Transcription
About a year ago, I released a video called “The Global LDS Church.” Quite honestly, I was stunned at the response. I appreciate all of you who took the time to watch and comment, and I’m so thankful for all the connections I’ve made with those of you who reached out to talk more. Over the last year, I have made some wonderful new friends. Sadly, that video was recently taken down, right as I was getting this one ready to release. I guess I must have hit a nerve. This was the first YouTube video I had made, and I was intrigued by the wide range of comments.
There were comments by people who think the UN is a great organization and are happy the Church is getting more involved. Some people accused me of apostasy for making false claims; apparently, the Church agrees with you on that. There were comments by people who have noticed the same patterns and were aware of where the Church leadership was heading. Many of the comments expressed heartbreak and dismay to see these connections and questioned what they could do about it. Some accuse me of taking comments out of context or making connections that weren’t correct. These were the comments that were the hardest for me to read. These people clearly thought the UN was not good and were trying so hard to find a way to not believe that the Church leaders could be involved. I understand how hard it is to accept, but I think it is important that we don’t ignore things just because they cause dissonance. That’s part of why I’m making this second video.
One of the main criticisms I got was that I took quotes from Christopherson’s talk out of context. I came upon this article in the Deseret News about Felipe Capo, a member who has made it his mission to “repair” the UN’s reputation. This is a quote from the article: “I am a much better member of my faith tradition because of my work at the UN.” He calls the UN the “best secular hope for humanity.” In the article, Capo is attending a diplomatic tour of the Washington D.C. Temple. Apparently, the interview was partially conducted in sight. The article continues: “Walking down a pristine cream hallway of the temple, we spot Elder D. Todd Christofferson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with attendees and volunteers huddling around him in a hushed voice. Capo tells me that in 2019 he had a long conversation about sustainable development with Elder Christofferson when he came to tour the UN.” Fast forward to the October 2020 conference, and from the pulpit, Elder Christofferson kicked off his talk titled “Sustainable Societies” with the UN’s Agenda for Sustainable Development. “Dude, that was you,” a friend texted Capo after the talk. “Of course, it wasn’t just him,” he says, “but a result of a relationship that he’d been cultivating between the UN and the Church over time.”
I really don’t think I misread Christofferson’s take on the UN and the sustainable development goals. In the last year, I feel like the connections between the Church and the UN have gotten more blatant and even celebrated. To see what I’m talking about, just go onto the Church websites and do a search for “United Nations.” Let me show you what I’m talking about. [Music] And I’m going to do a search for “United Nations.” [Music] Have a lot of results come up. Go down here; you can see I have 10 pages of results. I’m going to try Church News; do the same thing. [Music] 19,000 results nearly on the Church News for the United Nations. You can see I have almost a thousand pages here. I won’t go through them all. Almost everything I am including in this video can be found right on the Church websites. These are not things the Church is trying to hide; they are openly teaching by word and example that we should be participating in the UN and other global organizations.
I found articles going back almost a decade showing the Church leaders participating in UN events, making donations, giving speeches, even hosting UN conferences. Here is an article about Ballard meeting with UN representatives in New York. Here are articles about Apostles speaking at the UN Interfaith Forum each year. Elder Rasband even talked about participating in a UN event in his conference talk, including this photo of him wearing a pin with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Take a look at this video clip from the Church website about Bednar’s trip to Geneva this year. Elder Bednar, a member of the faith, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, began his nine-day ministry in Geneva, Switzerland, known as the “capital of peace.” The senior leader met with high-level UN diplomats and representatives of global organizations that collaborate with the Church on humanitarian projects. “I’ll tell you how much we appreciate partnerships that we have with you,” the clip cuts off at the end of his remarks where he says, “You honor us by coming here tonight.” This dinner was hosted by the Church at the Geneva Church office building.
This article from LDS Living asks, “Did you know that at least eight female leaders of the Church have either spoken at a United Nations event or held a leadership position in the organization?” These are the eight women mentioned in the article: Sherry Dew, Sharon Eubank, Tracy Browning, Joy D. Jones, Jean B. Bingham, Neil F. Marriott, Julie B. Beck, and Carol McConkey. The Church News podcast recently highlighted one of these women, Carol McConkey, former member of the Young Women General Presidency, for her election as vice president of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women. I’m not sure what disturbs me more: that she works so closely with this UN committee or this information from the article: “For the past two years, Sister McConkey and her husband, Oscar, have worked with the committee. In April 2019, they began their service as Government Affairs missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland. These Government Affairs missionaries work to monitor legal and policy developments and build connections with UN delegations and other organizations.” Were you aware that the Church calls missionaries to work with the UN? That was new information to me.
Just to give you a little background on this committee: An NGO is a non-governmental organization that receives funding from governments but operates without oversight or representation from those governments. The UN is an example of an NGO. The NGOs CSW is a branch of the UN that promotes gender equality and the empowerment of women. What does that mean? Among other things, population control and abortion rights. Incidentally, LDS Charities recently did a whole webinar for this UN committee. They are not just peripherally connected. This past October 2020, Utah Valley University hosted a UN conference entitled “Why It Matters.” The topic of the three-day conference was the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, designed to help people create a longer-lasting world. Speakers included L. Todd Budge from the Presiding Bishopric, Kristen Yee from the General Relief Society Presidency, and, of course, Sharon Eubank from LDS Charities, recently released from the General Relief Society Presidency. If you want to watch their talks, the articles on the Church websites contain links to the video as well as links to the UN website where you can read all about the sustainable development goals.
If you watched conference in October, you may have heard Dallin Oaks speak about a recent donation made to the UN World Food Programme. This $32 million donation is the largest humanitarian donation made in the history of the Church. Bishop L. Todd Budge, second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, presented the donation during a visit Wednesday, September 14th, to the World Food Programme headquarters in Rome, Italy. “We are so grateful to collaborate with the World Food Programme because we know they will get food to those who need it most,” Bishop Budge said, “and we thank Latter-day Saints and friends of the faith whose financial sacrifices have made this gift possible. Such giving makes God’s children a little happier and all of us a little holier.” Hmm, do you feel holier knowing your donations are going to the UN? The Church also made a large donation to UNICEF this year. On the UNICEF website, you can see LDS Charities listed as a partner since 2013.
Everyone is familiar with the Giving Machines that appear every Christmas where you can buy someone in need a goat or a pair of shoes or something else they need. Have you ever questioned if the money actually goes to buy those items? You can see the answer to that question on the Church website: “Where does my donation go?” “One hundred percent of your donations made via the Light the World Giving Machine will be used for the purchased item, similar items, or services of greater need as determined by the applicable charitable organization.” Interesting. Who exactly are the charitable organizations that get to make the decision how to spend this money? In 2022, a reception was held to hand over the $6 million that was donated. Some of the money goes to local charities; the rest goes to five global charities. I wonder how much goes to each organization. A clue might be the two charities who were interviewed at the reception: two UN organizations. I wonder how they are spending the money. I hope it went to buy clothes or goats or something like that, but apparently, we have exactly zero oversight in how they spend the money once they get it. Here are a few video clips from the reception. “We are so excited to have the Giving Machines campaign live for the first time this year with USA for UNHCR, and I can’t think of better examples than you and your organizations and what you do in lighting the world for people who are in darkness and in difficult times.” “Express my appreciation to each of you on behalf of the Church, Latter-day Saint Charities, for all that you do to truly make donations safely.” Are we really trusting the UN to make donations sacred?
In September 2022, the Seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions was held in Kazakhstan. The Secretary-General of the UN gave this message to Congress: “We can meet the tests of our time and build a better world for all by coming together as one human family, sharing burdens, solving problems, and seizing opportunities. I deeply appreciate your many contributions and the profound perspective you bring to advance the work and common values of the United Nations. I am grateful for your activism, your wisdom, and your faith in our common humanity.” Also speaking at this Congress was Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve. His talk was titled “Striving Souls and Sustainable Societies: Developing Hope in a World of Suffering.” In addition to participating in this Congress and the UN Interfaith Forum, the Church has representation in the Elijah Interfaith Institute. On their website, Jeffrey Holland is listed as one of their members, describing him as “one of the highest-ranking members of the Church.” Their yearly gathering was even held at BYU in 2016. This group is behind the Center for Hope, planned to be built in Jerusalem. Hope stands for “House of Prayer and Education” and is meant to be a visual representation of their goal to unite people of all world religions. They say they are seeking to change “the narrative of relationships between religions globally.” The Grand Mufti Mustafa had this to say about it: “Jerusalem, holy to Islam, has been a pilgrim’s destination for Muslims for hundreds of years. The vision of creating a center holy to all religions allows every pilgrimage to open up to an inter-religious experience. This is what today’s world needs.”
During COP27, the UN Conference on Climate Change that took place November 22nd, a group of religious leaders held a repentance ceremony. Religious leaders joined “world’s first interfaith ceremony on climate change.” The faith leaders climbed Parliament Hill with scrolls bearing 10 principles for climate repentance, in a nod to the Ten Commandments revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai, which is about 125 miles away from the COP27 conference. Who organized this event? You guessed it: among others, the Elijah Interfaith Institute and the UN Environment Programme’s Faith for Earth Initiative. You can read about the 10 spiritual principles for climate repentance on their website. You can also see a list of contributors and participants in the event. Bednar is on the list, representing the Church. You can also see that concurrent faith-based events were held, including one in Salt Lake. Am I crazy to see these sort of collaborations as moving toward one-world government and one-world religion? You might remember that Abrahamic Family House being built in the UAE. Does it seem strange that a temple was just announced only an hour away in a country with only 8,000 members and two stakes?
In 2019, Russell M. Nelson and other General Authorities met with Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, in Wellington, New Zealand, the nation’s capital. “President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continued his nine-day Pacific ministry by meeting with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. ‘I think the world will discover that they’ve got a real leader here. It’s an unlikely scenario, a young mother leading a great nation, a peacemaker, a policymaker, consensus giver. We’re very impressed with her. She’ll be—she’ll have a great future.’” Why are these statements concerning to me? If you’re not familiar with Ardern, she is a member of the Forum of Young Global Leaders, created by Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum. She pushes for gun control and recently ratified a free trade deal with China. Worse than that, she passed legislation legalizing abortion up to birth and called it a “fundamental human right.” She enacted some of the most tyrannical COVID policies in the world, including border lockdowns, mandatory testing, $4,000 fines for refusing to wear face coverings, and mandatory COVID pokes for certain occupations. Recently, she gave a speech at a Harvard graduation calling for social media companies to step up their censorship: “The time has come for social media companies and other online providers to recognize their power and to act on it. That means—that means upholding their own basic terms of service. That means recognizing the role they play in constantly curating and shaping the online environments that we’re in.” Why is President Nelson praising this woman? Is it because her father’s twin brother is a General Authority? Or worse, is he one of the religious leaders that Schwab mentions here as having in his pocket? “Continuous partnerships with many governments around the world and, of course, we have NGOs, we have trade unions, we have all those different parts. Media, of course, media, of course, right. And very important scientists and academia, because if we are looking at the future, I think we should look at new solutions, and the new solutions will be very much driven by technological developments. And we even have—you even have religious leaders, right? Religious leaders, we have…” Or maybe he just doesn’t disagree with her much.
I’m sure you are all aware of the way the Church handled a recent so-called public health emergency in January. The Church News published this article. The timeline includes things like death rates, government guidelines, WHO recommendations, reports of General Authorities catching bad colds, closing of temples, recalling missionaries, and release of different COVID pokes. Taking into consideration the face covering letter, this tweet sent out by Nelson, this letter from the First Presidency, and the new poke policy in the handbook, it seems like this response was right in line with trusting in the arm of flesh. Why are we being told to follow the advice of medical professionals, government leaders, and the WHO instead of trusting in the Lord and His ability to heal? When General Authorities contracted bad colds, why weren’t the others there giving them blessings instead of social distancing? President Nelson seems to be in agreement with Bill Gates, who also calls pokes a miracle. Then we have this video of Rasband speaking to the youth and young single adults in South Africa. This is his response when someone asked if they should get the COVID poke: “Off it prayerfully considered this, that a vein is actually a godsend from heaven, and we view it that way. We view it as a miracle, the time that it took to develop it, the speed at which it was made available in record time compared to other worldwide pandemics. And so where we have these conflicts now, to the heart of your question, where we have these conflicts, I would just remind our audience, the youth and the young single adults, that we have the added benefit to have a prophet of God on the Earth, and the prophet of God is candidly authorized to speak for the Lord Jesus Christ.”
This is an audio recording of Renlund when asked about aborted fetal cells in pokes: [Music] “But we’re not aware that such has ever been the case.” [Music] Again, I know that Russell now says God’s prophet. I know that his primary audience is the Lord Jesus Christ. To not blocking efforts from anybody, uh, he hasn’t been deceived; he hasn’t succumbed to lobbying efforts or buckling to anybody. He wouldn’t… It’s hard for me to believe that two physicians are completely unaware of the process used to make pokes, especially in light of all the letters that have been sent in by concerned members on this topic or the comments by Sharon Eubank about how using aborted fetal cells in developing pokes is for the greater good. Why would Renlund deny knowing this? It’s kind of like Oaks saying religious exemptions are silly: “I just thank you—thank you for anybody to think that any available reliable medical evidence untainted by political considerations would give you a reason to seek a religious exemption.” So we have the doctor saying there are no aborted fetal cells in pokes and the lawyer telling us not to seek religious exemptions. Very interesting. Do you think in Quentin Cook’s talk entitled “Following the Prophet,” it is significant that he uses the word “immunity” multiple times to describe the blessings of following the prophet? Does anyone else feel like the Church is doubling down on the “follow the prophet” campaign since recent global health emergencies? How about this talk by Sherry Dew where she says following the prophet makes you smarter, even though she admits prophets are not perfect? “The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, acting unitedly, will never send the Church in the wrong direction, and here is why: because even the prophet is not the head of this Church; Jesus Christ is, and He is perfect. Prophets take their instructions from Him who knows all, sees all, and understands all things.” More than once, I’ve personally heard President Nelson deflect praise for all of the adjustments that have occurred during his administration: “Well, I can take instructions,” he always says, meaning he is always on the Lord’s errand. “In this Church, we are never dependent solely upon mortal men, as inspired as they may be. When we follow the prophet, we are actually following and placing our trust in Jesus Christ. Yeah, it’s because this is the Lord’s Church, and Jesus Christ is the one who chooses His Prophets. The Savior will never let the prophet lead the Church astray. Period.”
There is some dangerously false doctrine being taught here. Renlund gave a talk this past conference that neatly puts a box around personal revelation. He says, “I invite you to have the confidence to claim personal revelation for yourself, understanding what God has revealed consistent with the scriptures and the commandments He has given through His appointed prophets and within your own purview and agency.” So we are told to get personal revelation, but only if it agrees with the Q15 and stays in our lane. Got it. President Nelson’s talk was about truth. He says, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints embraces all truth that God conveys to His children, whether learned in a scientific laboratory or received by direct revelation from Him. From this pulpit today and tomorrow, you will continue to hear truth.” These words have been carefully chosen. Ballard’s talk was about following the Savior in faith. How do we do that? We follow the prophet. Michelle Craig also spoke about following the Savior, but again, she equates it with following the prophet: “I choose to stand with His chosen servants, President Nelson and his fellow Apostles, for they speak for Him and are the stewards of the ordinances and covenants that tie me to the Savior.” Is that really true? Doesn’t this scripture say that He is the only Keeper of the gate?
Ahmad Corbitt from the Young Men’s General Presidency recently gave this talk about activism toward the Church, for which he has created the acronym ATC. However, “when activism or advocacy is directed at the kingdom of God on Earth or its leaders, especially prophets and apostles, it is the wrong tool for the wrong job in the wrong place. Why? Because it effectively but subtly undermines the doctrine of Christ, which is God’s plan for changing, saving, and exalting His children.” I have a few questions after watching this: Is the Church really the kingdom of God on the Earth? Is advocating for change or calling out leaders for poor choices really attacking the Lord’s Kingdom? Is anyone who disagrees with the Brethren now going to receive the label ATC? How does activism undermine the doctrine of Christ? He says this happens by undermining the faith of valiant but weak souls. Faith in what? In the Church and leaders, which, of course, is the same as faith in Christ, right? Even though he mentions the doctrine of Christ no less than 10 times, I’m starting to think he doesn’t understand it at all. There is nothing in this talk that mentions personal revelation or connection with the Lord, which is what the doctrine of Christ is all about.
About Corbett even equates disagreeing with prophets as modern-day stoning. And why is Jeffrey Holland telling us that there is no way to flee Babylon but that we should confront her? Is that what joining globalist organizations is about? I don't see a lot of confronting going on, to be honest. So what does this mean?
In my own search for truth, I've had to find answers to a few hard questions. Is the Lord's Church a corporation, or is it as he describes in section 10: "Behold, this is my doctrine: Whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church. Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church." I have had to decide for myself what is important: the organization or what is in my heart. I suppose we all have to figure that out for ourselves.
Another question that many are wrestling with: Can a prophet lead us astray? Personally, I'm not sure why this is even a question. Can a mortal, imperfect man with agency lead you astray? Of course they can; in fact, dozens of scriptures warn about that very thing. Section 112 says, "And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord; first among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name, and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord." What do you think is the Lord's House?
Many of the Old Testament prophets, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah, prophesied about problems with Latter-Day Prophets. Moroni says he saw our day and our doings. This is what he had to say about us, those who are reading the Book of Mormon: "Why have ye built up churches unto yourselves to get gain? Ye do love money and your substance and your fine apparel and the adorning of your churches more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted. Why have ye polluted the Holy Church of God?" What is he talking about here? What is the Holy Church of God?
So what should you do? I guess that depends on what you want. You could ignore all this and keep thinking all is well in Zion. You could throw it all out, like many choose to do. I hope you don't. I hope you will go through the hard process of discerning truth from error. To me, it is comforting that the Lord saw our day and warned us against these things. He never wants us to be led astray; he only allows it when we put our faith in something other than him.
Section 93 says, "And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the traditions of their fathers." We are all born with the Light of Christ to help us discern the right path. We can, of course, lose that light by sinning, but also by the false traditions of our fathers. It has been taught to us since we were little children that we need to follow someone, that he can't lead us astray, that we need someone between us and the Lord. How merciful that the Lord saw our day and warned us against this false tradition. As we cast it off, we open ourselves up to more light.
I testify that he is always there, waiting for us to turn to him and ask. His greatest desire is for you to receive more of his light, his intelligence, and his charity. This is how I have come to know him. This is how we can all come to know him. I can't tell you what to do; each of us has an individual path. But what I hope most is that you take this opportunity to do what the Lord has invited you to do: repent and come unto him with a broken heart and contrite spirit. Cry out to him; ask for his mercy; pray with all the energy of your soul. He is the one who has all the answers; in the end, he is the only one that can save you.