.

You see, we seem to be most likely to forgive ourselves, and we are quick to demand perfection from leaders and from professed Jesus freaks. In reality, when we refuse to regard them the way we ask God to regard us, we invite God’s wrath and reject Christ’s atoning power. If you truly desire to be forgiven, you must consider the real possibility that the Atonement of Christ can work for anyone, even people you do not know and do not like. On the cross, Jesus seems to forgive the thieves crucified with him. He overtly pardons the soldiers who actually put him there. Although He knew Peter would deny Him thrice, He still accepted Peter and magnified him as the leader of the church. If Christ can forgive those who betrayed, denied, arrested, persecuted, scourged, condemned, mocked, and ultimately killed Him, you can forgive the offenses of men, especially those that do not directly affect you.

There will always be weakness in men because giving in to your animal instincts is automatic. Living like a Christian takes effort and, more importantly, constant repentance and realignment with God’s will. It is not easy to turn the other cheek if you’re the only one who does, to go twain if everyone else sits around, and to serve the alien like the Samaritan. It is however how we show appreciation for Christ’s suffering and mercy. It is the second commandment- to love our fellow men. They do not love who do not show their love, and we do not love our fellow men when we demand that they hang forever for a moment and refuse to allow Christ’s blood to cleanse away their iniquity as we hope it will for us. Men are flawed. What men build, lead, do, and say will contain flaws because it is done by men. For that reason, it is important more than ever before to recognize God’s authority when men claim to act in His name, start a church to worship Him, or allude to Him as justification for their cause. Many shall call Him Lord in that day to whom He is far from the true thoughts and intents of their hearts. However, some are called and justified and empowered to speak for Him. The great man of God is not a man without sin. The great man of God is the man who actually allows Christ to take away sin even from people he may not like.

Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying “If you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it you surely will.” It is also true that there is good if we seek it. When Jesus bled in Gethsemane, obviously He saw enough good to sit there while blood seeped from His pores and take the beating. If we were not worth it, He would not have stayed. If you say you know with certitude that a man cannot be saved by Christ, you in essence deny the Christ. That’s not usually how people interpret that sin, but I think far too many people deny Christ the power, the will, and the inclination to save God’s children unless WE permit it so to be. Who are we to decide? I didn’t get to call any of His prophets, and I’m honestly ok to not have that burden. Imagine how Samuel felt when Saul, who was chosen by the prophet to be king, and then David, whom Samuel chose to replace him, both rebelled against God and committed grievous sins. Yet, nowhere in holy writ do I know of any verse that condemns either of those men to the torment of hell if they appeal to the atoning blood of Christ. He can save anyone He wills. Ergo, seeking the flaws in others denies the Christ and ultimately dooms us as well.

When God calls men to serve Him, the results often shock people. Many people fly apart like glass when the prophet declares a change. Like Moses, they often ask us to leave Egypt with them. Like Isaiah, they will talk incessantly of the Savior. Like Jeremiah, they will command us to repent, a lot. What they ask will often contradict conventional wisdom or what you happen to personally believe. Don't be surprised when God's law counters the popular opinion of the day or your own personal opinions. It has always been that way, that God asks not what was easy or popular but what was best. How do you know if the prophet is right? You don’t ask men. You don’t ask him. You ask God. That’s not what the world does. The world turns to psychologists, talk show hosts, entertainers, politicians, and sophistry. When caught between a choice that asks them to choose between principles and preferences, people either rebel or they repent. The wicked man will change law to match behavior and the man of faith will change his behavior to match the Law. That’s why, even if you belong to a good church with faithful leaders who live what they preach it matters most that you turn to and draw closer to the Savior, and He will tell you what is truly good and necessary for you to do, be, and become. Men can be wrong. Men can be killed. Men can be misunderstood. Men can offend you. The Truth can only be discerned by building a personal relationship with the Savior and proving all things whatsoever He asks of you. He has asked us to forgive all men, even the church leaders you see who decide to serve other masters.

We are told that “with what judgment we judge we shall be judged”. With that in mind, if you are unwilling to forgive a prophet, how can you expect God to forgive you or Christ to desire it to be? If you condemn an entire church or the clergy or an entire religion because some adherents who self identify don’t actually live the dogma, how do you think others will judge you when you act hypocritically? If you refuse to forgive anyone, how can God do anything but judge you the same way? He has told us it shall be. For this reason, compassion and mercy are valued highly by Christians, not because we are dupes or saps, but because we hope that the atoning blood of Christ will actually cleanse us too. Not everyone who worships with you shares your faith. Many people, in your congregation or your Faith, may identify as members on paper but have desires in their hearts that lie far from the principles they profess and portend to espouse. That’s normal; there have always been wolves in sheep’s clothing. Be careful not to assume that a sheep is a wolf because it does something wolfish. Even the prophets were ordinary people, and some of them had a lot of repenting to do before they were useful in God’s hand. How much more then do you depend on the Mercy and Merits of the Messiah?  Are we not all beggars?

Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the son of God, and the fullness of my intent is that I may persuade all men to come to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and be saved.

Perspectives From Maine

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I spent the last week of August (mostly) in Maine. Traveling to Maine gave me a perspective I desperately albeit unknowingly needed, and I was actually glad to return to the desert where I live. One very odd side effect for me from vacations is how glad I am to return “home” when I finish. Sure, there is much to like about Maine. My trip taught me that there was also much to like about Nevada. As I returned on the plane (which took about 12 hours with the indirect route I flew and layovers), I thought about the surprising things I learned going to Maine and how its beauty helped me appreciate more the things I already have.

Optics

Maine is a much prettier state than Nevada on average. I know that this beauty comes at great cost. It was far more humid in Maine than I expected. Under the treeline, without wind, I was wet and sticky almost immediately. You have to go basically to the top of every peak to see anything, so unlike western hikes, you must reach your ultimate destination in order to get any validation and feedback. That’s the only place to rest. The peaks are also not all that high. The highest point in Acadia was under 1600 feet above sea level. Ok, a 1200 foot elevation gain is good, but I do about that much every week out west. Additionally, there is no more cover in Acadia as you get higher. More trees give way to very short trees, and so I get about as much shade near the top as I do on a 11800 foot high mountain out west.

At Acadia, there was a man playing bagpipes (for tips) at the top of the peak. I overheard the rangers talking about escorting him out (probably because he was making money). On one hand, I felt that it interrupted the experience. On the other hand, it felt a bit like Scotland standing atop the rocky crest and hearing the pipes on the wind. It was an interesting experience, but it was not even close to authentic. I visit national parks for a sense of authenticity, when it was wild, before we commercialized everything. Acadia doesn’t feel that way.

People in Maine are HUGE. Many of them were fat, but the ones who were obviously athletic were also thick and built. I didn’t realize that I would seem small and thin just by going to Maine. I am guessing part of that is the diet; everywhere you went there was always fried food, especially fried seafood, which is probably the only way to cook seafood as fast food and have it be “safe”. I saw precious few people exercising outside the parks, and I think that’s a high price to pay for fitness.

Price

Recreation and travel are expensive in Maine. Despite cheaper gas prices (by 10% compared to NV), it cost $7 just to drive into Maine on the freeway in tolls on the highway. I am spoiled by the fact that the intermountain west has few if any toll roads. We drive wherever whenever for whatever reason and don’t have to stop except to declare fruit at the California border. Additionally, the price structure for entertainment is lower out west. The state parks in Maine charge PER OCCUPANT of the vehicle, but in Nevada, it’s per vehicle, meaning that our one day hiking in a state park cost as much as it would to go to any National Park for the day. Pricey!

Contrast that to the west where a single annual pass grants you access to the federal parks as often as you want for the year for $80. It primarily drives me to Lake Mead, Zion, Bryce, Cedar Breaks, Sequoia, Joshua Tree, Red Rock, etc., because one pass gets me into all of those. State parks are PER PARK, but even at $5 per car, Nevada seems a whole lot cheaper than before.

Amenities differ out west. Apparently Acadia is VERY popular. You can access some parts of it for free, but inside the paywall, it’s crowded easily and early. We went to Acadia on a Wednesday during the school year, and by the time we got back to our car at 11AM, the parking lot was jammed full. I mean, Acadia has a shuttle but it’s nowhere near as convenient or nice as the one in Zion, and you can hike Zion without the parking/shuttle if you avoid the main canyon. It’s a strange dichotomy of public/private vendors, which worked so poorly for the Forest Service out west that it decided to hire its own employees rather than pay vendors. This works for me, because I’m actually a known entity in the local park area, so I get accommodations and allowances that other people don’t get because they know I volunteer with federal agencies and give me some things for free. Without other alternatives, without other parks, Acadia can demand whatever it likes.

Access

As soon as we drove into Maine, I wanted to start wandering through the vast forested expanses. I know however that just because the land looks vacant doesn’t mean I have access. I’ve been spoiled living in the Great Basin. It took 2.25 hours to drive from Belgrade ME to Acadia NP because we had to drive through rural Maine. In 2.5-3 hours, I can reach six different national parks from the Vegas area. Granted, I drive more miles, but I have more options, and as aforementioned I don’t have to pay tolls to get in and out of the state.

Out west, we have a myriad of public land. In fact, you can step outside the city limits into federal land and camp, hike, hunt, shoot, or go 4-wheeling unless otherwise prohibited. I was in Maine for almost a day before I was able to just wander into the woods. You see, most of that land, even if it’s wild, is actually private property. Organizations carved out small sections and donated them for public use, but that means that the free trails are short and not in good repair because they are not funded like the more distant options.

Acadia is on an island, and the park constitutes only part of the island. I like having places to go that are not federal fee areas, but the private land contains even more expensive amenities. The park has a one way road. Parking is at a premium. It’s slow traveling everywhere. The land they have was “generously” donated by some of the big wigs in industry of yesteryear- Rockefeller and the other evil industrialists who have actually “poisoned” the world. It amazes me that they are not vilified as if they could pay indulgences by donating this island to the park service. Camden state park was also once a national park holding, which would have been a nice additional option denied to us because it’s an additional fee.

Maine is a beautiful state. That beauty comes at great cost. Aside from those already mentioned, I knew that the lush forests, abundant blueberries, verdant grasses, and pleasant mornings all came at the cost of a Maine winter. There is more than meets the eye. Things cost more than I anticipated. There are more opportunities for outdoor recreation than I expected out west. I managed to visit two states I had never visited on this trip, but I find that I’m looking forward and more willing to travel now to visit the areas near my abode. Visiting Maine ironically helped me appreciate where I am.