The Tragic Week That Was And Where The Mormon Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley Spent His Sunday!!

First I just want to say how sorry I am for the people of New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama and for the suffering that is happening and has happened there. I can't even begin to fathom why such suffering is necessary by anyone in any part of the world at anytime. I have no idea why it happens, what part God plays in it, if any at all, or if basically, life happens and we deal with it the best we can. If it does happen to be God being pissed off, then why would he kill all of the innocents? I'm just talking of the top of my head right now and from my heart, nothing Biblical, nothing religious, just why? Why do these horrible things happen, why is it necessary for so many innocent people and children to die and suffer so much? A trial of their faith? Please!! It seems inhumane and wrong!! If God wanted to just take out the evil bad people, surely with his power of being God, he could do so, without killing all of the innocents? Does Satan have more power than God? You would think so the way some people talk!! I also don't buy the BS that they were needed more on the other side. They are in a better place and happier now, etc. Please!! That one has never flown with me!! So basically, their Family and children here didn't need them as bad as God did? They are happier without their Children and Families? Are you kidding? Why exactly would God need them anyway? For what?

It is my opinion that this is just a response that people use to try to make themselves somehow justify why someone they loved, has died while including God at the same time. People search for logical answers. They try to make sense of utter chaos when in reality, their is no sense to make. It is chaos and tragedy with no real answer as to why. They try to figure out a way that God was involved that will build up or create a good, maybe holy reason for the death of a loved one.

That's fine, if someone needs to believe that in order to survive, but I'm just saying, that I don't buy it, never have, never will. It just makes no sense!! My favorite Mormon response is that God must have some need for them on the other side to fight some war, they were needed to serve a mission or something. They say that God is calling home the most valiant people to help him fight some battle. (This was something that I just recently heard.) Again, in my opinion, that is total and complete BS!! What war is exactly, supposedly being fought? Didn't that big war already happen in the Pre-existence? What happened, a riot broke out in spirit prison? Let's get real!! Who would possibly need us on the other side when they are in heaven? Would God actually take someone out on earth because someone in Heaven was lonely and needed that person there? Do they go to God and say, "Hey, I miss my Son, daughter, Dad, etc and God says okay and causes a traffic accident? I say no way, that is absurd!!

If that ends up being the case, then God will have a lot of explaining to do to me and everybody else!! Even on the other side, I imagine that we won't forget our experiences and pain from earth. At least if we are indeed reunited with our loved ones, which I truly believe will happen, that should relieve some of the pain. I'm not sure that I would want to hang out with a God that purposely kills innocents when he could just zap the evil ones and leave the good ones. If he can intervene in catastrophic ways, why couldn't he intervene in smaller, more precise ways. It appears to me that God has little ability to do anything to prevent what happens on this earth. What happens, happens and we deal with it the best we can.

People have their free agency to do what they want. You would just think that god might be able to at least control something like the weather, but I guess not, at least I hope not!! If he really did cause this storm and took out New Orleans, then this God has some serious issues to deal with. I just think that we are pretty much on our own down here and we either survive, get lucky and live a long life, or we don't. I just don't think God is up there pulling strings, causing accidents, storms, making volcanoes erupt, earthquakes, Tsunamis, etc, killing people left and right. Maybe I just don't want to believe it, but in any case, I certainly hope that isn't true. It just makes no sense whatsoever!! If God really is this angry killer of innocents, I wouldn't want to meet him or live with him. It doesn't make sense that our loving Father would be destroying and killing Families and innocents just to enact revenge on some evil people or places.

Anyway, I've had a lot of thoughts this week as I've seen the incredible suffering that has taken place due to Hurricane Katrina and it is just awful. It makes what I'm doing here on my blog seem pretty small compared to so much suffering and death that is currently going on. At this point, I have no idea when or if God ever intervenes in this life and if he does, why and why not when something like this happens? We had the Tsunami last year now this...but where was God? Are his hands tied? Yet there are probably thousands of people that feel that God intervened and saved them. Did he? Did they save themselves and give the credit to God? What about all of those that died including many Children? I just don't get it and doubt I ever will, at least in this life. We've all had experiences at one point or another were we believe we were spared or protected by the hand of God. Did he really protect us or were we just lucky and everything just happened to work out? Let's just say that God did protect us and intervened, does that make us more special than those that he doesn't protect and save?

Are we his favored Children and those that died, well, he just didn't care about them or their sad, mourning Families? I'm not prepared to say that God favors me over anybody!! It just isn't right for me to say that. I've had many personal experiences in my life were I could have been a goner but I'm still here. Are those of us that are still here, here for some great purpose? A greater purpose than those that have died? So those that died had nothing left to accomplish? They fulfilled their purpose, so God took them home? I'm grateful to still be here but I'm not going to ever say anymore that God favored me, or thank God that he protected me because I'm better than someone else. If it is true, he favors those he saves, then great, I'll find out on the other side, but it just isn't something that I can accept anymore in this life. I just can't bring myself to say that I'm better than any of those poor people that have died and suffered so much this past week. So, those of us that remain on this planet are hear because we haven't fulfilled our purpose? Who knows? I'm just glad to be here whatever the reason is and hope to be hear for at least another 60 years or so. I'm just not sure that it's in God's hands as everyone says.

I look at it this way; it's kind of like when two sports teams are gonna play and they both pray to God that they'll win. One wins and one looses; did God pick the winner based on who had the best prayer, was more sincere or some other mystical reason? Some guys on the team that won, needed to win more than the guys on the other team? Even better yet, the team that won has better guys with less sin? I've heard that before!! Well, my opinion is that the God that doesn't stop Hurricanes, Tsunamis, Wars and earthquakes, sure as hell isn't going to be picking winners in sporting events. If he does, then count me out of his Kingdom on the other side. It's like finger nails down a chalkboard when after a sporting event, they interview the star player on the winning team and he says, "I first want to thank God for helping us win this game tonight"...blah blah blah...complete BS!! God had nothing to do with it, NOTHING!! I could be wrong but I doubt it!!

Also, I'm not leaving out the people that live in other parts of the world, such as Africa, that are starving to death, in the middle of Civil Wars, etc. There are so many all around the world that suffer and die everyday from various things. I guess the bottom line is that I'm very grateful that I've been able to overcome certain things and times in my life and that I'm still here, for whatever reason. If God has indeed blessed me for some reason, I thank God and he/she, will have to explain to me why their was intervention for me while so many didn't have the intervention, protection and died or suffered greatly and lost everything. I cling to the hope that someday, it will all make sense. I'm sure that it won't happen in this life, it will have to be in the next life which I do believe strongly in. So, like everything else, I guess we just need faith that someday it will all fall into place.

Anyway, back to reality for a minute and the reason that I started this blog. I just heard on the news that the Mormon Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley was in Samoa today, rededicating their new Samoan temple. Just for those that don't know, the last one caught on fire and burned to the ground, so they rebuilt it. (I guess it was God's plan) I'm sure it cost them many millions of dollars to rebuild that temple. Anyway, my question is, what the hell was Hinckley doing in Samoa dedicating a temple when we just suffered the greatest natural disaster in American History. Wasn't there someone in New Orleans, Mississippi or Alabama that could have used his comforting? After all, he claims to be God's Prophet, Seer and Revelator of the only one and true Church on the face of the planet. So he decides to fly out of the country and dedicate a temple in Samoa?!! I find it disgraceful!! If he was already still out of the country, he should have flown home immediately and rescheduled the temple dedication for a later date.

Where has he been or any of the Apostles or First Presidency, any General Authorities for that matter, since this disaster? Where are they? Jet-setting around the world doing official Church Business? Too busy to publicly comment on this disaster? If they have and I missed it, I do apologize but I haven't seen it, nothing!! I know that they put out press releases saying that they gave food, sent trucks, etc, but no public statements, no interviews? What an embarrassment!! I guess they are waiting for the moment in the sun at General Conference to express what they think. Then again, maybe they won't even talk about it. Too many other more important things to drill into everyones head, like pornography, tithing, etc.

To me, this further proves what I have been saying on this blog, that they aren't God's anointed and care very little for anything outside of their so called Church, Billion dollar empire/corporation, real estate investments and themselves. They are completely and totally disconnected from all reality!! I know that in the ward where I live, it was reported to me today that there was verily even a mention of the disaster and nothing at all from the Bishop or any counselors. Disgusting!! I can't believe that the Bishop of every Mormon ward in the world, every Church for that matter, wouldn't get up and talk about current events and to ask that everyone pray for these people. Again, why should I be surprised!! It should have come in the form of a letter from the First Presidency, something, anything, but nothing!! If God's anointed have nothing to say now, at this great time of need and comfort, then why should anyone care about anything else they have to say, ever? They are just spoiled rotten, rich frauds leading a fraud knowingly in order to gain more money and filthy lucre, that's it!!

No joke, the Mormon Church reminds me more and more of the movie, "The Village." The similarities and comparisons are stunning!! Everybody living in their own little world, barely even aware or seeming to care what is happening outside of their little Mormon community. Now I didn't say everyone, I'm just saying in general. You always have people that are just amazing people and they would be if they were Catholic, Lutheran, etc. They just happen to be Mormon and do amazing things as a Mormon but not because of their religion but because of who they are. I've always had the opinion that you have great Bishops and horrible Bishops based on who they were before they became Bishops. If they were a jerk before the calling, their a bigger jerk after being called to be a Bishop. The power and "Priesthood Authority" will go to the head of these types. The Bishops that were already cool beforehand, are cool after being called. If they had a great and tender heart before, they'll have one after. So once again, it all comes down to who they are, not what they are, what religion they are, etc. So whenever the Mormon Church has great people that just happen to be members, Bishops, etc, they should count their blessings as it makes the Church look good even though it isn't the Church, it's the person and the people.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for tonight, Sunday, September 4th, 2005. I have plenty of thoughts on the Church and what they have done for the victims of Hurricane Katrina VS. what they could be doing. I'm not ungrateful for what they or anyone has done, I'm just a realist and I will post those comments in a different post since this one is already so long. I guess I'll count this post as my Sunday night commentary on the week that has passed. Originally, that wasn't my intention, but it turned out that way. That's what I love about this blog and being able to express myself here; sometimes I start out with one thing in mind but take it in a totally different direction like I did tonight. Sometimes I don't even have in mind what I am trying to do as you can probably tell....LOL!! Just hang in there with me and hopefully by the end, it will all make sense.Sometimes, I just start writing and see where I end up. That is what I did tonight. Thanks again for everyone that is reading my blog, I really appreciate you guys, thanks so much!!

Also, I've had a few requests to allow people to post comments but for now I'm going to still say no. My original point of this post was to make it mine. I've had some "TBM Trolls"(Current members that can't leave us Ex-Mormons alone) trying to taunt me and trying to undermine what I'm trying to do. They would just try to clutter this place up with ugly ridiculous comments and this blog isn't for them anyway. I know that I could delete their comments and that many of you would come to my defense or just the defense of what's right and defend the truth but that wasn't the point of this blog. For over 30 years, I was told what to think, how to believe, what to believe, what to say, what not to say, what to do, what not to do and now I'm free of all that. I just felt that I needed a place that was mine, to express what I feel, completely free of that oppressive force that I've dealt with the majority of my life. I hope that makes sense to everyone.

However, I do love your comments and that is why I have my email under my profile for anyone that wants to email me. It is Samueltheutahnite@yahoo.com. I want all the comments I can get and I really do appreciate those that have emailed me and thanked me for this blog. I love to hear you experiences and stories. I love to know that I have helped someone. If I have helped you in anyway, please let me know. For those of you that haven't heard back from me yet, I apologize but you will this week. Thank you!! My thought is that if someone cares enough to leave comments on my blog, they will also care enough and take the time to email me. Do they want me to know what they think or others to know what they think? I'm on the Mormon Recovery board a lot so come find me over there and we can swap live posts. If you send me an email and want me to share your comments, just tell me and I'll post them. Anyway, if I ever change my mind on this, I'll let you all know.

Well, guys and gals, that's it for tonight!! I will try to post my other comments from the past week before I crash tonight. What a tragic week it was!! So much suffering, so much death and I'm not sure why but it is what it is and now we just need to help those that have suffered so much. I love that Utah has taken some of the Hurricane victims in and that we are helping them. I heard tonight that they may need volunteers and supplies. So, for all of us that can help out, lets do what we can to make the lives of these people, that have suffered and lost so much, to be a little better and a little brighter. Have a great night and a great week!! Good night!!

Samuel the Utahnite