I have learned that there are only ever two things that are worth preaching over. The first and greatest is to turn to God. This is commonly called repentance, as in “preach nothing but repentance unto the people.” Unfortunately, repentance has often been reduced to convincing individuals to commit or abstain from a list of things. This is wresting of the principle in more ways than can briefly be summarized, but an attempt has been made in the “Gospel of Christ” chapter.
The second topic worth preaching about is the tearing down of false traditions that prevent people from turning to God. Most are prevented from turning to God through a misunderstanding of what God is like (and what he is not like), what he is saying (and what he is not saying), and what his will is for us (and what it is not). One can only repent to the degree that they are free from false traditions. Therefore, one cannot preach repentance without preaching against false traditions.
Truth is a plant that doesn't compete well with the weeds of false tradition. Helping others see and overcome false traditions has been the task of messengers of God from the beginning of time. We are told in the Book of Mormon that one cannot come to a knowledge of the truth without the prerequisite removal of false traditions:
And behold, ye do know of yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are brought to the knowledge of the truth, and to know of the wicked and abominable traditions of their fathers, and are led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to faith on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a change of heart unto them-- (Helaman 15:5-7.)
Joseph Smith taught that “to become a joint heir of the heirship of the Son, one must put away all his false traditions.” (TPJS, p 321.) For instance, Jesus spent the majority of his ministry doing just that. Ezekiel was charged,
Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers: (Ezekiel 20:4.)
God made clear that the purpose of pointing out false tradition was always to obtain the closer relationship with God that comes through repentance:
Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcasses of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever. (Ezekiel 43:9.)
Conversely, remaining in false tradition causes the loss of light and truth:
And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers. (D&C 93:39.)
False tradition is introduced when a people gradually becoming less in tune with God than their predecessors through disobedience and/or sloth. Eventually, all that remains of their chosen status are memories of the fruits of closeness to God that are no longer apparent. Through time, God's continuous living word is replaced by static recordings of past revelations. What God is saying is replaced by what God has said. At this key time, sometimes well-meaning individuals misinterpret, modify, or replace his sayings, all the while in an environment that, witnessed by the lack of continuous revelation, is devoid of the spirit making it difficult to discern the unauthorized changes. This is how false tradition and commandments of men are born.
Tradition is sclerotic. Tradition has a way of being promoted to something more than it is; it becomes calcified and entrenched into the culture. When it hardens in our cultural/collective memory, it becomes something more than it was originally intended. Tradition almost always becomes policy, and policies almost always become commandments.
Sometimes traditions, customs, social practices, and personal preferences of individual Church members may, through repeated or common usage be misconstrued as Church procedures or policies. Occasionally, such traditions, customs and practices may even be regarded by some as eternal principles. (Elder Ronald Poelman, 1984 General Conference.)
In the church today, we see the result of over 150 years of tradition creation. Increasingly—particularly among the tech-aware youth of the church—traditions are uncovered as false. The outcome is predictable. As B.H. Roberts sagely predicted long ago, the youth throw out both church tradition and gospel truth (having associated them as one) as soon as cracks in the traditional narrative appear:
Suppose your youth receive their impressions of church history from “pictures and stories” and build their faith upon these alleged miracles [and] shall someday come face to face with the fact that their belief rests on falsehoods, what then will be the result? Will they not say that since these things are myth and our Church has permitted them to be perpetuated...might not the other fundamentals to the actual story of the Church, the things in which it had its origin, might they not all be lies and nothing but lies? ... [Some say that] because one repudiates the false he stands in danger of weakening, perhaps losing the truth. I have no fear of such results. I find my own heart strengthened in the truth by getting rid of the untruth, the spectacular, the bizarre, as soon as I learn that it is based upon worthless testimony. (Defender of the Faith: The B. H. Roberts Story, p. 363.)
As Elder Roberts explained, avoiding this outcome requires a willingness to search out and let go of false traditions while holding fast to what withstands investigation.
The words of God through Isaiah describe what happens when traditions overcome revealed religion:
But my Lord says, Because these people approach me with the mouth and pay me homage with their lips, while their heart remains far from me—their piety toward me consisting of commandments of men learned by rote— therefore it is that I shall again astound these people with wonder upon wonder, rendering void the knowledge of their sages and the intelligence of their wise men insignificant....What a contradiction you are! (Isaiah 29:1314, 16, Gileadi Translation.)
It is impossible to identify false traditions without questioning the origin and scriptural basis of our traditions. Yet, questioning traditions is exceedingly taboo in Modern Mormonism. It generates an immediate emotive reaction that prevents us from achieving many facets of spiritual growth. Self-judgment is the key to finding greater light and truth. It is the key to seeing our sins in scriptural warnings.
My hope is that, in some small way, this book can be one of the wonders of the Lord that renders void the supposed knowledge of the selfproclaimed sage and wise among us. They truly are a contradiction who, as the Pharisees of old, pay great homage to God with their lips, while their hearts are far from him. Though they are blinded to this fact by their acts of devotion to God, as they suppose, they are equally blind to the fact that their lives and works are an abomination before God.