When I was growing up, my parents liked to play The Messiah soundtrack a lot. I was too young to understand what it was, but certain parts stood out to me and sounded funny.
Like the song that said we are like sheep. I would go around the house singing “We like sheep! All we like sheep!”
Baaaa
But it’s true, humans are very much like sheep. We crave conformity. We love groupthink. Give me a team to cheer for! Tell me what to say and let me parrot it for all to hear, without ever really thinking twice.
Beyond basic conformity (we can talk about that another time), the LDS church has discovered that they can wipe away bad impressions or rewrite bad theology without any argument, if they just turn it into a nice catch phrase!
We can make up a euphemism for something we don’t want to actually say, and all the sheep will just follow suit.
Don’t want to tell them directly to do the culty temple things? Just tell them to “Stay on the covenant path.”
Don’t want to spell out your works-based salvation recipe? Just sum it up with “Choose the right!” This is the maxim I grew up with, and then it fizzled out. (I wonder what happened to all those rings?)
or “Return with honor!” (That was a pretty good one. Why didn’t that one last?)
But let’s talk about this new idea from Nelson’s presidency, the “Ongoing restoration.”
Think about it. If the restoration is never complete, then prophets get to continue making up whatever the heck they want, and just attribute it to the “ongoing restoration!”
Isn’t it wonderful? The Lord continues to restore!
And we continue to change theology!
Just a little sleight of hand…
No, we never said you would become your own God and make your own worlds! Look over here instead! It’s the ongoing restoration!
No, Adam wasn’t God, where did you get that from?
The word of wisdom sent by greeting, not by commandment or restraint? Nope, changed my mind! God’s just continuing to restore….
And BLOOD ATONEMENT? Quick, hide that one under the rug!
Don’t let anyone know that was part of the “original restoration.” Because now it’s the ongoing restoration!
Just look HERE, not THERE!!
They aren’t changing doctrines. They’re just continuing the restoration, that’s all! Nothing to worry about. They were prophets then, and they are still prophets now. Of course! It’s not a contradiction, just continuing the restoration!
All I Possess 