What is a sacred cow? My definition is anything that is believed based only on tradition, and has little to zero basis on actual fact. These beliefs are held so strongly that the “worshiper” declares “blasphemy!” to anyone that challenges said belief.
Sacred Cow #6: Mormons don’t perform human sacrifices
I was reading in Jeremiah this week at Church (yes, I know. The New Testament is the one being taught in Sunday School. I will repent for not sticking to the “program”) and came across a really interesting scripture in Jeremiah about human sacrifice. It struck me, many (if not all) of us are doing this (in one way or another) today!
Jeremiah 19 talks about how the Lord will “bring evil” upon Jerusalem, one of the reasons being that they were sacrificing their children to the Babylonian idol, Baal.
It struck me that Babylon, when referenced in modern times, refers to the “world” and “worldly”, and “idols” are referred to as the things of the world that we put as priorities in our life.
The people of Jeremiah’s time still outwardly “served” their Father in Heaven and went to “Church”. They saw themselves as basically doing what was right. That is why they rejected the words of Jeremiah, Lehi and many others. However the Lord, and His servants, saw it much differently.
Aren’t we “sacrificing” (giving up) our children to “Babylon (the world) when we turn them over to anyone else so that both parents can go to work in order to “worship” (focus on) our favorite “idol” (TV, recreation, alone time, bigger things, name brand things, unrighteous wants, etc)?
We have an undelegateable duty to raise our children up to the Lord. Just like ancient Israel not seeing their idolatry, we miss it as well when we put anything above our Father in Heaven and the responsibilities He has given us.
We sacrifice our children to the false idols of Babylon any time we put our wants above our God given responsibilities as parents.
What were the consequences of ancient Israel? What will be our consequences?
Ouch!
Are you saying Mormons perform human sacrifice when they send their children to public schools, allow them to spend their free time playing electronic games, and integrate them into the Babylon culture?
Are you saying we support human sacrifice when we allow our government to pay for and legalize abortion, spread blood and carnage around the world in the name of democracy, and when we elect blood-stained traitorous politicians?
If that’s the case then, Wow! You’re brutal. The problem is, I couldn’t agree more.
Mr. Taylor
Having read “The Constitution and the Book of Mormon” by H. Verlan Anderson, “And Prophets, Peinciples and National Survival” by Jerrald Newquist ( both guote the Prophets extensively) I not only believe you are right on but that we (church members) are going to be responsible for the destruction of this nation.
I am only guessing but Sacred Cow #7 could be that Mormon’s don’t Stone their Prophets.
Ezra,
I couldn’t disagree more. Maybe you have a really good job or what not but I myself am part of the working class who don’t make much. My wife works part time driving a bus for the public school. Together we make just enough to afford to pay our bills, keep our old beater car going, and perhaps a graden hose to water the lawn and try to make it look decent. We go on one vacation a year, locally, and spend a few hundred dollars enjoying family time together.
God gives us sterwardship here on earth. He wants us to be well off- to have the things that make life easier and more enjoyable. Why do you suppose that in Zion, there are no poor? It’s because everyone works and is rich. How we spend our time doing things in mortality is mostly a learning experience on learning to deal with personal stewardships and coping with problems that arise and helping others. Perhaps we get blinded from time to time by worldly things and ambitions, but that in no way can be used to say that we are sacrificing our children to idols. You make it sound as if it is satanic to work a little harder to be able to enjoy an earlier retirement to spend more time as a family.
I don’t believe one has the right to judge others as sacrficing their children to idols just because you see both the Husband and Wife working while the kid is in daycare.
If one is going to make a claim of parents sacrificing their children to idols (which BTW is a very bold claim) then it should more be in the lines of an actual “sacrifice of blood”. I don’t know of any parents who take their child and take them out back and slaughter them and shed blood in the name of their precious TV or boat.
He was not talking about you and others who are both working to survive, but those who both work so they can have the luxuries. I do not work and we forgo things like cable and eating out, but we could do those things if I got a job.
Contention is not the way. Don’t take offense. Take time to study it out and ponder it first. Your struggle to make ends meet has a lot to do with other branches of the same adversarial force that opposes the saints and the creation of Zion in many facets of society. If we followed the commandments or at least honored the constitution there would be plenty for all. It’s not a pipe dream its a conviction. It has happened before and will happen again but its up to us how soon that can happen. We LDS must talk these things out so we can become ONE. If we are not ONE we are not HIS.
I would argue with Rob in that if you can afford to have your kids in daycare, you can afford to have your wife in the home. Remember this: when you get old and need taking care of, you have trained your children how to deal with it. Will they take care of you? No. They will put you in a care facility where strangers who don’t love you and may mercilessly abuse you will have complete control of you. Maybe you’ll cry and plead for your family not to leave you. But you will have taught them well. The memory of how you responded when they cried and pleaded with you will be programmed into them and they will do what they were raised to do: turn their backs, knowing they’re doing the “right thing”, and without a single twinge of guilt because it’s just the way it’s done.
Rob, don’t think anyone is attempting to downgrade the fact that families struggle to make ends meet. You eyes have not yet been opened to the evil that lurks behind the plan. Our government and public schools have been infiltrated. Catch the vision and help fight against it.
Every parent needs to read this- The Book – The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America – Link: http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com/
Hey, looks like the Nephites were experimenting with open heart surgery!
Yes, Ezra is simply saying that when we spend our energies “accumulating” more than is necessary for our comfort, and start consecrating our time, our energies and our talents to something other than the building up of Zion, we are worshipping Babylon, and then we “sacrifice” our children to enable ourselves to do that. Hugh Nibley made this point very powerfully in his book, “Approaching Zion”. However, I don’t think Ezra intends to dictate to us what our standards are, but simply to invite us to examine our own lives from this point of view.
I recently started watching A HISTORY OF THE WORLD by J T Gatto. Goods material.
Thanks for another great thought provoking article!
I ask for forgiveness in advance, if posting blog discussions on other sites is prohibited, but I can find no such rule here.
http://voxday.blogspot.com/2012/03/working-mothers-harm-children.html
Yes, more time could be spent doing good if the burdens and yoke of having a place to live was taken off the backs of the poor. I believe that keeping the commandment of D&C 42:30 should be done. That the poor should be given a covenant and a deed that cannot be broken to them of a home sufficient for their wants and needs. That the tax code Sec.2522 needs to be changed where a 5th group should be added to the current 4. Those meeting U.S. Poverty Guidelines for the Current Year should be added where well documented by a covenant and a deed that cannot be broken.
The churches and synagogues all keep properties given them and do not distribute them to the poor so the rich of this country should be given this right without a tax penalty but a deduction . Joshua 1:6