KING NOAH'S LIFE OF EXCESS? OR LEVIRITE PRIESTS OFFICIATING IN THE TEMPLE?

 I had this comment earlier today:

 I was always taught from my youth that NONE of our leaders are paid, it's voluntary. Someone needs to write a news article and explain why these men are PAID while bishops are not paid.

This is a typical anti attempt to drive a wedge or decrease faith in the membership of those that are ill-informed or ignorant.  I am not sure at what level within the hierarchy it is, but there is a stipend given for Mission Presidents, 70's, Twelve etc.  Those who are in the work full-time as they have no way to provide for themselves while devoted full-time.

I think people forget that there was a treasury in Christ's time and it was used to pay for taxes/expenses/travel/loaves of bread/fishes and that those who officiated in the temples were given a place to live (apartment in the temple complex) as well as holy bbq to eat.  So, the people paid for their maintenance so they could officiate full time.  And Christ never went after them for that, so I would assume He was okay with that.

I shared a story of demonic possession over the weekend with someone and they more or less dismissed it because the thinking was that little kids would never be possessed, therefore it was mental illness or the kid was throwing a tantrum.  Instead of relying on the reasonable explanation that the kid was over the age of accountability (say 9 or 10 years old) and was possibly messing with evil (a ouija board or something), the assumption was made that this kid was 2 years old, innocent and therefore the scriptural account or LDS doctrine was faulty.  Of course, this is the "lazy way out" in order to dismiss something as irrelevant and keep the Harry Potter dream alive, etc etc.

So yeah, I get tired of people finding some "chink in the armor" and then using that point to dismiss their slovenly approach to a specific doctrine, such as in this case, their inability to live a lesser law of tithing.  Let alone the higher law of Consecration (as we learn it in the temple).

God simply will not allow the slothful to make it into the Millennial scene.  They are de-selecting themselves by the day and by the hour.  If we are not striving, we might as well throw the towel in.  God will not necessarily keep the weak out, but he will keep the willful and slothful out.  For the system to stay together for 1,000 years, a pruning and burning will be required in this particular vinyard.

And, likely, there will be no need for a stipend, as scarcity will be a thing of the past, as we move to a terrestrial setting.