Tommy wrote:My Dear Elder,
You wrote,
Any advice? See you soon at the quorum of the 15 meeting in the temple.
As always, your brother in the harness, Elder David A. Bednar
The door to my office is always open for the outpouring of godly advice. And most certainly open for a fellow special witness. A number of years ago a young man came into my office, distraught from the wages of sin bearing down upon him. To add to his burdens, he had been offended. By the bishop no less. There had been some disputes concerning his process of repentence. I asked him what was the matter. He said that during the many talks he had with the bishop, the bishop over time was confusing details about his transgressions. For instance, he had told the bishop about a certain habit he'd engaged in two times the previous week. But during the next meeting, the Bishop asked about the young man's struggle in repentence for the habit he'd engaged in four times in the prior week. The young man grew anxious, "But Bishop, I only did it twice!"
Now this is interesting situation, you see. On the one hand, we have a sinful youth who is under the influence of the adversary claiming that a certain event happened twice. And in the other hand, I mean, on the other hand, we have a man ordained by God, given the power of discernment, saying that the same event happened four times. Now Elder, how many times did this event happen?
If your watch says it's tuesday, and President Hinckley says it's thursday, what day is it?
And if a senior apostle spells "apostasy" as "apostacy", how is the word spelled?
Unquestioning obedience is the first law of heaven by dear brother. And the tests of this obedience come in many ways.
My dear brother, Tommy. I will be ever grateful for your kind words to me and your never-ending support and fellowship. I would enjoy visiting with you in your office and discussing the eternal value of unquestioning obedience.
I want to share with you an interesting story from one of my ancestor's diaries. I think it will add illuminating insight into the principle you are attempting to teach our brothers and sisters here on this fine board.
When my great, great grandfather was called on his mission to England, he and many others who were called at the same time were together, in the old Bowery, to be set apart as missionaries, before they left their dear wives and young children to serve at Brother Brigham's pleasure. Brother Heber and Brother Brigham were there to set them apart and to teach them the very principle you have so patiently taught us here.
Brother Heber held up a white sheet of paper and asked each young man, one at a time, whether they would say the paper was black, if he told them it was. Each one in the row said "Yes, Brother Heber, even if it is white, but you tell us it is black, we will say it is black." My ancestor was at the end of the row. When he was asked the same question, he said: "Hell, no Brother Heber, I would never tell you that a white sheet of paper is black, if indeed it was white. I would rather die first."
Brother Brigham joined in, castigating the other brothers for their dishonesty and praising my great, great grandfather. He left that meeting believing that he understood the gospel and that the truth was important above all else. Sadly to say, he was very confused about the principles of the gospel and especially with the great, eternal moral relativity principle taught to the Saints by Brother Joseph and carried on with Brother Brigham.
When he was later in life charged with violation of the Morrill Act, he still believed that the truth and obeying the law was most important above all else. He took the pledge, thus avoiding prison time unlike the rest of his brethren.
It wasn't until the next Sunday, when he was released from his calling and disparaged in the newspapers, that he came to understand that it is better to follow the Prophets. He learned, finally, that day, that black can indeed be white, and white can indeed be black, if the Prophets so determine.
In reading that diary, I felt the witness of the spirit validating this truth to my soul. I am so grateful to the Lord that he would allow me to serve in such a high position in the Church, despite how long it took some of my ancestors to learn this great principle. And I hope our brothers and sisters can learn it as well, before they too lose their hometeaching calling and standing in their communities.
I love you all, my dear brothers and sisters, and hope that our message, that truth is indeed relative, that what our leaders ask you to do and believe is the truth for you. It is the safe way. Hold fast to that which is true!
As always, your brother in the celestial harness,
Elder David A. Bednar