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In 1978 the Mormon Church decided to accept black men into its priesthood for the first time. This was a direct repudiation of previous Mormon doctrine and practice. By official news releases from church headquarters, the head of the Mormon Church attributed the new policy to a “revelation” from God. Strangely, this “revelation” conveniently coincided with increasing pressures on Mormon officials from within and without the church to drop their long-standing policy of racial discrimination. However, to those acquainted with Mormon doctrine and history this was not too surprising.
The Mormon idea of “continuing revelation” (which various other religious groups also advocate) may be the most basic repudiation of the Bible as God’s Word that a man or a religious organization can make. Simply put, it elevates the creature above the Creator (Rom. 1:25). It makes it convenient to say or do anything one chooses on any religious or moral issue and claim a “revelation” from God for it. The Roman Catholic Church has been doing this for centuries by means of the Pope’s ex cathedra pronouncements, accepted by Catholics as the voice of God. By this means men can easily make it appear that God says what men want Him to say or be silent on subjects they find unpleasant.
More than once people have come to me under the pretext of seeking Scriptural counsel and advice, when they were seeking endorsement of an unscriptural act they were planning to do or were already doing. Such efforts attempt to make God conform to their will rather than submitting to His perfect will. They often go ahead and do what they want to do, even when the sinfulness of their proposed behavior is exposed. The same attitude prevails in those who choose a congregation where “social drinking,” immodest clothing, dancing, and other such worldly behaviors are not opposed. We also see it in those who seek a church in which they can feel “comfortable,” although they are stingy with their money, time, and talents and never give a thought to trying to save a soul. Tragically, if a person “shops around” a little, he can find a congregation that has just as little respect for God’s unchanging, complete revelation as he has.
We are ever tempted to superimpose on God our own foolish misconceptions and hurtful practices. Men want a god who will let us do what we like rather than what we ought to do. The heathens are not the only ones who fashion gods according to their own liking.
[Note: I wrote this article for and it was published in The Lighthouse, weekly bulletin of Northpoint Church of Christ, Denton, TX, October 16, 2016, of which I was editor.]
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
