Archive for the 'Deeper Doctrine' Category
Posted on 5/30/2010 at 5:09:58 PM
My dear friend …
I would like to begin by thanking you once again for sharing with me the news of your plans to marry. … I, like others, have been able to feel of your special spirit in the short times we have spent together, have enjoyed your love of life, and have been impressed with your desire to serve God, I have little doubt that it was recognizing these qualities in you that attracted your fiance to you. …
Many people will try to give you suggestions, and will share their wisdom or worries. I very rarely presume to give such advice to anyone. I still have a great deal of experience to gain in so many areas, and I know that any answer a person gains by themselves is far more convincing than one I could ever give them. Yet I know that as a fellow child of God, a brother in spirit, and a Priesthood holder, that I sometimes have an obligation to share what I know or feel if it might be of help.
I realize that over the next few months much of your time is going to be taken up in the process of courting and readying yourself for marriage. It can be an exciting time, and it may be a very busy one. Although I hope we can meet up sometime soon I am not certain we will have that opportunity, or that we will have the time necessary – if we do – for me to share so many of the questions I have hoped to ask you, and have wanted to hear your views and feelings on. So I would like to take this chance, if I can ask for some of your time and patience, to share with you some thoughts and questions that may be the most important ones for you to ask yourself at this point of your life.
We share so many views and ideals in common. We are both trying to serve our heavenly Father, we both have a love for the Gospel, and a commitment to try to live all of it. It is a rare thing in this world to have such an outlook, and to set our courses in such a direction. We are both trying to reach the same heavenly goals, and none of us wants an easier or lesser glory.
Although we share the same intent, we are, however, approaching this goal from slightly different angles. Some believe that all of us will eventually join up along the highway that leads to the fulfillment of our hopes and that although the road we take may be a little different that they will all end up in the same place. I am no cartographer, I cannot tell you whether all roads in the world lead to Rome or Salt Lake City or Independence, Missouri – although I doubt that all roads do. But I am a student of the Scriptures and I know that the directions they give to heaven are through a strait and narrow path that few find, and can only be entered into through the right gate.
The scriptures tell us that the gate through which we make it onto that path is Priesthood authority. You and I both believe in the need for Priesthood and in the power of the Priesthood. It was by Priesthood authority that the worlds were organized, that the Council in heaven was convened and God’s plan proposed, and by Priesthood that the plan has been carried out. Without Priesthood anything we do in this life will last only in this life, because only God’s authority lasts into the eternity, whilst earthly authority is only temporary.
“He that is ordained of me shall come in at the gate and be ordained”
“Everything that is in the world, … that are not by me or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead,”
Posted on 2/7/2010 at 9:13:31 AM
Who is this controversial character?
Of all the characters mentioned in scripture, no other figure has had so much mystery surrounding his identity than the “One Mighty and Strong” spoken of in Section 85 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Indeed a statement issued on behalf of the First Presidency stated that:
- “Perhaps no other passage in the revelations of the Lord, in this dispensation, has given rise to so much speculation as this one.”
Because of this we may all too easily ignore the importance of this section and fail to see its relevance. Yet, because of the controversy which surrounds it, it is all the more important for us to gain a correct understanding of this person and events it is referring to.
In Section 85 we find what may be one of the most important prophecies ever made by Joseph. It is up to us to study it carefully and we must watch to be ready for the events that await us, for if we are unprepared we will not be able to meet the challenges that are coming.
We don’t need to delve too deeply, or search for obscure quotes to find additional information that clarifies what is being said, the scriptures and Church history available to most of us provide us with a sufficient answer. Let us begin by quoting the most disputed portion of it:
- 6 Yea, thus saith the still small voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things, and often times it maketh my bones to quake while it maketh manifest, saying:
- 7 And it shall come to pass that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong, holding the sceptre of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering, whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words; while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth, to set in order the house of God, and to arrange by lot the inheritances of the saints whose names are found, and the names of their fathers, and of their children, enrolled in the book of the law of God;
The most obvious question we would begin by asking is, “who is the One Mighty and Strong?” There have been many different interpretations on this matter, and no shortage of people claiming that title for themselves.
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Posted on 10/13/2009 at 10:52:59 AM
Inasmuch as the saints in Utah consider it moral, virtuous, and scriptural, to practice the plurality system, they should seek by every means to eradicate, not only from their own minds, but from the minds of their children, every erroneous improper prejudice which they have formerly imbibed, by their associations with the nations of modern Christendom. Parents who have daughters should seek to instill into their minds, that it is just as honorable for them to be united in marriage to a good man who is already a husband, as to one that is single: they should be taught to reject the society and proposals for marriage of all wicked men, whether single or not. A father should be impartial to all his children, and cultivate the same love for them all; while each wife should instill into the minds of her own children the necessity of loving the children of each of the others, as brothers and sisters. Each wife should not only care for the welfare of her husband and her own children, but should also seek the happiness of each of his other wives and children. And likewise, the children of each wife should not only represent, honor, and love their own mother, but also the mothers of all their brothers and sisters. By observing these precepts, peace and tranquility will reign throughout every department of the family, and the spirit of God will flow freely from heart to heart. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on 10/13/2009 at 8:28:23 AM
Mosiah Hancock related the following dream:
When about twenty-one years of age, I was permitted by the power of God, to go into His presence and into my former abode. I saw the Eternal Father on His throne and His wives on His left side, [I have no idea of their number,](1) all shining in glory, I saw the Savior and knew Him. It takes the power of the Holy Ghost to tell the difference between the Father and the Son, they look so much alike. Jesus said: “Mosiah, I have brought you here to show you how it was before you went to the earth.” I had been to the earth; everything looked so natural and familiar. I seemed to have been a companion of the Savior and talked with him like a friend. Again, He spoke to me and said: “Look and see man as he came forth.” I looked in the direction indicated and saw an innumerable line of God’s children extending further than I could see. They were arranged in pairs, male and female, and passed in front of the Eternal Father who named them; and they were clad in long white robes with girdles tied around their waists; each pair seemed to have been created mates. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on 12/20/2008 at 8:49:02 AM
Judging the 1886 Meeting
Tens of thousands of Mormon Fundamentalists believe that in 1886 Joseph Smith came to John Taylor and instructed him to set apart a group of men to keep alive plural marriage even when the Church should reject that principle.
Just like the visitation of God to Joseph Smith there were no visual means to record what happened, and although – like the visit of Moroni to show the gold plates – there were witnesses, they also didn’t record it or share what had happened until after the event, as is the case with many of the greatest scriptural and spiritual events.
However, this does not mean that there are no indications of the truthfulness of what went on at that time. God has given us principles by which to judge the truth, history gives us precedents so we can see what is possible, and Prophets foretell the future, so that when it comes to pass we can know it is from God. Using these tools we can judge what someone claims, to see if it contradicts principle, follows precedent, and fulfills prophecy. By seeking the Spirit as we study we can also obtain a divine confirmation.
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Posted on 12/17/2008 at 3:19:24 PM
It has become a common belief amongst many Latter-day Saints that the atonement of Jesus extends to other earths like ours. This teaching is common in wards throughout the world, and is mentioned in books about the Savior by several by modern Mormon authors. But is this a revealed doctrine or just a popular theory, and what have the scriptures and prophets had to say on this subject?
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Posted on 12/7/2008 at 1:15:28 PM
Brigham Young gave over 30 sermons on Adam, in a period of 25 years. As he never gave all of the details of what he believed in one single sermon, this is an attempt to compile all of his unique teachings into one text, as if he were explaining it from begging to end.
All of the words come from Brigham Young. The quotes used are uninterrupted, except in a few instances in which he went on to another aspect of this subject in mid-sentence. References are given throughout, so that a reader can compare it to the original account, and see for themselves that Brother Brigham did indeed clearly and repeatedly teach this same doctrine, in all of its aspects, and on several occasions.
President Brigham Young, 1852-1877
from the Journal of Discourses & Manuscript Addresses
Now, let all who may hear these doctrines, pause before they make light of them, or treat them with indifference, for they will prove their salvation or damnation. It will be a curse to many of the elders of Israel because of their folly with regard to it.”
Adam’s birth & mortal life
When you tell me that father Adam was made as we make adobes from the earth, you tell me what I deem an idle tale. When you tell me that the beasts of the field were produced in that manner, you are speaking idle words devoid of meaning. There is no such thing in all the eternities where the Gods dwell.
Did the Lord put into him his spirit? Yes, as the Lord put into you your spirit, he was begotten of a father, and brought forth as you and I were; He was made just the same way you and I are made, but on another earth. … He had lived on an earth similar to ours.
Though we have it in history that our father Adam was made of the dust of this earth, and that he knew nothing about his God previous to being made here, yet it is not so; … Adam was made from the dust of an earth, but not from the dust of this earth.”
He was made of the dust of the earth where he lived, where he honored his calling, believed in his Saviour, or Elder Brother, … He had been with the his Lord and had lived with him upon an earth like this and had been faithful and overcome, … and was well acquainted with the Lord and was one of his ‘mess mates.’
He had received the Priesthood and the keys thereof, and had been faithful in all things He did abide his creation, and did honor to his calling and Priesthood. He obeyed his Master or Lord, and probably many of his wives did the same; they lived and died upon an earth, and then were resurrected again to immortality and eternal life.
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Posted on 9/20/2008 at 8:51:22 AM
On September 27th, 1886 President John Taylor received what many have called his most controversial revelation. Its existence has been debated since the 1930s, and its standing and meaning have been called into question ever since.
It was written whilst Taylor was in hiding to avoid imprisonment for living plural marriage, and at a time when several Church members were calling upon him to end that practice. These facts are not disputed, even by the document’s critics. Neither have their been any suggestions that the text has been altered in any way, which is as follows:
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Posted on 9/7/2008 at 1:29:24 PM
In the summer of 1845 a curious article appeared in the Times & Seasons magazine, the official LDS Church periodical of the time. We cannot know for certain who the author was, but we do know that the Editor John Taylor approved it for publication. The first part concluded with the disclaimer that it was “not revelation, but the innuendoes relate to holy transactions, which may lead good people to search after truth and find it.”
As for the title of the article, “Paracletes”, it is a Greek word which the New Testament translates Comforter, another name for the Holy Ghost. Whether the author is referring to the spirit with which the article should be read or to the “holy spirits” his story is about is unknown.
This commentary attempts to explain its symbolic language, and make it more accessible to modern Latter-day Saints who may not realize what it is trying to teach, and the significance of the article itself. It is hoped that it will help those reading to “search after the truth and find it.”
1. Once upon a time, the most honorable men of the creations or universes, met together to promote the best interest of the great whole. – The ‘head’ said to his oldest son, “you are the rightful heir to all, but you know I have many kingdoms and many mansions, and of course it will need many kings and many priests, to govern them, come you with me in solemn council, and let us and some of the ‘best’ men we have had born in the regions of light, to rule in those kingdoms and set them in order by exhibiting good that evil may be manifest.”
- It would be easy to presume that the head spoken of here is our heavenly Father, and that the son spoken of is Jesus, but – as we will see as we read on – this particular head is the father of our God (who is actually spoken of as his ‘son’ in this passage).
2. It was said and done, for every thing there, was adopted from the ‘head’ by common consent. As free agency gave the sons of the ‘head’ a fair chance to choose for themselves, the most noble of the hosts, came forward and selected a world or kingdom, and a time or a season, when he would take his chance, at winning the hearts of the multitude, a kingdom, crown, and never ending glory.
- This is not speaking of our pre-existent spirit world, but of times and events long before that: because in that state we do not have our choice of worlds, nor do we win our own planetary kingdom.
3. The innumerable multiplicity of kingdoms, or spheres for action, with beings and animals in proportion, and time, times, eternity and eternities, for a full development of the qualities and powers of each, would so far exceed the common comprehension of mortals, that I can only say eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, nor hath a natural heart yet been able to calculate either. I then shall content myself, for this time to sketch but one. Idumia is the one as interesting as any, and being situated at an immense distance from the center or “head’s” residence, and many eternities from the birth of the “Son of the morning” or even the great holy day when the “morning stars sang together,” because so many worlds had been wrought out and left “empty and desolate,” as places for “all the sons” of God to multiply and replenish the earth, I select that.
The “head’s residence” in this case is probably Kolob, the world where our heavenly Father’s father resided, and where our earth (which it calls Idumia) during its early organization revolved around until it “fell” into its present orbit.
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Posted on 9/7/2008 at 1:26:00 PM
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Thus states the first verse of holy writ accepted by the Jewish, Christian and Muslim world. To them there is only one God, but to Latter-day Saints the question of which God was responsible for the creation of the earth is not such a simple one. We believe in a Godhead of three divine beings, and that there were Gods that preceded our own, and so the question of which God we are referring to at any one time can be more complex.
During the last 100 years it has become a popular idea amongst many latter-day Saints that Jesus Christ was the primary creator of this earth. That he fashioned the physical world we live upon, if not all the planets in our solar system. However, several verses of scripture seem to challenge this view, whilst others seem to support it. How do we reconcile this?
God the Father or Jesus as Creator?
Jesus in the Joseph Smith translation of the gospel of Matthew tell us to “call no-one your creator, but your Father in heaven”, and from the first verse in Genesis to the book of Revelation it speaks of “God … that made heaven and earth and the sea” Likewise, in the Book of Mormon we are told that “God … hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.” This would seem to indicate that God the Father is the creator of the earth and everything upon it, including us.
Yet, the Book of Mormon introduces us to the idea that Jesus played a vital part in the creation, when King Benjamin states “he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning” This is a concept that the Savior Himself repeats when he visits the new world and states, “I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.” Similarly, in our day He proclaimed to Joseph Smith, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who created the heavens and the earth,” How then can God the Father and Jesus Christ both be creators?
Here the scriptures gives us a valuable insight. In the Epistles of Paul we are taught that “God … created all things by Jesus Christ” and that it was “by His Son … He [God] made the worlds” To Moses God taught the same thing when he told him that, “I am … the Almighty God; by mine Only Begotten I created these things;” and then goes on to say “in the beginning I [God] created the heaven, and the earth upon which thou standest.”
If it is true that “whether [God’s speaks] by His own voice or by the voice of His servants, it is the same” then whether it is God who acts or His Son it is also the same, because, as Jesus tells the Nephite Saints He “came into the world to do the will of His Father”
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Messenger