In the wake of the cry from a few LDS women to ordain women to the priesthood, many people have laid their cards on the table and expressed their thoughts and feelings. I have had several epiphanies on the subject, some of which were so intertwined with my understanding of the Temple that I do not feel comfortable sharing them. My cousin wrote about the roles of men and women on her blog, and summed up one of the ideas that has distilled upon my mind: women are gatekeepers who bring us from the presence of God into the world; men administer the ordinances that take us from this world back into God’s presence. There are many other details and parallels, but that is the nutshell of my understanding of men’s and women’s respective, distinct roles.
The Larger Picture
Though I feel I grasp the underlying principles well enough to explain why there is no degradation in women not being given the priesthood, I feel that even the most blatant revelation describing the symmetry of the system God has created would be insufficient to touch some of the underlying roots of the outcry.
I read much of the literature published online by the movement to ordain women to the priesthood; nowhere in any of it did I read about personal revelation. Religion without revelation is a farce. Either God is there, and revelation is given from Him, or not. In other words, the clamor reflected priorities and personal lives that revolved around something other than God, or obedience to His will.
Jesus told the befuddled crowd, “…My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34). Difficult, unsavory, and dirty work, Jesus could have added. “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful unto death…Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:34-36). He did not assert any claim that His status absolved Him from carrying the responsibility to atone for our sins; there was no privileged easy path, even for Him. His world revolved around doing His Father’s will, not around a self-image of prominence or sense of entitlement. Can we be happy with following that example?
Jesus knew the burden He would have to shoulder, and talks aloud to Himself about it: “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour” (John 12:27). We cannot bear His burden, and He saved us from our own burdens, including the price of justice if we will repent. But as He reminds Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail when he begins to complain about his deep anguish and misery at being unjustly imprisoned and separated from his family: “…know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below all things. Art thou greater than he? Therefore, hold on thy way…” (D&C 122:7-9). We all have our own assigned burdens; He is our exemplar here, as in all else.
Are we here on earth to have our pride polished? Is the ultimate source of our happiness intended by the Lord to be self-esteem? It brings happiness of a temporary sort to feel our greatness, to get what feels like deserved praise for a job well-done. But this kind of happiness has a short shelf life. It is like makeup that can smear easily, to borrow an image from Elder Maxwell.
There will always be someone with something we lack, who has superiority of some kind or another. Does that truth disqualify us from happiness? It can, if we rely on self-esteem for strength, hope, and fulfillment.
Our assignment in this life is to demonstrate how low we can bow, not how amazing we can seem in public. If we are denied the privilege of preening, where are all the peace, love, and joy supposed to come from? These good feelings come from an increased portion of the Spirit instead.
THAT is the main ingredient missing from the aforementioned movement; the hand of God, direct interaction with the divine.
If we are not careful to keep our hearts orbiting around the will of God, and choose some other object or objective as the target of our affections, we will find ourselves off balance and threatening to fly off into apostasy.
One of Several Red Herrings
Lehi’s dream recorded in the Book of Mormon is instructive. It tells us about the forces that are meant to keep us from coming to Christ, and drive us away from Him after entering the fold. In his dream, he sees a great and spacious building filled with people dressed in beautiful and expensive clothes, and all of them are pointing fingers at and mocking the people at the Tree of Life. The delicious, sweet fruit of the tree represents the love of God. The people eating the fruit have to sacrifice one of two things: either they must sacrifice the fruit, or they must sacrifice the praise or approval of the well-dressed mockers in the building.
This metaphor is a vivid illustration of one of four temptations aimed at Jesus: the lusts of the flesh, popularity, wealth, and power. If our hearts revolve around any of these, we are liable to fall, even to destroy ourselves. Popularity, or the concern for others’ good opinion and praise, is the temptation that dragged some of the people in Lehi’s dream away from the Tree of Life.
Not ordaining women because they are female is anathema, a flagrant violation of current cultural norms and bylaws. As in Lehi’s dream, a gulf separates the righteous from the norms of the world. The gulf between the world and the gospel expectations and standards will only widen with the passage of time. If we worry about the criticism that comes from living within the priesthood hierarchy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or any other tenant of the gospel that does not meet the world’s approval, we will find ourselves like someone holding onto the wharf and the bow of a departing ship: eventually we will have to make up our mind and hold onto one or the other. We cannot have both.
Clinging Versus Holding Fast
The group in Lehi’s dream who fell away after arriving at the Tree of Life and eating the fruit got there by merely “clinging” to the iron rod, or the word of God. It is not enough to casually cling; we must hold fast. None of the group who held fast to the iron rod fell away after reaching the Tree and eating the fruit. In fact, they ignored the mockers and scoffers with their fine apparel and massive architecture: “…we heeded them not…For as many as heeded them, had fallen away” (1Ne. 8:33-34).
Many members of the Church are actively receiving revelation, studying the scriptures, and generally trying to obey the original commandment they heard when they were confirmed to “receive the Holy Ghost.” They have had similar epiphanies to mine about women and the priesthood, and many other potentially difficult questions that come to earnest seekers of truth as they explore the scriptures and the Church.
For one who does not have or keep the Spirit, who does not pray and actively listen to and follow personal revelation, no amount of explanation, however accurate and detailed of why certain things are or must be, will adequately satisfy him or her. (Trying to explain difficult questions to someone offended and teetering on the edge of apostasy is like trying to plug every leak in a rapidly-crumbling dam with one’s fingers; even an octopus could not do it.) To one who thinks that happiness is meant to flow from praise or a sense of entitlement instead of the added portion of the Spirit given to those who are humble, the scriptures will remain a confusing series of contradictions.
Undignified Recipe
How are we to be happy? The prescription is unbearable to most: “…if ye have known of his (God’s) goodness and have tasted of his love (remember the Tree of Life?), and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls (what a relief, forgiveness), even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, (here it comes!) the greatness of God, and your own nothingness (ouch! My pride!), and his goodness and long-suffering towards you (how condescending!), unworthy creatures (that’s just plain rude!), and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility (what about my positive self-image? Isn’t that the key to happiness?), calling on the name of the Lord daily (like I’m going to do that after such an insulting rant against my feelings and self worth!), and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken of by the mouth of the angel (Jesus Christ).” What do we get in exchange for all this self-abuse?
“And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God (the fruit of the Tree of Life!), and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true” (Mosiah 4:11-12). I read that passage for years, but I got so hung up on the “unworthy creatures” bit that I did not recognize a promise of perpetual rejoicing.
Wallowing in self-abusive language is not the key to rejoicing; deferring to the truth, even when it is ugly or inconvenient, allows us to receive a large portion of the Spirit, and THAT fills us with joy. That’s what true humility consists of; deference to the truth (willing obedience to God, acknowledging our helpless dependence on Him, exhibiting faith in Christ as trust through action, etc.) is the main ingredient.
Happiness is not about having an exalted opinion of one’s self, and I believe that great misconception, that conflation of the gospel with the current popular philosophies of the world, lies at the root of all sorts of misdirection and irritation with the Church, its authorities, and the gospel. When we expect happiness to arise out of pleasant internal cognitive processes, all we can swallow is flattery. When we involve a Third Party, the Godhead, suddenly there is potential to break all sorts of ironclad rules, and cheat our way to happiness without letting go of the ugly truths in the mirror (or missing some of the pleasant ones, also part of the truth. Despite our current condition, we are children of God, destined for His presence and becoming like Him.). We can plug into a source of joy not dependent on feeling better than others, or even at least as good as others.
A Decoy of Fulfillment
Even if women were to be ordained just as they requested, those who had requested it would soon find that someone somewhere else had something else they did not possess, and the process of discontent and demanding would begin again. Plugging into a heavenly source of joy means circumventing all that self-entitlement, retiring from the rat race, letting the Joneses keep their yachts and mansions without jealousy, and feasting on the pure source, the sweetest thing of all, the love of God imparted by the Holy Ghost. The greater our humility, faith, and submission, the greater the portion of this Spirit we get; the greater the portion of our joy.
There is not enough prestige and position and authority and praise in all the world to fill the emptiness that comes without the Spirit; with receiving a sufficient portion comes a sense of satisfaction and peace that leaves the people in the great and spacious building baffled, sweating on their treadmills of worldly achievement that ultimately lead nowhere. How can you just sit there when there is so much to do before we can be happy? Easily; I am eating the sweetest of all fruit, the love of God.
(It is worth noting that the love of God is depicted as fruit. Unlike grains and other crops that require plowing, planting, fertilizing, irrigation, harvesting, winnowing, milling, baking, etc., fruit is simply picked and eaten off the vine for free. It is not part of the world's economic structure. All we have to do is get to the point where it is served. Do we earn it or deserve it? No, not really. Is it given away freely? YES, very freely to anyone who can find his or her humble.)
The movement calling for the ordination of women is symptomatic of larger misunderstandings. “And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them” (1Ne. 2:12). A bogus interpretation of the gospel, mingled with the self-esteem philosophies of the world, divorced from personal revelation, is bound to have worse consequences in the end than a fairly dignified and erudite cry to rearrange the plan of salvation. It takes the humility demonstrated by Jesus in submitting to the will of our Father in heaven to swallow all the bitterness we may be assigned and expected to endure in mortality, even if it means being embarrassed about doctrines and practices of the Church in front of our friends, members of the Church or not.
In short, unless we are in constant contact with God via the Holy Ghost we will fall. That is the difference between the five wise and five foolish virgins; the oil in the lamps represents the Spirit (see D&C 45:56-57); those who are wise will be the ones who have done what it takes to receive and keep an added measure.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Poor Wayfaring Men of Contempt
The main undercurrent I detected in this recent General Conference was that we ought to brace ourselves for increases in persecution. This theme cropped up again and again, and I winced (because I hate conflict and strife above almost everything else. I would rather get a root canal than listen to people argue).
I got a taste of it recently.
I was waiting for someone to show up at a restaurant awhile ago, and a man, apparently homeless, was sitting in one of the outdoor chairs. He greeted me by commenting on the music piping through the speakers, proud that he had "lived through" the era from which it came.
While I stood there and waited for someone else, I listened to this man talk. He was a volcano of contempt. He took a stab at Mormons, and then everyone else.
Respect For Agency
D&C 121 contains what I think of as a guide to navigate through the treacherous shoals of others' agency. God holds agency so precious that He will frequently allow mortals to abuse one another rather than intervene. God allows people to harm themselves, too. He expects those who follow him to exhibit similar attitudes (most of the time). Agency is sacrosanct in the plan. Freedom to choose is rule number one in the game of life that He has designed, through which we are passing. (Parents may keep children from running into physical danger; adults managing other accountable adults without invitation are another matter.)
Politics is uncivil now precisely because it is accepted as standard practice to criticize others, and demand that they change their behavior regardless of obtaining their permission to give them orders.
The word "devil" literally means "accuser" (see Rev. 12:10). Jesus gave us the basic rule: Judge not. He qualified the rule in certain circumstances, but when we stray from the basic guidelines, especially those outlined in D&C 121, we immediately lose the Spirit, are under Satan's influence, and begin to exhibit his characteristics. Accusing others (even TRUE accusations) puts us in the role of doing Satan's job for him.
Joseph Smith taught the first members of the Relief Society, "If you do not accuse each other, God will not accuse you. If you have no accuser you will enter heaven, and if you will follow the revelations and instructions which God gives you through me, I will take you into heaven as my back load. If you will not accuse me, I will not accuse you. If you will throw a cloak of charity over my sins, I will over yours—for charity covereth a multitude of sins" (History of the Church, 4:445).
We don't even have to open our mouths in order to lose the Spirit, though:
"...when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man. Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God" (D&C 121:37-38). If we begin to assume the role of compelling people to do the right thing (remember, that was Satan's version of the plan of salvation), we begin to experience all the symptoms of his rebellion. We think of abominable acts as the leading characteristic of evil people; the arguments of Satan during the war in heaven were couched in terms of righteousness, self-righteousness (No sin will be allowed; everybody will be saved; etc.).
D&C 121 protects the would-be critic, as well as the intended target of that criticism. The homeless man who assaulted my ears had at least one thing in common with the shadowy overlords who were oppressing him: they both feel entitled to compel other people to do their bidding, to give orders without consent of the ordered.
Yes, people actually are doing bad things, but the mere fact that we have the truth about them does not qualify us to criticize, or accuse them. Yes, people are doing evil things in high places (and plenty in low ones, too), but that does not license us to police the world and compel people to do the right thing.
The Proper Limits of Criticism
One qualification Jesus gave for examining others' flaws was the mote/beam criteria: If you are doing things that are worse than the infractions committed by the person you intend to critique, repent before you attempt to cure them of their sins. Take the telephone pole out of our own eye before we try to remove the splinters from someone else's.
So the arena of political discourse is a slum ruled over by evil feelings and darkness, because the general rules of conduct fall outside the guidelines provided by the Savior.
One of the most beautiful phrases in the scriptures is "without compulsory means." A nursery rhyme provides an evocative visual:
Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep
And doesn't know where to find them;
Leave them alone and they'll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.
God operates in the same fashion: "All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also..." (D&C 93:30). Occasionally we bump into immovable objects, like the fool who disbelieves in gravity and walks off a cliff; our agency is not being violated, but curtailed by the unavoidable consequences of using it poorly. But for the most part, the wicked, not God, destroy themselves. Those who have made covenants and signed their lives over to Him are more likely to be "chastened" (for education and growth, not for cruelty). There are many things which we see as unacceptable that God views with a more lenient, hands-off eye.
Love Unfeigned and Influence
Anna Leonowens (of King and I fame) had a massive impact on the destiny of the nation of Siam (now Thailand). Many legends have cropped up around her, but the fact remains that the young prince Chulalongkorn she trained became king and abolished the ancient traditions of slavery and compulsory servitude in Siam.
What gave her such great influence? Where did the opportunity come from?
I was not present to witness her experiences, but may I suggest that, perhaps, it came from her willingness to get dressed up and be respectful of other people and their customs. The homeless man who confronted me at the restaurant was embittered by the burden of injustices heaped on US citizens, and the dishonesty that infects our government, as are many, many others in America today. For all his teeth-grinding and vitriol, I fear that this homeless crusader will have very little impact on society. Why? Because he is unwilling to play the game; even to take a bath. How can he sway people or change public opinion if drives people off? If he is not like the people he wants to change, or at least actively exuding love toward them, who will listen to him?
Ammon understood that argument would be fruitless in his missionary labors to the Lamanites—he determined to win their hearts first, THEN preach to them; getting his toe through the door, winning their stubborn hearts, was the beginning of radical political swings in Nephite/Lamanite relationships, and the war chapters hinge on the outcome of his parlay, the truths they accepted from him. Love, not knowledge, was the key to persuading them; the olive branch, not the sword, let him succeed.
Nothing gives us such immense influence over others as unabashed love toward them.
Getting It Right
Before we are allowed to criticize anyone, we must first receive the ACTIVE promptings of the Holy Ghost to do so (no just the absence of being forbidden to do so):
"Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
"That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.
"Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
"The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever" (D&C 121:43-46).
A good rule of thumb might be: If you don't follow up criticism with an outpouring of love, it probably wasn't inspired.
Our contempt for sin will not do nearly as much to save others as our love for sinners, and our sincere desire to get them to Jesus, who can actually remove sin from their hearts. The only way to destroy evil is to convert it and turn it to good; killing sinners (or even merely criticizing them) just sends them to a different address.
I got a taste of it recently.
I was waiting for someone to show up at a restaurant awhile ago, and a man, apparently homeless, was sitting in one of the outdoor chairs. He greeted me by commenting on the music piping through the speakers, proud that he had "lived through" the era from which it came.
While I stood there and waited for someone else, I listened to this man talk. He was a volcano of contempt. He took a stab at Mormons, and then everyone else.
Respect For Agency
D&C 121 contains what I think of as a guide to navigate through the treacherous shoals of others' agency. God holds agency so precious that He will frequently allow mortals to abuse one another rather than intervene. God allows people to harm themselves, too. He expects those who follow him to exhibit similar attitudes (most of the time). Agency is sacrosanct in the plan. Freedom to choose is rule number one in the game of life that He has designed, through which we are passing. (Parents may keep children from running into physical danger; adults managing other accountable adults without invitation are another matter.)
Politics is uncivil now precisely because it is accepted as standard practice to criticize others, and demand that they change their behavior regardless of obtaining their permission to give them orders.
The word "devil" literally means "accuser" (see Rev. 12:10). Jesus gave us the basic rule: Judge not. He qualified the rule in certain circumstances, but when we stray from the basic guidelines, especially those outlined in D&C 121, we immediately lose the Spirit, are under Satan's influence, and begin to exhibit his characteristics. Accusing others (even TRUE accusations) puts us in the role of doing Satan's job for him.
Joseph Smith taught the first members of the Relief Society, "If you do not accuse each other, God will not accuse you. If you have no accuser you will enter heaven, and if you will follow the revelations and instructions which God gives you through me, I will take you into heaven as my back load. If you will not accuse me, I will not accuse you. If you will throw a cloak of charity over my sins, I will over yours—for charity covereth a multitude of sins" (History of the Church, 4:445).
We don't even have to open our mouths in order to lose the Spirit, though:
"...when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man. Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God" (D&C 121:37-38). If we begin to assume the role of compelling people to do the right thing (remember, that was Satan's version of the plan of salvation), we begin to experience all the symptoms of his rebellion. We think of abominable acts as the leading characteristic of evil people; the arguments of Satan during the war in heaven were couched in terms of righteousness, self-righteousness (No sin will be allowed; everybody will be saved; etc.).
D&C 121 protects the would-be critic, as well as the intended target of that criticism. The homeless man who assaulted my ears had at least one thing in common with the shadowy overlords who were oppressing him: they both feel entitled to compel other people to do their bidding, to give orders without consent of the ordered.
Yes, people actually are doing bad things, but the mere fact that we have the truth about them does not qualify us to criticize, or accuse them. Yes, people are doing evil things in high places (and plenty in low ones, too), but that does not license us to police the world and compel people to do the right thing.
The Proper Limits of Criticism
One qualification Jesus gave for examining others' flaws was the mote/beam criteria: If you are doing things that are worse than the infractions committed by the person you intend to critique, repent before you attempt to cure them of their sins. Take the telephone pole out of our own eye before we try to remove the splinters from someone else's.
So the arena of political discourse is a slum ruled over by evil feelings and darkness, because the general rules of conduct fall outside the guidelines provided by the Savior.
One of the most beautiful phrases in the scriptures is "without compulsory means." A nursery rhyme provides an evocative visual:
Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep
And doesn't know where to find them;
Leave them alone and they'll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.
God operates in the same fashion: "All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also..." (D&C 93:30). Occasionally we bump into immovable objects, like the fool who disbelieves in gravity and walks off a cliff; our agency is not being violated, but curtailed by the unavoidable consequences of using it poorly. But for the most part, the wicked, not God, destroy themselves. Those who have made covenants and signed their lives over to Him are more likely to be "chastened" (for education and growth, not for cruelty). There are many things which we see as unacceptable that God views with a more lenient, hands-off eye.
Love Unfeigned and Influence
Anna Leonowens (of King and I fame) had a massive impact on the destiny of the nation of Siam (now Thailand). Many legends have cropped up around her, but the fact remains that the young prince Chulalongkorn she trained became king and abolished the ancient traditions of slavery and compulsory servitude in Siam.
What gave her such great influence? Where did the opportunity come from?
I was not present to witness her experiences, but may I suggest that, perhaps, it came from her willingness to get dressed up and be respectful of other people and their customs. The homeless man who confronted me at the restaurant was embittered by the burden of injustices heaped on US citizens, and the dishonesty that infects our government, as are many, many others in America today. For all his teeth-grinding and vitriol, I fear that this homeless crusader will have very little impact on society. Why? Because he is unwilling to play the game; even to take a bath. How can he sway people or change public opinion if drives people off? If he is not like the people he wants to change, or at least actively exuding love toward them, who will listen to him?
Ammon understood that argument would be fruitless in his missionary labors to the Lamanites—he determined to win their hearts first, THEN preach to them; getting his toe through the door, winning their stubborn hearts, was the beginning of radical political swings in Nephite/Lamanite relationships, and the war chapters hinge on the outcome of his parlay, the truths they accepted from him. Love, not knowledge, was the key to persuading them; the olive branch, not the sword, let him succeed.
Nothing gives us such immense influence over others as unabashed love toward them.
Getting It Right
Before we are allowed to criticize anyone, we must first receive the ACTIVE promptings of the Holy Ghost to do so (no just the absence of being forbidden to do so):
"Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
"That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.
"Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
"The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever" (D&C 121:43-46).
A good rule of thumb might be: If you don't follow up criticism with an outpouring of love, it probably wasn't inspired.
Our contempt for sin will not do nearly as much to save others as our love for sinners, and our sincere desire to get them to Jesus, who can actually remove sin from their hearts. The only way to destroy evil is to convert it and turn it to good; killing sinners (or even merely criticizing them) just sends them to a different address.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Thoughts About the Mechanics of the Atonement
"For the mystery of godliness, how great it is!" (D&C 19:10). One of the mysteries is the Atonement. This is no idle question; everything hangs on understanding and applying it.
I would like to take a stab at a question that various people have scratched their heads at and gone on with the umbrella statement that there are certain things we don’t know: What caused the pain of the Atonement?
Why the Atonement had to happen is fairly easy to grasp; economic metaphors, the three dimensional learning devices nature of animal sacrifice and ordinances, and other scriptural teaching devices help us to understand our accountability and our need for someone to help us out of the hole we have dug for ourselves. But many parts are not so easy to grasp; the questions of how the Atonement was worked out defy mortal comprehension—they all terminate in superlatives.
Source of Joy
Joseph Smith spoke of the First Vision in terms of light. As soon as the light appeared, Satan left him. One account of the First Vision said that he expected the light to start the surrounding forest on fire. He also wrote that for many days afterward, the experience filled him with great love and joy.
He said in one account of the experience, "A pillar of fire appeared above my head; which presently rested down upon me, and filled me with unspeakable joy" (Joseph Smith's First Vision, by Milton V. Backman Jr., p. 159)
What few snippets of quotation we get from the Lord during that vision have little to do with love or joy. Jesus expresses His displeasure with the corrupt preachers and the general sinful activities of the inhabitants of the earth, telling Joseph that He plans on destroying the whole lot at the Second Coming. This is dire; why did the encounter with God and the Son fill him with such great love and joy? We can derive at least one reason from the account: Because of the light they radiated—Joseph got to "enjoy" (D&C 130:2 says) eternal glory for a brief moment while in mortality, not just with a spirit body, but with a physical body at the same time as well. He got a taste of the celestial kingdom during his mortal probation, and the memory probably carried him through a life that would have shattered a man not so fortified.
D&C 88 teaches that when we fulfill the measure of our creation (whatever activities that may include) we are given a portion of glory, glory that has a celestial quality. We do not receive a fullness until after we are resurrected, but we are plugged into a celestial circuit, so to speak, anyway. Performing, or even diligently attempting or sincerely intending ("willing," the sacrament prayer says) to perform one’s work brings the Spirit; the Spirit empowers us to complete our work. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me…" (Isa. 61:1). Isaiah then lists the duties, a job description, of the Messiah. That is the general idea behind anointing; we are assigned a certain task, and when we are anointed, the Spirit comes upon us to a great enough degree to allow us to accomplish our duties. So grace is delivered by the Spirit; the Spirit is received in what the scriptures call "portions," which can increase or decrease in size. The bigger the portion, the greater the grace.
Even if we are not receiving a portion of the Spirit that is great enough to be plainly visible, viz. Joseph Smith during the First Vision, we are still able to receive enough that it imparts peace, love, and joy, as well as power in the priesthood, and activating other spiritual gifts.
Source of Pain
Hell has been described and envisioned as a burning pit of sulfur, but that is only true in a metaphorical, poetic sense. The clinical description, "outer darkness," gives the true essence of what hell is: the complete absence of light. Just as the Spirit quickens and invigorates, so its absence is all that is required for life and matter itself to unravel. To destroy the universe would be an act of omission, not commission, for God; simply withdraw His sustaining influence, and everything would disintegrate. The maelstrom of chaos is the forwarding address of hell. By contrast, God dwells in everlasting burnings: “[The angels] reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord” (D&C 130:7). And if we can make it back into His presence with a celestial, resurrected body, we will have a fullness of His joy.
In D&C 19:20, Jesus warns, "Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit." Earlier in section 19, he is describing His Atonement; in other words, the sustaining light of God was deliberately and completely withdrawn from Him during the Atonement. He experienced outer darkness while on earth in mortality.
Alma the younger had a similar experience. But while Alma was in his coma, what was he suffering for? He was incapable of atoning for his own sins; why would the loving Savior put him through hell? 3Ne. 9:20 tells us that those who come to Christ with broken hearts and contrite spirits will be born again, baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost. As the sustaining light was withdrawn from him, Alma's heart and spirit were being broken ("punctured" is the literal translation of "contrite" from Old Testament Hebrew) to the point that he could experience the mighty change of heart. Jesus’ suffering already paid for all sin; the point of punishment, here or hereafter, is to humble us so we can be reborn and rid of the DESIRE to sin, sinfulness. It may satisfy justice to a degree, but not enough to merit any joy by it. We cannot pay our own way; we spend our ability to do so when we sin, a catch-22. Those who are penniless and in debt are unable to pay their debts.
Jesus took our names, our identities, ergo our punishments, onto Himself in the Garden and on the Cross. The punishment for sin is the loss of the light, the Spirit. We try to take His name, his reputation, and identity, upon ourselves. This means we get to enjoy some of His powers and privileges, including always having His Spirit to be with us (see Isa. 61:1). As He suffers the punishments we earned, we experience the peace, love, joy, and power He deserved, and lost for our sakes when atoning for sin (see Isa. 53). He dies; we live. He suffers; we feel comfort. He is injured; we are healed. It is a reflexive symmetry of opposite poles, pluses for minuses, and ups for downs.
Even if the light of God does not completely withdraw when we sin, we still lose it in such a way that we feel sorrow, discontent, perhaps even anger. We are exposed more to the attacks and temptations of the adversary when the Spirit withdraws. Our spiritual gifts and sensitivity decline. We are getting a little taste of hell.
The Importance of Bodies
We receive the Spirit, the light, according to obedience, and lose it according to disobedience. Disobedience makes us subject to Satan, and he uses what light we are still receiving to warm his hands, drawing light off from us, when we sin. This is why the evil legion wanted to be sent into the 2000 Gadarene swine—they wanted to enjoy a particular property of a physical body; its enhanced ability to pick up, absorb, receive, that greater light. In this sense, the body acts like a satellite dish or antenna, absorbing a greater portion of the light than a spirit body alone can absorb. D&C 93 calls the elements the "tabernacle" of God; that spirit and element inseparably combined receive a fullness of joy.
Is this the reason those with bodies have more power than those without? The reason why the absence of a physical body seems to be bondage? The reason why addictions are easier to overcome during mortality? Because a body can receive more of that light which eminates from the presence of God and "fills the immensity of space" (D&C 88:)? I believe it is. We talk about the importance of having a body to procreate, and the range of other physical experiences it allows us to have in mortality; this is true, but are these physical abilities conferred by a physical body the main reason it allows us to have "a fulness of joy"? Ironically, the joy-enabling power of the physical body is, ultimately, spiritual.
Spirits in the presence of God are unable to have a fullness of joy because they lack bodies, and cannot pick up as much of the light in which they are basking; we here on earth with physical bodies are unable to have a fullness of joy because we are not in His presence, enjoying immortal glory. It is not just being in His enjoyable company that makes heaven a desirable home; it is basking in the glory He radiates that makes heaven heavenly. Jesus was the main focus of the Nephites when He arrived, not the miracles or anything else desirable. He was a light source to them, and they looked on Him with longing. "And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy." Notice the last word—"enjoy." Not simply "possess," "have," or "get"; ENJOY. It's more than Whom we get to be with that brings greater joy in heaven; it's a physical force that they radiate.
The power of the Atonement is delivered to our hearts and minds by the Spirit; we receive a portion of the Spirit proportional to our humility. We are changed by the Atonement, but into what? We are not just having sin removed, or any desires instilled; we are receiving the nature of Christ, bit by bit. The fruits of the Spirit are peace, love, joy, and power; it is a foretaste of heaven. And losing it is a diluted taste of hell. That is what Jesus experienced on our behalf, so that we would not have to, if we would just repent, believe, and receive all He has.
I would like to take a stab at a question that various people have scratched their heads at and gone on with the umbrella statement that there are certain things we don’t know: What caused the pain of the Atonement?
Why the Atonement had to happen is fairly easy to grasp; economic metaphors, the three dimensional learning devices nature of animal sacrifice and ordinances, and other scriptural teaching devices help us to understand our accountability and our need for someone to help us out of the hole we have dug for ourselves. But many parts are not so easy to grasp; the questions of how the Atonement was worked out defy mortal comprehension—they all terminate in superlatives.
Source of Joy
Joseph Smith spoke of the First Vision in terms of light. As soon as the light appeared, Satan left him. One account of the First Vision said that he expected the light to start the surrounding forest on fire. He also wrote that for many days afterward, the experience filled him with great love and joy.
He said in one account of the experience, "A pillar of fire appeared above my head; which presently rested down upon me, and filled me with unspeakable joy" (Joseph Smith's First Vision, by Milton V. Backman Jr., p. 159)
What few snippets of quotation we get from the Lord during that vision have little to do with love or joy. Jesus expresses His displeasure with the corrupt preachers and the general sinful activities of the inhabitants of the earth, telling Joseph that He plans on destroying the whole lot at the Second Coming. This is dire; why did the encounter with God and the Son fill him with such great love and joy? We can derive at least one reason from the account: Because of the light they radiated—Joseph got to "enjoy" (D&C 130:2 says) eternal glory for a brief moment while in mortality, not just with a spirit body, but with a physical body at the same time as well. He got a taste of the celestial kingdom during his mortal probation, and the memory probably carried him through a life that would have shattered a man not so fortified.
D&C 88 teaches that when we fulfill the measure of our creation (whatever activities that may include) we are given a portion of glory, glory that has a celestial quality. We do not receive a fullness until after we are resurrected, but we are plugged into a celestial circuit, so to speak, anyway. Performing, or even diligently attempting or sincerely intending ("willing," the sacrament prayer says) to perform one’s work brings the Spirit; the Spirit empowers us to complete our work. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me…" (Isa. 61:1). Isaiah then lists the duties, a job description, of the Messiah. That is the general idea behind anointing; we are assigned a certain task, and when we are anointed, the Spirit comes upon us to a great enough degree to allow us to accomplish our duties. So grace is delivered by the Spirit; the Spirit is received in what the scriptures call "portions," which can increase or decrease in size. The bigger the portion, the greater the grace.
Even if we are not receiving a portion of the Spirit that is great enough to be plainly visible, viz. Joseph Smith during the First Vision, we are still able to receive enough that it imparts peace, love, and joy, as well as power in the priesthood, and activating other spiritual gifts.
Source of Pain
Hell has been described and envisioned as a burning pit of sulfur, but that is only true in a metaphorical, poetic sense. The clinical description, "outer darkness," gives the true essence of what hell is: the complete absence of light. Just as the Spirit quickens and invigorates, so its absence is all that is required for life and matter itself to unravel. To destroy the universe would be an act of omission, not commission, for God; simply withdraw His sustaining influence, and everything would disintegrate. The maelstrom of chaos is the forwarding address of hell. By contrast, God dwells in everlasting burnings: “[The angels] reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord” (D&C 130:7). And if we can make it back into His presence with a celestial, resurrected body, we will have a fullness of His joy.
In D&C 19:20, Jesus warns, "Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit." Earlier in section 19, he is describing His Atonement; in other words, the sustaining light of God was deliberately and completely withdrawn from Him during the Atonement. He experienced outer darkness while on earth in mortality.
Alma the younger had a similar experience. But while Alma was in his coma, what was he suffering for? He was incapable of atoning for his own sins; why would the loving Savior put him through hell? 3Ne. 9:20 tells us that those who come to Christ with broken hearts and contrite spirits will be born again, baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost. As the sustaining light was withdrawn from him, Alma's heart and spirit were being broken ("punctured" is the literal translation of "contrite" from Old Testament Hebrew) to the point that he could experience the mighty change of heart. Jesus’ suffering already paid for all sin; the point of punishment, here or hereafter, is to humble us so we can be reborn and rid of the DESIRE to sin, sinfulness. It may satisfy justice to a degree, but not enough to merit any joy by it. We cannot pay our own way; we spend our ability to do so when we sin, a catch-22. Those who are penniless and in debt are unable to pay their debts.
Jesus took our names, our identities, ergo our punishments, onto Himself in the Garden and on the Cross. The punishment for sin is the loss of the light, the Spirit. We try to take His name, his reputation, and identity, upon ourselves. This means we get to enjoy some of His powers and privileges, including always having His Spirit to be with us (see Isa. 61:1). As He suffers the punishments we earned, we experience the peace, love, joy, and power He deserved, and lost for our sakes when atoning for sin (see Isa. 53). He dies; we live. He suffers; we feel comfort. He is injured; we are healed. It is a reflexive symmetry of opposite poles, pluses for minuses, and ups for downs.
Even if the light of God does not completely withdraw when we sin, we still lose it in such a way that we feel sorrow, discontent, perhaps even anger. We are exposed more to the attacks and temptations of the adversary when the Spirit withdraws. Our spiritual gifts and sensitivity decline. We are getting a little taste of hell.
The Importance of Bodies
We receive the Spirit, the light, according to obedience, and lose it according to disobedience. Disobedience makes us subject to Satan, and he uses what light we are still receiving to warm his hands, drawing light off from us, when we sin. This is why the evil legion wanted to be sent into the 2000 Gadarene swine—they wanted to enjoy a particular property of a physical body; its enhanced ability to pick up, absorb, receive, that greater light. In this sense, the body acts like a satellite dish or antenna, absorbing a greater portion of the light than a spirit body alone can absorb. D&C 93 calls the elements the "tabernacle" of God; that spirit and element inseparably combined receive a fullness of joy.
Is this the reason those with bodies have more power than those without? The reason why the absence of a physical body seems to be bondage? The reason why addictions are easier to overcome during mortality? Because a body can receive more of that light which eminates from the presence of God and "fills the immensity of space" (D&C 88:)? I believe it is. We talk about the importance of having a body to procreate, and the range of other physical experiences it allows us to have in mortality; this is true, but are these physical abilities conferred by a physical body the main reason it allows us to have "a fulness of joy"? Ironically, the joy-enabling power of the physical body is, ultimately, spiritual.
Spirits in the presence of God are unable to have a fullness of joy because they lack bodies, and cannot pick up as much of the light in which they are basking; we here on earth with physical bodies are unable to have a fullness of joy because we are not in His presence, enjoying immortal glory. It is not just being in His enjoyable company that makes heaven a desirable home; it is basking in the glory He radiates that makes heaven heavenly. Jesus was the main focus of the Nephites when He arrived, not the miracles or anything else desirable. He was a light source to them, and they looked on Him with longing. "And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy." Notice the last word—"enjoy." Not simply "possess," "have," or "get"; ENJOY. It's more than Whom we get to be with that brings greater joy in heaven; it's a physical force that they radiate.
The power of the Atonement is delivered to our hearts and minds by the Spirit; we receive a portion of the Spirit proportional to our humility. We are changed by the Atonement, but into what? We are not just having sin removed, or any desires instilled; we are receiving the nature of Christ, bit by bit. The fruits of the Spirit are peace, love, joy, and power; it is a foretaste of heaven. And losing it is a diluted taste of hell. That is what Jesus experienced on our behalf, so that we would not have to, if we would just repent, believe, and receive all He has.
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