This from one who speaks the words of God.
Pantomime
The LDS Church has been extremely important in my journey back to God. I am grateful to them, even if readers think otherwise. I doubt that in my life I could have succeeded in understanding much at all about God if not for the LDS Church.
But I realize now the LDS Church has been like a pantomime portraying the truth, and not the real thing. You can learn a great deal by watching an illusion. The illusion portrays something true. It equipped me to visualize the true pathway, and to lay hold on it through faith. A church which will do that for its membership is a valuable thing indeed.
When mimes act out a pretense that there is a wall on the stage, as an audience we accept the premise because it is portrayed by the actors as if the invisible wall were really there. When a new actors enters the scene and walks toward the pretended wall, we all expect a collision-- because we know there is the pretense of a wall there, and the new character doesn't. They can't see it but we fully expect the pretense to govern the action. They don't know what's coming, but we do, because we have accepted the pretense. Then, sure enough, when the character hits the wall and falls down, we all laugh at the error. We just "know" there is a wall there because we've seen how every one of the mimes have portrayed it to our view. They've touched it, pushed against it, and walked around it. They made it "real" to us. It's funny the new character was unaware of it and had to be knocked down before joining in the group awareness of the pretended wall.
In the Broadway play Harvey (later a Jimmy Stewart movie), the title character was a non-existent giant rabbit. His existence was dependent upon pantomime by the other characters. But pantomime is not confined to comedy. It can be used to stage anything, including history. The art is valuable because it allows the audience's imagination to provide the walls, chairs, dishes, telephones, food and drink, all at no cost.
In like manner the LDS Church has been extremely useful in depicting an actual house of order, prayer, fasting, faith, learning, glory and sacrifice. We can visualize God having a controlling hand in it. We can imagine what it would be like to have an actual prophet to guide us in these latter days.We can imagine mantles put on, staffs of power wielded, and unseen forces supporting the onward movement rolling forth of a great work. Even if we must substitute one for another, we can use brick, mortar, gold and silver as if it were spiritual achievement. Because of our worship of wealth, we are easily led to substitute one for the other. It is a great act, and valuable for us to behold. It can fire our imagination and lead us to see it would be possible for God to provide something real.
I admire and appreciate the LDS Church. It has been indispensable for me to develop faith in God. I hope it lasts for some time yet, and succeeds in keeping active membership numbers sufficient to pay for its programs and publish the scriptures. I hope it keeps its temples running and performing the rites done there. I hope great numbers participate in the pantomime and pretend they are God's chosen people as they faithfully serve within the organization. No one is hurt from serving others. The pantomime is based on something true, and represents what we might have had if we were faithful.
But I also expect that as faith in God increases, the pantomime will give way to truth. The LDS Church is a useful tool, and should be used. But connecting with God should be at the end of that path.
One pantomime used to control church members is the pretense of "keys" (although that is not well defined, merely claimed). In the LDS Church all of the "priesthood keys" are claimed to be held exclusively by the highest officials (First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve) who are sustained as "prophets, seers and revelators." The church has published as the copyright holder a volume of teachings by President Joseph F. Smith titled Gospel Doctrine. This was originally compiled as a Priesthood Manual. It was recently abridged and reused as a Melchizedek and Relief Society Manual as part of the Teachings of the Presidents series. I mention this because the quote fits even the very narrow definition given by a member of the Church Correlation Committee last week at BYU's Education Week. It was from a President of the Church, given in General Conference, then published by the First Presidency, approved by both the First Presidency and Twelve, used in official church teaching to Melchizedek Priesthood quorums and therefore "doctrine" in even the most narrow of definitions
Here is a quote from Gospel Doctrine (which I could not find in the most recent manual) from President Joseph F. Smith about priesthood:
Then again, if it were necessary, though I do not expect the necessity will ever arise, and there was no man left on the earth holding the Melchizedek Priesthood, except an elder--that elder, by the inspiration of the Spirit of God and by the direction of the Almighty, could proceed, and should proceed, to organize the Church of Jesus Christ in all its perfection, because he holds the Melchizedek Priesthood.
(Gospel Doctrine, p. 148.)
Therefore every elder can fully organize the church, and this implies nothing special would be lost or keys would go missing if it were done, because any church elder could do it. Where does the pretense begin and what is merely pantomime? The great pantomime of "keys" held only by the church's president in a fullness, is, when reduced to its final substance, the right to run the entire organization because of common consent. So Brigham Young was right after all. He claimed he acquired his authority by being elected to the same office as Joseph Smith. People have been testifying they "know" Brigham and his successors have the very things claimed about them. The pantomime has become reality.
To define "keys" Elder Oaks recently in General Conference could not do so without resorting to using the word "authority" to define its core. It is the right to control, and exercise authority. Yet the scriptures contradict this definition. They state plainly "no power or authority can, or ought, to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood." (D&C 121: 41.)
It is easier to seize control and demand obedience to authority than to persuade using gentleness and pure knowledge. (D&C 121: 41-42.) So the pantomime of "keys" substitutes organizational control for common consent, amalgamates authority and then demands uniformity. At some point perhaps the Saints will tire of the pantomime, seize control through common consent, and repent. But if not, the Lord has the ability to move His great work forward with or without a pantomime running alongside His work. He has something real to accomplish. He is about to do just that. When He does, however, we will all be required to choose between the pantomime and the reality.
