Saturday, April 2, 2022

Conflation of Testimony ?

First: What is conflation?
Conflation is the merging of two or more sets of information, texts, ideas, opinions, etc., into one, often in error.
In logic, it is the practice of treating two distinct concepts as if they were one, which produces errors or misunderstandings as a fusion of distinct subjects tends to obscure analysis of relationships which are emphasized by contrasts.1
Second: What is conflation of testimony?

Over the years, I have heard testimony conflation so many times. Sometimes, it goes like this: 1) God has given me an undeniable witness that the Book of Mormon is true; THEREFORE: 2) I can assume without further question that Joseph Smith is / was / remained a true prophet; 3) that every prophet since Joseph was / is / remained a true prophet; and 4) that the present latter-day Church is / was / remains the only true and living Church2 being administered according to God's true direction by true prophets, seers, and revelators. In my view, a classic conflation of testimony of 1, 2, & 4 can be found here3 by LDSPrepper. BUT does an undeniable witness of the Book of Mormon or of Joseph Smith mean we can make truth assumptions about related or subsequent matters without a further undeniable witness of those related or subsequent matters?

What do we think scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Priests, and Levites thought of their policies and practices in the days of Jesus? If one of them had asked God whether the Torah (the Law? the Ten Commandments?) were true and whether Moses was a true prophet, would they not have received undeniable witness? BUT would they have been safe to assume that related and subsequent matters were necessarily true also? History witnesses over and over how the things of God get changed and encumbered by man's interpolations and hubris. JST Jesus himself warned His disciples (black and red bold is JST):
   6 And Jesus said unto his disciples, Beholdest thou the scribes,* and the Pharisees, and the Priests, and the Levites? They teach in their synagogues, but do not observe the law, nor the commandments; and all have gone out of the way, and are under sin.
   7 Go thou and say unto them, Why teach ye men the law and the commandments, when ye yourselves are the children of corruption?

   8 5 Say unto them, Thou hypocrite Ye hypocrites, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye eyes; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
   9 Go ye into the world, saying unto all, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come nigh unto you.4
Might Joseph Smith's dream5 related on the morning of his martyrdom give us warning to keep watch? How about the D&C parable repeat of the wheat and tares6? If the last-days' blade was yet tender when the tares manifest, what have the tares done in 192 years? And if wheat and tares are growing together, how can we make assumptions about what God approves as true unless we ask God himself and cease making continual assumptions of continuity based upon a narrow witness? And if one witness differs from another, who are we to impose our belief or to claim ours is the one true witness? We are to witness as directed by God, and leave it up to God thereafter, each being accountable to Him alone for what we do with our witness or lack thereof. And according to the law of witnesses, every soul that is asked to serve, receive, or act in any capacity is entitled to seek and receive one of those witnesses of God's will for them.

As to LDSPrepper's “it-does-not-mean” litany, he did not mention the things that it did mean like: a COVID experimental vaccine mandate for missionary service; for BYU athletes, students, employees, and event guests; for Tabernacle Choir participation; for JRCLS fireside invitees7; etc., etc. It did mean a mystery vaccine concocted by Pharma companies who have been fined billions for fraud.8 He did not mention that “safe and effective” could not possibly have been known when people were assured it was (and when censored data soon began proving it was known to trigger severe adverse reactions9). He did not mention how everyone has opted out of accountability for the thousands of adverse effects and deaths when giving “expert” advice. He did not mention God's council to not trust in the “arm of flesh.” He did not mention Ether 8.10 He did not mention the tens of thousands of doctors and other medical professionals who have spoken out against the COVID / vaccine narrative and been censored.11 He did not mention the discrimination, denial of service, and suspension of inalienable rights for those who resist the Pharma narrative. And on and on.

Third: So what is the danger of testimony conflation?

With the amount of deception, corruption, and power abuse in this world, plus the déjà vus of history, how safe is it to make assumptions about what is true without seeking specific witness? Doesn't each element and increment of a testimony need to be proven or witnessed by the Spirit? Are there things that feel wrong that we can't reconcile with our understandings of the gospel? Do we believe that faith means we don't have to think or ask questions? that we are to ignore dissonance12? On the other hand, do we reject some truths because we conflate truth with error? Or do we study things out and take our dilemmas to God? Every one of us is susceptible of conflating error with truth and truth with error.13 In the words of Søren Kierkegaard:
“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”14 
As to reliance on “the very elect” instead of the Spirit to determine what is true, perhaps we should consider this post from 10 years ago.
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2012/09/if-it-were-possible.html
This is not to say that people in positions of perceived power and authority, even if engaged in error, do not sometimes speak or work aspects of God's truth. Remember JST Solomon (bold is JST):
1 And the Lord was not pleased with Solomon, for he made affinity with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter to wife, and brought her into the city house of David until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. And the Lord blessed Solomon for the people’s sake only.15
Remember the high priest Caiaphas:
49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.16
We are in a time of testing beyond our wildest imagination. If we are to overcome, we must be aware of our tendency to conflate beliefs or witness. We have to seek undeniable witness of all elements of our testimony and be humbly open to whatever that witness is.

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1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflation
2. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 1:30-33
   30 And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually—
   31 For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;
   32 Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven;
   33 And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received; for my Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts.
3. LDS Church Position on Vaccine - What It Does NOT Mean (Start at min. 3:26) (LDSPrepper | April 14, 2021 | 10:52 min.) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJkZTD5X1NM
4. JST New Testament | Matthew 7:6–9 from Lutes, Kenneth and Lyndell. Joseph Smith Translation (p. 2124). Lutes Publishing. Kindle Edition.
See also: Speaking Truth to Power | New Testament at https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/03/speaking-truth-to-power-new-testament.html  
5. Joseph related the following dream which he had last night [June 26-27, 1844]:
“I was back in Kirtland, Ohio, and thought I would take a walk out by myself, and view my old farm, which I found grown up with weeds and brambles, and altogether bearing evidence of neglect and want of culture. I went into the barn which I found without floor or doors, with the weather boarding off, and was altogether in keeping with the farm. While I viewed the desolation around me, and was contemplating how it might be recovered from the curse upon it, there came rushing into the barn a company of furious men, who commenced to pick a quarrel with me. The leader of the party ordered me to leave the barn and the farm, stating it was none of mine, and that I must give up all hope of ever possessing it. I told him the farm was given me by the Church, and [HC 6:609] although I had not had any use of it for some time back, still I had not sold it, and according to [p. 177] <​June 27​> righteous principles it belonged to me or the Church. He then grew furious, and began to rail upon me and threaten me, and said it never did belong to me nor the Church. I then told him that I did not think it worth contending about; that I had no desire to live upon it in its present state, and if he thought he had a better right I would not quarrel with him about it, but leave; but my assurance that I would not trouble him at present did not seem to satisfy him, as he seemed determined to quarrel with me, and threatened me with the destruction of my body. While he was thus engaged, pouring out his bitter words upon me, a rabble rushed in and nearly filled the barn, drew out their knives, and began to quarrel among themselves for the premises; and for a moment forgot me, at which time I took the opportunity to walk out of the barn about up to my ankles in mud. When I was a little distance from the barn I heard them screeching and screaming in a very distressed manner, as it appeared they had engaged in a general fight with their knives. While they were thus engaged the dream or vision ended”
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-f-1-1-may-1844-8-august-1844/183
6. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 86:4-11 (bold emphasis added)
   4 But behold, in the last days, even now while the Lord is beginning to bring forth the word, and the blade is springing up and is yet tender—
   5 Behold, verily I say unto you, the angels are crying unto the Lord day and night, who are ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap down the fields;
   6 But the Lord saith unto them, pluck not up the tares while the blade is yet tender (for verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the wheat also.
   7 Therefore, let the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe; then ye shall first gather out the wheat from among the tares, and after the gathering of the wheat [into my barn | Matthew 13:30], behold and lo, the tares are bound in bundles, and the field remaineth to be burned.
   8 Therefore, thus saith the Lord unto you, with whom the priesthood hath continued through the lineage of your fathers—
   9 For ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God—
   10 Therefore your life and the priesthood have remained, and must needs remain through you and your lineage until the restoration of all things spoken by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began.
   11 Therefore, blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness, a light unto the Gentiles, and through this priesthood, a savior unto my people Israel. The Lord hath said it. Amen. (Bold emphasis added)
7. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/02/letter-to-jrc-law-school.html
8. https://moc-n-dox.blogspot.com/2021/11/trust-us-honest.html
9. Websearch latest updates on VAERS; 
COVID-19 RNA Based Vaccines and the Risk of Prion Disease J. Bart Classen, MD*
https://scivisionpub.com/pdfs/covid19-rna-based-vaccines-and-the-risk-of-prion-disease-1503.pdf
Recent example: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/exclusive-interview-woman-dies-rare-brain-disorder-after-pfizer-shot/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=4776dc24-2ef9-479a-9b4b-16eeed4239c6
10. Book of Mormon | Ether 8:23-25
   23 Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.
   24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.
   25 For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.
11. Only a few of the counter-narrative voices out of many possible:
▪ Canadian Government Delays Mandatory Traveler Quarantine – #SolutionsWatch (James Corbett | 02/09/2021 | Time 36:25) at https://www.corbettreport.com/canadian-government-delays-mandatory-traveler-quarantine-solutionswatch/
▪ Canadian public health officials have no record of SARS-COV-2 isolation/purification performed anywhere, ever by Christine Massey, M.Sc., (exclusively for People for Justice Canada) at https://peopleforjusticecanada.com/2021/01/05/canadian-public-health-officials-have-no-record-of-sars-cov-2-isolation-purification-performed-anywhere-ever/
▪ PCR Pandemic: Interview with Virus Mania's Dr Claus Köhnlein (Sr. Sam Bailey | October 27, 2020 | Time: 35:45) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LToSnpz8A4
▪ COVID-19 panic more dangerous than the disease, say Catholic philosopher, doctor at https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/covid-19-panic-more-dangerous-than-the-disease-say-catholic-philosopher-doctor (PDF link to full article found in this link)
▪ Masks: The Science & The Myths (Dr. Lee Merritt) (Dr. Simone Gold | October 18, 2020 | Time 23:25) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RaBLKKXJt4
▪ The Truth About PCR Tests (Dr. Sam Bailey | Jan 12, 2021 | Time 17:42) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWNkJUDctdk
▪ Excess Mortality - What You Aren't Being Told (Dr. Sam Bailey | December 22, 2020 | Time 12:25) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw5ldWr9QD0
▪ Dr. Simone Gold : America's Frontline Doctors (several videos) at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcnTNQG1_WkZ5h7go3B0Ntw/video
▪ Dr. Simone Gold 2020 Book: I Do Not Consent: My Fight Against Medical Cancel Culture
▪ Making face masks mandatory is not backed by science or law: Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms at https://www.jccf.ca/making-face-masks-mandatory-is-not-backed-by-science-or-law/
▪ Dr. Roger Hodkinson CEO & Medical Director – MA, MB, FRCPC, FCAP (Dr. Marco Caravaggio |November 17,2020 | Time 5:02) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvYzf0MqObg
▪ World Freedom Alliance Stockholm Part 2 (Street Trooth | November 24, 2020 | Time 24:01) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nwtHWaHYoU
▪ Huge Lawsuits Coming Against COVID Totalitarians and Con-Artists at https://thenewamerican.com/huge-lawsuits-coming-against-covid-totalitarians-and-con-artists/?fbclid=IwAR0dzvQxcJbaogNTRoJ15DA2LgAcY49P6OWUqNfdFU0kGotagYjfm64QG34
▪ Coronavirus Fraud Scandal — The Biggest Fight Has Just Begun at https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/10/17/coronavirus-fraud-biggest-crime-against-humanity.aspx?cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20201017Z1&mid=DM679632&rid=989570834
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/
▪ What NO ONE is Saying About the Lockdowns (corbettreport.com | November 24, 2020 | Time: 9:08) at https://www.corbettreport.com/lockdowns/
▪ THIS IS WHERE WE ARE NOW (February 4, 2021 | Dave Cullen | Time 28:00) at https://computingforever.com/2021/02/04/this-is-where-we-are-now/
▪ GASLIGHTING, UNENDING LOCKDOWNS AND CLIMATE CHANGE (February 12, 2021 | Dave Cullen | Time 29:24) at https://www.bitchute.com/channel/hybM74uIHJKf/
12. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/03/staying-or-leaving.html
13. Old Testament | Isaiah 5:20
   20 ¶ Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Book of Mormon | Moroni 7:14-16
   14 Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.
   15 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
   16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
14. Søren Kierkegaard ~ (1813-1855); https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/35782-there-are-two-ways-to-be-fooled-one-is-to
15. Old Testament | JST 1 Kings 3:1 from Lutes, Kenneth and Lyndell. Joseph Smith Translation (p. 817). Lutes Publishing. Kindle Edition.
16. New Testament | John 11:49-52 (italic emphasis added)