Tolerance: IT'S A TRAP!

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We are but men. We are but women. We are not gods. But yet, so many of us like to pretend that we are--or at least that we speak on behalf of one.

During this portion of history that will, indeed, be put into the books, I'm afraid The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be labeled as being on the "wrong side of history." 

During today's speech at the LDS Church's annual conference, Church authority Boyd K. Packer had this to say:

"The permissiveness afforded by the weakening of the laws of the land to tolerate legalized acts of immorality does not reduce the serious spiritual consequences that result from the violation of God's law of chastity....Tolerance is a virtue, but, like all virtues, when exaggerated it transforms itself into a vice. We need to be careful of the tolerance trap so that we are not swallowed up in it." 

Well, darn. And just when the LDS church was getting all lovey-dovey with all of us immoral folk, what with its totally tolerant website mormonsandgays.org. But here's what's irking me: Faithful followers of the Church are lapping this up. They'll fight tooth and nail for the words of one man who's source material comes from prayer. 

Which, by the way, anyone can do. And anyone who accepts the answers of the prayers of another man over the answers one gets from one's own prayers is not a person at all. That follower is pawn in someone else's scheme. 

But back to the quote. 

So Packer, who will most likely be the next prophet of the LDS faith, is grasping at what remains of intolerance in our nation. He's telling his followers to heed his words over those of Jesus. Don't tolerate. It's a trap. Love one another? No. It's a tolerance trap. 

And Packer's words should totally be believed, because he's been on the right side of history for as long as he's had authority, correct? 

Well, let's take a look at a quote from a 1977 talk he gave at BYU.

"Plan, young people, to marry into your own race. This counsel is good, and I hope our branch presidents are listening and paying attention."

Out of context, you say? Well, please, allow me to further enlighten you.

"We've always counseled in the Church for our Mexican members to marry Mexicans, our Japanese members to marry Japanese, our caucasians to marry caucasians, our Polynesian members to marry Polynesians. The counsel has been wise. You may say again, 'Well, I know of exceptions.' I do too, and they've been very successful marriages. I know some of them. You might even say, 'I can show you local church leaders, or perhaps even general leaders, who have married out of their race.' I say, 'Yes--exceptions.' Then I would remind you of that Relief Society woman's near-scriptural statement, 'We'd like to follow the rule first, and then we'll take care of the exceptions.'"

This was only four years before I was born, and just barely before the LDS faith decided black people were OK after all. It's not that long ago. 

Packer is just another man who thinks he is ordained to speak on God's behalf because someone told him he is. He thinks any dream or feeling he has is the will and word of God because he holds an authoritative role in the Church. The very words he spoke in 1977 are disgusting and would not be backed up by any reputable member of the LDS faith today. 

Yet, he still speaks. And people will still follow. And families will be torn apart because the gay child is "immoral." Families will not tolerate the immoral children because it's a trap. 

Hopefully, 30 years from now, someone will write an article and cite Packer's quote from this day and look at it with as much disgust as any normal human looks at his 1977 quote. For a man who preaches from the highest tiers of the LDS hierarchy, he sure does seem to think Jesus just wasn't quite correct.

Until that time when the leaders of the LDS faith can follow the words of Jesus over their own misguided "feelings," I urge each and one of you to take the advice of authority figures with a grain of salt. They are but men. And until there is footage of God speaking face-to-face with one of these men, then your relationship with God is just as valid. And if your God is telling you to hate your fellow man, then maybe you should consider if that's even God at all.