What Zion is Not - by Douglas Hatten


It seems to me there are two visions of Zion.

One is the true vision as revealed by God, and the other a lying vision planted by satan in an effort to keep the Saints powerless and ineffective.

A friend of mine had priesthood visitation because of her interest in a group of people who live in a community according to the commandments regarding Zion, with all things in common. Because these people live, work, and cloth and feed themselves independent of the rest of the world, a question was put to her, "where in the scriptures does it show Zion will be a survivalist group?"

Rather than answering such a question, the question itself should be questioned as there are a couple of inherent problems with it.

The term survivalist indicates a people who store up massive quantities of food, supplies, and often.weapons, to survive the day when, let's say... "the communists invade our country," etc. Whatever their believed doom day scenario, the main distinguishing character of survivalists is they believe they can survive the doomsday scenario by their own cunning, accumulated knowledge, physcial preparation, proper equipment and weapons. Survivalists are not necessarily religious, they believe their survival is in their own hands.

Therefore, if someone were to make an argument against this particular community (from which the Sealed Portion sprang), they need to first realize the community is NOT survivalist.

The purpose of community is to live in an environment where the people can draw closer to the Lord in everything they do, somewhat like a reunion camp that never ends. They have done as the Lord instructed, to "come out of her my people." God has told us we need to come out of Babylon, or else we would partake of her plagues.

Chapter 45 of the Articles and Covenants given through Joseph Smith in January 1831 says: "Go ye out from among the wicked. Save yourselves. Be ye clean..." This is what the people in community are doing.

What about the rest of us, including those who have supposedly "gathered" to a geographical area we call Zion?

Well, we are already sharing in the plagues of Babylon, and willingly so. Why do we think we will escape the rest of those plagues when they come? Television is such a plague. It is channeling filth and garbage by the truckload into our homes and it infects our children's spirits and our own. The world has replaced God's observances with it's own holidays, and we have bought into world's observances, rather than the ones that teach of Messiah. Fornication and adultery are everywhere, it is in every store, in magazines, on the billboards we pass by in our vehicles. Our divorce rates are as high as the rest of the world. We are losing our children to the adversary, and our numbers are thinning. We send them to schools that seek to erode their faith. We have polluted our inheritance along with the rest of the world. The animals and plants and all of creation that we were given to take care of, are sickly. We are drinking water and eating foods processed with chemicals and other additives which are slowly killing us, and doing untold harm to our children. This is just a few of the many pollutions we are partaking of on a daily basis.

We are completely dependant upon Babylon for everything... and what shall we do when the choice given us is to take the mark of the beast, or let your children starve?

In a Zionic community, they know only GOD can preserve them. They are not survivalists, they do not depend on their own cunning and skill. However, they choose to live their lives free of the influences of Babylon, and to spend each and every day in fellowship with God, and each other, so that even work is a righteous pleasure and draws you closer to the Lord.

The community I spoke of earlier chooses to live in harmony with the earth and all of creation. They choose to live in a manner that does not destroy the environment and make themselves, their children, the plants and all living creatures around them sick. They choose to live in harmony with God. In everything the emphasis is the first and second commandment, to love God and love each other, whether in work, play, relaxation, or worship. They avoid excess, and things that are done only for looks or vanity. Spiritual beauty is emphasized, rather than temporal beauty. They take only what they need, and live with all things in common, and according to the law of common consent. They are modest, humble, and decency is paramount. Their conversations are pure, and they avoid words that do not edify. Even slang words that replace the real swear words are avoided. Idle conversation is avoided. If you want to go somewhere where people talk about the Lord "all the time" this is it. This is not a survivalist group, this is ZION.

The problem with many people in the Restoration is that they seem to have for themselves another vision of Zion... a lying vision which satan has given them. It appeases their desire for comfort and luxury. It keep them dependent on Babylon, and it causes them to remain among the wicked, and share in their plagues. This lying vision is one of having expensive homes that are larger than is necessary for the number of people dwelling there. It is a vision of comfort... indoor plumbing, running water, electricity, microwaves, ovens, gas furnaces, televisions, VCR's, DVD players, stereos, grocery stores, fast food, fast cars, SUV utility vehicles, boats, resorts, vacation get-aways, etc. In short, everything that Babylon will furnish them. This lying vision has been given another name, "The American Dream."

This lying vision does not really have them gathered, but separated in their lives. Even those who have "gathered" to Missouri often live many miles apart from each other, and rarely see each other any more than they did before they "gathered." A vehicle dependent on Babylon's fuel is a necessity for them to visit one another, or to make it to church. They work separately, in places that are not glorifying God. They go home at night, separated from the other Saints for the most part, and often times from God Himself as they turn on their television sets. They are not a community now, any more than before they moved.

They seem to believe this earth can take the pollution these luxuries are providing them, indefinitely. Garbage is piling up at extraordinary rates. We are poisoning the earth because we are a disposable society. And many of our products are now made of substances which do not break down, and cause problems for the earth. The impact of the pollutions we cause by burning gasoline, and all our massive energy consumption due to all of the electric appliances we run, is having a massive impact on our environment. Think on what we have done to this planet in just the last 50 years. For thousands of years, people could drink right out of streams. Now, virtually all the water is contaminated, and we treat our drinking water by adding chemicals, which are also deadly to us. Do we see this sort of thing continuing when Christ is in charge of things? Do we think it is okay to continue in this wasteful mode, being poor stewards of the earth, simply because it is easier? Simply because everyone else is doing it?

Do you believe you can partake of the luxuries of Babylon, even when the anti-Christ is in place? Will you partake in these things when Babylon collapses? Who will supply your electricity, your water, your food? How will you use your indoor toilet when there is no water to flush it with? How will you stay warm when you don't have a fireplace in your home? If you do have a fireplace, where will you get the wood when society breaks down? How will you defend your family, your home? Where will you go? Will you wait until the anti-Christ comes to power, or the collapse of Babylon, before you wake up and realize you have situated your entire life, your work, your home, your tools, your resources, and your family around depending upon these things? Will you only then realize you were living out of harmony with God?

God has said, "Go ye out from among the wicked. Be ye clean..."

And yet we work with the wicked, we play with the wicked, our children are taught by the wicked, we sit at the table with the wicked and eat foods prepared by them. We buy their merchandise, we travel down the freeway with them, shop among them, depend upon them.

Again, God has said, "Go ye out from among the wicked. Be ye clean..." and in another place, "...the veil of darkness shall soon be rent, and he that is not purified shall not abide the day."

This lying vision says that we don't really have to gather spiritually, just gather geographically. It says that we don't need to really live by the principles of Zion, we just need to be in a certain place. The lying vision says, you don't have to change... God will protect you because you are in the "land of Zion" even though you do not live by the laws that govern Zion. The lying vision tells us we will be spared from the destruction of Babylon, even though we partake of Babylon continually. The lying vision says to you, "you don't really need to change, or sacrifice, or give up anything in order to have Zion" it will simply happen.

It seems to me, that the vision that most restoration people have for Zion, is a "Rapture that doesn't go anywhere."

If you study your history, you will see that the early church also did not live by the principles of Zion, but they were gathered upon the face of the land. And you know what happened to them.... do you really think we are any different?

Sec 39 first given in 1831...a voice crying unto us still.
"...thou hast seen great sorrow, for thou hast rejected me many times because of pride, and the cares of the world."