Don't Inhale It - For I Am Meek and Lowly

By Robert J Leavitt

All of our churches have become polluted on account of members and leaders subtly seeking for the honors and praises of men. The almost invisible contamination continues to spread unimpeded, harming everyone breathing in the pride filled vapors, not just our brothers and sisters in the church but those watching us from without as well. What is the nature of this honor-fest, tantamount to an epidemic, causing Moroni, Joseph Smith and other scriptural writers to lament the failing of our day? How has the master manipulator been a participant in inaugurating false traditions: behaviors and habits we cling to even as those of old clung to the “traditions of the elders” in Palestine? How can we turn the tide on this scourge, rooting it from our lives and expelling it from our churches, that we as a people might truly be a light to the world, even following the Savior in that which most defined Him, being meek and lowly?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781678039639

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Don't Inhale It - For I Am Meek and Lowly

Don’t Inhale It

For I Am Meek and Lowly

Robert J Leavitt

Don’t Inhale It

For I Am Meek and Lowly

Copyright © 2020 By Robert J Leavitt

All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

ISBN: 978-1-67803-963-9

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ALSO BY ROBERT J LEAVITT

The Things Of This World and The Honors Of Men

Missions and Murders

Focus Group

Super Strength/Unlimited Power

See back pages for descriptions

For those who do the work in this world that we all need done and asking so little in return

And to my sweetheart Sheila who helped me at every step

Don’t Inhale It

It’s Toxic

In the comments section of a BYU football article, someone said; The church is toxic.  Curiously, this bothered me; though, the comment resonated with something I already seemed to know.  But I didn’t want anyone else to find out because this is my church, not to mention the Lord’s church, not to mention the only true and living church on the face of the earth.  The word toxic as he put it seemed to be used with a little embroidery; yet, the Lord said through His servant concerning our day, 

…. your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts.  

That prophet Moroni then asks, speaking directly to us, 

…. why have ye polluted the holy church of God…. because of the praise of the world? (Morm. 8: 36, 38.).

I don’t know exactly what this particular person was referring to as he used the disheartening but descriptive word toxic to describe what he felt about the church; it could be anything, perhaps even those things which are correct and true, as the wicked have always found the things of God to be distasteful.  

`President Faust knew something of the noxious air accompanying general authorities when they meet with the saints on assignments, warning newly called Elder Uchtdorf not to breath in the particular attention given him on account of his recent calling.  He said, 

They will treat you very kindly.  They will say nice things about you.  

Then he laughed a little and said, 

…. don’t you ever inhale it. (In Conference Report, Pride and the Priesthood, Oct. 2010.).

If President Faust was warning of a reality that exists – and surely, he was – there is an error in the emissions monitoring of our churches, consenting a perpetual leakage of poisonous gas which is, no doubt, being inhaled en masse.  

But what is so wrong with folks being nice to general authorities or other persons with leadership callings?  Certainly, it’s altogether innocuous.  I mean, what are we supposed to do, ignore them, be mean to them?

In the book, The Things Of This World and The Honors Of Men, we briefly visited this question with an experience by Elder Devere Harris of the First Quorum of the Seventy.  Said he, 

"I entered there as a stranger and tried every way that I knew to strike up a conversation, or to say hello, or to be kind, or to be greeted, or to be known.  Everyone ignored me; nobody would speak to me – no one!

Finally, a man recognized me.  He said, ‘oh, Elder Harris.’  The bishop turned around and said, ‘what did you say?’  The brother said, ‘this is Elder Harris of the First Quorum of the seventy.’

Well, things changed.  It wasn’t long before I was asked to sit on the stand; they wondered if I wouldn’t like to bear my testimony.  After the meeting, many people shook my hand.  As I left, I thought, ‘what a tragedy!  A gray-haired man who was unknown walks into a meeting.  Nobody recognized him, nobody says hello, nobody is kind.  Then, because of his church position (emphasis added), everybody changes and wants to be friendly (In Conference Report, The Hand of Fellowship, Oct. 1988.).’" 

The problem in the ward Elder Harris visited – which ward might be seen as typical – was not that people were nice to the general authority when they found out who he was, but that they were not nice until they found out who he was.  

Elder Harris called it an unpleasant experience.  I don’t know if the unpleasant part for him was being ignored, or if it was the awkward moment of witnessing the saints responding inconsistently to what would come to be the same person, such behavior hardly being Christian.  Perhaps it was both.  Either way, the unpleasantness that he felt can very easily be equated with the toxic nature of the environment that others assuredly must feel when they venture into an LDS church, they not being persons of particular account – as most of us are not – leading them to refer to the environment therein as toxic, witnessing the two-faced nature of the people.  This is not the result we are looking for when someone enters what is supposed to be the only true and living church on the face of the earth. 

What is the nature of this toxin, or in the scriptural words by Moroni above, this pollutant, tainting all of our churches, even every one; and what – if anything – can be done about it? 

So, President Faust counsels Elder Uchtdorf not to inhale all the wonderful attention that will, unavoidably, be forthcoming.  Of course, what he was really saying was, don’t let it go to your head; stay humble; remember, we’re just like everyone else; we’re just men with a calling.  The problem is, the air is still going to be toxic where ever he goes as the saint’s clamor to be near him, to look into his eyes, to shake his hand; and the temptation for him to inhale robustly will ever swirl around him from that day forward until he dies unless something is done to stop it.

So, the enticement for him to think that he is somehow more worthy, more important, a cut above, or however you want to label it, will always be there.  But the question is: from whom does this uninterrupted, untoward inducement come?  Is it not Satan’s job to do the tempting?  But Satan’s not the one providing it, at least not directly.  The saints are providing it.  They are, unwittingly, functioning as double agents, working both for the Lord and for Satan, tempting President Uchtdorf to be puffed up in his pride. 

This is a very real predicament; because, if Satan is successful in amplifying the pride of a general authority, he can put it on display before the whole church, leading a great many to emulate the behavior, or to consider the errant behavior in question as not being of any consequence. 

One of the principles of the gospel is that God is no respecter of persons; meaning, He does not consider what a person looks like, where they come from, the color of their skin, their financial status or any of the other talents or endowments allocated in this life.  He only looks to the condition of the heart.  He does not consider what church calling we have.  They are all the same.  

In the eyes of God, there is no calling in the kingdom that is more important than another (In Conference Report, The Greatest Among You, April, 2017.).   

Here’s why.

We are given in this life to serve God with all our heart.  Some callings require many hours of service weekly, some only a few and others maybe just one hour.  When we have a demanding calling it is kind of already set up for us to serve with all our heart, or at least all our time; but when our calling is rather simple it behooves us to fill in the gaps by way of our own initiative.  When we do this, in a way, our calling becomes even greater than a more demanding calling because we are doing without being compelled to do, and thus, living a higher law, not having to be commanded in all things.  

For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.  Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness (D&C 58: 26, 27.).

For this reason, God is no respecter of persons.  He is no respecter of callings.  He doesn’t consider one calling as more important than another anymore than He considers one’s whole heart as greater than another’s whole heart…. but we do.

We think that some callings carry more honor than others.  We venture that some callings are worthy of fancier treatment than others.  We assume some callings ought to be dignified with pomp and circumstance while others are barely noted.  We imagine that sometimes being set apart should be done with a great deal of declaration and invitation, while other times it may be done in the clerk’s closet with no one present but a bishop’s counselor and an available financial clerk.

When Jesus wanted to endow His three presiding apostles with keys and power, He did it in the clerk’s office, the Mount of Transfiguration.  No other mortal was there, not even the other apostles.

Significant and Insignificant Callings

The Lord went to great lengths, revealing His secrets to His servants the prophets concerning judgment, justice and equity, endeavoring that we might feel towards each other as equals.  Disparity between Heavenly Fathers children is the adversary’s domain, not the Lord’s; it belongs in the great and abominable church, not in the Lord’s only true church.

"Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,

And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:

Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation (Mark 12: 38-40.)."

He would that we see each other in truth, even the way He sees us as exemplified here.

"And Jesus sat over against the treasury and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury:

For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want

did cast in all that she had, even all her living (Mark 12: 41-44.)."

Can you see what He was doing?  He was narrowing the gaping gap of disparity.  He doesn’t want us to think some are more important than others because of all those outward things.  He taught, though we will be moved by natural disposition to get above others for honor, we need do the opposite. 

"And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.

And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.

But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve (Luke 22: 24-26.)."

As Jesus navigated the courses in Palestine, He did and said many things to teach equitable assessment of Gods children.  It was surely an eye-opener to some and perhaps a sore spot to others when He said concerning a Roman centurion,

Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel (Matt. 8: 10.).

or when the Samaritans – whom they also despised,

…. were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days (Jn. 4: 40.). 

or when,

"John answered him saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.

But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me (Mark 9: 3839.)."

or yet, when another non-member of the church from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon,

"cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 

But he answered her not a word.  And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

But he answered and said, I am sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.

And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.

Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.  And her daughter was made whole from that very hour (Matt 15: 22-28.)."

His disciples were ready to send her away.  They couldn’t be bothered because she was a nobody.  But Jesus gave her a tribute that even His apostles may have pined for, great is thy faith rather than, Oh ye of little faith.

It doesn’t help when the nobodies of the church together with their contributions to the Lords work are dispatched into the realm of irrelevance by a member of the first presidency for all to hear.  But before commenting about this let us remember our leaders are mortal; they are men with a calling like the rest of us, no more important and no less.  In this case their calling is to be prophets, seers and revelators; but they still make mistakes like all of fallen, mortal men; they still need the gospel of repentance like each of us do; and it behooves us to sustain them as we should sustain all who preside over us, imperfect like us as they surely are.

With that in mind, it was said – and I won’t say when, or by whom; because, it doesn’t matter – that after the conference session, they will set apart those who have received significant callings, speaking of newly called and sustained general authorities.

How is this to be interpreted, sitting on our couches, our families around us?  How is this supposed to make us feel, those of us who will never be a general authority?  We will never have a calling of significance.  Ours will always be insignificant.  If there are significant callings, there must be insignificant callings.

Whether it was a slip of the tongue, or whether he half-way believed his own words is irrelevant; it is out there, dredging a wider gulf between the haves and the have-nots as to honor when no gulf should exist at all.  When we are caught in the web of false traditions, the traditions of the elders, our words and actions betray us, and usually unknowingly.  We become unwitting agents of the other side.

But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality (2 Cor. 8; 14.).

The Lord loves it when we are equal, when we see each other as equal and not just for a pretense.

So, Moroni informs us concerning our polluted condition; even all our churches are polluted with the pride that tiptoes into the heart and takes up residence, enticing us to seek for the praises of men.  Where do these pollutions come from?  What is the extent of the damage?  How are members of the church being contaminated?  How are people outside the church being hindered? 

Traditions of the Elders

A caste system is a class structure determined by birth.  Principally, it means if your parents are poor, you’re going to be poor as well.  There is no rising from one class to another regardless of goodness, talent or effort.  The die has been cast.  It has always been the nature of mankind to try to rise above his fellows, not to be in a certain place necessarily but to just be above, to have the others locked beneath.  Once he is set in this higher station his actions and perceptions are almost always altered towards the others in a way that is unbefitting to godliness.

How much of the world’s history has been weighed down by some form of caste system I know not, certainly a terribly large percentage as true equality, equity, justice and judgement were short lived when they did find precious breathing room.  In the scriptures available today we find small periods of time when the people lived after the manner of happiness as whole societies, one of the grandest examples being the Nephite golden era after the visit of Jesus to the Americas.  Even this lasted only 200 years, after which the populous again began grappling for the upper hand.

Jane Austen wrote in the Georgian era about the plight of women reliant on somehow procuring a favorable marriage as the only avenue to escape destitution and to possibly living a better life.  She knew full well the evils of the classes, one arrogantly looking down their conceited noses at the other; the other lowering their head in shame for being less than human, for it was human to be exalted above their fellows, given whatever chance.

The Lord knows this almost universal character flaw in humanity and warns us continually.  He speaks under no uncertain terms through the Prophet Joseph Smith on this very disconcerting psychological phenomenon.

"We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men (emphasis added), as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately (emphasis added) begin to exercise unrighteous dominion (D&C 121: 39.)."

The unfortunate insertion of the phrase almost all men does not exclude woman, for we know, as did Jane Austen, the daughters of Zion will also be haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks (Isa. 3: 16.).

What is this unrighteous dominion that is, evidently, immediately exercised by men who get a little authority, as they suppose?  What does it look like, feel like?  Just who are we talking about and what are the repercussions for this kind of behavior?  What does it cost us as a people with the restored gospel?  The questions are beginning to pile up; but we will get to them.

"Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.

And when