The Missionary and the Enchanted Princess

[Yeah, I know this is an old bad joke, and I know you're not supposed to take jokes too far. But this is how I'd see this story playing out in this world, in this church:]

[JMR202106071335 I gave this a bit of an edit and started it as a novel in my novels blog: https://joelrees-novels.blogspot.com/2021/06/frog-story-missionary-and-enchanted-princess.html]

Elder Michelson squatted down by the concrete irrigation mizo between the road and the water-covered rice field.

Elder Shirōto stopped beside him. "What ya lookin' at?"

"Just a cute little frog."

"Lots of cute little frogs in this field. Wait. That frog's not all that little." Elder Shirōto reached out to grab the frog, but it sprang out of reach, plopped into the water, then swam back to the edge of the field, to climb back out on to the side of the mizo and sit watching the two missionaries.

"Help me!" it croaked shrilly.

Elder Michelson started.

Elder Shirōto chuckled. "That's a high-pitched croak for a frog that big."

"That was not just a croak!" Elder Michelson glanced back at his companion, then looked back at the frog. "She said, 'Help me!'"

Elder Shirōto stared at his companion, then broke into a loud guffaw. "Right. Now it's going to say, 'I'm a beautiful princess, kiss me.'"

The frog puffed out its pouch. "I am a princess. Maybe I'm not so beautiful, but if you kiss me, you'll free me from this spell."

Elder Michelson's chin dropped to his chest as he stared at the frog.

Elder Shirōto started laughing. "What'd she say now? 'Kiss me and you'll live forever?" He paused for effect. "You'll be a frog, but you'll live forever. You should see your face, Elder Mishi."

"I said nothing of the sort. That's not the kind of spell I'm under," the frog ribbited huffily.

Elder Michelson looked back at his companion with amusement and then turned again to examine the frog. "That's not what she said. She's not under that kind of spell."

"Okay, Elder Mishi. You may be the senior companion and I may be the greenie, but I think we need to call the district leader and ask to be reassigned where there are people to teach. We've hailed at every door in this village three times this week, and getting a couple of doors slid shut in our faces is the best response we've had. You're letting it get to you."

"What a rude little boy he is. Don't listen to him. I need your help," the frog ribbitted plaintively.

"I'll admit, the way it croaks is cute." Elder Shirōto snickered.

"Yeah, cute." Elder Michelson stood up.

"Listen, I'm desperate. I can reward you well if you kiss me." The frog hopped closer.

"Reward? I don't guess either of us needs a reward."

"My father is powerful wizard king."

Elder Michelson squatted back down and reached out and picked up the frog, now quite docile in his hand, and put it in his jacket pocket.

"Hey! Wait." Her cry was muffled by the fabric.

"That frog has prejudices. Jumped away from me but lets you put it in your pocket.

"So? You don't seem to be able to hear her words."

The frog poked its head out of the pocket. "D&C 50. Maybe he's not listening to the same spirit."

"D&C 50? Elder Shiro, this frog also quotes scriptures."

"Well," Elder Shirōto was still snickering. "I guess we can't baptize her if she's already a member. What are you planning to do with her? -- it, I mean."

"We can teach members practice lessons and have gospel discussions and do service projects with them." Elder Michelson stood up, pushing the frog back into his suit pocket, and started walking. "So let's walk around the farms looking for people to help or talk to." He started walking towards the river.

"There's no need to take me any place special. You can break the spell anywhere, and here is just fine. Please?"

"Now she's, uhm," Elder Shirōto corrected himself again, "it's getting excited." He followed his companion.

"Please! I'll give you anything you want! I can do anything you want! -- for a day."

"Okay, so she wants you to kiss her."

"I thought you couldn't hear her."

"Two days!"

"I'm guessing. Hey, if I'm not careful, you're going to have me believing she's really talking. But you can't kiss her because you're a missionary."

"Right."

"Anything you want for a week!"

"She says she'll do anything we want for a week."

"Even if she weren't a member, we couldn't force her to be baptized."

"I'm not a member. I left the Church. But I'll be in the water forever if someone doesn't kiss me!"

"Shouldn't you be keeping this frog at arm's length?"

"Arm's length?" the frog croaked.

"I'm not touching her while she's in my pocket."

"You're rationalizing, Elder."

"Hmm." Elder Michelson stopped.

The frog poked it's head out of his pocket again. "Why won't you kiss me?"

"Why not kiss it and prove you're just imagining things? I mean, you have a naked frog in your pocket. Kissing a frog can't be breaking the rules much worse than carrying it around."

"Naked frog. That's ..."

"Anything you want for a whole month!" she exclaimed.

"A month? You'll do anything we want for a whole month?"

"Not we. Elder Michelson. I really think we should call the district leader."

"A month is long enough to teach someone the discussions again, wouldn't you say, Elder Shirōto?"

"That does it. That frog is possessed, and it's got you under some kind of curse, too, Elder. I'm calling the district leader." Elder Shirōto took out his cell phone and started dialing.

"Discussions? You would force me listen to your religion?"

"Well, since we can't force you to get baptized, I guess we probably shouldn't force you to listen, either."

"Answer your phone, Sister Morinokami, my companion's going crazy!" [Okay, not quite the Church of this present world.]

"Moshi-moshi. Sister Morinokami here." Her face came up on the screen. "I see you are excited, Elder Shirōto. What's the problem that your companion can't handle?"

"My companion thinks he has a talking frog in his pocket!"

"So he's talking to an imaginary frog?"

"No, the frog is real."

"Then the problem is that the frog can't talk?"

"Huh?"

"Let me try talking to the poor thing."

"Here, Elder Michelson, she wants to talk to you."

Elder Michelson took the phone. "Uhm, ..."

"Not you Elder Michelson, the frog!"

Elder Shirōto tilted his head in disbelief as Elder Michelson turned the phone so the frog was within the camera's view field.

"I can talk, and Elder Shirōto or whatever his name is, can't understand me."

"I see. Hello, Miss Frog. I am Sister Morinokami. What is your name?"

"It's not Frog."

"Okay, Miss Not-frog. What can we do for you?"

"She wants someone to kiss her and turn her back into a princess," Elder Michelson explained.

"What's this about a talking frog?" The voice of Sister Morinokami's companion, Sister Severus, came through the phone speakers.

"Let me handle this. Is what he says true, Miss Not-frog?"

"Pretty much. One little kiss and I'll be free of this spell."

"Well, kissing a princess would be breaking the rules, but kissing a frog, I think that would be an act of service."

"But," Elder Michelson pointed out, "a princess would be interesting, but princesses mostly waste their time trying to look beautiful. A talking frog, though, that's really cool."

"Elder Michelson!" Sister Morinokami remonstrated "You're being selfish."

"I think," Sister Severus commented, still off-screen, "we'd better call the mission president.

Doubt Is a Weakness

Doubt is a weakness.
It makes the knees weak
when one must move forward.
It makes the arm hesitate
when the iron is hot
and striking too late will deform the piece.

Doubt is a weakness.
But some ancient Bard,
under the influence of a Spirit we all know,
sometimes, too well, we think,
said

I fear, lest they shall mock at my works.

And that Spirit replied

Fools mock, but they shall mourn.

Doubt is a weakness,
the ancient Bard said,
and I fear then, for their souls.

And that Spirit replied,

My grace is sufficient for the meek
because it is the meek who make room
not just for doubt,
but for new belief --
for more knowledge,
for greater things --
for greater service.

If they who mock learn to doubt
they might learn to believe.
And if they learn to listen to their hearts,
they may learn, if they will,
greater truths than they have known.

But first they must doubt those things that they have believed
which make them mock at another's difference.

Doubt is a weakness, but the Spirit said
Weakness Makes Strength
if we are not too proud to be weak
if we are not too proud to doubt
if we are not too hurt to
listen to the Spirit of Truth
when our hearts are telling us
it's time to set the context of the lesser truths aside
and move forward into the greater light.

But I fear the greater light, I cry to the bard.
It makes them different.
It makes me different.
Difference makes us weak.

And what should I believe --
if the greater light says
what I believed before
was a limit to good
was a limit to truth
was a limit to Love?

Is not truth Truth?

The Bard nods his head in reply.

I have Loved you, says that Spirit.
And I love you still.

You must let them choose what they will,
because that is how you follow me,
because I love them too.

In the greater light, you shall see
how the greater truth encompasses the lesser,
how the differences make the whole stronger,
how the weakness leads the humble child to courage.

So I put the piece back in the fire,
and watch for the time to come,
to pull it from the fire and strike again.

"Amen" What Does It Mean?

This is the word we use at the end of prayers. Generally, we use it to indicate agreement with something.

However, in the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is a verse in Section 121 that uses the word in a way that doesn't seem to fit the usual meaning:

37 ... when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.
38 Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God.

"Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man."

Clearly, a man (or woman) who is being left to fight against God is not getting his (or her) authority approved.

So why is the word "amen" used here and what does it mean?

Dictionaries are not exactly canonical scripture, but they can provide important clues.

Dictionary.com says

it is so, ... (used after a prayer ... to express ratification or agreement)

Oxford Online says

Uttered at the end of a prayer or hymn, meaning ‘so be it’.

 and also mentions in definition 1.1 the indication of agreement.

Cambridge says

said or sung at the end of a prayer or a religious song to express agreement with what has been said

So far, it seems to be all about agreement, but it is also used at the end of things.

But "So be it," does not always mean approval.

Also, if you go back and read the actually dictionary in the above links, you'll notice something about "yea, verily" or similar expressions.

Wikipedia currently has an article on the word, which mentions the assertion "truly", etc. Wiktionary has several entries (linked at the top of that page), and pretty much focusing on "so be it" and "truly, verily".

Go back and look at the context in the D&C. The Spirit of the Lord is withdrawn. He is left unto himself. A seal is verily placed on his authority and priesthood, and he cannot get at it.

His effort to glorify God has come to an end. It is verily sealed off.

Any power God might have given him to save others is at an end.

To regain it, he must break that seal, and the only way is by sincere, real repentance. He must change his heart. He must cease to love the praise of mortal people more than the glory of God (John 12: 42-43), or he has received his reward (Matthew 6: 2) and there is no more.

Speaking of Matthew 6: 2, you might think it a non-sequitur, but let's look at Mark 9: 42

42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

And it gets more interesting in the Joseph Smith Translation. Hit the "show footnotes" link near the top of the page and run back down to verse 43. Click note a on the first word, "And". Then go to the bottom of the pop-up and click "View in context".

And read it carefully.

You don't want God to say, "Amen" to your priesthood in this way, just because you thought the authority and power were for you.

Jesus Himself came not to be served, but to serve others. That's what we all have to learn, before we can be worthy of the promise in the end of D&C 121, about the doctrines like dews from heaven.

(If you find yourself on the wrong end of the amen, remember King David. He lost so much, but he was still willing to trust the Redeemer of his soul, and he still believed that what was left to him was better than choosing to be sealed away from God forever. He knew, and we must remember, there is still hope as long as we have the power to choose to turn and look again at God and His Son, and try to put our hope in Jesus' ability to help us change to be better people than we have been.)