I appreciate your call for peaceful human relations and for your denunciation of that vicious home invasion political ad.
I was disappointed, however, that you implied hypocrisy on the part of my religion for defending marriage between a man and a woman. Perhaps there would be reason to imply hypocrisy if we had ever condoned homosexual relations.
The Prince of Peace commanded, "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." (Matthew 7:1-2)
Yet you presume to judge: "The church changed its policy so Utah could become a state and not because of some divine revelation. This is not meant as a slight – it's just fact."
How can you possibly know with such omniscience the motives of the Latter-day Saints -- or even those of God? Is God dead, that he can no longer speak? Must he remain silent because some Christian creeds seek to muzzle him?
As a descendant of Latter-day Saint pioneers who made great sacrifices and endured terrible persecution to live "the principle," and who then made even greater sacrifice to abide by the revelation that ended the practice, I reject your judgment.
I have carefully and prayerfully studied the LDS history of plural marriage. I testify that the practice was, in fact, instigated by revelation from God, and that it was, in fact, ended by revelation from God.
Nor is it true that " . . . they originally defined marriage as being between one man and more than one woman." The commandment for plural marriage came years after the founding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
To respect another religion, one ought to read its own sources. I sincerely invite you to read our foundational scripture, the Book of Mormon, published in 1830. There you will read,
"For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none."
"For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things." (Jacob 2:27,30) http://scriptures.lds.org/en/jacob/2/27,...
Is it at all possible that God commanded plural marriage to Joseph Smith for the same reasons as he commanded Abraham, Moses, and other ancient prophets? Do you forget that the Bible also once "defined marriage as being between one man and more than one woman?"
When the Lord rescinded the commandment to the Latter-day Saints, he did so for his own reasons, which we should not presume to judge. Whatever his purpose, my own family history, and the family trees of millions of other Latter-day Saints, demonstrate that the practice of plural marriage, which lasted for only about 50 years, did indeed succeed in raising up a numerous people unto the Lord.
Respectfully,
Tracy Hall Jr, long-ago resident of Niskayuna hthalljr'gmail'com
Posted on December 30 at 3:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Dear Linda LeTendre,
I appreciate your call for peaceful human relations and for your denunciation of that vicious home invasion political ad.
I was disappointed, however, that you implied hypocrisy on the part of my religion for defending marriage between a man and a woman. Perhaps there would be reason to imply hypocrisy if we had ever condoned homosexual relations.
The Prince of Peace commanded, "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." (Matthew 7:1-2)
Yet you presume to judge: "The church changed its policy so Utah could become a state and not because of some divine revelation. This is not meant as a slight – it's just fact."
How can you possibly know with such omniscience the motives of the Latter-day Saints -- or even those of God? Is God dead, that he can no longer speak? Must he remain silent because some Christian creeds seek to muzzle him?
As a descendant of Latter-day Saint pioneers who made great sacrifices and endured terrible persecution to live "the principle," and who then made even greater sacrifice to abide by the revelation that ended the practice, I reject your judgment.
I have carefully and prayerfully studied the LDS history of plural marriage. I testify that the practice was, in fact, instigated by revelation from God, and that it was, in fact, ended by revelation from God.
Nor is it true that " . . . they originally defined marriage as being between one man and more than one woman." The commandment for plural marriage came years after the founding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
To respect another religion, one ought to read its own sources. I sincerely invite you to read our foundational scripture, the Book of Mormon, published in 1830. There you will read,
"For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none."
"For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things." (Jacob 2:27,30)
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/jacob/2/27,...
Is it at all possible that God commanded plural marriage to Joseph Smith for the same reasons as he commanded Abraham, Moses, and other ancient prophets? Do you forget that the Bible also once "defined marriage as being between one man and more than one woman?"
When the Lord rescinded the commandment to the Latter-day Saints, he did so for his own reasons, which we should not presume to judge. Whatever his purpose, my own family history, and the family trees of millions of other Latter-day Saints, demonstrate that the practice of plural marriage, which lasted for only about 50 years, did indeed succeed in raising up a numerous people unto the Lord.
Respectfully,
Tracy Hall Jr, long-ago resident of Niskayuna
hthalljr'gmail'com
On Peace & sanctity