Friday, May 9, 2008

When all the records will be opened

Today I watched a German movie, The Lives of Others, about an agent of the Stasi (the East German secret police) who spies on a playwright suspected of being a dissident. After the Wall falls, the playwright visits the former Stasi headquarters, where he is able to read the files that were kept on him—as people can actually do in real life.

LDS scriptures describe the final judgment as a time when records kept on earth and in heaven will be opened (D&C 128:6-7) and "secret acts of men" will be revealed (D&C 88:108-110). Watching The Lives of Others, I thought that I would like to see a day when the records of the Strengthening Church Members Committee are opened to public review. I'd like David Knowlton to be able to see the correspondence between General Authorities and BYU administrators that led to his dismissal from BYU. I'd like Michael Quinn to be able to read transcripts of the phone conversations between Boyd K. Packer and his stake president prior to his disciplinary council. I'd like to have a copy of the letter that Church headquarters sent to the stake president who initiated disciplinary proceedings against me. I'd like to know who sent that letter. I'd like to see the paperwork that was sent to Salt Lake following my disciplinary council; I'd like to know the official reason for my excommunication.
There is nothing which is secret
     save it shall be revealed;
there is no work of darkness
     save it shall be made manifest in the light.
(2 Nephi 30:17)

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