Sorting Out the Message

Posted July 25, 2010

A reader makes an interesting statement:

“I had assumed that it didn’t matter who the messenger was, so long as the message was true.”

Actually, both the messenger and the message matter, but even though this is true it is also a fact that the message can be true no matter how corrupt the messenger is.

For instance, we all acknowledge that Hitler was a bad guy. Even so, he still had some good ideas such as the Autobahn, which still receives praise by millions that use it to this day.

Then too the development of a small economical car available to the common man that became known as the Volkswagen was also a Hitler idea that became embraced by millions.
Hitler also supported the development of the V2 Rocket. After the war the United States had the presence of mind to gather all the technology around this and entice Hitler’s chief engineer to work for us. Warner Von Braun, Hitler’s chief rocket engineer then went on to create NASA and the Saturn Rocket that sent our astronauts to the moon.

In other words, if we had not accepted the truth that Hitler had developed then we may not have went to the moon.

Now let us look at the one of the main guys who defeated Hitler, FDR. He was all good right?

Not so fast.

Remember that he interned Japanese citizens who had done no wrong. Almost everyone today sees that as an injustice.

He tried to violate the constitution by increasing the number of justices on the Supreme Court with people he could control so he could become a virtual dictator.

During the creation of the New Deal he had innocent people prosecuted and thrown in prison for no cooperating.

The key point is this. Our heroes were not all good and our villains were not all bad. This is why the scriptures tell us to not rely on the arm of flesh. We must look at each message as a separate entity and run it by the spirit and soul within. Then we must use the power of our own judgment and determine the truth.

It comes down to this. If the devil himself tells us a thing yet it registers as truth then one should accept it, but, on the other hand, if an angel of light presents a message that registers as incorrect then that should be rejected.

We would be in error to look at a teacher such as Joseph Smith and his flaws and then reject his entire message as evil. Instead we must break down the teachings as well as his actions and sort them out using the power of the Spirit within. On each of then we must ask ourselves, “Is this true or not?” Is the glory of God intelligence or not? Is man co-eternal with God? Did he live before mortal birth? etc.

Of course, one must do the same thing with self proclaimed prophets such as Chris Nemelka. His main teaching is the Golden Rule of doing unto others as you wish others to do to you?

Is this true? Basically yes. Did it originate with Chris? No. Jesus said it and earlier than that Buddha said something similar.

Is it true that the Golden Rule applies to all but Chris as he says?

Absolutely not. Principles apply to all beings in the universe.

With each teacher one must look at the message and how that message is to be applied and then only support those things that register as true with one’s own soul.
Copyright 2010 by J J Dewey