Doctrine and Covenants 115-117

(December 9, 2015)

                Reading about the Nicolaitane band led me to think about secret combinations in our modern society.  One thing that I have learned and internalized is that the Lord does not work through secrecy and through darkness and through deception.  His works are works of openness.  And yet so many people think that they are doing the Lord’s work and yet simultaneously attempt to hide what they are doing.

                It may be something that seems relatively simple.  For example, maybe it is a group of disaffected Members meeting together on a message board (under pseudonyms – not uncommon) to share thoughts on why the latest action of the Church is wrong or why something demonstrates the Book of Mormon is untrue.  They wouldn’t recognize themselves as members of a secret combination, but what else would you call that?

                Or it may be something more complex.  Maybe it is a Priesthood leader engaging in deception of some kind – for a good cause, of course – with the belief that the deception is not a bad thing in this instance.  With such a justification, the leader deviates from his stewardship and the direction given to those in leadership for the protection of those they are to serve.  Before long, immense damage can be done.  They would certainly bristle at the thought that what they did was a secret combination, but again what else would you call that?