Playing the Jesus Card

Just so it's in print, I try to be VERY careful about using the "Jesus card" in discussions of just about anything (meaning I try to avoid saying, "Well, Jesus obviously would do _________" or, "Jesus obviously wouldn't agree with that," or something similar to that message) - but especially when discussing how the LDS Church is organized and run currently.  I avoid it for many reasons, not the least of which is that his ministry was WAY different than the running of a church organization.

Think about that seriously for a minute, and I think you'll see what I mean.  Jesus never led a church; he was essentially an itinerant preacher who gained a following but established nothing organizationally during his ministry.  He left that to his disciples to do after his death, and we have nothing recorded about his directives to them concerning that subsequent effort after his post-resurrection return - except the command to go, teach and baptize. 

The Jesus card squelches discussion pretty quickly - and if we start using the Jesus card, we really aren't doing anything different than Protestants, Catholics, ex-Mormons or anyone else who uses it to squelch discussions with us concerning our Mormon beliefs.