Chose ye this day...
Its funny how disappointed I was when I looked on the Waikato Times website and there was a poll there relating to how the Hamilton City council and members of the Temple View community were "working to save parts of Church College from demolition next year". The poll question being..."Should some of the buildings be saved"?
I find it hard to imagine that the members of the community who are working towards this, are the ones who do not belong to the church. But even more disappointing is that the decision has been made by the leaders of the church and that there are members of the church who do not seem to be at harmony with this decision.
The poll had some 420 respondents. Assuming that all of them were members, if represents about 2-4% of the estimated LDS population of Hamilton. 0.0077% of the estimated national LDS population, let alone the % of former CCNZ alumni. The poll is hardly conclusive. If 10% of the population forces a referendum, then this was well off the mark in even getting someone to bat an eyelid.
Lets even go one step further. The outside world may not understand, but the church is not a democracy. Never has been and never is likely to be. We don't have general conference to decide things what revelation has not been received for. To be be honest, this whole issue is growing wearisome. Let it go. The pioneers can leave Kirtland, Far West, Nauvoo, then we can leave this behind.
It is important to acknowledge the efforts it took to construct the college and the labours performed by the Labour Missionaries at the time. But I wonder, as those pioneers did in their time, do they realise that pioneers of an earlier time left two temples, homes, crops, farms, even family members to follow the directions of a prophet of God. How do you think they would be looking on this matter now?
I find it hard to imagine that the members of the community who are working towards this, are the ones who do not belong to the church. But even more disappointing is that the decision has been made by the leaders of the church and that there are members of the church who do not seem to be at harmony with this decision.
The poll had some 420 respondents. Assuming that all of them were members, if represents about 2-4% of the estimated LDS population of Hamilton. 0.0077% of the estimated national LDS population, let alone the % of former CCNZ alumni. The poll is hardly conclusive. If 10% of the population forces a referendum, then this was well off the mark in even getting someone to bat an eyelid.
Lets even go one step further. The outside world may not understand, but the church is not a democracy. Never has been and never is likely to be. We don't have general conference to decide things what revelation has not been received for. To be be honest, this whole issue is growing wearisome. Let it go. The pioneers can leave Kirtland, Far West, Nauvoo, then we can leave this behind.
It is important to acknowledge the efforts it took to construct the college and the labours performed by the Labour Missionaries at the time. But I wonder, as those pioneers did in their time, do they realise that pioneers of an earlier time left two temples, homes, crops, farms, even family members to follow the directions of a prophet of God. How do you think they would be looking on this matter now?
I am not an alumni of Church College out of two things, opportunity and choice. But I love the school and what it represents. But to me, the significance of the school pales in comparison to the other great building out there, The Hamilton New Zealand Temple. Too many times I have watched people gather at the college, people I know who can enter the temple. They can take the time to visit the college, reminice with old friends, maybe have lunch at the Grotto in Frankton, but the temple remains unvisited. Maybe this is a lesson...to point us to focus on what building should be the real focus of attention there.
The Church put Church College there for a purpose. Now it sees that this purpose is achieved and the need is greater elsewhere. Essentially now, the decision has been made.
I put it this way. Do you sustain the President of the Church as Prophet, Seer and Revelator, and the only person on earth who is authorised to exercise all priesthood Keys?
posted by Wiremu Bayliss at
1:32 pm
<< Home