When the prophet speaks, the dabate is over

I am a scientist. I have heard several people say the very same thing recently. They have said it in order to convince you and me that we can believe what they are saying about very serious things, the most notable at present being COVID-19 and our approach to it as people, governments, families and communities.

You know, I never thought about the fact that I am a scientist until I heard a colleague say to someone on the phone 'Ek is 'n wetenskaplike by Kirstenbosch'. That was in 1985. Both he and I were working on our Master of Science degrees. That meant that each of us had a Bachelor of science degree - that we were scientists. That was not the destination of our journey, but we were on the journey. I still am on the journey. I am now retired after working in scientific research at Kirstenbosch for more than a third of a century. 

I am a scientist. I love being able to say that, but, as such, one of the most important things that I know is how much I do not know about the great and grand scope of science!  There is so very much to know in science, medicine, chemistry, physics, ecology, genetics, biochemistry, botany, zoology, microbiology, evolution, statistics, data analysis, simulations, engineering, astronomy, geography, population studies, and so many other disciplines in science, that I do not pretend to be an expert in very much. But this admission does not negate my statement that I am a scientist.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I hope that you can also say this of yourself. I have come to know Him through many small and great experiences and observations over my years of studying His words and His ways. Far more important than how much I know is how much my being a disciple of Jesus Christ has changed me on the inside, my desires, my motives, my devotion, my testimony, and so much more. Far more important than knowing about or believing in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost, I have come to know God. And so can you as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I know that He is at the head of the Church of Jesus Christ. I know that He has a living prophet in 2021. I cannot emphasise adequately how happy I am to know that the Lord made sure that Russell M Nelson was called in 1984, and was the senior apostle when Thomas S Monson passed away, just months before we would be blessed to be guided by this world renowned heart surgeon. It is not by accident that this 94 year old had not died due to old age, some accident, not even a snow skiing accident! He was and is the Lord's anointed at this time in the history of the world. I thank thee, O god, for a prophet to guide us in these latter days.

I recently wrote an article in my blog about the many kinds of voices that sound around us. I am amazed at how many voices there are telling us so many confusing and conflicting things about racism, politics, theology, crime, corruption, secret combinations, signs of the times, economics, COVID, vaccines, lockdown, and so many disciplines. How can you and I ever hope to navigate these troubled and troubling waters in this world of strong debate? How can the street sweeper, the domestic servant, the goat herd, the carpenter, the architect, the medical doctor, the lawyer, the politician, the scientist, know what is truth? How can we possibly know everything that we need in order to successfully reach our eternal destination that Heavenly Father wants us to reach? 

Being familiar with the Word of God to all of His children as contained in the holy scriptures is really important. Being familiar with His word to us individually in our patriarchal blessings is important. But as important as it might be knowing about Him and having information about Him, it is far better to know Him, His grace and mercy, and to strive to become like Him. 

My personal experience is that He does speak to me as I prayerfully and humbly study His word. I am confident that He is not likely to come and deliver some personal message to me about the restoration of the fullness of the Gospel to Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist or Joseph Smith if I neglect to read about their testimonies in the scriptures that are available to me. The same applies to any question that I may have if I neglect to study what He 'has already revealed', before expecting that 'He will yet reveal many great and important things' to me that I have neglected to read about in what He has already revealed to prophets and apostles in the past. 

I have thought a lot about the statement that I heard years ago. In 1978, Elaine Cannon said "When the prophet speaks, sisters, the debate is over." (Elaine Cannon, “If We Want to Go Up, We Have to Get On,” Ensign, Nov. 1978, 108). 

I know that Heavenly Father loves me enough, and He loves that goatherd on the hills of Transkei, Israel or Chile, or the carpenter in Nazareth, Canada or Australia that He will not expect each of us to figure out which of the conflicting voices to follow when He has called and anointed a living prophet to lead us in 2021. Let us examine the fruits of the prophet of our day and follow his example and give our devoted effort to knowing the truths that He has revealed rather than spending countless hours studying the many conflicting voices that contradict what His prophet says and does. The prophet has spoken, so I have full faith that the debate is over.

We are all equal in the sight of God. Yes, you and I are unique, we are individuals, we are not all the same. There may be one or two things in which our needs are different to the 'average population' in a statistical trial. But I would be very surprised if I am the exception in a lot of things that make my path to Heavenly blessings the 'exception to the rule'. I may need to use a different herb to you to heal myself, or I may need a different food that does not have an allergen, but if I follow the Lord's standards then I am confident that I can safely cross the Red Sea that He has parted despite the voices that say, truthfully, that it is not safe to walk across the bottom of the Red Sea as this deluded man thinks just because he managed to survive being in a basket in the Nile. Many might also have said that Moses was irrational when saying that they simply needed to look upon a brazen serpent if bitten by the deadly serpents in the wilderness in order to be healed. What about those who were sure that the manna in the wilderness had not been tested by sufficient double blind trials and been proven safe for human consumption? 

Following the prophet does not necessarily mean that what the politician, doctor, scientist or lawyer is saying is wrong, false, or misleading. It is simply saying that it is less important to our eternal destiny the following the Lord's prophet.  

The Lord has said through His anointed prophet that social distancing, masks, sanitizing, avoiding gatherings are good for us now, and I follow the example of the prophet. I shared with my family after viewing yet another person speaking against the way that their government is handling the COVID pandemic.

I find it interesting that an apparently prominent 'scientist', medical doctor and attorney, says that COVID is just a flu. She remarks that there is much less flu being reported since COVID hit.

I am a scientist. One of the greatest things that I know as a scientist is how little I know!

I look at the flu and consider how much less flu I have had since retiring more than two years ago. Less exposure, less flu. So - does less flu because COVID is here mean that COVID is just flu? Are the flu and COVID mutually exclusive? Or - has the lockdown reduced the transmission of flu because of social distancing, masks, isolation, sanitizing and avoiding gatherings? I suggest that the reduction of flu might give an indication of how much more COVID there might have been without the lockdown. If flu is half with lockdown, then it might follow that COVID might have been about double without the lockdown.

Just some random ramblings from this old bloke 😉

I am grateful for the restored Church of Jesus Christ in these latter days, for the restored priesthood, for the restored prophetic leadership in these days, and for the restored fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am a scientist and I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I am not perfect. I do not know everything, but I know enough about God, and I have come to know God. I pray that each of you will hear Him and know Him, and know that He lives and loves you enough to lead you through His anointed prophet in 2021.

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?

Some thoughts on responsibilities of Government and people re COVID-19

Sal and I join Herman Mashaba in supporting President Cyril Ramaphosa – and we join him in his concern about the many members of the cabinet that are divisive, exclusive, destructive and obstructive rather than uniting, inclusive, constructive and supportive.

I have had a lot of thoughts on this matter. I am impressed with the way that Abraham Lincoln described democracy: Government of the people by the people for the people.

Our own South African Constitution states that every citizen has equal rights, followed by the statement that every citizen has equal responsibilities. Under the section 3 Citizenship of Chapter 1 (3.2.a, 3.2.b)

(2) All citizens are ­

a.       equally entitled to the rights, privileges and benefits of citizenship; and

b.      equally subject to the duties and responsibilities of citizenship. 

As I looked at some of the images that went around regarding the plight of poor people around the country due to COVID-19 I saw place for cultivation of crops in home gardens that have no crops, but the people complain of being hungry.

One thing that has impressed me working with a volunteer indexing programme at SANBI (South African National Biodiversity Institute) is that most of our volunteers are from Australia for a South African programme! I firmly believe that everyone should work to the extent that he or she is capable, especially if receiving a social grant. Requiring volunteer service would also encourage those receiving the social grants the get themselves better educated and skilled in order to improve their employability. Volunteer work also can have a great advantage in that it helps to develop important skills such as the way that Indexing helps people to become skilled in interpreting information, computer skills, etc.

One volunteer in Australia let me know that she is involved with SAFARIS to fill a requirement of the social grant that she receives from the Australian Government. She is required to give a certain amount of time volunteering if she is receiving a social grant because she is not employed. I feel that such a work requirement would be extremely beneficial in South Africa. For example, there is a great deal of litter all about, and abundant devil thorns and invasive species and it seems as though a lot of people do not take pride in their own country! They would surely be offended if I said that it is MY COUNTRY and not THEIR COUNTRY but they do not take care of OUR COUNTRY! But, most important, in the light of every citizen having equal responsibility, I feel that needs to be stressed – every citizen has equal responsibility to ensure the rights of every other citizen. This is particularly important with the needs of COVID-19 where each individual has an equal responsibility.

SAFARIS (Southern African Friends and Researchers Indexing Specimens) is the volunteer programme that I started that involves transcribing information from historical biodiversity specimens and records. I started this because I have been involved in FamilySearch Indexing, a similar volunteer programme, for many years that transcribes information from images of birth, marriage, death and other records for family history research and I realised that this approach would be valuable for biodiversity records.