Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Dallin Hoaks


What a coincidence! It turns out that the Historically Mormon Apostle who took it upon himself to announce that Black Lives Matter (you can now buy black hoodies with the quote on them!) also happens to be the only HMA to have publicly endorsed the climate hoax. Oh, and his name just happens to be Dallin H. Oaks -- Hoaks.

Here is Dallin Hoaks's BYU-Hawaii commencement address, delivered February 25, 2017. He chose the hilariously ironic title "Push Back Against the World."

These are challenging times, filled with big worries: wars and rumors of wars, possible epidemics of infectious diseases, droughts, floods, and global warming. Seacoast cities are concerned with the rising level of the ocean, which will bring ocean tides to their doorsteps or over their thresholds. Global warming is also affecting agriculture and wildlife. Nations whose prosperity depends on world peace and free trade worry about disturbing developments that threaten either or both of these. We are even challenged by the politics of conflict and the uncertainties sponsored by the aggressive new presidential administration in the world’s most powerful nation.

Global warming alarmism, a gratuitous swipe at President Trump, and a bit of dramatic foreshadowing for the birdemic -- all in one paragraph!

And here is Mr. Hoaks speaking at the October 2020 general conference on the topic "Love Your Enemies." (Note: When Jesus said that, I don't think Satan was the enemy he had in mind!)

In public actions and in our personal attitudes, we have had racism and related grievances. In a persuasive personal essay, the Reverend Theresa A. Dear of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has reminded us that “racism thrives on hatred, oppression, collusion, passivity, indifference and silence.” As citizens and as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we must do better to help root out racism. . . .

One reason the recent protests in the United States were shocking to so many was that the hostilities and illegalities felt among different ethnicities in other nations should not be felt in the United States. This country should be better in eliminating racism not only against Black Americans, who were most visible in the recent protests, but also against Latinos, Asians, and other groups. This nation’s history of racism is not a happy one, and we must do better.

Apparently it is appropriate for prophets of God to quote the NAACP -- to remind us that indifference and silence lie on a continuum with hatred and oppression. Mr. Hoaks also twice uses the popular catchphrase "We must do better." This is what is colloquially known as quacking like a duck.

And finally, the quote that got printed on hoodies. Here is Dallin Hoaks speaking at BYU on October 27, 2020. The title of his talk is "Racism and Other Challenges."

The shocking police-produced death of George Floyd in Minnesota last May was surely the trigger for these nationwide protests whose momentum was carried forward under the message of “Black Lives Matter.” Of course Black lives matter! That is an eternal truth all reasonable people should support.

I wonder if he would also characterize "It's okay to be white" as an eternal truth all reasonable people should support. No, actually I don't wonder.

Here's a sobering thought. Russell M. Nelson is 96 years old, and Dallin Hoaks is next in line to become President of the Church. If you thought Nelson was a game changer, you ain't seen nothing yet!

4 comments:

Bruce Charlton said...

The Mormon name-change of 2019 was a clear indicator that the CJCLDS was already converged significantly; and the first signs had been evident to me from the content and spin of the Public Relations/ Press releases.

But I was still surprised at the above 2017 Apostolic reference with its explicit Warmism and anti-Trump content.

I think that one underlying problem is that professions of the Mormon leadership class - such a Law (in this instance), medicine, academia and Business - have been converged a long time, to the extent that for a couple of decades and more, one cannot function in them (at least not at a promoted-level) without structural and frequent dishonesty.

(By frequent I mean something like at least hourly during work time, or every page in written communications.) As I have been saying for a while, this culture of pervasive and mandatory dishonesty has corrupted at least as many Christians as the sexual revolution.

The other massive but unnoticed source of corruption is working within bureaucracy - habitual Ahrimanic evil (in thought, as well as deed).

Mormon leaders have been solid on the sexual revolution, at least until very recently when there are a few still-small cracks; but the 2020 litmus issues are all failed unambiguously.

And, of course, nowadays, even a single leftist-sin is sufficient as an entry-point for the whole organisation to be subverted, and go over to the enemy.

It has happened in church after church - it is to the credit of the CJCLDS that they are perhaps the last major Western church to fall to secular leftism; but fall it now has. This is just a fact.

This ought not to be surprising, given that Joseph Smith frequently emphasised his own fallibility and mistakes. That emphasis has not, however, been maintained.

There is that old joke that "The Pope says he is infallible, but Roman Catholics don't believe him; The Prophet says he is fallible, but Mormons don't believe him."

Unlike Roman Catholics, Mormons have the all the theological resources to become a denomination primarily based on personal revelation - it is a 'just' matter of mobilising these. The alternative is to recapitulate - but in an accelerated way - the liberalising/ secularising leftward trajectory of the Episcopalians, Methodists, Southern Baptists and Roman Catholics.

And (as of 2020) leftism is the side of Satan.

Wm Jas Tychonievich said...

"The Mormon name-change of 2019 was a clear indicator that the CJCLDS was already converged significantly"

All plausibly deniable, of course, since technically all they were doing was insisting on the use of what was already the official name of the Church. For me, the change from Mormon Tabernacle Choir to "Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square" was the biggest tell; "Mormon" may not be the official name of the church, but neither is "at Temple Square"! The change obviously had more to do with disowning the "Mormon" brand than with emphasizing the church's official name.

"I think that one underlying problem is that professions of the Mormon leadership class - such a Law (in this instance), medicine, academia and Business - have been converged a long time."

Very true. The early leaders had mostly been farmers or artisans before their ministry, but it's hard to imagine anyone with such a background rising to the top today.

"The alternative is to recapitulate - but in an accelerated way - the liberalising/ secularising leftward trajectory of the Episcopalians, Methodists, Southern Baptists and Roman Catholics."

Or, for an even closer parallel, the historically Mormon organization once called the RLDS Church but now known as the Community of Christ. (And lds.org is now churchofjesuschrist.org; what a coincidence!)

Bruce Charlton said...

I should add that I was appalled but unsurprised to see the banner underneath the first photograph. Anyone who speaks in support of this mega-evil organisation is immediately put on my naughty list and allocated to the side of the enemy. Some are gullible fools, others are psychopaths and careerists - but when somebody is in a position to know the reality of this organisation - its aims and its effects - and still actively supports it... well, any such need to be be identified as servants of the enemy and treated accordingly.

All jesting aside, this is a Very serious, ultimate - eternal-life or death - matter. Such are the times.

Wm Jas Tychonievich said...

"I was appalled but unsurprised to see the banner underneath the first photograph"

In Elder Oaks's defense, the banner was presumably put there by the TV people and was not his idea -- but he did make it possible by saying the magic words, which he surely knew would be pounced-upon.

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