Ralph Hancock has a very good response to statements recently made by John Dehlin regarding the progression of revelation in the Church. Hancock criticizes Dehlin’s picking and choosing of events (some of which have nothing to do with Church decisions and revelation: stop publishing of Mormon Doctrine, for example; or are questionable as whether they are actual driven by revelation); rather than looking at the whole picture. Dehlin tries to use specific things to show the Church will inevitably accept LGBT relationships, etc. Hancock notes that Dehlin ignored the Proclamation on the Family that has frequently been quoted and requoted in General Conference since its debut about 20 years ago.
I would like to add another dimension to the illogic of Dehlin’s statement:
By Dehlin’s logic of progressive-ism, it will only be a matter of time before the Church okays all types of relationships: multiple partners of either sex, of any age, and of any species.
If Dehlin draws a line somewhere, one which we cannot pass (man/child relations?), then what makes his line any less arbitrary than the lines he is fighting? If he does not draw any moral lines, then how immoral is he? Is he a compass without pointers?
If there is no moral line that prophets can draw via revelation, then religion has no meaning. If there is no opposition, then there is no law, there is no good, there is no evil, there is no God (see 2 Ne 2).
There is a reason Isaiah and others warned us about those who would “call good evil and evil good.” Either God has a plan of happiness that includes eternal commandments, or he does not. If he does not have any commandments, then there is no reason nor purpose for the LDS Church or living prophets. There is no reason nor purpose for ancient scripture or modern revelation. There would be no difference whether God lived or not, because nothing we would do would be sin, and therefore there would be no judgment. We would all end up as worm food or saved in God’s kingdom, regardless of what we did or believed here.
Yes, revelation means change. However, just because people should have an open mind, does not mean they should open their minds so wide that all their brains fall out. Revelation comes to imperfect people, “line upon line, precept upon precept.” While changes do occur, the foundations of the gospel do not change. Never in our history have we stopped believing in God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost as the Godhead. We still believe in the atonement and resurrection. There will be no revelation saying that these things are no longer no applicable. As such, there will be no revelation saying that the family unit, as ordained by God and enthroned in the temple ceremony, will be so changed as Dehlin would suggest. Why? Because sinful behavior cannot replace the core doctrines of Christ.
Your thoughts?