Tuesday, June 24, 2014

What it Means to be a Member

A lot of talk is going around about Ordain Women and Kate Kelly. I usually don't talk about my thoughts or feelings about this things but I felt it was necessary at this point.
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we promise to "stand as witnesses of Christ" to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and to serve him. While I do not agree with the Ordain Women viewpoint I am in no way happy that Kate Kelly was excommunicated from the church, I am quite sad in fact. I pray and hope that one day she will come back, I don't agree with anyone "trash" talking her or saying she deserved it. But that being said, I also don't agree with anyone bashing any of the leaders or doctrine of the church. As members of this church we SUSTAIN our leaders, that includes the prophet and apostles AND local leaders. Local leaders are called of God to act as CHRIST would. I can assume that no one would say that Christ was being malicious in his council, well when a Bishop or Stake President makes council they are doing that as Christ would, therefore we should follow it as we would if Christ was telling it to us face to face. Now this does not mean that we are forced or should just do everything robotically, it is okay to ask question and not understand something, but we should seek answers by talking to our Bishop or Stake President, reading the scriptures, and praying. That's what those wonderful tools are for. But when Bishops and Stake President make council, or certain discipline they are doing it out of LOVE and in no way for malice. I can be positive that it did in no way make any of Kate Kelly's local leaders happy that they excommunicated her, actually I'm sure it hurt their hearts. She, like all of us, is a child of God and should be treated like so.
I LOVE being a member of this church. I have never ONCE felt forced to do anything or like I was not able to ask questions. Quite the opposite actually, I have been taught that I have agency to choose from the time I was little. This church has brought me so much joy and has taught me that everyone is a child of God regardless of who they are or what they have done, and everyone deserves to be treated as such.

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