IMO all the talk about the temple, Chad and Lori being sealed, etc. is a total smoke screen to hide the fact that ultimately they were just two people who had developed feelings for each other and wanted to have sex, but didn't want to lose their supporters. It's sad that they are using tenets of the religion, especially those that are very sacred to most members, to justify their lust and immaturity.
Well, that's certainly one point of view, and well stated.
The other point of view, of course, is the sinister one, wherein they actually believe their ravings and ramblings; and I for one (JMO, MOO, IMO) don't think that just because they currently are residing in Hawaii, that we can be guaranteed that means that Lori and Chad didn't intend to go crawling back to Ground Zero (wherever Ground Zero might be) closer to the magic date of July 20, 2020.
Again, JMO, MOO, IMO. I think the modern trend is to very much be cynical about these things and think they are always money grabs, and that the money-grabbers don't in fact believe in any shreds of religion, a la L. Ron Hubbard. I think this is a mistake, especially in a world where leaders of some apostate offshoots have in fact killed themselves along with their disciples to avoid living in this world.
To change the topic slightly from the temple sealing speculation discussion. I'm reminded of something that keeps bothering me from Chad's blog posts. Almost every author he signed he first met and communicated with on an unnamed forum or website. Then he describes how he went to the forum member's home and convinced him or her to write books.
Here's one example:
"I visited a website in early 2015 where HS* had shared a few dreams he had experienced throughout his life. More recently he had been having dreams about his family’s future. I read them with interest..."
[...]
"Then one Friday night in January I was talking with my family at home in Springville when the Spirit said, “Go knock on HS’s door right now. He needs to write a book.”
I really hate receiving those kinds of messages. I know how writing a book can change a person’s life completely, for good and bad. I had never met HS or even sent him an email message, but I went to the computer and found his address. I was happy to see he also lived in Springville. At least the Spirit knew it would be a short trip. I was expecting him to live in Provo or even farther.
I grabbed my jacket and told my wife Tammy, “Uh, I need to go tell someone they need to write a book.” She is fortunately accustomed to this kind of thing. She said, “Okay. I’ll see you when you get back.”
It was dark by the time I got to HS’s home. I rang the doorbell, and HS opened the door a bit tentatively. I said, “Hi, I’m Chad Daybell. I publish Julie Rowe’s books. You’ve heard of her, right?”
HS nodded. “Yeah, I’ve read her books.”
“Can I come in for a minute?” I asked. HS graciously allowed me in, and I explained I had read some of his dreams on a website. He shared more details about them, and we really felt like old friends right from the start. I met his wife, who is also named Tammy, and I thought that was a good sign. After an hour and a half, I finally broached the subject of writing a book. HS looked shocked. “Me?” he asked. “Wow, I don’t know.”
I figured that answer was better than “No.” So I explained how I would help assemble it. He soon agreed to do it, and I made sure Tammy was on board as well. They are a great couple, and she has been a huge support every step of the way."
8- Halos and Hector Sosa | cdaybell.com
*Changed name to initials. BBM.
There's something so off about this whole thing but I'm struggling to put my thoughts into words... It's freaky to me that Chad looked up HS's home address, knocked on his door without ever having met him and as a total stranger Chad was let in to talk to HS
for an hour and half... And then out of the blue Chad convinces HS to write a book. For one thing, I thought the publishing world usually worked the other way around and authors sought to get themselves published or get a contract to write book. But even putting aside the claim that Chad convinced HS to write a book, I can't make this story match up with any world or culture I have ever lived in. I feel like I'm reading an episode of the twilight zone every time I read this... it seems so.. unreal is the best word I can come up with. Is it just me?
MOO.
Maybe it plays better in rural LDS Idaho? I live in NYC and am a big ol' introvert, so grant it would never happen to me, haha; but I wouldn't rule it out as behavior for "the heartland", especially considering that it seems like he's picking out PaP-posting intimates who already know about Julie Rowe.
I think the major mistake lies in Chad's (and even to whatever extent Tammy's belief took things) and others' determining that it matters a dang what "their dreams" are; and that people can in fact in this day and age have prophetic dreams that should be acted upon. I think if they weren't tempted to reinvent the wheel, they wouldn't have such problems.
