With all the bruhaha going on surrounding Bruce Hafen's comments at Evergreen International last week, I decided to read the comments myself. It was after I read it that I found he didn't make all the statements that people said, but this one was overlooked.
"Some may wonder how the Church’s leaders can empathize with you when they haven’t been in your shoes themselves. Some may even wonder how the Savior Himself can really understand you when He hasn’t been where you are. But remember: Christ not only descended TO our conditions, he has descended BELOW our conditions, whatever they are, because “The Son of Man hath descended below [all things].” [iii] The Atonement was possible only because of that descent, which Elder Neal A. Maxwell called Christ’s “earned empathy.” He knows that every day may feel like a major battle for you."
I included the whole paragraph so I can't be accused of taking it out of context. Now I realize some idiot will say I took it out of context, so go to lds.org, go to the newsroom, find his comments, this is in the first few paragraphs, and tell me what I missed. With that said...
What is he implying, was this a comment that he didn't think all the way through, so only gave half his idea, and then you are left hanging? Or is he really making the comment that the General Authorities have "descended below it all" (just like Christ) to understand what is going on in the world? I'm thinking one of two things needs to happen, either Hafen needs to better clarify what he means by this statement, and then fire his secretary for missing the egregious error, or Hafen needs to be committed in an insane asylum because he has developed some type of God complex and is revealing more than any other general authority has revealed on the subject. He is a seventy for crying out loud!!! I don't think he is privy to the experiences that the twelve and first presidency have had, so I don't think he knows what he is talking about.
That is what I think, what do you think? Leave a comment.
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8 comments:
Maybe it's just the apologist in me, but I'm hoping that he just didn't finish the thought through to the end. He got distracted by explaining how Christ can empathize and forgot how he started the paragraph. At least I hope that is what happened.
I don't think he was comparing himself to Christ.
I always tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, sometimes too much, and sometimes I am wrong. But to me, it didn't seem like he was drawing the conclusion that himself/apostles/prophet were equal to Christ. But he just left that sentence there all alone, so I can see the problem.
Wow, I miss out on all the controversy when I am outside the "bubble". But I can see your point. I sure hope its wrong.
The more refined a person becomes, the more like the Savior they become. Period. That means they are more in tune with the spirit--who surprise surprise is a member of the godhead itself. What is this life about except to become "like" God, and if that's impossible, why does he command us to attempt it?
I'd have to say General Authorities have significantly greater insight that you or I, and that they are uniquely assisted by the spirit to see into a persons' soul. I mean, they are acting in God's place on earth.
I fall in line with Ben and Katie most. I don't think that is what he intended, but he needs to be more careful about how he says things. With my apologist comments over, I must say that Crystal and I don't see eye to eye, but I like her anyway. I would argue that if anyone the general authorities really have no clue what it is like to be a young person in our day. Though they attempt to show a facade of understanding, their words and actions are creating a greater divide between their generation and ours in my mind. You can disagree, I have no issue with that, but if the day ever comes so that we know exactly what is the six figure income that most general authority make, an atmosphere of mistrust will become rampant within the church because the facade will become even more noticeable.
I tried several times to write a coherent response to you, Crystal, and I'm still not exactly sure how to word it. Basically, your point of view requires some beliefs or assumptions that I don't necessarily share. While I don't think that everything is a complete facade, I think my views lie somewhere in the middle. Is that vague enough?!
I couldn't find the original comments on the lds.org cite, so I can't comment on the context. However, he never explicitly makes the comparison you refer to. Indeed, such a comparison would be outrageous and not the product of a sane mind. Unless Elder Hafen has exhibited other signs of insanity or delusion, then I think reading his words in this light is an act of straining to see something that simply isn't there.
The simplest explanation is usually the most correct. If it was a live speech, he might have just gotten off on a tangent and not finished the thought. The unspoken premise that resolves any issue with his words is that Christ, through the Holy Ghost, can make anything known to his servants, including empathy and understanding. I'm sure Elder Hafen would agree with that concept, and it's explicitly taught in the scriptures.
So, if you really want to take things in context, then you should probably look at the broader context of the entire gospel and revealed truth. Unless a general authority's statements directly contradict something found there, then they should be read as consistent with all reasonable inferences derived therefrom.
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