Altura

Virtue's Arm: Light

2011-06-13T22:44:00.000-07:00

Light, one of my favorite subjects, written about here on a fairly new blog, Virtue's Arm. Many great insights. A must-read.

A Firm Mind

2011-05-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

Our family motto is a scripture written by the Book of Mormon prophet, Jacob.

Jacob 3:2

O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.

Love is the desired object. The audience is the pure in heart, or Zion. There are many great words that could be written about the entire sermon which begins in chapter 2 and continues until 3:12. But this verse stands out to us because of Jacob's use of the words, "a firm mind."

The word, "firm," and its synonyms, immoveable, unshakeable, steadfast, and fixed, occur frequently throughout scripture, but to have a "firm mind" is unique to Jacob and then used again by Moroni in chapter 7:30. Jacob also uses the words, "firmness in the Spirit," in the last verse in chapter 4, right before he begins the lengthy allegory of the olive trees.

While we could probably agree on a good, religious definition of what a firm mind generally means, this is one area I would have liked to quiz Jacob on in person. Unfortunately, the prophets of ancient scripture don't always define every word, phrase, and verse, and time and language act as barriers to what was intended, so there is always a lot left to interpretation. I think most of us would agree, though, that to have a firm mind connotes integrity, strong character, diligence, and endurance. Since we probably have the correct definition of a firm mind, the more important question becomes, how exactly does one develop a firm mind?

Since I can't have a conversation with Jacob (unless there's an app for that), I will add a word we don't always hear in the church to what a firm mind might mean, and that is, "concentration," a skill I feel I lack. In Truman G. Madsen's, Joseph Smith the Prophet, he outlines how the power of concentration makes for more effective councils, but I think this can apply generally to the idea of developing this skill in a way that moves us a step toward a firm mind:

At a council of high priests and elders in Kirtland, the Prophet said: "No man is capable of judging a matter, in council, unless his own heart is pure…we frequently are so filled with prejudice, or have a beam in our own eye, that we are not capable of passing right decisions." Joseph continued: "In ancient days councils were conducted with such strict propriety, that no one was allowed to whisper, be weary, leave the room, or get uneasy in the least, until the voice of the Lord, by revelation, or the voice of the council by the Spirit was obtained, which has not been observed in this Church to the present time. It was understood in ancient days, that if one man could stay in council, another could; and if the president could spend his time, the members could also; but in our councils, generally, one will be uneasy, another asleep; one praying, another not; one's mind on the business of the council, and another thinking on something else." 1
The Prophet's reference to weariness is intriguing. Not allowed to be weary! How can one prevent weariness? Notice the assumption about the strength we will have if we will truly seek the Lord – even the strength to cope with weariness. This and the other human distractions common to Church meetings are preventable. The unity the Lord promised as a presupposition of his most powerful responses to prayer comes from that time of genuine concentration. His fellow Saints said that the Prophet Joseph Smith had immense power to concentrate on the topic at hand. 2

There is a book called, "The Power of Concentration," published in 1918 and now long out of print, that inspired me in this area some years back. Although out-dated it is available for free at http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1570/pg1570.html and is a quick & easy read; an early 20th century self-help book.

Also, a July 1980 Ensign article on "The Strait Gate" which touches on the power of concentration.

I would write more but I need to concentrate on getting to sleep now, where I can dream of becoming one of the Sleep Elite, and therefore have more awake time to practice concentrating.

"The Inhabitants of the Earth are Asleep"

2011-05-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

There is a wealth of information in the History of the Church volumes. I can turn to almost any page within each volume and find something new and enlightening that I have never come across. And I find that troubling.

I would like to think that at this stage in my life, at the very least, I would find no new Joseph Smith quotes. I understand that the Joseph Smith Papers are barely underway and there are still unpublished archives that are not easily accessible to the masses, so maybe I'm justified in not reading every possible document chronicling the early years of the church. However, the History of the Church volumes contain not all, but many direct, indirect, and transcribed words of Joseph Smith. These have been in my possession for several years, and growing up in an active LDS household, I knew at a young age exactly where these volumes were kept.

So getting that out of the way, I have no excuse to have not studied at least that which was available to me. But I'm also a bit troubled that many of these stories and experiences are available to all church members, yet I rarely hear many of them taught, even though I have sat in classes of instruction my entire life, totaling many thousands of hours. Almost unbelievably, I continue to find information from these early years of the church (i.e. the Joseph Smith era), even words of Joseph Smith, that are still new to me.

This is not a criticism of the church or the many volunteers who prepare lessons or give talks/sermons each Sunday. The purpose of talks and lessons is not to create historians, but rather to help us all live more Christ-like lives.

I think it's fair to say, however, that there are already very many revealed truths in the Restored Gospel that have yet to be revealed to many of us in today's church because of a lack of "feasting" on the word in its entirety, both the canon and the non-canon.

If you are LDS, think of the classes, lessons, and talks you have heard in your lifetime in the church. Consider the pool of scriptural verses, stories, and quotes that are drawn from in each talk or lesson that you have heard and see if this purely anecdotal data goes along with your experience.

25 Shakespeare or C.S. Lewis quotes
75 verses from scripture (see post on True Scripture Mastery)
100 scriptural stories (most taken from Book of Mormon and New Testament, fewer from Doctrine & Covenants and Old Testament, and I'll be generous, about four or five from the Pearl of Great Price)
500 conference quotes (or more since the Internet has simplified research). I have no problem with conference quotes, I use them and study them myself. My only issue with an over-abundant reliance on them is that the typical quote wraps everything up neatly in a soundbite, which is pleasing to the ear, but it deprives us the opportunity to come up with our own "soundbites" or pearls of wisdom derived from our own "toiling" in personal study. By the sweat of our brow...you get the idea.
The remaining time in a typical lesson is spent on personal experiences and stories, along with challenges and invitations to better practice our religion.

All of this is well and good. My only concern is are we striking the right balance in our instruction. How many scriptures should be shared in a sacrament meeting talk? How many conference quotes? Of course, there is no quota. We will prepare based on our knowledge-base on the topic at hand.

Which leads me back to the History of the Church, and two quotes I recently found that I had never heard before.

#1
Joseph Smith (Vol. 5, p. 402):

"I could explain a hundred fold more than I ever have of the glories of the kingdoms manifested to me in the vision, were I permitted, and were the people prepared to receive them.

"The Lord deals with this people as a tender parent with a child, communicating light and intelligence and the knowledge of his ways as they can bear it. The inhabitants of the earth are asleep; they know not the day of their visitation."

Earlier in Volume 5, in an unrelated passage, I think Joseph Smith offers an explanation on how the "inhabitants of the earth" are likely asleep. I would include myself in that group, because I often feel "asleep" in spiritual matters. And I love the analogy of being asleep because there is a stark difference between being awake and asleep. I have felt awake in the spiritual sense but there are many times when my eyes are open yet I'm just going through the motions of life without realizing there is a greater purpose.

How do we awaken from such a spiritual slumber? Faith! The following quote will seem a little disjointed to the current discussion, but try to stick with me.

#2
Joseph Smith (Vol. 5, p. 218):

"Because faith is wanting, the fruits are. No man since the world was had faith without having something along with it. The ancients quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, women received their dead, &c. By faith the worlds were made. A man who has none of the gifts has no faith; and he deceives himself; if he supposes he has. Faith has been wanting, not only among the heathen, but in professed Christendom also, so that tongues, healings, prophecy, and prophets and apostles, and all the gifts and blessings have been wanting."

In the first quote, we learn that light and intelligence is withheld from the inhabitants of the earth only as they can bear it. The second deals with the concern that fruits of faith are lacking on the earth because faith is lacking.

Perhaps our faith can improve as we are given more light and intelligence through diligent study of all that is available to us, and then, we can be found bearing the many fruits that are available to those who have exercised the needed faith.

True Scripture Mastery

2011-04-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

Most people in the world today simply do not have enough information to formulate an opinion on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Suppose you were one of those people. Maybe you knew one of the church's members but aside from rumors or a few facts you had heard about their church, the one thing that stood out was their belief in an additional volume of scripture they call the Book of Mormon. A copy ends up in your hands, and you decide to flip the book open and randomly read wherever the page lands. The verse you find reads:

But thou art the same yesterday, today, and forever; and thou hast elected us that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which holiness, O God, we thank thee; and we also thank thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ, which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God. --Alma 31:17

I've thought of that scenario when reading verses that don't describe official teachings of our church, but could be interpreted as such by lazy scholarship or dishonest individuals who oppose the church. ("See, it's in their Bible!") Hopefully that practice is rare. What is more common however, is when we in the greater Christian community rely on a single verse of scripture to teach a certain principle or doctrine. (Alma 31:17 describes a daily prayer offered by a community that had rejected Christianity.)

In the Latter-day Saint faith, we are living in the "scripture mastery" generation. Scripture mastery is a program within the church's youth seminary which is a class for high school aged Latter-day Saints. Scripture mastery offers about 25 sections of scripture (usually one or two verses) to memorize, learn, and apply. The goal is to learn the context, background, and other important points about that scripture. While scripture mastery is a great tool for young people to learn (there's even an iPhone app for it), the program cannot possibly replace hundreds of other excellent scripture verses, nor could it replace the importance of a multitude of discovered and undiscovered treasures contained around the verses.

For a long time I was guilty of what I will call a "one verse" method of approaching scripture. A verse in the Book of Mormon illustrates this point well. Out of all the lists that are out there of what we can do achieve a certain positive spiritual outcome, this one, to me, seemed to be the most simple and straightforward.

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day. --Alma 37:37

If I counsel with the Lord, praying night and day, following the simple formula outlined, will I then be, "directed for good," and, "lifted up at the last day," or saved? Adherents to the beliefs of the LDS faith believe there is much more to working out your salvation than simply offering a couple of prayers a day, even if those prayers are the most sincere in the world. I was guilty of misinterpreting the qualifier, "if ye do these things," which led me, in my one verse mindset, to believe that Alma was referring to the "things" listed in that one verse. Looking at it a little more closely, however, I found that Alma's, "things" referred to a much longer list of necessary actions and attributes that include the following counsel to his eldest son, Helaman:

Learn wisdom in youth; learn to keep the commandments of God (35)
Cry unto God for all support (36)
Let all actions and thoughts be unto the Lord (36)
And then verse 37 as summarized in the paragraph, all which result in salvation

But that wasn't the only counsel he was giving to his son. In fact, that counsel begins earlier when Alma says Helaman should go out and teach the people the following, "things," that would bring, "rest to their souls" (34):

An everlasting hatred of sin and iniquity (32)
Repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ (33)
To humble themselves and be meek and lowly in heart (33)
To withstand every temptation of the devil (33)
To never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart (34)note how "meek and lowly in heart" is repeated twice in Alma's counsel

These verses together seem to point to qualifications that can lead one to salvation.

In five or six verses, we learn a great deal, however we cannot ignore Alma's words in chapters 36 and 37, where much more instruction and testimony is given that really brings the bulleted items above to life. Not only that, we can then compare the counsel Alma gives to his son Helaman to the counsel given to his other two sons. What is said to each son? What is to be meant by the brief counsel given to one son and a very lengthy counsel to the other? Why did he record counsel to all three to begin with? And then when reading of Alma's toils and troubles, preaching, miracles, political involvement, journeys, etc, a much more complete portrait is painted of the man Alma, from which we can draw many life lessons. Leaving Alma, we read more of Helaman's progress in the faith, and so on. Yes, those few verses in chapter 37 are powerful and insightful, but there is so much more!

If lists and doctrines were sufficient to bring us closer to divinity in this life and salvation in the life to come, the scriptures would be much shorter in length. We would study only the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, and several other lists of commands, laws, and counsel. Instead we have before us thousands of pages of stories of individuals, families, towns, and civilizations that illustrate so many ways of broadening our understanding of the important commandments interspersed throughout them.

I have come to appreciate how the scriptures are meant to be read in their entirety, not just a verse here or a verse there. The Book of Mormon is a great example. The culminating event in the Book of Mormon is the literal visitation of the resurrected Jesus Christ on the American continent. So much can be learned from the words the Savior teaches, their placement and order and the various reactions of the people to His words. But we have to ask ourselves why the stories spanning a thousand years preceding and following this event are there (and add to that the Jaredite record). Are there not clear lessons that can be applied from those stories to our time, today?

There are many other verses in scripture that can either be taken out of context or not fully appreciated if we apply the one verse approach to our study and/or overall understanding of the Gospel. It is true there are many beautiful scriptures that consist of one, two or three verses a piece, but there is so much more.

I am convinced that our understanding of the Gospel is not only derived from the doctrines gleaned from individual verses, it is greatly enriched by the full accounts of those who lived long ago, recorded in scripture.

The Gathering

2011-04-04T22:58:00.000-07:00

What comes to mind when you think of the "the gathering of Israel?" Until reading the words of Elder David Bednar several years ago, my understanding of the gathering principle was very limited, mostly focused on the "literal gathering" cited in the Articles of Faith and the general concept taught that we gather in the stakes of Zion. Since reading the article, however, I have learned that the gathering is one of the more all-encompassing doctrines of the restored Gospel, and beautifully expressed in another article I encourage you to read, "The Gathering is All About the Atonement."

Elder Bednar's teachings were cited in an LDS Church News article in 2006 covering a devotional he gave the day of the ground breaking for a new auditorium at BYU-Idaho. The entire manuscript can be found here. For brevity, I include an excerpt from the Church News story:

Elder Bednar said that all things are spiritual unto the Lord (Doctrine and Covenants 29:34) and observed that the Manwaring Center and the auditorium will share a common spiritual purpose; they will both be primarily places of gathering.

"The gathering of Israel is one of the fundamental principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord gathers His people when they accept Him and keep His commandments. The spirit of gathering is an integral part of the restoration of all things in this, the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times."

Elder Bednar used the scriptures to review several basic purposes of gathering, places of gathering and blessings of gathering. He explained how the Lord gathers His people to worship (Mosiah 18:25), to build up the Church (Doctrine and Covenants 101:63-64), for a defense (Doctrine and Covenants 115:6) and to receive counsel and instruction (Mosiah 18:7).

He named the primary places of gathering as into the Lord's restored Church (Doctrine and Covenants 101:64-65), into holy temples (Alma 26:5-6), into stakes of Zion (Doctrine and Covenants 109:59) and into families (Mosiah 2:5). He also discussed the blessing of gathering as blessings of edification (Ephesians 4:12-13), preservation (Moses 7:61) and strength (Doctrine and Covenants 82:14).

Elder Bednar taught how the spirit, purposes and blessings of gathering also occur on campus. "At BYU—Idaho you gather to worship the Father in the name of the Son, to build up the Church and the university, to find defense and protection and to receive counsel and instruction."

This gathering has been discussed since the days of ancient prophets. The first instance in the Bible of the gathering doctrine comes in Genesis 49:10, when the aged prophet Jacob blesses his son, Judah. In that blessing, he promises that the lawgivers will come from his seed, "until Shiloh [Jesus Christ] come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."

We know from the Pearl of Great Price, restored scripture, that prior to Jacob's time, this principle was taught by Enoch, one of the great and earliest patriarchs.

In addition to the many gathering teachings in the Old and New Testaments, The Book of Mormon's emphasis on the gathering can't be ignored. One of the first doctrines Nephi introduces in his writings is the gathering. To him, the gathering played great significance. One hundred years prior to Nephi in Jerusalem, ten tribes of Israel had been taken and subsequently lost contact with the remaining two tribes of Israel. Nephi's family played a prominent role in the scattering along with Mulek, a son of Zedekiah, as they left Jerusalem at different times for the Americas. And many more of these two tribes were scattered by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.

Early in his record, Nephi wastes no time before introducing the doctrine of the gathering of Israel, a prophecy I'm sure brought great peace to him. Two and a half millenia later, his writings are now central to the gathering that has taken place for the last 181 years.

Elder Russell Nelson in, "The Gathering of Scattered Israel" calls the Book of Mormon "central to this work" of the gathering. He continues by making a bold declaration about the connection between the book and the modern day gathering:

[The Book of Mormon] declares the doctrine of the gathering. It causes people to learn about Jesus Christ, to believe His gospel, and to join His Church. In fact, if there were no Book of Mormon, the promised gathering of Israel would not occur.

Why is the Book of Mormon called the Book of Mormon?

2011-03-27T23:14:00.000-07:00

Why is the Book of Mormon called the Book of Mormon? Why not the Book of Moroni or some other name? After all, it is Moroni who finished his father, Mormon's, brief, self-titled book near the end of the overall Book of Mormon, writing the last two chapters (8 & 9) to wrap it up. After doing so, he goes on to insert a condensed history of the Jaredite civilization in the remaining space. Moroni finishes with ten chapters of concluding thoughts bearing his own name to round out the overall book that Nephi began 1,000 years before his time.

But that wasn't all Moroni did for the Book of Mormon. For a period of at least 36 years (see this Attention Activity section on how to derive that number!), Moroni's mission was to lug around the heavy, metallic record without getting caught by blood-thirsty enemies who wished extinction upon his race. He managed to find a good location for the record along with several other heavy items. And 1,400 years later as a glorified angel "sent from the presence of God" (v.33), Moroni played the principal role of instructing a young Joseph Smith on his latter-day mission, with specific guidance on how to retrieve the same record Moroni had buried as a mortal.

Yes, Mormon compiled the majority of the book, where in the "Words of Mormon," a transition chapter near the beginning of the record, he calls it his record and his book, but there is no indication that he intends to name the book after himself. So the question becomes, was it Mormon who named the book after himself, or did his son, Moroni, name it after his father?

The often skipped-over Title Page of the Book of Mormon offers clues that Moroni named the book after his father (see an analysis of that theory by BYU's Maxwell Institute here). If true, the significance of Moroni naming the book after his father shows an act of selflessness, love, devotion, and honor. All available evidence points to Moroni naming the great work, "The Book of Mormon."

I would take it a step further by saying that Moroni's naming the Book of Mormon is yet another witness of the book's divinity. If concocting a great fictional tale of multiple civilizations chronicled by multiple writers, Joseph Smith could have named the book anything he wanted. It would have made more sense for him to claim an angelic visitation from Mormon rather than Moroni, or to name the book after Moroni if he stuck to the Moroni visitation claim. But no, both father and son play primary roles in bringing the book to Joseph, just as Nephi begins the book, but not without first acknowledging his "goodly parents" and then proceeding to first give an account of why his parents are so good (a possible example of chiasmus).

Out of all of the things we learn from the Book of Mormon, it is this small detail that fits so comfortably with the Gospel and the purposes of the restored Priesthood. A devoted son endures great hardship for nearly four decades after his father's death, in order to honor his father's magnum opus, the purpose of which is to bring all living and those who have passed on, to Christ. Moroni finishes his father's work by writing the Title Page, naming the great record after his father.

There is something deeply moving about the story behind the naming of the book. It is therefore no surprise that after three distinct visitations in one night to young Joseph, Moroni strikes on this theme by commanding Joseph in a fourth visit the following morning that Joseph should tell his father of the visit. Joseph then states:

"I obeyed; I returned to my father in the field, and rehearsed the whole matter to him. He replied to me that it was of God, and told me to go and do as commanded by the messenger." Joseph Smith - History 1:50

In each of four visits on this occasion, Moroni is uniquely qualified to instruct Joseph this sweet truth, having lived it in mortality and perfected by it in immortality: "Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet...And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers."

We, too, bear the name of his father when we are called, "Mormons." I have a feeling that Moroni would have it no other way.

Zenos on prayer

2011-03-20T23:20:00.001-07:00

Like most people, I usually read silently, however reading the Book of Mormon out loud as a family has its perks. What jumped out to me this evening was the words of a prophet named Zenos, who apart from the few verses quoted to us by Nephi, Jacob, Alma, Helaman, and the Lord in 3 Nephi, we know very little.

I guess we know enough to say confidently that he lived either during or prior to the time of Lehi, with enough time to have made it on to the brass plates retained by Laban. I haven't done much research on the man but FARMS may have looked at his words, his name, and delved into his possible origins.

What was pleasing to me tonight is the structure of Zenos' prayer.

First, Alma asks his audience what they remember of the Zenos scripture on prayer/worship (I like how to Alma, prayer and worship are virtually interchangeable):

Alma 33:3 Do ye remember to have read what ^aZenos, the prophet of old, has said concerning prayer or ^bworship?

Now, Zenos is quoted:

4 For he said: Thou art merciful, O God, for thou hast heard my prayer, even when I was ^ain the wilderness; yea, thou wast merciful when I prayed concerning those who were mine ^benemies, and thou didst turn them to me.

My take away: God heard me in the WILDERNESS

5 Yea, O God, and thou wast merciful unto me when I did cry unto thee in my ^afield; when I did cry unto thee in my prayer, and thou didst hear me.

God heard me in the FIELD

6 And again, O God, when I did turn to my house thou didst hear me in my prayer.

God heard me in my HOUSE

7 And when I did turn unto my ^acloset, O Lord, and prayed unto thee, thou didst hear me.

God heard me in my CLOSET

A small thing, but nonetheless a simple way of outlining how the Lord hears us. Zenos prays in each example, yet the setting changes from a wide-open expanse (wilderness) to the smallest possible space (closet) in four quick illustrations and through each one, he represents how the Lord can hear us in any possible setting.

In verse 9 below, he mentions another unique setting, where he prays, "in the midst of thy congregations," which congregations I interpret to be the Lord's church-goers. All of whom are likely praying to the Lord at the same time, and yet Zenos shows that the Lord still heard Zenos, even while tending to the rest of his flock.

8 Yea, thou art merciful unto thy children when they cry unto thee, to be heard of thee and not of men, and thou ^awilt hear them.

9 Yea, O God, thou hast been merciful unto me, and heard my cries in the midst of thy congregations.

Then he turns again to the original prayer, which is "concerning his enemies."

10 Yea, and thou hast also heard me when I have been ^acast out and have been despised by mine enemies; yea, thou didst hear my cries, and wast angry with mine enemies, and thou didst ^bvisit them in thine anger with speedy destruction.

Even during the times of great sorrow was he heard. And why was he heard?

11 And thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my ^asincerity; and it is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me, therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine ^bafflictions, for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, ^cbecause of thy Son.

He was heard because of his afflictions and his sincerity, because of the Savior.

Movie night

2011-01-30T16:54:00.000-08:00

LDS Scholars Present Evidence for Book of Mormon

This video runs a little over an hour and seeks to refute another video called "The Bible vs. The Book of Mormon." Very well done.

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While movies with religious, scholarly, or spiritual themes don't always catch the attention of the masses, a growing collection of videos is appearing online that I love to watch when I have some downtime. The problem I've had with most videos online is they are usually very short. I'm sorry, but if I'm watching a brief clip of a presentation without much context, I'm less likely to take the time to view it.

Since YouTube recently increased the time limit for uploaded videos, there is now an opportunity to view more content in one setting without clicking through different segments.

Since 1830 when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established, rumors quickly spread to discredit the new church and its founder, Joseph Smith. As the scholars point out in the video, many of the claims made in those early days are still being made today. The difference is that there is a significant amount of evidence to debunk these theories of old.

For more such videos, see:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Mormon?feature=chclk
http://www.youtube.com/user/mormonmessages?blend=2&ob=4
http://www.youtube.com/user/MormonMessagesYouth
http://www.youtube.com/user/fairldsorg

Malachi: A commandment and prophecy

2011-01-16T23:05:00.001-08:00

Two scriptures in the book of Malachi are often cited when discussing the Spirit of Elijah (temple work/sealing ordinance) & the law of the tithe (paying 10% of one's increase to the Lord), but I don't recall ever hearing the two linked together. I think they may have more in common than we realize:

The commandment
Tithing

Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

The prophecy
Spirit of Elijah

Malachi 4:5 ¶Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Connecting the two

So what does tithing have to do with families, or vice versa? I argue that the two are almost inseparably linked. If it wasn't for the law of tithing being faithfully practiced in the church, it would be nearly impossible for the great work of the temple to take place.

Okay, you say, sure, but the odds of Malachi linking the two intentionally is a reach. Well, hear me out because I think there is good evidence it was very much intentional.

Many Latter-day Saints would say that the work linking families across generations, carried out in temples, is the core tenet of our faith, so it is no surprise that Joseph Smith in his canonized history relates the prophecies of Malachi as given to him from his first meeting with an heavenly messenger:

Joseph Smith – History 1:36 After telling me these things, he commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament.

[note that so far, the angel's remarks have been fairly limited. These are the first scriptures cited]

36 He first quoted part of the third chapter of Malachi;

[we don't know which part is quoted, but probably the first verse which describes a messenger preparing for the Second Coming of the Savior --- which Malachi follows by saying the Lord will come to his temple!]

36 and he quoted also the fourth or last chapter of the same prophecy, though with a little variation from the way it reads in our Bibles. Instead of quoting the first verse as it reads in our books, he quoted it thus:

37 For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

38 And again, he quoted the fifth verse thus: Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

39 He also quoted the next verse differently: And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.

So the first scriptures quoted by the messenger in this ushering in of the new and last Gospel dispensation, are those directly citing the need for temples. Where does Malachi make the connection to tithing? I believe it is made in the verse preceding the tithing verse:

Malachi 3:7 ¶Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
8 ¶Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

The Lord is saying how we can return to him, and he makes clear it is through ordinances. Tithing is not considered an ordinance. The Old and New Testaments speak of ordinances as different from laws or statutes. The way to return to the ordinances is through the law of tithing, for it is tithing that will provide the means to build a House of the Lord, a temple, wherein the work of Elijah can go forward and we can return to the Lord, so He can "return unto [us.]."

Changes to scriptures.lds.org

2010-12-26T17:07:00.000-08:00

I haven't spent too much time on the new scriptures section on lds.org, but the few things I've found so far can enrich my study of the Gospel. And if used well, these study tools could even prove to be a blessing to me later in life.

First, the basics:

Chapter
When I clicked on a book of scripture in the old version, a page would appear showing chapter numbers with hyperlinks. The current version instead shows chapter summaries of each book, all on one page. Skimming for the right story/verse is now easier.

The old version didn't include any social media options. This version allows you to not only share the scripture by email but also on twitter, facebook, and even del.icio.us. Most everyone these days has a facebook account - fewer have twitter, and I think far fewer are familiar with del.icio.us, which acts as a social bookmarking service. For those who haven't utilized del.icio.us, they can not only create a new personalized bookmarking tool but it could become a great way to share scriptures with friends (and the world).

The old lds.org had mp3 versions of the scriptures, but you had to access through a dedicated audio page. Now the entire chapter can be downloaded by mp3.

Verse
Not only can you accomplish all of the same tasks as above in the new version when you are within a chapter, you can also listen on the spot, print, and the most interesting option is the one that allows you to hide footnotes. In my paper scriptures, footnotes aren't as distracting as they are when reading online, when the black and blue color contrast can get in the way of the text flow.

How could these things enrich my study of the Gospel? They are simple changes that actually change the way I read. Unless I'm preparing a lesson, most of my reading/study is personal. Either I am reading a section of scripture or focusing on a certain topic. With the new web 2.0 adds I am now semi-consciously reading in a more social way. The ease of posting to facebook/twitter/del.icio.us requires a click or two and I've just made my study a social experience versus a private one.

If those were the only changes it would still not drastically increase the time I spend reading scriptures online. I probably read online scriptures an average of 15 minutes a week versus several hours a week spent reading in print, and most of the time viewing the online addition is through my phone to look up a quick verse or topic. The main benefit of reading online is I can read a lot more in one sitting. The columns in print breakup the flow whereas there is much more text in a line on the web. The ease of jumping from footnote to footnote makes it more efficient as well. All that being said, I continue to prefer studying the paper version over the electronic, however all that may be about to change based on a new feature added to the scripture site.

Study Notebook (must have a login ID to access)
This is a very cool new addition to the lds study page for someone like me who has notebooks all around the house filled with random Gospel thoughts collected over the years. They are unorganized. I also have four different quads spanning the last 20 years with underlined text and notes scribbled in the margins. I've tried to use google docs in my personal study but that hasn't helped as well as it has for preparing a lesson or talk.

The new study notebook could prove to be the boon of my study to help consolidate my thoughts in one central place. How convenient that it is on the lds website! The notebook is available to collect thoughts on scriptures, conference talks, manuals, etc. What I need to figure out is how I will organize it, but even that can wait as I begin the "journal entries" and "bookmarks" that are available on the page. The two ways to organize are through "collections" and "tags." Collections act as folders to store your journal entries, and the tags can allow you to identify entries that span over multiple folders.

In another great feature called "bookmarks," I can now write whatever I want in the new electronic "margins" of each chapter of scripture or the various manuals or conference talks (it's somewhat limited to those areas but I can see it expanding).

I see this as just the beginning of cloud-based church study offerings. Hopefully enough people will use it so they devote more resources to making improvements. Anyone who uses it can send in suggestions and feedback to the church's tech department.

One Eternal Round

2010-04-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

Hugh Nibley was never able to finish the book that he felt represented the culmination of his life's work. Fortunately, since Nibley's death in 2005 a BYU scholar has compiled many drafts of Nibley's 15 year effort into the book titled, "One Eternal Round." It went to print last week and I made sure I had one of the first copies. So far it is a fascinating read, especially for anyone who has ever been intrigued by the Facsimiles in the Book of Abraham. The book mainly focuses on Fac. 2.

I - Belief Series

2009-09-07T21:41:00.000-07:00

Without trying, I have so far devoted a majority of my posts, unintentionally, to the writings of Joseph Smith. It's very easy to do - a thirty volume set will be available in the next few years chronicling every written word penned by or influenced by the man. But in addition to Joseph Smith's thoughts and testimony, there is so much more that is on my mind that I would love to lay out here. I have had it in mind for some time to create a series of posts that lay out my religious beliefs. Here are my reasons for wanting to do this:

Foundation - If this site is going to be about various thoughts about my religion from my own perspective, it might as well start with a foundation for my beliefs.

Understanding - I want to increase in some small way a general understanding of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - even if it is from a blog like this that very few will ultimately read. I have had enough experience so far to know that to be a Mormon conjures up a multitude of reactions - both positive and negative. When most people find out that I am Mormon, they leave it at that with no editorializing, leaving me to wonder what exactly they are thinking. Others are more forthcoming with their thoughts and questions. Usually those who are the most curious are all pretty religious themselves. Hopefully, those who fall into either camp will read this and come away with a better understanding of Mormonism and the beliefs that I and so many others around the world hold dear.

Former LDS friends - I'm writing this to my friends who have been members of the church, but who for varying reasons have decided to leave the church. That really is the main reason I started this blog. I hope that at least one of the them, and there are several, will stumble across this page and maybe see things through a different perspective, and re-examine their own faith ---and re-join us! We miss you.

Spread the word - Anyone who knows me well knows that I am an unapologetic advocate for my church, so I do not shy away from saying that I would love to see you or anyone else convert to my faith. I would also love to see members of my faith increase in their faith. I also seek ways to constantly increase my own personal faith. So by saying, "spread the word" I mean that it is my feeling that the truths I embrace can help you and can help the entire world.

However, I am not a salesman and I am perfectly content if you do not agree with my beliefs (see "Understanding" above). I think my non-LDS friends would never say that I push my religion on them. I speak freely of my religion, but I'm not annoying about it, and I love to learn about the faith & convictions of others, whether they be Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, etc. And I forgot atheists. They, too, I believe, are acting on faith to NOT believe in a God. They believe to not believe.

So with that, I'll begin to outline my case for what I believe. If you have strong beliefs in Mormonism or anything else, I encourage you to do the same on your own site, and please share your site with me. I'd love to check it out.

Doctrine on the mind of man

2009-07-18T22:23:00.000-07:00

Great Joseph Smith quotes on the core LDS doctrine on immortality & matter from http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Joseph_Smith,_Jr. ---

There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes. We cannot see it, but when our bodies are purified, we shall see that it is all matter. --Doctrine and Covenants 131:7-8 (May 17, 1843)

[W]e shall find a very material difference between the body and the spirit; the body is supposed to be organized matter, and the spirit, by many, is thought to be immaterial, without substance. With this latter statement we should beg leave to differ, and state the spirit is a substance; that it is material, but that it is more pure, elastic and refined matter than the body; that it existed before the body, can exist in the body; and will exist separate from the body, when the body will be mouldering in the dust; and will in the resurrection, be again united with it. --Joseph Fielding Smith (editor), Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 207 (April 1, 1842)

You ask the learned doctors why they say the world was made out of nothing; and they will answer, 'Doesn't the Bible say He created the world?' And they infer, from the word create, that it must have been made out of nothing. Now, the word create came from the word baurau which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence, we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos—chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory. Element had an existence from the time he had. The pure principles of element are principles which can never be destroyed; they may be organized and re-organized, but not destroyed. They had no beginning, and can have no end. . . . [T]he mind of man—the immortal spirit. Where did it come from? All learned men and doctors of divinity say that God created it in the beginning; but it is not so: the very idea lessens man in my estimation. I do not believe the doctrine; I know better. Hear it, all ye ends of the world; for God has told me so . . . We say that God himself is a self-existent being. Who told you so? It is correct enough; but how did it get into your heads? Who told you that man did not exist in like manner upon the same principles? Man does exist upon the same principles. God made a tabernacle and put a spirit into it, and it became a living soul. . . . How does it read in the Hebrew? It does not say in the Hebrew that God created the spirit of man. It says 'God made man out of the earth and put into him Adam's spirit, and so became a living body.' The mind or the intelligence which man possesses is [co-eternal] with God himself. I know that my testimony is true . . . Is it logical to say that the intelligence of spirits is immortal, and yet that it had a beginning? The intelligence of spirits had no beginning, neither will it have an end. That is good logic. That which has a beginning may have an end. There never was a time when there were not spirits; for they are [co-eternal] with our Father in heaven. . . . I take my ring from my finger and liken it unto the mind of man—the immortal part, because it has no beginning. Suppose you cut it in two; then it has a beginning and an end; but join it again, and it continues one eternal round. So with the spirit of man. As the Lord liveth, if it had a beginning, it will have an end. All the fools and learned and wise men from the beginning of creation, who say that the spirit of man had a beginning, prove that it must have an end; and if that doctrine is true, then the doctrine of annihilation would be true. But if I am right, I might with boldness proclaim from the house-tops that God never had the power to create the spirit of man at all. God himself could not create himself. --History of the Church 6:308-309

How We Know What We Know

2009-06-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

Today's edition of Meridian Magazine headlines with an article written by Brother Truman G. Madsen, who passed on May 28, 2009. I include it here in his memory.

How We Know What We Know: Reverberations of truth in an age of deeply conflicting voices.

by Truman G. Madsen

Over a period of forty years, I have worked in the area of "how does one know," a study that has become more significant in an age of deeply conflicting voices. And I can report, in a comparative mood, that there are only five main modes that have been appealed to in all traditions, philosophical or religious. An appeal to reason, an appeal to sense experience, to pragmatic trial and error, to authority (the word of experts), and finally to something a bit ambiguous called intuition. I can report, too, that from my judgment, those five modes are harmonized and balanced in our living (LDS) tradition more effectively than any other tradition I know.

Is there a religious way of knowing? Do these modes leave anything out? To answer that, I want to speak of a religious undergirding experience and not just religious experiences. Let me tell you that there are evidences, now widely recognized, that religious experiences are far more common than has been observed in the recent past and that they are not simply the projections of infantile regression, which is what some reductive psychological theories say. It is at least possible that the sense of God originates in God himself.

Let me begin with a few quotations from an almost-forgotten poet, historian, and member of the [LDS] Council of the Twelve [Apostles] -- Orson F. Whitney:

Why are we drawn toward certain persons and they to us as if we had always known each other? Is it a fact that we always have? Is there something after all in that much abused term affinity? In all events, it is just as logical to look back upon fond associations as it is to look forward to them.

We believe that the ties formed in this life will be continued in the life to come. Then, why not believe that we had similar ties before and that some of them at least have been resumed in this state of existence.

After meeting someone whom I had never met before on earth, I have wondered why that person's face seemed so familiar.

More than once, upon hearing a noble sentiment expressed, though unable to recall that I'd ever heard it until then, I found myself in sympathy with it, was thrilled by it, and felt as if I had always known it.

The same is true of some strains of music, some perhaps heard today. They are like echoes of eternity. I do not assert pre-acquaintance in all such cases but, as one thought suggests another, these queries arise.

When it comes to the Gospel, I feel more positive. Why did the Savior say, "My sheep know my voice?" Did the sheep ever know the voice of a shepherd it had never heard before? They who love the truth, and to whom it most strongly appeals, were they not acquainted with it in a previous life? I think so. I believe we knew the Gospel before we came here, and that is what gives it a familiar sound. ¹

Now add the lines from Eliza R. Snow that we sing and feel, "Ofttimes a certain something whispers, 'You're a stranger here.'" A friend of mine calls this "celestial homesickness." But also, I would add, that there is a feeling that we are here on purpose--that we haven't just wandered "from a more exalted sphere" but are where we ought to be. This sometimes comes through in a sense that we have seen or felt or experienced a thing before. And so I suggest a premise rather unique to our tradition, that recognition, spiritually speaking, is indeed REcognition, that some discovery is REcovery, that recollection is the REcollection of images from before.

B.H. Roberts once said that "Faith"--and he meant faith in Christ or trust in Christ--"is simply trust in what the spirit learned aeons ago." Behind that statement are two sovereign truths from our modern revelations. One is that man is spirit. Yes, embodied, but man is spirit (D&C 93:30-31). It is even said that man is the spirit of truth from the beginning (D&C 93:23). Hence, says modern revelation, all intelligence, being independent, can either welcome or suppress and repress the Holy Spirit. And if we do not receive it, we are told, we are under condemnation (D&C 93:30-31). On the other hand, if we do receive it, then we are told that our light will grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day (D&C 50:24).

The other truth is that "the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit" (D&C 84:45-46).

Is it then the case that this beginning light is in everyone? Is it a universal experience? If so, does this have enough impact, even in the so-called secular world, that Jung, for example, posits a collective unconscious--you don't just remember your own autobiography, you somehow remember the whole racial experience. And thus, he says, a fourteen-year-old girl can have dreams of all the archetypes of the human consciousness though she has never experienced them directly in this world. Or again, Joseph Campbell, the great student of comparative religion and myth, wants to say that myths express the depths of man more effectively than so-called prosaic or propositional truths. Some eastern philosophers, convinced that we have more in our minds than can be accounted for by this life, have concluded that reincarnation or even transmigration is the only explanation.

William James once argued that, because of this same phenomenon, there may be a reservoir of spiritual insight that not just exceptional persons but the ordinary man or woman can occasionally break into and recognize. Rudolph Otton has written about the idea of the holy and call it the "numinous," just as the word luminous refers to light. This is the sense of the sacred which he holds is universal and isn't discovered or learned, but somehow given. Many of the theists among modern writers in existentialism have talked about the "depth-self" that even our own best introspection cannot reach.

Now, leading into reason for a moment, let me quote from the Prophet Joseph Smith. "Every word," he says, "Every word of Jehovah has such an influence over the human mind--the logical mind." I interrupt to say that I think he doesn't mean the mind of one trained in formal logic, Aristotelian or Russellian, but a mind that hasn't been cluttered by the notion that in religion the more contradictions you find the better, that piling paradox on paradox somehow indicates truth. No. "To the human mind--the logical mind," the Prophet says, every word of Jehovah "is convincing without other testimony. Faith or trust comes by hearing the word." ²

Many of you will encounter, if you haven't already, traditional rational arguments for the existence of God. They are all of them afflicted with fallacies. They presuppose in their premises what they claim to demonstrate in the conclusion. And, further, they presuppose in their premises something about the very nature of God.

I suggest that little is given in holy writ that can be called an argument for the existence of God. I suggest that instead of argument there is witness. Witness to experience. God is not at the end of a syllogism; but rationality, and a mind illuminated, enable us to follow certain clear inferences from proper and authentic premises.

What about witness? That leads us to both the question of authority and the question of our own testimony. Said the Prophet again, "No generation was ever saved, or [for that matter] destroyed, on dead testimony." ³ I think by "dead" he means the record of the remote past. We're not fully accountable to that record, but we are to a living witness who bears living testimony to our living spirit. That's when we reach the zenith of responsibility. We recognize that and perhaps we run from it. When a child runs away with his hands over his ears, what is happening? Doesn't the child already pretty well know the message, even while he covers his ears and says, "I didn't hear you?"

Heber C. Kimball, without being grammatical, put the point elegantly after the outpourings at the Nauvoo Temple . He said, "You cannot sin so cheap no more." Many students have said to me over the years, "I'm afraid to pray because I'm afraid I won't get an answer. I'm not sure I could handle that." I have sometimes said, a little cruelly, "The problem may be exactly the reverse. You're afraid to pray because you are afraid you will have an answer, and you already have a shrewd guess as to what it will be." If we know what's bad for us, we will neither listen to nor bear testimony. But if we know what's good for us, we will. And our spirits know.

Hence, Brigham Young once said, "More testimonies are gained on the feet than on the knees." By which he meant that when you are on record and in the presence of others, and are trying to be truthful, and you consult the depths of your own soul, you yourself may learn how profoundly you know.

Zina D. H. Young once walked into a room where there was a copy of the Book of Mormon on a windowsill. She had never seen it and, therefore, of course, had never read it. She walked over and felt a certain warmth and aura. She held the book and then hugged it, murmuring, "This is the truth, truth, truth!" ⁴ Later, she read it. I would call that an "a priori" testimony. I know a man who knelt down to pray, "O God, is this book true?" and then interrupted himself: "Oh, never mind, I already know it's true."

A marvelous woman who read part of a chapter in a book--not really mine, I was only citing scripture--shook my hand to thank me. "You know," she said, "I read almost all night, and I laughed all night." That changed my expression. She said, "I don't mean that the way it sounds. You see, I would say to myself, 'I've always known that. But I didn't know I knew' (laugh)." She said, "It wasn't the 'Ho, ho, ho' and it wasn't the "Ho, hum.' It was the 'Ah ha' experience." Whenever that happens, there is an accompanying lift. It is exhilarating, and even things you've heard over and over have new zest and tingle and deepen understanding. Students have said to me and to my colleagues here, "Thank you for teaching me such and such." But the "such and such" was something we did not know, or at least did not attempt to teach that day. A better voice than ours was whispering over our voice something that they were ripe and ready for. And it came.

Said the Prophet again, "All things whatsoever God in His infinite wisdom has seen fit to reveal to us while dwelling in mortality in regard to our mortal bodies, are revealed to us in the abstract, independent of affinity to this mortal tabernacle, but are revealed to our spirit precisely as though we had no bodies at all." Like a laser beam, I suggest. "And those revelations that will save our spirits will save our bodies." ⁵

On the senses, a colleague of mine at an eastern university said to me one day, "Yes, I've heard you Mormons have a sixth sense. You do. It is the sense that enables you to swallow this nonsense called Mormonism." Even if you conclude, with certain scientific naturalists, that anything that is nonsensory is nonsense, that is endorsement, in a measure, of your heritage. Said Erastus Snow, referring to the Prophet, "Joseph taught that the spirit of the Lord underlies all our natural senses, that is seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching. The spirit communicates with the spirit of man and enlivens all the other senses." ⁶ We are unique in this view.

Creative as well as scientific people prize accurate observation and all the instruments that have become available to intensify it, whether in the macrocosm or the microcosm. Such people also strive to express what they have learned either in math or in the creative arts, a fullness of expression in another language. This is a platform for scientific and aesthetic effort. The senses, far from being disparaged and denied, may thus be seen as eternal as the spirit. A famous example of logical positivism is "Can you verify that there are mountains on the other side of the moon?" They are presently unseeable. "Yes," they say, "but in principle they are verifiable. One can conceive of the conditions under which they could be seen." True. Someone who came back from space--a cosmonaut, I believe--was reported to have said that they didn't find God out there. President Spencer W. Kimball commented that if they had stepped outside their space capsule, they might have.

God, angels, and spirits are, similarly, observable under certain circumstances, and in due time we will have the opportunity of confirmation through the senses as we now have of the spirit. Jesus did say, "Handle me, and see" (Luke 24:39).

Now, Lorenzo Snow: "We were selected, ordained, and set apart there. Where? In the prior life."--according to our worthiness and preparation and training to come forth when our preparation fitted clearly into the great plan of our Father. And as we live worthy [and, I would say, perhaps not otherwise] the Holy Spirit brings this knowledge to this body, and that is the only way we become acquainted with the knowledge of our spiritual understanding. This body must get acquainted with former pre-existent experiences through being revealed to, and being made part of, this flesh." ⁷

Said Joseph F. Smith, "If Christ knew beforehand"--and he's talking about this certain foreknowledge that Jesus must have had in order to volunteer for his mission--"If Christ knew, so did we. But in coming here we forgot all [so] that our agency might be free indeed to choose good or evil that we might merit the reward of our choice and conduct. But by the power of the Spirit in the redemption of Christ, through obedience, we often catch a spark from the awakened memories of the immortal soul which lights up our whole being as with the glory of our former home." ⁸ Yes, for now the spark. And someday, the whole flame.

Elder Parley P. Pratt, who gave this matter considerable thought, once wrote, "It is when we are off-guard that some of these insights spring up unbidden. You need to pay attention to them and try to remember them because they are fleeting and elusive." But, said he, at night when you are approaching quiet slumber, for example, when the outward organs are resting, then "some faint outlines, some confused and half-defined recollections of that heavenly world may come. And those endearing scenes of the former estate enable spirit to commune with spirit. Soul blends with soul in all the raptures of mutual, pure and eternal love." ⁹

Said Brigham Young, "Recollect, Brothers and Sisters, that your spirit is pure and under the special control and influence of the [Holy] Spirit.

When evil is suggested to you, when it arises in your hearts, it is the temporal organization. When you are tempted, buffeted, and step out of the way inadvertently, when you are overtaken in a fault or commit an overt act unthinkingly, when you are full of evil passion and wish to yield to it, then stop and let [that's different from "make"; it presupposes that the spirit wants this] the spirit which God has put into your tabernacle take the lead. If you do that, I will promise you that you will overcome all evil and obtain eternal lives. But many, very many, let the spirit yield to the body and are overcome and destroyed. ¹⁰

So the spirit has a mind of its own, and it is strong, and it speaks with authority. The spirit has a mind of its own--it is saturated with intelligence. The spirit is what prevents you from sinning wholeheartedly.

Now what about authority? Do you want to hear the party line of those of us who get a bit paranoid because of abuse by the big person who has clout over us? I've often wanted to say that Jesus Christ never lords it over us, but under us. He comes down and lifts us up from below. What about that kind of authority? We sometimes repeat the party line we should reject: "Be independent! You don't have to listen to anyone. What is this 'Take my word for it' stuff?" But we belong to a tradition where the word of the prophets is "Don't just take my word for it. That is blind obedience." How do we know a man is a prophet? Only when we are prophets ourselves. Only when we are actuated by the same spirit. And that's the way we prove the prophetic mantle and how it applies to us.

Said the Prophet Joseph Smith after one of the most revelatory meetings in his life, "There was nothing made known to me or to these men [the Twelve] but what will be made known to all the saints of the last days so soon as they are prepared to receive." ¹¹ This is the religion of every man. Not, "Take my word for my experience," but, "Duplicate it in your own life." How far do I go with this? All the way.

Let me then come to a close. I have hiked with my wife at night all the way from the base of what is known as Mount Sinai to the top (incidentally, with a very sore toe. Climbing hurts, and the more you climb, the more it hurts). We went up to where the air is thinner and the veil thinner. There isn't time here to describe the feeling, but we were able to recollect there that Moses had face-to-face communion with God. He came back down and said to the children of Israel , in the name of the God whose name he knew, "Now, you have been invited to go back up with me." And they said, "Thank you, no. That's for prophets. That's for people who are a bit fanatical. We will stay here, and you go up, Moses." In his absence they built an idol. The power of religious impulses goes in many directions. They built an idol--a thing--and were denied the privileges Moses had (see D&C 84:23-25). That is what our generation is now doing again. We are staying down here below and then claiming superiority for our judgment in doing so.

I bear you my testimony that the ways of knowing are true. I bear testimony that there is locked in you, under amnesia, power greater than you can presently imagine. And I bear my testimony that if that is true, then you don't need to go anywhere else to investigate, for it has reverberated in your souls. I pray that it may continue to reverberate in you as we move together into the twenty-first century.

Notes

1 Orson F. Whitney. In Improvement Era, 13:100-1.

2 Joseph Smith. In The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 237.

3 Smith, Words of Joseph Smith, p. 159.

4 Zina D. H. Young. In Young Woman's Journal 4:318.

5 Joseph Fielding Smith, comp. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1963), p. 355.

6 BYU Special Collections, MSS. 44, Folder 5.

7 Journal of John Whitaker, April 6, 1894.

8 Joseph Smith. In The Contributor, 4 (1883): 114-15.

9 Parley P. Pratt, Key to Theology, p. 119.

10 Brigham Young. In Journal of Discourses (Liverpool, England: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1855-86) 2:224.

11 Joseph Fielding Smith, Teachings of the Prophet, p. 237.

"How We Know What We Know" was originally given as a devotional address at the BYU Marriott Center under the title "Reverberations of Truth." It was adapted and reprinted in Charting a New Millennium, The Latter-day Saints in the Coming Century and is used here by permission.

Of Faith

2009-05-31T22:05:00.000-07:00

The word "faith" is almost universally understood as a religious term. The athiest and secularist alike hear the word faith and think of the individual who believes in an unseen power, with little consideration to the application of the word in their own life. Among the religious, faith itself is defined in as many ways as there are religions.

Early in his ministry, Joseph Smith taught a class titled, "Of Faith," and while it is no longer studied closely in the LDS church, it provided the foundation for what was and continues to be a revolutionary approach to the concept of faith.

Seven lectures delivered in Kirtland, Ohio in the winter of 1834-35 are compiled in a book that is now titled Lectures on Faith. The lectures defined what faith is, the object on which faith rests, and the effects which flow from faith.

The first lecture begins with the scripture from Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance [assurance] of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." He then calls faith the "principle of action in all intelligent beings." The secularist, the self-classified athiest, or the unbeliever is taught first that faith applies to all, and is better understood when viewed in that light. He teaches:

If men were duly to consider themselves, and turn their thoughts and reflections to the operations of their own minds, they would readily discover that it is faith, and faith only, which is the moving cause of all action in them; that without it both mind and body would be in a state of inactivity, and all their exertions would cease, both physical and mental.

Were this class to go back and reflect upon the history of their lives, from the period of their first recollection, and ask themselves what principle excited them to action, or what gave them energy and activity in all their lawful avocations, callings, and pursuits, what would be the answer? Would it not be that it was the assurance which they had of the existence of things which they had not seen as yet? Was it not the hope which you had, in consequence of your belief in the existence of unseen things, which stimulated you to action and exertion in order to obtain them? Are you not dependent on your faith, or belief, for the acquisition of all knowledge, wisdom, and intelligence? Would you exert yourselves to obtain wisdom and intelligence, unless you did believe that you could obtain them?...In a word, is there anything that you would have done, either physical or mental, if you had not previously believed? Are not all your exertions of every kind, dependent on your faith? Or, may we not ask, what have you, or what do you posess, which you have not obtained by reason of your faith? Your food, your raiment, your lodgings, are they not all by reason of your faith? Reflect, and ask yourselves if these things are not so. Turn your thoughts on your own minds, and see if faith is not the moving cause of all action in yourselves; and, if the moving case in you, is it not in all other intelligent beings?

And as faith is the moving cause of all action in temporal concerns, so it is in spiritual...

As we receive by faith all temporal blessings that we do receive, so we in like manner receive by faith all spiritual blessings that we do receive.
(Lectures on Faith, by Joseph Smith, Deseret Book Company, 1985, pgs 1-3.)

It is faith in the spiritual, or the unseen, that is the focus of the remaining lectures. The lectures are a great read for those who do not believe but want to better understand those who do, and it is also a wonderful introduction to the first principle of the Gospel as believed and practiced by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

***

See also: BYU series on the Lectures on Faith

'Major Discovery'

2009-05-26T22:26:00.000-07:00

This article cites a new discovery, the 1831 edition of the Book of Commandments & Revelations, found recently in the church's archives. After reading the article, you are probably wondering how you can get your hands on the book?! The author seems to skip over the most important find of the book, which is the fact that it contains seven revelations not included in the modern canon of the church. It may be that some of these revelations are contained in our historical record and that is why more information isn't provided in the article. But if they are not to be found anywhere in available church history, then they will surely be gems to enrich our understanding of the early days of the restoration. In either case, it looks like we will probably see it in an upcoming "Revelations and Translations" volume of the Joseph Smith Papers project.

Speaking of which, the Joseph Smith Papers project is much more popular than I think anyone intended it to be. If you want to purchase the next volume (at a steep cost of $99), you have to pre-order by June 1 in order to guarantee receiving it in September! The staff at Deseret Book told me that they have all been surprised by the many orders they have received, and that it is by far the most popular seller in their store. It's a beautiful thing that there is so much interest in Joseph Smith's original writings. For a teaser into the Joseph Smith Papers project, you can watch BYU TV online, and find two 1/2 hr shows airing each Monday from 5pm to 6pm. The web site allows you to scroll back over weeks and weeks of programming. This particular show has been around for at least a month. The series is really fascinating, and I would like to see them fold the series into a DVD sometime in the future.

We live in a truly remarkable age when so much Gospel-related material is readily available. The historians in the series even say as much as they describe the technological advances that have made the Joseph Smith Papers project possible.

Mormon Radio

2009-05-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

In the last year, I have wondered why there is no LDS radio station. When I flip through the AM & FM bands I hear a lot of religious stations, mostly evangelical Christian and non-denominational. I also saw a bumper sticker recently for a Catholic radio station, although I haven't heard that one yet. I have thought about it to the point that I wondered how I could start a station on the cheap that just played on a loop General Conference talks, BYU scripture roundtable discussions, and other firesides. There is plenty of church material that has been produced over the years that could easily fill years of unique programming. Well, I don't have to think about that any longer because now the Church has started, "Mormon Channel" on HD Radio. Check it out! The next step is getting a dedicated channel in Sacramento! And I'll hold out hope that Mormon Channel 2.0 will include a talk station that allows for Q&A.

Joseph Smith and Mathematics

2009-05-17T22:58:00.001-07:00

James Arlington Bennet was an "unscrupulous opportunist" who, despite no sincere desire to become a member of the LDS church, he hoped to one day succeed Joseph Smith as its leader. He didn't hide his feelings about his lack of religiosity, either. In a letter to Joseph Smith, dated Oct. 24, 2843, Bennet said,

"I am capable of being a most undeviating friend, without being governed by the smallest religious influence.

"As you have proved yourself to be a philosophical divine, you will excuse me when I say that we must leave their influence to the mass. The boldness of your plans and measures, together with their unparalleled success so far, are calculated to throw a charm over your whole being, and to point you out as the most extraordinary man of the present age.

"But my mind is of so mathematical and philosophical a cast, that the divinity of Moses makes no impression on me, and you will not be offended when I say that I rate you higher as a legislator than I do Moses, because we have you present with us for examination, whereas Moses derives his chief authority from prescription and the lapse of time.

"I cannot, however, say but you are both right, it being out of the power of man to prove you wrong. It is no mathematical problem, and can therefore get no mathematical solution."

How would you answer Bennet's claim that religion lies outside of the realm of provability like mathematics? While the rest of Bennet's letter focused on other business, Joseph responded with a rather lengthy treatment on the subject of mathematics and religion. The entire letter, not included here, is a great read and reveals a strong testimony from the Prophet.

---Selections from Joseph Smith's History of the Church, Vol. 6, pages 73-78:

"DEAR SIR:--

"I proceed to answer you, and shall leave you to meditate whether 'mathematical problems,' founded upon the truth of revelation, or religion as promulgated by me, or by Moses, can be solved by rules and principles existing in the systems of common knowledge...

"The boldness of my plans and measures can readily be tested by the touchstone of all schemes, systems, projects, and adventures--truth; for truth is a matter of fact; and the fact is, that by the power of God I translated the Book of Mormon from hieroglyphics, the knowledge of which was lost to the world, in which wonderful event I stood alone, an unlearned youth, to combat the worldly wisdom and multiplied ignorance of eighteen centuries, with a new revelation...

"[T]ruth is mighty and must prevail, and that one man empowered from Jehovah has more influence with the children of the kingdom than eight hundred millions led by the precepts of men. God exalts the humble, and debases the haughty.

"It seems that your mind is of such 'a mathematical and philosophical cast,' that the divinity of Moses makes no impression upon you, and that I will not be offended when you say that you rate me higher as a legislator than you do Moses, because you have me present with you for examination; that 'Moses derives his chief authority from prescription and the lapse of time.' You cannot, however, say but we are both right, it being out of the power of man to prove us wrong. 'It is no mathematical problem, and can therefore get no mathematical solution.'

"Now, sir, to cut the matter short, and not dally with your learned ideas, for fashion's sake you have here given your opinion, without reserve, that revelation, the knowledge of God, prophetic vision, the truth of eternity, cannot be solved as a mathematical problem. The first question then is, What is a mathematical problem? and the natural answer is, A statement, proposition or question that can be solved, ascertained, unfolded or demonstrated by knowledge, facts or figures; for 'mathematical' is an adjective derived from mathesis (Gr.), meaning, in English, learning or knowledge. 'Problem' is derived from probleme (French), or problema (Italian, or Spanish), and in each language means a question or proposition, whether true or false. 'Solve' is derived from the Latin verb 'solvo,' to explain or answer.

"One thing more in order to prove the work as we proceed. It is necessary to have witnesses, two or three of whose testimonies, according to the laws or rules of God and man, are sufficient to establish any one point.

"Now for the question. How much are one and one? Two. How much is one from two? One. Very well; one question or problem is solved by figures. Now, let me ask one for facts; Was there ever such a place on the earth as Egypt? Geography says yes; ancient history says yes; and the Bible says yes: so three witnesses have solved that question. Again: Lived there ever such a man as Moses in Egypt? The same witnesses reply, Certainly. And was he a Prophet? The same witnesses, or a part, have left on record that Moses predicted in Leviticus that if Israel broke the covenant they had made, the Lord would scatter them among the nations, till the land enjoyed her Sabbaths' and, subsequently, these witnesses have testified of their captivity in Babylon and other places, in fulfillment. But to make assurance doubly sure, Moses prays that the ground might open and swallowup Korah and his company for transgression, and it was so: and he endorses the prophecy of Balaam, which said, Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city: and Jesus Christ, as Him that 'had dominion,' about fifteen hundred years after, in accordance with this and the prediction of Moses, David, Isaiah, and many others, came, saying, Moses wrote of me, declaring the dispersion of the Jews, and the utter destruction of the city; and the Apostles were his witnesses, unimpeached, especially Jude, who not only endorses the facts of Moses 'divinity,' but also the events of Balaam and Korah, with many others, as true...

"[I]f you had been as well acquainted with your God and Bible as with your purse and pence table, the divinity of Moses would have dispelled the fog of five thousand years and filled you with light; for facts, like diamonds, not only cut glass, but they are the most precious jewels on earth. The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.

"The world at large is ever ready to credit the writings of Homer, Hesiod, Plutarch, Socrates, Pythagoras, Virgil, Josephus, Mahomet, and an hundred others; but where, tell me, where, have they left a line--a simple method of solving the truth of the plan of eternal life? Says the Savior, 'If any man will do his [the Father's] will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.' Here, then, is a method of solving the divinity of men by the divinity within yourself, that as far exceeds the calculations of numbers as the sun exceeds a candle. Would to God that all men understood it and were willing to be governed by it, that when one had filled the measure of his days, he could exclaim like Jesus, Veni mori, et reviviscere!...

"The summit of your future fame seems to be hid in the political Policy of a 'mathematical problem' for the chief magistracy of this state, which I suppose might be solved by 'double position,' where the errors of the supposition are used to produce a true answer...

"Shall I, who have witnessed the visions of eternity, and beheld the glorious mansions of bliss, and the regions and the misery of the damned,--shall I turn to be a Judas? Shall I, who have heard the voice of God, and communed with angels, and spake as moved by the Holy Ghost for the renewal of the everlasting covenant, and for the gathering of Israel in the last days,--shall I worm myself into a political hypocrite? Shall I, who hold the keys of the last kingdom, in which is the dispensation of the fullness of all things spoken by the mouths of all the holy Prophets since the world began, under the sealing power of the Melchizedek Priesthood,--shall I stoop from the sublime authority of Almighty God, to be handled as a monkey's cat-paw, and pettify myself into a clown to act the farce of political demagoguery? No--verily no! The whole earth shall bear me witness that I, like the towering rock in the midst of the ocean, which has withstood the mighty surges of the warring waves for centuries, am impregnable, and am a faithful friend to virtue, and a fearless foe to vice,--no odds whether the former was sold as a pearl in Asia or hid as a gem in America, and the latter dazzles in palaces or glimmers among the tombs.

"I combat the errors of ages; I meet the violence of mobs; I cope with illegal proceedings from executive authority; I cut the guardian knot of powers. and I solve mathematical problems of universities, with truth--diamond truth; and God is my 'right hand man.'...

"With due consideration and respect, I have the honor to be

"Your most obedient servant, JOSEPH SMITH."

The senses & eternity

2009-05-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

The King Follett discourse is famous primarily because of the claim that Joseph Smith made when he presented to the Saints the bold doctrine about the destiny of man. I marvel that the sermon was given just two months prior to the young Prophet's martyrdom (he was only 38).

In the discourse, the principle of intelligence is taught, which is a fascinating doctrine in itself that I could devote a lot of time to on this site. Joseph ties the principle of intelligence to salvation, or living eternally with God.

Before this life, he explains, "God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge."

He goes on by saying that the laws God put into place instruct the "weaker intelligences, that they may be exalted with Himself so that they might have one glory upon another, and all that knowledge, power, glory, and intelligence, which is requisite in order to save them in the world of spirits."

At this point in the sermon, Joseph pauses to reflect on the way to know, understand, and comprehend true doctrines. He does this by appealing to a sense we typically do not associate with the way God speaks to our souls. He continues:

"This is good doctrine. It tastes good. I can taste the principles of eternal life, and so can you. They are given to me by the revelations of Jesus Christ; and I know that when I tell you these words of eternal life as they are given to me, you taste them, and I know that you believe them. You say honey is sweet, and so do I. I can also taste the spirit of eternal life. I know that it is good; and when I tell you of these things which were given me by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you are bound to receive them as sweet, and rejoice more and more."

Can you taste that? It calls to mind the scriptural command to "feast," whether it be temporally under the Mosaic Law, or in the spiritual sense as cited here, here and here.

***

All quotes from Joseph Smith's History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 312.

Altura?

2009-05-10T21:48:00.000-07:00

It's best to first explain what "Altura" means and then I'll get going with my first official post. In the mid-nineties I served an LDS mission in Portugal. As I became immersed in the language and culture, I was fascinated with words that had no direct English translation. One such case is the word, "altura," which has several different meanings. Its various definitions can refer to altitude, time, and stature, among other things. I'm having a hard time finding a good Portuguese definition online, so I found a Spanish translation of the same word:

altura [al-too’-rah]

noun

1. Height, loftiness. (f)

2. One of the three dimensions of a solid body. (f)

3. Summit of mountains. (f)

4. Altitude, the elevation of the pole or of any of the heavenly bodies. (f)

5. Exaltation of spirits. (Metaphorical)

Estar en grande altura -> to be raised to a high degree of dignity, favor, or fortune
Alturas -> the heavens
Dios de las alturas -> God, the Lord of the heavens

6. (fig.) Sublimity, loftiness

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My hope is to share a few thoughts on this site that elevate and inspire, and I welcome your participation.

Oh, and Altura is also a city in Winona County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 417 at the 2000 census. All voting citizens from the city of Altura will get special posting privileges from the author.