It has been quite a while since I last updated this blog, so I want to provide an update on what I have been working on and what you may expect to see coming down the pike. I won’t be revisiting my “Come, Follow Me” response series any time soon because I am working on something else you I think is far more fascinating. What follows is a teaser of what you can expect on this blog in the future.
The lessons this week are focused on directing members to identify the ways they are blessed by restored priesthood authority and the rituals and ordinances pertaining thereunto. A major emphasis of the lesson materials is devoted to gender complementarianism and gaslighting women into accepting the policy of male-exclusive ordination in the LDS church.
This week’s “Come, Follow Me” lessons cover “the Vision” of the afterlife that dramatically expanded Mormon theology in 1832. In my most detailed response on the 2021 curriculum so far, we take a close look at the historical and intellectual context of D&C § 76, and how the modern church is shifting its narrative.
This week’s “Come, Follow Me” lessons lead a discussion on how members should respond to critics of the church, with a reminder that its each members duty to share the gospel with their neighbors. Also discussed are the ministerial responsibilities of bishops to their wards.
The decision to publish the Book of Commandments, and the revelations produced between 1–12 Nov 1831, were all in direct response to Ezra Booth’s opposition to Smith and the church. The “Come, Follow Me” manuals ignore this context entirely, favoring instead to present a message about how awesome are God’s mouthpieces. Also, baptize your kids.
This week’s “Come, Follow Me” lessons ask members to “be not weary” in offering the “heart and a willing mind” in the service of the church. Members are to “forgive everyone” or remain condemned of the greater sin. They are reminded that theirs is the responsibility of preparing the world for Christ’s return.
This week’s “Come, Follow Me” lessons focus on the theme of spiritual and sexual fidelity. There is a heavy emphasis on avoiding pornography—infused with a hefty dose of shame. There is also an attempt to dismiss Ezra Booth’s apostasy as an example of having the wrong foundation for one’s faith.
This week we cover the church’s messaging about the importance of missionary work, the context of the “curse upon the waters” in D&C 61, and the counsel that members need not wait on the Lord’s inspiration for every decision in their lives.
The Come, Follow Me lessons covering D&C § 58 & 59 present messages of scrupulous obedience and strict Sabbath observance. Both sections are presented largely without mention to their historical context. Let’s take a closer look.