2 Chronicles 20:7; “Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?”

 Ensign, FIRST PRESIDENCY MESSAGE, ‘True to the Faith of Our Forefathers,’ July 2016; “To be a Latter-day Saint is to be a pioneer…they often must leave behind old habits, longtime customs, and cherished friends. Some make the agonizing decision to leave behind family members who oppose their Church membership. Latter-day Saints move forward, however, praying that precious ones will yet understand and accept. …

As we seek to build Zion in our hearts, in our homes, in our communities, and in our countries, may we remember the resolute courage and abiding faith of those who gave their all that we might enjoy the blessings of the restored gospel, with its hope and promise through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

President Monson tells a story about one pioneer family and then quotes President George Albert Smith: “Will you live true to the faith of your ancestors? … Strive to be worthy of all the sacrifices [they] have made for you.”” – Thomas Monson

Genesis 12:1; “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.”

When I read Mr. Monson’s talk the first thing I thought of was God’s admonition to Abraham. He told him to gather up his stuff and get out. He then told Abraham to leave his father behind and the kinfolk, and keep hoofin’ it until He told him he had arrived.

What did Abraham do? Well, he kinda sorta, obeyed in a half hearted way. It’s like he was doing a little bit while trying to fly under the radar without getting noticed. Guess what? God noticed.

You see, Abraham took along dear ol’ dad, and he took along a nephew that he had to drag out of Sodom and Gomorrah, just for good measure.

Never mind the fact the meaning of Terah’s name (Abraham’s father) means ‘delay’, and the land (Haran) they stayed in means ‘parched’. And ignore the meaning of Sodom which is ‘scorched’, or Gomorrah which means ‘a ruined heap’.

None of these things seemed to bother the man everyone knows as ‘God’s friend’, the father of the faith. Did it mean he was a bad guy? No, certainly not!

What it did was cost him precious time and trouble in the places he decided to meander into and set up camp. In other words, Abraham seemed to be sending out mixed messages by living one way when God told him He had something better in mind for Abraham.

Which brings us to Mr. Monson’s talk, ‘True to the Faith of Our Forefathers’. His talk was very heartwarming from the outside… However, looking at the inner workings of Mormonism’s forefathers tells a much different story.

Like Abraham, Monson’s ancestors weren’t worshiping the God of the Bible, so why would he tell millions of his adherents to follow them? Monson has direct access to all the writings, talks, and historical documentations of his forefathers. He knows whom they were worshiping, and he knows what the Bible says.

Yesterday we also saw how the blessing of the Mormon atonement was a trick. The Church claims Jesus died for them, but they still have to work for their salvation, and God sees our work for our own righteousness as filthy rags. Again, how is this a blessing???