The Elect

The church places great emphasis on the recruitment and evangelization of new converts, and sets regular time aside in meetings to discuss missionary experiences. They teach that with enough persistence, members can find the elect in their neighborhoods, places of employment, in the classroom, etc. The elect are the ones who readily accept the Gospel without question, while those who question are either blinded or hard-hearted ("Mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts."-D&C 29:7; "Many.. who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it."-D&C 123:12).

The invitation to search, ponder, and pray in reality is less about the searching, and more about the receipt and consideration of church sanctioned material alone. Church members know the approved sources of LDS information, and are discouraged from a more comprehensive regimen of study materials. That discouragement comes in the way of leaders calling detractors foolish and pathetic, and condemning their research as "anti-Mormon" and "poisonous". Thorough investigators will find this notion unacceptable that searching should not include as many potential sources as possible, including those that may detract, and the church's official response to those detractors. Investigators of the church that have one ounce of inclination to know if it is true without blind acceptance will look at most sources available on the internet before making a life-altering decision to join or for those who have already joined, to continue to belong. New investigators that find sources that they consider relevant, but damaging, to the church’s portrayal of history should find missionaries and members ignorant for failing to consider the information. They should find the church's response to these sources as inadequate and dismissive in a way that suggests culpability (i.e. ad hominem attacks).

How do you know which claims should legitimately be considered as relevant historical information and which should be considered anti-LDS without investigating. It is paradoxical to ask someone to search and then tell them where to search, like having an Easter Egg hunt, and then showing the children where you hid the eggs.

It is my belief that being Elect in the LDS church is less about listening to the Lord's voice, and more about ready acceptance of the church as true based on the 'fruits' of social activities that the church has in abundance. How could it possibly not be true with so many happy people belonging to it?

JB