Words & Works

2008-11-9 04:50:00

John. Your description of your feelings toward Barack Obama sounds amazingly like a Mormon devotee would describe his feelings toward the Prophet or a favorite general authority.

You talk about Obama's calm demeanor, yet the LDS general authorities are famous for their calmness and apparently never losing emotional control or getting ruffled. Many claim to feel a peace as they speak.

It was a different story when my nephew Curtis and I met with two of them in private -- namely Bruce R. McConkie and Mark E. Peterson. These were two leaders who were known to always remain calm and to be in charge of all situations. This illusion held up as long as they controlled their environment and only had syrupy-eyed devotees to deal with.

Unfortunately for them we did not fit this Beast-loving mold and instead we gave them the stark truth and asked them some tough questions. After a few moments we saw before us, not two serene leaders, but two very upset and ruffled up leaders who were on the verge of physically throwing us out or having us forcible removed from their presence before the meeting was finished.

When I tell faithful Mormons about this encounter they either do not believe it, or their eyes glaze over.

The point is, if I did not look below the surface in those days I may still be a faithful Mormon towing the line and singing praises to an infallible prophet.

The fact that Obama is getting the praise of the world should be a sign that we need to do some digging and discover his real intentions. Disciples rarely, if ever, get the praise of the world.

The two witnesses of a true teacher or leader is not his personality, but his Words and Works.

When we strip away the emotion and look at the actual words and works of a man then reality will reveal itself.

So far, outside of using the word "hope" I haven't seen anything in either his words or works that gives me hope, and I haven't found any followers who can articulate what their hope is. For the sake of the country I "hope" I will find some good things to report on him in the future, but I'm not betting my Cable TV money on it.

"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you" (John 15:19)