I can't stop thinking about this guy. Thissssss guy. I've been trying to think of how to articulate my thoughts, but they're just in a random jumble right now, so that's the best way I can think to present them. - First, I give this guy props, in a way. Captain Moroni threatened to use military force to displace the legally-appointed leader of the Nephites, Pahoran, because Moroni was acting on bad information. So in that regard, this cosplay is *chef's kiss*. - Moroni, of course, then received an explanation, immediately did an about-face and helped defend and protect Pahoran. Maybe this cosplayer did something like that. I don't want to speak to his intentions. - Over the last five years, I have been _deeply_ confused and hurt. The generation above me spent an enormous amount of time and effort to teach me that Character Matters. Integrity, Christ-like behavior, temperance, and honor--these things matter in every aspect of life. It has been devastating to see how many of the people who taught me that make an exception when appointing the most powerful office in the country. I'm not necessarily talking about everyone who voted for Trump--I understand the Binary Choice fallacy that so many Americans subscribe to--I am talking about the people who endlessly defend and excuse his behavior for reasons that are lost on me. - I'm thinking about how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is irreversibly in the spotlight now, and what we do matters, because in a very real way we are all representatives of the Church and of the Lord at its head. Especially when we cosplay as Book of Mormon personalities (which, honestly, I hope is something that catches on). When the journalist came to interview this armor-clad protester, I have to admit that I saw earnestness in the response. Obviously, this guy isn't great on camera, and he hadn't really thought through what he was going to say, but galdern if he didn't try his best to spread the Gospel to the best of his ability. - So I guess that's the awkward place I occupy right now. I am embarrassed by this guy. By being present at that protest, I think he was defending a man and a lie that are both contrary to the cause of truth. That said, I also kind of understand how he got to that point, and I can't deny, after watching the interview, that this guy was doing what he understood to be the right thing. - So, as is my scripture-study goal, I have to ask, "Lord, is it I?" In what ways have I been deceived in my earnestness? I really strive to be right with God, and I dunno, I feel like I'm right about a lot of stuff. However, there's one thing I've learned by watching Church members have this contentious rift over an issue and a man that I find painfully clear-cut: good, earnest people can be deceived. And I think of myself as a good, earnest person. So I'm taking this for the warning that it clearly is. I need to steep myself in the scriptures, and consistently reinforce my relationship with God, because it's increasingly obvious that I can't rely on others to do so for me. The people who taught me, led me, and helped infuse this yearning for integrity into my character: I'm grateful to these people, these good, earnest people who are doing their best. But in the end (and boy, does it feel like we're coming up on the end) I can only have perfect reliance on my relationship with God, so I need to make sure that's the one I'm prioritizing.