Do You Want To Live Alone In "Sad Heaven"?
Mormon Prophet Russell M. Nelson Confirms Mormon Theology
Every cult uses family separation as a 'missionary' tool. The Mormon church initially teaches converts how awesome it will be that "Families can be together forever." Then, after a beautiful honeymoon period of at least twelve months, comes the blackmail. Eventually, just as with every cult, the threat finally becomes a punishment for disobedience and nonconformity. Mormon heaven sounds more like hell than heaven. If you knew at the beginning what you know at the end, you would never jump on that train. Of course, the official line from the Mormon church about this process is from the Bible, 1 Corinthians 3:
Verse 2: I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
Mormon doctrine supposedly means learning the more basic things first, for fear that your lack of development in the more 'basic' things may cause you to 'misunderstand' the more complex things. Some would argue this is a brainwashing technique. The wild and crazy shit that no one would fall for until the person is hooked, line, and sinker is not revealed at first. In doing so, the new convert has no 'misunderstandings' or questions.
In Mormonism, they create a problem to sell you the solution, thus, holding the threat of eternal family separation over you to get complete and utter obedience to the Church.
In early August 2016, the Salt Lake Tribune printed an op-ed by Jon Ogden entitled, "Belief in 'Sad Heaven' hurts relationships in era of Mormon doubt." As Ogden points out, Elder Jeffery R. Holland once stated, "I know, in my life, that it won't be heaven without my wife, and it will not be heaven without my children."
And yet, if one of Elder Hollands' family does not wholly comply, they are out. And in Mormon heaven, not just out but shunned. Unfortunately, this idea of "sad heaven" is an accepted opinion by some members of the Church. At least those that fully grasp what the Mormon prophets teach.
Local and regional leaders have told me I have misunderstood this idea. Not so, folks; if anyone has ears to hear and eyes to see, they only have to follow the consistent messaging from a so-called Prophet of God. In the April 2019 General Conference, Nelson again confirmed the idea of a 'sad heaven' when he said,
"[People who don't make/keep covenants] need to understand that while there is a place for them hereafter … that is not the place where families will be reunited and be given the privilege to live and progress forever."
And again, in April 2020, Russell M. Nelson confirmed this terrible idea by stating, "The time is coming when those who do not obey the Lord will be separated from those who do."
Never let fear decide your future. Fear is not love. If there is such an entity as a God, as we are taught as children, then that God is not the God of Mormonism. God would be a God of love and not a God of fear.
While it is true that the long-held idea that some people will go to heaven and some will go to hell is not unique. The problem in Mormonism is that progress to heaven depends on absolute obedience to the Mormon church. Christianity and many other faiths do not teach total obedience to a specific church. Instead, they teach about being a good person and seeking forgiveness for your sins. If any, compliance is to God/Jesus and not an organization.
In Mormonism, you sadly become the "empty chair" in your eternal family's heaven if you don't fully pay to tithe, obey leaders without question, and wear temple garments (underwear) with Masonic symbols. And many, many more commandments!
It's awful to use fear to keep members in line, but it effectively controls members' thoughts and behaviors. For me, when the love I felt initially in the Church was slowly becoming replaced evermore by fear, it was time to stop and walk away. A long indoctrination also led to a long period of reflection, leading to a long walk away. I'm still on that journey. It can take many years. It can be challenging to grasp that you were wrong for so long.
But the victory is in the moment when just like multi-level marketing, you finally see the scam for what it is. A scam.
© Stephen G. Arrowsmith 2022
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