LIKE A LITTLE CHILD: COMPARING CHURCH OPPOSITION AND CHILDLIKE HONESTY

By: Norberto Betita

It’s Monday morning in the Philippines, April 6, 2015. I was indisposed but I tried to wake up early to check on some news on the General Conference proceedings of The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day Saints in the internet. As a member of the church of 38 years I love to listen and read conference messages. During the rebroadcast which we generally do in the Philippines, I usually viewed the whole ten hours of conference proceedings. As it is, my usual conference excitement brought me early in front of my computer, but my reaction was one of great surprise when I saw a post shared from FOX 13 News about dissenting votes raised during the sustaining of church officers. Although my interest was not placed so much on the dissenters than to read the messages of the prophets and apostles and other general authorities, I caught attention on “Church member Don Braegger [who] told FOX 13 News he was among those who voted in opposition, and he cited recent excommunications of prominent critics within the LDS Church, among other things, as his reasons. He told FOX 13 News, “With the recent excommunications of Kate Kelly and John Dehlin and some others, it has seemed, to a lot of us, that the church is trying to stifle an open voice and an open conversation” (see http://fox13now.com/2015/04/04/5-hands-among-thousands-mark-rare-votes-of-dissent-during-lds-churchs-general-conference/).”

His open support to these former members of the church reminds me of the words of Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “Some insist upon studying the Church only through the eyes of its defectors—like interviewing Judas to understand Jesus. Defectors always tell us more about themselves than about that from which they have departed.

“Some others patiently feed their pet peeve about the Church without realizing that such a pet will not only bite the hands of him who feeds it, but it will swallow his whole soul. Of course we are a very imperfect people! Remember, however, that while it is possible to have an imperfect people possessed of perfect doctrines (indeed, such is necessary to change their imperfections), you will never, never see the reverse: a perfect people with imperfect doctrines” (All Hell Is Moved, Neal A. Maxwell, Nov 08, 1977).

I have followed the stories of Kate Kelly and John Dehlin which eventually brought them to their excommunications. Hence, I thought that those who opposed must have been avid supporters of the two and therefore by their patronage they found courage to express their dissention in General Conference. Whatever others may say, for me it was never proper for a member “in good standing” as he claimed to be, to do such. But it is his right as it is with others to express their moral agency to oppose. Elder Bruce R. McKonkie explained that “administrative affairs of the Church are handled in accordance with the law of common consent. This law is that in God’s earthly kingdom, the King counsels what should be done, but then he allows his subjects to accept or reject his proposals.” Although he warned that: “Unless the principle of free agency is operated in righteousness men do not progress to ultimate salvation in the heavenly kingdom hereafter. Accordingly, church officers are selected by the spirit of revelation in those appointed to choose them, but before the officers may serve in their positions, they must receive a formal sustaining vote of the people over whom they are to preside. (D. & C. 20:60–67; 26:2; 28; 38:34–35;41:9–11; 42:11; 102:9; 124:124–145.)” (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 149–50.)

The call for sustaining vote is to help us understand our relationship with God and His anointed servants. We raise our hands to the square as a solemn manifestation of common consent that we are willing to support and sustain the man or woman whom we have mutual belief as being called of God. Raising our hands to the square to sustain is a sacred expression of our willingness to support and follow the Lord’s oracles and our humble submission to their direction. We must understand that our leaders are not accountable to the people; they are accountable to God who called and directs them. “We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof” (Fifth Article of Faith).

However, the opposition was already done and such will be properly dealt with in a proper church forum. There is always an ever extended room for love and forgiveness.

My consciousness, however, took me to Don Braegger’s statement in an interview with Fox 13 News, “But like the little boy from the childhood fable, I must state what I see and proclaim “The Emperor has no Clothes!” Knowing pretty well the story I was inclined to distinguish a very significant inconsistency of his action to oppose the church leaders and his claim of such as an act of childlike innocence and honesty, from which we may all learn some lessons.

The story from which Don Braegger got his quote, “The Emperor has no Clothes!” is entitled “The Emperor's New Clothes”. There had been several versions of the story, but the message is similar. This is a story of “an emperor who loved beautiful new clothes so much that he spent all his money on being finely dressed” (see the entire story, “The Emperor's New Clothes, and other tales of Aarne-Thompson-Uther type 1620, edited by D. L. Ashliman,© 1999-2014, http://www.pitt.edu).

“One day two swindlers came to the emperor's city. They said that they were weavers, claiming that they knew how to make the finest cloth imaginable. Not only were the colors and the patterns extraordinarily beautiful, but in addition, this material had the amazing property that it was to be invisible to anyone who was incompetent or stupid.

“"It would be wonderful to have clothes made from that cloth," thought the emperor. "Then I would know which of my men are unfit for their positions, and I'd also be able to tell clever people from stupid ones." So he immediately gave the two swindlers a great sum of money to weave their cloth for him.

“They set up their looms and pretended to go to work, although there was nothing at all on the looms. They asked for the finest silk and the purest gold, all of which they hid away, continuing to work on the empty looms, often late into the night.”

The King was so excited about the progress of his new clothes, “but he was a bit uneasy when he recalled that anyone who was unfit for his position or stupid would not be able to see the material.” Instead he sent his honest old minister as he trusts that he would be the best to describe for him the progress of the new clothes. But the old minister saw nothing, but could not even as to honestly tell the weavers for fear that he might be labeled as unfit for his position and stupid. So he described the invisible clothe as magnificent and very best to the weavers and then to the emperor. The swindlers then asked for more money, the finest cloths and gold.

The king also sends his other officials, who likewise described the invisible clothes as magnificent and excellent. Even the emperor himself was deceived that while preparing for the grand procession and looking at the mirror he admired his own nakedness in all glory believing that he had the majestic clothes on. As he walked into the grand procession the people exclaimed, “"Goodness, the emperor's new clothes are incomparable! What a beautiful train on his jacket. What a perfect fit!" No one wanted it to be noticed that he could see nothing, for then it would be said that he was unfit for his position or that he was stupid. None of the emperor's clothes had ever before received such praise.”

Then the voice of a small child was heard, "But he doesn't have anything on!" Finally everyone was saying, “He doesn’t have anything on!”

“The emperor shuddered, for he knew that they were right, but he thought, "The procession must go on!" He carried himself even more proudly, and the chamberlains walked along behind carrying the train that wasn't there.”

Don Braegger’s declaration and action to oppose church leaders appeared farthest to illustrate or exhibit an expression of childlike innocence and honesty as like the child saying in the story, “The Emperor has no Clothes!” or "[The emperor] doesn't have anything on!" In the story the child saw a very clear deception and blatant untruth and instantaneously disclosed the same and declared with candour the real and unquestionable verity. To say the least Don Braegger seemed to articulate that the long established church and the long standing callings of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles who are God’s oracles to direct His earthly kingdom are untruth and unworthy of what they say as compared to the declarations of the groups of dissenters and defectors who organized themselves to oppose the doctrines of God’s kingdom which had withstood times and seasons.

I wish to express my personal feelings and solemn testimony that the church is true and its doctrines perfect. The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, then and now, are men of truth and virtue, men of knowledge and wisdom, men of honesty and integrity, men of seasoned expertise both in the secular and spiritual fields, and they are men called of God. They speak with boldness and declare the words of God with solemnity and soberness. They are true to what they say and they live as to reflect their lives a beckon for all to see. Like most of us they have their own weaknesses and imperfections, but they strive to be perfect. Certainly they are no swindlers. No matter the failings of these great men and women who were called to assist in God's hastening work of salvation and help direct and govern His church and kingdom upon the earth which Jesus Christ himself founded and therefore stood as its head, I shall remain true to my conviction and testimony of this truth.

However, there are a few of us who see things like chalk and cheese. There are those who are no different from the honest old minister, or the officials in the emperor’s court, and the emperor himself, who are blinded by the deceitfulness of swindlers and their own vanity and conceit. Some see evil as good and good evil. But it is not surprising because earlier in church history, “On the sixth of April, 1845, the Twelve Apostles issued a proclamation which included these words: 

"As this work progresses in its onward course, and becomes more and more an object of political and religious interest and excitement, no king, ruler, or subject, no community or individual, will stand neutral. All will at length be influenced by one spirit or the other; and will take sides either for or against the kingdom of God." (Messages of the First Presidency, p. 257, quoted by Neal A. Maxwell, All Hell Is Moved, Nov. 08, 1977)

Therefore, comparing church opposition and childlike honesty, we need be guided by a few events in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ as recorded in Luke 18:15-17: “And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.”

There is truth in the words of George Orwell: "The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it." (http://www.reddit.com, self.conspiracy). But for as long as we possess the virtue of a child truth will always be beautiful to the eyes, sweet and satisfying to the ears and pleasurable to the soul.