Will the Next Prophet Please Stand Up...

I just read this article on how the succession proceeds in the event of the death of the prophet. It stirred up some thoughts:

First, on a practical level, I didn’t realize that the Quorum of the Twelve could decide NOT to call a prophet at that time. I also didn’t realize that even though they have traditionally chosen the senior apostle, that’s not a requirement. So, while it’s very likely that Thomas Monson will be the next prophet and president of the church, it’s not a done deal. Well, it pretty much is.

Second, I find it exciting and comforting to know that there is an order, a method to this. I like that there is no campaigning nor elections for title. There’s no wondering, no manipulations, nothing.

I feel the same way about America, oddly enough. Even though there is much debate and campaigning, when we pick a new president, he’s in. Since we have the right to speak out against his policies, we don’t find a need to invoke violence if someone we don’t like is elected. How many other nations in the world can say that? Every 4 or 8 years, power transfers peacefully, and America moves on. In the church, when a prophet dies, authority transfers, and we all move on.

Third, once the decision is made who is to be my prophet, it is MY responsibility to decide whether or not to follow him. Do I really believe that God called him? Do I trust him to lead me where I need to go? Ultimately, I need to pray and receive my own testimony of the divine calling of the new prophet.

In my case, that’s going to be particularly easy. I’ve heard Pres Monson speak (both in telecast and in person), and I’ve felt the strong witness of the Holy Spirit as I’ve listened to his words. I trust the man to lead me.

Fourth, even though I trust him, I can’t help but speculate where he’ll take the church in the next 20 years or so of his life. It will be fascinating to see, especially with the current media attention. As the Chinese have said, “May you live in interesting times…”

MRKH
Mark Hansen
http://markhansenmusic.com

Here's to You, Pres. Hinkley

The news isn't even an hour old, and already the 'net and the bloggernacle are abuzz. Not at all surprising.

President Gordon B Hinkley has died. (Just in case you hadn't heard yet)

There will be those, I'm sure, who are saddened by the news. I'm not one of them. In fact, when I first heard the news, I wanted to jump up and cheer. To me, this was great news to celebrate.

The last few conferences, you could see how much he missed Marjorie, his dear wife. You could see how much that was weighing on him. He kept pressing on in the vast work of running the church, and he kept his usual good humor with him, but you could see it wearing on the poor man.

Now, he can finally go and be with her.

There are a few readers of my blog that are not members of my faith, and for their benefit, let me explain: We believe that those that are married (we call it being "sealed") in our temples are not just married for temporal life, but for all eternity. If both spouses are faithful to the gospel and to each other, they are exalted together, and are still married in the life to come.

Well, I don't know that I can think of a man and wife who have been more faithful than Pres and Sister Hinkley. Of all of us, I'd think that they'd be the most certain of all of us to have the kind of marriage that could last for eternity.

This man has accomplished so much for the good of the church, and for the good of the world in his lifetime. And so, I say it's time to celebrate! He has returned to his Father, and can face Him with his wife in joy.

I hope that when I go, I can say the same!




MRKH
Mark Hansen
http://markhansenmusic.com

Dangerous Things to Say in a Red State

I was reading over at the BBC about a survey conducted to see just how much westerners and muslims liked each other.

The news isn’t pretty. But it’s not entirely gloomy, either.

I had a few thoughts as I looked at the article, mostly derived from a few hotspots:

“Describing the position now, majorities on both sides said they did not believe the two sides were getting along.”

Hmmm… Who called the obvious squad to the scene, here? This is the kind of original, fresh, and insightful observations we’ve come to expect from modern journalism.

“According to WEF poll, neither the West nor the Muslim world believed the other side respected it. But while Muslims said they believed their world did respect the West, Western respondents agreed that the West did not respect the Muslim world.”

Here, in my opinion is the whole crux of the matter. We don’t respect them, and they don’t respect us (as much as they say might think they do). Neither side understands the other, and neither side is really making much of a serious attempt to. And the reason we’re in the mess we’re in right now is because it’s always been that way.

“Most respondents said they did not believe violent conflict was inevitable.”

That’s good, considering it’s already happening. I guess once the bullets are flying, the question of inevitability is kinda moot, innit?

“Most respondents said the quality of the relationship between the West and the Muslim world was important to them personally.”

Again, once bullets are flying and sons are dying on both sides, it would make a lot of sense for people to find the situation to be important to them personally. I would hope so. And I would hope that would inspire people to think of ways to bridge the gap and resolve the issues instead of throwing more bullets at each other.

But I guess that’s just a pipe dream, as long as we don’t respect each other.

MRKH
Mark Hansen
http://markhansenmusic.com