Posted by:
Jesus Smith
(
)
Date: March 11, 2013 10:40AM
Bednar spoke on March 3, 2013 at a CES devotional in Arlington, TX. His talk focused on the idea that it is better to not shrink than it is to survive.
http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/watch/ces-devotionals/2013/01?lang=eng&vid=2201224691001The wackiest fun statement of the talk was that life is a "powerful penetrating pattern of paradoxes". Most of the talk was absolutely lame and didn't even have many zany topics or statements that we could lance and poke at.
The largest part was focused on a story of a newly wedded couple, three weeks after the nuptials, learning that the young husband had cancer with about a 30% chance of survival. They called on Bednar to bless them. The wife was convinced that Bednar had the (magic) power to heal her new husband, like Bednar was some kind of wizard.
Instead of promising a miracle, Bednar asked the young man (paraphrased):
"John, do you have the faith NOT to be healed. Do you have the faith to submit to god's will if it were his will to not be healed and to be called to continue your ministry in the spirit world?"
(I couldn't almost hear it in Elder Borat-style: "Do you have the faith to be healed ... ... ... NOT!" )
Effectively Elder Borat was asking the guy if he would give his life for the church.
And lo-and-behold, despite Bednar's unblessing, the miracle still happened. And of course, Bednar claimed it as a miraculous cure--John was healed. Then years later, he got cancer again. I don't think Bednar said whether he died or lived the second time, but by his tone about submitting to god, I gather the man died.
At the end Bednar said "If all maladies were healed and problems curtailed, then god's plan would be frustrated. "
I realize that this is meant to be revealing in a deep secret that god has a higher purpose and is testing us, but it seems so lame from a post-mo perspective. Bednar's version of god seems lame and ineffective given the extremely low success rate of teaching humans to be good mormons.
At the end, Bednar did admit "I do not the meaning of all things." And then went on to proclaim that he does know some things, like god is real, jesus is real, joseph smith is really cool, etc.
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2013 10:49AM by Jesus Smith.