Some interesting information from “Basic Facts About the Church” at http://www.lds.org/church/facts?lang=eng
"According to the National Council of Churches, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the second-fastest-growing church in the United States. However, despite its increasing numbers, the Church cautions against overemphasis on growth statistics. The Church makes no statistical comparisons with other churches and makes no claim to be the fastest-growing Christian denomination despite frequent news media comments to that effect.
It took 117 years—until 1947—for the Church to grow from the initial six members to one million. Missionaries were a feature of the Church from its earliest days, fanning out to Native American lands, to Canada, and, in 1837, beyond the North American continent to England. Not long after, missionaries were working on the European continent and as far away as India and the Pacific Islands. The two-million-member mark was reached just 16 years later, in 1963, and the three-million mark in eight years more. This accelerating growth pattern has continued with about a million new members now being added every three years or less. Growth consists both of convert baptisms and natural growth through the birth of children. Church membership today is over 14 million."
I recently received an email from my mom that included the following (I cannot guarantee that the following statistics are accurate, but they are probably pretty close):
"61,000 missionaries serve in 165 countries; 93 percent are college-age;
22 percent are female.
The church has 5.5 million members in the U.S., making it the fourth
largest individual U.S. denomination.
For the last 15 years, every day an average of 800+ people worldwide
joined the LDS church.
In 1984 a non-LDS professor estimated 265 million members by 2080; so
far growth has been faster.
As this growth has been steady, he said it will be the "first 'new'
major world religion since Islam.""
We have more than 50,000 full time missionaries in the Church, serving all over the world. The missionary program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the most effective and efficient missionary program of any church in the world. Every year hundreds of thousands of people are taught and baptized into the Lord’s Kingdom.
But we will never be completely successful in bringing our brothers and sisters to a knowledge of the Savior and His Gospel until the members of the Wards and Branches of the Church begin to participate more fully in the work. Over the past several months I have come to realize and understand the importance of fellowshipping our Investigators—local members teaching alongside the missionaries; inviting Investigators into their homes to be taught, to read the scriptures, or for Family Home Evening.
Over the past several months we have been inviting the members of our ward to become more involved in the missionary work by doing the things mentioned above. We have found that Investigators are more likely to enter into the waters of baptism when the members have been part of the process. We have also seen that after Investigators are baptized, they are more likely to stay active in the Church when they have developed friendships with ward members.
We have just recently begun a program in our ward in which we will be assigning brothers and sisters who have been endowed and have current Temple Recommends to serve as Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers for recent converts and recently reactivated members. The goal is that endowed members will help prepare the non-endowed members to receive their Temple blessings. We have come to believe that the goal of all our members should be the Temple. As important as baptism and confirmation are, it is only through the ordinances of the Temple that we have the hope and promise of Eternal Life. No matter how good a life a person lives, he or she cannot be exalted without having received the blessings available in the Temple.
We are coming to realize that saving souls is very labor intensive. We do believe, however, that the results will be worth our efforts.
Last week we attended a Worldwide Leadership Training broadcast, at which several Apostles, Seventies, and other Church leaders spoke. From the things we were taught during this meeting, several of us that attended felt that we received confirmation that we are trying to move our ward in the direction that the Lord wants us to go. I tell you this, not to boast, but to bear witness to you that if we pray sincerely to know the Lord’s will concerning His work, He really will make it manifest to us, even if we are living in South Texas (or Southern Peru, or Danville, Illinois).
The Elders Quorum President in our ward has been working on an electronic form on which we can track the progress of our recent converts and newly reactivated members from the time of their baptism or reactivation to their receiving their endowments. This form will be used in conjunction with a program called “Drop Box,” which is available with Google Mail.
With this program, all of our ward leaders will be able to view and update the progress of the members so we can know immediately what needs to be done next. This form is based on the “New and Returning Member” form which you are probably already using. The main difference is that all the new and returning members are listed on one form instead of a number of individual sheets. As soon as we have this program up and running, I will be glad to email a copy of it to anyone who requests it. Perhaps it will be helpful to you in you wards and branches.
Whether we are sharing the Gospel with non-members, re-activating or strengthening baptized members, or performing ordinances for the dead in the House of the Lord, it is all one work--bringing souls unto Christ. We have been given the opportunity as well as the responsibility to be instruments in the hands of the Lord in His work, which is "...to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." I testify to you that our own eternal lives are dependent on our being diligent in this work.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Temple Work and Second Chances
I have been thinking recently about the work we do in the temples (for a brief explanation of temple ordinances, see my Blog posting of October 31, 2010, "They Called Me a Pig"). The idea of performing ordinances vicariously for people who have died is a new concept to most of our investigators and recent converts. I am afraid that even many of our long-time members, including some of those who have received their temple ordinances, do not completely understand Heavenly Father’s purpose in allowing this work to be performed.
I have found that many members of the Church believe that after a person who has not received temple ordinances dies, his or her name can be taken to the temple, the ordinances can be performed, and then that person can be exalted in the Celestial Kingdom. This is not in keeping with the Law of Justice or the Law of Mercy.
The fact of the matter is that, at some point in time, either during their own lifetimes or after they have died, all of Heavenly Father’s children will have the opportunity to be taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to receive the ordinances necessary for exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom. This is according to the Law of Justice—all people will have an equal opportunity. The great majority of this work will be done during the Millennium, when temples will dot the Earth and Satan will not be allowed to tempt the children of men.
Despite the fact that every individual will have his or her work completed, each will, nevertheless, be judged according to the life he or she lived. Even though many people that were born into this world lived during a time or in a place that the Gospel was not available to them, they all had the opportunity to live according to the truth that was available. No matter what the circumstances of the time or the place, there have always been good people and there have always been evil people. Those people who lived good lives will be judged and rewarded accordingly. Those people who lived evil lives will also be judged accordingly.
According to the Law of Mercy, the Atonement of Jesus Christ will answer for all the sins for all those who have repented sufficiently. According to the Law of Justice, the Atonement will be of no affect to those who have not repented. Despite the fact that all will have their temple work completed, those who lived lives worthy of receiving Celestial glory will go to the Celestial Kingdom, those who lived lives worthy of receiving Terrestrial glory will go the Terrestrial Kingdom, those who lived lives worthy of receiving Telestial glory will go to the Telestial Kingdom, and those who lived lives worthy of no glory will go to Outer Darkness. It is generally believed that most people will end up in the Terrestrial Kingdom.
A fair question to ask is: “Why do we do Temple work for everyone if everyone will not go to the Celestial Kingdom?” The answer, of course, is that we do not know how anyone will be judged; we assume that all of Heavenly Father’s children will return to His presence; therefore, the work needs to be completed.
Sometimes when people learn about this doctrine of salvation for the dead, they come to believe that God gives everybody a “second chance” to be saved. This is not the case. All will have an opportunity, either in this life or in the next. It is my understanding that those who receive their opportunity in this life will not have a second opportunity after they die (See McConkie, Bruce R., Mormon Doctrine, 1966, p.685-687; see also Doctrine and Covenants 128:5).
You may ask: “What constitutes an opportunity?” I do not have a good answer to that. I do feel very certain that those who have been taught and have received a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel have had their opportunity. If, after having the Holy Ghost bear witness of the truthfulness of the Gospel, they do not enter into the waters of baptism, but do accept proxy baptism after they are dead, they will go to the Terrestrial Kingdom, not the Celestial Kingdom. I hope that having had missionaries knock on their doors does not count as the opportunity for those people who told the missionaries, “I’m not interested.”
I am very concerned about the members of the Church who have the opportunity to receive their Temple blessings, but, for reasons of their own, do not receive them. I fear that if they go through their entire lives without these ordinances, after having had the opportunity, receiving them after they have died will not be of the same affect. Having known the importance of these ordinances, what excuse will be sufficient for not having received them? I wonder if those husbands and wives who know and understand the principle of Eternal Marriage but are not sealed, should expect to a proxy sealing after death to be effective.
As we teach the Gospel to all who will listen, we must always keep in mind that baptism is only the beginning. Baptism is the key to the Celestial Kingdom, but it is from the Temple ordinances that we become exalted. Our goal, as missionaries, is not merely to baptize and confirm. As important as these ordinances are, our goal is to help God’s children to receive the ordinances of the Temple, which lead to Eternal Life.
I have found that many members of the Church believe that after a person who has not received temple ordinances dies, his or her name can be taken to the temple, the ordinances can be performed, and then that person can be exalted in the Celestial Kingdom. This is not in keeping with the Law of Justice or the Law of Mercy.
The fact of the matter is that, at some point in time, either during their own lifetimes or after they have died, all of Heavenly Father’s children will have the opportunity to be taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to receive the ordinances necessary for exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom. This is according to the Law of Justice—all people will have an equal opportunity. The great majority of this work will be done during the Millennium, when temples will dot the Earth and Satan will not be allowed to tempt the children of men.
Despite the fact that every individual will have his or her work completed, each will, nevertheless, be judged according to the life he or she lived. Even though many people that were born into this world lived during a time or in a place that the Gospel was not available to them, they all had the opportunity to live according to the truth that was available. No matter what the circumstances of the time or the place, there have always been good people and there have always been evil people. Those people who lived good lives will be judged and rewarded accordingly. Those people who lived evil lives will also be judged accordingly.
According to the Law of Mercy, the Atonement of Jesus Christ will answer for all the sins for all those who have repented sufficiently. According to the Law of Justice, the Atonement will be of no affect to those who have not repented. Despite the fact that all will have their temple work completed, those who lived lives worthy of receiving Celestial glory will go to the Celestial Kingdom, those who lived lives worthy of receiving Terrestrial glory will go the Terrestrial Kingdom, those who lived lives worthy of receiving Telestial glory will go to the Telestial Kingdom, and those who lived lives worthy of no glory will go to Outer Darkness. It is generally believed that most people will end up in the Terrestrial Kingdom.
A fair question to ask is: “Why do we do Temple work for everyone if everyone will not go to the Celestial Kingdom?” The answer, of course, is that we do not know how anyone will be judged; we assume that all of Heavenly Father’s children will return to His presence; therefore, the work needs to be completed.
Sometimes when people learn about this doctrine of salvation for the dead, they come to believe that God gives everybody a “second chance” to be saved. This is not the case. All will have an opportunity, either in this life or in the next. It is my understanding that those who receive their opportunity in this life will not have a second opportunity after they die (See McConkie, Bruce R., Mormon Doctrine, 1966, p.685-687; see also Doctrine and Covenants 128:5).
You may ask: “What constitutes an opportunity?” I do not have a good answer to that. I do feel very certain that those who have been taught and have received a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel have had their opportunity. If, after having the Holy Ghost bear witness of the truthfulness of the Gospel, they do not enter into the waters of baptism, but do accept proxy baptism after they are dead, they will go to the Terrestrial Kingdom, not the Celestial Kingdom. I hope that having had missionaries knock on their doors does not count as the opportunity for those people who told the missionaries, “I’m not interested.”
I am very concerned about the members of the Church who have the opportunity to receive their Temple blessings, but, for reasons of their own, do not receive them. I fear that if they go through their entire lives without these ordinances, after having had the opportunity, receiving them after they have died will not be of the same affect. Having known the importance of these ordinances, what excuse will be sufficient for not having received them? I wonder if those husbands and wives who know and understand the principle of Eternal Marriage but are not sealed, should expect to a proxy sealing after death to be effective.
As we teach the Gospel to all who will listen, we must always keep in mind that baptism is only the beginning. Baptism is the key to the Celestial Kingdom, but it is from the Temple ordinances that we become exalted. Our goal, as missionaries, is not merely to baptize and confirm. As important as these ordinances are, our goal is to help God’s children to receive the ordinances of the Temple, which lead to Eternal Life.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Latter-day Saints Believe in Revelation and Prophecy
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (9th Article of Faith). We believe that revelation from God is as necessary in the twenty-first century as it was in the times of Adam, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Peter, James, and John.
I do not know if our belief in modern-day revelation is unique among Christian churches, but I would venture to say that the official doctrine of most Christian denominations is that prophecy and revelation ended with the deaths of the Twelve whom Jesus called as His Apostles. Even though that may be the doctrine of their churches, I have found that many of my friends and family actually do believe in revelation; they just don’t realize that they believe.
Part of the reason for the confusion is a misunderstanding of what revelation is. Most people tend to think of revelation as marvelous visions, visits from heavenly messengers, voices from heaven, etc. While these types of manifestations do, occasionally, occur, they are not typical of the revelation we speak of in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The book of Matthew provides a wonderful example of what would be considered the most typical form of revelation: “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 16:15-17).
Peter’s knowledge that Jesus of Nazareth was “…the Christ, the Son of the living God…” was revealed to him by “…my Father which is in heaven.” I would submit to you that anyone who has the same testimony that Peter had, had to have received it through revelation from the Holy Ghost. In other words, anyone who has a true testimony of the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ has received revelation (even those who have received it in this, the twenty-first century).
In Mormon Doctrine (2nd Edition, 1966), Bruce R. McConkie writes, “Nothing more than the testimony of Jesus (meaning the receipt of personal revelation from the Holy Ghost certifying that Jesus is the Christ) is needed to make a person a prophet…” (p.605). With that as the basis for the definition of a prophet, I would submit that many of you reading this article could, in fact, be designated as prophets.
The Holy Ghost has the power to reveal much more than the divinity of the Savior. He is available to provide guidance and direction in our daily lives. Most of the people I know, who claim to be Christians, pray (some more than others) when they have needs or problems. How many of you, at various times in your lives, have prayed to know which school to attend, which job to accept, whether or not to marry the person you have been dating, etc? How many of you parents have prayed to know how to deal with the problems your children were facing? How many of you prayed to know who to vote for during the last election? If you received answers, you received revelation.
How many of you have been driving down the street, on your way to somewhere, and felt a prompting to go a different direction or to a different place. How many of you have felt a sudden need to call or visit a friend, and when you did, he or she told you that you were an answer to a prayer? This is another form of revelation which most of us have experienced.
Of those of you reading this article who are not Latter-day Saints I ask, “What is your church’s doctrine concerning modern-day revelation?” If the doctrine is that revelation from God has ended, I invite you to investigate more fully the doctrines and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Please visit the Website at http://www.lds.org/?lang=eng for more information or the Website at http://mormon.org/worship/ to find a Church meetinghouse near you.
I do not know if our belief in modern-day revelation is unique among Christian churches, but I would venture to say that the official doctrine of most Christian denominations is that prophecy and revelation ended with the deaths of the Twelve whom Jesus called as His Apostles. Even though that may be the doctrine of their churches, I have found that many of my friends and family actually do believe in revelation; they just don’t realize that they believe.
Part of the reason for the confusion is a misunderstanding of what revelation is. Most people tend to think of revelation as marvelous visions, visits from heavenly messengers, voices from heaven, etc. While these types of manifestations do, occasionally, occur, they are not typical of the revelation we speak of in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The book of Matthew provides a wonderful example of what would be considered the most typical form of revelation: “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 16:15-17).
Peter’s knowledge that Jesus of Nazareth was “…the Christ, the Son of the living God…” was revealed to him by “…my Father which is in heaven.” I would submit to you that anyone who has the same testimony that Peter had, had to have received it through revelation from the Holy Ghost. In other words, anyone who has a true testimony of the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ has received revelation (even those who have received it in this, the twenty-first century).
In Mormon Doctrine (2nd Edition, 1966), Bruce R. McConkie writes, “Nothing more than the testimony of Jesus (meaning the receipt of personal revelation from the Holy Ghost certifying that Jesus is the Christ) is needed to make a person a prophet…” (p.605). With that as the basis for the definition of a prophet, I would submit that many of you reading this article could, in fact, be designated as prophets.
The Holy Ghost has the power to reveal much more than the divinity of the Savior. He is available to provide guidance and direction in our daily lives. Most of the people I know, who claim to be Christians, pray (some more than others) when they have needs or problems. How many of you, at various times in your lives, have prayed to know which school to attend, which job to accept, whether or not to marry the person you have been dating, etc? How many of you parents have prayed to know how to deal with the problems your children were facing? How many of you prayed to know who to vote for during the last election? If you received answers, you received revelation.
How many of you have been driving down the street, on your way to somewhere, and felt a prompting to go a different direction or to a different place. How many of you have felt a sudden need to call or visit a friend, and when you did, he or she told you that you were an answer to a prayer? This is another form of revelation which most of us have experienced.
Of those of you reading this article who are not Latter-day Saints I ask, “What is your church’s doctrine concerning modern-day revelation?” If the doctrine is that revelation from God has ended, I invite you to investigate more fully the doctrines and teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Please visit the Website at http://www.lds.org/?lang=eng for more information or the Website at http://mormon.org/worship/ to find a Church meetinghouse near you.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Latter-day Saints Believe in Jesus Christ
For some reason, many people believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not a Christian church. Nothing could be further from the truth. Unlike many churches, the Savior’s name is part of the name of our church. Our beliefs are centered on His teachings. We study and read the Holy Bible and believe it to be the word of God.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of God, our Heavenly Father. We believe that God, the Father; the Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost are three separate individuals, each with His own assignment, but are one in purpose, namely, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of mankind. God is the Father, the Supreme ruler of all that exists. Jesus Christ is His son, who, under the direction of the Father, has created everything that has been created. The work of the Holy Ghost is to bear witness of the Father and the Son.
We believe that Jesus Christ condescended to leave His heavenly throne on the right hand of the Father, to be born of Mary, to take upon Himself a physical body so that He could experience everything that we, Heavenly Father’s spirit children, experience, and so that He could offer Himself as a sacrifice to be ransomed for our sins.
We believe that on the final night of His mortal existence, the Savior, Jesus Christ, met with the twelve whom He had called to be His special witnesses. To teach them humility, the Savior washed the feet of each one. He gave them bread and wine as tokens of His body and blood and instructed them that this was now established as the means by which they should remember Him.
After that, the Savior took the twelve to Gethsemane. While they waited outside the gate, Jesus went alone into the garden. There He knelt down on the ground, and in a way that no mortal can understand, He took upon Himself the sins of all the world. Somehow, He experienced the horror and terror and guilt and shame of all the murders, adultery, tortures, and cruelty, all the evil and depravity that had or ever would take place from the time of Adam until the end of the world.
He suffered as no man had suffered before or will ever suffer again. How great was His suffering? Luke tells us: “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: andhis sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).
Later, after His ordeal in Gethsemane, He was taken before the chief priests, where he was spit on, mocked, and buffeted. He was then taken to the Romans where He was beaten and made to wear a crown of thorns. He was presented to the people He had come to save, and they rejected Him and demanded His life.
He was made to carry His own cross to Calvary, where His feet and His hands were nailed to the cross, and He was crucified. While on the cross, He asked Heavenly Father to forgive those who had done this to Him. And then, because those who had placed Him on the cross had not the power to take His life (but He had power to lay down His life and to take it back up again), He allowed His spirit to leave His body, in other words, He gave up the ghost. His body was placed in a tomb, but on the third day, His spirit reunited with His body, never to be separated again.
Jesus Christ went through all that for two reasons. The first is because it was an assignment He accepted voluntarily from Heavenly Father. The second reason is because He loves us.
Christ’s resurrection brought about the resurrection of all mankind. The atonement makes it possible for our sins to be forgiven and for us to become worthy to someday return to the presence of our Father. The first of these two gifts, resurrection, is unconditional—every individual that has ever lived will rise from the dead with an immortal body (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-22). The atonement is conditional, however, so far as each person’s individual sins are concerned, and touches every one to the degree that he has faith in Jesus Christ, repents of his sins, and obeys the gospel.
Every sin that has ever been committed or ever will be committed has been paid for. No matter what evil any of us have done or are going to do, the Savior has already suffered for it. But His pain and suffering, His atonement is of no effect to us unless we accept Him as our personal Savior.
No matter what you might have been told by your uninformed friends, this is what we, the Latter-day Saints believe and teach about Jesus Christ. I submit to you that this surely qualifies us to be considered a Christian people.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of God, our Heavenly Father. We believe that God, the Father; the Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost are three separate individuals, each with His own assignment, but are one in purpose, namely, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of mankind. God is the Father, the Supreme ruler of all that exists. Jesus Christ is His son, who, under the direction of the Father, has created everything that has been created. The work of the Holy Ghost is to bear witness of the Father and the Son.
We believe that Jesus Christ condescended to leave His heavenly throne on the right hand of the Father, to be born of Mary, to take upon Himself a physical body so that He could experience everything that we, Heavenly Father’s spirit children, experience, and so that He could offer Himself as a sacrifice to be ransomed for our sins.
We believe that on the final night of His mortal existence, the Savior, Jesus Christ, met with the twelve whom He had called to be His special witnesses. To teach them humility, the Savior washed the feet of each one. He gave them bread and wine as tokens of His body and blood and instructed them that this was now established as the means by which they should remember Him.
After that, the Savior took the twelve to Gethsemane. While they waited outside the gate, Jesus went alone into the garden. There He knelt down on the ground, and in a way that no mortal can understand, He took upon Himself the sins of all the world. Somehow, He experienced the horror and terror and guilt and shame of all the murders, adultery, tortures, and cruelty, all the evil and depravity that had or ever would take place from the time of Adam until the end of the world.
He suffered as no man had suffered before or will ever suffer again. How great was His suffering? Luke tells us: “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: andhis sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).
Later, after His ordeal in Gethsemane, He was taken before the chief priests, where he was spit on, mocked, and buffeted. He was then taken to the Romans where He was beaten and made to wear a crown of thorns. He was presented to the people He had come to save, and they rejected Him and demanded His life.
He was made to carry His own cross to Calvary, where His feet and His hands were nailed to the cross, and He was crucified. While on the cross, He asked Heavenly Father to forgive those who had done this to Him. And then, because those who had placed Him on the cross had not the power to take His life (but He had power to lay down His life and to take it back up again), He allowed His spirit to leave His body, in other words, He gave up the ghost. His body was placed in a tomb, but on the third day, His spirit reunited with His body, never to be separated again.
Jesus Christ went through all that for two reasons. The first is because it was an assignment He accepted voluntarily from Heavenly Father. The second reason is because He loves us.
Christ’s resurrection brought about the resurrection of all mankind. The atonement makes it possible for our sins to be forgiven and for us to become worthy to someday return to the presence of our Father. The first of these two gifts, resurrection, is unconditional—every individual that has ever lived will rise from the dead with an immortal body (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-22). The atonement is conditional, however, so far as each person’s individual sins are concerned, and touches every one to the degree that he has faith in Jesus Christ, repents of his sins, and obeys the gospel.
Every sin that has ever been committed or ever will be committed has been paid for. No matter what evil any of us have done or are going to do, the Savior has already suffered for it. But His pain and suffering, His atonement is of no effect to us unless we accept Him as our personal Savior.
No matter what you might have been told by your uninformed friends, this is what we, the Latter-day Saints believe and teach about Jesus Christ. I submit to you that this surely qualifies us to be considered a Christian people.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Dr. Miller and Peter the Apostle
One of the great blessings of my life was being able to attend Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I began classes there in the fall of 1989 at the age of 39. I graduated in April 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree. I majored in Psychology and minored in History. My first year there I participated in the Honors Program, and that is where I became acquainted with Dr. Dean Miller. Dr. Miller was a professor who generally taught Psychology courses, but I first met him as the instructor for my Honors History of Civilization course.
By the time I arrived at BYU I had already completed two years of college at community colleges. History of Civilization was a 200-level course, but it was required for graduation, so I was taking it even though I was a junior, not a sophomore. I passed the course with a grade of B. During that semester, Dr. Miller was named Dean of the BYU Honors Program.
For a number of reasons, I did not stay in the Honors Program, so I did not see Dr. Miller again until the spring of 1991. Dr. Miller taught a course that I needed for graduation, Senior Seminar in Psychology. It was a course that discussed all the various psychology courses we had completed during our undergraduate studies. One afternoon, towards the end of the term, Dr. Miller began class by telling us the following:
“The Apostle Peter is one of my heroes. He could be stubborn and rash, but he was completely devoted to the Savior. He had faith enough to walk on the waters of the Sea of Galilee, but he was also human enough to realize when he saw the waves that what he was doing was physically impossible. On the night before the crucifixion, Jesus told the Apostles that they would all be offended and scattered like sheep.
“Then ‘Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee’ (Matthew 26:33-35).
Dr. Miller then told of the three occasions that Peter did, indeed, deny being a follower of Christ. Dr. Miller said, “Immediately after Peter denied the Savior the third time, the cocked crowed, and Peter wept…” He paused, and then stated, “…because he knew he had done what the Savior had told him to do.”
I’m pretty sure that I was not the only one in the class that was thinking, “That’s not how it happened.”
But after another short pause, Dr. Miller said, “That was from a talk given by President Kimble, presented at a seminar for BYU instructors at the beginning of the 1975 school year.” He then added, “Things are not always the way they seem.”
President Spencer W. Kimball was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sustained by the members of the Church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. I don’t know whether or not President Kimble actually said that about Peter (but I can’t think of a reason why Dr. Miller would make up such a story). Hearing the story has made me view Peter from a different perspective than I had in the past. It has also helped me to try to examine all the possibilities before making a decision. It has helped me resist the urge to make judgments about others without knowing all the facts. Perhaps reading this will help you, too.
By the time I arrived at BYU I had already completed two years of college at community colleges. History of Civilization was a 200-level course, but it was required for graduation, so I was taking it even though I was a junior, not a sophomore. I passed the course with a grade of B. During that semester, Dr. Miller was named Dean of the BYU Honors Program.
For a number of reasons, I did not stay in the Honors Program, so I did not see Dr. Miller again until the spring of 1991. Dr. Miller taught a course that I needed for graduation, Senior Seminar in Psychology. It was a course that discussed all the various psychology courses we had completed during our undergraduate studies. One afternoon, towards the end of the term, Dr. Miller began class by telling us the following:
“The Apostle Peter is one of my heroes. He could be stubborn and rash, but he was completely devoted to the Savior. He had faith enough to walk on the waters of the Sea of Galilee, but he was also human enough to realize when he saw the waves that what he was doing was physically impossible. On the night before the crucifixion, Jesus told the Apostles that they would all be offended and scattered like sheep.
“Then ‘Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee’ (Matthew 26:33-35).
Dr. Miller then told of the three occasions that Peter did, indeed, deny being a follower of Christ. Dr. Miller said, “Immediately after Peter denied the Savior the third time, the cocked crowed, and Peter wept…” He paused, and then stated, “…because he knew he had done what the Savior had told him to do.”
I’m pretty sure that I was not the only one in the class that was thinking, “That’s not how it happened.”
But after another short pause, Dr. Miller said, “That was from a talk given by President Kimble, presented at a seminar for BYU instructors at the beginning of the 1975 school year.” He then added, “Things are not always the way they seem.”
President Spencer W. Kimball was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sustained by the members of the Church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. I don’t know whether or not President Kimble actually said that about Peter (but I can’t think of a reason why Dr. Miller would make up such a story). Hearing the story has made me view Peter from a different perspective than I had in the past. It has also helped me to try to examine all the possibilities before making a decision. It has helped me resist the urge to make judgments about others without knowing all the facts. Perhaps reading this will help you, too.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Commitment
One of the problems we sometimes encounter when we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others is their unwillingness or inability to keep the covenants they made at the time of their baptism and confirmation. After reading Chapter 11: “How Do I Help People Make and Keep Commitments?” in the missionary handbook, Preach My Gospel, I came to the following conclusion:
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and as holders of the Melchizedek Priesthood, we have been given the commission to call the sinner to repentance. I am suggesting that it is time to do what we have been called to do. Every person that we will ever meet has the need to repent (some more than others, but all need to repent). The great majority of people we contact do not realize their need to repent. Most of the other people—those that know they need to repent—do not know how to do it.
The Spirit has revealed a very important truth to me: Most people will never make a real commitment to the Lord until they have a real understanding of their need to repent and they feel what President Kimball called The Miracle of Forgiveness. It is only after someone comes to a full understanding of the seriousness of his/her sins that he/she will make the changes in his/her life to be forgiven. After the individual gains an understanding of the reality of the Savior’s atonement and tastes the sweetness of the Lord’s forgiveness, he/she will have a desire to do the Lord’s will out of gratitude to the Savior for His great atoning sacrifice.
There have been, and always will be, people that will hear the message of the restoration of the Gospel and will be baptized without ever having had the experience I described above. Many of these people will become strong, active members of the Church. Many of these people will have experienced what can be called an “intellectual conversion”—their minds tell them the Church is true. Many others are baptized to participate in Church activities, or because of a desire to please a friend, a missionary, or a spouse. Unfortunately, until they experience the miracle of Christ’s Atonement, they are like the seeds in the Lord’s parable of the sower.
There are numerous examples to illustrate what I am writing about. It was not until Alma and the sons of Mosiah came to the knowledge of their sins that they dedicated their lives to serving the Lord. When King Lamoni’s father understood the seriousness of his sins, he prayed, “O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day” (Alma 22:18).
When I was being taught the Gospel by the missionaries many years ago, I was told that I would be expected to pay tithing, live the law of chastity, the Word of Wisdom, etc., and I made a commitment to do those things. But the sister missionaries that taught me never really explained the need to repent. As a result, I did not realize the need to go through the steps of repentance for the sins I had previously committed. I had been an active member of the Church for two years in November 1974 when I attended a Saturday night session of Stake Conference at which Bishop Vaughn J. Featherstone of the Presiding Bishopric spoke very plainly about our need to repent.
Once I understood the seriousness of my sins, with the help of the Bishop of my ward, I made an honest effort to repent. In time, I felt the forgiveness of the Lord. I have been fully committed to the Church since that time. I would venture to say that many of you did not dedicate your lives to the Savior until you, too, had realized a forgiveness of your sins.
We teach of the Restoration of the Gospel. We teach that families can be together forever. We teach of the joy of service. These are all important aspects of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But central to it all is the fact that Jesus Christ atoned for our sins; forgiveness is available to all that will truly repent.
Now, am I suggesting that we should stand on a street corner and tell everyone that passes by, “You’re a sinner, and you need to repent”? No, of course not. I am suggesting that as we have the opportunity to teach people the principles of the Gospel, the Holy Ghost will tell us how to discuss with them the need and the way to repent. Listen for those promptings. Follow the advice on page 196 of Preach My Gospel:
“Be bold and confident as you invite people to make commitments (see Alma 38:12). Boldness shows your faith that obedience to the Lord’s commandments brings blessings,
People will not likely change unless they are invited to do so.”
I will also add that people often will not try to repent if they do not believe that forgiveness is really possible. It may be appropriate at times, under the direction of the Spirit, to do as Alma did on a number of occasions and share with investigators our own experiences with forgiveness. (I would suggest, however, that we do not tell investigators the nature and extant of our own transgressions.)
One of the great blessings in my life has been having the knowledge that my past sins have been forgiven and that as I continue to repent daily, Heavenly Father will forgive the sins I commit each day. I pray that we can be instruments in the Lord’s hands in helping our brothers and sisters to have this same blessing.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and as holders of the Melchizedek Priesthood, we have been given the commission to call the sinner to repentance. I am suggesting that it is time to do what we have been called to do. Every person that we will ever meet has the need to repent (some more than others, but all need to repent). The great majority of people we contact do not realize their need to repent. Most of the other people—those that know they need to repent—do not know how to do it.
The Spirit has revealed a very important truth to me: Most people will never make a real commitment to the Lord until they have a real understanding of their need to repent and they feel what President Kimball called The Miracle of Forgiveness. It is only after someone comes to a full understanding of the seriousness of his/her sins that he/she will make the changes in his/her life to be forgiven. After the individual gains an understanding of the reality of the Savior’s atonement and tastes the sweetness of the Lord’s forgiveness, he/she will have a desire to do the Lord’s will out of gratitude to the Savior for His great atoning sacrifice.
There have been, and always will be, people that will hear the message of the restoration of the Gospel and will be baptized without ever having had the experience I described above. Many of these people will become strong, active members of the Church. Many of these people will have experienced what can be called an “intellectual conversion”—their minds tell them the Church is true. Many others are baptized to participate in Church activities, or because of a desire to please a friend, a missionary, or a spouse. Unfortunately, until they experience the miracle of Christ’s Atonement, they are like the seeds in the Lord’s parable of the sower.
There are numerous examples to illustrate what I am writing about. It was not until Alma and the sons of Mosiah came to the knowledge of their sins that they dedicated their lives to serving the Lord. When King Lamoni’s father understood the seriousness of his sins, he prayed, “O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day” (Alma 22:18).
When I was being taught the Gospel by the missionaries many years ago, I was told that I would be expected to pay tithing, live the law of chastity, the Word of Wisdom, etc., and I made a commitment to do those things. But the sister missionaries that taught me never really explained the need to repent. As a result, I did not realize the need to go through the steps of repentance for the sins I had previously committed. I had been an active member of the Church for two years in November 1974 when I attended a Saturday night session of Stake Conference at which Bishop Vaughn J. Featherstone of the Presiding Bishopric spoke very plainly about our need to repent.
Once I understood the seriousness of my sins, with the help of the Bishop of my ward, I made an honest effort to repent. In time, I felt the forgiveness of the Lord. I have been fully committed to the Church since that time. I would venture to say that many of you did not dedicate your lives to the Savior until you, too, had realized a forgiveness of your sins.
We teach of the Restoration of the Gospel. We teach that families can be together forever. We teach of the joy of service. These are all important aspects of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But central to it all is the fact that Jesus Christ atoned for our sins; forgiveness is available to all that will truly repent.
Now, am I suggesting that we should stand on a street corner and tell everyone that passes by, “You’re a sinner, and you need to repent”? No, of course not. I am suggesting that as we have the opportunity to teach people the principles of the Gospel, the Holy Ghost will tell us how to discuss with them the need and the way to repent. Listen for those promptings. Follow the advice on page 196 of Preach My Gospel:
“Be bold and confident as you invite people to make commitments (see Alma 38:12). Boldness shows your faith that obedience to the Lord’s commandments brings blessings,
People will not likely change unless they are invited to do so.”
I will also add that people often will not try to repent if they do not believe that forgiveness is really possible. It may be appropriate at times, under the direction of the Spirit, to do as Alma did on a number of occasions and share with investigators our own experiences with forgiveness. (I would suggest, however, that we do not tell investigators the nature and extant of our own transgressions.)
One of the great blessings in my life has been having the knowledge that my past sins have been forgiven and that as I continue to repent daily, Heavenly Father will forgive the sins I commit each day. I pray that we can be instruments in the Lord’s hands in helping our brothers and sisters to have this same blessing.
Monday, July 11, 2011
That's Life
I work at Home Depot in Mission, Texas from 4:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Monday through Friday. They play different types of music in the store on different days. Sometimes they play Country and Western, sometimes Rock and Roll. I recently heard a Country song that I thought was interesting, titled Sounds Like Life. I found the words on the Internet and have pasted them below:
Got a call last night from an old friend’s wife
Said I hate to bother you
Johnny Ray fell off the wagon
He’s been gone all afternoon
I know my buddy, so I drove to Skully’s
And found him at the bar
I say hey man, what’s going on
He said, I don’t know where to start
Sarah’s old car’s about to fall apart
And the washer quit last week
We had to put momma in the nursing home
And the baby’s cutting teeth
I didn’t get much work this week
And I got bills to pay
I said I know this ain’t what you wanna hear
But it’s what I’m gonna say
(Chorus)
Sounds like life to me, it ain’t no fantasy
It’s just a common case of everyday reality
Man I know it’s tough, but you gotta suck it up
To hear you talk you’re caught up in some tragedy
It sounds like life to me
Well his face turned red and he shook his head
He said you don’t understand
Three kids and a wife depend on me
And I’m just one man
To top it off I just found out
That Sarah’s 2 months late
I said hey bartender set us up a round
We need to celebrate
(Chorus)
Sounds like life to me, plain old destiny
Yeah the only thing for certain is uncertainty
You gotta hold on tight, just enjoy the ride
Get used to all this unpredictability
Sounds like life
Man I know its tough but you gotta suck it up
To hear you talk you’re caught up in some tragedy
Sounds like life to me
Sounds like life (End of Song)
Life is not always easy. Very few of us get through this life without some difficulty or even some tragedy. Much of the difficulty that we face is the result of choices that we have made, but a great amount of our problems are the result of other people’s choices and decisions or circumstances that we cannot control.
Sometimes we think that we are experiencing hard times because we have offended God in some way. This may sometimes be the case, but even the most righteous people have gone through great suffering. Prior to becoming President of the Church, Spencer W. Kimball contracted throat cancer, necessitating the removal of his larynx. He spent his entire term as President speaking through a hole cut into his windpipe. Moses spent forty years in the wilderness, looking after 600,000 of the children of Israel, who, for the most part, behaved like children.
From the morning of the First Vision, Joseph Smith’s life was filled with difficulty. Numerous times he was tarred and feathered. At least one of his children died from exposure during a tarring and feathering. Some of his closest associates deserted him and called him a fallen prophet. Numerous times he was illegally imprisoned.
While in the Liberty, Missouri jail he became so discouraged that he called upon God for relief. The answer he received was this:
5If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;
6If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb;
7And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
8The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
9Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever. (D & C 122:5-9)
I don’t know why some people have to struggle everyday of their lives while others seem to live in relative ease. I do believe that if we strive to obey the commandments and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost that we will be provided with the opportunities for the experiences that will be the most beneficial to us and that will lead us back to the presence of our Heavenly Father.
At this point in my life, life is a struggle. My body is beginning to feel the effects of its age; I can’t always do the things I would like to do. Our nation’s economy is such that I am not able to earn as good of a living as I have been used to in the past. My wife and I have had to sacrifice and do without things we would like to have in order to meet our daily needs. Gasoline is about $3.50 per gallon, and we cannot always afford to go to places we would like to go. Life is a struggle.
But I testify to you that despite these struggles (or maybe because of these struggles) I have never felt closer to the Spirit than I do right now. Everyday I have to call upon the Lord to get me through the day. Everyday I ask the Lord to bless me that my old blue truck will get me to work and back and the other places I need to go. Everyday I have to put my trust in the Lord that my needs and the needs of my family will be met for that day. He has always blessed me with what I have asked.
Maybe one of these days the washing machine will break down or my old blue truck will stop running. That’s life. When those things happen, we’ll just have to find ways to deal with them. But they’re just things. What’s important is that my wife and I love one another and that we are working to have an eternal marriage. What's important is that our daughters and their husbands and children and grandchildren are healthy and live happy and productive lives. What’s important is that our son serves an honorable mission in Peru then comes home and devotes his life to his family and the building up of the Lord’s kingdom. What’s important is that we experience the things that Heavenly Father wants us to experience so that we can someday become like Him. That’s life. That’s Eternal Life.
Got a call last night from an old friend’s wife
Said I hate to bother you
Johnny Ray fell off the wagon
He’s been gone all afternoon
I know my buddy, so I drove to Skully’s
And found him at the bar
I say hey man, what’s going on
He said, I don’t know where to start
Sarah’s old car’s about to fall apart
And the washer quit last week
We had to put momma in the nursing home
And the baby’s cutting teeth
I didn’t get much work this week
And I got bills to pay
I said I know this ain’t what you wanna hear
But it’s what I’m gonna say
(Chorus)
Sounds like life to me, it ain’t no fantasy
It’s just a common case of everyday reality
Man I know it’s tough, but you gotta suck it up
To hear you talk you’re caught up in some tragedy
It sounds like life to me
Well his face turned red and he shook his head
He said you don’t understand
Three kids and a wife depend on me
And I’m just one man
To top it off I just found out
That Sarah’s 2 months late
I said hey bartender set us up a round
We need to celebrate
(Chorus)
Sounds like life to me, plain old destiny
Yeah the only thing for certain is uncertainty
You gotta hold on tight, just enjoy the ride
Get used to all this unpredictability
Sounds like life
Man I know its tough but you gotta suck it up
To hear you talk you’re caught up in some tragedy
Sounds like life to me
Sounds like life (End of Song)
Life is not always easy. Very few of us get through this life without some difficulty or even some tragedy. Much of the difficulty that we face is the result of choices that we have made, but a great amount of our problems are the result of other people’s choices and decisions or circumstances that we cannot control.
Sometimes we think that we are experiencing hard times because we have offended God in some way. This may sometimes be the case, but even the most righteous people have gone through great suffering. Prior to becoming President of the Church, Spencer W. Kimball contracted throat cancer, necessitating the removal of his larynx. He spent his entire term as President speaking through a hole cut into his windpipe. Moses spent forty years in the wilderness, looking after 600,000 of the children of Israel, who, for the most part, behaved like children.
From the morning of the First Vision, Joseph Smith’s life was filled with difficulty. Numerous times he was tarred and feathered. At least one of his children died from exposure during a tarring and feathering. Some of his closest associates deserted him and called him a fallen prophet. Numerous times he was illegally imprisoned.
While in the Liberty, Missouri jail he became so discouraged that he called upon God for relief. The answer he received was this:
5If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;
6If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb;
7And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
8The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
9Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever. (D & C 122:5-9)
I don’t know why some people have to struggle everyday of their lives while others seem to live in relative ease. I do believe that if we strive to obey the commandments and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost that we will be provided with the opportunities for the experiences that will be the most beneficial to us and that will lead us back to the presence of our Heavenly Father.
At this point in my life, life is a struggle. My body is beginning to feel the effects of its age; I can’t always do the things I would like to do. Our nation’s economy is such that I am not able to earn as good of a living as I have been used to in the past. My wife and I have had to sacrifice and do without things we would like to have in order to meet our daily needs. Gasoline is about $3.50 per gallon, and we cannot always afford to go to places we would like to go. Life is a struggle.
But I testify to you that despite these struggles (or maybe because of these struggles) I have never felt closer to the Spirit than I do right now. Everyday I have to call upon the Lord to get me through the day. Everyday I ask the Lord to bless me that my old blue truck will get me to work and back and the other places I need to go. Everyday I have to put my trust in the Lord that my needs and the needs of my family will be met for that day. He has always blessed me with what I have asked.
Maybe one of these days the washing machine will break down or my old blue truck will stop running. That’s life. When those things happen, we’ll just have to find ways to deal with them. But they’re just things. What’s important is that my wife and I love one another and that we are working to have an eternal marriage. What's important is that our daughters and their husbands and children and grandchildren are healthy and live happy and productive lives. What’s important is that our son serves an honorable mission in Peru then comes home and devotes his life to his family and the building up of the Lord’s kingdom. What’s important is that we experience the things that Heavenly Father wants us to experience so that we can someday become like Him. That’s life. That’s Eternal Life.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Independence Day
(The following blog entry is a repeat [with a few minor changes] of my posting on July 16, 2007. I felt it needed to be repeated.)
Tomorrow we celebrate the Fourth of July, known in the United States as Independence Day. History tells us that this is somewhat of a misnomer as independence did not actually come to the American colonies on July 4, 1776. That was merely the day that the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the colonies as their statement of the reasons they felt it necessary to sever their political ties with Great Britain. Independence did not actually come until after countless soldiers and civilians had died in a bloody, sometimes unpopular war. Despite the fact that we Americans celebrate July 4, 1776 as the birth date of our country, our beginning as a nation did not truly begin until after the ratification of the Constitution.
Still, this document, The Declaration of Independence, was the beginning of the process that created the United States. This document declared to the entire world that they who were seeking independence were not doing so without due consideration of all the ramifications of their actions. The writers and signers of the declaration fully realized the large-scale consequences of their actions, namely, war. They also understood, on a personal level, that as soon as they put pen to paper to sign their names, they would be forever branded as traitors to their mother country and subject to death by the crown. Still, they signed.
The Declaration of Independence is not a long document, but its significance as a political statement cannot be overestimated. This document set in motion the events that would lead to the founding of the greatest republic in the history of the world. Because of this document, a nation was created wherein the “…unalienable rights...” of mankind are not only recognized, but guaranteed and protected. This document led to the acceptance of the belief that all people should be free to speak as they please, believe as they please, as well as have all the other basic freedoms that would later be enumerated in the Constitution.
The importance of The Declaration of Independence to Latter-day Saints also cannot be overestimated. This document was necessary in order to develop a climate of religious freedom that would allow The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be established. Indeed, the signing of The Declaration of Independence could be called the first significant event in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I have attached a copy of The Declaration of Independence at the end of this essay. I would hope that all who have read this far would take the few minutes necessary to read and ponder its message.
The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:
New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
Tomorrow we celebrate the Fourth of July, known in the United States as Independence Day. History tells us that this is somewhat of a misnomer as independence did not actually come to the American colonies on July 4, 1776. That was merely the day that the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the colonies as their statement of the reasons they felt it necessary to sever their political ties with Great Britain. Independence did not actually come until after countless soldiers and civilians had died in a bloody, sometimes unpopular war. Despite the fact that we Americans celebrate July 4, 1776 as the birth date of our country, our beginning as a nation did not truly begin until after the ratification of the Constitution.
Still, this document, The Declaration of Independence, was the beginning of the process that created the United States. This document declared to the entire world that they who were seeking independence were not doing so without due consideration of all the ramifications of their actions. The writers and signers of the declaration fully realized the large-scale consequences of their actions, namely, war. They also understood, on a personal level, that as soon as they put pen to paper to sign their names, they would be forever branded as traitors to their mother country and subject to death by the crown. Still, they signed.
The Declaration of Independence is not a long document, but its significance as a political statement cannot be overestimated. This document set in motion the events that would lead to the founding of the greatest republic in the history of the world. Because of this document, a nation was created wherein the “…unalienable rights...” of mankind are not only recognized, but guaranteed and protected. This document led to the acceptance of the belief that all people should be free to speak as they please, believe as they please, as well as have all the other basic freedoms that would later be enumerated in the Constitution.
The importance of The Declaration of Independence to Latter-day Saints also cannot be overestimated. This document was necessary in order to develop a climate of religious freedom that would allow The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be established. Indeed, the signing of The Declaration of Independence could be called the first significant event in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I have attached a copy of The Declaration of Independence at the end of this essay. I would hope that all who have read this far would take the few minutes necessary to read and ponder its message.
The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:
New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
Sunday, June 19, 2011
City Council, part 2
(Please refer to my blog entry of January 2, 2011 for background information relating to this entry.)
On Monday, June 13, 2011 my wife and I attended a session of the Mission, Texas City Council. The Council was scheduled to discuss and vote on an application by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a permit for a meeting house to be built on property that is located on the corner of Bryan Road and Two Mile Road. I am including, as part of this entry, a newspaper article from the McAllen Monitor regarding this meeting, after which I will add my own comments.
Mormons' 2nd try for a church in North Mission fails
June 15, 2011 7:57 AM
Gail Burkhardt
The Monitor
MISSION — A wide range of emotions marked two long congregations’ second failed attempt to build a church in a residential area here.
Several representatives for the two congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church, spoke at a packed public hearing Monday night, asking for the city to allow them to build a church at the corner of Bryan and Mile 2 roads.
Area neighbors who oppose building the church also spoke, saying they would like to keep the area residential.
The proposed site — zoned as agricultural land — is owned by Martin Garza Jr., assistant chief of Mission police. He did not attend Monday’s hearing. Nine of the 12 property owners within 200 feet the proposed site signed a petition against the church building on the property. That meant council approval for the zoning required “yay” votes from four of the five members — instead of the normal three-fifths majority.
The result was the same as when the church requested the zoning permit in December. Both times, the Planning and Zoning commission, which is a council-appointed board, approved the building and then when it went in front of City Council, Councilwomen Norie Gonzalez Garza and Maria Elena Ramirez voted against it.
Something did change from the last public hearing in December, however. The Latter-day Saint members hired a lawyer. Representatives for the congregation sent a letter to the city citing the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act and other constitutional rights they believe are being violated by not allowing the church to build on that site, said Sharon Amaguer, the local attorney for the congregation.
When asked if the church would sue the city, Amaguer said she had no comment.
The church should not have been up to reapply for the zoning permit until June 20, but after receiving the letter the Planning and Zoning board waived the typical six-month waiting period, said Sergio Zavala, the city’s planning director.
George Powell, an attorney who has land near the proposed site, said that because the church has other options to build in Mission, the city is not violating the congregations’ right to worship just by denying them from building on a specific location.
Brice Chandler, who is the stake president for the eight Mormon congregations in the area, said during the hearing that the location was the only one that met the criteria, which included being in a noncommercial area, having 5 or more acres of land, accessibility to members, the right price and a spiritual component.
“It may be difficult for someone not of our faith to understand that we affirm that we in fact do receive divine direction on important matters such as the location in our house of worship,” he said.
Along with Chandler and Powell, many other proponents of both sides put in their 2 cents before the council deliberated.
Members spoke about how the two Mission congregations along with two other congregations share one building in McAllen. The building is overcrowded and too far away, members said.
One member who works with the youth ministry, Maria Susana Reyna, choked up when speaking about the difficulty of scheduling youth programming in an overcrowded building.
“On an ordinary school day, our youth have early morning Bible study at 6 a.m.,” she said. “Currently they have to drive to McAllen before 6 a.m., then at 7 a.m., they have to drive back to Mission for school, and when they have evening activities, they have to drive back to McAllen.”
Neighbors talked about how they did not want any type of building much larger than their houses in the area. They said they want to keep the area residential and others have been interested in purchasing the property to do just that. One resident spoke about how she has invested into her house for her retirement and she cannot afford to lose that property value, which she believes would happen if the church came in.
Ivan Melendez expressed his frustration that the church had reapplied for the zoning permit and the city’s Planning and Zoning commission voted for it, when it was clear that the neighbors did not want it.
Why would the church “have specific and special privileges to go to a community where they’re not welcome?” he said, explaining that the church has other options for locations in Mission.
Councilwoman Ramirez said she voted against the permit again because she felt the neighbors needed to be protected.
After the meeting, Chandler said he was surprised the permit was denied a second time given that Mission is a faith-based community. He said he did not know what the church’s next move would be, but they are considering “all options,” including legal action. (End of Article)
My first comment is that I understand the residents’ desire to have the Church’s application denied. I have to agree that a large church building on the corner of the intersection will effect a major change in the neighborhood. Traffic will be greatly increased on Sundays and Wednesdays every week for meetings held on those days as well as at other times when the Church holds other activites.
Sergio Solis, a member of the Mission 2 Ward and a life long Mission resident stated during the meeting that Mission is a growing city and that residents of the neighborhood should not expect to be able to keep progress from changing the area.
I understand the residents’ fear that property values may be lowered because of the meetinghouse, even though these fears may be unfounded. Property values go up and down for a number of reasons, even in areas where no church buildings are located. I would suggest to the woman that purchased her property in the hope of using its subsequent sale as a nestegg for her retirement that, in contrast to times past, real estate is a very risky investment nowadays.
Attorney George Powell stated that “…the city is not violating the congregations’ right to worship just by denying them from building on a specific location.” Ivan Melendez argued “…that the church has other options for locations in Mission.” But is that really the case?
“Brice Chandler, who is the stake president for the eight Mormon congregations in the area, said during the hearing that the location was the only one that met the criteria, which included being in a noncommercial area, having 5 or more acres of land, accessibility to members, the right price and a spiritual component.”
If the property at Bryan and Mile 2 Roads is the only one that meets the criteria, then the Church really does not have any other options for locations in Mission, and, therefore, the Church’s rights are, in fact, being violated.
At the time of this writing, I don’t know whether or not the Church will continue to attempt to have this property re-zoned. I know that the Lord knew beforehand the results of this most recent hearing. I do believe that President Chandler was instructed by the Lord to reapply for re-zoning despite the fact that the Lord knew the attempt would fail. I don’t know the mind of the Lord in this matter, but I do know that when the Lord is ready for us to erect a meetinghouse in Mission, Texas, He will either clear the way for it to be erected on this property or He will make another lot available to be used.
On Monday, June 13, 2011 my wife and I attended a session of the Mission, Texas City Council. The Council was scheduled to discuss and vote on an application by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a permit for a meeting house to be built on property that is located on the corner of Bryan Road and Two Mile Road. I am including, as part of this entry, a newspaper article from the McAllen Monitor regarding this meeting, after which I will add my own comments.
Mormons' 2nd try for a church in North Mission fails
June 15, 2011 7:57 AM
Gail Burkhardt
The Monitor
MISSION — A wide range of emotions marked two long congregations’ second failed attempt to build a church in a residential area here.
Several representatives for the two congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church, spoke at a packed public hearing Monday night, asking for the city to allow them to build a church at the corner of Bryan and Mile 2 roads.
Area neighbors who oppose building the church also spoke, saying they would like to keep the area residential.
The proposed site — zoned as agricultural land — is owned by Martin Garza Jr., assistant chief of Mission police. He did not attend Monday’s hearing. Nine of the 12 property owners within 200 feet the proposed site signed a petition against the church building on the property. That meant council approval for the zoning required “yay” votes from four of the five members — instead of the normal three-fifths majority.
The result was the same as when the church requested the zoning permit in December. Both times, the Planning and Zoning commission, which is a council-appointed board, approved the building and then when it went in front of City Council, Councilwomen Norie Gonzalez Garza and Maria Elena Ramirez voted against it.
Something did change from the last public hearing in December, however. The Latter-day Saint members hired a lawyer. Representatives for the congregation sent a letter to the city citing the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act and other constitutional rights they believe are being violated by not allowing the church to build on that site, said Sharon Amaguer, the local attorney for the congregation.
When asked if the church would sue the city, Amaguer said she had no comment.
The church should not have been up to reapply for the zoning permit until June 20, but after receiving the letter the Planning and Zoning board waived the typical six-month waiting period, said Sergio Zavala, the city’s planning director.
George Powell, an attorney who has land near the proposed site, said that because the church has other options to build in Mission, the city is not violating the congregations’ right to worship just by denying them from building on a specific location.
Brice Chandler, who is the stake president for the eight Mormon congregations in the area, said during the hearing that the location was the only one that met the criteria, which included being in a noncommercial area, having 5 or more acres of land, accessibility to members, the right price and a spiritual component.
“It may be difficult for someone not of our faith to understand that we affirm that we in fact do receive divine direction on important matters such as the location in our house of worship,” he said.
Along with Chandler and Powell, many other proponents of both sides put in their 2 cents before the council deliberated.
Members spoke about how the two Mission congregations along with two other congregations share one building in McAllen. The building is overcrowded and too far away, members said.
One member who works with the youth ministry, Maria Susana Reyna, choked up when speaking about the difficulty of scheduling youth programming in an overcrowded building.
“On an ordinary school day, our youth have early morning Bible study at 6 a.m.,” she said. “Currently they have to drive to McAllen before 6 a.m., then at 7 a.m., they have to drive back to Mission for school, and when they have evening activities, they have to drive back to McAllen.”
Neighbors talked about how they did not want any type of building much larger than their houses in the area. They said they want to keep the area residential and others have been interested in purchasing the property to do just that. One resident spoke about how she has invested into her house for her retirement and she cannot afford to lose that property value, which she believes would happen if the church came in.
Ivan Melendez expressed his frustration that the church had reapplied for the zoning permit and the city’s Planning and Zoning commission voted for it, when it was clear that the neighbors did not want it.
Why would the church “have specific and special privileges to go to a community where they’re not welcome?” he said, explaining that the church has other options for locations in Mission.
Councilwoman Ramirez said she voted against the permit again because she felt the neighbors needed to be protected.
After the meeting, Chandler said he was surprised the permit was denied a second time given that Mission is a faith-based community. He said he did not know what the church’s next move would be, but they are considering “all options,” including legal action. (End of Article)
My first comment is that I understand the residents’ desire to have the Church’s application denied. I have to agree that a large church building on the corner of the intersection will effect a major change in the neighborhood. Traffic will be greatly increased on Sundays and Wednesdays every week for meetings held on those days as well as at other times when the Church holds other activites.
Sergio Solis, a member of the Mission 2 Ward and a life long Mission resident stated during the meeting that Mission is a growing city and that residents of the neighborhood should not expect to be able to keep progress from changing the area.
I understand the residents’ fear that property values may be lowered because of the meetinghouse, even though these fears may be unfounded. Property values go up and down for a number of reasons, even in areas where no church buildings are located. I would suggest to the woman that purchased her property in the hope of using its subsequent sale as a nestegg for her retirement that, in contrast to times past, real estate is a very risky investment nowadays.
Attorney George Powell stated that “…the city is not violating the congregations’ right to worship just by denying them from building on a specific location.” Ivan Melendez argued “…that the church has other options for locations in Mission.” But is that really the case?
“Brice Chandler, who is the stake president for the eight Mormon congregations in the area, said during the hearing that the location was the only one that met the criteria, which included being in a noncommercial area, having 5 or more acres of land, accessibility to members, the right price and a spiritual component.”
If the property at Bryan and Mile 2 Roads is the only one that meets the criteria, then the Church really does not have any other options for locations in Mission, and, therefore, the Church’s rights are, in fact, being violated.
At the time of this writing, I don’t know whether or not the Church will continue to attempt to have this property re-zoned. I know that the Lord knew beforehand the results of this most recent hearing. I do believe that President Chandler was instructed by the Lord to reapply for re-zoning despite the fact that the Lord knew the attempt would fail. I don’t know the mind of the Lord in this matter, but I do know that when the Lord is ready for us to erect a meetinghouse in Mission, Texas, He will either clear the way for it to be erected on this property or He will make another lot available to be used.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Three Parables
A few weeks ago in our Sunday School class we discussed chapter 15 in the book of Luke. In this chapter, the Savior told the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. In our discussion we talked about the idea that the lost sheep Jesus was referring to are those members of the Church that seem to just wander away. Often times, they are enticed away from the flock in their pursuit of financial success, excitement, or (what they believe to be) self-fulfillment.
The lost coin appears to be a reference to those members that become lost through the neglect of those that have responsibility for them. Sometimes they are right there among us, but we simply do not notice them. You will note that the coin had never left the woman’s house. It was there all the time, but the woman had evidently set it aside where it was not in constant view.
The prodigal son is a reference to those members that willingly and willfully go their own ways, doing what they want to do, with no concern about the consequences. In the case of this particular son, he had wasted his inheritance on riotous living and harlots. In all three parables, the Savior talks about the joy that is felt when that which was lost is found.
In the first two parables, that which was lost is found by one that went searching for it. The shepherd left the ninety and nine in order to save the one. Although the woman originally had ten silver coins, she, nevertheless, swept her entire house until she found the one that was missing. In each case, there was great rejoicing over finding that which had been lost. Both the shepherd and the woman felt the need to share their joy with their neighbors:
“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” (Luke 15:4-10)
The third parable has some very important differences from the first two:
“And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:11-32)
As I mentioned above, in this story the son willfully left home and wasted what had been given to him. In this story, the son was not found by someone that went looking for him. He realized he had made a mistake, and he repented and returned to his father to ask forgiveness. As in the other parables, there is great rejoicing for the return of that which was lost. But this parable makes a point that the other two do not make and that many people do not see.
Although the father rejoices at the return of the son and receives him back into the household, he does not replace the inheritance that the son had wasted. In fact, the father tells the older son, “…all that I have is thine.”
Over the years I have known a number of people that, for one reason or another, became less active in the Church, and then, years later, returned. Even though there has been great rejoicing at their return, the years that they lost can never be returned. All of the opportunities and experiences they could have had are lost. In several cases, young children stopped coming to Church when the parents became inactive, but when the parents returned, the children did not.
These parables teach us that no matter what we do, Heavenly Father will forgive us if we repent sufficiently. He will remember our sins no more. He will always rejoice at our return and receive us back into His household. But there are some things that even the Father cannot replace. We have a very limited amount of time. We only have one lifetime to live. Once our time is spent, it is gone forever.
The lost coin appears to be a reference to those members that become lost through the neglect of those that have responsibility for them. Sometimes they are right there among us, but we simply do not notice them. You will note that the coin had never left the woman’s house. It was there all the time, but the woman had evidently set it aside where it was not in constant view.
The prodigal son is a reference to those members that willingly and willfully go their own ways, doing what they want to do, with no concern about the consequences. In the case of this particular son, he had wasted his inheritance on riotous living and harlots. In all three parables, the Savior talks about the joy that is felt when that which was lost is found.
In the first two parables, that which was lost is found by one that went searching for it. The shepherd left the ninety and nine in order to save the one. Although the woman originally had ten silver coins, she, nevertheless, swept her entire house until she found the one that was missing. In each case, there was great rejoicing over finding that which had been lost. Both the shepherd and the woman felt the need to share their joy with their neighbors:
“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” (Luke 15:4-10)
The third parable has some very important differences from the first two:
“And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:11-32)
As I mentioned above, in this story the son willfully left home and wasted what had been given to him. In this story, the son was not found by someone that went looking for him. He realized he had made a mistake, and he repented and returned to his father to ask forgiveness. As in the other parables, there is great rejoicing for the return of that which was lost. But this parable makes a point that the other two do not make and that many people do not see.
Although the father rejoices at the return of the son and receives him back into the household, he does not replace the inheritance that the son had wasted. In fact, the father tells the older son, “…all that I have is thine.”
Over the years I have known a number of people that, for one reason or another, became less active in the Church, and then, years later, returned. Even though there has been great rejoicing at their return, the years that they lost can never be returned. All of the opportunities and experiences they could have had are lost. In several cases, young children stopped coming to Church when the parents became inactive, but when the parents returned, the children did not.
These parables teach us that no matter what we do, Heavenly Father will forgive us if we repent sufficiently. He will remember our sins no more. He will always rejoice at our return and receive us back into His household. But there are some things that even the Father cannot replace. We have a very limited amount of time. We only have one lifetime to live. Once our time is spent, it is gone forever.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
I Can't--I'm Mormon
I have a picture on my computer that I downloaded from the Internet several years ago. It is a picture of a pretty blonde girl (probably 18-20 years old), wearing a blue tee-shirt with the message, “I can’t…I’m Mormon.” The meaning, of course, is that, “I can’t smoke. I can’t drink alcohol, tea, or coffee. I can’t have sex unless I’m married. Etc.”
I downloaded the photo because I thought it was funny; but over the years I have thought that it is not really accurate. We know, for instance, that Mormons can do all of those things. In fact, a great many more Mormons than we like to admit do those things. A more accurate message would have been, “I DON’T…I’m Mormon.” Mormons are not unable to do those things; we make a conscious choice not to do them.
Heavenly Father has given us some very strict commandments. He has commanded us to live the Word of Wisdom. He has commanded us to live the Law of Chastity. He has commanded us to live the Law of Tithing, to Keep the Sabbath Day Holy, and numerous other laws and rules. He has given us these commandments so that we may remain unspotted from the sins of the world, so that we can be pure to return to His presence and have Eternal Life, so that we can have a fullness of joy in the next life. But just as important: He wants us to be happy, to have joy in this life.
Heavenly Father has never given any commandments, which, if obeyed, would not bring us joy and happiness in this life. This is not to say that we will enjoy every moment we spend obeying Heavenly Father’s commandments. I am sure that the pioneers did not enjoy pulling their handcarts hundreds of miles to get to the Salt Lake Valley. But I would venture to say that the great majority of them had joy in knowing they were doing what the Lord wanted them to do.
Some people would say that the commandments that we obey are old-fashioned, even antiquated, and they would be right. The commandments that we obey are not new. Even some of the commandments that seem new—avoid pornography, don’t use drugs, etc.—are just variations of commandments that were given in the past. The commandments that we are expected to obey are eternal; they have always been in effect, and always will be in effect. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we believe that Heavenly Father once lived on a world similar to ours, and that by living righteously, He was exalted to the position He now holds. I believe I can safely say that the commandments He has given to us were in effect on the world where He lived during His period of mortality. These are the same commandments our spirit children will be subject to when we create worlds without end. Eternal principles never change.
I downloaded the photo because I thought it was funny; but over the years I have thought that it is not really accurate. We know, for instance, that Mormons can do all of those things. In fact, a great many more Mormons than we like to admit do those things. A more accurate message would have been, “I DON’T…I’m Mormon.” Mormons are not unable to do those things; we make a conscious choice not to do them.
Heavenly Father has given us some very strict commandments. He has commanded us to live the Word of Wisdom. He has commanded us to live the Law of Chastity. He has commanded us to live the Law of Tithing, to Keep the Sabbath Day Holy, and numerous other laws and rules. He has given us these commandments so that we may remain unspotted from the sins of the world, so that we can be pure to return to His presence and have Eternal Life, so that we can have a fullness of joy in the next life. But just as important: He wants us to be happy, to have joy in this life.
Heavenly Father has never given any commandments, which, if obeyed, would not bring us joy and happiness in this life. This is not to say that we will enjoy every moment we spend obeying Heavenly Father’s commandments. I am sure that the pioneers did not enjoy pulling their handcarts hundreds of miles to get to the Salt Lake Valley. But I would venture to say that the great majority of them had joy in knowing they were doing what the Lord wanted them to do.
Some people would say that the commandments that we obey are old-fashioned, even antiquated, and they would be right. The commandments that we obey are not new. Even some of the commandments that seem new—avoid pornography, don’t use drugs, etc.—are just variations of commandments that were given in the past. The commandments that we are expected to obey are eternal; they have always been in effect, and always will be in effect. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we believe that Heavenly Father once lived on a world similar to ours, and that by living righteously, He was exalted to the position He now holds. I believe I can safely say that the commandments He has given to us were in effect on the world where He lived during His period of mortality. These are the same commandments our spirit children will be subject to when we create worlds without end. Eternal principles never change.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Sacrament Meeting Talk--12 February 2011
The following is a Sacrament meeting talk presented on February 12, 2011 in the Mission 2 Ward of the Texas West McAllen Stake:
Good morning Brothers and Sisters. I’m a little nervous about speaking to you this morning. I was baptized into the Church on November 24, 1972; so I have been a member of the Church for nearly forty years. In that time I have had the opportunity to speak in Sacrament Meetings on a number of occasions. But this is my first time to speak in this Ward; so it’s a new experience.
New experiences tend to make most of us a little uneasy, a little uncomfortable. And yet, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are often asked to do things that make us uncomfortable. It takes faith to do something when we are not certain how it will turn out. I’m a bit uncomfortable up here. I have about fifteen minutes to speak this morning. I don’t know if I can be interesting for that long.
I want to speak for a few minutes this morning about some people who had the faith to do something uncomfortable. Several years ago my wife and I watched with great interest the television documentary, “The Mormons,” on PBS. The program appeared to me to be about as fair as one could expect. I’m sure that many members of the Church would have liked for the program to have shown the Church in a bit more positive light; however, it was not designed to be an advertisement.
The program told about the persecution in the early days of the Church, about the Saints’ relocations from New York to Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and the long trek west to Utah. The program spoke of the faith necessary for these people to put up with the great hardships they faced. Many of them spent long periods of their lives in uncomfortable situations. For many of these early saints “I’ll go where you want me to go, Dear Lord, I’ll be what you want me to be” was a life or death decision. But they had faith that it was a decision that was necessary for their salvation and exaltation as well as for the carrying out of the Lord’s plan for the children of men.
These people had faith—faith that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ had actually spoken to the boy, Joseph Smith. They had faith that a Prophet of the Lord told them to pack up and leave; so they packed up and left. It appeared from this documentary that many non-Mormon Christians have a very difficult time accepting one of the core beliefs of the Latter-day Saint Church, namely, the Joseph Smith story. Most people are simply unable to accept the belief that a young man of fourteen-years-of-age actually spoke with God and Jesus Christ, was visited by an angel, and was given golden plates, which he translated, the translation later published as The Book of Mormon.
This story, the Joseph Smith story, is fantastic, to say the least. Indeed, the rational mind does not accept such a fantastic idea. That being said, it begs the question: When looking at Christianity as a whole, is the Joseph Smith story really so fantastic?
Truly, the rational mind does not accept the belief that a man could heal others by a touch or a word, that a man could alter the chemical composition of water to change it to wine, that a man could bring the dead back to life, that a man could walk on water, or that a man could die and return to life. The rational mind is unable to accept these ideas. And yet, the Christian world, in general, accepts these ideas without question. These beliefs, although completely irrational, are central to Christianity. Belief in Christianity requires the believer to suspend reason and accept that which is unreasonable.
Critics of Mormonism typically ask for proof where no proof is available. Joseph was alone when he claims to have been visited by the Father and the Son. The plates of gold were returned to the angel, Moroni, when the translation was completed. There is no archeological proof that the events described in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ ever took place. The truthfulness of the Joseph Smith story hinges on his testimony and the testimony of a small number of men who claimed to have actually seen the golden plates. Being a true Latter-day Saint requires faith.
On the other hand, where is the proof of Christianity? What proof do we have of a virgin birth? What proof do we have of the healings? What proof do we have of the feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand? What proof do we have of the resurrection? The truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ hinges on the testimonies of a small number of men who claim to have associated with Him over a period of approximately three years. True Christianity requires faith.
How do we get that faith? We get faith by doing. If we want to have faith in the law of tithing, we must live and practice that law. If we want to have faith in the Word of Wisdom, we must live and practice that law. Sometimes in the Church we are asked to serve in a calling for which do not feel we have the skills. Sometimes we are called to positions for which we feel we are not spiritually ready. Sometimes we are asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting and we are reluctant because we don’t speak perfect English or have a great voice.
When we are asked to do these things, do we truly believe we have been called by revelation? Do we truly believe that the Bishopric was inspired by God to ask us to speak? I am sure there are a number of us here this morning that have accepted callings asking, “Why am I being asked to do this?” and then a year or two later have said, “I understand why I was called.”
When I write something, I can sit down at my computer with my Spell Check and my Grammar Check, and I can read it and re-read it so that when I’m finished, what I have written is perfect. But I don’t talk that way. I don’t always use perfect English. I’ve heard my voice on a tape recording, so I know what I sound like. As a public speaker, I’m much more of a George W. Bush than a Barack Obama. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. Because if I speak with the Spirit, and you listen with the Spirit, you’ll get my message. And if I don’t speak with the spirit, or you don’t listen with the Spirit, it doesn’t matter if I use perfect English and have the voice of a radio announcer; you won’t get my message.
Over the years I have heard a number of members claim that if the President of the Church told the members to pack up and go to the Promised Land, they would do it. I have no doubt that most of them that said that would be true to their word. Most of us believe the Prophet is inspired. Do we also believe our local leaders are inspired? We stand up on Fast Sunday and bear our testimonies that we know the Church is true. We say that we are willing to do whatever the Prophet asks us to do. But if we say, “Maybe I’ll do what my Bishop asks me to do, or maybe I won’t,” then we really don’t have a testimony that the Church is true.
I don’t know if the Prophet is ever going to ask us to leave our homes and gather in Utah, or Missouri, or some other place. I do know that we have priesthood leaders in this ward that are asking the brethren to do their home teaching. We have Relief Society leaders that are asking the sisters to do their visiting teaching. We have a Ward Mission Leader that is asking all of us to share the Gospel with our neighbors. We have a Bishopric and a Stake Presidency that are asking us to serve in callings. Do we have faith that these leaders are inspired?
“I’ll go where you want me to go, Dear Lord, I’ll be what you want me to be” is not a life or death decision for most of us today. But I testify to you that it is a decision that is necessary for our salvation and exaltation as well as for the carrying out of the Lord’s plan for the children of men. I pray that we will have the faith to be true Christians and true Latter-day Saints. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Good morning Brothers and Sisters. I’m a little nervous about speaking to you this morning. I was baptized into the Church on November 24, 1972; so I have been a member of the Church for nearly forty years. In that time I have had the opportunity to speak in Sacrament Meetings on a number of occasions. But this is my first time to speak in this Ward; so it’s a new experience.
New experiences tend to make most of us a little uneasy, a little uncomfortable. And yet, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are often asked to do things that make us uncomfortable. It takes faith to do something when we are not certain how it will turn out. I’m a bit uncomfortable up here. I have about fifteen minutes to speak this morning. I don’t know if I can be interesting for that long.
I want to speak for a few minutes this morning about some people who had the faith to do something uncomfortable. Several years ago my wife and I watched with great interest the television documentary, “The Mormons,” on PBS. The program appeared to me to be about as fair as one could expect. I’m sure that many members of the Church would have liked for the program to have shown the Church in a bit more positive light; however, it was not designed to be an advertisement.
The program told about the persecution in the early days of the Church, about the Saints’ relocations from New York to Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and the long trek west to Utah. The program spoke of the faith necessary for these people to put up with the great hardships they faced. Many of them spent long periods of their lives in uncomfortable situations. For many of these early saints “I’ll go where you want me to go, Dear Lord, I’ll be what you want me to be” was a life or death decision. But they had faith that it was a decision that was necessary for their salvation and exaltation as well as for the carrying out of the Lord’s plan for the children of men.
These people had faith—faith that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ had actually spoken to the boy, Joseph Smith. They had faith that a Prophet of the Lord told them to pack up and leave; so they packed up and left. It appeared from this documentary that many non-Mormon Christians have a very difficult time accepting one of the core beliefs of the Latter-day Saint Church, namely, the Joseph Smith story. Most people are simply unable to accept the belief that a young man of fourteen-years-of-age actually spoke with God and Jesus Christ, was visited by an angel, and was given golden plates, which he translated, the translation later published as The Book of Mormon.
This story, the Joseph Smith story, is fantastic, to say the least. Indeed, the rational mind does not accept such a fantastic idea. That being said, it begs the question: When looking at Christianity as a whole, is the Joseph Smith story really so fantastic?
Truly, the rational mind does not accept the belief that a man could heal others by a touch or a word, that a man could alter the chemical composition of water to change it to wine, that a man could bring the dead back to life, that a man could walk on water, or that a man could die and return to life. The rational mind is unable to accept these ideas. And yet, the Christian world, in general, accepts these ideas without question. These beliefs, although completely irrational, are central to Christianity. Belief in Christianity requires the believer to suspend reason and accept that which is unreasonable.
Critics of Mormonism typically ask for proof where no proof is available. Joseph was alone when he claims to have been visited by the Father and the Son. The plates of gold were returned to the angel, Moroni, when the translation was completed. There is no archeological proof that the events described in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ ever took place. The truthfulness of the Joseph Smith story hinges on his testimony and the testimony of a small number of men who claimed to have actually seen the golden plates. Being a true Latter-day Saint requires faith.
On the other hand, where is the proof of Christianity? What proof do we have of a virgin birth? What proof do we have of the healings? What proof do we have of the feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand? What proof do we have of the resurrection? The truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ hinges on the testimonies of a small number of men who claim to have associated with Him over a period of approximately three years. True Christianity requires faith.
How do we get that faith? We get faith by doing. If we want to have faith in the law of tithing, we must live and practice that law. If we want to have faith in the Word of Wisdom, we must live and practice that law. Sometimes in the Church we are asked to serve in a calling for which do not feel we have the skills. Sometimes we are called to positions for which we feel we are not spiritually ready. Sometimes we are asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting and we are reluctant because we don’t speak perfect English or have a great voice.
When we are asked to do these things, do we truly believe we have been called by revelation? Do we truly believe that the Bishopric was inspired by God to ask us to speak? I am sure there are a number of us here this morning that have accepted callings asking, “Why am I being asked to do this?” and then a year or two later have said, “I understand why I was called.”
When I write something, I can sit down at my computer with my Spell Check and my Grammar Check, and I can read it and re-read it so that when I’m finished, what I have written is perfect. But I don’t talk that way. I don’t always use perfect English. I’ve heard my voice on a tape recording, so I know what I sound like. As a public speaker, I’m much more of a George W. Bush than a Barack Obama. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. Because if I speak with the Spirit, and you listen with the Spirit, you’ll get my message. And if I don’t speak with the spirit, or you don’t listen with the Spirit, it doesn’t matter if I use perfect English and have the voice of a radio announcer; you won’t get my message.
Over the years I have heard a number of members claim that if the President of the Church told the members to pack up and go to the Promised Land, they would do it. I have no doubt that most of them that said that would be true to their word. Most of us believe the Prophet is inspired. Do we also believe our local leaders are inspired? We stand up on Fast Sunday and bear our testimonies that we know the Church is true. We say that we are willing to do whatever the Prophet asks us to do. But if we say, “Maybe I’ll do what my Bishop asks me to do, or maybe I won’t,” then we really don’t have a testimony that the Church is true.
I don’t know if the Prophet is ever going to ask us to leave our homes and gather in Utah, or Missouri, or some other place. I do know that we have priesthood leaders in this ward that are asking the brethren to do their home teaching. We have Relief Society leaders that are asking the sisters to do their visiting teaching. We have a Ward Mission Leader that is asking all of us to share the Gospel with our neighbors. We have a Bishopric and a Stake Presidency that are asking us to serve in callings. Do we have faith that these leaders are inspired?
“I’ll go where you want me to go, Dear Lord, I’ll be what you want me to be” is not a life or death decision for most of us today. But I testify to you that it is a decision that is necessary for our salvation and exaltation as well as for the carrying out of the Lord’s plan for the children of men. I pray that we will have the faith to be true Christians and true Latter-day Saints. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
City Council
Today in our High Priests’ Group meeting we talked about something that happened here in South Texas recently. For the past several months the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been trying to purchase property in Mission to build a new meeting house for Mission 2 and Mission 3 Wards. They found a five acre lot that was suitable for our needs and had decided to buy it if it could be re-zoned by the city zoning commission for use as a business (evidently the commission considers a church a business).
This normally would not have been difficult, but the land was on the corner of an intersection, and the families that lived on the other three corners objected to having a church built there. They said their objections were not because it was a Mormon Church; they simply preferred that no type of business or church was erected there.
The Stake Presidency requested that as many members as possible attend the meeting of the City Council at which a decision would be made concerning the re-zoning of the property. I had to work during the time the meeting was held, so my wife and I did not attend; however, about seventy members of the Church did attend. A number of people spoke to voice their objections to the re-zoning. Three people spoke in favor of the re-zoning. Brother Brunson, a member of our Ward, was one of the speakers. During his presentation he spoke about the fact that Mormons are a Christian people and that we try to live according to our beliefs. He told those that were there that we do not smoke or drink and that we are an honest people.
Now, you are probably thinking that after all that, and with the Lord on our side, the Council voted unanimously to approve the re-zoning. Well, they did not. The vote was 3-2 in our favor, but because there was so much opposition, it had been decided beforehand that it would take a 4-1 vote to pass. We lost by one vote.
So does that mean that we wasted our time? Does that mean that the person that made the decision to purchase the property was not inspired? Did the Holy Ghost make a mistake in selecting that property? I don’t think so.
I don’t have all the answers, but I know that if there had been no opposition, and the City Council would have simply approved the re-zoning, a large number of Church members in Mission, Texas might not have taken the time and made the effort to attend a City Council meeting. Brother Brunson would not have had the opportunity to stand before the community and tell people who we (the Mormons) are. I was told that even though the re-zoning was not approved, many non-members that attended the meeting were very impressed by the way we presented our case and by the way our people conducted themselves.
I am sure that all of this has had a positive effect on those that attended, both members and non-members. I believe it is possible that the results were much more positive than negative. We lost a place to build a meeting house; we will find another place. Most of the people that attended that meeting now have a better understanding of who we are and what we believe. That is certainly more important than a piece of property.
The Holy Ghost does not make mistakes. As a member of the Godhead, He works under the direction of Heavenly Father, and Heavenly Father knows everything that is going to happen before it happens. Heavenly Father knew how this experience would turn out, but He also knew it would be for the best.
Heavenly Father knows everything about each of His children (see 2 Nephi 2:24). From the time we were conceived as His spirit children, He has known every single thing that we would do and every single thing that would happen to us, in the Spirit World and in mortality. Before any of us are born into mortality, He knows whether or not we will return to His presence in the Celestial Kingdom or end up in the Terrestrial or Telestial Kingdom.
So, a fair question to ask is: If He already knows what is going to happen to us, why make us go through this mortal existence? And, of course, the answer is: Because we don’t know. If Heavenly Father, in His infinite wisdom, simply decided where each of us is to spend eternity, without having the opportunity to prove ourselves in this life, all those that are sent to the Terrestrial or Telestial Kingdoms would have a valid complaint: “I didn’t get my chance.”
But since we do have to go through this mortal existence, each of has the opportunity to use our agency. Some will make wise decisions that will lead to Eternal Life. Others will make unwise decisions that will lead to something other than Eternal Life (see 2 Nephi 2:25-29). But when each of us goes before the bar of justice, we will come away knowing that our judgment, whatever the result, is just. We will know that we have decided our own eternal status. This is in accordance with Heavenly Father’s plan for our happiness.
This normally would not have been difficult, but the land was on the corner of an intersection, and the families that lived on the other three corners objected to having a church built there. They said their objections were not because it was a Mormon Church; they simply preferred that no type of business or church was erected there.
The Stake Presidency requested that as many members as possible attend the meeting of the City Council at which a decision would be made concerning the re-zoning of the property. I had to work during the time the meeting was held, so my wife and I did not attend; however, about seventy members of the Church did attend. A number of people spoke to voice their objections to the re-zoning. Three people spoke in favor of the re-zoning. Brother Brunson, a member of our Ward, was one of the speakers. During his presentation he spoke about the fact that Mormons are a Christian people and that we try to live according to our beliefs. He told those that were there that we do not smoke or drink and that we are an honest people.
Now, you are probably thinking that after all that, and with the Lord on our side, the Council voted unanimously to approve the re-zoning. Well, they did not. The vote was 3-2 in our favor, but because there was so much opposition, it had been decided beforehand that it would take a 4-1 vote to pass. We lost by one vote.
So does that mean that we wasted our time? Does that mean that the person that made the decision to purchase the property was not inspired? Did the Holy Ghost make a mistake in selecting that property? I don’t think so.
I don’t have all the answers, but I know that if there had been no opposition, and the City Council would have simply approved the re-zoning, a large number of Church members in Mission, Texas might not have taken the time and made the effort to attend a City Council meeting. Brother Brunson would not have had the opportunity to stand before the community and tell people who we (the Mormons) are. I was told that even though the re-zoning was not approved, many non-members that attended the meeting were very impressed by the way we presented our case and by the way our people conducted themselves.
I am sure that all of this has had a positive effect on those that attended, both members and non-members. I believe it is possible that the results were much more positive than negative. We lost a place to build a meeting house; we will find another place. Most of the people that attended that meeting now have a better understanding of who we are and what we believe. That is certainly more important than a piece of property.
The Holy Ghost does not make mistakes. As a member of the Godhead, He works under the direction of Heavenly Father, and Heavenly Father knows everything that is going to happen before it happens. Heavenly Father knew how this experience would turn out, but He also knew it would be for the best.
Heavenly Father knows everything about each of His children (see 2 Nephi 2:24). From the time we were conceived as His spirit children, He has known every single thing that we would do and every single thing that would happen to us, in the Spirit World and in mortality. Before any of us are born into mortality, He knows whether or not we will return to His presence in the Celestial Kingdom or end up in the Terrestrial or Telestial Kingdom.
So, a fair question to ask is: If He already knows what is going to happen to us, why make us go through this mortal existence? And, of course, the answer is: Because we don’t know. If Heavenly Father, in His infinite wisdom, simply decided where each of us is to spend eternity, without having the opportunity to prove ourselves in this life, all those that are sent to the Terrestrial or Telestial Kingdoms would have a valid complaint: “I didn’t get my chance.”
But since we do have to go through this mortal existence, each of has the opportunity to use our agency. Some will make wise decisions that will lead to Eternal Life. Others will make unwise decisions that will lead to something other than Eternal Life (see 2 Nephi 2:25-29). But when each of us goes before the bar of justice, we will come away knowing that our judgment, whatever the result, is just. We will know that we have decided our own eternal status. This is in accordance with Heavenly Father’s plan for our happiness.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
“They called me a pig.”
I don’t know why, but this past week I have been thinking about a telephone conversation I had with my brother, Dick, a few months ago. During our talk he told me that two of our (Mormon) missionaries came to his door. I asked how that went, and he said, “They called me a pig.”
Of course, that kind of surprised me, so I asked, “How did that happen?”
He said, “I asked these guys why I couldn’t go into one of your temples, and one of them said, ‘You’re not worthy.' I said, ‘How do you know I’m not worthy? You don’t know anything about me.’ He said a few other things about needing to be a member of your church, and I said I didn’t think that was a good answer, and then one of them said, “We don’t cast our pearls before swine.”
It seems kind of strange that a missionary would say that to someone, but now that I think about it, I can understand how it happened. Sometimes we forget that most of our missionaries are young men--19 to 25 years old, sometimes away from home for the first time in their lives. They do go through a training period at the Missionary Training Center, but they often do not have the experience to answer every question.
So I am suggesting that the Elder could have given my brother a better answer. A better answer would have been to say, “You can go into the temple. In fact, we want you and everybody else in the world to go into the temple. That is one of the reasons why 50,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are serving full-time missions—to prepare people to enter the House of the Lord.” It is also important to tell people that what goes on in the temple is not secret, but it is sacred, so, in order to enter the temple, one must be a member of the Church, and one must have a recommend that certifies that he or she is living in accordance with the laws that the Lord has revealed are necessary to live by in order to be worthy to receive and perform the ordinances that are available there.
I think it would be helpful to tell an interested non-member (or uniformed member) that three different ordinances are performed in the temple. The first is baptism for the dead. There are several passages in the New Testament that refer to this ordinance; the most oft-quoted is 1 Cor. 15:29. Another is 1 Peter 4:6. We believe baptism is essential to salvation and that in order to return to the presence of our Father in Heaven, one must be baptized. We know that there are many people that lived and died without ever having the opportunity to receive this ordinance; therefore, we go to the temple to serve as proxies so that we can be baptized in their behalf.
The second ordinance in the temple is called the Endowment. During this ordinance, we view a video presentation that tells us of the creation of the Earth and of the fall of Adam. As part of this ordinance, we make covenants with the Lord in which we promise to live our lives in accordance with His laws. He, in turn, promises that if we will keep our covenant, He will bless (or Endow) us with eternal life.
The third ordinance is the Sealing ordinance. In this ordinance, husbands and wives our sealed together and children are sealed to parents for time and eternity so that the family unit can continue, not only for this life, but for the next life also. As with baptism for the dead, once we have received the endowment and sealing ordinances for ourselves, we go to the temple to serve as proxies for others who died without having the opportunity to receive them for themselves.
For those who believe that serving as proxies for others is a strange idea, consider this: The Savior, even Jesus Christ, served as a proxy for all of us when He atoned for the sins of the world. Because we were unable to atone for our own sins, He took our place and suffered the pain and agony so that we could repent and be forgiven. And as He performed that task that we were unable to perform for ourselves, we, in turn, perform the work for those who have died without having the opportunity to perform the work for themselves.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spends millions of dollars building temples all over the world. We (the members) truly believe that each temple is a "House of the Lord." It has never been the intention of the Church to deny anyone the blessings that come from temple worship. To the contrary, we invite all who will listen to our message to take the steps necessary to join us in one of those holy buildings.
Of course, that kind of surprised me, so I asked, “How did that happen?”
He said, “I asked these guys why I couldn’t go into one of your temples, and one of them said, ‘You’re not worthy.' I said, ‘How do you know I’m not worthy? You don’t know anything about me.’ He said a few other things about needing to be a member of your church, and I said I didn’t think that was a good answer, and then one of them said, “We don’t cast our pearls before swine.”
It seems kind of strange that a missionary would say that to someone, but now that I think about it, I can understand how it happened. Sometimes we forget that most of our missionaries are young men--19 to 25 years old, sometimes away from home for the first time in their lives. They do go through a training period at the Missionary Training Center, but they often do not have the experience to answer every question.
So I am suggesting that the Elder could have given my brother a better answer. A better answer would have been to say, “You can go into the temple. In fact, we want you and everybody else in the world to go into the temple. That is one of the reasons why 50,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are serving full-time missions—to prepare people to enter the House of the Lord.” It is also important to tell people that what goes on in the temple is not secret, but it is sacred, so, in order to enter the temple, one must be a member of the Church, and one must have a recommend that certifies that he or she is living in accordance with the laws that the Lord has revealed are necessary to live by in order to be worthy to receive and perform the ordinances that are available there.
I think it would be helpful to tell an interested non-member (or uniformed member) that three different ordinances are performed in the temple. The first is baptism for the dead. There are several passages in the New Testament that refer to this ordinance; the most oft-quoted is 1 Cor. 15:29. Another is 1 Peter 4:6. We believe baptism is essential to salvation and that in order to return to the presence of our Father in Heaven, one must be baptized. We know that there are many people that lived and died without ever having the opportunity to receive this ordinance; therefore, we go to the temple to serve as proxies so that we can be baptized in their behalf.
The second ordinance in the temple is called the Endowment. During this ordinance, we view a video presentation that tells us of the creation of the Earth and of the fall of Adam. As part of this ordinance, we make covenants with the Lord in which we promise to live our lives in accordance with His laws. He, in turn, promises that if we will keep our covenant, He will bless (or Endow) us with eternal life.
The third ordinance is the Sealing ordinance. In this ordinance, husbands and wives our sealed together and children are sealed to parents for time and eternity so that the family unit can continue, not only for this life, but for the next life also. As with baptism for the dead, once we have received the endowment and sealing ordinances for ourselves, we go to the temple to serve as proxies for others who died without having the opportunity to receive them for themselves.
For those who believe that serving as proxies for others is a strange idea, consider this: The Savior, even Jesus Christ, served as a proxy for all of us when He atoned for the sins of the world. Because we were unable to atone for our own sins, He took our place and suffered the pain and agony so that we could repent and be forgiven. And as He performed that task that we were unable to perform for ourselves, we, in turn, perform the work for those who have died without having the opportunity to perform the work for themselves.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spends millions of dollars building temples all over the world. We (the members) truly believe that each temple is a "House of the Lord." It has never been the intention of the Church to deny anyone the blessings that come from temple worship. To the contrary, we invite all who will listen to our message to take the steps necessary to join us in one of those holy buildings.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
How Did He Know?
I have recently had a new insight. When you read the scriptural account of the creation of this world, it is interesting that the sequence of events described by Moses in the book of Genesis is the same sequence agreed upon by most scientists.
Think about it. First the elements were organized to form the planet. As the atmosphere began to clear from the chaos of the initial creation, "...God said, Let there be light: and there was light" (Gen. 1:3). Next was the beginning of the water cycle: "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so" (Gen. 1:6-7). Then the waters were gathered together in one place and the dry land appeared. At this point in time, there was light, water and dry earth, so the next step was the appearance of grass and herbs and other plants (see Gen. 1:11-12).
It is assumed by most scientists that before plant life appeared on the earth that the atmosphere was composed of high amounts of carbon dioxide and that the sky was probably somewhat translucent, allowing light in, but not providing a view of the rest of the universe. However, as the plants began to inhale the carbon dioxide and to exhale oxygen, the atmosphere began to become transparent, as it is now. It was at this time that: "God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good" (Gen. 1:14-18). You will notice that this passage does not state that God created the Sun and the Moon on the fourth day (they had been there all along), only that he made them to appear. Next came the creation of animal life, in the waters, in the air, and on the land. Then, finally, after everything else, the creation of Man (see Gen 1:20-27).
So here is Moses' account of the creation. In very simple terms, but in the exact sequence that modern scientists believe these things happened. So it begs the question: How did a man living thousands of years ago, with no modern technology come to this knowledge. We can only assume that someone who had this knowledge must have told him and the most logical explanation seems to be that the one who had this knowledge was the one who did the creating. Think about it.
Think about it. First the elements were organized to form the planet. As the atmosphere began to clear from the chaos of the initial creation, "...God said, Let there be light: and there was light" (Gen. 1:3). Next was the beginning of the water cycle: "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so" (Gen. 1:6-7). Then the waters were gathered together in one place and the dry land appeared. At this point in time, there was light, water and dry earth, so the next step was the appearance of grass and herbs and other plants (see Gen. 1:11-12).
It is assumed by most scientists that before plant life appeared on the earth that the atmosphere was composed of high amounts of carbon dioxide and that the sky was probably somewhat translucent, allowing light in, but not providing a view of the rest of the universe. However, as the plants began to inhale the carbon dioxide and to exhale oxygen, the atmosphere began to become transparent, as it is now. It was at this time that: "God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good" (Gen. 1:14-18). You will notice that this passage does not state that God created the Sun and the Moon on the fourth day (they had been there all along), only that he made them to appear. Next came the creation of animal life, in the waters, in the air, and on the land. Then, finally, after everything else, the creation of Man (see Gen 1:20-27).
So here is Moses' account of the creation. In very simple terms, but in the exact sequence that modern scientists believe these things happened. So it begs the question: How did a man living thousands of years ago, with no modern technology come to this knowledge. We can only assume that someone who had this knowledge must have told him and the most logical explanation seems to be that the one who had this knowledge was the one who did the creating. Think about it.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
The Atonemnet of Jesus Christ
The following is the text of a Sacrament Meeting Talk presented by me on 19 April 2009 at the Danville, IL Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
Brothers and Sisters, I have been asked to speak today about the most important event in the history of the world. I can say that it is the most important event because without it, there would have been no purpose in creating the Earth.
Because we are all human, we all sin. Sin is lawlessness (1 Jn. 3: 4); it is a refusal on men’s part to submit to the law of God (Rom. 8: 7). By transgression man loses control over his own will and becomes the slave of sin (Rom. 7: 14), and so incurs the penalty of spiritual death, which is alienation from God (Rom. 6: 23). And because sin separates us from the presence of our Heavenly Father, it was necessary that there should be an atonement, in other words, a way provided whereby our sins could be forgiven. From the time of Adam to the death of Jesus Christ, true believers were instructed to offer animal sacrifices to the Lord. These sacrifices were symbolic of the forthcoming death of Jesus Christ, and were done by faith in him (Moses 5: 5-8).
It is important to note at this point that during the time that animal sacrifice was practiced, the blood of the slaughtered animal (usually a lamb) did not effect a forgiveness of sins. The sacrifice of the lamb was done in similitude of the atonement that would come later. Jesus Christ, as the Only Begotten Son of God and the only sinless person to live on this earth, was the only one capable of making an atonement for mankind. By his selection and foreordination in the Grand Council before the world was formed, his divine Sonship, his sinless life, the shedding of his blood in the garden of Gethsemane, his death on the cross and subsequent bodily resurrection from the grave, he made a perfect atonement for all mankind.
Our sins were bought for a price, the most expensive price ever paid for anything. Our sins were paid for by the suffering and death of the Savior. I want to spend a little time this morning talking about what the Savior went through for us.
After He and His disciples left the upper room, “…he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the Mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him” (Luke 22:39).
“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:41-42).
But it was not the Father’s will that the cup should be removed; so the Savior began the process of taking upon himself the sins of all the world. We cannot completely understand how He was able to do it, but, somehow, the weight and burden of all the sins that had ever been committed or that would ever be committed were laid upon his shoulders.
In returning, for a moment, to the practice of animal sacrifice, we all understand that when the lamb was brought to the altar, the lamb had no comprehension or understanding of what was happening. But I believe that in order for Christ to completely atone for the sins of the world, it was necessary for Him to understand them. I believe that it was necessary for Him to, somehow, experience the horror and terror and guilt and shame of all the murders, adultery, tortures, and cruelty, all the evil and depravity that had or ever would take place from the time of Adam until the end of the world.
And He experienced not only the evil of the world, but also all the pains and suffering that all the children of Our Heavenly Father experience in mortality:
And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. (Alma 7:12)
How great was His suffering? Luke tells us: “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).
In the Doctrine and Covenants the Savior, Himself, explains,
Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—
Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. (D&C 19: 18-19)
Jesus Christ went through all that for two reasons. The first is because it was an assignment He accepted voluntarily from Heavenly Father. The second reason is because He loves us.
The atonement brought about the resurrection of all mankind. The atonement also makes it possible for our sins to be forgiven and for us to become worthy to someday return to the presence of our Father. The first of these, the resurrection, is unconditional—every individual that has ever lived will rise from the dead with an immortal body. The atonement is conditional, however, so far as each person’s individual sins are concerned, and touches every one to the degree that he has faith in Jesus Christ, repents of his sins, and obeys the gospel.
Every sin that has ever been committed or ever will be committed has been paid for. No matter what evil any of us have done or are going to do, the Savior has already suffered for it. But His pain and suffering, His atonement is of no effect to us unless we accept Him as our personal Savior.
Brothers and Sisters, as your brother in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and as a bearer of the Melchizedek Priesthood, I call upon all of us to examine ourselves daily to see what needs to be corrected in our own lives, to ask Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ to “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” and to make the changes in our lives that we need to make so that we can be worthy to return to our Father in Heaven.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Brothers and Sisters, I have been asked to speak today about the most important event in the history of the world. I can say that it is the most important event because without it, there would have been no purpose in creating the Earth.
Because we are all human, we all sin. Sin is lawlessness (1 Jn. 3: 4); it is a refusal on men’s part to submit to the law of God (Rom. 8: 7). By transgression man loses control over his own will and becomes the slave of sin (Rom. 7: 14), and so incurs the penalty of spiritual death, which is alienation from God (Rom. 6: 23). And because sin separates us from the presence of our Heavenly Father, it was necessary that there should be an atonement, in other words, a way provided whereby our sins could be forgiven. From the time of Adam to the death of Jesus Christ, true believers were instructed to offer animal sacrifices to the Lord. These sacrifices were symbolic of the forthcoming death of Jesus Christ, and were done by faith in him (Moses 5: 5-8).
It is important to note at this point that during the time that animal sacrifice was practiced, the blood of the slaughtered animal (usually a lamb) did not effect a forgiveness of sins. The sacrifice of the lamb was done in similitude of the atonement that would come later. Jesus Christ, as the Only Begotten Son of God and the only sinless person to live on this earth, was the only one capable of making an atonement for mankind. By his selection and foreordination in the Grand Council before the world was formed, his divine Sonship, his sinless life, the shedding of his blood in the garden of Gethsemane, his death on the cross and subsequent bodily resurrection from the grave, he made a perfect atonement for all mankind.
Our sins were bought for a price, the most expensive price ever paid for anything. Our sins were paid for by the suffering and death of the Savior. I want to spend a little time this morning talking about what the Savior went through for us.
After He and His disciples left the upper room, “…he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the Mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him” (Luke 22:39).
“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:41-42).
But it was not the Father’s will that the cup should be removed; so the Savior began the process of taking upon himself the sins of all the world. We cannot completely understand how He was able to do it, but, somehow, the weight and burden of all the sins that had ever been committed or that would ever be committed were laid upon his shoulders.
In returning, for a moment, to the practice of animal sacrifice, we all understand that when the lamb was brought to the altar, the lamb had no comprehension or understanding of what was happening. But I believe that in order for Christ to completely atone for the sins of the world, it was necessary for Him to understand them. I believe that it was necessary for Him to, somehow, experience the horror and terror and guilt and shame of all the murders, adultery, tortures, and cruelty, all the evil and depravity that had or ever would take place from the time of Adam until the end of the world.
And He experienced not only the evil of the world, but also all the pains and suffering that all the children of Our Heavenly Father experience in mortality:
And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. (Alma 7:12)
How great was His suffering? Luke tells us: “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).
In the Doctrine and Covenants the Savior, Himself, explains,
Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—
Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. (D&C 19: 18-19)
Jesus Christ went through all that for two reasons. The first is because it was an assignment He accepted voluntarily from Heavenly Father. The second reason is because He loves us.
The atonement brought about the resurrection of all mankind. The atonement also makes it possible for our sins to be forgiven and for us to become worthy to someday return to the presence of our Father. The first of these, the resurrection, is unconditional—every individual that has ever lived will rise from the dead with an immortal body. The atonement is conditional, however, so far as each person’s individual sins are concerned, and touches every one to the degree that he has faith in Jesus Christ, repents of his sins, and obeys the gospel.
Every sin that has ever been committed or ever will be committed has been paid for. No matter what evil any of us have done or are going to do, the Savior has already suffered for it. But His pain and suffering, His atonement is of no effect to us unless we accept Him as our personal Savior.
Brothers and Sisters, as your brother in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and as a bearer of the Melchizedek Priesthood, I call upon all of us to examine ourselves daily to see what needs to be corrected in our own lives, to ask Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ to “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” and to make the changes in our lives that we need to make so that we can be worthy to return to our Father in Heaven.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Some Thoughts on Charity
If you have read most of my blog entries, you are aware that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you are at all familiar with our church, you know that we do not have a paid ministry and that from time-to-time, members are given the opportunity to speak in meetings. Today’s blog posting is the text of a talk I gave a while back. For those of you out there who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this is not an attempt to convert you. I believe that everything I’ve written can be appreciated by anyone who considers himself a Christian. I have quoted a few passages from The Book of Mormon. I hope these quotations do not offend you.
Charity Believeth All Things
Earlier this week, I was given the assignment to speak today on the topic: “Charity Believeth All Things.” This phrase is taken from the 13th chapter of Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians. In this chapter, the apostle provides a short discourse on the importance and traits of this virtue. Beginning in verse 1 he writes:
1 THOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
In pondering this statement that charity “believeth all things,” I have come to the conclusion that if we have charity, we believeth all things which are true and righteous and which will inspire us to make the changes in our lives that will lead to our eternal exaltation. And not only that, but we will develop this virtue so that it not only leads to our own exaltation, but also blesses the lives of others.
Over the past few weeks, we have heard several talks from this pulpit concerning charity. During that time, I have thought about what charity is. In Moroni 7:47 we are taught, “But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” This pure love of Christ is the love that the Savior has for each of us, which caused Him to atone for the sins of the world and to suffer death to help “…to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
Having charity means having a concern for the needs of others. King Benjamin taught:
And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind? (Mosiah 4:16-19).
But some of us do not have the means to provide for those in need. King Benjamin realized this and also taught:
And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give. And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received. (Mosiah 4:24-25)
So, charity is as much an attitude as it is an act. Whether or not we have the means to provide for others is not as important as how we treat them. And how we treat others should not depend on how they treat us. When we truly have charity, this pure love of Christ, we will have it for all people and in all circumstances. We do not have the luxury of picking and choosing to whom we will feel charitable—Christ’s atonement is an infinite atonement, available to any and all who are willing to accept it. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you… (Matthew 5:43-44)
People often say or do unkind things to us, sometimes on purpose. But how we respond is an indicator of the depth of our charity. To illustrate this, I brought in a comic strip, “For Better or for Worse” by Lynn Johnston, which appeared in the newspaper on this past Thursday. I won’t show it from the pulpit because you probably can’t see it from where you’re sitting. In this strip, April and Shannon are high school girls. April is a typical young lady of about 15. Shannon is also 15, but is a “special needs” student who has been attending the public school for about two years, and April is her only “normal” friend.
In the first panel, April speaks first: “Shannon—who calls you ‘retarded?’”
Shannon responds: “Jeremy, Jones, Miriam, and that guy over there.”
In panel 2, Shannon continues: “They call everyone in special needs ‘retarded.’”
April says: “I hate them for that!”
Shannon says: “I don’t.”
Then in panel 3, Shannon says: “They just don’t understand. They just don’t know us.”
April says: “They’re ignorant, and they’re mean.”
In panel 4, Shannon says: “Well, it’s not their fault if they were born that way.”
One of the most difficult trials we face in this life is how we respond to others who have hurt us or treated us unfairly. Charity is not always easy. On his last day of mortality, the Savior was buffeted, hit, spit on, and beaten. Then he was put before the people and rejected by those he came to save. He was nailed to a cross where he was mocked by both the Romans and the Jews. And yet, His final request of Heavenly Father was: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).
This is charity. This is the pure love of Christ. “But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him” (Moroni 7:47). I pray that we might all develop this virtue that we might all become more Christ-like. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Charity Believeth All Things
Earlier this week, I was given the assignment to speak today on the topic: “Charity Believeth All Things.” This phrase is taken from the 13th chapter of Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians. In this chapter, the apostle provides a short discourse on the importance and traits of this virtue. Beginning in verse 1 he writes:
1 THOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
In pondering this statement that charity “believeth all things,” I have come to the conclusion that if we have charity, we believeth all things which are true and righteous and which will inspire us to make the changes in our lives that will lead to our eternal exaltation. And not only that, but we will develop this virtue so that it not only leads to our own exaltation, but also blesses the lives of others.
Over the past few weeks, we have heard several talks from this pulpit concerning charity. During that time, I have thought about what charity is. In Moroni 7:47 we are taught, “But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” This pure love of Christ is the love that the Savior has for each of us, which caused Him to atone for the sins of the world and to suffer death to help “…to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
Having charity means having a concern for the needs of others. King Benjamin taught:
And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind? (Mosiah 4:16-19).
But some of us do not have the means to provide for those in need. King Benjamin realized this and also taught:
And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give. And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received. (Mosiah 4:24-25)
So, charity is as much an attitude as it is an act. Whether or not we have the means to provide for others is not as important as how we treat them. And how we treat others should not depend on how they treat us. When we truly have charity, this pure love of Christ, we will have it for all people and in all circumstances. We do not have the luxury of picking and choosing to whom we will feel charitable—Christ’s atonement is an infinite atonement, available to any and all who are willing to accept it. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you… (Matthew 5:43-44)
People often say or do unkind things to us, sometimes on purpose. But how we respond is an indicator of the depth of our charity. To illustrate this, I brought in a comic strip, “For Better or for Worse” by Lynn Johnston, which appeared in the newspaper on this past Thursday. I won’t show it from the pulpit because you probably can’t see it from where you’re sitting. In this strip, April and Shannon are high school girls. April is a typical young lady of about 15. Shannon is also 15, but is a “special needs” student who has been attending the public school for about two years, and April is her only “normal” friend.
In the first panel, April speaks first: “Shannon—who calls you ‘retarded?’”
Shannon responds: “Jeremy, Jones, Miriam, and that guy over there.”
In panel 2, Shannon continues: “They call everyone in special needs ‘retarded.’”
April says: “I hate them for that!”
Shannon says: “I don’t.”
Then in panel 3, Shannon says: “They just don’t understand. They just don’t know us.”
April says: “They’re ignorant, and they’re mean.”
In panel 4, Shannon says: “Well, it’s not their fault if they were born that way.”
One of the most difficult trials we face in this life is how we respond to others who have hurt us or treated us unfairly. Charity is not always easy. On his last day of mortality, the Savior was buffeted, hit, spit on, and beaten. Then he was put before the people and rejected by those he came to save. He was nailed to a cross where he was mocked by both the Romans and the Jews. And yet, His final request of Heavenly Father was: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).
This is charity. This is the pure love of Christ. “But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him” (Moroni 7:47). I pray that we might all develop this virtue that we might all become more Christ-like. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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