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To be a Latter-day Saint (a Mormon to the world), requires each member to be a good example. This is unquestionable, in that the example expected of each member is clearly laid out by the gospel, Church and Church leadership. Such is the example that even the contenders against the Church cannot deny its value, but instead they try to diminish it through distractions into things that take the eyes and mind away from the truth of the Latter-day example that signifies and designates the Saints as true Christians. The example, when faithfully given, is supported by the Holy Spirit of God, enhanced, giving power to influence the hearts of others toward the Father in heaven and the Son, Jesus Christ.

Example lost is when members of the Church choose to sin, create contention or issue, or take up a wide and varied path that is not of the faith. These will loose the power of the example and the power of the Spirit that was with them.

The example as a witness and the power from the Holy Ghost is completely lost when those members choose to disaffect from the Church, join other churches or be of no church, who may or may not turn face to fight against this Church, but in all disavow themselves from anything truly spiritual and even deny or reject the workings of the Holy Ghost. Then the example they make in their lives, no matter how good they profess it to be, is only of themselves, bearing a power to others that is no greater than an opinion or personal favour, thus having no influence for God, because they have chosen to reject the one true witness of God, the Holy Ghost.

A true Christian example is a witness and this is spiritual. It cannot be anything else and certainly not of ourselves or our own beliefs. An example is to be a witness to others of the Spirit, power, glory, grace and perfection of God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.

An example lost will no longer be a witness for God because this person has forsaken it for one of the world, what the world accepts and decrees. A world who knows not the Spirit of God nor anything truly Holy.

Example lost is a sign to others that these persons are not of Jesus Christ, not of his Church because the example given by them will be good of the world, but not the good of the Spirit and not of Salvation.

When God gives a commandment to his Church, it is designed for the benefit of all, both the strong and the weak. It places everyone on equal footing. The spiritual strong may not need the commandment as they may already live the principle set out in the commandment, but the spiritually weaker require it, yet both are commanded to abide in it in order for the faithful to be blessed by it.

The act of giving a commandment sets out the blessings a person will gain by obedience. The blessings are the same for those who have no trouble following it and for those who struggle with it as they obey it. This is part of the equal footing given to all. This may sound as unequal, in that the weaker who work harder at it should get more or better blessings, but remember the parable in the Bible of the vine yard workers. Those who started the work late will get the same pay as the ones that started work earlier. This applies to those who inherit the Kingdom of God. The ones that started late in life as faithful, will inherit the same as those who began earlier in life. The wisdom in this is the blessings that God gives are far more and above any effort or work we do, awarding us far more than we can imagine.

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I am sure that many know about Margaret Toscano. A lady that was born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Due to her position on free speech and her enthusiasm toward women’s issues as a scholar and within the Church, Margaret Toscano faced excommunication in the year of 2000.

I wanted to read more about her thoughts and beliefs to determine for myself where she stands, in a spiritual sense, so I searched the Internet for reputable articles of what Margaret says and believes. I found a good one at the PBS website where a transcript of a PBS interview exists. After reading that transcript I could write pages about what she has said, but I needed to focus on one important topic for this blog entry.

When reading the words spoken by others about this Church and about their experience with this Church, I search for the spiritual validity of what they say and how much in line they are with gospel teachings and principles. I did the same with what Margaret said in that PBS interview.

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Recently an Anti-Mormon contacted me and tried to present himself as a ex-member of this Church, likely because he wanted to gain some favour in my eyes. During our email conversation he brought up his disbelief in this Church based on his view of historic events and one of them was the story of Joseph Smith putting a stone into a hat, using it as a seer stone to translate the Book of Mormon. Suffice the say the correspondence ended quickly due to his argumentative style of writing, but that encounter spurred me to write about the “seer stone” and the Urim and Thummim which was used by Joseph Smith to translate the Book of Mormon.

Before writing, I took the position as an investigator, one who has a background in the scriptures. I investigated the validity of a seer stone within the Bible. I started with the Bible because this pertains to religious matters, not worldly matters. Here is what I found.

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It is sad to hear some stories of why a few members leave the Church, even though in numbers they are far less than those who fall to false beliefs and doctrines from others and the world. These few leave because of the poor behaviour of some members, some of who gained positions of leadership in the Church.

The irresponsible behaviour of some members who mistreat, in any way, other members or potential investigators is inexcusable. There is one such story of an ex-member of 15 plus years who suffered mistreatment at the hands of a local Church leader who employed this member in his business when this member was in teen-hood. He refused to pay this member for work done and that betrayal and mistreatment set the stage within the heart and mind of that young member. Later, this young member later witnessed at another LDS Church a Bishop refusing a mother entry into a funeral service for her husband because of his bias toward her lesbianism tendencies. That was the straw that broke the camels back. This member left the Church and to this day refuses to return.

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