AN unFAIR ANALYSIS OF VISIONS OF GLORY

I believe I have already blogged this, but here I go again after a friend from my EQ - who is a fellow engineer and one of the finest males that I know - seems to be on the abusing end of "Spencer".  I, personally, find no fault with the man, nor his "doctrines".  My EQ buddy points to "some book" out there that has a "cult following" that the Bretheren are warning against.  I, quite frankly, would not be surprised if this were not Denver Snuffer's book about the Heavenly Gift - and NOT John Pontius' book.  So far as I know, neither John (or his widow) nor "Spencer" have been approached by the Church trying to get them to throttle back on this - no have they been ex'd.  I can assure you that most of the people I know who like "Visions" (and that includes several former bishops in the Kalispell area), would back away at the behest of the Bretheren.  From the sounds of it, the Snuffer camp appears to be "digging in" behind a guy who outwardly appears to not want followers - and I qualify that as a "cult following".  In Denver's defense, I think he has MUCH GOOD to say, and given what I know about him (which is quite little), I would not be calling for his temple recommend.  I disagree with the conclusions that he came to about BY - but we all come to funny conclusions sometimes.  I know I have.  With a little gentle prodding, a sensible person will come around to a sensible argument.

If I had a problem with any of it, I would have sounded the alarm.  Heaven knows I have with others that I feel were out of line.  In fact, I told my friend that, when listening to the Pontius conference where Spencer spoke, I felt the exact same spirit that I feel when sitting through an endowment session in the Temples.  If a portion of something is bad - even a morsel of it - the Spirit simply will not put its stamp of approval on it.  You can have a most delicious fruit salad, complete with the most delicious and fresh fruits - but if someone sneaks a turd in - the WHOLE thing is bad.  You simply cannot have the Spirit witness to a portion of the truth when error is present.  Error, in any measure, spoils the whole message.

Not sure who the author is who wrote the FAIR assessment of Visions is, but I can honestly say that he is an intellectual, but is probably wanting in the things of the Spirit - and has most likely never had visions, visitations, dreams or miraculous healings of his own.  If it were so, he would have recognized the markers of truth in Spencer's account.  Much like those in Jesus' day who were outwardly pious, but inwardly were ravening wolves - they could critique Jesus, but were wholly incapable of accomplishing even a small miracle that Jesus did while He was here.  Even the disciples who followed and believed in Him, were loathe to replicate what He did until much later and their refining was more complete.  Those who had agendas to the contrary were just not able to replicate - so they criticized and eventually called for His ouster from this blue space marble.

All this due to spiritual lack and insecurity.  And this is how division occurs in the Church - both ancient and modern as we cater to the lowest common denominator in God's kingdom.  This blog is not to be held up as some kind of bragging post for those within the Church (including myself) - but is in place to state what can be accomplished if people will simply look to Christ and rise to the standards He has set.  It's quite simple.  The reason we are so dumbed down in our schools and most everywhere is that we cater to the LCD - and do not hold the highest up as a standard and point to it and tell others to aspire to it.  This is what Father has ALWAYS done.  Be ye therefore PERFECT, even as I am perfect. Matthew 12:48  Of course, He was pointing out the life of His Only Begotten as the way the truth and the life to bring one to this end.

So, to whomever the author of this unFAIR piece is, I say:  STEP UP, BUD!  Get with the program and get off your intellectual high horse and get down to getting on your knees and start having a few "Visions" of your own......

http://www.fairlds.org/authors/smith-gregory/spencers-visions-of-glory

 As for me?  Everything that Spencer wrote fits ALL of my personal revelation and understanding on the matter.  It also fits my doctrinal view pretty clearly.  It will be a few short years (as things grind along in the ME) and the proof shall be in the pudding as the US is decimated and Israel receives her final chastisement in preparation for the Bridegroom.  As Spencer (and Sarah Menet, and Sols Cuardisto, and Iohani Wolfgramm - and many others) have said, things will start with a humdinger of an EQ in Utah and will go from there.   When you see this in the next few years, you can begin to know that you are really in for a wild ride.

Many naysayers will be feeling sheepish after it all plays out......

THIS IS AN ADDENDUM TO WHAT I INITIALLY WROTE:

This FAIR author wrote that it was somehow incomprehensible that some of the Bretheren might not make it through what is coming.  That notion is so outrageous!  That would be like saying that the original 12 should still be ranging the earth because nothing bad would happen to them.  Nothing like being crucified upside down along the Appian Way or being thrust through with a spear.....  Things happen to the BEST of people.  I am sure the 12 called when Jesus came to the Americas were not already in leadership positions.  The one thing I do know is that the Lord will take people when He decides its time.  I am teaching the GD lesson on the martyrdom of Joseph Smith tomorrow in SS and I can emphatically say that I know that Joseph was taken under horrible circumstances (and the Savior, for that matter), but that I would not question their authority or validity as leaders due to the circumstance and nature of how they were taken from this blue space marble.  I only would envy them - precisely because the crap that they had to endure on this earth at the hands of petty people, was now a thing of their past.  And they could FINALLY dwell amongst people of a higher order - their earthly trials among a base and faithless people being complete.

Anyway, I would like to write a rebuttal of the rebuttal......  I am sure the FAIR author is a nice guy - but I would guess that I would hang with him for about 10 mins and bore myself senseless and have to excuse myself to go clear my head of dizziness......

We need more people of substance around here who have done real things and had real lives - instead of shallow paper pushers.  I read about these real people all the time - and most of the real people lived 150 years ago.  Us these days? - mostly just whiners and useless eaters (spiritually speaking....).

Spencer was one of the real ones.  John Pontius, as well.  These are the people I would call my friends.  I will now listen to the MP3 of that conference so I can get the Spirit back into my life after this rant...... :)