Broken trust and healing
Disturbing discoveries
A few days ago I received a letter from an acquaintance (let's call him John) telling me that his brother (let's call him Bill) had left the Church. Why? Bill felt deceived by modern and past prophets. Suddenly, Bill discovered what he thought was disturbing information about Joseph Smith's translation of the Book of Mormon.
This information changed Bill's attitude towards the prophets - Joseph Smith in his eyes began to look either like an easily influenced provincial or a clever swindler. In any case, the description was not very flattering for a man revered as God's Prophet.
On top of that, Bill discovered that Church supporters did not deny that Joseph Smith used "magical" tools from his arsenal to translate the Book of Mormon. Why, Bill asks, did he never know—in 40 years of attending the Church—that Joseph Smith used seer stones to translate the Book of Mormon?
In all his years in Primary, Sunday School, seminary, institute, and Priesthood meetings, he had never heard of such a thing. He had always been taught that the plates were translated by the Urim and Thummim, and had even seen a picture in the Ensign showing the translation process. In reality, everything was completely different. And even the Church now confirms this. He was deceived!
The artist's perception often distorts the real story.
Question of trust
When we hear the word “infidelity,” most of us probably think of adultery. However, the word "infidelity" has a much broader meaning. It comes from a Latin word meaning treason as well as unbelief, and is the original word for “infidel,” which in the past meant non-believers as well as people who could not be trusted. In modern times, the word "infidelity" often refers to breaking marriage vows and also refers to other acts of betrayal and betrayal of trust.
Cheating in any relationship creates feelings of pain and betrayal, and the more seriously we take the relationship, the more pain we experience. Faithful Latter-day Saints have a relationship not only with Christ, but also with the Church through local leaders and general authorities of the Church, both past and present.
If we feel deceived by the prophets—if they lied to us—we will naturally feel hurt and angry. Unfortunately, these feelings create obstacles to reconciliation. If you discover seemingly irrefutable evidence that your other half has cheated on you, it becomes difficult to consider any rebuttals, explanations, or other evidence that might ease your pain. Any statement made by our other half will be viewed with suspicion and skepticism.
Adultery is not necessarily the result of an affair. Infidelity in marriage can be caused by anything that makes us doubt our spouse. If you think your spouse is deceiving you, especially about important issues (money, achievements, parenting, education, etc.), your marriage is under attack—possibly fatally. Who wants to stay in a relationship where there is no trust?
In twenty-first century Mormonism, Bill's story is repeated often. Sometimes this involves the discovery that Joseph Smith used seer stones, other times that Joseph Smith practiced polygamy, and thirdly that early leaders—including Joseph Smith and Brigham Young—had very human weaknesses, opinions, and ideas.
If we discover that the Prophet did not act in the way we believe he should have acted, we may lose confidence in the prophet and feel that the Church has deceived us by hiding these facts.
What is more difficult: finding a place for new information, or feeling that this information has been hidden?
Deceptive pain
As noted above, the feelings associated with betrayal are very painful and can make reconciliation impossible or at least difficult. It's hard to rebuild trust. During the nearly two decades in which I helped people whose testimonies were challenged by “intellectual” obstacles (in other words, they lost their testimonies not because they found the Latter-day Saint way of life too difficult or because their son got cancer). I have found that the idea of betrayal by the Church becomes a motivator for people to leave the Church rather than the problem that shook their faith in the first place.
Thus, given Bill's example, it is likely that Bill himself will not be willing to seriously examine the arguments that Joseph Smith can still be revered as a prophet, even in light of the fact that he used seer stones to translate the Book of Mormon. Church members who feel deceived on the grounds that Joseph practiced polygamy are not very willing to listen to arguments that show that a large number of Joseph's marriages could be called dynastic (not involving intimacy), and the Lord had very good reasons for restoring the institution of polygamy. just like in ancient times.
It's not clear whether I'm having an intelligent conversation with a friend about religion, or just arguing about the same thing.
Answers available
The point is that there is clear evidence to support arguments that answer virtually every claim made by opponents of Latter-day Saints—arguments that go to the heart of the issues and also show that complex issues can be reasonably understood in light of the acceptance of Joseph Smith's prophetic calling and important role , which he played in the restoration of the Church. For example, FairMormon.org, the volunteer organization I work for, produces articles, explainers, podcasts, conferences, and videos that address complex issues.
However, the problem is that those people who are painfully deceived often view these arguments and evidence in support of Latter-day Saints as controversial nonsense. As soon as one argument is refuted, they immediately put another in its place. Once the pain of “being deceived” shifts the worldview of a Church member from a believer to a painful unbeliever, the ability to push aside feelings of resentment and hear arguments is greatly reduced.
A person who feels betrayed will not trust the answers.
Graft
This is one of the perfect examples of how a little prevention does more than a thorough treatment. If we have the opportunity to learn more about the early Church and its leaders within the boundaries of faith, it is less likely that this will lead to the destruction of the testimony. Lately we have seen the Church—through LDS.org—take an active stance in discussing topics such as polygamy, Joseph's seer stones, the First Vision, and the translation of the Book of Abraham.
These preventive measures are not like medical shots or vaccinations. By educating Church members on potentially difficult issues within the context of the faith, most Church members will strengthen their testimonies, allowing them to withstand interpretations from hostile sources. However, someone may ask: “Why is vaccination necessary almost two hundred years after the restoration of the Church? Why are we only now encountering this stumbling block? Why weren't we aware of these complex issues before? Have we really been deceived?
Answer: “No, we were not deceived.” The reason why many Church members were unaware of some of these issues is controversial, but I hope to shed some light on it. I see at least three factors influencing this problem: 1) downplaying, 2) alternative views, 3) general ignorance.
Learning troubling facts from credible sources while our faith is being formed is like an inoculation against the erosion of faith.
In our weakness
In my opinion, one of the most profound verses in the Scriptures that helps us understand how God communicates with his children is found in Doctrine and Covenants 1:24: “Behold, I am God, and have spoken these things; These commandments come from Me and were given to My servants in their weakness and in their own language, so that they might come to understand.”
We mortals cannot fully understand what comes from God. Part of our human existence is the fact that we - all of us - are weak physically, spiritually, emotionally and even mentally. Our worldview is fragile and shaped by our circumstances and conditions. We have prejudices, misunderstandings and misconceptions.
No human language can express our ideas with complete clarity. Think about how often you have been unable to find the right words to express your thoughts, or how often you have been misunderstood, especially in email or written text. Despite our weaknesses, the Lord nevertheless knows how to communicate with us through our language, our words, our views of the world in such a way that He can work in us and through us, leading us to become more like Him. Like a parent communicating with his baby, the Lord speaks to us in our language, using terminology and metaphors that we understand. As we (individually and collectively) mature, our language as a whole matures, and we leave behind our childhood language.
God communicates with us in a way that corresponds to our development.
Don't focus on the unimportant
While I do not intend this article to focus on the process of translating the Book of Mormon, it is important to note that the Lord used Joseph's established understanding of seer stones (his "tongue") to assist Joseph in translating the gold plates. As Joseph matured in his understanding of the gospel, he put aside the seer stones and realized how to receive revelation without using these child-like tools.
His initial use of seer stones was not significant. It was not prohibited, just unimportant because it was a relic of the past, which then simply played the role of a tool that could help Joseph concentrate while receiving revelations. With this unimportant fact, subsequent generations (whose worldview no longer included the use of seer stones) began to confuse the use of "Urim and Thummim" (a term that in Joseph's day was applied to both seer stones and the Nephite interpreters) with interpreters who were in a stone box that was once occupied by gold plates.
Church leaders were not misleading about existing translation methods, but simply omitted certain details as translation history was transformed by subsequent generations of Latter-day Saints. Details continued to be available to those interested in the history, and we occasionally find mention of Joseph's seer stones in various official and semi-official publications.
Most Latter-day Saints, like most people in the world, are not professional historians. Before the era of the digital Internet and digital scanning of early documents, even professional historians had difficulty searching for some of the murky details of the past. The average Latter-day Saint (like the average member of any society) is generally unaware of the specifics of history unless they are mentioned in the news or some other place that blows them out of proportion.
Research shows that most Americans are fairly ignorant about a variety of historical, scientific, and academic issues—issues that should be in the realm of “general knowledge.” If most adults are not very knowledgeable about important things about their country's historical past, it is understandable that many Mormons remain ignorant about some of the less important (but strange by today's standards) aspects of their religion's history.
Along with irrelevance, one of the things that has led to the general ignorance of Mormon history is the Church's focus on spiritual rather than historical themes. When a Church member complains that Sunday School never taught him about Joseph Smith's polygamy, we should take a step back and consider the purpose of Sunday School. Anyone who has attended a Sunday School class knows that the basis of every lesson is the opportunity to bring the spirit into the lesson so that students can strengthen their devotion to God and become better husbands, wives, children, neighbors, brothers, sisters, and so on. Teaching aids should focus on topics that will help the teacher bring this spirit into the classroom. The teaching material must be presented in such a way that it can be understood not only by the scholar, but also by the average member of the Church—a member of the Church who may have no interest or understanding of history or science, or who may have simply read something about it in junior high. schools.
Sunday School teachers are volunteers, as are bishops, primary teachers, and home teachers who are also volunteers. While some may be highly educated and erudite, the Church cannot claim that all who are called to teach have a good knowledge of history or the critical thinking necessary to raise and discuss complex issues.
The lessons in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are written so that anyone can teach them and understand them.
Hidden in plain sight
It is worth stopping to make the important point that while many historical topics were not the focus, they were not entirely absent from Latter-day Saint publications, including classroom study guides. The Ensign and its predecessor, the Improvement Era, as well as Sunday School manuals and articles published in the Church's universities, have addressed virtually every difficult issue that troubles modern Mormons. Not focusing attention is not the same as deceiving.
In my book Shattered Faith Syndrome, I quote an Internet Mormon who made the claim that the Church was “desperately” trying to hide from Church members the fact that Joseph Smith practiced polygamy. However, the truth is that Joseph Smith's polygamy was mentioned in numerous Ensign articles and even in the 2007 Teachings of Presidents of the Church.
Bill claims he was never told that Joseph Smith used seer stones to translate the Book of Mormon (a claim I have heard from several others whose faith has wavered), but Dallin H. Oaks mentioned it in an Ensign article back in 1987. In an article entitled, “Hide Church History in Plain Sight Using Church Publications,” FairMormon compiled an impressive list of the most common and complex issues that have been mentioned in various Church publications.
Many facts regarding the history of the Church have been explained in the Church media.
Come to Christ
Why are these issues not discussed in more detail in the Church? What good can a Sunday School teach about the (broken-down) history of polygamy? What are the chances that a typical teacher can understand and convey a topic in a way that will answer each member's questions and concerns while still keeping the spirit of Christ's atoning sacrifice alive in the classroom?
By focusing on the principles of salvation rather than on historical details (details that, as noted above, are not only controversial and open to varying interpretations, but are often fragmented and incomplete), the Church fulfills its primary mission of bringing people to Christ.
Members of the General Presidency of Latter-day Saints once studied under the same volunteer teachers and received the same classroom teaching materials offered to the weakest of the Saints. There is no school of prophets for modern Latter-day Saints who plan to someday serve in a stake presidency or general presidency. Those called to the highest leadership callings are chosen by revelation based on personal worth and willingness (including past experience) to serve. Callings are not based on scientific achievements or the amount of knowledge they have, for example, about the past of Mormon history. Leaders are not necessarily better informed on historical issues than any other member of the Church. Unfortunately, the lack of qualified education about these historical topics largely results in the fact that only a few members of the Church know about them.
The Internet, with all its pros and cons, has opened up basements and windows and illuminated what was once lost. Internet discoveries, of course, do not automatically provide contextual information. Context often leaves the door open to interpretation, and like many controversial issues, those interpretations can vary greatly (a topic for another future article).
Unfortunately, some Church members who encounter this information for the first time are left with the false sense that they have been “deceived,” and that this new information not only exposes Mormonism with which they are unfamiliar, but even undermines the spiritual foundations of the Church. It's sad to see such a reaction. This type of spontaneous reaction is based on feelings rather than critical thinking. The false assumption that information has been deliberately suppressed and the false conclusion that these new ideas automatically refute all Latter-day Saint counterarguments discredit the evidence and ultimately cause the spiritual testimony to disappear.
Not all information on the Internet is reliable. How can we understand what the truth is?
Through study and faith
Latter-day Saint scholars and students are seeing an influx of documents that were once difficult for even the best scholars to find. Because these faithful Latter-day Saint scholars and historians rely on standard sources, there is nothing in Church history that provides a panacea for criticism. When sought to be understood in the context of faith, all of the historical findings of the Church simply serve to help us better understand the fundamental truths about our restored religion and how Heavenly Father performed miracles through men and women who were human beings like everyone else. We. The cure for intellectual apostasy is the best education. The Church is responding to the apparent lack of historical knowledge among Church members by discussing potentially difficult topics and displaying many early Mormon documents—the Joseph Smith Papers Project has painstakingly reproduced hundreds of early Mormon documents so that they are accessible to both scholars and laypeople.
For those in John's situation, and who have friends or loved ones who feel betrayed, it is important to recognize that their pain and anxiety are very real. Minimizing their suffering and anxiety will not do any good. We can sympathize with them without endorsing what has made them uncomfortable—the belief that they have been deceived by the Church. While it is not the Church's fault that they are unaware of difficult issues, it is also not your loved one's fault. From their point of view, it may look as if the Church has deceived them. Debate, of course, will also be of no use, since the spirit of argument comes from the devil (3 Nephi 11:29). It is best to show, with sincere love and the influence of the Spirit, that the Church did not deceive because: A) these points were mentioned in Church publications, B) the focus of the Church curriculum (Sunday School, Relief Society, priesthood class) was on leading us to Christ, rather than discussing historical issues that were understood very differently by previous generations and by us today, and B) that there are logical answers (some sources have been cited above) that explain all these issues within the framework, who do not reject the truth of the Church.
Once we and the suffering "Bills" realize that lack of attention does not mean lack of integrity, we can put aside feelings of resentment, anxiety, and suspicion of infidelity and open our minds to the precious insights that come with renewed interest in early Mormon history. Reducing these experiences can allow our hearts to receive the affirming whisper of the Spirit that Christ is at the head of this Church.
Author: Michael R. Ash
The person involved in the corruption case returned his position through the court
The Lipetsk Regional Court reinstated Alexander Pavlenko, director of the region's Road Agency, who was fired in early June after a criminal case was opened for a large bribe. According to investigators, the official received 200 thousand rubles through his deputy. from the general director of a company servicing mobile photo and video recording systems. After his arrest, he confessed, but was dissatisfied with his dismissal from a government institution. The court concluded that the fact of an admission of guilt cannot be considered a basis for loss of confidence.
The Lipetsk Regional Court upheld the appeal of the ex-director of the Road Agency of the Lipetsk Region, Alexander Pavlenko, and reinstated him in his position. Mr. Pavlenko was dismissed on June 11 based on the results of an internal audit conducted by the founder - the regional road and transport department. A week earlier, a criminal case was opened against him for receiving a large bribe (clause “c” of Part 5 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, up to 12 years in prison).
According to the Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR), on May 26, Mr. Pavlenko received 200 thousand rubles. from the General Director of System Solutions LLC for concluding a government contract for the maintenance of mobile photo-video recording systems for traffic violations, as well as “patronage and connivance in the execution of this contract.” The money was allegedly handed over to the official by deputy Andrei Yaitsky, who is also accused of receiving a bribe, but in an especially large amount - 2.6 million rubles. (Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, up to 15 years in prison). After his arrest, Alexander Pavlenko confessed and wrote a confession. As a result, the Investigative Committee released him on his own recognizance. Andrei Yaitsky is under house arrest.
Despite admitting guilt, Pavlenko did not agree with the loss of his job.
As follows from his lawsuit, the official was fired for committing allegedly guilty actions by an employee servicing monetary or commodity assets, which became the basis for the loss of confidence in him (Clause 7, Part 1, Article 81 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). However, the plaintiff is sure that his job responsibilities are not related to money.
According to Mr. Pavlenko, the explanations that he gave to the employer, including about turning himself in, do not contain information about the commission of a disciplinary offense, and the court has not yet entered into force a guilty verdict in his case: “The dismissal is due to the employer’s reluctance to deal with a person who may subsequently be brought to criminal liability.”
The Oktyabrsky District Court of Lipetsk, which considered Pavlenko’s claims in the first instance, came to the conclusion that the official can be classified as an employee serving valuables, namely ensuring the targeted expenditure of budget funds.
Since the actions he committed formed the basis of a criminal case, they can be considered as grounds for loss of trust on the part of the employer, the court decided.
However, in the regional court the plaintiff managed to prove the opposite. According to the appellate instance, regardless of the disposal of valuables, the director of the CMO can be dismissed due to loss of trust, but only if the fact of theft, bribery and selfish offenses is proven in the manner prescribed by law. “Currently, there is no court verdict against Pavlenko that has entered into legal force, and in accordance with Part 1 of Art. 49 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation he is innocent. Consequently, at this stage, termination of the employment contract under clause 7, part 1, art. 81 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation is illegal due to loss of trust,” the press service of the regional court explained to Kommersant.
According to the decision made, Alexander Pavlenko was reinstated in his position with compensation for forced absence in the amount of about 270 thousand rubles.
Lawyer Dmitry Gorbunov, who represented the interests of Alexander Pavlenko in court, declined to comment. Andrei Yaitsky’s lawyer, Igor Gritchin, did not answer Kommersant’s call.
Andrey Prah, Voronezh
Peskov: It is impossible to undermine trust in Putin
“The president, like the administration, also declares his income once a year,” Peskov said on the Rossiya-1 TV channel. “And what he declares is so.”
“Everything else, I repeat once again, is an attempt to slander, it is from the evil one, and these are absolute fabrications that are directed against Putin. I don’t like Putin, stubborn Putin, he protects Russia’s interests too much,” Peskov explained.
The published incomes of officials are just the tip of the iceberg: they provide much more complete information to the relevant services and everything is carefully checked there, the presidential press secretary said.
Peskov also answered a question from the host of the “Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov” program about his declaration: “Salary. And this year I have a high income, because, unfortunately, I entered into an inheritance after my father died.” He also said that his wife did not have and does not have any offshore companies mentioned in the fake news, the so-called Panama Papers. At the same time, he reminded that the whole world works through offshore companies: “We didn’t come up with this. And let’s remember that the largest offshore companies are under the jurisdiction of the United States and Great Britain.”
The president's press secretary called the so-called Panama Papers an obvious provocative hoax. “We said from the very beginning that we are ready to evaluate the results of a journalistic investigation, if it is a journalistic investigation. But if this is just slanderous stuff, then we cannot respect it,” he said. The mentioned publications “are absolute slander, a manifestation of an information war, and, unfortunately, this does not paint journalism well,” Peskov emphasized.
“Putin is criticized that legally we do not take measures to protect, you know, this is probably just grist for the mill of the authors of these very attacks. I am convinced that such attacks are false, they can in no way affect the trust of our people in Putin. It is impossible to shake this,” said the president’s press secretary.
After the Direct Line, the head of state was in a fighting mood and ordered instructions to be prepared as soon as possible.
“He immediately draws conclusions, immediately begins to act,” Peskov said. The Kremlin representative also believes that the practice of Direct Lines would be useful for governors.
The president’s press secretary also noted that the last two years have shown that although “the country’s economy is sick and in crisis,” it managed to survive - and when two critical factors hit it.
“The first is, unfortunately, our economy’s dependence on oil prices, and when oil prices collapsed, of course, it was a very strong blow. And when we also became a victim of sanctions policy, in theory, here even the most powerful economy would have been shaken in the most serious way,” he said.
Now the rate of decline has slowed significantly.
“And according to all forecasts, the trend will change towards positive,” Peskov said.
And there is hope that already next year.
“That is, there is a margin of safety. The main thing is that this economy has prospects,” the Kremlin representative concluded.
How to regain trust
Once you lose the trust of a loved one, it is very difficult to regain it. Trust can be undermined in any way, for example, by betrayal or unwillingness to support in difficult times.
How to regain the trust of a loved one ? When in close relationships, people subconsciously open up to each other and trust each other unconditionally. However, there are situations when a seemingly trifle or omission undermines such dear trust between close people. They say: “He deceived me once, he will deceive me again.” Perhaps this is so. In such cases, regaining trust is much more difficult than losing it. A deceived person begins to see omissions and possible betrayal in all the actions of a loved one. The situation can only be resolved if there are sincere feelings between people. If there is love and respect, then a person can forgive even betrayal. While trying to regain trust, you must nevertheless show incredible patience and perseverance. A person, even the most loving and understanding one, feels your deception to the depths of his soul and all measures must be taken on your part to not give reason to doubt your actions and feelings in the future.
How to regain the trust of your colleagues if they once doubted you? The situation with colleagues is more complicated than with loved ones, because your colleagues do not have any feelings for you, your relationship is purely professional. A deception or mistake you made in relationships with colleagues can cost you not only the climate in the team, but in some cases even your job. You can regain trust in such a situation only by proving your reliability and loyalty to the idea. Colleagues will gain confidence in you only if they prove your reliability and integrity. All people make mistakes, you must show that your mistake was the exception rather than the rule.
How to regain the trust of friends ? The trust of friends is a rather fragile thing. Finding good, loyal friends is very difficult, and earning their trust is even more difficult. Friendship is tested by difficult life situations, as well as moments of joy that a friend is also ready to share with you. You can regain lost trust only by actions that are extremely important for the deceived person, which will show that you still care about the person and you are ready to do anything to ensure that the damaged trust is returned.
Remember, you can lose trust in a minute, but sometimes it takes years to regain it.
