2009-6-4 06:05:00
After we arrived back in Boise, Idaho, we concluded that traveling without purse or script was a fairly unreliable way to go in today's world despite what the early apostles did. We could understand why the LDS church had abandoned the practice and now insists that the missionaries receive financial support from home. I think it would be a good idea though for missionaries to be able to receive assistance from those who want to help in the field of work, but this is not allowed.
For the next few months we kept busy building our base in Boise and answering requests through the mail for literature. One thing that kind of annoyed Curtis and I was that many Mormons we came across (as well as family members) kept referring to Onias as our prophet. They seemed to figure that since we did not accept the LDS prophet that we had a need to have a similar authoritative figure in our lives as a substitute.
Nothing could have been further from the truth. We had both seen the mistake of relying too much on the beast of authority and we were determined to never again accept the word of any person blindly without first checking with the spirit within. This included Onias. We felt that he was moved upon by the Spirit to chastise the authorities in the church and felt impressed to send out his two parables, but looked upon him as an associate more than a prophet.
When Curtis and I started the organization, "The Restorers," we did so with us as the leaders. It was something we would have done with or without Onias. His name was not mentioned on the legal papers.
As it was, Onias was a member of our organization, not the other way around. I clarify this because to this day the false idea is sometimes circulated that we joined with some organization that Onias had rather than Onias joining with us.
We made it clear to him that we were not going to blindly accept him but would seek confirmation through the spirit on any revelation that he received. He agreed that this was fine with him.
As an interesting development Curtis' brother Bill joined our group and Onias sent his daughter, Opal, down from Canada to help us. Opal was a big help as she was a great typist and bookkeeper. I've never seen anyone so happy as Opal was when she was just typing away.
Bill and Opal soon started dating, fell in love and got married. Everyone thought they were a great addition to the group and a good team. Bill had a good presence, but was not into speaking. He made the perfect MC to warm up the audience with some humor and then introduce us as speakers.
A short time later when the group was having a business meeting Bill and Opal suggested that they take possession of the mailing list and keep it up. After all, Opal was doing most of the typing and paperwork so things would be easier if they completely took charge of the list.
Something inside me told me this was a bad idea and I resisted but everyone there including Curtis thought it was a good idea. It came to the point that if I insisted on maintaining control that I would look like I was using unjust authority. I finally yielded to the group, which was one of the few times in my life I acted contrary to inner guidance. I later learned (as we shall see) that the inner guidance was correct.
It wasn't long before Onias received a revelation concerning me. He told me of it when he made as visit to Boise. He explained that God wanted me to write a treatise on marriage. I told him that I would pray about it and if I received confirmation that I would do it. I then sought and received confirmation and told him the next day that I believed his revelation was inspired and I would write the treatise. He seemed quite pleased with this answer.
After he went back to Canada I settled into contemplating the treatise. The interesting thing about the subject of marriage is that Both Onias and I expected the treatise would be supportive of plural marriage as taught by the early Mormons. He was a big believer in it as are most fundamentalists who break off from the church.
To this day the main body of the LDS church still teaches that Joseph and Brigham were correct in practicing it, and that it is entirely possible that the current or future prophet could receive a revelation to bring it back.
Most of those who have a strong Mormon background are open to the possibility of the return of polygamy. Most of the offshoots think the church was incorrect in stopping it and the practice should be continued.
At the time Curtis and I were open to the possibility of more than one wife but fortunately for us we woke up before that happened.
Anyway, I was contemplating the subject of marriage and nothing was coming to me to place on paper. I decided to read some scripture for inspiration. I browsed through the Bible reading here and there and finally this scripture caught my attention:
20 "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21 "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22 "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 "Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 "This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church."
(Ephesians 5:20-32)
After I read this I mused over the part that read: "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands." I realized that this was a very controversial scripture and many females, especially feminists, were repulsed by it. This scripture had probably caused more people to reject Christianity than any other. As I contemplated I considered the possibility that this scripture was not understood correctly by the masses, or even the teachers.
As I continued my contemplation my eyes rested on Verse 32. Even though I had read the scriptures several times I did not recall ever seeing this verse. Let me repeat it:
"This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church."
I immediately began to wonder what the "great mystery" was. Paul was giving us interesting and provocative doctrine, but I could not see how he could consider it a great mystery. I had always been interested in the mysteries and there were many things I desired to know, but there did not seem to be any great mystery in this scripture. I finally concluded that if Paul said there was a great mystery in what he was writing then there must be something I was not seeing. After all, Paul was no dummy.
I then read the chapter over several times looking for the mystery. My eyes then rested upon the controversial scripture, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands." Then I realized that there were four additional words in this verse that were overlooked which were, "as unto the Lord."
Then I asked myself why we submit to Christ and the answer was because he has greater light and knowledge than do we. Next I asked why then would any woman submit to a man and the reason would be the same. She would only submit if he were like Christ in that he has a greater light he can give her. If the man does not have a greater light than the female he cannot represent Christ to her and no submission would be necessary.
As I contemplated I found this I found this thinking delicious to my soul and in the midst of this thought I was struck by spiritual lightening and within a second the whole principle of the Molecular Relationship was downloaded into my mind.
I rose and explained to myself, "Paul was right. He was speaking of a great mystery, perhaps the greatest mystery of all time that even explains creation itself. The mystery was not male and female as we know it, but energy, the positive and negative energy units that are the foundation of all creation."
After pacing the floor for several moments I sat back down to write and this time had more to say than I had time to write. As I began the work I realized that this treatise was going to be much different than either Onias or I could have ever predicted.
"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance - it is the illusion of knowledge."
-- Daniel J. Boorstin (1914 - ?)
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