The church today (Mormon 8):
[35] Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.
[36] And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts.
[37] For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.
[38] O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies — because of the praise of the world?
[39] Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?
[40] Yea, why do ye build up your secret abominations to get gain, and cause that widows should mourn before the Lord, and also orphans to mourn before the Lord, and also the blood of their fathers and their husbands to cry unto the Lord from the ground, for vengeance upon your heads?
[41] Behold, the sword of vengeance hangeth over you; and the time soon cometh that he avengeth the blood of the saints upon you, for he will not suffer their cries any longer.

The white (Gentile) culture members of today (3 Nephi 16:10):
[10] And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them.

The so called ‘lamanites’ of today (properly called ‘Remnant of Jacob’)(3 Nephi 16:11-12):
[11] And then will I remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them.
[12] And I will show unto thee, O house of Israel, that the Gentiles shall not have power over you; but I will remember my covenant unto you, O house of Israel, and ye shall come unto the knowledge of the fulness of my gospel.

The destiny of the so called ‘lamanite’ – ‘Remnant of Jacob’)(3 Nephi 20):
[13] And then shall the remnants, which shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, be gathered in from the east and from the west, and from the south and from the north; and they shall be brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them.
[14] And the Father hath commanded me that I should give unto you this land, for your inheritance.
[15] And I say unto you, that if the Gentiles do not repent after the blessing which they shall receive, after they have scattered my people —
[16] Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

The final relationship between the Gentile culture and the mighty Remnant of Jacob (3 Nephi 21):
[22] But if they (the white culture Gentiles) will repent and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance;
[23] And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.
[24] And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.

Notice that the culture of the Remnant of Jacob is spiritually superior to the culture of the white Gentiles (Babylon). That is why they will be give the fullness of the Gospel that the modern Gentile church has already rejected. That is why they are the future leader of the Church.

So you see, culture does matter!!!

I can recall, while on my mission in 1982, listening to a General Conference tape of a talk that he gave, well, it was more of a testimony than a prepared talk. It was powerful. The words and the Spirit of God merged together and affected me in a way that only a few other sermons/talks have.

Reading both of the letters he wrote saddend me on a whole series of levels, not the least of which was an apparent refusal to back down and acknowledge that the right to steady the ark has never been deligated.

His concerns may have had some validity, but at the end of the day, those men who hold the proper keys, will be responsible for the way with which they were used.

Seeing a recent picture of Elder Lee, hair long and all over the place, just under a picture of him in is G.A. days reminded me somewhat of the description that Brigham Young gave of Thomas March, when Marsh made his way back to the Church and gave a talk.

Elder Lee will be accountable for the harm he did to that child. But that accountablity won’t be to any of us here.

Let the family remember him as they wish.

I would suggest following the request of J. Reuben Clark Jr. who, when discussing his own funeral arrangements, did not want his vices made into his virtues.

Not that it changes my original point, but there are already plenty of programs in place through the gov’t for Native Americans to take advantage of, I’m not sure why the Church would be responsible for more? Its prejudice and insulting IMO. Just like calling them “Lamanites” is. (I realize for a time it was socially appropriate, but as our church leaders have made it clear, it is no longer)

Not trying to get into temple content or anything. But how closely do Navajo rituals and traditional religion relate to the Hopi?
I only ask because Hugh Nibley wrote some stuff on it.