A Call to Repentance Scripture Chain regarding the "Policy Change”

This is not meant to offend.  I’m just putting this out there in case anybody knows one of the 5 virgins referred to.  I hope this can be seen as an invitation for all of us to draw closer to the Savior.

Try reading Matthew 15:1-13, but replace the following words:

Virgin = Church member

Lamp = Policy

Oil = Charity

The Bridegroom = The Savior

Trimmed = updated

Gone out = obsolete

Sell = help you develop charity

Buy = develop

Now I'm not going to say anything about "the Policy".  I sustain modern prophets, seers, and revelators, because I believe they receive direct revelation regarding their stewardship.  For us as individual members to worry too much about their stewardship would be straining at a gnat when there's a really big camel that needs to be addressed.

This parable holds a pretty strong warning to those foolish virgins.  There is a similar warning in

Matt. 25:41-46 …Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

We can read Mosiah 4:17-26, but replace the following word:

Substance = pure love, or respect, or grace, or mercy, or forgiveness

Economic exclusivity surely prevents us from establishing Zion, just as it may have contributed to the latter-day saint eviction from Missouri years ago.  I really hope we're not going down that same route again.

Our leaders have encouraged us to improve our Sabbath day observance and make our worship more meaningful.  One clear way that we can each improve our Sabbath day worship was taught by the Savior himself:

Matt. 5:23-25 ...first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer they gift.  Agree with thine adversary quickly…lest…(ominous music here)

In D&C 121:43, the same specific injunction, to show an increase of love and not create our own enemies, is mentioned along with our rights to use Heavenly Father’s Priesthood power and to connect with Heaven.

D&C 64:9 reads pretty clearly.  Withholding forgiveness is a greater sin than the sin of our neighbor who wrongs us.

If we’re going to start comparing sins, let’s actually look at the direct comparison made in Ezekial between the sins of Sodom.  What was Sodom’s sin really?  Was it primarily homosexuality?

Ezekial 16:49-50, 52 …this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty…  Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.”

We have to remember what Jesus taught in both Jerusalem and in Book of Mormon lands about how we pass judgment on others.  See 3 Ne. 14:2-4 and Matt. 7:2-5.

Remember 1 Cor. 13?

Unfortunately, without charity in this case, we aren't just “nothing”.  We might actually be considered “abominable”.  That word “tinkling” is also used in 2 Ne. 13:16, which makes the foolish virgins start to sound more like the “daughters of Zion”.  And we all know what happens to them… (ominous music again)

We might need to start reading all of the scriptures about charity again without the beam in our eyes.  For example, try reading Matt. 22:36-40 and replace the following word:  Neighbor = LGBT neighbor

And of course “who is my neighbor?”  See Luke 2:29-37 for the answer.

See if the spirit of D&C 42:48-52 fits when you replace the following words:

See = fall in love with a woman

Hear = live a celibate life

Leap = have a happy and successful heterosexual marriage

Bearing each other infirmities?  This starts to sound a lot like the covenant that I made to even become one of the parabolic 10 virgins in the first place.  See Mosiah 18:9-11

The Bridegroom is coming, and we have been invited to step up our game individually and as a body of saints.  We're supposed to be building Zion, becoming more united, more fit for the kingdom!  I believe our Heavenly Father wants us to increase in charity towards all people!

Joseph Smith once said, “It is one evidence that men are unacquainted with the principles of godliness to behold the contraction of affectionate feelings and lack of charity in the world. The power and glory of godliness is spread out on a broad principle to throw out the mantle of charity. God does not look on sin with allowance, but when men have sinned, there must be allowance made for them. …The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more we are disposed to look with compassion on perishing souls; we feel that we want to take them upon our shoulders, and cast their sins behind our backs.”

If this is difficult to hear, we know from 2 Ne 9:40 that the wicked do sometimes take the truth to be hard.  Luckily Alma 32:28 teaches the way to discern if words are true or not.  It is worth experimenting on them to see if “…it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me”.  I believe that by faith, it is possible to lay hold on every good thing, including charity for others, even those we do not understand or agree with.

Now on the flip-side, we also need to increase in "charity to the household of faith" too (D&C 121:45).  We are to forgive all, even the foolish virgins.  Christ commanded in John 13:34-35 “That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.  I believe many more souls may be brought unto Christ due to this so-called “policy change” if we are wise virgins and let the light of our lamps shine brighter (see 3 Ne. 12:16 and Matt. 5:16).

"All" includes LGBT.  (Rom. 14:10-13)

I hope the good and healing discussions continue, and if there is contention, maybe its best if we just do as President Uchtdorf counsels and "Stop it!"