11 December 2020

So many kinds of voices - responding to the COVID-19 lockdown and wearing masks

This morning I was sent a video by someone who asked 'Plz tell me what to think about this'

It would appear that this video was prepared by someone from The Unity Group, Standing Together South Africa, and the logo in the video matches that on https://www.theunitygroup.co.za/ 

In essence, this video encourages us to be part of the masses who would fight against lockdown and wearing masks, encouraging us to think and to not just follow what the government is imposing on us due to conspiracy theory or conspiracy fact because the government wants us to lose everything so that we will become totally dependent on them. The video encourages us to refuse to take the vaccine when it is developed, that Cyril Ramaphosa and the politicians are all corrupt and plundering South Africa, and to fight against any further lockdown.

My response was basically as follows.

What do you think of what President Russell M Nelson is saying? He was a world renowned heart surgeon. Is he now the Lord's mouthpiece? Is he a living prophet and apostle, or not? Does God live? Does God guide us through a living prophet, or not? Did He make a mistake by not causing Russell Nelson to die before being sustained as prophet, seer and revelator? Or, did the Lord direct the calling of Russell M Nelson in 1984 so that he would be president of the Church 36 years later in 2020 at precisely the time of a global pandemic when he would be the right person to be His prophet?

Russell Nelson is someone who has worn a mask for many hours on end in the process of carrying out surgical procedures to save lives. He is a strong proponent of the hygienic practices of sanitizing and directed the Church to adopt such practices and responsible social distancing by closing meetinghouses and temples worldwide even before the government of South Africa imposed its lockdown in March 2020.

How many minutes have you spent studying, praying and pondering about the scriptures in this past week? How many minutes have you given to alternative voices like social media, the channels of Babylon, and other sources? How much airtime do you give to the Lord's word as opposed to what comes to us on the World's TV channels, news channels, and the like? 

What have you learnt from pondering Moroni 7 in which Moroni teaches us to judge so that we can know good from evil, what is from God and what is from the devil? Moroni says 'the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.' Is what Russell Nelson says good or is it evil? Is what this video is saying good or is it evil?

Is the lockdown pure evil, or will some good come from it? Yes, there is bad that has come and will yet come, but will the overall balance between good and evil be more good or evil when one looks back two or three years from now, just as the Spanish Flu pandemic was devastating,  but the recovery was better in many ways than if the pandemic had not struck? Who will accurately measure this balance? Each person will have her or his own opinion - how will you decide which opinion is beyond reasonable doubt? What is the sure source of pure truth and light - the unnamed man in this video, or Russell Nelson, or Heavenly Father?

I do not reject what this man says - but, it would take extensive personal study to be able to know beyond reasonable doubt if what he says is true about Cyril Ramaphosa plundering the country, or if that is the voice of Cyril's enemies spreading lies about him.

Similarly, it would take extensive personal research to know what is the best way to prevent the virus from spreading, or if I should refuse the vaccine or not. There are so many alternative opinions - how should I decide which opinion to adopt? 

Simply put - does God care enough for us to guide us through a prophet today? If He does, then what is that prophet directing me to do? Does that prophet join in demonstrations fighting against masks, lockdowns and vaccines, or is he wearing a mask, directing the lockdown of the Church meetinghouses and Temples, and speaking positively of those working to develop a vaccine? By their fruits ye shall know them. I have observed the fruits of Russell Nelson. I have no idea what the fruits are of this unnamed man.

Does this give any indication of what I think about this?


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