What does God think of the Bloggernacle?

Or maybe the question should be: Does God think of the Bloggernacle? I’m reminded of that great story in told in general conference a few years ago about a priesthood leader that was in need and had the name of a certain man come into his head as the right person to ask for help. This saint made the requested sacrifice and said it was worth it all “just to know the God in heaven knows my name.” This post is to assure you, good readers, that God knows your names.

I know that God knows you because he specifically directed me to seek help from you in my time of great need. My faith in a miracle was slowly growing throughout that long night of darkness last week but I needed more faith. I got a very clear and strong impression that I needed to make the 30 minute drive back home that midnight to humbly beg for that assistance here. After I did so I immediately returned to the ICU but I felt somehow better.

Why did it help? Why would he send me to you? I’m convinced it is because you are among the very elect. You are among the spiritual superstars of the planet. You are the spiritual super heroes. You are among the angels God sent me to when I needed help moving a mountain. You are part of the tiny percentage of people on this planet that are teetering on the brink of Celestial glory… of exaltation. You have great power. And my family benefited from your great power. The mountain moved.

What does God think of the Bloggernacle? He loves it dearly because the Bloggernacle is made up of the most precious things in the universe – The souls of men and women.

Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God
(D&C 18: 10)

For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39)

God is clearly not in the business of saving the mortal lives of three year old boys. Many others have been allowed to pass through the veil without his intervention. But God is in the business of bringing to pass eternal life. The first step in the process of attaining eternal life is developing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If he is going to move a mountain he just might want to get as many of his superstars to chip in as possible… because that service… that pulling out the spiritual shovel and moving the mountain one shovel full or one prayer at a time helps you to be like Him – saviors to poor, needy, helpless souls like I was that night. And the whole process draws us all closer to Him. Closer to that exaltation he desperately wants for us all.

Maybe that’s part of the reason why God insisted I implore you for help. So you could join with him in being our saviors and we could increase our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ together. Or maybe it was just because my family needed more strong shovelers to get that mountain moved and he knew you were some of the best shovelers on the planet.

In any case, be assured that God knows who you are. God is aware of the Bloggernacle.

All is Well, All is Well!

And "We'll make the air with music ring, shout praises to our God and King" because of it.

I am only home for a few minutes so I haven't had time to check the Bloggernacle or even the comments here, but based on the number of comments here I can only assume my plea for prayers here made a difference. Here is the update: Our baby boy Quinn is well on his way to a full recovery.

Briefly: While my wife and I followed the helicopter to the hospital we prayed and began to feel the beginnings of faith that we could save the boy. When I gave what probably sounded like a brash blessing to my boy in the emergency room my faith grew. When I learned all of our family and ward were praying for a recovery I felt slightly better. When I followed my impression to ask for help here I felt a little more confidence. But it was only after my brother Russ told me that my plea at my blog was not ignored, but rather many righteous Boggernacle saints (who wouldn't know me from Adam) were praying for my Quinn... It was then when I finally knew... Sorry if it sounds dramatic but it was then that my tears of gratitude finally flowed. Quinn was going to be fine.

When my stake president later came to the hospital and prophesied that Quinn would fully recover most remaining fear and doubt disappeared. When the doctors told us there was no signs of neurological damage and our Q-dog (the nickname his missionary uncle gave him) would have a full recovery it was fitting, but not surprising.

Thank you for being among our saviors. Thank you for mourning with us as we mourned and comforting us as we stood in need of comfort.

Miracles happen. I’m glad I am a Mormon boy.

(More later when we bring our Q home some time this weekend)

Please pray for my boy

It's just past midnight. I just came home for a few minutes from the ICU to write this post because I believe it could make a difference.

We found our sweet three year old son Quinn face down in the pool this afternoon. He is alive and stable now but there remains a very real risk of brain damage. You bloggernacle citizens are righteous people -- I can tell. We are praying for a full recovery for Quinn. Can you please help? Prayer is a form of work but my family can't do all this work alone. We need saviors on mount Zion to help us with this work. All we ask is one sincere prayer for the boy to have a full recovery. (If you can muster any more we would be very grateful). Our extended family and our ward family are already joining in the prayers. I came home tonight to beg for your prayers on behalf on Quinn as well. I got the feeling that it would be worth it.

UPDATE -- Thank you all. We got our miracle. All is well.

I can't get no, Spirit of Elijah

I can't get no, genealogical excitement
And I try
And I try
And I try, try-try-try-try, tryyy
I can’t get no! (Guitar riff)

Feel free to sing along. I had the Stones version in my head but you can substitute a cover like the one Devo did in your head if you'd like.

My last post about how our ancestors might be sending us messages through the Holy Ghost reminded me of a problem I have: I don’t feel any connection to my distant ancestors at all. I have nearly no desire to search them out or learn about them. I have only a passing interest in their stories and histories. In the church we call the invisible pull many people feel to learn about their roots “The Spirit of Elijah”. Well I ain’t got none. And to be honest it makes me a little nervous.

When I was a teenager I figured the Spirit of Elijah would hit me when I was an adult. But my twenties came and went and nothing. I have 4 children now – still nothing. Am I the only faithful Latter Day Saint that feels this way?

I have my reasons of course. First is my firm belief in free agency. I don’t really much care what my genes say because I believe I can choose what I’ll think and do regardless of genetic tendencies. I don’t need to know about my ancestors to know who I am. I am me and they just happen to be my physical ancestors. This leads to the Second point which is about pre-existence. It is perhaps ironic that my firm belief in the eternal nature of souls has deadened my interest in seeking out my earthly ancestors. As I said, I have this assumption (right or wrong) that they just happen to genetically precede me here – but I was me before this earth so… who cares? Third, my parents are converts to the church. They are proof that tracting works. After their baptisms they had me and I have been a devout believer my whole life. Because of that I sort of feel like many early saints are my spiritual forebears and find myself more interested in some of their lives than my own non-member ancestors. Of course this is cheating in some ways because I can focus my energy on the lives of great men and women and perhaps ignore losers in my line (I don’t know if they are there, but they could be.) Last, my dad has done a bang-up job of searchng out both lines for us already anyway.

I love serving as proxy in the temple, and I’d be even happier if the person I stood in place for happened to be in my family line. But honestly, I am mostly interested in the "Lord’s University" part of the temple rather than the proxy aspect. The proxy thing feels like a pleasant side benefit to me.

So there you have my confession. I am a genealogy chump. I don’t carry my own weight when it comes to seeking out our dead. Someone please help me out! Why don’t I care? What can I do to get some of that Spirit of Elijah in my own life? Or should I just stop worrying about it and leave it to those who have this spiritual gift already?

Holy postal service!

Have you ever seen an angel? I haven’t. In fact I’ve never met anyone who has claimed to have seen one. Yet I have met thousands of priesthood holders who hold “the keys of the ministering of angels.” Now I’ve read the statements by Wilford Woodruff and others that explain why God will only send us angels if the job at hand can be accomplished in no other way. But it has always seemed odd to me that there is so much emphasis on the restoration of the keys of the ministering of angels if we never get to use those keys. Well I have learned something new recently that has helped me better understand and now you get to learn it too…

The insight came from a talk given by Elder Oaks in the October 1998 General conference. In it he he makes some very interesting comments. Here are a few:

…Most angelic communications are felt or heard rather than seen.

How does the Aaronic Priesthood hold the key to the ministering of angels? The answer is the same as for the Spirit of the Lord.

In general, the blessings of spiritual companionship and communication are only available to those who are clean. As explained earlier, through the Aaronic Priesthood ordinances of baptism and the sacrament, we are cleansed of our sins and promised that if we keep our covenants we will always have His Spirit to be with us. I believe that promise not only refers to the Holy Ghost but also to the ministering of angels, for “angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ” (2 Ne. 32:3). So it is that those who hold the Aaronic Priesthood open the door for all Church members who worthily partake of the sacrament to enjoy the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord and the ministering of angels.

So what is new here? Basically he is saying that angels send us messages but they do it through the power of the Holy Ghost. What does that mean? Perhaps many of those promptings, comforts, insights, and other spiritual flashes you and I have felt throughout our lives were not originated by God, but rather just delivered by the power of God the Spirit. Maybe they were actually from our loving ancestors, friends, or descendents on the other side of the veil (each of them angels by definition). The implication is that one role of the power of the Holy Ghost is to be a Holy postal service, passing on messages to us from individuals across the veil.

Maybe this is old news to you, but it is new to me. I have been giving credit to God for originating every spiritual message I have ever received. Now I wonder if the authors weren’t often others and the Spirit just the messenger. I like the idea. I tastes good to me. And it gives me one more reason to work hard on that cyclical pattern to perfection that helps us always have the Spirit – because loved ones may want to get through to me and I need to be worthy to receive the mail.

The Fowles recently opined on relatives pulling strings from the other side. That seems more likely to me now. And if they can send us blessings and messages, do you think we can mail love, blessings, and messages to them as well?

Has God decided when the Second Coming will be yet?

Before I make those predictions on the timing of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ I promised you earlier, I thought I’d stir things up further by suggesting God probably has not even decided yet when the Second Coming will be. He is probably waiting to see when the time is right. But wait, you say, doesn’t God have perfect foreknowledge? As I have written before -- not necessarily. I have been reading Blake Ostler’s marvelous book Exploring Mormon Thought: The Attributes of God and in it he makes very compelling arguments that actual perfect foreknowledge requires a fixed future and a fixed future means we aren’t really freely choosing (even if we think we are). The good news is that, as has been discussed elsewhere in the Bloggernacle, perfect foreknowledge is pretty useless anyway.

So what about the Second Coming? Based on this idea that God is an extremely good predictor of the unfolding plot of our planet, I assume God has a rough date pretty well triangulated. This idea of an approximate date for the event makes for an interesting reading of some of the scriptural statements on the timing of the Second Coming:

I, the Lord God, have spoken it; but the hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall they know until he comes. (D&C 49:7)

Perhaps no Man knoweth yet either. It seems entirely likely to me that God is waiting to see how his truly free children will act and which of us will break out of the tendencies of the natural man and repent or not. Knowing what the scriptures say about God, my guess is he will wait until the last possible moment to allow the most time possible for repentance before giving the go-ahead for the Second Coming and the destructions that will accompany it.

Why does this matter? Because it means there is absolutely no room for fatalism among us. The things we do could very well make a difference not only in our own lives but in the world. They could very well affect the decisions of God on something as huge as the Second Coming!

Ok, so I may have freaked a few of you out with this. But don’t fret. If this theory is right it is wonderful news. It means that fatalism is wrong in our personal lives too. We really can talk God into things (and all those scriptural stories where people do so start making sense). If we can do that then we can make a real and miraculous difference in the world. That is good new if you ask me.

Girls like dads with skills

If you were in my house tonight you would have heard my five-year-old daughter proclaiming at the top of her lungs “Daddy is awesome! He’s the coolest boy I know!” Awwwww Yeeeaaahhhh! Daddy is awesome tonight. What makes dad so awesome, you ask? I got skills -- video game skills.

You see, mama is out of town on a family emergency so dad is flyin’ solo through Saturday. So after the taquitos and chocolate milk for dinner (and after homework and piano practice) I loaded my 3, 5, and 7 year old children into the car and it was off to McDonalds for ice cream and some playtime. After that is was off to rent a video game for the ol’ Gamecube. Selection was sparse but we ended up with The Incredibles. When we got home they insisted dad try the game first. After some tinkering I figured how to get Mr. Incredible to run, jump, throw stuff, and beat the stuffing out of those French bad guys. The kids loved it. They were giddy with delight when I learned I could pick up and throw the bad guys too. Some time later, at their continued goading and after bedtime, level one was completed.

I, of course, am awesome. I am the coolest male my kids know. It all goes to show: Little kids love dads with skills.

Revelatory dreams

Have you ever had a revelatory dream? I have. In fact I had one last week. I won’t go into detail about it because it just doesn’t feel right yet… but maybe someday. It was the first one I have had in several years. The last one I remember was in 1999. The prophesies in that one came to pass just as the dream indicated. I had a few on my mission too. My current stake president recently had one that has been appropriately quoted as local scripture in many meetings since he shared it with us at stake conference.

Revelatory dreams seem to take a couple of forms. The dream my stake president had was in the genre of Lehi’s dream. It was in parable form and had to do with the stake over which he presides. It taught the things our stake needs to focus on to better fulfill our three-fold mission. (I can give you details if you’d like… ask and ye shall receive)

My revelatory dreams seem to be more in the genre of those we read about in the story of Joseph, son of Jacob. They are prophesies of important (but personal) things that are to happen in the near future. You’ll remember that not only did Joseph have dreams but he also interpreted dreams from two fellow prisoners and Pharaoh. All of those were fairly short term prophesies. This is slightly different from the dream Daniel deciphered and interpreted because that was a long term prophesy.

I’m not sure why we get the gifts we do. My gifts do strengthen my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ though. I suspect God gives me what he knows fits me. I don’t really like surprises. I invariably look at the last chapter of a novel to see how it ends before reading the whole book. I guess I just enjoy seeing it unfold and God accommodates me.

If you haven’t had any revelatory dreams don’t fret. They are probably a spiritual gift and we all get different spiritual gifts. I read an interesting post over at T&S recently where the following experience was shared on the subject of dialogic (two-way) prayer:

...once when he had the opportunity to speak of such matters with a member of the Twelve, Tom told that person of the absence of direct, dialogic answers to his prayers. Elder X responded, “The kinds of answers you are talking about are a gift of the Spirit. Evidently, you don’t have that gift.” After a slight pause, Elder X added, “Neither do I.”

So while I suspect not everyone in the church gets revelatory dreams, those who do have no reason to brag. Why take credit for a gift? We don’t earn them -- if we earned them they would be more appropriately called wages or something.

So like Lehi, are you a visionary person? Like Joseph are you a dreamer? Is it common with you or rare like with me?

How’s Your GPA? (Satan Wants to Know...) -- Part II

Tonight for family scriptures I broke out the parable of the sower from Matthew 13 for my little children. It was slightly over their heads (I got questions like “what is God’s special word?” – as in singular) but as I read the parable and succeeding explanation out loud it dawned on me that this parable was further support for my theory on the Devil’s GPA!

The Devil’s GPA is the code name I use for what I think is the fundamental content of Satan’s playbook as explained in the scriptures. I introduced the concept in an earlier post, but here is the list temptations we’ll face in mortality from greatest to least:

G: Greed and Getting Gain (Plus the power wealth brings)
P: Popularity, Prominence, Praise of Men, Pride, Power (at least the influence part)
A: Appetites and Addictions

I have loved this idea since I read somewhere that President Mckay taught similar things. I hadn’t seen it in this parable until tonight. Here goes:

The seeds by the wayside = Appetites and Addictions

And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: … When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
(verses 4, 19)

I was thinking about some of the appetite scourges of our day like pornography, and drugs and it dawned on me that these sins are so awful because they take us out of the game before we can even start. Our goal and purpose in mortality is to seek truth from our Father and follow it. Succumbing to these base appetites numbs our spiritual sensitivity to such a degree that we have nearly no chance of understanding the word when it is taught. We are deaf to the Spirit when we are in the clutches of these appetites. This parable sounds like an excellent description of that problem to me. One for one.

Seeds on stony ground = Praise, Popularity, Prominence

Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. … But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
(Verses 5-6, 20-21)

Is it just me or is this description strikingly similar to the descriptions of those in Lehi’s dream who partook of the fruit of the tree of life but fell away when they were mocked by those in the great and spacious building? The problem here is a textbook of the “P” in the Devil’s GPA – they were more concerned about impressing their fellow men than they were about pleasing God. Two for two.

Seed among thorns = Greed and Getting Gain

And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: … He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. (Verses 7, 22)

Ah yes, the final and most difficult test -- proper handling of riches. We’ve talked about this subject around here at some length in recent weeks. In the parable the plant is coming along nicely until riches slowly creep up and choke it to death. That’s why this is the most challenging of the three – it sneaks up on us when we think we a home free. We say “Hey, I’ve avoided the porn, I’ve keep the word of wisdom, I don’t back down when people mock the church” but when we are asked to consecrate all, like the rich young man we go away sorrowing… Choked by the deceitfulness of riches. Three for three. (Funny how all these things start tying together, huh?)


Wow! Having typed it out I must admit: That is even a better fit than I imagined it would be. How did I miss that before? The answer to that question is probably also in Matthew 13:

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
(Verses 10-11)

I guess until tonight it was not given for me to understand this mystery, but now it is. With any luck it is given to you as well.

So have you seen other places of the Devil’s GPA at work? What do you think of this model I like to use? Is it a useful way to see the strategy of our Adversary?

The 5 simple steps to exaltation

As demonstrated by today's Sunday School lesson (D&C Lesson 7) exaltation can be attained through 5 simple steps on our part -- all the rest of the work is taken care of by the atonement of Jesus Christ. You know the steps already:
1.) Exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
2.) Repent
3.) Be baptized
4.) Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost
5.) Endure to the end.
(See references here, here, here, and here)

But the problem with this list is that we have a huge amount of scriptural detail on steps 1-4 and nearly no scriptural detail on step 5. To make things worse, one can accomplish steps 1-4 by the age of 8. We have been instructed that Step 5 generally includes keeping baptismal covenants and making and keeping of temple covenants, but why is there so little other specific instruction from God and the prophets on the step that will take the next 92 year of life to accomplish? Read on gentle friend, I think I’ve discovered the answer…

I believe the answer comes from a study of the natural progression in the first four steps. Once a person follows Alma’s steps to developing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the result is always a change in that person for the better. Their behavior changes, their desires change, they change. This change is known as repentance. The new person often has a desire and meets the requirements to be become a disciple if Christ through baptism:

All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church. (D&C 20:37)

After baptism the new disciple is given the Gift of the Holy Ghost, which allows her to have the Holy Spirit a constant and ever-present influence in her life.

So what is the result of the presence of the Holy Ghost in the convert's life? Greater light and knowledge and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What does true faith always generate? Change for the better – also known as repentance. But this time the new convert cannot be baptized, so what does she do? She attends sacrament meeting the following Sabbath and partakes in the beautiful sacrament ordinances as a renewal of her baptismal covenants. What does the renewal of that covenant do for her? It allows her to always have Christ’s spirit to be with her. So she has the Holy Ghost as a continued and constant companion.

So what is the result of the continued presence of the Holy Ghost in the convert's life? Greater light and knowledge and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What does true faith always generate? Change for the better – also known as repentance… (Is this starting to sound familiar yet?)

So you get the picture. Step 5, or Endure to the End, is another way of saying: “Repeat steps 1-4”. It turns our we have been given specific instructions on how to accomplish #5 after all!

Because of the great atonement of Jesus Christ, exaltation is indeed achieved on our part one step after another, line upon line, precept upon precept. And as this upward spiral to perfection once again shows, the course of the Lord is indeed One Eternal Round.



Epilogue: Some may wonder where temple ordinances fall into this pattern. I suggest that they fall under step 2 – change, repent, obey. Our own temple ordinances are a step in our changing process through Christ. Also, someday I may show here how the same spiral can be a downward one in our lives and how step 2 is the key element to it all.

So what do you think? Is this true doctrine or not?

Has the time come to rename this blog?

Naming a blog is a lot like naming a band. I've named a lot of bands in my day, but only one blog. It was pretty common in the past for me to do a couple of gigs under one band name and then change to a more appropriate name based on the sound and personality of the band. I’ve been thinking about changing the name of my blog now that it’s been live for about six weeks. So when I saw that Jonathan had mentioned that the name “New Cool Thang” was a little disturbing I knew the time had come… It’s time to seek advice and votes on the blog name!

Of course changing the name has a cost. I’ve been linked to by lots of cool blogs in Bloggernacle already – a name change will waste all of that branding. But then again, I’m a fairly new player in the Bloggernacle and the longer I wait the more the cost will go up. Plus I can keep the same URL anyway.

I’ve come up with an alternative name and I’ll explain the story behind both it and the current name with some pros and cons and let you, my bloggy friends, advise me.

Current name: New Cool Thang
Story: I helped found a ska band at BYU in the early nineties called Sam I Am. We attracted a pretty good following and won the big BYU battle of the bands in early ’92 as voted on by a crowd of thousands of screaming students. The band continued for for an while with big aspirations. Then we learned that Sam I Am was anything but an original band name and if we ever were to get beyond the Provo market we’d need a more original name. The alternative we came up with was New Cool Thang. I liked the name, but alas, it was too late for us to change – the branding was already too established so we eventually switched back.
Pros as a blog name: It’s somewhat jarring and memorable. Memorable is good in marketing. Plus it reminds me that I was cool at one point in my life. And isn’t Splendid Sun a former band name? The practice has a precedent.
Cons as a blog name: Considering the heavily doctrinal approach I’m taking to my posts it is a seemingly flippant name. Can I expect anyone to take my posts seriously with a name like that?

Potential new name: The Most Observant Cub Scout
Story: When I was a young cub scout I went to week long day camp one summer. At the end of the week our group's camp mother gave each of us special award – mine was the Most Observant award. I was thrilled. Later in life I realized that it might have been the only thing she could think of to praise that annoying kid with all of those questions and comments. But somehow that still doesn’t bug me – I still have innumerable questions and comments in me.
Pros: Based on my content so far, doesn’t that sound like a better name for this blog? It might allow new visitors to actually pay attention to the content rather than being distracted by the rock 'n roll name.
Cons: Will I lose all the "pop" the name currently has when it appears on a list? Is the name just too boring or long?

So what do you think? Which do you prefer? Gimme your comments on a name because if it’s gonna change this is the week to do it!

No blog is an island... Oh, wait... I guess mine is now...

I just got officially connected with the Mormon Archipelago – a group of top-notch Mormon blogs run by really cool and smart Mormons who I’ve never met but I like anyway. You’ll notice the fancy new logo and feed from my new sibling-blogs in the sidebar. I like it because I’m always visiting their blogs anyway so this saves me having to use that pesky bookmark dropdown. You’ll like it because their blogs rock.

In other news, Blogger changed their comments code and my comments hacks blew up (along with everyone else’s). We’re all pulling for Ebeneezer Orthodoxy to overcome this latest challenge and get us new hacks. In the meantime we’ll have to live without recent comments and the other goodies… I know, you’re thinking Give me convenience, or give me death! I’ll see what I can do for you (the convenience part, that is).

Riches Part II -- God might make you rich... but beware

The comments for my previous post on the tenuous relationship between worldly riches and righteousness really got me thinking. A rich (but apparently righteous) anonymous saint made some very insightful comments that brought new ideas to my mind. I’m now starting to wonder if the Lord really does “bless” us with riches sometimes in this life. Not so we can live it up, but to see if we’ll actually keep our covenants and let go of it.

Now think about it, if we are ever going to be exalted we are first going to have to be like Christ. The scriptures are replete with this message.

Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
(3 Ne. 12: 48, Matt. 5: 48)

And know ye that ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am..
(3 Ne. 27: 27)

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
(1 Jn. 3: 2)

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.
(Moro. 7: 48)

So if we are where we are on this earth based on pre-mortal merit (and one of these days I may go into more detail on that subject), and if we will continue in this merit/progression program after this life, is it a stretch to assume that somewhere along the eternal line we are going to have to prove we really will live the law of consecration? If that logic holds then the next question is how will we prove we are willing to do so? I suspect we are going to have to at some point in our existence put our money where our mouth is.

Now consecrating our excess money to the Church and the poor is not something we can very well do when we have no money, so perhaps God does help some Saints get rich. Is it a blessing or a curse? Perhaps it should be considered mostly a test. Some people will pass such a test and others won’t. Consider the case of the rich young man who went away sorrowing as compared to the twelve who had “forsaken all, and followed" Christ.

If we can use just what we need and give the rest away in the manner the apostles and many other Saints have throughout time (Enoch, Abraham, Lehi, etc.) have done riches will be a great blessing. If, like the rich young man, we unwilling to give it all to the poor, but rather consume the riches will be a horrible curse.

So there you have it… God will probably bless us with riches if we are ready for them. How will we know if we are ready for this test? Jacob teaches we will know because we will happily give it away.

What good is it getting rich then? Perhaps getting rich and giving it away is the way to actually get rich. "But the greatest of these is charity." (1 Cor. 13:13) He that hath eternal life is rich. (D&C 6:7)

So let me have it -- Is this true doctrine or false? How are we Mormons doing regarding riches? (Do you ever wonder how many saints are rich but don’t look it?)

How dare you try to guess when the Second Coming will be!

A recent post related to the Second Coming over at T&S reminded me of an odd fact in the Church – Mormons do NOT appreciate it when other Mormons speculate in the timing of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. I don’t know if other Christian churches have the same bias, but it is prevalent among Mormons and I’m not sure it need be.

To illustrate the anti-guessing bias I’ll quote a few things from that post and the comments:

After all, Christ said that NO MAN knows the day and the hour of his return. So what’s their source? The same source that had so many people SURE that blacks wouldn’t receive the priesthood till after the millennium? I always worry about Mormons who think they know what’s on God’s desk calendar!

Now that you guys have settled when the Millenium will be, let’s discuss how many angels can dance on the head of a pin!

Honestly, what does it matter when the millenium happens? If you aren’t prepared now, shouldn’t you be busy? And if you are… I really hope you have better things to do than surf the web debating what date it’ll happen on!

You get the gist: You can never know. Don’t waste your time. Get a life. Find something better to do.

Ah yes… find something better to do than study the scriptures and the words of modern prophets and then ponder on the things of eternity. While there may be a few better things to do in life, they aren’t many. What are they really saying? Get back to watching TV? Go make some more money? Go spend 4 hours at the golf course? What better things are they referring to?

What do the scriptures say on the subject? Well here is the topical guide list of all the scriptures referring to the second coming. None of them forbid or even discourage speculations on timing, as far as I can tell. The only things that could be interpreted as discouragement are the variations on this theme:

I, the Lord God, have spoken it; but the hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall they know until he comes. (D&C 49:7)

But where is the discouragement or command not to try to triangulate the approximate timing through the ever-unfolding signs? This just sounds like a statement of fact to me. And all it says is the day and hour can’t be known. I'm not saying that leaves the week open to predicting, but does this necessarily mean the signs will be so vague that we can't even narrow it down to a decade?

On the other hand, the Lord specifically tells us to watch for the day in several places as exemplified by this verse:

And what I say unto one, I say unto all men; watch, therefore, for you know not at what hour your Lord doth come. (JS-M 1:46)

So anyway: Why all the tongue-clicking at some harmless Second Coming triangulation attempts? Is it really so wrong? Or maybe the real question is if such an attitude really is prevalent in the church or not... Is it just my imagination?

(Coming Next: My predictions on the timing of the Second Coming!)

All the world's a stage, And (we are) merely players

For some reason I cannot read that Shakespearean line in my own voice -- it always is in Geddy Lee’s voice in my head. I doubt the illustrious Hugh Nibley has that problem. It is his marvelous essay from 1999 called Abraham’s Creation Drama that has spurred this post. I read it today at the provided link and was, as usual with Nibley, thoroughly impressed. I highly recommend it.

One of the primary themes of the essay is that the creation drama we have from Abraham via the prophet Joseph Smith is just that, an example of a dramatic play. Not only is the story a play to be read and acted out by different actors at different times and places, but that in essence our entire existence on earth is part of the very same basic play. The world really is a stage and we really are players. This has all (meaning the general plot of our world) happened before throughout the eons past and will happen again and again throughout the eons to come. In essence, the creation dramas in Abraham and the temple and many ancient documents are in fact small scale dramas of the universe…

I know -- this stuff can make one’s head hurt. However, I think these are some of the big questions and they certainly deserve some serious pondering.

Whether you read the essay or not, what do you think of the idea? Is this world with its plot the same play as ever with us as the actors?

Financial Success and Righteousness

Over at Nine Moons there was a comment on the fact that righteous people pray for business success and get none. This is something I’ve thought a lot about in the past. As of late I have had a lot of success with business. Yet other faithful Latter Day Saints I know are struggling horribly with business. How can I assume my success is because of righteousness when I’m no more righteous than these other saints? And if my success isn’t from blessing then is it sheer luck? It sure seems like some divine intervention has come into play with my successes… But there does not seem to be a direct correlation between keeping the commandments and financially prospering in the land, even though the Book of Mormon does repeatedly promise prosperity in the land as a reward for keeping the commandments. Apparently that prosperity is not necessarily financial in nature.

So why have I prospered financially then? It doesn’t feel like sheer luck. It feels like God has helped out. But why help me and not others? Well, I’ve decided the answer could have something to do with this scripture:

20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—
21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.
(D&C 130:20-21)

I was not more righteous in general than those other Saints; I may have just obeyed the necessary laws to get that specific blessing. What laws might that include? Well over the last twelve years I got an MBA, I read a small library-worth of business books, I prayed continually for financial success, I have continued to strictly keep my covenants, and I have persevered through lean financial years… Maybe those were the laws that were associated with the blessings I currently am enjoying… Or maybe it was other things. Perhaps it was all luck too, I don’t know.

But looking at it like this was the only way I could figure out how to credit God for what feels like His blessings in my life. Doing anything else feels like I am either taking credit for the blessings or blaming it all on dumb luck and that just feels wrong…

What do you think about this idea of being blessed with financial success? How should a faithful saint explain it?

Eternal Regression

The concept of eternal progression is well established in Mormonism. While the nitty gritty details are still among the “mysteries”, the basic idea of man having the potential to progress to be like God is a fundamental doctrine of the Restoration. But what about moving backwards? If in this life we can progress to attain more light and intelligence and thus be more like God, can we regress by losing light and intelligence and thus become less like God than we started? Logic and the scriptures seem to say yes.

First I appeal to the teaching of Lehi:

For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. (2 Nep. 2:11)

Alma agreed:

Now, repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment, which also was eternal as the life of the soul should be, affixed opposite to the plan of happiness, which was as eternal also as the life of the soul. (Alma 42:16)

The basic idea is that there is a potential mirror image to our progression in this life. For all the heights we can attain there are mirroring depths we can attain.

The concept progressing and increasing in light and intelligence is taught in the D&C:

For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own; judgment goeth before the face of him who sitteth upon the throne and governeth and executeth all things. (D&C 88:40)

That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. (D&C 50:24)

In the Book of Mormon we are taught the idea of light and truth being taken away if we reject it:

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.(2 Nep. 28:30)

And now behold, I tell you by the spirit of prophecy, that if ye transgress the commandments of God, behold, these things which are sacred shall be taken away from you by the power of God, and ye shall be delivered up unto Satan, that he may sift you as chaff before the wind. (Alma 37: 15)

The possibility of eternal regression seems pretty obvious to me. Am I missing something? If not, does the idea never seem to be taught in the church?

Good, Clean Pun

That last post was a bit on the heavy side. I don't know how Mormons and puns mix, but my aunt sent me a list that made me laugh:

1. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The
stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed
per passenger."

2. Two fish swim into a concrete wall, one turns to the other and says:
"Dam!."

3. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the
craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your
kayak and heat it too.

4. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says "I've lost my electron." The other
says "Are you sure?" The first replies "Yes, I'm positive."

5. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root
canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

6. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in
the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an
hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But
why?" they asked, as they moved off. "Because," he said, "I can't stand
chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

7. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a
family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The other goes to a family in Spain;
they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan
sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture,
she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her
husband responds, "They're twins! If you've
seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

8. Friars behind on their belfry payments opened a small florist shop to
raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a
rival florist across town thought the competition was
unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. So,
the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, a thug in town to "persuade" them
to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed
their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop. Terrified,
they did so, thereby proving that: Only Hugh, can prevent florist friars.

9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which
produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very
little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from
bad breath. This made him ...(Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good)..... A
super calloused fragile mystic vexed by halitosis.

10. And finally, there was the person who sent ten different puns to
friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh.
No pun in ten did!


Perhaps these puns pale in comparison to your favorite. Please share!

Verbal Violence in defense of the Church -- is it wrong or not?

I was following links and Clark's blog and came across this post where he made mention of his dislike for the tone of some of the writers over at FARMS. He cited this article on this subject from Sunstone. Indeed, it does seem that some FARMS reviewers have taken aggressive – even verbally violent approaches to this war of ideologies. I have mixed feelings on the subject of appropriate approaches to combating attacks on the Church or its doctrines. Since I like to use the scriptures as my primary knowledge base, I decided to dig into them to see if they support or condemn vitriolic approaches to fighting for the gospel.

The case against using verbal violence to fight verbal violence –

This one is easy. Jesus taught in the Book of Mormon that “Contention is of the devil”. In the New Testament he taught that when attacked we should “turn the other cheek”. In modern times he has taught “if men shall smite you…bear it patiently and revile not against them”. These all seem like pretty straight forward commandments on how to deal with violence against us – and one could assume that includes written attacks.

The case for using verbal violence to fight verbal violence –

The same D&C passage cited above goes on to explain that if the Saints are continually attacked they may eventually fight back and “thine enemy is in thine hands; and if thou rewardest him according to his works thou art justified.” (Verse 31) Apologists could make a claim that after 170+ years of constant attacks against the church that “eventual” day came long ago.

The Nephites regularly defended themselves against their attackers and Mormon explained:

And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their God; for the Lord had said unto them, and also unto their fathers, that: Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies.(Alma 43:46)

Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives.(Alma 48:14)

The Book of Mormon further explained that defending oneself in one’s own land is acceptable to God:

But Gidgiddoni saith unto them: The Lord forbid; for if we should go up against them the Lord would deliver us into their hands; therefore we will prepare ourselves in the center of our lands, and we will gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them, but we will wait till they shall come against us; therefore as the Lord liveth, if we do this he will deliver them into our hands. (3Nep. 3:21)

A case could be made for the men at FARMS doing just that – defending themselves on their own doctrinal territory against aggressive invaders (accusers) who attacked from without with the hope of bringing the church to destruction.

Just too good at their job?

Reading the Sunstone article I couldn’t help get the feeling that the real complaint was that men like Brothers Peterson and Midgley were so aggressive in their defense of the Church that it was overwhelming their opponents. It reminded me of the complaints BYU football used to get for running up the score on the hapless WAC opponents they faced. This may not be the case, but that was the sense I got.

This is not without scriptural precedent either. I get the feeling that brother Midgley is somewhat of a Teancum character – brash, aggressive, and perhaps a bit overzealous when it comes to looking for a fight. (I have no idea if this is true, but tales of direct confrontations in book stores, etc. make him sound that way.) The Nephites warriors often were better fighters than their opponents too:

But behold he met with a disappointment by being repulsed by Teancum and his men, for they were great warriors; for every man of Teancum did exceed the Lamanites in their strength and in their skill of war, insomuch that they did gain advantage over the Lamanites. (Alma 51:31)

I’m sure the Lamanites would have preferred opponents who acted more like the people of Ammon. Instead they got hardened, butt-kicking, and semi-crazy warriors like Teancum as opponents. The Lamanites complained about their opponents too:

And if it so be that there is a devil and a hell, behold will he not send you there to dwell with my brother whom ye have murdered, whom ye have hinted that he hath gone to such a place? But behold these things matter not. (Alma 54:22)

There is no mention of hardcore warriors like Teancum and friends being considered anything but heroes by the mighty man of God, Captain Moroni, or by Mormon.

What does God think of the “violence”

Perhaps the final test is found in D&C 98:

And again, this is the law that I gave unto mine ancients, that they should not go out unto battle against any nation, kindred, tongue, or people, save I, the Lord, commanded them. (Verse 33)

As I’ve written before, God doesn’t seem to care about death and violence as much as we want to think. All he cares about is the souls of men. If this verbal violence between some FARMS men and enemies of the church doesn’t damage their own souls and helps shield the souls of others, it seems entirely possible that the Lord does not disapprove of such defensive “contention”.

There’s nothing like working for a Church owned University with support from the brethren to give you the feeling that the Lord really has commanded you to fight manfully against those who would do verbal (and other) violence to the Church…

What do you think? Are men like Brother Peterson and Brother Midgely going too far? Or are they just modern day Teancums doing the dirty warrior work for the people of God?