Stupid Rules: A Pharisee

Stupid Rules

The Pharisees were chastised repeatedly for focusing on the law over what the Lord was trying to teach them. These thoughts have been in my mind a lot recently. I came across the following website which I think speaks exactly how I feel. I have been trying to apply this to myself. As we should liken all scriptures unto us so I asked myself what stupid rules am I focusing on that is keeping me from drawing closer to God?

The website: http://hwarmstrong.com/mercy.htm

I don’t know anything about this website only this article I have seen and probably won’t take another look at the site.

According to Micah 6:8, all God ever wanted was for us "to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly" with Him.

The phenomenon of the development of the Pharisee mentality is easy to trace. In olden [testament] times, there were these Ten Commandments, which in their pure form were not that burdensome--at least the ones dealing with your neighbor. The Israelites had a problem of "buying into" the whole framework, so even these simple principles were deemed to be "Stupid Rules". That is the problem when folks don't buy into the "Spirit" of regulations: They become stupid rules.…

From the Pharisee's point of view, being a superstitious sort, there came to be a belief that many bad things happened to the Israelites because they did not obey "stupid rules".

What to do? What to do?

The Pharisees invented even MORE stupid rules, so the people would not break laws that could send the nation into captivity or worse.

That really does seem to be the solution to everything now doesn’t it? Look at the government. All we see is more and more stupid rules being implemented. Lastly they are given because people won’t give into the “spirit of regulation”. What is the spirit of regulation? “He that is commanded in all things is a slothful servant”?

This last part is the best part.

Pharisees focus in on the methods and processes, rather than the results. Once a stupid rule is conceived and written, it stays, and is nearly impossible to remove. It is administered without mercy. YOU MUST KEEP THIS STUPID RULE because it shows how righteous you are! AND it shows who is IN CHARGE, and how RIGHTEOUS they are.

What is it about a wicked and perverse generation that only wants more and more rules? Why is that? Why do they want everything spelled out? We want others to tell us how to live the law of tithing. Is it gross or net or interest, surplus? Or something else? You are not righteous because you are not wearing your Sunday best! You are not righteous because you are not paying tithing. Because you missed church once, twice, once a month. Because you are wearing immodest clothes that “don’t cover the knees or shoulders”. Because you drink coffee. My favorite comment “I am not dumb enough to drink and smoke” or “drinking is bad”.

All rules do is bring judgment and makes us lose focus on seeing who the person is instead of what they are doing. Stupid rules bring regulation. D&C 107:14 shows us that the lesser priesthood was an appendage, or added to (due to transgression this occurs). Fortunately God looketh on the inward appearance not the outward and He alone is our judge.

As soon as you have one restrictive law Zion ceases to be.

More rules.

When are we going to learn to “govern ourselves”?

So I ask have we fallen into the same trap as LDS members? What are the stupid rules we are following that cause us to “omit the weightier matter of the law” like the Pharisees did? The lord tells us judgment, mercy, and faith is what our focus should be (Matthew 23:23).

"Once a stupid rule is conceived and written, it stays, and is nearly impossible to remove." Are these among us? What beliefs or doctrines do we believe that may have just been handed to us?