President Paternoster gets a Letter from the First Presidency

Brothers and Sisters one of the major highlights of my position within the Lord’s Kingdom is receiving letters directly from the First Presidency.  To see those three sacred signatures on a letter addressed to me fills me with wonder and awe. 

On a cold morning in december Sister Paternoster called me at my stake office with the joyful news that the postman had just dropped off such a letter.  Without hesitation I left the Chapel (nothing much happens there on Wednesday mornings anyway) and raced home as fast as I could. 

When Chad Smith, the local copper and member of the stake high council, stopped me for going above the speed of what would under normal circumstances be considered acceptable, I explained the reason and he followed me home to find out what revelation had come forth from our beloved prophets, seers and revelators.

When we arrived home Sister Paternoster excitedly opened the door and rushed us inside.  She then waited in the living room as Brother Smith and I went into my study area to see the priesthood direction that had been given.  

Words cannot express nor can tongue tell the feelings we had as I read the letter out loud to Brother Smith (I later learned that Sister Paternoster had been listening through the keyhole and had wept tears of joy at the changes). 

Due the sacred nature of the content I hesitate to post details on this blog as this is not a letter that will be read over the pulpit.  In a nutshell though, the message given dealt directly with the important issue of what underwear members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should be wearing whilst doing yard work.

This is a very important issue and one that as a Stake President I have addressed many times.  Some are becoming slothful in the covenant they have made to wear their garments night and day and seek for unreasonable excuses to remove them.  Due to this from now on when interviewing members to ensure they are worthy to attend the temple the First Presidency statement on “Wearing the Temple Garment” has been modified to include the specific direction that “The garment should not be removed, either entirely or partially, to work in the yard.”

While many members may find themselves uncomfortable (especially on those stifling hot summer days of July and August), I testify that they will be blessed as they obey the instructions of the First Presidency in this sacred matter. 

I am thankful to know that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ cares enough that not only does he notice the sparrow that falls but he also takes an interest in the underwear we have on when working in our yards.

May the First Presidency be blessed as they continue to inspire members to become more and more Christlike. 

Lovingly,

President Paternoster

P.S. For the benefit of Bishoprics and Branch presidencies in my stake only I am attaching part of the letter to this blog post.  If you would like to see the original letter hanging in my living room at home, feel free to stop by.

President Paternoster - Watchman on the Tower

Brothers and Sisters in these last days of trouble and gloom Satan is trying harder than ever to divert us from our path towards eternal life and exaltation.  Our enemies are all around and we must ever be vigilant and alert.  The enemy of which I shall speak today is of greatest threat to our souls as it comes from those who have apostatized from the one true Church.  These once faithful members who used to bare their testimonies stating that they knew without a shadow of doubt that the Church was true have fallen from the path of righteousness and seek to bring others down to their pitiful level.

They write books and blogs and start up forums in a vain attempt to get attention.  They seek to gain a following and like Satan delight in making others miserable like unto themselves.  They are experts at making the Church look cultish and dysfunctional.  They deceive by painting a false picture of the Church and what we (the humble and faithful followers of Christ) are striving to do, which is to become as God is. 

One such example is of a person who calls himself Raptor Jesus.  I don’t usually read Anti-Mormon rubbish but as a watchman on the tower and an esteemed apologist for the Church I decided to read one such book to see what the latest tactics of the adversary were.  The book was called “The Passion of Raptor Jesus and the Road to Mormon Apostasy”

The book has received rave reviews from Ex-Mormons the world over and even some non members have read it and claim (falsely I might add) that it has given them a better understanding of our sacred religion.

One of the reasons I chose to read this particular book was because it was easily downloadable from Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Raptor-Mormon-Apostasy-ebook/dp/B005IQKAQU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325788726&sr=8-1 at a cost of just $2.99.  The Amazon site also offers free kindle software so I was able to start reading on my computer right away.

Once I started reading so outrageous and blasphemous were the claims that I was unable to get any work done and I completely missed my High Council meeting that evening.  The author whom I will simply call Raptor (so as to not take the name of the Lord in vain) outlines the purpose of the book near the beginning saying basically that once you leave the Church “everything you stamped down and suppressed as a member is now finally able to be free and you can parade the freak show of Mormonism out onto the public.”  The book is clearly a desperate attempt for external validation from a deranged soul who was unwilling to submit to the life of freedom and opportunity outlined for him, for his own benefit, by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Like all former members it is easy to tell that deep down Raptor still knows the Church is true because he states on page 110 that “Mormonism is the restored and only true church on the earth. Other churches may have "some truth" but only Mormonism has the "fullness of the gospel." And this is why when talking to Mormons; they'll always refer to their church as "The Church." Because every other church is just some random silly billy church.”  I couldn’t agree more.

He talks of his upbringing, his first temple experience, his failure to serve a full time mission (due to him lacking the faith to be healed) and ultimately his loss of faith and departure from the Church. 

Just to give you an idea of the rubbish he writes I will share with you some random parts of the book where he speaks of the temple and his own sacred washing, anointing and endowment sessions.  I have put stars where I deemed the language inappropriate for this faith promoting blog. Without divulging the sacred nature of the temple I will say that as part of the temple endowment ceremony there is a film about the creation of the earth and mankind.  Here is what Raptor had to say:

“Adam and Eve are blond and white, ok? None of this science b***s**t about coming from Africa with dark skin that as simple adaptation to the sun and as mankind spread across the globe, the skin adapted as less melanin was needed…….

….Satan reminds Adam and Eve that their swimsuit areas are not covered by anything and ferchr**tsake put on some fig leaves before god sees them. Adam and Even obey Satan and put on aprons of fig leaves.  The movie stopped, and we in the audience were then instructed to also obey Satan…...”

This is ridiculous. We do not obey Satan in the temple; we simply take his suggestion to be modest and cover up just like Adam and Eve did.

“Satan answers Adams prayers and tells him that if Adam wants religion – Satan’s got it and at rock bottom prices. Adam pouts because he misses talking to his daddy, and wants the Truth and not just Religion…..

….At this point the ceremony changes from an episode of Mystery Science 3000 to a slumber party where you promise god you'll be his BFF and ever, and list all the things you'll do for his church.”

Brothers and Sisters in our sacred scriptures (D&C 59:15) we learn that “much laughter is sin” and in D&C 88:121 we are instructed to cease from all (loud) laughter and light mindedness.  Raptor seems to have a problem making a covenant with the Lord to obey this commandment.  This is what he said (I have dotted out the words of the covenant due to its sacred and holy nature and in accordance with the promise I have made to not divulge it):

“I didn't get creeped out until the covenant that I was promising to avoid all "L…L……. and L…. M………." What the f***? Why would god give a s*** about that? And to give that its own specific covenant with symbolism? I started to feel a little sick - god didn't want me to be me. And the stupid handshakes and body symbols came with a promise to not ever divulge them to prevent god being mocked! Well, if god didn't want to be mocked, he should have thought about that before making his ceremony chalk full of assclownery.”

I have never in all my days upon this earth heard such blasphemy.  Raptor concludes with these thoughts:

“The endowment ceremony is supposed to be symbolic of life. It was the pinnacle of spiritual experiences available to the elect of the elect. It is supposed to be about the nature of creation, god, religion, and man's place in the universe. Instead, the ceremony is confusing, full of lies and half-truths, and at times horrifying. You make promises that you can never live up to, and once it's done NO ONE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT IT. Instead your family is there to greet you in the Celestial Room after you pass through the veil (symbolizing death). They surround saying, "Congratulations. It's over and you made it. Now let's all go to Village Inn to get Belgian Waffles and we'll never speak of this again."

The MTC and mission stories all contain the same kind of talk which I can guarantee will be of no interest to you.  Later in the book Raptor commits a sin so grievous that I felt I could take no more.  Yes Brothers and Sisters, Raptor speaks ill of one of the Lord's anointed claiming that his Stake President had an affair.  This is completely uncalled for and unnecessary; Stake Presidents, like Joseph Smith, are amongst the most humble, chaste and Christlike men I know.  Such accusations cannot and must not go unpunished.    

To all within the sound of my voice I implore you to stay away from such material.  To the person who calls himself Raptor Jesus if you are reading this blog I President William Lilburn Godfrey Paternoster invite you to come back to the safety of the fold.  You may be far gone but it is not too late for you.  Your days of probation are not yet over and there is still time to forsake your evil ways, remove your book from Amazom.com and be happy once again.  Yea come unto Christ and be baptized with full purpose of heart and endure to the end.  Only if you do this can you be saved from that awful state which awaits the wicked. 

Lovingly,

The President

The Evil Curse of Bodily Tattoos

An excerpt from an address given by President Paternoster at a recent multi-stake Young Single Adult fireside:

It is absolutely wonderful to be amongst you young people this evening.  You were ordained to come forth in the fullness of times to be leaders in the Lord’s kingdom upon the earth.  You are to defend the Church and its teachings always looking to the Church’s official website for direction.  The Lord has great plans for you that will come to pass as you stay on the straight and narrow path of the gospel. 

I wish to speak on a topic of great importance this evening.  As a professional triathlete I probably understand more than most the importance of keeping the body clean and pure.  I thank the Lord that I still maintain my youthful looks and vigour and attribute this largely to my keeping of the Word of Wisdom and not defiling myself in any way.  I have always considered my body to be a temple of God where his holy spirit can dwell. 

As I was pondering what to say tonight I felt impressed to share an experience with you to warn you of one of the great dangers and pitfalls of our day.  Some time ago I was approached by a newly married return missionary named John who was utterly horrified to discover on his wedding night that his bride had a permanent tattoo on the back of her neck covered only by her hair.  Cindy, who had always suffered from low self esteem, had done this when she was 17 in order to fit in with her peers and “be cool”.  When she started dating John just 6 months later she was so afraid that he wouldn’t love her if he found out that she wore her hair in a manner to cover it up and never mentioned the tiny flower.   

Two months later as John helped her out of her wedding dress he went completely pale and almost fainted upon the discovery that he had married someone who had disfigured and desecrated her body in such a manner.  He knew from the Ensign that *“tattooing the body is analogous to spraying graffiti on one of our beautiful temples.”  Having just been at the temple earlier that day John went into a state of shock and wondered if he had been betrayed.  I tell you this in an attempt to impress upon your minds, young friends, that Cindy’s disobedience to the Lord had ended up ruining her wedding day and causing many bitter tears in the days that followed.    

When I asked Cindy to join John and I in my office she explained “At first I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.  It was the most beautiful flower I had ever seen, but now I am completely ashamed of it.”

I was able to show Cindy the link at lds.org where we learn that **“Those who have a tattoo wear a constant reminder of a mistake they have made.  They might consider having it removed.”

This thought was very comforting to both John and Cindy who were unaware that tattoos could be removed.

I assured them both that this was definitely possible.  In fact The New Era informs us of this saying ***“Although methods have been developed to remove tattoos, they are expensive, painful, and can leave scars. ” Cindy asked if the scars would be worse than the little flower on her neck.  John was able to assure her that a permanent scar would be a small price to pay to remove a permanent tattoo.  He also assured her that when we follow the counsel such as that given by our leaders on lds.org only then can we find true happiness and joy.

I pointed out that in addition to this The New Era warns that ****“Having a tattoo or body piercing can also be offensive to others.  As members of the Church, we are instructed not to give offense....A pure body, unmarked, is not offensive.”

Cindy felt terrible and started to shed tears at the thought of all those poor innocent souls who would be offended if they found out she had a tattoo. 

We also learned from this article that “Some members of a congregation may be distracted from the reverent feelings they come to church services to gain, by the piercings or tattoos of those called upon to participate in the program.”  

Cindy assured me that she would always be extra careful to keep the tattoo covered until it was removed so as to not distract members from the feelings of reverence that they had come to Church to enjoy.

My young brothers and sisters this situation and all of the associated heartache could so easily have been avoided had Cindy heeded the words of the Lord in the first place.  Latter-day prophets have strongly discouraged the tattooing of the body and those who disregard this counsel show a lack of respect for themselves and for God.  The Apostle Paul taught of the significance of our bodies and the great danger of purposefully defiling them when he wrote “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

Please do all you can to keep your bodies clean and free from alcohol, tea, coffee, skinnny jeans and tattoos that you may enjoy life to the fullest and be free; this is my prayer which I leave with you in the sacred and holy name of our Lord and Saviour, even Jesus the Christ, amen.

* http://lds.org/ensign/1999/02/i-have-a-question?lang=eng
**http://lds.org/study/topics/tattooing?lang=eng
*** http://lds.org/new-era/1996/06/qa-questions-and-answers?lang=eng
****http://lds.org/new-era/2001/02/more-than-skin-deep?lang=eng

Can Black Sisters enter the Temple?

Brothers and Sisters sometimes even Stake President’s have a hard time getting through to people.  I have always maintained that stubbornness will prevent more people from entering the kingdom of heaven than any other sin.

Today’s scenario touches on a meeting I recently had with Sister Nguessan, a 63 year old single sister, about going through the temple for her own endowments.  Bishop Madden mentioned to me that her health was failing and that he couldn’t convince her to go, and asked that I meet with her.  Sister Nguessan has lived the gospel faithfully since her baptism at age 10.  She is quite unique in that she is the only black member in our stake, her father being from West Africa and her mother being Irish.

When we met I expressed my confidence in her being ready to go through the temple and she spoke to me of how in 1977 when she was just 29, she had literally begged her leaders to allow her to go to the temple to be sealed to Aaron Winters who was white, but in accordance with inspired Church policy was denied access.  She explained that she couldn’t enter the temple because she was black and that months later Brother Winters married a sister that he could take to the temple, Hanh Wong, and that they were sealed for time and all eternity. 

I explained to her that these events took place a long time ago and that our loving Saviour and Redeemer now allowed all sisters, even black ones, to enter the temple.  She asked if she could see this in writing.  I showed her the link on *lds.org where it explains that “In June 1978, President Spencer W. Kimball received a revelation extending priesthood ordination to all worthy males of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Official Declaration 2). Before that time only worthy male members who were not of black African descent were ordained to the priesthood.”

The article goes on to explain how this proves the Church is true because “Ever since biblical times, the Lord has designated through His prophets who could receive the priesthood and other blessings of the gospel. Among the tribes of Israel, for example, only men of the tribe of Levi were given the priesthood and allowed to officiate in certain ordinances. Likewise, during the Savior’s earthly ministry, gospel blessings were restricted to the Jews. Only after a revelation to the Apostle Peter were the gospel and priesthood extended to others (see Acts 10:1–33; 14:23; 15:6–8).”

Sister Nguessan reminded me that she had asked where it states that black sisters could enter the temple not that black brothers could hold the priesthood. 

We turned together to the **Official Declaration in the scriptures where it clearly states that a revelation had been received by President Spencer W. Kimball extending priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy male members of the Church.  I explained to Sister Nguessan that this was an inspiring move by the Church and that I remembered as if it were yesterday this revelation coming forth. 

“That’s all very interesting” said Sister Nguessan, “but where does it state in revelation that black sisters can now enter the temple?” Before I could respond she spoke on saying “I am not concerned with revelations that only mention black men.  Are black Sisters just an afterthought to the Lord? Are we not worthy of mention?”  She continued asking “Does God even care about how this temple restriction might have had a devastating impact on the lives of black women? All we ever talk about is the men and how it affected them and how wonderful it is that their restriction has been lifted.”

She went on to explain that since it took an actual revelation from the almighty God of heaven and earth to grant black men access to the temple she expected the same process to occur for women. And until such a revelation came forth and could be seen in writing from a prophet she would consider herself under the same curse of Cain that her leaders told her she was under in 1977 when at the age of 29 the love of her life left her because she couldn’t join him in the temple.

After she had fully vented I calmly confirmed to her as her Stake President that our loving father in heaven who is the same yesterday, today and forever no longer restricts people from entering temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because of their skin colour.  Sister Nguessan refused to take my word for it insisting once again that I show it to her in writing.   

Exasperated I ended our meeting and thanked her for her time.  Like I said at the beginning of this post - sometimes people are so stubborn that even one holding the sacred and holy position of a Stake President can’t get through to them. 

*http://lds.org/study/topics/priesthood-ordination-before-1978?lang=eng

**http://lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/od/2?lang=eng

  

One Small Step for President Paternoster, One Giant Leap for Mankind

Brothers and Sisters it was exactly one year ago today that I decided to start this blog.  It was a small step for me, a Stake President, to come online and bring to the attention of the world the wonderful teachings of the Church from the perspective of a high profile Church leader, but this has been a giant leap for mankind as countless thousands have been exposed to the true teachings of the gospel.  While there have been certain bishops online never before has anyone holding the calling of Stake President or General Authority taken this bold move.  I will go down in the history of the Church as the forerunner and just as the saints today speak in awe and wonder of the pioneers who crossed the plains years ago, future generations may very well revere those of us who are the online pioneers of this day and age.

2011 was a fabulous year for the Church. The National Post called 2011, *"The year Mormonism went mainstream." Indeed tens of thousands have benefited from reading the humble teachings on this blog and have been given a glimpse into how inspired Church policies and guidelines help those of us called to preside over the saints in these the latter days.  2011 also saw newsworthy articles on LDS basketball players and politicians; there were faith promoting musicals and ad campaigns and the well known singer David Archuleta finally announced he was going to serve a full time mission for the Lord ending all doubts about his sexual orientation.

Since its inception this blog has received hits from all over the world including places such as Russia, France, Cuba, Nigeria and even countries as far off as America.  A lot of my traffic originates from online groups which have been setup to cater to and support the ‘easily offended’ who have left the Church.  And thus it is that I get a lot of traffic from the bitter posters over at exmormon.org, postmormon.org and those who can’t seem to make their minds up of whether to stay in the Church or leave at newordermormon.org.  Many visitors from these sites are moved upon by the spirit to click on the links I provide which often take them to faith promoting articles at lds.org, the official site of the Church.  No other blog has been successful in getting so many disaffected members to consistently read the inspiring articles provided by the Church.  Here they relearn the truths from which they have long been separated and as a result we are seeing that one by one they are feeling of the spirit and returning to the safety of the fold. 

Brother and Sister Holznagel from Hamburg are just one example of how my blog has helped families come unto Christ.  They wrote saying that after years of counseling they were on the verge of signing the divorce papers when their Bishop felt impressed to tell them about my blog.  When they read the post on oral abstinence (which has by far been the most popular article http://stakepresident.blogspot.com/2011/05/oral-abstinence-key-to-happy-fulfilling.html) it helped them to see how their once loving relationship had become unholy and impure.  The counsel given on that post is reiterated in this months Ensign where we are once again told that **"Intimacy is not to be abused.....It is important not to solicit behavior that is offensive to your spouse." The Holznagel's confirmed they are closer than ever before and were delighted to report that they have qualified for temple recommends once again. 

Never before have I had so many enemies, but as those who oppose me grow in number and influence the Church is seeing an increase in those who support my cause.  As other Stake Presidents, General Authorities and members of The Twelve overcome their fears & trepidation and follow in my footsteps by coming online I stand ready to guide and counsel them.  I have counseled those interested to always use approved church resources to back up their posts in order to show the world who we really are and why we are proud to be known as such a peculiar people.

May God bless all readers with the ability to understand the truths concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ and may 2012 be an even better year for the Church as we approach the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour. 

Lovingly shared by President Paternoster

*http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/12/26/2011-the-year-mormonism-went-mainstream/

**http://lds.org/ensign/2012/01/what-happily-married-couples-do?lang=eng