Beggar's Bread

compiled by Fred W. Anson and “Team PFAAS”
If you’ve been following the Presidency of Russell M. Nelson it’s been one misstep and snafu after another. In my opinion, it’s no coincidence that LdS Church’s growth is now stagnant and about to start to go negative (evidence for this claim from objective third party analysis and statistics based on official LdS Church data that’s been captured by a Mormon Archivist can be found by clicking here).

His predecessor, Thomas S. Monson may have been boring but at least he wasn’t actively destroying the LdS Church like his successor is. It’s to the point that it now seems like just about every time that he makes a public appearance, an address, a policy change, and/or a revelation, President Nelson adds another chink to the destruction of the LdS Church. So, the destruction that was once passive is now active thanks to the current LdS Church President. So, in no particular order other than to group events by incident, here’s what we’ve seen so far:

1) Flip-Flopping on the November 2015 “Revelation” Regarding Baptizing the Children of Homosexual Parents.
2016-01-10 Then Highest Ranking Apostle of the Twelve, Russell M. Nelson, Publicly declares that the disastrous November 2015 Policy Change was a revelation:

“The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles counsel together and share all the Lord has directed us to understand and to feel individually and collectively. And then we watch the Lord move upon the President of the Church to proclaim the Lord’s will.

This prophetic process was followed in 2012 with the change in minimum age for missionaries and again with the recent additions to the Church’s handbook, consequent to the legalization of same-sex marriage in some countries. Filled with compassion for all, and especially for the children, we wrestled at length to understand the Lord’s will in this matter. Ever mindful of God’s plan of salvation and of His hope for eternal life for each of His children, we considered countless permutations and combinations of possible scenarios that could arise. We met repeatedly in the temple in fasting and prayer and sought further direction and inspiration. And then, when the Lord inspired His prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, to declare the mind of the Lord and the will of the Lord, each of us during that sacred moment felt a spiritual confirmation. It was our privilege as Apostles to sustain what had been revealed to President Monson. Revelation from the Lord to His servants is a sacred process, and so is your privilege of receiving personal revelation.”
(Russell M. Nelson, “An Evening with President Russell M. Nelson”, Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, January 10, 2016, Brigham Young University–Hawaii)

2019-04-04 Now LdS President Nelson reverses the November 2015 Policy Change:

“Children of parents who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender may now be blessed as infants and baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints without First Presidency approval, President Dallin H. Oaks announced Thursday morning, April 4.
In addition, the Church will no longer characterize same-gender marriage by a Church member as “apostasy” for purposes of Church discipline, although it is still considered “a serious transgression.”
(Sarah Jane Weaver, “Policy Changes Announced for Members in Gay Marriages, Children of LGBT Parents”, Church News, April 4, 2019)

2) Open, Public Practice of Mormon Necromancy
First, let’s define terms, in order to set the baseline/understanding that communicating with the dead is a form of necromancy. And that includes calling out to them.

nec·ro·man·cy
/ˈnekrəˌmansē/
noun: necromancy
the supposed practice of communicating with the dead, especially in order to predict the future.
(Oxford English Dictionary)

So with that baseline established, let’s consider President Nelson’s behavior in two different public meetings against the common, standard dictionary definition of the word, shall we?

2018-04-01 President Nelson, in Spring General Conference, opened the LdS Church to charges of practicing necromancy by calling on “God’s children on both sides of the veil” (the veil being a reference to the Mormon concept of there being a veil between the mortal and spirit worlds that is, “a God-given forgetfulness that blocks people’s memories of the premortal existence”, (see Guide to the Scriptures, “Veil”, LdS Church website).

“Our message to the world is simple and sincere: we invite all of God’s children on both sides of the veil to come unto their Savior, receive the blessings of the holy temple, have enduring joy, and qualify for eternal life.”
(President Russell M. Nelson, “Let Us All Press On”, April 2018 General Conference)

2018-09-16 President Nelson doubles down on his Spring 2018 General Conference necromancing behavior by repeating it before a stadium of 50,000 people:

“We invite all of God’s children on both sides of the veil to come unto their Savior, to receive the blessings of the holy temple and qualify for eternal life, so that they can have enduring joy now and forever,”
(President Russell M. Nelson, “50,000 Come to MLB Stadium to Hear President Nelson Share Vital Message to Those “on Both Sides of the Veil”’, LDS Living, September 16, 2018)

3) Trashing the word “Mormon”
2018-08-16 President Nelson throws all of his predecessors – up to and including Joseph Smith – and 188-years of Mormon History under the bus by declaring the word “Mormon” anathema:

“The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have work before us to bring ourselves in harmony with His will. In recent weeks, various Church leaders and departments have initiated the necessary steps to do so. Additional information about this important matter will be made available in the coming months.”
(President Russell M. Nelson quoted in Sarah Jane Weaver, ‘“Mormon” Is Out: Church Releases Statement on How to Refer to the Organization’, Official LdS Church News website, August 16, 2018)

2018-10-07 President Nelson doubles down on his prior declaration regarding the word “Mormon” declaring it “a major victory for Satan” in Fall General Conference:

“The name of the Church is not negotiable. When the Savior clearly states what the name of His Church should be and even precedes His declaration with, “Thus shall my church be called,” He is serious. And if we allow nicknames to be used or adopt or even sponsor those nicknames ourselves, He is offended.

What’s in a name or, in this case, a nickname? When it comes to nicknames of the Church, such as the “LDS Church,” the “Mormon Church,” or the “Church of the Latter-day Saints,” the most important thing in those names is the absence of the Savior’s name. To remove the Lord’s name from the Lord’s Church is a major victory for Satan. When we discard the Savior’s name, we are subtly disregarding all that Jesus Christ did for us—even His Atonement.”
(President Russell M. Nelson, “The Correct Name of the Church”, Fall General Conference, October 2018)

Unfortunately, the following guy, not to mention all of the Mormon Prophet who followed him prior to 2018, was born too early to benefit from President Nelson’s “keen” spiritual discernment and “stunning” Prophetic wisdom, and thus gave Satan one major victory after another for the 188-years of Mormon History prior to President Nelson’s revelation:

“Have the Presbyterians any truth? Yes. Have the Baptists, Methodists, any truth? Yes. They all have a little truth mixed with error. We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true “Mormons.”‘
(Joseph Smith, “Discourse — Burden of the Prophet’s Ministry — Friendship”, “History of the Church”, 5:517); also see “Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith”, p.316, bolding added for emphasis)

‘“Mormonism” is the pure doctrine of Jesus Christ; of which I myself am not ashamed.”
(Joseph Smith, “Letter to James Arlington…”, September 8, 1842, “History of The Church”, 5:156)

“Mormonism is truth; and every man who embraced it felt himself at liberty to embrace every truth: consequently the shackles of superstition, bigotry, ignorance, and priestcraft, falls at once from his neck; and his eyes are opened to see the truth…. “
(Joseph Smith, “To Isaac Galland, March 22, 1839,” Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, p. 420-421, bolding added for emphasis)

And, then, of course, President Nelson’s immediate predecessor handed Satan a major victory when in Fall 2011 General Conference address he boldly challenged the LdS Church to:

“Dare to be a Mormon;
Dare to stand alone.
Dare to have a purpose firm;
Dare to make it known.”
(Thomas S. Monson, “Dare to Stand Alone”, bolding added for emphasis)

4) The Rome, Italy Temple Dedication Photo Op Fiasco
2019-03-10 As part of the Rome, Italy Temple dedication festivities, President Nelson participates in a photo op event in which he is photographed with a statue of Peter holding a key to the Kingdom of God. Mr. Nelson is gripping one side of the key thus causing the Internet to erupt simultaneously with laughs of derision that (their words) Nelson is trying to steal the key out of Peter’s hand and disgust that Nelson equates himself as Peter’s successor (thus setting himself as in competition and in opposition to the Roman Catholic Pope).

The photograph is promptly removed from the Church’s website within days but the damage had already been done in the marketplace of ideas.

5) The infamous “President Nelson Puts His Face in a Hat” video.
2020-05-30 The LdS Church releases a video of Russell M. Nelson explaining how the Book of Mormon was translated in which he sticks his face in a white stovetop hat like Jospeh Smith did to prove how perfectly natural, normal, and not weird such a thing is – thus proving that it is not natural or normal and how weird such a thing is
(see The Mormon Channel on YouTube or The LdS Church Media Library at the 00:03:49 mark)

The Internet, especially the Ex-Mormon corner of the Internet, explodes with a combination of shock and horror, mirk and laughter. The problem here is that President Nelson has now implicitly validated that for decades the LdS Church was indoctrinating the membership with wrong information regarding the Book of Mormon translation process and lied to entire generations of Latter-day Saints. As one Ex-Mormon commentator said well of this incident:

“Notice that President Nelson says “suggestions” when it’s a fact that is now accepted by historians and scholars on both sides. Also notice how uncomfortable he is and how he folds and squeezes his hands together as he attempts to disclose a foreign translation process that would shock and surprise the average Chapel Mormon.

After placing the hat near his face, Nelson then awkwardly tries to make the weird seem normal or plausible by taking a page out of Dieter Uchtdorf’s playbook in hilariously comparing this process to cell phones.

There’s no explanation from Nelson on the discrepancy between what he’s now saying versus how the Church indoctrinated generations of Latter-day Saints on the Book of Mormon translation. Also no explanation from Nelson about folk magic treasure digging and how Joseph and his family used the same method in conning people out of their money for buried treasure as he used for “translating” the Book of Mormon.

And just like that, kids, the keystone of our religion literally came out of a hat and we’re now being sold the idea that rocks were 19th-century iPhones.”
(Jeremy Runnells, “Debunking FAIRMormon, Book of Mormon Translation”)

President Nelson demonstrates how Joseph Smith would stick his head in his white stovetop hat to translate the Book of Mormon from the inserted Seer Stone. This is @00:03:49 in the video. (click to watch video)

6) The Surprised Prophet of the Lord
2019-10-06 In his closing remarks for Fall Conference 2019 President Nelson makes the following statement: “General conference next April will be different from any previous conference.” Given the context of the words, at the time the comment was simply taken exactly as it was given: Preparation and promotion for the bicentennial year of Joseph Smith’s First Vision – that is the year 2020.

“The keys and offices of the priesthood have been restored, including the offices of Apostle, Seventy, patriarch, high priest, elder, bishop, priest, teacher, and deacon. And women who love the Lord serve valiantly in the Relief Society, Primary, Young Women, Sunday School, and other Church callings—all vital parts of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness.

Thus, the year 2020 will be designated as a bicentennial year. General conference next April will be different from any previous conference. In the next six months, I hope that every member and every family will prepare for a unique conference that will commemorate the very foundations of the restored gospel.

You may wish to begin your preparation by reading afresh Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision as recorded in the Pearl of Great Price.”
(Russell M. Nelson, “Closing Remarks”)

2020-04-04 In the ensuing months just prior to Spring General Conference 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic hits. As a result, the General Conference event is held virtually from a conference room with only a handful of people (mainly speakers) in attendance. As a result of this unusual and wholly situation, prior to the actual Spring General Conference event, President Nelson Fall General Conference words, “General conference next April will be different from any previous conference.” are reframed and recast to refer not to the Joseph Smith First Vision bicentennial year but a fulfilled prophecy from President Nelson.

It is within that existential context that President Nelson steps to the podium and plainly states that he’s just as surprised as everyone else thus blowing that stance all to heck and showing that while “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” apparently the Sovereign Lord doesn’t reveal them to LdS President and claimed “Living Prophet”, Russell M. Nelson:

“My beloved brothers and sisters, as we welcome you to this historic April 2020 general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for reasons you know, I stand before you in an empty auditorium!

Little did I know, when I promised you at the October 2019 general conference that this April conference would be “memorable” and “unforgettable,” that speaking to a visible congregation of fewer than 10 people would make this conference so memorable and unforgettable for me!”
(Russell M. Nelson, “Opening Message”)

I doubt that this one requires further comment, it kind of speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

A scene from Spring General Conference 2020. (credit: LdS Church Newsroom)

7) The COVID-19 Fast Fiasco
2020-03-26 President Nelson, a medical doctor, calls for a Worldwide Fast in the midst of a pandemic – at a time when having people’s immunity systems fueled and running optimally is critical to avoiding the COVID-19 virus. From the LdS Church press release:

“Prophet Invites All to Fast and Pray for Relief from COVID-19
In the new video message below, President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites the world to join him on Sunday, March 29, 2020, for a day of fasting and prayer for relief from COVID-19. See this video in Spanish and Portuguese.
(LdS Church News Room, “Prophet Invites All to Fast and Pray for Relief from COVID-19”)

COVID-19 infections continue to increase after the fast concludes. (see FDA COVID-19 Round-up for March 30. 2020, and thereafter)

2020-04-08 President Nelson Doubles Down and calls for another worldwide COVID-19 fast. From the LdS Church Press release:

“President Nelson Invites World to Participate in Fast on Good Friday: Prophet’s invitation is second fast for worldwide COVID-19 relief

Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is calling people of all faiths and beliefs to join a global fast for COVID-19 relief on Good Friday. He extended the invitation to the world during the Saturday evening session of the 190th Annual General Conference.

This is the prophet’s second invitation to join a worldwide fast. President Nelson first invited the general public to fast in mid-March for the same purpose.

President Nelson has again extended his invitation through his social media accounts, reminding all of the power in calling upon God in faithful prayer and fasting to bring about relief from the current global pandemic.”
(LdS Church News Room, “President Nelson Invites World to Participate in Fast on Good FridayProphet’s invitation is second fast for worldwide COVID-19 relief”)

COVID-19 infections continue to increase after the fast concludes (see FDA COVID-19 Round up for April 13, 2020, and thereafter)

Here’s the burning, common-sense question here given who we’re talking about: Why didn’t renowned Doctor Nelson, who is now not without considerable influence (to put it mildly) thanks to his new role simply put out this call instead? “I am a Medical Doctor as well as the leader of his church.  And in both roles it’s the same: Love for one’s neighbor dictates that we all mask up, social distance, and get vaccinated as soon as a good safe, COVID-19 vaccinate is available to us. If you truly love your neighbor, then you will wear a mask and get vaccinated when it’s your turn – it’s just that simple! I’m doing it and so can you.”

Doesn’t that make more sense than telling the world to potentially compromise their immune system and open themselves up to a potentially deadly virus during a pandemic? But hey, given his track record…

8) Ego-Stroking and Exalting Gratitude as an Idol: The November 2020 Thanksgiving Message
2020-11-13 The LdS Church publishes a video of hope and healing for the nations focusing on the Great Physician: President Nelson. Not God, not Jesus Christ, but President Russell M. Nelson:

2020-11-20 President Nelson gives a Thanksgiving Message and introduces a 7-day hashtag campaign that exalts and extols the power of gratitude to heal us and fix our woes and problems. Not God, not Jesus, but gratitude.

9) The infamous “Lazy Learners” and “Lax Disciple” General Conference Address.
2021-04-04 (Easter Sunday) For his “Easter Sunday 2021 Message” President Nelson chooses to give a pant kicking lecture to the membership that casts Mormon Critics and Doubters as “Lazy Learners” and “Lax Disciples”:

“Your mountains may be loneliness, doubt, illness, or other personal problems. Your mountains will vary, and yet the answer to each of your challenges is to increase your faith. That takes work. Lazy learners and lax disciples will always struggle to muster even a particle of faith…

…choose to believe in Jesus Christ. If you have doubts about God the Father and His Beloved Son or the validity of the Restoration or the veracity of Joseph Smith’s divine calling as a prophet, choose to believe and stay faithful. Take your questions to the Lord and to other faithful sources. Study with the desire to believe rather than with the hope that you can find a flaw in the fabric of a prophet’s life or a discrepancy in the scriptures. Stop increasing your doubts by rehearsing them with other doubters. Allow the Lord to lead you on your journey of spiritual discovery.”
(Russell M. Nelson, “Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains”)

The Internet erupts with jokes about these insulting, dismissive faux-pas. Photographs of “Lazy Learner” Mormon Studies library (often filling an entire wall, even entire rooms) start popping up like mushrooms. A common theme on all the Internet posts is that the REAL “Lazy Learners” and “Lax Disciples” are the ones who allow the leaders of the LdS Church to do their thinking and studying for them rather than thinking and studying for themselves. A common point made is that the ONLY way to remain a True Believing Mormon is to be a Lazy Learner and Lax Disciple.

Frankly, with a Living Prophet, this blatantly and consistently unqualified, inept, and out of touch, who needs enemies? In fact, the LdS Church’s biggest problem is sitting in a corner office at 50 E North Temple St, Salt Lake City, UT 84150, isn’t he?  And every time he wanders out of the building he passes out ammo for Mormon Critic guns. And, consider this, we’re only to Intermission in this series, Part Two will give additional evidence for how and why President Russell M. Nelson is slowly but surely destroying the LdS Church one revelation at a time – and it’s even longer than this one was. (no joke!)

About the Authors: 
“Team PFAAS” is the nickname for the “Preaching From An Asbestos Suit” social media groups on Facebook and MeWe. These are coaching and support groups for Biblical Christians who feel called to the Mormon Mission field in general and Internet Evangelism to Mormons in particular. These groups were using as a group sourcing resource for this article as well as a point of accountability for the compiling, final author of this series, Fred W. Anson. 

Fred W. Anson is the founder and publishing editor of the Beggar’s Bread website, which features a rich potpourri of articles on Christianity with a recurring emphasis on Mormon studies. Fred is also the administrator of several Internet discussion groups and communities, including several Mormon-centric groups, including two Facebook Support Groups for Ex-Mormons (Ex-Mormon Christians, and Ex-Mormon Christians Manhood Quorum). Raised in the Nazarene Church, Fred later became an Atheist but then returned to the Christian faith during the Jesus Movement in 1976.

(click here to read Part Two of this two-part series)