802. Wayne's missionary efforts in the last weeks of his life! Also a great article on "Why we DON'T QUIT the Mormon Church!"

At the end of this is an article that Wayne wrote and sent to the local newspaper on January 12, 2016, just about 5 weeks before he passed away on February 21, 2016.  He was doing his bit for missionary work up to the last of his life.   This was blog # 576, on Jan. 12, 2016.




 I found this on Facebook, and it is well worth reading!  Great thoughts on why we DON'T QUIT the Mormon Church!-- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints -- 

Perhaps this beautiful new Temple in Provo, about to be dedicated, is making some people nervous.  It has been reconstructed in the shell of a Stake Center; the beautiful building which burned from the inside awhile ago.

Dustin Lee Burnham (posted by him I think)

August 18, 2015 · 

Quitting the Mormon Church

In a local newspaper in Provo (Utah), there had been an ongoing series of articles written by individuals who wanted to persuade, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as, the “Mormon Church” to leave the Church. In response to the highly critical and spirited remarks, a local member wrote this rebuttal:

Editor:

I have been thinking of quitting the Mormon Church. Yes, if I can, I am going to get even with that church. As soon as I can find another church that teaches about the Gathering of the House of Israel; the return of the Ten Tribes and their mission; the return of the Jews to Palestine and why, and how they are going to build the temple; the building of temples and what to do with them; the mission of Elias, the prophet, as predicted by Malachi; the method for the salvation of the people that died at the time of Noah in the flood; the origin of the American Indian; the complete explanation of why Jesus of Nazareth had to have a mortal mother but not a mortal father;

 the explanation of the three degrees of glory (three heavens) as mentioned by Paul; the complete explanation of why Elias and Moses did not die but had to be translated (since they both lived before the resurrection was introduced by Christ); the restoration of the gospel by modern revelation as promised by Peter and Paul and Jesus himself; the belief in eternal marriage and the family, and the knowledge and the place to seal for eternity; that teaches abstinence from all harmful drugs and foods ; and that sells the best fire insurance policy on earth, for the last days, for only a tenth of my income.

Yes sir, as soon as I can find another church that teaches all that, or even half as much, I will say good-bye to this Mormon Church. The church that I am looking for must also be able to motivate 90,000+ youth, and adults, for the first, second or third time, to leave their homes for two years at their own expense and go to far-away places to teach and preach without salary.

 It must be able to call, on a frosty day, some 5 or 6 thousand professors, students, lawyers, doctors, judges, policemen, businessmen, housewives and children to go and pick apples at 6 am. It must be able to call meetings and get the attention for two hours of more than 300,000 men. Yes, it must also teach and show why salvation is assured for children who die before eight years of age.

Mr. Editor, could you help me find a church that teaches all that and more than hundreds of other doctrines and principles, which I have no room to mention here, and which brings solace and comfort to the soul; peace, hope, and salvation to mankind, and above all, that answers the key questions that all the great philosophers have asked; questions and answers that explain the meaning of life, the purpose of death, suffering and pain; the absolute need for a Redeemer and the marvelous plan conceived by our Fatherand executed by Jesus Christ the Savior?

Yes, as soon as I find another church that teaches that, and also that has the organization and the powers to make that teaching effective, I am going to quit the Mormon Church. For I should not tolerate that “they” should change a few words in the Book of Mormon - even if those changes simply improve the grammar and the syntax of the verses - for, after all, don’t you think the Divine Church should employ angels as bookmakers, and clerks, to do all the chores on earth?

 Don’t you think, Mr. Editor that the Divine Church should also have prophets that don’t get sick and don’t get old and die, and certainly, that don’t make a goof here and there. No, sir! A Divine Church should be so divine that only perfect people should belong to it, and only perfect people should run it. As a matter of fact, the Church should be so perfect that it should not even be here on earth!

So, I repeat, if any one of the kind readers of this imperfect letter knows about another church that teaches and does as much for mankind as the Mormon Church, please let me know. And please do it soon, because my turn to go to the cannery is coming up. Also, “they” want my last son (the fifth one)to go away for two years and again, I have to pay for all that. And I also know that they expect me to go to the farm to prune trees, and I have heard that our ward is going to be divided again, and it is our side that must build the new chapel.

 And also, someone the other day had the gall of suggesting that my wife and I get ready to go on a second mission, and when you come back, they said, you can volunteer as a temple worker. Boy, these Mormons don’t leave you alone for a minute.

And what do I get for all that, I asked? “Well,” they said, “for one, you can look forward to a funeral service at no charge!”… Do you think you can help me to find another church?

Thomas D. Clark

My husband Wayne, in front of the computer where he does indexing -- 5,000 to 7,000 a month.

And to finish off this blog, I want to include another letter to the editor which came in our local newspaper, The Spectrum, today, January 12, 2016, written by my husband, Wayne D. Eckman.  He is 85, on dialysis, and quite homebound because of effects from esophageal cancer, and many other health issues.  But he wanted to do his bit for missionaries!

Are You Curious?

It is said, "Curiosity killed the cat and satisfaction brought it back to life again."  Non-LDS people and others who pass by the temple here in St. George must be a little curious about what's going on in there as people, dressed in their Sunday best, enter and exit.  Traditional marriages have a divorce clause at the end -- until death do you part.  Not so in the LDS Church -- Marriages for the faithful are performed for time and all eternity therein.  Everyone who has a loving family should desire such a blessing.  Another important ordinance performed there is baptism for the dead -- those who died without a knowledge of the Gospel.  This practice took place in Biblical times during the apostle Paul's time.  See 1 Corinthians 15:29.  This is time to cast aside prejudices and investigate the LDS claims.  Curiosity is not a bad thing, but it can be detrimental if nothing is done to satisfy that curiosity.  Invite missionaries over and let them explain it to you.  You'll be glad you did!

Sincerely, Wayne D Eckman