Religious Bifurcation and escape from Moral Reality

One story, many stones.

When I was 11-12 years old, I did what I was told.  I read the scriptures and prayed and asked God if they were true.  Finally, I received my personal answer that the scriptures were true.  Great.

Now my family was besties with the Stake President's family.  My Mother besties with his wife and my father was business partners with the Stake President.  Pres H.P. mentored my father in both business, faith, family, and leadership.

Now a stake president is over many wards so he may seem to be kinda a big deal.  One Sunday as we ate together, I looked over at Pres HP and thought of what a great honor it was to have such a great man as an ordinary part of our lives and at our table.

The thought came to mind, "You don't know that he is a good man."
"But he's the stake president."
"You must ask God if he is an honorable man for yourself."
"Is Pres HP an honorable man."
"No, he is not."
"What, um, why."
"He does not apply the gospel to his business practices."(paraphrased)

I was pretty shocked and did not know what to do.  I was raised to never speak to my father without invitation, and never found the opportunity to warn my father, and being raised without the freedom of speaking to my superiors, my language was stunted anyway.

Anyway, the decade that followed was great and terrible, filled with conflict, lawsuits, unrighteous dominion.  But, my testimony of the Gospel remained because my faith was not in man, but in the Lord. To this day, I don't think my father realizes the effect this corrupt mentor had on him.

Anyway, later my father learned that Pres HP had hurt many people in the business world, and there were some hurt so badly they would commit violence if they could get away with it.  It was bad.

Guess what?  There are bad Mormon businessmen.  That was one of my first lessons.

Just as some people enjoy the suspension of morality video games seems to permit, church-going people suspend their morality in the business world, some Mormon, some of many faiths.  Now, we are not supposed to use the word "Mormon" anymore, but I think it's okay to use the word "Mormon" when applied to dishonorable individuals.

When one applies the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Business World, businesses can be mutually beneficial, uplifting, co-supporting businesses and communities thrive as a whole.

Just an hour ago I met a woman wanting to start up a new business in Fruitland.  I told her of the social media groups she could join to promote her community and other people who nurture other businesses, without greed. I recommended she form a small network of women in her field in the community to build each other up.

On the other hand, there are those who seek to build up their own businesses by taking down other businesses, as though there is only one small lifeboat and 1000 people.

There is enough for all. We can support each other, we can respect each other, we can build each other up.

Oh, there does come a time to crack down on evil people, and then we can contend. But people simply trying to build their communities, support their families are not among them.  Thus you can not, and should not suspend your morality in business, then or ever.

That is where Greed lies.  Where businesses viciously complete destroying each other and preying on customers, that is greed in its fullness.

"The more you share, the more your bowl will be plentiful." Teranga

Step Parent Alienation - again, and again

Yep.  I got another phone call from a friend and visited with the family.

The Father is remarrying, the incoming wife is working hard to kick out the daughters. Same gender stepchildren get the worst!

Stepmothers drive out the stepdaughters first, and Step-Fathers drive out the stepsons first.

Insecurity and immaturity of the parents.

The annoying old exchange of pics of the text conversations where the stepparent behaves like an insolent child and the parent texts backing up the new stepparent's abusive behavior.

Years ago I witnessed text exchanged where I had to double, triple check because the child's texts were so mature, loving and patient while the step parents read like a ridiculous temperamental, emotional, irrational child's words.

In this situation that plays out over and over again, the child is heartbroken, angry, increased insecurity, and the opposite gender children are torn.  As the opposite gender children are not yet rejected, they don't want to support their parent's abuse of their sibling, but they want to maintain their own relationship with their parent. "Maybe, if I stay,  I can help my dad to be kinder to my sister."

The stepparent provokes the child, the child reacts and then the stepparent has more fuel to feed the actual parent to say the child is bad and must be banished.

It's not the first time I've seen it.  It's not going to be the last.

Unrighteous Dominion:  Dominion does not mean that whatever you do or decide is ordained, it means you have stewardship and accountability.

For parents, it means that God will hold you accountable for how you treat His children and flick you like a booger out of Heaven as you try to gain entry no matter how many times you've attended the temple, or alms, or service or whatever.

This is the embodiment of an unholy union that cannot be sanctified.

If you are in a remarriage where the spouse casts out the children, and feel religiously obligated to stay in the marriage, and you don't want another failed marriage, deal with it.  Continue to love your children, and serve them.  If your spouse chooses to leave, it's on them.  Casting out children is contrary to the purpose of marriage and condemns the marriage. Don't think that serving a marriage on the crushed souls of your children is meritable.  The whole point of marriage is a safe place to raise God's children, not appease your appetites and egos.