The Wrong Cause

Jesus warned Peter that “Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” What does it mean to be “sifted as wheat?” Elder Oaks stated that it means to be rendered mundane, like the Nephites who lost the Spirit and became “weak like unto [their] brethren” (Morm. 2:26), left to rely on their own strength and wisdom, without the gifts of the Spirit. We need that flame burning brightly to avoid deception.

Those convinced they are sinners are a step closer to God than those who are doing the wrong thing, yet are also convinced that they are doing God’s work. What a coup—for Satan to convince us we are righteous when we are sinning. “The devil has great power to deceive; he will so transform things as to make one gape at those who are doing the will of God” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph smith, p. 227).

Peter was asked by the Savior to accompany Him into the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked Peter to stay awake, but Peter fell asleep. Perhaps he was bewildered by Jesus’ many painful predictions of His own death, as well as Peter’s imminent betrayal. A stomach full of Passover dinner, the largest and most lavish meal of the year, probably contributed to his exhaustion. Whatever the case, Peter slept through part of the greatest event in history, the hours Christ suffered in the Garden for our sins. When the agony of Gethsemane was complete, and the next phase of the Atonement was about to begin, Jesus told Peter, “Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners” (Mark 14:41). Peter had slept when Jesus needed him; now Peter springs into action when the Lord has told him to go back to sleep.

Judas identifies Jesus for the mob with a kiss; Peter pulls out a sword and strikes off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the High Priest. Jesus tells Peter, “Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” First Jesus asks Peter to stay awake, and he sleeps. Then Jesus says it is time for His betrayal, and Peter tries to prevent it. Peter follows the mob and Jesus back to the city when Jesus had specifically told Peter to go back to sleep. If Peter had laid down in the Garden and slept instead of following the mob, he would not have denied knowing Jesus, or wept bitterly. If he had done as Jesus told him, none of those painful outcomes would have followed.

How easy it is to fight for the wrong cause, to have our ladders propped against the wrong wall. An old military adage asks, “Is this the hill you want to die on?” Gamaleel warned the zealous Pharisees to wait and see what came of Jesus’ disciples, not to persecute them prematurely. If they were not of God, the sect would die off without their help; if not, their persecutors would “be found to fight against God.” Saul of Tarsus, later the Apostle Paul, was one of those persecutors. He fulfilled the prophecy of the Savior that “...the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me” (John 16:2-3). Paul and Peter both made grievous errors while believing that they were doing good.

Joseph Smith warned against “zeal not according to knowledge”—undereducated enthusiasm. Peter acted with great enthusiasm, but was unwittingly interfering with the Atonement. Paul fought with great zeal against Christians, until the Lord told him to stop. King Saul thought he could placate the mob and God at the same time by saving the cattle he was commanded to destroy, and use them for burnt offerings instead. His attempt to serve two masters lost him his crown and his soul.

I recently read a sign held by a young woman in a photo that said MORMONS FOR NON-TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE. The article next to the photo explained that there had been a rally in support of gay marriage, and that the crowd had included several BYU students. I understand that there are many members of the Church who support the idea of marriage consisting of something other than one man and one woman. These desires spring from the virtues of kindness, generosity, tolerance, open-mindedness, and egalitarianism. But, as we have established above, it is possible to have pure motives while doing the wrong thing. Is there a higher law than kindness? Yes, it is obedience to "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." That includes following His ordained servants. Members of the Church may or may not have read The Family: A Proclamation to the World. The first paragraph states, "We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children." The Proclamation on the Family was signed by all members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve.

This position was reaffirmed recently: "We firmly support the divinely appointed definition of marriage as the union between a man and a woman because it is the single most important institution for strengthening children, families, and society." Members of the Church who support the current popular trends of alternatives to traditional marriage are in open opposition to the governing body of the Church. If the Church were a democracy, and questions of right and wrong could be solved through democratic processes or debate, it would not be governed by revelation. (That was the sure sign that Christianity had been corrupted in the 4th century—questions of doctrine were hammered out by committees instead of direct revelation.) If the Church is governed by revelation to the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, debate and speculation have no place directing the Church. "Kingdom" is not "democracy."

Contained within the above statement by the leaders of the Church is a nugget of understanding that has eluded many people, including myself until recently: while spouses can and should derive benefit from marriage, the main purpose of marriage is to beget children in an environment best suited to their development. Statistically speaking, children fare better when they are raised by their biological parents. Adoption and divorce tend to produce poorer quality environments than traditional marriage for children. Governments depend on successful marriages to provide something no other institution can adequately generate: the next generation of healthy, moral, law abiding citizens. Adoption, and a multitude of other arrangements, can produce notable exceptions to this rule, but they are exceptions, and laws are drafted to govern millions of people, not thousands of exceptions. Why should a government or church support a version of marriage that, by definition, automatically excludes one or both of the biological parents from raising their children? Dead-beat parents are already a social problem that creates a host of ills; why sponsor a system that encourages one or both biological parents to surrender their duties of caring for their kids?

Reference is often made to an imaginary "right" to have one's sexual preference endorsed as a matter of public record. If marriage were primarily about the needs of adults, this would make sense. But there is no compelling reason to do this for homosexual relationships, because such activity has no lasting consequences outside their relationship. On the other hand, it makes sense for governments and churches to support lasting, committed relationships between men and women, because whether they stay together or not, their relationship will create the next generation of citizens. Whether that next generation is emotionally, socially, spiritually, physically, and financially ready to stand up and replace the old generation depends largely on the durability of the relationship of its biological parents. Any measure government can take, any privilege it can extend, to encourage couples to promise life-long fidelity to each other will benefit the next generation, and by extension, the everyone else. One person can live a hundred years. Whether that person spends those hundred years as a burden or a blessing to society depends greatly on the quality of the relationship between parents during formative years.

"Equality" is the rallying cry for most gay-marriage proponents. As harsh as it may seem, equality in law is already established. Anyone of any sexual orientation may marry anyone of the opposite sex, and the two of them automatically become the guardians of all the children they have together. Fulfillment of their needs should not be the basis for printing marriage licenses; what is best for the next generation should be.

As I have written elsewhere, marriage is performed at altars, not at ATMs, slot machines, or refrigerators. It is not about convenience; it is about sacrifice. Why are brides and grooms held on such high pedestals? Current tides of narcissistic self-absorption emphasize the ego affirmation aspect, and endless funds can be vaporized on trinkets and frills and clothing and tinsel. Modern wedding celebrations are a dizzy blend of family reunion, fashion show, and birthday party in one slick package. If this were the main reason behind marriage celebrations, then gay-marriage and traditional marriage would indeed be equal. Yes, we feel empathy for the excitement of the newlyweds, and rejoice in their love and joy. But the deeper reason for celebrating has less to do with deserving a pat on the back or needing ego boost; the bride's and groom's vow at the altar will perpetuate the community.

What sacrifices do traditional marriages include? First, couples sacrifice by forming a relationship with someone who has a different physical, mental, and emotional makeup than they, someone of the opposite sex. This is a tricky union to sustain for decades on end, and requires work and often counseling. Any support society can offer is a welcome boon. Second, traditional couples sacrifice the opportunity to seek other potential mates. The inclination does not necessarily go away, and options welcome or unwelcome continue to present themselves. The bride and groom promise to ignore any such temptation. A union whose main purpose is gratification will eventually dissolve as boredom at home and temptation abroad drive partners apart. It is not a fair-weather commitment; "...for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health..." Third, traditional couples sacrifice the rest of their lives to take care of any children produced by their union. Human nature may waiver between fidelity and adultery, but the needs of children from cradle to adulthood will require decades of commitment on the part of both parents in any case. It is best to start the relationship on a note of complete devotion. This is a strict and potentially rough course the couple is signing up for. It is extremely fitting that they receive the admiration and generosity of their community and government.

For these and many other sacrifices, it makes sense to make the commitment between a man and a woman a matter of public record, and to extend privileges (different from rights) to them for their public service. True, few are inclined to see marriage this way today, but when have intentions and ultimate uses, means and ends, ever lined up, especially where government is involved? Without this broader, long-term view, weddings become another example of emotional exhibitionism with no inherent benefit beyond the couple's feelings.

Though intent is honorable and feelings warmly enthusiastic, members of the Church who throw their support behind a system that is fundamentally opposed to establishing what is best for children, in favor of what is comfortable in the short-term for adults, are misled in their zeal. We came to this earth to pull uphill against the burden of matter, not to succumb or lie down every time a breeze of temptation blows on us. Nowhere in all the fussing and fretting on this subject by members of the Church have I heard any mention of receiving the grace of God to bear burdens. The assumption seems to be that heterosexuals have been given outlets for their sexual appetites because the strict law of chastity is suspended via marriage. That, or at least chaste single heterosexual members of of the Church derive the hope necessary for self restraint from the far off promise of marriage one day. Also, the assumption is that homosexuals have no righteous avenue for sexual expression, and are therefore left without relief or hope. The solution to the perceived problem is worldly, not divine. Heterosexuals are able to keep the commandment because God makes an exception to the rules about chastity; why not make more exceptions for others?

This view is wrong. The Lord prepares a way to keep all His commandments. Grace, not distant hope of fulfilled appetite, is the proper solution. Whether delivering us from temptation, or giving us strength to bear it, God does not abandon us to struggle alone. This grace is sufficient for all who come to Christ in faith and humility. Paul had a thorn in the flesh, and the Lord refused to remove it, but He still gave Paul grace to carry this burden. Members of the Church who support alternative forms of marriage never mention this power, (except rarely to label it as a spurious avenue of rescue from something as dire as sexual temptation). Perhaps this is because they have yet to experience such sustaining grace themselves.They seem to view the alternatives as suffer, or compromise the commandment; no third alternative is perceived. But there are other weapons than temporal worldly ones available in the fight against sin; there is a spiritual solution, namely, grace.

The message to all, regardless of sexuality, is the same: repent, take up your cross, and follow Christ. Becoming acquainted with His grace will enable anyone to bear any burden for Him. The Atonement is called "infinite;" it is available to all. Sometimes we are completely delivered; other times we receive grace to carry burdens until the Lord sees fit to deliver us. Either way, it is possible to do so with joy on a long-term basis: "And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord" (Mosiah 24:15). I have experienced such sustaining and empowering grace, as well as deliverance by a change of heart. I hope that everyone else will gain a testimony of such help as well, and acknowledge the Lord's power to rescue us.

[Update, 11 April 2013: I realized that Satan was the first person on the list of people with good intentions who want to give God advice, to "steady the Ark." Satan's proposed version of the plan of salvation eliminated the possibility of sin, or the necessity of the suffering attending the Atonement, by eliminating agency. If everyone has their choices made for them, voila, no sin. A great plan, yes? No. It was turned down by our all-knowing Father in Heaven because He knew it would not work. Everyone who rebelled was sent here to earth to get us to surrender our agency through other means. Satan went from "I'll save everyone" to "I'll damn everyone" very quickly. Selfish motives are characterized by short-sightedness in planning and action, as well as shortcuts for convenience. Such motives seek to circumvent the law of the harvest. But the quickest way is through it, not around it.

Jesus, on the other hand, was willing to bear the entire burden of punishment for our sin, as well as all our pain. And God planned to let all these things happen, our sin and suffering, and the Atonement for it. They seem horrific on the surface, but God can see down the road to the end, and knows what will cause the maximum benefit to us. We get to learn from difficulty instead of ease. It is easy to mistake "nice" with love—but love is more intense than like, and God loves us. He will not settle for our mediocrity. Hence the brutal school, stringent test, and beautiful gift of mortality.]

Killer Cures

Truth is indivisible—it is all connect some way or other. The gospel encompasses all truth, but not all truth is saving truth. Not everything we learn in this life is pertinent to salvation. “No one was ever damned for believing too much,” taught the Prophet Joseph Smith, and it is a good thing, too. As Hugh Nibley observed, each of us “constantly shifts ground on his beliefs.” (Would we be progressing or learning if we were not?)

Joseph Smith encountered an emerging science, called phrenology. The basic idea was that the shape of one’s head, prominences and dips in particular areas, could tell you about the personality of an individual. At first he was enthusiastic about this new development, and even went to have his cranium measured. (These specific measurements have been used in attempts to authenticate a purported photograph of Joseph Smith.) But after a while, Joseph felt that the science was bogus, and he abandoned the idea altogether.

While I am the first person to complain about the mainstream medical establishment in America, not only for its practices, but for its undergirding philosophy, I still feel it is closer to the mark than many alternative medical theories. Joseph Smith abandoned phrenology, but many of the saints still clung to it. I see similar trends today.

Why the powerful draw of alternative medicine? Sometimes it works. Often, though, its appeal derives from pride instead of evidence. When something is based on rules that reside beyond the limits of truth, anyone can be an expert. Some members of the Church today (in my community, at least) would rather be experts in dubious and unproven fields than in difficult, unforgiving reality. They sidestep admitting we “do not know the meaning of all things” (1Ne. 11:17). This is sad, because a frank admission of ignorance is the first step toward learning something new. I remember desperately thrusting a Book of Mormon toward a college co-ed on my mission, but her arms remained unmoved. She calmly decline my attempts to lead her anywhere, stating that she thought she should be able to figure faith out on her own. She was attending college with a frank admission of her amateur status, learning temporal, physical, and scientific truths from experts. Yet the concepts that most college professors admit are beyond their reach—eternal truth, the meaning of life, the purpose of existence, the nature of God—this undergrad thought she could tackle those verities alone. Again, a lack of any experimental foundation for a concept camouflages our ignorance, and everyone is suddenly an expert in their own eyes.

Joseph Smith taught many keys for discerning where information comes from—God, man, and the devil were the three potential sources he enumerated. Just because something seems miraculous (literally, “a little mystery that makes you puzzle at it”) does not necessarily mean it is from God. There are two supernatural forces at work, one good, the other evil, and discernment is needed to judge between them. One key Joseph gave for discerning between good and manifestations is truth—was any truth communicated by the manifestation? “The Holy Ghost is a revelator,” he taught. If something comes from God, new information will usually be imparted along with whatever is manifested.

“Energy healing” (and other alternative medicine theories) seems to be a popular dalliance among some members of the Church in my area. Even the intangible things of the gospel, such as faith and the Spirit, are commended to us on an experimental, experiential basis by the Book of Mormon. “Experiment upon the word,” Alma teaches. There will be results you can feel, even if the experience transcends language a bit. Energy healing and its LDS proponents, on the other hand, have failed to present me with compelling evidence for the practice. I believe that “many great and important things” are yet to be revealed, and that my lack of understanding does not invalidate a principle. (No one has the foggiest notion of how gravity, for instance, works, but that does not keep it from being real.) However, “by their fruits ye shall know them” still rings in our ears down the corridors of time—we are to test spirits, doctrines, philosophies, and medical procedures, as well as their practitioners, against the yardstick of revealed truth, and by their long-term outcomes.

My first run-in with energy healing had to do with crystals. It was set up very much like a Tupperware party—a the promotion was made inside a home. I do not know whether the pretty and polished stones presented actually conferred the benefits the woman claimed. One crystal suspended by a chain was supposed to spin one way if you held it over your hand and your “energy” was “negative,” the other way if it were “positive.” I saw the crystal spin, but it would have been more impressive if the crystal were suspended from something more fixed and stationary than a human hand. I told the woman pitching these ideas and materials that one of my legs is slightly shorter than the other. She claimed it due to an imbalance that could be cured through some kind of energy work as I lay on a massage table. (Another alternate physician whose discipline is closer to reality, a chiropractor, also claimed that my spine was merely misaligned, and attempted to realign it through popping and stretching me on a table. It did not work. One leg is still slightly different in length than another.) As I drove with the daughter of the enthusiastic sales woman to fetch the table from her home, I asked about the crystal dangling from her neck. “Oh, this is just a bit of jewelry.” The mother was a believer; the daughter was apparently ashamed, but perhaps dutifully wore the crystal anyway to please her. I ultimately declined to have my back fixed through energy healing.

While I did not see anyone manifest great fruits of superhealth, or even any significant change in the health of the woman whose home hosted the energy crystal presentation, I did however watch her divorce her husband for no apparent reason years later, and rend the hearts and confidence of her children, and nearly destroy her family.

“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15). Notice that the Lord’s prescribed method for administering to the sick is an ordinance, which can affect the soul, not just the body. What keeps this procedure from being hocus-pocus? The blind man Jesus healed with clay and water might have splashed mud and any other liquid on his face a thousand times; the main thing that made it a cure was the commandment of the Lord to do it.

There is no rational reason on earth to believe that cancer or any other internal malady should yield to the application of oil, the laying on of hands, or prayer. But I have seen it work with my own eyes. Understanding how it works is not the main key; rather, the key is to rely on priesthood power, and have faith in the Lord. In the experience I witnessed, both the one giving the blessing, and the one receiving the blessing, felt the power of God; both received direction from the Spirit, one to know what to say in the blessing, the other to know through what was said to do with the health conferred by the Lord via the blessing. So the gift of renewed health was not merely for the consolation of vanity or building abs of steel—it was to make a servant of the Lord useful to those around her. Peter jumped out of the boat to walk on water after he saw the Savior do it; we Latter-day saints prefer to strap on our metaphorical water skis (in many ways, not just looking to cure disease). We rely on the arm of the flesh, the power of day planner; we want to use some device we can control, something that seems more cunning or flashy, or at least something we can comprehend.

I like vitamin supplements. Who knows if they have helped much, but I like them. A girl facing a particular cosmetic health challenge took some supplements from me, held them in her hand, and silently asked her body if they were OK to eat, and waited for it to answer before she washed them down with a swig of water. Later she ate a bunch of junk food. Was the voice that vetted the vitamins the same one that demanded she eat the unhealthy food? I knew that she knew from personal experience that her cosmetic problem would go away when she stopped eating sweets, but she wanted a way to keep eating junk food and be healthy. Eventually she asked for a priesthood blessing. I never felt worse about giving a blessing in my life—the Spirit was not with me in it—and I have regretted doing it since. We both should be tuning in to the Spirit more, instead of listening to peer pressure, or other voices.

A more recent example of far-fetched medicine has been proffered to me by a dear friend, also a member. He has been telling me that negative energy, emotions, whatever you want to call it, can imprint on substances, that the substances will actually “remember” or retain the negative nature of what they passed through. For instance, water may become defiled with toxins, and then be strictly, completely purified from those toxins, and yet not do its job of quenching thirst in the body effectively because of residual negative influence from the toxic substances. Common sense seems to indicate that to remove all impurities from water is to remove all harmful side effects of those impurities, but the idea is that the water must also be healed of its memory of contact with bad things by coming in contact with good things, flushed through some system of glass beads or whatnot. I do not have the heart to challenge this friend’s belief in energy memory of food and water, partly because he has offered so much help to me in recent months with some severe bone injuries. He has recommended minerals necessary for bone repair, and even brought by ingredients for making yogurt to improve my calcium intake while lowering milk’s sugar content. Know them by their fruits; visiting and caring for the sick is a definite fruit of a real servant of God. I just wish I could get some discernible evidence on the water treatment idea. If it works, I am OK with it, even if I cannot understand why it works. If it does not work, what harm could it do? A waste of time and money, unless it provides psychosomatic benefits.

However, despite all his attempts to be a proponent for spiritual and physical health, this good friend still eats junk food, and shares recipes for such foods with all his friends. Of course, the recipes are made from much better ingredients than most brownies and cakes. But the most salubrious dessert is not as good for one’s health as fasting, or skipping dessert. The reason God puts so much good stuff in fruit is to keep the sugar from killing us, and if you avoid sweet stuff, you will not need so many vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and the like. (Eskimos eat no vitamin C, but they never get scurvy, because their diets are completely free of carbohydrate. Do we need more vitamin C, or less sweet stuff? Are we being healthy, or just applying poison and antidote simultaneously?) My dear friend takes many steps to improve his health, while still clinging to the stuff that keeps him a little bit overweight. He is a very healthy guy, but a shrink in his waistline from the absence of sweets would extend his life far more than the perfect combination of nutrients.

Whether blessing the prescribed way or some alternative, these examples of members listed above all have something in common: we are all wealthy people with free time. “...they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.” Paul gives the cure for this condition in the verse before it: “And having food and clothing, let us be therewith content” (1Tim. 6:8-9). “Fix it till it’s broke” is the sardonic axiom that seems to apply to America, and we North American members of the Church, discussed above. Poor people never seem to get snared in this kind of folly—they are too busy being health, farming, walking, looking at nature, spending time with family, to worry about their health. Commercials on TV (I actually watched a little in a hospital a while ago) seem to be of two kinds: 1. Foods that damage health, and 2. pills that treat the symptoms of eating all that rubbish. Brigham Young said, “You get up in the morning and have...everything you can possibly cram into the stomach, until you surfeit the system and lay the foundation for disease and early death....Work less, wear less, and eat less, and we shall be a great deal wiser, healthier, and wealthier people than by taking the course we now do.” (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 187).

The only proven way to extend lifespan in lab rats is caloric restriction—feeding them two thirds of the calories they would like to eat. There is every indication human bodies work the same way. This is the easiest, cheapest cure of all—nothing. Of fasting, Isaiah says, “...thine health shall spring forth speedily...the Lord shall...make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not” (Isa. 58:8, 11). This treatment and prevention for disease may work, but it is not nearly as glamorous as magical crystals that ostensibly let you eat junk food and be healthy anyway.

“...cease to find fault one with another...” (D&C 88:124). I do not delight in criticizing people, and I have deliberately tried to obscure the identities of those involved in the follies I personally witnessed and recited above. This is no proclamation of my emancipation from similar follies and vices; I merely wish to extend a general warning about what I see as a symptom of low faith, high wealth, free time, and the desire to transcend other mere mortals by possessing secret powers and knowledge. This kind of thing can gull anyone who is in the wrong place, spiritually. It seems fitting here to enumerate some of my own foibles, and exhibit some humility to cover the halitosis of my accusations.

As I have looked squarely into the mirror of introspection, I have realized that I do not eat solely for fuel or building materials to support my body. If those were the only reasons I ate, I would be the healthiest person I know. Instead, my eating patterns revolve around shutting off my brain. Fructose impairs cortex function, just like alcohol. It is designed to do this because in nature, fruit sugar signals our bodies that winter is coming. Cortex is where our willpower is located in the brain, and dampening willpower makes us likely to stuff ourselves and fatten up before winter. So the long-standing addiction I have to carbohydrates has less to do with a sweet tooth, and more to do with dodging the uncomfortable realities of life. Even without sweets, a full stomach draws blood away from the rest of the body (i.e. the brain) for digestion. Essentially, excess food helps to sweep away my hard thoughts (and hence, feelings) about life, rather than deal with them. Food can be an agent of procrastination. If I would take the time to amend my life and fill it with emotionally satisfying things and relationships, food would lose most of its appeal.

My friend (who wants to purify water energies) defined addictions as a dependence on something besides the Lord. I like this definition, more good fruits on his part. If we want improved health, do we lean on the Lord, or a burgeoning medicine cabinet, a pharmacy, and an army of witchdoctors? If life is empty, do we fill it with carnal stimuli, like food and alcohol, or do we rely on the Comforter for comfort? It is easy to make the mistake of believing the Lord’s admonition to Adam to live by the sweat of his brow was an invitation to focus solely on our survival or make it our main goal. Even President Packer, who often counsels youth to keep harmful substances out of their bodies, admits that maintaining health is ultimately “a losing battle.” My experience has been that the Lord heals, but the doctor collects the fee. The Lord will keep us alive, or make us sick, or take us home to heaven, all according to His plan and timing for us. The point of life is not to spend it trying to live forever, but to prepare to meet God when it is over, however long or brief our lives may be. Those who seek to save their lives lose them, but those who serve God will be preserved. (An extreme example is John and the three Nephites.)

God may not care that much about keeping us alive, or whether our understanding of medicine is all that accurate. Our bodies do not just have the capacity to die; they are designed unavoidably to die. The ultimate cure for all diseases is the resurrection, and everyone will get that permanent fix in any case. Not everyone will be spiritually healed, however, and that makes it a more pressing issue. "...fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full. Therefore, care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and for the life of the soul" (D&C 101:36-37). There are armies of people on the other side of the veil who need to hear the gospel, and our death here may send us to them there. Our knowledge of medicine or experience with healing miracles may be limited. But our simple understanding of the gospel, saving truth, can be perfect, provided the Spirit is our teacher.

Part of preparing to meet God is learning to discern where influences and ideas are coming from, and choosing the good from the bad. Another part of that preparation is learning to rely on the Lord, to trust Him even when we might be tempted to sell our souls for a little physical healing.

Intelligence

I recently heard a scientist (an agnostic or an atheist, reading between the lines) speaking about his family in a radio interview. He said he let his kids make messes because he was more concerned with preserving and fostering their innate tendency to be curious and perform experiments than he was with having a clean house. This man, though an agnostic at best, knew more about what it means to be “like God” from personal experience as a father than he could have learned from twenty years of attendance and study at a divinity school. Scripture indicates that God cared more about preserving our agency than He did about preventing the inevitable mess and pain that come from sin. This is likely because we learn best through personal experience, even painful experience. The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were both made by God, and He gave Adam and Eve freedom to choose both, knowing beforehand the consequences. Instead of adopting Satan’s plan of depriving us of agency to prevent the resulting mess, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to clean it up through His suffering. The agnostic scientist on the radio had experienced a microcosm of the plan of salvation in his own living room.

This vignette demonstrates the difference between intellectual or theoretical learning, and experiential learning. Take D&C 121 as another example. “Behold, many are called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world that they do not learn this one lesson…” Hold it right there. If the revelation gives us a description of the unlearned lesson, is that the equivalent of God giving the unchosen a cheat-sheet? If He tells us that our obsession with owning a fleet of sports cars and a swimming pool full of cocaine keeps us from learning a certain lesson, and then tells us what that lesson is, will that allow us to keep our unhealthy obsession and still be “called” as well as “chosen?” No, because the obsession does not simply blind us to facts; it robs us of the capacity live the information, regardless of whether we can quote the lesson in D&C 121 by heart.

Facts we learn are not the same thing as traits we earn.

“Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.” That seems to indicate that book learning is critical to our salvation. It is. “Faith cometh by hearing the word.” But are facts all we need? “And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” Why the redundancy—“...knowledge and intelligence...?” Are they the same thing in this context? Rather than emphasis by redundancy, I believe these two words indicate distinct and separate things. Knowledge refers to facts we know; intelligence here refers to what we are, our character, the degree to which we adhere to light and knowledge we possess. Two beings might know the same facts, but one may choose to inconvenience himself by acting on that information, while the other may choose to shirk the responsibility the information places on his shoulders. They both have the same knowledge, but one is more intelligent, more obedient to truth, than the other. Hence we gain intelligence by “diligence and obedience,” not necessarily by theoretical exercises (though our minds must stretch also before we can receive the things of God).

Abraham gets a lesson in astronomy from the Lord, in which the magnitude of various heavenly bodies is compared to spiritual magnitude of intelligences, conscious heavenly beings. If you find two beings, and one is more intelligent than the other, you may find one more intelligent than either. But God is “more intelligent than they all” (Abr. 3:19). James chides us in his epistle: “...faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:17-20). Our acts must reflect our level of knowledge, or we lose light and come under condemnation. Intelligence is our fidelity to whatever knowledge we have. Jesus’ ability to do the right thing no matter what exceeded everyone else’s; this was one reason He was the only one who could successfully complete the Atonement.

Till one is equally intelligent with God, we are beings with varying levels of intelligence, above or below each other. How do we become more intelligent in this sense? Obedience and diligence, adherence to the laws we have already received. As our obedience increases (even as our determination to be obedient increases) we receive further grace to be able to climb the next mountain. If it were possible to gain this kind of intelligence from a book the way we gain other knowledge, life and the creation would have been unnecessary. We could have remained in our premortal home, and studied some heavenly book until we knew all there is to know. But learning the dictionary definition of patience will not make it easier to endure gracefully. The woman in line at the grocery store in front of us may take five minutes to find a working pen in her purse, and reciting a definition of patience will not be very helpful in keeping our temper from flaring. The crucible of experience is where such intelligence is earned.

When we show we are a good enough pilot of our flawed, simple, limited physical bodies here, we can then receive a powerful resurrected body, because we were faithful stewards who magnified the first one. “Well done, thou good and faithful servant—thou has been faithful over a few things. I will make thee a ruler over many things.” You were a good owner and driver of a compact car; I will make you the captain of an aircraft carrier.

I was in a tempting circumstance once, and I walked away. But I was deeply troubled by how easily my keel had almost been overwhelmed, how magnetic it still was, even after a few minutes of walking in the opposite direction. I implored in a silent prayer of how to surmount such things. The answer I got back was from Abr. 3:17. “...there is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it.” When I first encountered this statement in the scriptures, it seemed to me to be a non-sequitur, an interruption of the narrative. I wondered what Abraham was looking at in the vision that prompted the Lord to say such a thing. But if intelligence indicates fidelity to truth, what could be more appropriate here? Moons and stars may be above one another in magnitude; spirits may be above each other in their respective level of intelligence; God is above them all. One ranking system used as a metaphor for another.

And what could be more appropriate for me to know as I walked away from temptation, yet still felt it heavy on my heart? If God does not waste His heart on impossibilities, neither should we. We should reserve our hearts for what we WILL do. Part of the ache of mortality is constantly having our hearts entangled in that which is not, nor ever will be. “Wickedness never was happiness,” but how many times have we tried to brew happiness with just the right amount of wickedness included in the recipe? The leaven falls flat, and the aftertaste is always bitter. But as we follow the Spirit a little bit better each day, we get closer to happiness that does not include what Elder Maxwell called that unpleasant “morning-after” feeling.

Articles of Faith/General Conference Connection

The Articles of Faith tell us about God, His servants, and ourselves, and the relationships between us.

First, we learn who God is: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” God is our Eternal Father. Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost share His power and knowledge, and they work as a team. They agree in all things. We can become one with them, and each other, in the same way they are one (John 17:20-24).

Then we learn who we are: “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.” All of us are in Adam’s shoes. We were created by God, given the rules, and then we went ahead and broke them anyway. While it is comforting to know that we will avoid being punished for other people’s sins, we still have our own sins to worry about. We are identified in terms of a predicament—our identity includes the label FALLEN. We are lost and liable to suffer. What shall we do?

The next article of faith tells us what God has done for us: “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.” A price was paid by Christ to atone for our sins, and new rules are given to us in order to access the grace, power, sanctification, and all the gifts and blessings that stem from that sacrifice. What are these rules?

“We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.” If we believe in Christ, change our attitudes and behaviors, receive baptism and confirmation, the gift of the Holy Ghost, then we have access to the Atonement. Faith and repentance are principals for individuals; baptism and the laying on of hands are ordinances administered to us by someone else.

The next five articles of faith, 5 through 9, tell us who is qualified to administer these ordinances: They must be called of God by revelation to preach. They are ordained as was Aaron, by the laying on of hands. They bear the titles of apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, all the stations that were originally part of Christ’s Biblical Church. They exhibit the gifts and manifestations recorded in the Bible—tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, etc. They teach from the scriptures. They have power to give us new revelations from God, as well as quoting previous ones.

When we find qualified ministers from God who can baptize and confirm us, as well as giving us all the other ordinances and knowledge we need, we can then benefit from the Atonement. We “can lay hold upon every good thing” (Moroni 7:20).

The Articles of Faith outline our predicament, and the way to overcome it. They explain whom to trust, and what to do. Jesus sent out ordained ministers to teach and act in His name anciently (see Matt. 10:40), and does so today. “...my words shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (D&C 1:38).

My testimony is that there are properly ordained ministers on earth today. There are Twelve Apostles on the earth today, just as there were anciently in Christ’s Church. Contrary to what some people think, the title of apostle was not scattered and distributed generally like a pamphlet to be picked up. After Judas’ death, the remaining eleven apostles wanted to fill the vacancy in their quorum. They found two men who seemed worthy to fill the post. Instead of saying, “Let’s make them both apostles—everyone should be an apostle,” they chose only one man, Matthias. They were part of an organization created by Jesus, and they were attempting to maintain that organization. It was important to Jesus’ disciples then, and it still is today.

The manifestations of the Spirit that were in the original Church are found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I feel the power of God in all the ordinances conducted in the Church. They are administered under the direction of one who holds the keys here on the earth, as Peter received and held them anciently. Thomas S. Monson holds those keys today. He and the other leadership of the Church will be speaking in General Conference in April. They will probably be teaching old things, building on the foundation established in the scriptures, as well as providing any new direction needed for the Church. I hope we will listen, repent, and follow the counsel and commandments they offer us.

I eagerly anticipate each General Conference because it includes both learning and invitations to act. Just as the Articles of Faith expose the dangerous predicament of our situation, and awaken us to the need to find shelter from the storm, I hope that all who watch and hear the messages at General Conference will do so with a measure of discomfort and anxiousness about their eternal welfare. Instead of viewing Conference as a lullaby or a pat on the back, we should see it as an opportunity to learn how to prepare for the fiery trials awaiting us. (Many daydream and doze during Conference, or skip it altogether, though the speakers are representatives of Jesus. Would we nod off if He were speaking?) It is true this life is a gift to us, but it is also a test, a “probation.” No one was ever put on trial for neglecting what came in a box under a Christmas tree, but we will be held to strict account for every minute of life here on earth. We are in peril, whether we are aware of it or not.

What shall we do? Identify those who are qualified to preach the Gospel and administer its ordinances. Receive these ordinances to get the Holy Ghost; the Holy Ghost will lead us to Christ, and Christ will lead us back to the Father. That is the solution to our predicament.

The last articles of faith, 10 through 13, explain the fruits that come to a community comprised of individuals who are spiritually reborn. The building up of Zion, beneficial worship, righteous leadership, and the panoply of virtues integrated into the soul by spiritual rebirth are all outcomes of knowing who God is, knowing our relationship with Him, and then making the leap of faith to trust His messengers.

Lifting Off Spiritual Plateaus

Elder Glenn L. Pace quoted President Kimball: "We have paused on some plateaus long enough." He then wrote a book about "spiritual plateaus." He indicated three. There is the basement, where we are entangled in grievous sin; there are the foothills of the Temple, the Mountain of the Lord, spiritual high country of miracles and manifestations; and there is that long dull stretch between the two, where we are neither entertaining angels face to face, nor breaking the Ten Commandments. Elder Maxwell calls it “reasonable righteousness;” good enough to attend the Temple, but still in desperate need of improvement.

This level of righteousness seems to stretch before us in an unbroken plain forever. One seminary teacher told us not to be worried if we do not start seeing angels after a few years. These long stretches of ordinary living may be what Nephi referred to when he prayed to “walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road” (2Ne. 4:32). It is easy to be good when there are no trials; we involuntarily “feel after” the Lord when times are rough; what about when things get dull? The vast plain of plain living is actually a step, not an endless savannah or the whole of existence on earth. We can get off the runway, so to speak.

Sometimes coming to the Temple feels like entering the Lord’s living room; other times attending the Temple feels like punching a clock and doing work. Temple work, though glorious, is still work, as Elder Maxwell points out.

How do we get off the plateau, make a quantum jump? While the gospel is challenging to live, it is also mercifully uncomplicated. It is simple. The same principles that pulled us out of the mud of sin onto the plateau of reasonable righteousness will, if we excel at them, also lift us beyond mundane spirituality to greater manifestations.

It is a mistake to think that the commandment that “all men everywhere” repent no longer applies to us, or that humility is for other people, those who need to repent. Those Nephites righteous enough to survive the calamities and destruction were told to offer “a broken heart and a contrite spirit” to their Savior. Regardless of where we are in spiritual progression, we should always be repenting. Perhaps repentance for those who are “reasonably righteous” means giving away little sins (“...little evils do the most injury to the Church” (TPJS, p. 258). For the prophets and very righteous, perhaps it includes keeping one’s heart soft as clay, being prepared for commandments to do unexpected or difficult things. In any case, humility and repentance are universal commands, regardless of how good we are.

Part of getting off the plateau of everyday OKness is the Lord’s decision to lift us to the next level (whatever that may be). “Son, thou shalt be exalted.” Our diligence and faithfulness in this boring stretch of duty determines our qualifications to be advanced to the next level of testing and growth by the Lord. The Lord says, “I am able to make you holy” (D&C 60:7).

What can we do as individuals? I believe that elevating our Sabbath worship will elevate our spirituality. The world provides greater and greater opposition; it is only a law of physics that the righteousness available will increase accordingly. The banquet of teaching and learning by the Holy Spirit on Sundays can, should, and must be on the rise, if for no other reason than that evil is also on the rise in the world. All we hearers need to do is come to our meeting prepared, with our cups turned up in a position to receive what is poured out.

“How vain and trifling have been our spirits, our conferences, our councils, our meetings, our private as well as public conversations—too low, too mean, too vulgar, too condescending for the dignified characters of the called and chosen of God, according to the purposes of His will, from before the foundation of the world!” (TPJS, p. 137).

Meetings, lessons, talks, comments in class, hearing, all these things, are to be “conducted...after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost...whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even so it was done” (Moroni 6:9). What, then, are the symptoms of having the Spirit?

“...the Holy Ghost...has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is...powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge...it is calm and serene...the spirit of pure intelligence...” (TPJS, p. 149-150). This is more than just information we receive—it includes instruction. “A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented to your minds by the Spirit of God will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus” (TPJS, p. 151). “No man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations. The Holy Ghost is a revelator” (TPJS, p. 328).

“What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it upstream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon heads of Latter-day Saints” (D&C 121:33). When the windows of heaven open, what treasures are we expecting to rain down on us? Money? Property? Prestige? Feelings and broad affectations, like shedding tears? What are we supposed to be looking for in sacrament meeting, Sunday school, priesthood and Relief Society meeting?

This life is the time to prepare for eternity, and meetings on Sunday are a part of that. Sabbath worship helps us to keep ourselves “more unspotted from the world” (D&C 59:9-13). But knowledge we gain from the Spirit in Church is also important—it is power in the next life. “A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as evil spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently more power than many men who are on the earth. Hence it needs revelation to assist us, and give us knowledge of the things of God” (TPJS, p. 217). “And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come” (D&C 130:19).

Nephi writes according to plainness about first principles and ordinances of the gospel, yet he laments that we do not ask for revelation to understand what he means: “...I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be” (2Ne. 32:7). Nephi then recommends the cure for our puzzlement about his words—prayer. The things we hear at church are repeated from week to week, month to month. They are “plain as word can be.” Some become weary and complain of the monotony. But we have the privilege of advancing in our comprehension, our understanding of these repeated ideas. Such increases only come by revelation. Just as our spirits give life to our bodies, so the Holy Spirit gives new life to old concepts, principles, and teachings. It teaches us the connections between concepts, forming a gospel lattice in our minds. It updates our understanding to meet our daily needs.

The sacrament uses real bread as an emblem; this updating, growth, and maturation of our understanding of basic gospel principles is our “daily bread,” the sustaining influence that carries us from one week to the next. Excelling at the same old simple principles allows us to learn new ones, and to see the old ones in new light, and grow until we rise off our current plateaus.

“After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost (by the laying on of hands),...then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted” (TPJS, p. 150). A little forward movement is progress; great attempts at forward movement become lift under our wings, and consistent forward movement will become upward progress.

Thousands of meetings can come and go without such a lift. Sincerity, asking, seeking, and knocking, make the difference.

Inviting, Enticing, and Persuading Agents

D&C 121:34-46 is the great instruction on proper priesthood leadership. It is built around deep respect for other people's agency. If we treat others as objects to be acted upon, we lose the Spirit and power of the priesthood. If we treat others as agents who choose and act for themselves, and respect their agency, our souls can expand, and we have the Spirit and power in the priesthood.

Strangely, the main concern here seems to be with the leader’s salvation, rather than the salvation of the one being led. Both are important, but poor shepherding seems to be as dangerous to the shepherd as to the sheep. Bullying has far worse long term psychological effects on the bully than the bullied, according to recent research.

Priesthood authority and power depend upon having the Spirit. When we choose to compel others, coerce, threaten them, or pull rank (“You have to do what I say because I’m in charge...”), the Spirit is grieved, it withdraws, we lose priesthood authority, and we are left to persecute the saints and to fight against God. This all sounds very threatening—that we can become apostates by bullying, abusing authority, or being pushy. Criticizing leaders has been called the high road to apostasy; poor leadership also pushes the leader in that direction. Compel, and lose the Spirit and the priesthood; persuade and love, and gain both eternally.

My first mission president taught me that charity respects agency. The two things are inseparable. If you attempt to coerce, the Spirit withdraws, and so do the gifts of the Spirit, including charity.

Love is magnetic; a leader who loves us and asks us to follow his example is far more effective than a hypocrite who pushes us in a direction without going there himself. Billiard balls may knock each other in any direction beside the one intended. But magnets can attract objects from any direction. Joseph Smith said, “Sectarian priests cry out concerning me, and ask, ‘Why is it this babbler gains so many followers, and retains them?’ I answer, it is because I possess the principle of love” (TPJS, p. 313).

The leadership principles of D&C 121 accommodate the agency of others. Even direct reproof, criticism, is to be checked by the Spirit, and accompanied afterward by love. People can tell whether we are motivated by love for them, or by something else. Is the important thing the project that was messed up or the person working on the project? The way in which we offer reproof is evidence of what has highest priority, the person or the things they are working on.

When love and truth cross paths, truth must ultimately win. But we do not know who will ultimately repent; President Monson has recently admonished us to look at people not as they are, but as they may become. Can we criticize people into heaven? No. If they are obeying because they want to please someone other than God, or if they are motivated by a fear of punishment rather than a love of goodness, then ultimately their good behavior will not avail. Reproof may get us dislodged from a bad behavior pattern, but we cannot expect to ride a wave of guilt through the gates of the celestial kingdom, nor create a tsunami of negative feedback to carry someone else.

God is not ultimately building Temples; he is using Temples, meeting houses, and all the materials connected with them, to create us. We are going to be the finished product when the final judgment is over and all is said and done. Many Temples have been lost or destroyed, but the sanctification, the covenants, and family ties made in them, those things have the capacity to last forever in those who went through those buildings while they stood. So Brigham Young and the saints could abandon the lavish and beautiful Nauvoo Temple to the mob and head into the wilderness because they were taking a bit of the Temple inside themselves.

Temples are like kilns, and eternal families are the bricks baked in them. The worth of one soul is greater than the value of any Temple ever built. If a person defiles a Temple, it is bad; but to defile or drive that person away from repentance through condemning language is worse in the long run. Things, even precious Temples, can be replaced; lost souls cannot. The worth of souls is great in the eyes of God, whether they are repenting or not, and our handling of those under our stewardship should reflect this. People first; projects, tasks, and physical materials second.

Section 121 also indicates that we should have love toward everyone, and to “the household of faith.” Joseph Smith taught that while we should love everyone, there should be something extra in our hearts for the saints, the members of Christ’s Church. "There is a love from God that should be exercised toward those of our faith, who walk uprightly, which is peculiar to itself, but it is without prejudice; it also gives scope to the mind, which enables us to conduct ourselves with greater liberality towards all that are not of our faith, than what they exercise towards one another. These principles approximate nearer to the mind of God, because it is like God, or Godlike" (TPJS, p.147). This is not an invitation to hate sinners. We are to save them with love.

One institute teacher relabeled “the parable of the prodigal son,” “the parable of the indulgent father.” Both sons had an inflamed sense of entitlement; both sons resented the drudgery of their father’s work; one merely acted out on those feelings, while the other pined for similar partying. It is easy for the “good” son to condemn and accuse his wayward brother, but are they so very different? Both of them had inner changes to be made. Both of them murmured against their father. Their father was kind to both, and gathered them with love and care. When one was penitent, no reproof was needed, and he ran to meet him. The other needed reproof, but it was lovingly extended, with a promise of all that his father possessed. He respected the choice of each, and was there to catch them when they stumbled.

It is worth noting that Section 121 came out of a foul dungeon, devoid of sanitation or sufficient food. It contains prophecies about scientific advances in astronomy that have been fulfilled and sublime doctrines regarding the proper use of priesthood. We have these keys to proper priesthood usage because Joseph Smith was faithful to his calling. He forgave the very men who put him into that prison, and asked the Church to reaccept them to fellowship. He lived the principles in the revelations, including Section 121. Nothing can keep God from pouring out knowledge on the heads of the Latter-day Saints. In the Lord’s hands, even a dark, freezing prison meant to shut out light became a vehicle for transmitting it to the world.

Anointing

Yesterday I was reminded of the indelible stains that oil leaves behind on fabric. Aaron’s Temple garments, the resplendent robes describe in Exodus, would have been costly beyond description for the materials and labor needed to create them. The purple dye alone would have required painstaking labor to apply. A vesicle in the body of a certain sea snail would be squeezed on to the fabric, one small drop of dye at a time. Thousands of snails would be sacrificed just to dye a few inches of fabric. Gold, gemstones, even a golden diadem were part of the outfit. But it was incomplete in the Lord’s eyes until after Moses had covered this precious, labor-intensive garment with pure olive oil. “And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office” (Ex. 40:12-13).

Aaron, his priestly robes, and everything else were God’s, so Moses obliged and poured oil on Aaron. But the stains left on my cheap clothing last night were distressingly permanent. I would not want them on my Sunday best.

The names Christ and Messiah mean “The Anointed One.” What is anointing for? What does it symbolize? I will attempt to scratch the surface and give bare-bones answers from the scriptures here. From what I could find after a brief survey of the scriptures, these are the purpose of anointing.

Just as God required Aaron to be anointed to his calling as High Priest of the Tabernacle, so God requires that others be anointed to perform other callings. They are anointed to callings; as if the act itself turned them into the office itself. How does oil figure into receiving a calling?

Those who are called to do works by God receive certificates of authenticity to prove their divine appointments. Moses was told God’s name, and given power to work miracles, all to convince the Israelites that he was indeed called as a prophet to lead them from bondage. Prophets, priests, and kings all want divine sponsorship, and all receive anointing as part of their initiation into their offices (whether they are supported by God or not). When kings and prophets are called, anointing precedes appointment to specific callings. How is oil a stamp of divine sanction?

Oil has calories—9 per gram—and these can be released by human metabolic processes to sustain life. They can also be released by a flame, and instead of sustaining life, they produce light. Both of these were uses of oil anciently. Oil anticipates, prefigures, spiritual equivalents of these functions in God’s messengers.

Oil remains dormant until a flame touches it; then it sparks to life, releasing light and energy. Moses’ face shone with such luster that the terrified Israelites asked him to cover his face with a veil as he acted as a go-between for God and them. They knew he was conversing with God because of the brilliant light emanating from his face. Abinadi also exhibited this light, as did Joseph Smith on many occasions when he taught the saints. These manifestations make the authenticity of their divine callings undeniable. The disciples spent time in Jerusalem, “continually in the temple,” before their missions after Jesus ascended (Luke24:53). All missionaries today first go to the Temple before they serve their missions. “Cloven tongues like as of fire” rested upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost, and they were able to speak in tongues, and their ethnically diverse audience was amazed. “And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” (Acts 2:8). Signs follow true disciples, and light in our countenances is one of them, one that cannot be faked.

Moses was able to detect Satan: “...where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?...I could not look upon God, except his glory should come upon me...But I can look upon thee in the natural man...where is thy glory, for it is darkness unto me?” Moses saw God’s glory, and could discern counterfeits; the Israelites could see that same stamp of glory on Moses.

Anointing not only assigns to specific purposes; it also precludes others. Before a Temple is dedicated, anyone can go inside to tour it; after it is dedicated, only specific people go inside for specific purposes. Likewise, before Aaron was made a High Priest, he could go anywhere, do anything, or say anything. But after he was anointed, he could only do certain things. He was involved in the same dedication as the entire Tabernacle; he was as much a part of the Temple setup as the Laver or the Altar. I used to think HOLINESS TO THE LORD meant “praise God,” or something like that. It means, “This belongs to the Lord,” or, “Consecrated to the Lord.” This phrase was written on the front of the golden crown worn by the High Priest; he was God’s property, and could not participate in the ordinances of the Tabernacle otherwise. Being covered in oil indicated that for the furniture and the High Priest—all things associated with the Tabernacle had to be removed from worldly circulation.

Anointing is also performed for the sick. It is also unto a calling—life or death, but ultimately to resurrection. When Jesus is anointed by Mary Magdalene, the disciples chide her. It was a waste of expensive oil in their eyes, robbing the poor. It may have been ritual misuse of sacred oil meant only for the Temple in their eyes (see Ex. 30:21-33, esp. 33). It may have been a severe breech of mores for a woman to unbind her hair in public (as it still is in most of the Middle East today), tactless of her to wipe a man’s feet with it. It may have seemed politically dangerous, a sign of treason and sedition, to poor oil on a man in public, since that is the main feature of coronation ceremonies (the people ran to meet Jesus upon his entry to Jerusalem, hailing Him as a conquering King). The gospels indicate that this act was the last straw, the thing that tipped Judas over the edge and sent him to the Pharisees to betray Jesus.

Regardless of the motive behind the flurry of consternation stirred up by Mary’s brazen act, Jesus told the distraught witnesses not to panic: “...Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me...For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial” (Matt. 26:10-12). (There may have been a twinge of ironic humor in this statement if the act were perceived as an attempt to replace the Caesar.) In any case, He indicated that this anointing was an appointment to fulfill His mission to die, and to be resurrected, as well as indicating Mary’s roll in preparing Him for burial. Death is inevitable for the sick, whether they are healed first, or succumb to the disease. Resurrection is also a certainty; anointing indicates this for them. Oil is a source of life.

Just as oil creates and fuels physical light and life, so Jesus calls Himself the Light and the Life of the world. Just as oil is the physical intersection for light and life, so the priesthood and the Holy Ghost are the spiritual intersection of light and life. (The sun is also a light source that generates new life.) Jesus is the source of them all, the Creator. Those whom He sends forth are endowed with special gifts, and manifestations flow from them. This manifestations constitute certification of a minister's divine calling. Baptism represents being born into the Church, a new birth; anointing with oil anticipates the moment when we will be baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, the moment when the flame will kindle the fuel already in us. This is not for our benefit or to convince an audience only; this endowment of power allows us to perform our assigned tasks.

Slim Offerings, Generous Awards

Why is Jesus Christ our final judge? Because He has paid our debts. This may sound threatening—to be beholden to someone who swooped down out of nowhere without our consent and snatched up the fallen deposit slip of our sins and assumed ownership of our souls. But His goal is to protect us from justice and provide us with the maximum leniency for sin, and the maximum reward for whatever good we do. Our Attorney for the Defense is also our Judge. How mercifully convenient for us.

It is funny to attempt to see myself from the Lord’s perspective. I often expect great rewards for finally succeeding to keep the commandments I had been neglecting. But should there be an awards ceremony every time I forgive someone for cutting me off in traffic?

Most people do not think of dust as being sentient, conscious, or intelligent. But the scriptures indicate that it is. “O how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth. For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God.” Do sound waves or some other energy emit from God’s mouth and push the dirt around? No, God speaks directly to it, and it exhibits a personality trait, namely, obedience: “...if he say unto the earth—Thou shalt go back...it is done...” “Thou” implies a who, not a what. The dirt has intelligence, and it hears and obeys God’s commands (Hel. 12:7-14).

Does the dirt expect a medal every time it does what it is supposed to? Did the apple that hit Isaac Newton on the head expect a trophy or congratulations for obeying the law of gravity? It seems that all things everywhere that have any intelligence at all are obedient to God—except us. Is it pure love for Him that motivates them? When Jesus was crucified, the whole earth was in upheaval. Kings on the islands of the sea exclaimed, “The God of nature suffers,” because nature itself was reacting to its Creator’s suffering and unjust death. Is that love and a sense of justice being manifest?

While love alone may motivate other intelligences to obey God, we children of God are often more demanding. A deep-seated sense of entitlement seems to motivate us. When we do obey the commandments, from our perspective it can seem like something extraordinary. We can be quite mercenary about it. “I will do such-and-such if You will provide me with this or that.” But from dirt’s perspective, instant and precise obedience to God’s laws is just the way things are, a fact of life. True, we are juggling myriad commandments at once while simultaneously balancing the teacup of patience on our heads, riding the unstable unicycle of a mortal body, sitting on the thumbtack of carnal appetites, and wearing the blindfold of forgetfulness. In the midst of our clumsiness, something is bound to shatter, spill, bounce, or collapse as we attempt to fulfill all that we have been assigned by the Lord. But justice requires a price for anything we break; we are always on probation. When we go five minutes without breaking anything, we are actually just doing what we already ought to be doing, and any blessings we receive are a form of overpayment.

I love this quote from William Tyndale, whose English translation gave us huge swaths of the King James Bible. He personifies the virtue of faith as female: “Faith, when she prayeth, setteth not her good deeds before her, saying, ‘Lord, for my good deeds do this or that’; nor bargaineth with God, saying ‘Lord, grant me this, or do this or that, and I will do this or that for thee.”...But she setteth her infirmities and her lack before her face, and God’s promises, saying, ‘Lord, for thy mercy and truth, which thou hast sworn, be merciful unto me’” (S. Michael Wilcox, Fire in the Bones: William Tyndale—Martyr, Father of the English Bible, p. 101).

“I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting your from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants” (Mosiah 2:21). God already owns all our stuff. We have nothing to bargain with. All we have that He wants is our agency, and if it is given to Him conditionally, with a hostage-taking mentality, are we really giving it to Him? He loves us, and gives everything to us; He wants us to love Him in return, and give ourselves with a similar openness.

What can children offer their parents to pay the debt of giving them life, love, food, shelter, clothes, education, etc.? Nothing. The only thing children could do to come close to repaying their parents is raising their grandkids well, uphold the family reputation through good conduct and productive living, and keep the family name unsoiled.

“Lovest thou me?...Feed my sheep.” Taking care of each other is the only thing we can do that approaches paying our debt, though it actually is a drop in the bucket, totally insufficient to merit anything in a strict legal sense.

The amazing thing is how generous the Lord is towards our paltry offerings. Despite the fact that He does not need our works, He still blesses us generously for obedience. “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say” (D&C 82:10). Think of it—our reward for obedience to the commandments is certain as gravity pulling apples off a tree. Unlike the dust of the earth, we actually get something for our obedience (though sputtering and intermittent it may be). “...he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted to him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?” (Mosiah 2:24). We are unprofitable servants, even when we are obeying Him as well as dirt.

God does not need our contributions. It seems He wants some things from us very much. His joy is in our departure from misery, and our joy: “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). That is a high premium placed on repentance. No wonder the Lord offers missionaries, “And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth! Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people. And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!” (D&C 18:13-15). I assume the same idea applies to Temple work for the dead. When we participate in the rescue of souls, God views that as service to Himself. He deigns to reward those who help save his children, even though we are all indebted to Him no matter what we do.

We are all lost unless the Atonement is applied to our case; ordinances and covenants precede the full application of the Atonement. People must choose to receive covenants and ordinances; missionary work is getting people to receive the Atonement, to expose themselves to its effects.

Who is greatest in the kingdom? It seems to be the people who are least concerned with their ranking. Those who are most worried about their own salvation probably have cause to worry. Those who are worried about the salvation of others are covered by the promise of the Lord to faithful and obedient undershepherds. They are missionaries, parents, teachers, welfare workers, and those who do family history research and Temple work. It is another gospel paradox that as we let go of our death grip on our own needs, and use both hands to reach out to others around us, that we become more secure in the arms of Jesus, less likely to be swept away or lost.

Temple Promises

“Holy Father, we ask thee to assist us...with thy grace...that it may be done to thine honor and to thy divine acceptance...in a manner that we may be found worthy...to secure a fulfillment of the promises which thou hast made unto us, thy people...That thy glory may rest down upon thy people, and upon this thy house, which we now dedicate to thee, that it may be sanctified and consecrated holy, and that thy holy presence may be continually in this house; And that all people who shall enter upon the threshold of the Lord’s house may feel thy power, and feel constrained to acknowledge that thou hast sanctified it, and that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness” (D&C 109:10-13).

It has been too long since my last visit to the Temple. But recently I had this promise confirmed—that upon entering the Temple, I feel the Spirit and power of God that is there. I feel “constrained to acknowledge” that it is His holy place.

Elder Scott’s recent general conference talk encouraged us to seek out our kindred dead and perform ordinances for them, and included the promise, tossed in at the very end of his talk, that the Lord would make us “feel wonderful” when we participate in this process. This is another promise I have collected recently. I was under the impression that my living relatives had scoured all my family lines, that all the work within the last four hundred years was done. But the Church’s new family tree website made it easy for me to find someone who married into my family, and yet had not received any ordinances except being sealed to his spouse. An icon would appear next to each name when ordinances remained to be performed for that individual. I found one brother who married into the family, yet had not had his work completed. I printed off the ordinance request sheet, took it to the Temple, and within twenty four hours I was holding a name card for ordinance work for this man who had hidden without ordinances in my family tree for years. It was delightfully easy for me—I had always gone to the Temple as a patron; now I came as a successful researcher.

While using the family tree program, I also tried to see how far back I could go. I was astonished. Some lines through earls and minor royalty connected to kings and queens, and passed beyond AD to BC. Seventy-nine generations back, I connect with Roman royalty—all of it was there in one contiguous image, and my computer screen became a tiny window into my enormous family heritage. Nero, William the Conqueror, and many other notable figures can count me as a living descendant. Even more impressive are the unsung impoverished pioneer ancestors who gave all to get me into my mountain valley home today. I have luxuries that ancient kings could only dream of. Why do we have all this wealth?

Moses pronounced blessings on each of the tribes before they entered their promised land. Envision the baptismal font with its oxen facing all directions of the compass as you read the following: “And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of (the wild ox): with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh” (Deut. 33:13-17).

We descendants of Joseph are blessed with all this wealth because he was our ancestor, and because we need it in order to perform the work of perfecting the saints, proclaiming the gospel, redeeming the dead—in essence, to gather. Temples, MTCs, meeting houses, transportation, Internet connections, telecommunications facilities of all kinds, printing scriptures and other materials, are all costly, and all are necessary for gathering Israel.

It was strange sitting in the baptistery among the youth. I did not have quite so many gray hairs the last time I was in that sacred place. I looked at them all, reading scriptures and Church magazines, and wondered about how the Lord would cut His work short in righteousness (D&C 109:59) with these people forming a spearhead in the missionary program. Afterward, I dried my hair and dressed to go upstairs for more ordinance work. With the lowered age for missionaries, I knew that many of the brothers and sisters sitting downstairs would soon be upstairs, too.

In D&C 110, the Lord accepts the dedication of the Kirtland Temple (one week after Joseph offers the dedicatory prayer). Then ancient prophets come, and present keys to Joseph. Most mentioned is the appearance of Elijah, who turns the key of sealing over to Joseph Smith, and tells him that the hearts of fathers and children will be turned to one another. Less noted, but just as significantly, Moses also appears to commit keys. He presents “the keys of the gathering of Israel.” This obviously implies missionary work, but there is also a family aspect to it.

An institute teacher told of an experience in which this power played a role. His teenage son had disappeared. Authorities were contacted, friends and family searched everywhere, but no one could locate him. A friend came in the midst of this crisis and gave the institute teacher a blessing. In the blessing, he told him he was the priesthood holder in his family, and commanded him to “gather” his son back home. He got into his car, and drove to a different city. He eventually happened upon his son, who was playing his violin for money on a street corner (and making a substantial salary per hour).

Moses imparted priesthood authority to gather Israel home; our children are part of Israel. Priesthood is more than just for missionary gathering. “When a seal is put upon the father and mother, it secures their posterity, so that they cannot be lost, but will be saved by virtue of the covenant of their father and their mother” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 321). Joseph Smith also taught of three priesthoods, not just Aaronic (3rd) and Melchizedek (1st): “The 2nd Priesthood is Patriarchal authority. Go to and finish the temple, and God will fill it with power, and you will then receive more knowledge concerning this priesthood” (TPJS, p. 323).

Those who honor their covenants and priesthood will have power to gather their families on either side of the veil. We perform priesthood ordinances on behalf of our ancestors; they use the power they are endowed with to gather us, physically and spiritually, to our home. They are empowered to intervene on our behalf. Temple covenants enable all of this.

When Zechariah was praying at the altar of incense in the Old Temple, he undoubtedly prayed for himself first, for his people, and for the world. While he prayed, Gabriel (or Noah, one of his ancestors; see History of the Church 3:386) appeared and announced that he and Elizabeth had been healed of their infertility, and that they would have a child, John, who would baptize the Messiah. His and his wife’s prayer for children was answered in the Temple.

You can count on one hand the things we can take with us from this life into the next. Memories, experience, relationships, priesthood, family, a righteous character—the list is brief. Covenants we have kept will survive the trip from this life into death. The Temple touches them all, and improves everything on the list. We are told to “lay up treasures in heaven.” There are heavenly treasures awaiting us in the Temple, the kind that bless us here and in the next life, if we will only go there and take the time to lay them up.

Semantics

In High School, a girl charged with grading my assignment for me wrote, “Nobody’s perfict” next to something I had said. Her misspelling was instantly redeemed by her magnanimous attitude toward everyone’s flaws. Words are particularly tricky things; it is probably wisdom that prompted the Lord to create the Book of Mormon with a 3000-word vocabulary. Shakespeare employed upward of 100,000, and his great works almost need to be interpreted into modern English for comprehension.

In my experience, those who are antagonistic toward the Church lose the power to express themselves properly within the framework of gospel terminology. One antagonistic investigator referred to “Gadianton raiders.” A girl I met who joined the Church and fell away a short time later spoke of being “set aside” for a calling instead of “set apart.” An early anti-Mormon tract awkwardly trumpeted that Joseph Smith had written on his gold plates everything that religionists had debated during the last several decades. If the gold plates existed at all, Joseph did not write on them, and he was telling the truth. The accuser blended his position and Joseph’s, muddling his own point. On my mission, people would often tell me about my “Book of the Normans, Nortons, Mortons,” etc. Another woman, a less active member in my home ward, showed up one Sunday because she was running for political office. She bore her testimony in an attempt to campaign, and told us how many people she knew “in the Church of Latter-day Saints.” Her lack of familiarity with the semantics exposed hollowness. It is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; those of us who talk about it over the pulpit usually abbreviate it to “The Church;” this woman wanted the votes of the Latter-day Saints, but did not have any significant relationship or familiarity with Jesus Christ, the Latter-day Saints, or with their common accepted terminology. Her attempt to fake it was a painful avalanche of malapropisms. She glowed with pride in her plumage. I ached with embarrassment for her nakedness.

My point is not that we should wait to pounce on spelling or grammar errors, or that petty criticism makes us righteous (according to D&C 121, we should only correct when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and I kept my critiques to myself in each of the instances listed above). I want to point out that our power to be conversant in gospel terms flows partly from having the Holy Ghost with us. Joseph Smith had poor written composition and grammar, but his testimony still shook the earth under his audience’s feet. The most useful of the eight English classes I took in high school and college taught this one lesson: Language can always be improved and refined. The next most useful class taught that at some point in the process of refining, we must publish what we have created, flaws and all. In spite of this weakness in our language, every effort should be made to understand what the words of scriptures mean.

There are words used by Church members that have vernacular, secular meanings, and scriptural meanings. The two have significant overlap, but also have significant differences. For instance, we can feel good pride in our children’s accomplishments, but in the scriptures, pride always has a negative connotation. “Converted” typically refers to someone agreeing with the teachings of the Church, or being convinced and baptized. In the scriptures, however, “convert/ed” refers to being changed by God, modified in our natures and perspectives. Convinced is insufficient; conversion to the Lord keeps us from falling away. Misapplying the vernacular, secular definitions of words to scripture can hinder learning.

Humility is another example of a word that has a vernacular meaning at odds with its scriptural meaning. A speaker at a large YSA home evening activity I attended asked how many of us were humble. I raised my hand sheepishly. He said, “If you said you’re humble, then you’re not humble.” Jesus said, “I am meek and lowly of heart.” Does this mean Jesus wasn’t really meek? No, it means the speaker’s definition of humility is different from the scripture’s definition. It is among the least understood virtues, partly because many people attempt to define humility in such a way that it requires no humility on their part.

I have spent years trying to pin down the essence of scriptural humility as an idea; there are numerous synonyms in the scriptures. Lowly, meek, submissive, soft-hearted, penitent, broken of heart, contrite of spirit, poor in spirit, and many other phrases, all cluster around the same general meaning, but simply replacing one of these words for another still does not capture the essence of the meaning. It is easy to think that we understand a word’s meaning, when we really have only the vaguest concept. (A four year old can tell you what “rhinoceros” means; ask him, or any adult, to define the word “that,” and watch them fumble for clarity.)

By the way, are meekness, a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and humility, each synonyms, or do they capture different parts of the same thing, or are they entirely different entities? The answer may be important, but I don’t know it. Strife and debate were the bread and butter of the Jewish elders Jesus condemned; it is possible to quibble ourselves into a hole. I think of them interchangeably.

It is also possible to put the scriptures on too high of a pedestal, or at least, our interpretations of them. A good example of this was the Salem Witch Trials. “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” The Joseph Smith Translation renders it, “...murderer to live.” Nineteen people died because of imperfect people taking flawed versions of scripture too seriously. The absence of the Spirit is a palpable shadow in this extreme example. There are still large segments of the population who view the Bible as monolithic and flawless, “The inerrant, infallible word of God,” as one preacher vehemently stated.

But imperfect humans using imperfect language can make mistakes; flawed tools in the hands of a master craftsman still produce error. Moroni had no delusions of perfection, even though he was writing scripture: “Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing.” The Lord encourages him, “...if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” The flaws and quirks of their writing became trademarks of authenticity, strong internal evidence for the Book of Mormon. The words themselves may be flawed, but they are all we have to work with.

Sometimes a flaw in language is mistaken for a flaw in religion. “If God is all-powerful, can God make a hotdog so big that He can’t eat it?” This (not made up, actual quote from a book) question demonstrates a flaw in our language, not a flaw in theology. “Can he do something he can’t do?” This is an absurd nonsense question that contradicts itself. It is not profound—it’s dumb. The clunkiness and imprecise capacity of words is helpful if one wants to try to justify rebellion and self-destruction, but until those adversarial traits surface, this kind of nit-picking remains largely ignored.

Joseph Smith wrote “...O Lord God deliver us in thy due time from the little narrow prison almost as it were total darkness of paper pen and Ink and a crooked broken scattered and imperfect Language, I would inform...” Then he crossed out the entire sentence (p. 260, The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, Dean C. Jessee). The constraints of language made him feel like he was trapped in a nutshell—“defy all description” is what he says about the First Vision.

Another thing that can confound attempts at comprehension is the difference between theoretical, black and white, 2D understanding, and experience, the living color, 3D way of knowing. Elder Scott spoke of the difference between his intellectual understanding of the scriptures from his youth, contrasted by his richer, fuller experiential understanding of adulthood. Correct definitions change as we change.

Words are handles for ideas. “Dog” may conjure very different images in two minds; the emotions evoked could range from disgust to phobia to love to the sadness of loss to nostalgia, depending on the hearer’s experiences, beliefs, and perceptions of the species. The LDS Bible dictionary usually gives the literal meaning of proper names (Rachel means “ewe,” etc.). But the meaning of Caleb—dog—is notably absent. Caleb was one of only two people to survive the forty-year purging in the wilderness, a venerable man. Calling a man a dog in our language is dysphemistic, an insult. That may be the reason for omitting the literal meaning from the dictionary (or not). Caleb’s parents apparently thought it was a respectable and proper name for their new baby boy. Two cultures; two opposite connotations. What use are words, then, if one word can evoke such a wide range of reactions and thoughts in an audience?

Here the gospel differs in one important respect from secular learning: The Holy Ghost facilitates learning. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). We are required to apply ourselves, but the Holy Ghost can enlighten our minds, and give us proper mental images and feelings to define terms.

Despite imperfections in language, the Lord is still deadly serious about the gift of His word to us. Every “jot and tittle” will be fulfilled one day.

I wince at some of the commercialization I see of sacred things in the Church. Whether adapted to be cuddly or cutting edge, some warp the gospel to match the contemporary intellectual living room décor. “Behold, I am Alpha and Omega, even Jesus Christ. Wherefore, let all men beware how they take my name in their lips—...Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit...without this, there remaineth condemnation” (D&C 63:60-64). Yes, media cost money; yes, the gospel must be carried to all the earth; yes, it will travel on the back of worldly tools necessarily supported by modern business models. I guess the main yardstick of propriety is the Spirit—“...by the Spirit ye are justified...” (Moses 6:60). If authors and publishers and purveyors feel the still, small voice lend a stamp of approval to their work, then they are in the right way. Otherwise, I want to be somewhere else when they approach the final judgment.

Back to humility. The word most often evokes images of the supposed symptoms of humility—a sullen countenance, slowed gait, slumped shoulders, sagging limbs, self-deprecation, defeatist languages—basically lugubrious passive surrender to gravity. We associate it most with sorrow for sin, and consider that to be the main use of humility—once we are done repenting, we can cast aside the sackcloth and ashes, and go merrily on our way, vacating the mourning bench so others waiting in line can have a turn to wail and lament. Humility is the virtue other people need most, a social cure for the emotional halitosis of pride and unkindness. That’s the common usage; the scriptures define it differently.

Scriptural humility never becomes obsolete. If we are ever exalted, we will possess this virtue in its perfected fullness. Moroni tells us Jesus spoke with him “in plain humility.” A perfect resurrected being. Why do we think we will ever be able to dispense with humility?

I assume humility will always defer to the truth. Coming to Christ involves having our weakness exposed to ourselves, and only the humble will be able to look in the mirror without balking. Only a firm knowledge that God loves us anyway could sustain us through such embarrassment.

Notice that the world’s definition of humble is vague and open-ended. But the scriptures require us to be humble before someone—God. A definition is incomplete until it includes Him.

“God looketh on the heart.” A scriptural definition must include more than the smoke, the symptoms which can be faked. It must include the wax, the wick, and the flame; it must encompass our attitudes, thoughts, feelings, desires, hearts, intentions, the inner world. God knows when we have broken hearts and contrite spirits.

Think about the principles and ordinances of the gospel. Each one presupposes a measure of humility. Just as the sacrifice at the Altar legitimized every other ordinance of the Old Temple, so our penitent and contrite attitude activates the power of the Spirit to make all our covenants valid.

Is sorrow necessary in order to qualify us as humble? No. I recognize scriptural humility has at least two main elements, two threads braided together: 1. Willingness to obey God. 2. Acknowledgment of our weakness and dependence on God. You can have these attributes ensconced in your heart whether you are clicking your heels with joy, or sobbing into your pillow. Usually we associate this kind of thing with unpleasantness, tasks perceived as sacrifices. But we can become willing and hopeful, even in the worst conditions. When Joseph Smith heard of direct Satanic opposition to the missionaries sent to England, he responded with joy because he knew from personal experience that negative opposition precedes epiphanies. The work flourished, and thousands of English converts swelled the ranks of the Church. Baptisms included whole villages; they immediately gathered to Zion without any direct instruction to do so. Faith determines attitudes more than present circumstances, and Joseph’s faith was born of experience.

Willingness and dependence on God form the guts of humility, the parts that cannot be faked. Far from engendering defeatism, these two braided threads form a proactive attitude: “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded (willingness), for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them (dependence on God for help)” (1Ne. 3:7). Usually we quote this scripture with a roll-up-our sleeves mentality. Humility is the furthest thing from our minds, because we are applying our worldly definitions to the scriptures instead of finding their own definitions.

I am still learning, even after all my attempts to put various questions to bed. A new potential definition came to me days ago while pondering humility: “Humility is the willingness to pay the price love exacts (demands, requires) of us.” It is not stated in the scriptures in that direct way, but the essence of this idea is captured in an another oft-quoted scripture we think of as unrelated to humility: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

God and Jesus Christ equate our obedience with love: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). “...Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matt. 22:37-38). God condescends to work with us because He loves us; our obedience is incomplete until it sinks beneath the surface of actions and soaks into our hearts, our love for Him.