Godliness

I was asked about godliness.

The ordinances are helps, symbols and requirements. “Helps” in that they establish milestones that memorialize passage from one stage of development to the next. “Symbols” in that they point to a deeper meaning or spiritual reality almost always grounded in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. “Requirements” in that they mark the defined route taken by Christ as a mortal to fulfill all righteousness.

The power of godliness is tied to opening the heavens and receiving assignments, confirming revelation, or blessings from God. Promises given to others are not promises to you. Men are rarely reliable sources from which to attain the Word of God. It is the unfortunate condition of mankind that, so soon as the are given a little authority they begin to use unrighteous dominion. Heaven, on the other hand, does not dictate, abuse, misuse authority or entice you to do evil.

All power is tied to heaven. When the powers of heaven are withdrawn from someone, then their authority comes to an end and they have no power.

The ordinances as symbols point to the real thing. The real thing is Jesus Christ and His Gospel.

If you want to have the power of godliness in your life, it must be gained through Jesus Christ; access to whom is available to all men on equal terms.

Near Death Experiences

I was asked about Near Death Experiences and their interface with conversion. Here’s my take:

The advantage is that they know there is a continuation of life after the death of the body. However, whether they use that knowledge to advance in light and truth or not is individually determined.

Some have used NDE’s to become guru’s and sell books or give talks. That may detract from getting more light and truth. The thing about growing in light and truth is that it is always directly connected with the humility of the person. Humility or openness to new ideas and greater understanding is required to move from wherever you may be at present to a position of greater truth. It is that openness to new ideas which is indispensable to gaining knowledge of God.

Closed minds, particularly those that may grow out of religious experiences or beliefs, are not benefited by what great things God has to offer in the continuing education of His children. Joseph Smith once commented that it will be “a great while after we have left this life before we will have learned” enough to be saved. It is not all to be understood in this life.

Openness to ideas and further instruction is necessary to continue in the path of truth and light. A NDE may open one’s eyes to some truths, But the fullness of what is to be taught or gained from God is not given in a single experience or in a brief tutelage from missionaries. It is a lifelong quest.

The problem with too much praise

I think criticism is necessary to the human condition. When a great public official in Rome was given a victor’s parade, there would be a companion in his chariot whose responsibility it was to tell the man being celebrated that all fame is fleeting. Rome had it right on that score.

Sometimes a sincere and devoted man can offer his help best by giving criticism to someone he loves. When the only response which is tolerated is that the person is “doing great” or is “wonderful” there is stagnation and failure.

I love baseball. All young men should play baseball. It is a game of failure. If you only fail 70% of the time as a batter, you can become a Hall of Fame player. No amount of praise will compensate for a .110 batting average. Criticism is unnecessary.

One of the Simpson’s “Treehouse of Horrors” episodes had Bart being omni-powerful. Because of his great powers, whenever anything bad happened people would say, “it’s good Bart did that.” This was to appease the all-powerful Bart. It only made him worse. Funny episode involving a cartoon character, but with a powerfully true underlying message. Too much praise corrodes. Worship of demigods inevitably risks making demons of them.

The importance of personal revelation

In Section 19 the Lord explains what the words “endless torment” and “eternal damnation” mean. They are words of art, and are essentially proper nouns referring to God’s punishment. (See D&C 19: 4-12.)

This is an enormous help in understanding the scriptures generally. Words are chosen carefully, and the Lord is deliberate in how He puts a message across. Things may not mean what we initially think they mean.

The scriptures are designed to reveal and conceal. They are able to reveal even very hidden and mysterious things to the understanding of mankind when we understand what is being discussed. Until the reader has been prepared for this understanding, reading the messages will not necessarily result in greater insight.

It is almost as if you have to know the answer first, or have it revealed to you. Then, while in possession of the truth, you can see that prophets and seers have been speaking about these matters since the beginning of time.

How often do we reflect on Christ’s “opening the scriptures” to His followers? This is something that ought to make us all think about how little understanding we obtain without first receiving light and truth from Him. Once again it points to the absolute necessity of personal revelation.

Heroes

I’ve been reflecting on the frailty of the human experience. We are buffeted and torn from the time of birth, tempted and beckoned to choose poorly, subject to hunger, fatigue and loneliness. The wonder is not that we see so much failure and frustration in mankind. Rather the wonder is that we see occasionally such heroic lives that shine like a brilliant star while lived among us.

The Deseret News had an article and pictures of the young Utah lives cut short by service in the military. For the families of these valiant men and women who died for our country’s interests, the loss will be lifelong. They will hardly take a breath from the day of their son or daughter’s death that the memory of their child does not stay with them.

I don’t think we do enough to express our collective gratitude for those who have lost their lives for others. Whether they are in the military, police service, firemen or others who die trying to render noble service for the rest of us, we owe a debt of gratitude to these families.

Priesthood

The Priesthood is separate from the church. For example, when someone is excommunicated they are told to stop using their priestly authority. When they are re-baptized they are never re-ordained. They are simply given authorization to now begin using their authority again.

We do not re-ordain someone when they are re-baptized because re-ordination is unnecessary. They held priestly authority even while they were not a member of the church.

Priesthood preceded the church and is the basis upon which it was organized. It will last beyond the church, at least in the final, Patriarchal form. That priesthood will endure into eternity, for it is the basis upon which the eternal family is predicated. The eternal family is the government of God, not the church. After this life, the church will come to an end. But the family, as a form of government, and priesthood of a Patriarch and Matriarch, presiding as a king and queen, priest and priestess, will endure.

On a scale of 1 to 10

I’ve figured out part of the problem I have in discussing Mormon issues with others. Oftentimes there is a disconnect between how important the two parties view the subject being discussed. To illustrate the point, I’m proposing a completely arbitrary method of ranking an issue on a 10 point scale of ascending importance as follows:

1. Completely meaningless
2. Trivial
3. Relevant
4. Somewhat significant
5. Significant
6. Very significant
7. Important
8. Very important
9. Critical
10. Essential to salvation

When I think a subject is “1” and someone else thinks it is “10” then naturally I don’t care about the point. They think I must be convinced of the point or I am going to forfeit salvation itself. When that is the case, we don’t connect very well. If we do reach an agreement, I don’t think the agreement amounts to much. They on the other hand, think they’ve won a major point, or provided a valuable service. I would likely be bored with the discussion, and since I didn’t value the subject’s importance would probably offend the other party by my disinterest.

On the other hand, views change. At one point I am convinced that some behavior or conduct is either 9 or 10, only to later realize that it is more likely a 3 or 4. That change in attitude may be due to nothing more than living longer, getting more experience and developing a little humility about life and its challenges.

I think that a lot of discussions, disagreements and strong arguments are rooted in an assignment of different levels of importance to the subject.

For example, when I was an Elder’s Quorum President, Home Teaching by Quorum members was something between an 8 and 10. I’m not an Elder’s Quorum President any longer, and I go home teach my families because I really care about them. I like them. I want to be with them. I find them interesting. I’ve been 100% for many months and, if I miss at all, it is due to either their absence during the month or mine. But I try to keep in close touch, not because of some “assignment” but because I like them. If I were to assign a level of importance to home teaching now, based on the scale above, I would candidly give it a 5 or 6.

There are people who believe the center piece of the relief society room during a lesson is a 10. I don’t relate well to that. And there are those who think President Monson’s General Conference Addresses are a 1. I don’t relate well to that, either.

Before a discussion begins about gospel subjects, I think it is always helpful to first find out how important the subject is to the person with whom you are speaking.

A public service

My youngest daughter plays on a 10-and-under boy’s super league baseball team. They played in a tournament this week. In the first three games she was hit by pitches in every game. In one, the bases were loaded and her hit-by-pitch walk scored an RBI. I told her she had “RBI’d” a run and I was proud of her. She thought about it a while and asked, “What does RBI mean?” I said, “Run batted in.” She replied, it should mean “Run by injury.”

In the last game she hit a single and RBI’d 2 runs.

I noticed that the moms for the opposing teams all rooted for her when she was up to bat. The dads, however, were horrified that a girl was competing with their sons. I think she’s doing a public service.

Stake Conference

Stake Conference weekend! That means that I’ll be helping to minimize the crowds in the parking lot at the Stake Center by leaving my car at home. I’ll also help out with the crowded seating problems at the Stake Center by leaving some seats open. I know it is a sacrifice to do this, but it’s one I’m willing to make.

It’s the equinox. I’m going to do something memorable.

Witch of Endor

King Saul lost his counselor-prophet when he died of old age. (1 Sam 25:1) Saul’s unstable conduct and unfaithful behavior precluded him from getting an answer from the Lord. “And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.” (1 Sam. 28:6) So Saul went to visit a woman who could conjure the dead. Saul had the woman conjure the deceased Samuel.

Saul had prohibited conjuring as a matter of law within the kingdom. (1 Sam. 28:3) So think about what he’s doing:

– it’s illegal to go see a conjurer, so he’s breaking his own law.

– he goes to see the witch of Endor in order to get access to the dead prophet.

– so are we to trust the witch? or are we to trust the spirit that the witch conjures to be reliably Samuel?

Life really gets complicated for the superstitious and foolish.

Prophets and entropy

I have been struck by how much of the message which Samuel the Lamanite and Abinadi both deliver have previously been the subject of Nephi’s prophecies. Almost every bit of Samuel the Lamanite and Abinadi’s messages are first included within Nephi’s message. It is possible that both of these later Book of Mormon prophets were “restoring” to new generations the message originally taught by Nephi which had fallen into neglect.

The entire message of Joseph Smith was to restore what had been here before and become lost. The work of scholar Margaret Barker suggests that Jesus Christ was restoring First Temple theology and earlier lost traditions.

If the gospel was originally preached to Adam (and I think it was) then every prophet from that day until now has simply been restoring what was once here. Prophets fight the law of entropy. Mankind keep losing truths and prophets keep bringing them back.

One of the great “signs” that there is a true prophet on the earth is the restoration by them of truths which have fallen into disuse or neglect. True prophets are at war with entropy and decay.

Continual worship

After Christ’s resurrection, when He had ministered to His disciples, and proven that it was He who had been crucified, Luke makes this interesting observation: “And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.” (Luke 24:52-53)

First, it is interesting because Christ had fulfilled the Law of Moses. Therefore, the rites of the temple of Herod were no longer necessary. Yet Christ’s disciples returned to the temple “continually” to worship Him. Second, the temple was under the control of those who conspired to kill the Lord. Despite this, Christ’s disciples were “continually” in the temple.

True worship by a true disciple is never impaired by the circumstances. We should not allow anything to distract us from our own “praising and blessing God.” If it can be done in the temple of Herod after the crucifixion of Christ, it can be done today.

Satan fell from heaven

Satan was not thrown out of heaven until after this earth was created. Jesus remarked, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” (Luke 10:18) Similarly, John’s revelation records that Satan “which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” (Revelation 12:9) From this we know that Satan was not cast out until after the creation of this earth had prepared a place into which Satan could be cast.

Several of the astronauts who walked on the moon during the Apollo project reported having deeply spiritual experiences when they left the earth. One of them became a full-time minister.

C.S. Lewis wrote a science fiction trilogy in which the first volume titled “Out of the Silent Planet” made this earth isolated from the heavenly chorus because of its wickedness.

“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea: for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Revelation 12:12)

Dumbing down?

I had a friend suggest to me that the Lord was requiring the church to “dumb down” the curriculum. I absolutely reject that idea. It’s just preposterous. The Lord always offers light and truth to any who come to Him. It is men who turn away from what is offered.

Weekend movie

I watched a new DVD we bought from Deseret Book titled “One Good Man.”

If it was satire or intended as irony then it was quite good. If it was just a straight up drama then I hated it. Since it was an LDS product, and sold at Deseret Book, I assume it wasn’t meant as irony or satire.

It offended me because the lead character was called to be a Bishop. This makes the hero a church leader. The hero treats one of his ward members as disposable, but goes out of his way for non-members and widows. It resulted in the inactivity of an entire family whose sole outreach by the bishop was to go Christmas caroling with his family on their porch. While there, he tells the wife that he, “hadn’t seen them in church lately.”

It was depressing. As irony it shows how a “good” man can’t always do good. Life is riddled with conflicts and unintended harm. So I like it as irony.