Posted by:
Wally Prince
(
)
Date: September 26, 2018 11:20AM
The LDS Church of today ("Churchco") ain't your grand-grandpappy's Churchco.
Nowadays, it's all respectable businessmen, lawyers and doctors in business suits, relying on polls, market research, organizational behavior consultants, media outreach, government affairs consultants.
Get a new revelation? On something bigger than preferred shirt color? On something more earth-shattering than deciding where ground will be broke for the next MacTemple? Not gonna happen.
It wouldn't get past the first deliberative committee meeting.
Probably the last really big thing was the 1978 "revelation" that Spencer W. Kimball got to reverse Brigham Young's ban on blacks getting the priesthood. And when he once described the process of revelation, wouldn't ya know it, it sounded EXACTLY the same as the thought process that any business executive relies on to come up with a decision in circumstances where the organization is stuck between a rock and a hard place.
You know...some sleepless nights, weighing pros and cons, what-ifs and what thens, until finally a decision that had to be made is made. Spencer W. Kimball described that very ordinary decision-making process and then insisted on referring to it as the process of "getting a revelation". I call it the standard model of constipated decision making that has been used by ordinary humans in millions of situations at all times and in all places throughout history.
The local Wal-Mart manager is probably going through that process right now, as she contemplates making some personnel changes.
Funny how Churchco can stick awe-inspiring labels on the most mundane things...and get away with it.
"Hey, why you rubbin' olive oil in my hair?"
"That ain't olive oil, son, that's sacred anointed oil, set aside for the gift of healing and such."
Kimball also forgot to mention the two key External factors that made the decision an obvious one, an inevitable one and a forgone conclusion before it was even made.
The U.S. Federal government was essentially circling Churchco with a big club in one hand, pounding it into the palm of the other hand, basically telegraphing that Churchco would be in for some hard times if they didn't reverse the policy soon.
Another factor was the blood-purity rule that had been in place for many decades, where anyone with African ancestry would not be eligible to hold the priesthood...and therefore any leadership positions. This was wreaking havoc on Churchco in some of Churchco's fastest growing markets, like Brazil. If they didn't change the policy soon, it was going to blow up in their face like a cigar stuffed with black powder.
So...back to Nelson. Nelson's a figurehead. They've mostly all been figureheads after Briggy.
Most of the past 7 or 8 "prophets" have just been corporate hierarchy office placeholders. Several had to literally be propped up and have the drool wiped from their mouths just to make an occasional public appearance...so as to reassure the flock that they still had a living prophet...even if barely.
Modern Mormons don't expect their modern "prophets" to act or talk like Joseph and Briggy. I'm pretty sure if Joseph Smith showed up in any modern Mormon meeting and started making his claims, they'd call the police on him.