"Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy." That's what Lehi says on the subject of the fall. In order for the plan to proceed, Adam had to break one rule (don't eat the fruit) in order to keep the others (stay with Eve and have children with her). I hate making concessions. In a job interview a few years ago, my prospective employer expressed his disgust with working on Sunday, or having those he employed work on Sunday. He was a night watchman, and since criminals don't take the Sabbath off, neither could he. But I could, since I felt I had other options, so I decided not to work Sundays and stay unemployed instead.
Men are supposed to "bring home the bacon," or so The Family: A Proclamation to the World states. "By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and
righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life
and protection for their families." In order for a family to exist, it must be funded and supplied with necessities of life (as well as North American luxuries that have taken their place on the list of necessities). A single mother in one of my college classes expressed a desire to earn more money, not because she and her children lacked necessities, but because she was ashamed to admit that her family survived on her meager $30,000 per year. Keeping up appearances has made it to the list of needs. Social pressure will kill you if you care about it, and since most of us are proud enough to "heed" the jeering from the Great and Spacious Building, whether real or imagined, no one ever seems to have enough money, or anything else.
Back to fathers—they are supposed to provide, preside, and protect. Will God look leniently on the man I met who works on Sundays to feed his family? I have always lost the Spirit to some degree when I have worked for money on Sundays. Adam bit the fruit anyway, defying God, doing the dirty deed necessary to bring the human race into existence, and thereby obeying God as well.
Since the advent of fossil fuel and combustion engines, the number of people with truly indispensable jobs (farmers, doctors, police, firemen, paramedics, etc.) has plummeted. Jesus' example of an ox stuck in the mire as a legitimate excuse to forgo Sabbath observance has limited applications in our world of washing machines, computers, instantaneous transcontinental digital communications, cars, and other time-saving devices. When the Great Depression devastated America, 25% of the workers were farmers. Now we feed millions more people with less than 2% of the population involved in agriculture. In an emergency, someone with a necessary job could justifiably work on Sunday. But most people do not have vital jobs. The majority of workers, as far as I can tell, have employment selling goods and services that are discretionary luxuries, unnecessary for survival. The only people who would be hurt by shutting down most businesses are the people employed by them, using them to support their families. The majority of businesses in the US (as far as I can tell) are based off from vanity, amusement, discretionary spending, luxuries, and other disposable products, trades and skills.
Working on Sunday to repair a broken leg or something like that is a very mild example of taking a job to keep the commandment of funding one's family, while breaking another commandment. My path in life has brought me into contact with some of the wealthiest wards in the Church. To be sure, many of the members of these wards were spiritual powerhouses. But the faces of a few were missing the light in the face that the scriptures promise when we set our hearts on the things of God. What rules did they break to accumulate their wealth? Perhaps I am being cynical, but it appears that the quickest way to financial security, at least to enormous streams of income, is to violate commandments. Weapons manufacturers get wealthy selling implements whose main function is to kill humans and destroy things and people, or coerce and threaten. Nephi made swords for his people; did he also get rich doing it? Salesmen warp, twist, and mutilate the truth and accumulate enormous amounts of money. A relative of mine married such a man, and they recently had their second child. They are able to afford all sorts of things I cannot. Liars are thrust down to hell; are they thrust more slowly if they pay their fast offerings and send their children to college and institute? Pharmaceutical companies make pills for pennies and sell them for hundreds of dollars each in some cases. "Your money or your life," say the bank robber and the pharma-executive. One bathes and wears a suit.
A friend said he decided to take his research and development skills in programming and electrical engineering into the medical field, rather than the military. An improvement to be sure, but by what margin? Is he still flopped over onto Satan's territory a little, or will profiteering manipulators leverage his innovations to extort money? He could develop video games, and get rich facilitating the destruction of precious time in the lives of those who play them.
I know two great men who were my leaders who made their fortunes selling candy and ice cream. Sugar oxidizes (otherwise beneficial) LDL and makes it stick to arteries, which leads to arterial plaque, heart disease, and heart attacks, the leading cause of death in the US. I know from association that they both had the Spirit with them. They would not have gone against the Spirit if it had steered them away from bad business. ("...by the Spirit are ye justified" (Moses 6:60). Nephi might build swords or slay Laban without fear of reproach from the Lord IF the Spirit prompted him to do so.) The one who sold ice cream has lost his children to the world (possibly due to the fabulous wealth he amassed by selling his business). I know nothing about the spiritual condition of the other's family.
My point in all this is, where is the line located? We must be in the world, but not of the world. How big of a bite of the forbidden fruit should I take? There is a scene in the movie, It's A Wonderful Life, where the antagonist, a wicked, wealthy Henry F. Potter, tries to bribe the protagonist, George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart. Stewart's character considers the offer, expresses a desire to consult his wife about it, shakes hands with the villain, and pauses, staring at his contaminated hand. He does a 180, rebuffing the offer from Satan to trade virtue and decency for money. (See Alma 11:22-25.) These, and other examples of refusing to take the bribe, have filled me with a vicarious sense of righteousness since my youth. But now I find myself in the real world, being made the same offer. I can be broke and clean from the filthiness that stains just about everything, or I can sell my virtue and get wealthy, which will allow me to afford a family. You have to be rich these days to afford to be "middle class" of yesterday. To have retirement savings, college funds for children, own one's home and automobiles, have adequate medical funds and insurance, have discretionary funds for entertainment and vacations, and be free of debt—those things used to constitute "middle class" in the US. Now they are considered signs of great wealth. Is there a third option, or will the Lord justify a little wickedness to achieve a righteous end? I wish I had an answer.
I guess it goes back to Moses 6:60, "by the Spirit are ye justified." When the Spirit lends its approval to our course of activity, it is right no matter how bad it may seem from other points of view. I cannot forget Jesus' response to the offer. He saw all the kingdoms and money in the world in an instant. Satan came, tempting Him, saying that if He would bow down and worship Him, he would give Jesus all these things. Jesus quoted the scripture: "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Matt. 4:10). Jesus was and is the most famous homeless person who ever lived. Why come in rags instead of riches? My personal speculation is that Jesus adopted that lowly station to avoid anyone using His life as an excuse to do the wrong thing. The quickest way to accumulate money is to do the wrong thing, to "bow down" and effectively worship Satan. If Jesus were rich, those consumed with accumulating wealth would pat themselves on the back all the more, whether they kept the commandments or not. But He condemned the pusruit of wealth, warning that it made entry into heaven next to impossible (Matt. 19:24).
Here I am, being faced by the same question that was posed to Jesus, George Bailey, and everyone else in the affluent North America of 2012. I'm certain there must be a way for me to keep both commandments. I just hope I find it soon. Building a family won't be an option forever, since my biological clock is winding slowly, but inexorably, down. Whatever concessions I make to the world, I don't think they will be any worse at the judgement day for me than to have to admit that I delayed and lost the opportunity to marry and beget children.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Inoculated Against Sin
Something about this earth life scared one third of the spirit children of God so badly that they rebelled rather than come here. I suspect it was sin, and having one's weaknesses made public before God, angels, and everyone on earth who happened to witness our folly unfold in mortality. Satan's position before he rebelled was described by Joseph Smith as "godified" (though this made up adjective was later edited to something grammatically correct). Who would want to fall from such a station to being a lowly, squirming baby, who then turned into a lowly man, not too smart and easily beset by sin? Ironically, it is piety that rebels most furiously. Sinners and publicans did not kill Jesus; it was the leaders, the hypocritical "whited sepulchers," who conspired to put Jesus to death. The most self-righteous people were the most offended at Jesus, while other people whose sins were enmeshed in their identities (prostitutes and tax collectors) would come to Jesus seeking forgiveness and healing. Those who admitted their sins and those who covered them up both needed Jesus' healing, but only the open sinners sought it openly. We see Nicodemus sneaking to Jesus at night, while sinners and publicans came to him in broad daylight.
What scared the third of the host of heaven away from this mortal probation? We can only guess, but my suspicion is that Celestial living had made sin repugnant to us. At least, the idea of soiling our reputations with sin was repugnant. Why would a loving Father send us here, in the moral quagmire of mortality? The stink and slime of evil and sin are nearly everywhere. I am continually thankful for Temples, and any other holy places I can stand in and be unmoved. But we do not have the opportunity of living in the Temple. We have to leave the grounds sometime, and go out into the wicked world that Adam faced after expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Why?
I recently helped to clean a sports arena after a well-attended event. It was decidedly Telestial. The raucous music, the dim lighting, the profligate waste of materials, the glorification of the unimportant, all left me less than impressed. There were many in attendance who were "a little lower than the angels," no doubt, but overall, it just had and unsacred grittiness to it.
High school athletes from all over the state came to fight for the championship titles in their individual events. I saw numerous runners-up crying in the corridors below the bleachers, and I wondered how ministering angels feel when they see one of us in distress. I wanted to say something like, "It will be alright! You have just as much of a chance at experiencing peace, love, joy, as the guy you lost to!" But my status as a garbage collector created a formal barrier, and I walked silently by them. I also saw victors, elated at their successes. One in particular was so stereotypical, I chuckled warmly inside. He was still in his uniform, and he was floating along in the air, holding hands with his cheerleader girlfriend, also in uniform. I imagined the relationship unfolding over the years as they traded in those uniforms for the street clothes of drudgery. I wondered if their relationship had reached its peak, their "good old days" playing out right before my eyes.
Then there was the audience.
I struggle with junk food addiction, sugar having been my mood-altering drug of choice for most of my life. I have recently sworn off anything sweet but fruit, and my resolve is often tested. But cleaning the bleachers after the game temporarily inoculated me against the desire for junk food. The audience of about two thousand spectators had turned the arena into a diaper. Imagine all your favorite candies, cookies, sodas, popcorn, candied nuts, desserts, etc., pulverized, intermingled, partly eaten, partly trampled, hidden in nooks and crannies of folding chairs, scattered on the ground. Fruit, nachos, half-eaten burritos, and a total weight of one fourth of a pig's worth of meat, combined with seven trick-or-treat bags of half eaten chocolates, hardtack, gummy candies, wads of chewing gum, were spilled on the ground, and ground to crumbs. My shoes stuck to the floor after exposure to all this, and made unsavory noises as I walked. Cups with half-drunk sodas had to be poured into five gallon buckets, forming a cocktail of ten different soft drinks whose confused collision of normally-friendly scents induced nausea in me. This slurry would slosh as I carried the buckets, and wet the legs of my pants. Emptying all of the solid waste into the giant, noisy garbage compactor was an ordeal for the nose, since microbes had already begun to digest much of it. (I suspect the half-drunken bottles of chocolate milk provided most of the impetus for the early putrification and fermentation I smelled.)
Emptying trash from the isolated heights of the presidential suite was a new experience. Glass separated me from smell and sounds of the mob below, and the back windows gave a great view of the city around the arena. The commanding position made me forget my lowly status as a custodian. Yet I knew that two floors directly below me lay my stinking coworker, the trash compactor, to whom my job required that I return with another load.
Exposure to this disgusting mess reduced the appeal of its constituent ingredients greatly. I wondered to myself if this is part of the goal of sending us into mortality, to "know good from evil." Even if only experienced second-hand, the outcomes of sin make it abhorrent.
Rebellion against exposure to something equivalent to this in mortality probably drove many who chose not to come here. Ironically, they are here anyway, and are fully exposed to the ugliness, working even to instigate it. Satan boasted he would save us all; now he works to destroy us all. The title "devil" literally means "slanderer," "accuser." It was pointed out poignantly by Hugh Nibley that Satan does not accuse us falsely; we furnish him with all his ammunition ourselves. Jesus, on the other hand, bears the titles of Savior and Advocate. He intercedes on our behalf, absorbing the furious impact of the punishment for sin. He also covers our sins, absolving us of guilt ("Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." (John 8:11)). He pleads on our behalf, like a defense attorney, that we can have multiple chances to repent, and be forgiven. And He insists that to be forgiven, we must first forgive each other.
He descended into this pigsty to save us from it, and to clean us up afterward. Showering felt good after being exposed to the grime of the arena; peace and silence at home gave my ringing ears a chance to recuperate from the din of crowd and music. Fruit, washed and modest, tasted good, and I did not covet candy so much.
I do not want to be guilty of snobbery and self-righteousness here. Yes, I recognize that sports and arenas and candy are not hell itself; taken together, however, the can do a good impression of it.
What scared the third of the host of heaven away from this mortal probation? We can only guess, but my suspicion is that Celestial living had made sin repugnant to us. At least, the idea of soiling our reputations with sin was repugnant. Why would a loving Father send us here, in the moral quagmire of mortality? The stink and slime of evil and sin are nearly everywhere. I am continually thankful for Temples, and any other holy places I can stand in and be unmoved. But we do not have the opportunity of living in the Temple. We have to leave the grounds sometime, and go out into the wicked world that Adam faced after expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Why?
I recently helped to clean a sports arena after a well-attended event. It was decidedly Telestial. The raucous music, the dim lighting, the profligate waste of materials, the glorification of the unimportant, all left me less than impressed. There were many in attendance who were "a little lower than the angels," no doubt, but overall, it just had and unsacred grittiness to it.
High school athletes from all over the state came to fight for the championship titles in their individual events. I saw numerous runners-up crying in the corridors below the bleachers, and I wondered how ministering angels feel when they see one of us in distress. I wanted to say something like, "It will be alright! You have just as much of a chance at experiencing peace, love, joy, as the guy you lost to!" But my status as a garbage collector created a formal barrier, and I walked silently by them. I also saw victors, elated at their successes. One in particular was so stereotypical, I chuckled warmly inside. He was still in his uniform, and he was floating along in the air, holding hands with his cheerleader girlfriend, also in uniform. I imagined the relationship unfolding over the years as they traded in those uniforms for the street clothes of drudgery. I wondered if their relationship had reached its peak, their "good old days" playing out right before my eyes.
Then there was the audience.
I struggle with junk food addiction, sugar having been my mood-altering drug of choice for most of my life. I have recently sworn off anything sweet but fruit, and my resolve is often tested. But cleaning the bleachers after the game temporarily inoculated me against the desire for junk food. The audience of about two thousand spectators had turned the arena into a diaper. Imagine all your favorite candies, cookies, sodas, popcorn, candied nuts, desserts, etc., pulverized, intermingled, partly eaten, partly trampled, hidden in nooks and crannies of folding chairs, scattered on the ground. Fruit, nachos, half-eaten burritos, and a total weight of one fourth of a pig's worth of meat, combined with seven trick-or-treat bags of half eaten chocolates, hardtack, gummy candies, wads of chewing gum, were spilled on the ground, and ground to crumbs. My shoes stuck to the floor after exposure to all this, and made unsavory noises as I walked. Cups with half-drunk sodas had to be poured into five gallon buckets, forming a cocktail of ten different soft drinks whose confused collision of normally-friendly scents induced nausea in me. This slurry would slosh as I carried the buckets, and wet the legs of my pants. Emptying all of the solid waste into the giant, noisy garbage compactor was an ordeal for the nose, since microbes had already begun to digest much of it. (I suspect the half-drunken bottles of chocolate milk provided most of the impetus for the early putrification and fermentation I smelled.)
Emptying trash from the isolated heights of the presidential suite was a new experience. Glass separated me from smell and sounds of the mob below, and the back windows gave a great view of the city around the arena. The commanding position made me forget my lowly status as a custodian. Yet I knew that two floors directly below me lay my stinking coworker, the trash compactor, to whom my job required that I return with another load.
Exposure to this disgusting mess reduced the appeal of its constituent ingredients greatly. I wondered to myself if this is part of the goal of sending us into mortality, to "know good from evil." Even if only experienced second-hand, the outcomes of sin make it abhorrent.
Rebellion against exposure to something equivalent to this in mortality probably drove many who chose not to come here. Ironically, they are here anyway, and are fully exposed to the ugliness, working even to instigate it. Satan boasted he would save us all; now he works to destroy us all. The title "devil" literally means "slanderer," "accuser." It was pointed out poignantly by Hugh Nibley that Satan does not accuse us falsely; we furnish him with all his ammunition ourselves. Jesus, on the other hand, bears the titles of Savior and Advocate. He intercedes on our behalf, absorbing the furious impact of the punishment for sin. He also covers our sins, absolving us of guilt ("Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." (John 8:11)). He pleads on our behalf, like a defense attorney, that we can have multiple chances to repent, and be forgiven. And He insists that to be forgiven, we must first forgive each other.
He descended into this pigsty to save us from it, and to clean us up afterward. Showering felt good after being exposed to the grime of the arena; peace and silence at home gave my ringing ears a chance to recuperate from the din of crowd and music. Fruit, washed and modest, tasted good, and I did not covet candy so much.
I do not want to be guilty of snobbery and self-righteousness here. Yes, I recognize that sports and arenas and candy are not hell itself; taken together, however, the can do a good impression of it.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
The Name Of Christ
Why do we end our prayers and ordinances in the name of Jesus Christ?
This question was asked to me by an investigator I baptized on my mission, and I had no adequate answer. Our prayers are heard directly by Heavenly Father; they require no intermediary to be heard. I have an inkling about at least part of the reason, and below are some fairly disjointed thoughts on the subject.
Mosiah 26:18: "Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine." We are aware that we have taken the name of Christ onto ourselves through baptismal covenants. We are not as aware of His reciprocation—He took our names, and therefore, our burdens and the penalties for our sins onto Himself in Gethsemane and on the cross. Just as taking our names onto Himself redirects the collision of brutal justice so that He absorbs their impact, so taking His name onto ourselves gives us access to what His righteous life merited—His peace, love, joy, power, some privileges (eventually all), and even His very nature (eventually all of it).
Jesus speaks to His twelve among the Nephites: "And whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day. Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake" (3Ne. 27:6-7).
I wince when people at the podium, whether praying or giving talks, hurriedly slur or mumble through a perfunctory pronunciation of the name of Jesus Christ. In D&C 63:58-64, the Lord gives this warning: "For this is a day of warning, and not a day of many words. For I, the Lord, am not to be mocked in the last days. Behold, I am from above, and my power lieth beneath. I am over all, and in all, and through all, and search all things, and the day cometh that all things shall be subject unto me. Behold, I am Alpha and Omega, even Jesus Christ. Wherefore, let all men beware how they take my name in their lips—For behold, verily I say, that many there be who are under this condemnation, who use the name of the Lord, and use it in vain, having not authority. Wherefore, let the church repent of their sins, and I, the Lord, will own them; otherwise they shall be cut off. Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit..." Usually, the commandment "thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" is associated with profanity, but I believe it extends to casualness, too.
Parley P. Pratt records Joseph Smith's authorized use of the name of Christ in the strangest of circumstances. He, Joseph, and others were in chains in Missouri, surrounded by their enemies. He records: "...in a room without beds, chairs, or any other convenience, and chained...together...one man’s ankle to another...In this situation we were guarded night and day by about ten men at a time, who stood over us with loaded pistols in hand. At night we were all stretched on the floor in a row upon our backs...and the noise of the guards effectually prevented sleep. In one of those tedious nights...our ears and hearts had been pained, while we had listened for hours to the obscene jests, the horrid oaths, the dreadful blasphemies, and filthy language of our guards...as they recounted to each other their deeds of rapine, murder, robbery, etc., which they had committed...They even boasted of defiling by force, wives, daughters, and virgins, and of shooting or dashing out the brains of men, women, and children. I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified...that I could scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet and rebuking the guards, but had said nothing to Joseph, or any one else, although I lay next to him and knew he was awake. On a sudden he arose to his feet, and spoke in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words: 'SILENCE—Ye fiends of the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute, and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS MINUTE.' He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained...calm...and dignified as an angel, he looked down upon the quailing guards...whose knees smote together, and who, shrinking into a corner, or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet till a change of guards."
This question was asked to me by an investigator I baptized on my mission, and I had no adequate answer. Our prayers are heard directly by Heavenly Father; they require no intermediary to be heard. I have an inkling about at least part of the reason, and below are some fairly disjointed thoughts on the subject.
Mosiah 26:18: "Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine." We are aware that we have taken the name of Christ onto ourselves through baptismal covenants. We are not as aware of His reciprocation—He took our names, and therefore, our burdens and the penalties for our sins onto Himself in Gethsemane and on the cross. Just as taking our names onto Himself redirects the collision of brutal justice so that He absorbs their impact, so taking His name onto ourselves gives us access to what His righteous life merited—His peace, love, joy, power, some privileges (eventually all), and even His very nature (eventually all of it).
Jesus speaks to His twelve among the Nephites: "And whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day. Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake" (3Ne. 27:6-7).
I wince when people at the podium, whether praying or giving talks, hurriedly slur or mumble through a perfunctory pronunciation of the name of Jesus Christ. In D&C 63:58-64, the Lord gives this warning: "For this is a day of warning, and not a day of many words. For I, the Lord, am not to be mocked in the last days. Behold, I am from above, and my power lieth beneath. I am over all, and in all, and through all, and search all things, and the day cometh that all things shall be subject unto me. Behold, I am Alpha and Omega, even Jesus Christ. Wherefore, let all men beware how they take my name in their lips—For behold, verily I say, that many there be who are under this condemnation, who use the name of the Lord, and use it in vain, having not authority. Wherefore, let the church repent of their sins, and I, the Lord, will own them; otherwise they shall be cut off. Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit..." Usually, the commandment "thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" is associated with profanity, but I believe it extends to casualness, too.
Parley P. Pratt records Joseph Smith's authorized use of the name of Christ in the strangest of circumstances. He, Joseph, and others were in chains in Missouri, surrounded by their enemies. He records: "...in a room without beds, chairs, or any other convenience, and chained...together...one man’s ankle to another...In this situation we were guarded night and day by about ten men at a time, who stood over us with loaded pistols in hand. At night we were all stretched on the floor in a row upon our backs...and the noise of the guards effectually prevented sleep. In one of those tedious nights...our ears and hearts had been pained, while we had listened for hours to the obscene jests, the horrid oaths, the dreadful blasphemies, and filthy language of our guards...as they recounted to each other their deeds of rapine, murder, robbery, etc., which they had committed...They even boasted of defiling by force, wives, daughters, and virgins, and of shooting or dashing out the brains of men, women, and children. I had listened till I became so disgusted, shocked, horrified...that I could scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet and rebuking the guards, but had said nothing to Joseph, or any one else, although I lay next to him and knew he was awake. On a sudden he arose to his feet, and spoke in a voice of thunder, or as the roaring lion, uttering, as near as I can recollect, the following words: 'SILENCE—Ye fiends of the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute, and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS MINUTE.' He ceased to speak. He stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained...calm...and dignified as an angel, he looked down upon the quailing guards...whose knees smote together, and who, shrinking into a corner, or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet till a change of guards."
I wonder two things—did Joseph play a card the Lord had offered him, that any prophecy he uttered would be fulfilled automatically; and, did the guards receive a personal witness from the Holy Ghost that his prophecy would indeed be fulfilled if they did not "cease?" In any case, the power of commanding anyone, or anything, in the name of Jesus Christ is evident here, and it should give us pause, make us aware of the import of His name.
Mosiah 3:17: "And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent." When we are baptized, it is as if we are born into His family, and members of a family share a name. We are collectively referred to as the Church of Jesus Christ. He has other names; John the Baptist ordained Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to the Aaronic priesthood "...in the name of Messiah..." (D&C 13:1). Heavenly Father consistently refers to Christ as "my beloved Son."
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last" (Rev. 22:13). Maybe we end our prayers and ordinances in His name because He IS the end. Creation could not proceed until He agreed to be a propitiating sacrifice, and the plan will not be complete until He says, "the work is done."
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Like God
I want to start this entry with an uncharacteristically long quote from a talk by Elder Holland:
"I speak of Nephi's obligation to slay Laban in order to preserve a record, save a people, and ultimately lead to the restoration of the gospel in the dispensation of the fulness of times. How much is hanging in the balance as Nephi stands over the drunken and adversarial Laban I cannot say, but it is a very great deal indeed.
"The only problem is that we know this, but Nephi does not. And regardless of how much is at stake, how can he do this thing? He is a good person, perhaps even a well-educated person. He has been taught from the very summit of Sinai "Thou shalt not kill." And he has made gospel covenants.
"I was constrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban; but...I shrunk and would that I might not slay him" (1 Nephi 4:10). A bitter test? A desire to shrink? Sound familiar? We don't know why those plates could not have been obtained some other way—perhaps accidentally left at the plate polishers one night or maybe falling out the back of Laban's chariot on a Sabbath afternoon.
"For that matter, why didn't Nephi just leave this story out of the book altogether? Why didn't he say something like, "And after much effort and anguish of spirit, I did obtain the plates of Laban and did depart into the wilderness unto the tent of my father?" At the very least he might have buried the account somewhere in the Isaiah chapters, thus guaranteeing that it would have gone undiscovered up to this very day.
"But there it is, squarely in the beginning of the book—page 8—where even the most casual reader will see it and must deal with it. It is not intended that either Nephi or we be spared the struggle of this account.
"I believe that story was placed in the very opening verses of a 531-page book and then told in painfully specific detail in order to focus every reader of that record on the absolutely fundamental gospel issue of obedience and submission to the communicated will of the Lord. If Nephi cannot yield to this terribly painful command, if he cannot bring himself to obey, then it is entirely probable that he can never succeed or survive in the tasks that lie just ahead.
"'I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded' (1 Nephi 3:7). I confess that I wince a little when I hear that promise quoted so casually among us. Jesus knew what that kind of commitment would entail, and so now does Nephi. And so will a host of others before it is over. That vow took Christ to the cross on Calvary, and it remains at the heart of every Christian covenant. 'I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded.' Well, we shall see." (The Will of the Father in All Things, Jeffrey R. Holland, talk given at Brigham Young University, 17 Jan. 1989.)
My point in quoting this giant swath of Elder Holland's talk is to frame the idea I want to convey about God and Christ. Just as we blithely quote 1Ne 3:7, not cognizant of the full import of what we are saying, I also think that we have a similar problem with somnambulism when we use the phrase "like God." It is a truism to to say we do not know all that entails, but there are parts of it that even we can begin to comprehend, yet also remain unconscious of. We think of God and Christ enthroned and perfected, wielding power and loving the billions who inhabit innumerable earths like this one. We also imagine the absence of imperfections in character, mind, and body, and that is mainly what we refer to in Sunday school when we use the phrases "like God," or "more like God."
During his interview with the angel who guided Nephi through his vision, he asked Nephi, "Knowest thou the condescension of God?" (1Ne. 11:16). We usually think of condescension in a negative light—equals looking down their noses at each other with an inflated sense of superiority offend us. Just how far did Jesus descend? Nephi was given a dirty, repugnant, difficult chore by the Lord, and he obeyed. Jesus sank even lower at the request of His Father—far lower than anyone ever has. When He wrought out the Atonement, the One who had been above all things sank below all things. The Gospel writers depict Jesus praying in agony throughout the ordeal, from beginning to end, continuously turned to and addressing His Father in heaven. We do not get to hear or see the Father in the narrative, but Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac gives us a glimpse into what it must have been like for Him as well. Not only did Jesus abase Himself and put everything on the altar; John 3:16 reminds us that His Father was also sacrificing Someone, putting the very best thing He had on the altar as well. They both sacrificed to their uttermost limits. "Knowest thou the condescension of God?" No, I think we are among the blissful ignorant, for the most part.
And this sacrifice falls inside the definition of "like God." To be like Him is to be able and willing to put our most valuable possession on the altar simply because it is the right thing to do. Moroni describes Jesus as speaking "in plain humility" after His resurrection (Ether 12:39). It almost seems blasphemous to mention; a humble deity? Why retain this virtue? Apparently, at least, is still needed. Patience with us, His wayward children, surely embodies humility; and the crucial moment of the plan was the Atonement, a scraping, bowing, rock-bottom burden. It is worth noting that Jesus suffered more than anyone, and deserved it less than anyone, that is, not at all. Irony and contradiction beyond reason infected that bitter cup He accepted.
It is easy to forget, in describing His suffering and death, that OUR sins were what He was carrying. We are enjoying fair weather and pleasant, congenial moments interspersed with joy, specifically because of what He went through. Blood symbolizes death; oil, or the application of it, represents life. Jesus' title of Messiah, Christ, means "The Anointed One." He bought the judgement seat with His blood, and bought us with it too. I cannot pin it on any scripture, but I am more and more convinced that our little sacrifice and His massive sacrifice connect us somehow, keep us attached to Jesus.
I have quoted this passage of scripture before, D&C 138: 12-16, but I will quote it again. Joseph F. Smith saw a vision of the spirit world, and there were multitudes of spirits awaiting the arrival of Jesus Christ after His death: "And there were gathered together in one place an innumerable company of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality; And who had offered sacrifice in the similitude of the great sacrifice of the Son of God, and had suffered tribulation in their Redeemer’s name. All these had departed the mortal life, firm in the hope of a glorious resurrection, through the grace of God the Father and his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. I beheld that they were filled with joy and gladness, and were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand. They were assembled awaiting the advent of the Son of God into the spirit world..." (my emphasis).
Notice that a critical difference between the candidates for Celestial life and all others is listed here, rather than in D&C 76. It is easy to scan the description of Terrestrial inhabitants and wonder why they are excluded if they were among "the honorable men of the earth." But being good is not enough; they lacked this one quality of God that shines above all others, that of absolute obedience manifest as a 100% sacrifice. (100% of what the individual can bear, not what Jesus or Abraham could; the math of the widow's mite applies here too, I believe. In my opinion, this kind of sacrifice is THE qualification for exaltation; a person who makes such a sacrifice is a viable spirit, a candidate for exaltation from that point forward.) The willingness and ability to shoulder enormous, distasteful burdens distinguishes God from those who do not make it to where He is. We ought to keep this in mind when we use the phrase "like God."
Here is a post-script dedicated to a friend who responded to some of the ideas I have written above with trepidation ("People obeying like that will go around doing all sorts of crazy things" was her general objection. I will respond with another quote from Elder Holland's talk:
"As Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote recently, 'In today's society, at the mere mention of the words obedience and submissiveness hackles rise and people are put on nervous alert...People promptly furnish examples from secular history to illustrate how obedience to unwise authority and servility to bad leaders have caused much human misery and suffering. It is difficult, therefore, to get a hearing for what the words obedience and submissiveness really mean—even when the clarifying phrase, "to God," is attached.'" Excuses will not fly. I hope knowing the price of exaltation does not give us too much fear; faith in Christ and His Atonement give me confidence. He suffered through His ordeal alone so that He could attend each of us in our smaller Gethsemanes.
"Let me use an example from what is often considered by foes, and even by
some friends, as the most unsavory moment in the entire Book of Mormon.
I choose it precisely because there is so much in it that has given
offense to many. It is pretty much a bitter cup all the way around.
"I speak of Nephi's obligation to slay Laban in order to preserve a record, save a people, and ultimately lead to the restoration of the gospel in the dispensation of the fulness of times. How much is hanging in the balance as Nephi stands over the drunken and adversarial Laban I cannot say, but it is a very great deal indeed.
"The only problem is that we know this, but Nephi does not. And regardless of how much is at stake, how can he do this thing? He is a good person, perhaps even a well-educated person. He has been taught from the very summit of Sinai "Thou shalt not kill." And he has made gospel covenants.
"I was constrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban; but...I shrunk and would that I might not slay him" (1 Nephi 4:10). A bitter test? A desire to shrink? Sound familiar? We don't know why those plates could not have been obtained some other way—perhaps accidentally left at the plate polishers one night or maybe falling out the back of Laban's chariot on a Sabbath afternoon.
"For that matter, why didn't Nephi just leave this story out of the book altogether? Why didn't he say something like, "And after much effort and anguish of spirit, I did obtain the plates of Laban and did depart into the wilderness unto the tent of my father?" At the very least he might have buried the account somewhere in the Isaiah chapters, thus guaranteeing that it would have gone undiscovered up to this very day.
"But there it is, squarely in the beginning of the book—page 8—where even the most casual reader will see it and must deal with it. It is not intended that either Nephi or we be spared the struggle of this account.
"I believe that story was placed in the very opening verses of a 531-page book and then told in painfully specific detail in order to focus every reader of that record on the absolutely fundamental gospel issue of obedience and submission to the communicated will of the Lord. If Nephi cannot yield to this terribly painful command, if he cannot bring himself to obey, then it is entirely probable that he can never succeed or survive in the tasks that lie just ahead.
"'I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded' (1 Nephi 3:7). I confess that I wince a little when I hear that promise quoted so casually among us. Jesus knew what that kind of commitment would entail, and so now does Nephi. And so will a host of others before it is over. That vow took Christ to the cross on Calvary, and it remains at the heart of every Christian covenant. 'I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded.' Well, we shall see." (The Will of the Father in All Things, Jeffrey R. Holland, talk given at Brigham Young University, 17 Jan. 1989.)
My point in quoting this giant swath of Elder Holland's talk is to frame the idea I want to convey about God and Christ. Just as we blithely quote 1Ne 3:7, not cognizant of the full import of what we are saying, I also think that we have a similar problem with somnambulism when we use the phrase "like God." It is a truism to to say we do not know all that entails, but there are parts of it that even we can begin to comprehend, yet also remain unconscious of. We think of God and Christ enthroned and perfected, wielding power and loving the billions who inhabit innumerable earths like this one. We also imagine the absence of imperfections in character, mind, and body, and that is mainly what we refer to in Sunday school when we use the phrases "like God," or "more like God."
During his interview with the angel who guided Nephi through his vision, he asked Nephi, "Knowest thou the condescension of God?" (1Ne. 11:16). We usually think of condescension in a negative light—equals looking down their noses at each other with an inflated sense of superiority offend us. Just how far did Jesus descend? Nephi was given a dirty, repugnant, difficult chore by the Lord, and he obeyed. Jesus sank even lower at the request of His Father—far lower than anyone ever has. When He wrought out the Atonement, the One who had been above all things sank below all things. The Gospel writers depict Jesus praying in agony throughout the ordeal, from beginning to end, continuously turned to and addressing His Father in heaven. We do not get to hear or see the Father in the narrative, but Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac gives us a glimpse into what it must have been like for Him as well. Not only did Jesus abase Himself and put everything on the altar; John 3:16 reminds us that His Father was also sacrificing Someone, putting the very best thing He had on the altar as well. They both sacrificed to their uttermost limits. "Knowest thou the condescension of God?" No, I think we are among the blissful ignorant, for the most part.
And this sacrifice falls inside the definition of "like God." To be like Him is to be able and willing to put our most valuable possession on the altar simply because it is the right thing to do. Moroni describes Jesus as speaking "in plain humility" after His resurrection (Ether 12:39). It almost seems blasphemous to mention; a humble deity? Why retain this virtue? Apparently, at least, is still needed. Patience with us, His wayward children, surely embodies humility; and the crucial moment of the plan was the Atonement, a scraping, bowing, rock-bottom burden. It is worth noting that Jesus suffered more than anyone, and deserved it less than anyone, that is, not at all. Irony and contradiction beyond reason infected that bitter cup He accepted.
It is easy to forget, in describing His suffering and death, that OUR sins were what He was carrying. We are enjoying fair weather and pleasant, congenial moments interspersed with joy, specifically because of what He went through. Blood symbolizes death; oil, or the application of it, represents life. Jesus' title of Messiah, Christ, means "The Anointed One." He bought the judgement seat with His blood, and bought us with it too. I cannot pin it on any scripture, but I am more and more convinced that our little sacrifice and His massive sacrifice connect us somehow, keep us attached to Jesus.
I have quoted this passage of scripture before, D&C 138: 12-16, but I will quote it again. Joseph F. Smith saw a vision of the spirit world, and there were multitudes of spirits awaiting the arrival of Jesus Christ after His death: "And there were gathered together in one place an innumerable company of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality; And who had offered sacrifice in the similitude of the great sacrifice of the Son of God, and had suffered tribulation in their Redeemer’s name. All these had departed the mortal life, firm in the hope of a glorious resurrection, through the grace of God the Father and his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. I beheld that they were filled with joy and gladness, and were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand. They were assembled awaiting the advent of the Son of God into the spirit world..." (my emphasis).
Notice that a critical difference between the candidates for Celestial life and all others is listed here, rather than in D&C 76. It is easy to scan the description of Terrestrial inhabitants and wonder why they are excluded if they were among "the honorable men of the earth." But being good is not enough; they lacked this one quality of God that shines above all others, that of absolute obedience manifest as a 100% sacrifice. (100% of what the individual can bear, not what Jesus or Abraham could; the math of the widow's mite applies here too, I believe. In my opinion, this kind of sacrifice is THE qualification for exaltation; a person who makes such a sacrifice is a viable spirit, a candidate for exaltation from that point forward.) The willingness and ability to shoulder enormous, distasteful burdens distinguishes God from those who do not make it to where He is. We ought to keep this in mind when we use the phrase "like God."
Here is a post-script dedicated to a friend who responded to some of the ideas I have written above with trepidation ("People obeying like that will go around doing all sorts of crazy things" was her general objection. I will respond with another quote from Elder Holland's talk:
"As Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote recently, 'In today's society, at the mere mention of the words obedience and submissiveness hackles rise and people are put on nervous alert...People promptly furnish examples from secular history to illustrate how obedience to unwise authority and servility to bad leaders have caused much human misery and suffering. It is difficult, therefore, to get a hearing for what the words obedience and submissiveness really mean—even when the clarifying phrase, "to God," is attached.'" Excuses will not fly. I hope knowing the price of exaltation does not give us too much fear; faith in Christ and His Atonement give me confidence. He suffered through His ordeal alone so that He could attend each of us in our smaller Gethsemanes.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Some Keys to Understanding the Temple
I damaged my car trying to get to the Temple on time to watch a near-and-dear kindred receive her endowment. I barely made it. When I saw her afterward, the look of perplexity on her face was obvious. "Here come the questions," her sister whispered.
Not that it is right to discuss the Temple so openly, but we, as a group, began sharing insights to help a newcomer. In the course of the discussion, others in the party shared their insights about the Temple, and I was amazed at how backwards and misinformed some notions were. If that small sampling of what people think the Temple is about is in any way indicative of the broader membership of the Church, then confusion and ignorance, and a false confidence in our grasp of the subject, dominate the majority of the saints.
Perhaps what my uncle said on a related subject is true—those who understand it don't talk about it, while those who talk about it don't understand it.
I heard that President McKay, then in his nineties, looked at the ceiling thoughtfully in a meeting with the Twelve, and said something like, "You know, I think I'm finally starting to understand the Temple." This gives me hope and trepidation; hope because it is not a crime to feel lost regarding the meaning of the Temple, and trepidation because I was raised in a home furnished with a microwave, and have come to expect immediate and convenient solutions to problems and answers to questions. This sense of entitlement to convenience must be left at the door of the Temple; there are no privileged patrons. David O. McKay also said that the Temple, seen for what it is, shows us our step-by-step ascent back into the presence of God (said this at a fireside; it was written down and quoted by Truman G. Madsen).
Below is a list of things I have found helpful in gaining insight about the Temple. When I am doing the things I have listed below, understanding flows more readily. I present them as personal advice, rather than as commandments, excepting the scriptures I quote.
1. Keep covenants made in the Temple. This idea was taught to me by the President of the Temple where I served my mission.
2. Attend the Temple often. Obvious, yet easy to neglect. (Elder Scott suggests once a week, and makes up for those weeks he misses.)
3. Excel at the basics (Faith in Christ, Repentance, Baptism and other ordinances, the Gift of the Holy Ghost and actively receiving His influence and following His promptings, and enduring to the end in humility). In Alma 26:22, we read Ammon's great discovery about gaining access to deep mysteries: "Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance." Temple ordinances were given by revelation. As such, they are meant to be understood through revelation. Be worthy to receive it.
4. Keep our revelations, inspiration, manifestations, spiritual experiences, insights, etc., to ourselves (unless prompted to share them with others; see Alma 12:9, D&C 63:64). Joseph Smith said, "The reason we do not have the secrets of the Lord revealed unto us is because we do not keep them, but reveal them; we do not keep our own secrets, but reveal them to the world, even to our enemies, then how would we keep the secrets of the Lord? I can keep a secret till Doomsday" (TPJS, p. 195). Brigham Young later recapitulated this idea. It is tempting to think that we could drag someone who is a novice to our current level of understanding, but the Lord will determine who is ready to hear what, and grant us the information we need (D&C 121:33) when we need it (Isaiah 28:10). Respect others' right to enjoy discovery; don't expect to open the eyes of the blind, either (especially the willful blind).
5. Joseph Smith also taught that God had often sealed up the heavens because of covetousness in the church (TPJS, p. 9). Eliminate covetousness to foster an environment conducive to revelation.
6. Compare the scriptures with the Temple. The corresponding similarities and patterns between them are not accidental. Margaret Barker has called the Temple the "main character of the Bible." If anyone can read the Bible and come away convinced that the Temple is obsolete or irrelevant, they must be reading a different version than mine. Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus Christ, His Apostles, Paul, and many other outstanding figures of scripture share a fervent, ardent enthusiasm for the House of God. "The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up," says the scripture of Jesus as he cleansed the Temple with a braided whip (John 2:17). He called it "My house," and "My Father's house." The Lord avoids re-revealing what He has already said before, or what is already available. The Lord, Moroni, and other messengers who came to Joseph Smith from the other side of the veil, often quoted scripture to him. Revelations of things that had been lost, or had never been seen before at all, were recorded as revelations, and became new scripture. Look in the scriptures first to see if the answer is there before you storm into the Temple and demand an audience with the Temple President.
7. Compare the modern Temple with the ancient one. We cannot appropriately discuss the modern Temple publicly, but we can discuss the Tabernacle of Moses, the Temple of Solomon, and the Temple of Herod openly. We can learn a lot about the meaning of modern Temples by examining the original. Information about them is published in the Bible and other historical records that have surfaced over the centuries. Hugh Nibley has demonstrated that bits and pieces, and even large segments of the Temple are present throughout the ancient world, scattered across space and time. The phrase, "faith of our fathers" does apply to the Temple, not just for Israel, but all nations.
8. Ask the Lord what He wants us to learn, rather than coming up with our own questions. Often, our concerns and curiosity are far removed from His concerns for us. The Lord has His own agenda, and our goal should be to align our lives with His will, not the other way around. If our understanding is unaided by revelation, it is possible for us to come up with nonsense questions that are riddled with false premises. Asking the right questions is as important as being worthy and ready to receive answers. Miracles, revelations, and the things of the Spirit cannot be commanded by us; when we are impudent enough to set a date by which we expect the Lord to explain something to us, it will probably be met with silence. He has His own calendar, and getting ourselves in tune with it should be a major goal. (To accelerate readiness to receive new insights, see point 4.)
9. Work in the Temple. Instead of just being a patron, ask your Bishop about being recommended to work in the Temple. Unlike other positions in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is a calling we are encouraged to ask for. Spend hours marinating in the Spirit that permeates the Temple, and inspiration will flow.
10. Remember that there are multiple correct answers to questions about symbolism. The Temple is like an onion, with layers of meaning. I was amazed to learn that for certain math problems, there are multiple correct answers. Symbolism is the language of Temples, but one symbol can appropriately represent multiple things. For instance, the baptismal font represents the grave, both dying and burial in immersion, and resurrection in emerging from the water; it also represents a bath, or cleansing; it represents the womb, being completely surrounded by water and being born again as Jesus stipulates in John 3. And these are not a comprehensive list of possible interpretations of the symbolism of the baptismal font. If someone asks what the font represents, any of these answers would be correct, but none by itself would be complete. Fooling ourselves into thinking we have the "right" answer to any question about the Temple may be the single biggest barrier to understanding the Temple. Finding a new insight about the Temple is less like reaching a finish line in our education, and more like reaching a milestone along the way.
11. WAKE UP! Pay attention inside the Temple. Don't snooze through the session. Bring questions, be observant. Get plenty of sleep before you go. Leave your watch in you locker, as Elder Scott advised.
12. Care about it. Closely related to staying awake and observant inside and outside the Temple is simply caring about it. The apathy of dutiful quota fillers and clock watchers is rewarded in the cafeteria or a malt shop after the obligatory work is done; dessert for the one who loves the Temple IS the Temple itself. If we are interested in the things of this world, the Temple loses its luster, and vice versa. "Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson..." (D&C 121:35). If our hearts are far from the things God cares about (i.e., the Temple) how can we expect to find joy in it, let alone expect revelations and insights from God about it? On the other hand, how could a parent resist teaching a child who exhibits interest in his work and concerns? How could the Lord resist teaching us about something so dear to His heart when we cherish it too? A good way to gauge our distance from the Lord is to examine the intensity (or tepidness) of feelings about the Temple. His concern for it is white-hot; how warm is ours?
13. Get a broad education. Biology, astronomy, architecture, philosophy, literature, drama, history, math, art, and many other fields, have each played a role in expanding my understanding of the Temple. None of them have played a central role, but answers to questions reside there nonetheless. I am grateful to have lived in a society where I could learn about each field, if only enough to get a sampling of what was there. There are also excellent books written on the Temple itself by LDS authors and others which shed enormous light on the House of the Lord. Being educated about the world in which we live will make the world of the Temple open up that much more. Do not neglect your education, secular or spiritual.
14. Search for patterns in the Temple. God made nature and the Temple; nature is fraught with patterns. We see patterns in flowers, leaves, rocks, waves, and everything else in nature. Why should there not be patterns embedded in the instruction we receive in the Temple? Symmetry, repetition, and other patterns can be seen by one who is attuned to them.
The Temple is like a deep forest filled with trails. Ironically, the map that gives us a complete overview is only to be found at the end of the trail, after we have successfully navigated the forest and completed the journey. The Holy Ghost is our guide, not only in day-to-day living, but in understanding the Temple as well. He is the figurative compass, the iron rod that we can hold fast to in order to arrive safely at our destination. I personally believe that complete understanding of the Temple is impossible for mortals; it is too complex for the mind to grasp in its entirety. Insights about its meaning are available to us. The more I learn about it, the more improbable the idea that Joseph Smith concocted the endowment becomes. It is a constant witness to me that he is a true prophet. The Temple is as close to heaven on earth as I have ever come. It welds individuals into a community fit to receive the Savior, and so it is at once private and sacred, as well as indispensable to fostering unity among the Latter-day Saints. I love it, and hope to learn all there is to know about the Temple one day.
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21 February 2012
Post script:
Here is a quote from Brigham Young that should inform our quest to get our bearings in the search for understanding of the Temple. He explains what we are going into the "forest" to obtain:
"Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell."
There are no extraneous parts to the Temple, but this quote certainly gives us a sense of focus, what our target is, what we are there to collect. I think of it as a kind of thesis for the Temple endowment.
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3 May 2012
Post-post script:
I have related an idea to several people over the last few years, pertinent to the topic at hand. The Temple is protected by what I call "a Forcefield of Yawns." The endowment, and virtually everything else that happens in the Temple, has been publicized by anti-Mormons many times. The "what" has been broadcast, but as for the "why," every such source leaves you high and dry. What is the meaning of it all? They are clueless, helpless to give any salient response.
Even those who have a passing curiosity, who deliberately turn their brains on to grasp the symbolic significance of it all, hit a road block in their search for meaning. Those who are not meant to understand it, who are not yet ready, will listen to explanations for about five minutes before becoming distracted, emitting an involuntary yawn, and giving up. Isaiah's writings have a similar protection around them. Only those who are ready to understand it will get it, and the rest of us will suffer through his poetic prophecies in confusion and befuddlement. Jesus recommended studying the words of Isaiah to the Nephites, and this is the only instance of a specific prophet's writing receiving the Lord's endorsement. Everything else is a charge to search the scriptures diligently.
The Temple is similar; it is a personal journey of revelation, and we can be led to understand it by the Lord when we are in tune. Anti-Mormons and a few well-meaning members have tried to give personal interpretations of the Temple in public, and the are usually miles off the mark (in my humble opinion). Those who understand it don't talk about it; those who talk about it don't understand it. Those who put their brains to the work of comprehension without the aid of the Spirit are doomed to give up in confusion.
It is our responsibility to not rob each other of the thrill of discovery, not to taint what the Lord might teach another with our own speculations or even genuine personal revelations. Strangely, most of them are hidden in plain sight, camouflaged rather than completely obscured. When the Spirit touches our minds, THEN they snap into focus, and we spend the rest of our lives wondering how we did not notice them before.
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3 June 2012
Yet ANOTHER idea. This is as much a suggestion for enjoying the Temple as for understanding it:
Don't be in a hurry. If you are rushed, frantic, or anxious, your higher brain functions will be impeded, and you will be out of tune with the Spirit. God dwells in eternity, and He is not in a hurry; when we are "hectically engaged," as Elder Maxwell said, we will be out of tune. To enter the Temple is to leave the telestial world behind. Elder Scott admonished us to remove our watches when we go through the Temple. Again, God lives in eternity, not in a miniscule blip of time like us. The Temple gives us a bird's eye view of eternity; it is set on a hill for good reason, to point our eyes upward to God. Mountains filled the place of man-made structures anciently, and it requires a great deal of time and effort to arrive atop a mountain. You do not get on top of a mountain by accident. Nor do you sprint to the top. Patience is easier to speak and write about than to exhibit, but my witness is that calm entrance into the House of the Lord is rewarded with a richer spiritual outpouring than frantic worrying about schedules (or robotic performance of ordinances, for that matter).
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7 September 2013
Limber up your imagination; bring it to the Temple. I do not mean we should trivialize that which is sacred; just be prepared to see unexpected connections and meanings. (This approach is especially effective when you follow point 13. An educated imagination is the seedbed of innovation.)
Not that it is right to discuss the Temple so openly, but we, as a group, began sharing insights to help a newcomer. In the course of the discussion, others in the party shared their insights about the Temple, and I was amazed at how backwards and misinformed some notions were. If that small sampling of what people think the Temple is about is in any way indicative of the broader membership of the Church, then confusion and ignorance, and a false confidence in our grasp of the subject, dominate the majority of the saints.
Perhaps what my uncle said on a related subject is true—those who understand it don't talk about it, while those who talk about it don't understand it.
I heard that President McKay, then in his nineties, looked at the ceiling thoughtfully in a meeting with the Twelve, and said something like, "You know, I think I'm finally starting to understand the Temple." This gives me hope and trepidation; hope because it is not a crime to feel lost regarding the meaning of the Temple, and trepidation because I was raised in a home furnished with a microwave, and have come to expect immediate and convenient solutions to problems and answers to questions. This sense of entitlement to convenience must be left at the door of the Temple; there are no privileged patrons. David O. McKay also said that the Temple, seen for what it is, shows us our step-by-step ascent back into the presence of God (said this at a fireside; it was written down and quoted by Truman G. Madsen).
Below is a list of things I have found helpful in gaining insight about the Temple. When I am doing the things I have listed below, understanding flows more readily. I present them as personal advice, rather than as commandments, excepting the scriptures I quote.
1. Keep covenants made in the Temple. This idea was taught to me by the President of the Temple where I served my mission.
2. Attend the Temple often. Obvious, yet easy to neglect. (Elder Scott suggests once a week, and makes up for those weeks he misses.)
3. Excel at the basics (Faith in Christ, Repentance, Baptism and other ordinances, the Gift of the Holy Ghost and actively receiving His influence and following His promptings, and enduring to the end in humility). In Alma 26:22, we read Ammon's great discovery about gaining access to deep mysteries: "Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance." Temple ordinances were given by revelation. As such, they are meant to be understood through revelation. Be worthy to receive it.
4. Keep our revelations, inspiration, manifestations, spiritual experiences, insights, etc., to ourselves (unless prompted to share them with others; see Alma 12:9, D&C 63:64). Joseph Smith said, "The reason we do not have the secrets of the Lord revealed unto us is because we do not keep them, but reveal them; we do not keep our own secrets, but reveal them to the world, even to our enemies, then how would we keep the secrets of the Lord? I can keep a secret till Doomsday" (TPJS, p. 195). Brigham Young later recapitulated this idea. It is tempting to think that we could drag someone who is a novice to our current level of understanding, but the Lord will determine who is ready to hear what, and grant us the information we need (D&C 121:33) when we need it (Isaiah 28:10). Respect others' right to enjoy discovery; don't expect to open the eyes of the blind, either (especially the willful blind).
5. Joseph Smith also taught that God had often sealed up the heavens because of covetousness in the church (TPJS, p. 9). Eliminate covetousness to foster an environment conducive to revelation.
6. Compare the scriptures with the Temple. The corresponding similarities and patterns between them are not accidental. Margaret Barker has called the Temple the "main character of the Bible." If anyone can read the Bible and come away convinced that the Temple is obsolete or irrelevant, they must be reading a different version than mine. Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus Christ, His Apostles, Paul, and many other outstanding figures of scripture share a fervent, ardent enthusiasm for the House of God. "The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up," says the scripture of Jesus as he cleansed the Temple with a braided whip (John 2:17). He called it "My house," and "My Father's house." The Lord avoids re-revealing what He has already said before, or what is already available. The Lord, Moroni, and other messengers who came to Joseph Smith from the other side of the veil, often quoted scripture to him. Revelations of things that had been lost, or had never been seen before at all, were recorded as revelations, and became new scripture. Look in the scriptures first to see if the answer is there before you storm into the Temple and demand an audience with the Temple President.
7. Compare the modern Temple with the ancient one. We cannot appropriately discuss the modern Temple publicly, but we can discuss the Tabernacle of Moses, the Temple of Solomon, and the Temple of Herod openly. We can learn a lot about the meaning of modern Temples by examining the original. Information about them is published in the Bible and other historical records that have surfaced over the centuries. Hugh Nibley has demonstrated that bits and pieces, and even large segments of the Temple are present throughout the ancient world, scattered across space and time. The phrase, "faith of our fathers" does apply to the Temple, not just for Israel, but all nations.
8. Ask the Lord what He wants us to learn, rather than coming up with our own questions. Often, our concerns and curiosity are far removed from His concerns for us. The Lord has His own agenda, and our goal should be to align our lives with His will, not the other way around. If our understanding is unaided by revelation, it is possible for us to come up with nonsense questions that are riddled with false premises. Asking the right questions is as important as being worthy and ready to receive answers. Miracles, revelations, and the things of the Spirit cannot be commanded by us; when we are impudent enough to set a date by which we expect the Lord to explain something to us, it will probably be met with silence. He has His own calendar, and getting ourselves in tune with it should be a major goal. (To accelerate readiness to receive new insights, see point 4.)
9. Work in the Temple. Instead of just being a patron, ask your Bishop about being recommended to work in the Temple. Unlike other positions in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is a calling we are encouraged to ask for. Spend hours marinating in the Spirit that permeates the Temple, and inspiration will flow.
10. Remember that there are multiple correct answers to questions about symbolism. The Temple is like an onion, with layers of meaning. I was amazed to learn that for certain math problems, there are multiple correct answers. Symbolism is the language of Temples, but one symbol can appropriately represent multiple things. For instance, the baptismal font represents the grave, both dying and burial in immersion, and resurrection in emerging from the water; it also represents a bath, or cleansing; it represents the womb, being completely surrounded by water and being born again as Jesus stipulates in John 3. And these are not a comprehensive list of possible interpretations of the symbolism of the baptismal font. If someone asks what the font represents, any of these answers would be correct, but none by itself would be complete. Fooling ourselves into thinking we have the "right" answer to any question about the Temple may be the single biggest barrier to understanding the Temple. Finding a new insight about the Temple is less like reaching a finish line in our education, and more like reaching a milestone along the way.
11. WAKE UP! Pay attention inside the Temple. Don't snooze through the session. Bring questions, be observant. Get plenty of sleep before you go. Leave your watch in you locker, as Elder Scott advised.
12. Care about it. Closely related to staying awake and observant inside and outside the Temple is simply caring about it. The apathy of dutiful quota fillers and clock watchers is rewarded in the cafeteria or a malt shop after the obligatory work is done; dessert for the one who loves the Temple IS the Temple itself. If we are interested in the things of this world, the Temple loses its luster, and vice versa. "Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson..." (D&C 121:35). If our hearts are far from the things God cares about (i.e., the Temple) how can we expect to find joy in it, let alone expect revelations and insights from God about it? On the other hand, how could a parent resist teaching a child who exhibits interest in his work and concerns? How could the Lord resist teaching us about something so dear to His heart when we cherish it too? A good way to gauge our distance from the Lord is to examine the intensity (or tepidness) of feelings about the Temple. His concern for it is white-hot; how warm is ours?
13. Get a broad education. Biology, astronomy, architecture, philosophy, literature, drama, history, math, art, and many other fields, have each played a role in expanding my understanding of the Temple. None of them have played a central role, but answers to questions reside there nonetheless. I am grateful to have lived in a society where I could learn about each field, if only enough to get a sampling of what was there. There are also excellent books written on the Temple itself by LDS authors and others which shed enormous light on the House of the Lord. Being educated about the world in which we live will make the world of the Temple open up that much more. Do not neglect your education, secular or spiritual.
14. Search for patterns in the Temple. God made nature and the Temple; nature is fraught with patterns. We see patterns in flowers, leaves, rocks, waves, and everything else in nature. Why should there not be patterns embedded in the instruction we receive in the Temple? Symmetry, repetition, and other patterns can be seen by one who is attuned to them.
The Temple is like a deep forest filled with trails. Ironically, the map that gives us a complete overview is only to be found at the end of the trail, after we have successfully navigated the forest and completed the journey. The Holy Ghost is our guide, not only in day-to-day living, but in understanding the Temple as well. He is the figurative compass, the iron rod that we can hold fast to in order to arrive safely at our destination. I personally believe that complete understanding of the Temple is impossible for mortals; it is too complex for the mind to grasp in its entirety. Insights about its meaning are available to us. The more I learn about it, the more improbable the idea that Joseph Smith concocted the endowment becomes. It is a constant witness to me that he is a true prophet. The Temple is as close to heaven on earth as I have ever come. It welds individuals into a community fit to receive the Savior, and so it is at once private and sacred, as well as indispensable to fostering unity among the Latter-day Saints. I love it, and hope to learn all there is to know about the Temple one day.
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21 February 2012
Post script:
Here is a quote from Brigham Young that should inform our quest to get our bearings in the search for understanding of the Temple. He explains what we are going into the "forest" to obtain:
"Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell."
There are no extraneous parts to the Temple, but this quote certainly gives us a sense of focus, what our target is, what we are there to collect. I think of it as a kind of thesis for the Temple endowment.
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3 May 2012
Post-post script:
I have related an idea to several people over the last few years, pertinent to the topic at hand. The Temple is protected by what I call "a Forcefield of Yawns." The endowment, and virtually everything else that happens in the Temple, has been publicized by anti-Mormons many times. The "what" has been broadcast, but as for the "why," every such source leaves you high and dry. What is the meaning of it all? They are clueless, helpless to give any salient response.
Even those who have a passing curiosity, who deliberately turn their brains on to grasp the symbolic significance of it all, hit a road block in their search for meaning. Those who are not meant to understand it, who are not yet ready, will listen to explanations for about five minutes before becoming distracted, emitting an involuntary yawn, and giving up. Isaiah's writings have a similar protection around them. Only those who are ready to understand it will get it, and the rest of us will suffer through his poetic prophecies in confusion and befuddlement. Jesus recommended studying the words of Isaiah to the Nephites, and this is the only instance of a specific prophet's writing receiving the Lord's endorsement. Everything else is a charge to search the scriptures diligently.
The Temple is similar; it is a personal journey of revelation, and we can be led to understand it by the Lord when we are in tune. Anti-Mormons and a few well-meaning members have tried to give personal interpretations of the Temple in public, and the are usually miles off the mark (in my humble opinion). Those who understand it don't talk about it; those who talk about it don't understand it. Those who put their brains to the work of comprehension without the aid of the Spirit are doomed to give up in confusion.
It is our responsibility to not rob each other of the thrill of discovery, not to taint what the Lord might teach another with our own speculations or even genuine personal revelations. Strangely, most of them are hidden in plain sight, camouflaged rather than completely obscured. When the Spirit touches our minds, THEN they snap into focus, and we spend the rest of our lives wondering how we did not notice them before.
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3 June 2012
Yet ANOTHER idea. This is as much a suggestion for enjoying the Temple as for understanding it:
Don't be in a hurry. If you are rushed, frantic, or anxious, your higher brain functions will be impeded, and you will be out of tune with the Spirit. God dwells in eternity, and He is not in a hurry; when we are "hectically engaged," as Elder Maxwell said, we will be out of tune. To enter the Temple is to leave the telestial world behind. Elder Scott admonished us to remove our watches when we go through the Temple. Again, God lives in eternity, not in a miniscule blip of time like us. The Temple gives us a bird's eye view of eternity; it is set on a hill for good reason, to point our eyes upward to God. Mountains filled the place of man-made structures anciently, and it requires a great deal of time and effort to arrive atop a mountain. You do not get on top of a mountain by accident. Nor do you sprint to the top. Patience is easier to speak and write about than to exhibit, but my witness is that calm entrance into the House of the Lord is rewarded with a richer spiritual outpouring than frantic worrying about schedules (or robotic performance of ordinances, for that matter).
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7 September 2013
Limber up your imagination; bring it to the Temple. I do not mean we should trivialize that which is sacred; just be prepared to see unexpected connections and meanings. (This approach is especially effective when you follow point 13. An educated imagination is the seedbed of innovation.)
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