Val's Email Sunday School: What Does it Mean to be Christian

One thing I often think about is the current trend of many to want the government to care for the poor, eliminate poverty, and have a more equitable society. Others on the opposite side of the spectrum also want to care for the poor, eliminate poverty, and have a more equitable society, but don’t want the government to be the entity that does it. Why do these groups of people think that they are so polar opposite when the stated goals are identical? Why are groups of people with similar goals at odds with one another? I can’t help but think about this as I read Christ’s teachings, which always admonish us to love one another, to care for the poor, to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and to care for the sick and afflicted.  

While people may disagree on how to reach these goals, ultimately the goals are identical. Many of the individuals that some decry as just wanting “free stuff” are expressing desires to live in the very type of society that Christ articulates as ideal. The irony of this isn’t lost. If to be Christian means to follow Christ’s teachings, then to be a true Christian would be to devote your life to alleviating human suffering (by caring for the poor, sick, needy, down trodden, etc). Are any of us living up to the promises we made? If not, what should we do better? If you want to follow the teachings of Christ and dedicate yourself to the betterment of mankind, then “what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?” To be baptized is an outward and deliberate display by an individual that they intend to follow Christ. In the words of the reading today, those who were baptized “took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end.” Those who were baptized call themselves Christians. They take Christ’s name upon them, and they commit to serving him. They commit to loving one another, to caring for one another, and to even loving their enemies. 

Now, one does not even necessarily have to believe in the divinity of Christ to commit to following the principles he taught. If being baptized means ascribing to the values and principles that Christ taught, then choosing to become Christian should mean something very specific in terms of how one lives and not even necessarily someone’s religious beliefs. Perhaps there’s a spectrum of Christianity as well. Regardless, ascribing the word “Christian” to someone should mean something very specific about the type of person someone is and the type of life that person lives. 

Christians meet together often to “be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer. . .” They meet to learn God’s words, to try to make sure they are living the best way possible, to pray together. It says that “the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.” When we think of the word soul, lots of times people think about hellfire, or damnation, or the standing of their “self” in relation to heaven or hell. I’d like to change this perspective a little and think more in terms of the happy or miserable state of the self. When we think of “soul food” or something like being out in nature being good for our “soul” we are talking more about an internal happiness, peace, or satisfaction in our deepest being.

We’ve talked in the past about how the dictionary definition of a “church” is defined as a people of specific beliefs meeting together to teach and to learn. It isn’t what the words have been twisted to mean today. Now when many think of religion or churches, it brings to mind hypocrites and dogmatic beliefs preached by leaders to control their followers who aren’t allowed to, or don’t know to, question what they’re taught. Instead, the reading tells us that the people who believe in the teachings of Christ meet together often to learn and teach each other, and to check on how everyone’s doing. Makes sense. How can you care for the emotional, temporal, or soul needs of others without checking in on them?

Lots of times I feel very frustrated with people because they seem to dismiss religion and religious people as stupid, blind sheep or fanatics. They don’t appear to want God, religion, prayer, or Christ in their lives at all. However, if I consider their stated desires, it does appear that our goals are actually the same. We really do want the same things. We just disagree about the paths to get there. If this is the case, and many people yearn for the teachings and outcomes of following Christ, then it seems like maybe we need to set better examples of living the things he taught. If we can, in our families and communities, show the world how to care for the poor, the sick, the afflicted, the needy, the naked, etc, then maybe that’s it means to be a light to the world. I hope that all of us can live the things we profess to believe, and that we can try to bring about the changes we want to see in the world. “Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Val's Email Sunday School: Learning to Trust God

In the reading this week the entire chapter of Ether 12 seemed devoted to faith. This makes me think a lot. It’s a great chapter, but it makes me think that a lot of us might be missing what faith is. If faith is the first principle of the gospel, and faith is the power by which miracles are wrought, and you don't get a miracle until after the trial of your faith, and even the faith of a grain of a mustard seed could move mountains, then it seems like a lot of us might be in short supply. Usually when we have talks or sermons on faith, I feel like we talk a lot about what it is and what it does. I’d like to talk a little bit about how I think we can get more, or “build” faith.

Alma 32 discusses this a lot. We’re told to “experiment” upon the words. Why would experimenting on God’s words give us faith? The reading said that faith is things which are hoped for, which are not seen, which are true, but what does this really mean? In a book I was reading this week called “The Second Coming of the Lord” by Gerald Lund, he stated at one point that we should put periods and not question marks after what the Lord says. This was very powerful to me, and much easier said than done.

What would putting periods after what the Lord says instead of questions marks look like? Well, it looks like trust. We believe what he has said, instead of being disbelieving or wondering how, or thinking things are impossible. If God, who cannot lie, has declared something (whether in your patriarchal blessing, in scriptures, or in a blessing) then you accept it as truth, and think and live as if it’s a certainty. I believe this is what faith is. I believe that we build faith, or trust in God, through learning and through experience. A troubling movement in the world today is a deviation from enlightenment values and the scientific method. The scientific method, hypothesis with experimentation, and experiments that are replicable for other people and across time are necessary for determining truth and building trust and faith in God.

When we read the scriptures, we can see evidence of God making and keeping promises to people in the past. We can also see promises that he’s given to his children that are scattered throughout the scriptures. There are lots, but we won’t go into many here. Just one simple example is the law of the tithe (Malachi 3:10), and how God promises that he will open the windows of heaven such that we won’t have room enough to receive the blessings. Simple promises like that, when tested, should give you a pretty clear indication of whether or not that promise is true. If you test the promise and find that it is true, then your faith, or trust in the Lord and what he’s said, should become more solidified. The goal is to reach the point where God has proven himself to you (yes, we aren’t supposed to trust blindly and he even says in that Malachi scripture on tithing that we should “prove me now herewith”), that you will do anything or trust him no matter what, like Job, even when you don’t understand. Again, easier said than done, and maybe it takes a lifetime to learn that lesson, but that’s the ultimate goal.

If we put periods after what God says because we trust him and believe what he says because our experience has proven it to be correct, then we can trust bigger things solely on his word. We can trust that he is coming, we can trust that the United States will be preserved as a land of liberty, we can trust that all things work together for the good of those who love God, etc.

Sometimes our faith or trust in God falters and there are provisions in place for that too. “118 And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” This appears to say that we won’t all have faith, or maybe not at the same time. And at these times we are still taught to seek wisdom, knowledge, and experience. In my mind this is saying that all truth is good, and all truth eventually and ultimately leads to the same place and other pursuits of truth are just as valid and neccessary as religious study. Also it makes me think of inspirational stories of other people and their testimonies which can help us in our times of struggle. 

So, in closing, put periods at the end of God’s statements and promises, not question marks. As we experiment and prove that God’s can be trusted, our faith grows. Faith and trust is where peace lies. “You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves. Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.”

Val's Email Sunday School: An Antidote to Fear

Come Follow Me November 16-22

This week one thing that struck me in the reading was the story of the Jaredites crossing the ocean to the promised land. Now, whether we take this as a literal story or not doesn’t really matter. The principles in this story are what’s important. There’s so much that we choose to learn from this story, things that can be helpful for everyone in today's world considering the fear and uncertainty around us.

In this chapter, the people are traveling across the ocean in vessels they made themselves. They're being carried or taken by God to the promised land, or a place that is more bountiful where they can prosper. But before they reach the promised land, they have to undergo a journey. There are no shortcuts, no planes to hop on. The only way around this adversity is through it. So the people, trusting in the Lord, willingly get on these ships they made themselves, trusting in God enough that if they climb in these weird dish boats that they can’t even steer, that they’re going to end up not only somewhere good, but better than the place that they left. Again, whether this story is literal or not doesn’t matter. Even if it was fiction it’s structured in such a way as to teach us something about ourselves, something about human nature.

So again, what do we see here in this story? We see a people leaving a place where they’re probably pretty comfortable, or at least alive, and trusting in God enough that they will literally put their lives and future prosperity at stake because he said there was something better for them on the other side. Now, once they got on this dish boat ride, there was no turning back. They can’t undo what they’ve done. They’re committed. There is no turning back. This journey is one of danger, uncertainty, and fear. 

While they may have been brave to begin the journey, they may have regretted it once they started. They didn’t get to sail on a nice yacht. There were no windows. There was very little light. The only way that they could progress in their journey was for huge “furious winds” that would blow them towards the promised land. It ways “they were tossed upon the waves of the sea.” And “many times [they were] buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves (emphasis added) which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.” It says that they were buried in the deep. It says that “the wind did never cease to blow.” They were protected from the monsters of the sea and whales that would have marred their boats. It was a long, tumultuous and perilous journey that it says lasted 344 days. 

If we think about what it would have been like to be cramped in some ship for almost a year, we could speculate that it got pretty nasty in there, especially considering even the very basics of hygiene. I think it’s safe to say that the journey was not pleasant. It probably sucked. They had to get tossed around. It had to be loud. Maybe it was cold. How did the people handle this?

It says they sang praises, thanked the Lord, and praised the Lord. And they never stopped. And in the end, when they reached the promised land, they were faithful, thankful, and delivered. They stayed hopeful and had faith in a better future, despite all the surrounding evidence that seemed to prove otherwise that things were not okay, and would not be okay. In fact, all evidence would have seemed to support the hypothesis that things would never be okay again. 

If we want to liken this story to ourselves, we can look at it as a parallel to our lives or to individual adversities. We're on a journey, and we can't really steer. There are so many variables and things that are outside of our control. We are, in many ways, at the whims of the circumstances that surround us. There are many things that are just bigger than us, and while we might be able to control the smallest spheres of our lives, we have little control over what is happening on a larger scale. Sometimes things are kinda nasty and they really suck. We don't see how things could ever turn out well.

 

What this story seems to be teaching us, is that we are to trust God above all else. We are to trust him when he wants to lead us to somewhere better. We are to trust he will protect us and knows our needs even when conditions are crappy and storms rage terrifyingly around us. We are supposed to trust that all things will work together for our good, that we are being taken somewhere better, and that the only way to get to our destination is through the current crap. This is all much easier said than done, but it appears to present a pattern for navigating difficulties and trials, whether they be spiritual, emotional, or physical. It appears that the lesson of this story is to have patience despite justified fear amid uncertainty and danger. It appears that gratitude and trust are the antidote to fear. Let's hope that Dieter F. Uchtdorf is right when he says, "God will watch over and shepherd you during these times of uncertainty and fear. He knows you. He hears your pleas. He is faithful and dependable. He will fulfill His promises."

Val's Email Sunday School: The Gospel of Christ as a Fractal

An interesting phenomenon I discovered recently is that there are actually several groups who believe that they are God’s chosen people, like in the Abrahamic covenant sense, not just in like a crazy cult way. The Jews, obviously, are one of these groups. They believe that they’re Israel, God’s chosen people. Another group besides the Jews who think that they’re God’s chosen people are some Blacks. These Blacks believe that the original hebrews were black, and that they’ve descended from them, and as such are God’s chosen people. Another interesting thing about some of this black culture is that they embrace the concept of being children of God, kings and queens with divine heritage. The third group that I know of which believes that they are God’s chosen people (in the Abrahamic sense) are the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Latter-Day Saints believe that while Jews are the original covenant people, those who have made covenants in the modern day Latter-Day Saint temples are adopted into the covenant. Latter-Day Saints believe that all people everywhere are invited to enjoy the status of Covenant Israel.

Israel, Covenant Israel, the scattering and the gathering of Israel, and the Abrahamic Covenant are big themes in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The whole Book of Mormon has threads of these themes woven throughout it. I think that we talk a lot about Christ and being good, but this is a major part of this religion that I feel a lot of people don't know much about. I also feel like as a Church we've become more focused on understanding the role of Israel in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and what that means to us as individuals who are members of the church and to the rest of the world.

So, in Moroni 7 we get a good glimpse of this. We see the role that being God’s chosen people plays in this overarching story. But before I start this I want to give just a little bit more context. These chapters take place after basically everyone has destroyed one another. Moroni has watched the downfall of tons of people, and he’s seen tons of turmoil, chaos, and death, and this is the message that he thinks is most important to impart before he has to flee and possibly die. So, if we believe that this is story is true, this is what someone who has witnessed the entire destruction of a civilization believes is the most important thing in the world to say.

He starts by saying, “behold, I would speak somewhat unto the remnant of this people who are spared . . . ye remnant of the house of Israel. . . Know ye that ye are of the house of Israel. Know ye that ye must come unto repentance, or ye cannot be saved. Know ye that ye must lay down your weapons of war, and delight no more in the shedding of blood, and take them not again, save it be that God shall command you.” He’s writing to tell us that we who are reading the book are a remnant of the house of Israel. That we must repent to be saved, and that we must be peaceful, unless the Lord commands otherwise.

He goes on to teach about Christ. “Know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up. And he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his judgment-seat. And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.”

So what are we supposed to do with this knowledge of Christ? “Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record [the Book of Mormon] but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews [the Bible], which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you. For behold, this is written for the intent that ye may believe that; and if ye believe that [the Bible] ye will believe this [The Book of Mormon] also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.” So he tells us here that the Book of Mormon was written with the intent to persuade people to believe in the Bible and in Christ.

Now he goes on to talk a little bit about being the people of the covenant. He says to these people to “know that ye are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant. . .” There’s lots of words for being the Lord’s covenant people: seed of Jacob, Israel, House of Israel, Covenant Israel, etc. People who are covenant Israel are entitled to the blessings and promises that God made with Abraham, or the Abrahamic Covenant. He goes on to tell us, “and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first with water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the example of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment.”

Moroni tells us that the Book of Mormon will be “brought out of darkness unto light, according to the word of God; yea, it shall be brought out of the earth, and it shall shine forth out of darkness, and come unto the knowledge of the people; and it shall be done by the power of God.” He goes on to tell us that it is it is God’s right, not ours to smite, judge, and exact vengeance. He reassurse us that “For the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled.” What are these promises? We have to study the scriptures to know. We’re reassured a few times in this reading that all of God’s promises will be revealed and he will uphold the covenants he’s made with his people. Moroni here tells us to search the prophesies of Isaiah. Christ in recent chapters told us the same thing.

He tells us that the Bible and the Book of Mormon will come forth, because God said it would, and no one can stop it. He describes this time when the Book of Mormon and the Bible will shine forth as light in the darkness this way: “it shall come in a day when it shall be said that miracles are done away; and it shall come even as if one should speak from the dead. 27 And it shall come in a day when the blood of saints shall cry unto the Lord, because of secret combinations and the works of darkness. 28 Yea, it shall come in a day when the power of God shall be denied, and churches become defiled and be lifted up in the pride of their hearts; yea, even in a day when leaders of churches and teachers shall rise in the pride of their hearts, even to the envying of them who belong to their churches. 29 Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be heard of fires, and tempests, and vapors of smoke in foreign lands;

30 And there shall also be heard of wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes in divers places. 31 Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth; there shall be murders, and robbing, and lying, and deceivings, and whoredoms, and all manner of abominations. . .”

These passages here and the ones from Timothy in the Bible describing the last days (in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away) sure seem to be describing this exact point in history. That sounds like now. Like this year, or even this week.

Of this time Moroni tells us that to “look ye unto the revelations of God; for behold, the time cometh at that day when all these things must be fulfilled.” He tells us most people will be prideful. They’ll wear fancy clothes and they’ll envy and hate and persecute one another. He says that our society will “love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.

38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world?”

It certainly seems like we are living in the last days that they spoke about. Sometimes it’s hard to remain vigilant and engaged because they’ve been talking about the Second Coming of Christ since his death, and they’ve been talking about us living in the last days since before we were born. However, this complacency is what could cause us to be unprepared and also fearful of what might come. We’re admonished to study and know the signs of the last days, so that we can be prepared and ready. It isn’t supposed to be a surprise to anyone who’s paying attention. This is why we’re told to study the scriptures, especially Isaiah. We should seek to understand what it means to be covenant Israel, what the Abrahamic covenant is and what it promises, study the scattering and gathering of Israel, and the signs of the Second Coming of Christ.

If we study the scriptures and know what they say, we should be less frightened when big scary things happened. If this revelation and scripture stuff is true, we’ve literally been given the script of the world, and been encouraged to read them. “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.”

How can we watch the signs and know where we are in the plot history of the world unless we know what those signs are? How can we be prepared to go out and meet the bridegroom (parable of the virgins) if we don’t study and prepare? We don’t have to wonder what’s next if we study the scriptures we can have a very clear picture of what is supposed to occur before Jesus comes. If we’re fearful, we might want to consider Doctrine and Covenants 38 which tells us “if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.” If the world around us is making us fearful, the remedy appears to be more preparation. I think that more knowledge is the preparation we need.

Another way to prepare is to establish good or beneficial habits and patterns. In church today they talked about how there are patterns for happiness and patterns for success. When we follow the patterns we get predictable results. I like this because it reminds me of fractals. Fractals are defined as "a pattern that the laws of nature repeat at different scales. Examples are everywhere in the forest. Trees are natural fractals, patterns that repeat smaller and smaller copies of themselves to create the biodiversity of a forest. . ." I've talked about this before, but it's something I love the very most about the Gospel of Christ. The things we learn about Christ and his directions or patterns for our lives are applicable at all levels. They are consistent. They are constant. They can be universally applied. They repeat themselves at various scales. 

The patterns of morality and happiness are as applicable on a situational level as they are on a daily level in an individual's life. They apply to a person, or a situation, or a life. They apply to families, communities, societies, nations, and the world. When we change the fractal pattern in our lives, we change the fractal pattern of society. We change the world, quite possibly literally. I like to believe that this constistency and constancy of pattern regarding morality, happiness, and success is reflected in God's plans for the world and society. It stands to reason if there is a master plan for the world, and for societies that there would be a master plan at various levels of existence too, like for families and individuals. I like to believe this, and that's one of the things I like most about the gospel of Christ. 

Val's Email Sunday School: The Choice of Nihilism or Redemption

Come Follow Me Mormon 1-6

The chapters in the reading this week are perhaps some of the saddest in the whole Book of Mormon. It’s a story about the decline of a people and a society into annihilation and destruction. What caused this? Why did it happen? Mormon tells us that the people refused to repent, or refused to choose to change and become better.

Initially, when he saw their sorrow, lamentation, and mourning he was hopeful. He thought that God would be merciful again to them and that they’d choose to repent and become better. They would become more Christlike. However, that wasn’t what happened. Instead of becoming humble and being sorrowful unto repentance, they exhibited “the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin.”

Mormon states, “they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits, but they did curse God, and wish to die. Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives.” He remains sorrowful because he “saw that the day of grace was passed with them, both temporally and spiritually; for I saw thousands of them hewn down in open rebellion against their God . . .” I thought this was interesting because it implies that there was a point of no return. At some point, the day of grace was passed. God is always merciful, so it probably isn’t Him that determines that the day of grace is passed. Instead, it seems to imply that after having been given repeated chances to change and repeatedly choosing open rebellion, and repeatedly choosing to harden their hearts there is a point of no return.  

Mormon helped deliver the people from their enemies three times, but they refused to change. Another interesting part to note is that his people weren’t “the good guys.” They weren’t a righteous people, but they were still given repeated chances to change and become better. They chose not to repent/change of their sins/detrimental behaviors. Mormon told us that “behold, the judgments of God will overtake the wicked; and it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished; for it is the wicked that stir up the hearts of the children of men unto bloodshed.”

All throughout the reading this year I’ve noticed how often the book references people being stirred up to anger, or stirred up to bloodshed. Being angry and murderous wasn’t something inevitable. The anger and desire for revenge and genocide of an entire people was something that some deliberately stoked. A very small number of ill-intentioned people had a drastic and devastating effects on this society’s trajectory. 

When we try to examine what we might learn from this there are a few lessons. We could hope that if a few ill-intentioned people can change the fate of entire societies we could hope that the opposite was also true. We could liken these scriptures unto ourselves and examine whether we are allowing others to stir us up to anger. We must be self aware and exhibit self control as individuals. There are those who would stoke our emotions and stir us up to anger today. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to become pawns in a larger societal game. It isn’t to our benefit, and it isn’t to society’s benefit. We must be masters of our own fates and be conscious of what we are choosing.

Jordan Peterson wrote about the “degeneration of Nihilism” in his book 12 Rules for Life, and spoke of the dangers of wallowing in negative emotions like anger. There’s a predictable progression that individuals or societies follow when they entertain destructive thought patterns and negative emotions. If we allow ourselves to be consumed by these emotions, the pattern of degeneration ends in the same place. When we dwell in anger, we become bitter, and bitterness makes us resentful. When we become resentful, we become cruel, and crueltyis a step on the path towards homicide, and homicidal feelings lead to genocial feelings.

If that’s one end of the spectrum of human emotions, then it seems like the other would encompass love and charity, or the redemption of Christ. In the Sunday School I attended today the teacher talked about the 5 point doctrine of Christ, which was faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, Confirmation, and Enduring to the end. Essentially this means that first, we have belief in Christ, in a perfect example of love and goodness. We have the standard to which we aspire. Then we have repentance. Repentance is a religious word that basically means change. We change and choose to become better when we know better. Dieter F. Uchdorft said that “True repentance is about transformation, not torture or torment.” Repentance is a tool and a gift that can elevate us above our natural tendency towards degeneration. Baptism is an outward commitment to follow Christ, and confirmation is a gift of guidance and help bestowed on those who commit to follow Christ. The final point in the doctrine of Christ is to endure to the end, or to always seek to improve.

I think we’re all on the spectrum of human emotions working our way towards Nihilism or Redemption. Repentance is the act of changing direction when we realize we are descending towards Nihilism instead of Redemption. The Book of Mormon gives us a broad overview of a people who cycle through periods of degeneration and redemption. The reading today chronicled this people’s last descent into nearly complete physical destruction. The story can serve as a warning to us. Is it possible to live in peace and prosperity when we are on the degenerative path? It certainly seems like physical destruction and murderous behavior may be an outward indication of where we as individuals or societies are on the spiritual spectrum of destruction vs redemption. Clearly, it's better to be aware of this spectrum, and choose a path towards love and charity rather than hate and genocide. 

Val's Email Sunday School: All Things Were Common Among Them

The lesson this week begins with a note that “The Lord commanded His disciples to write the things they experienced (see 3 Nephi 27:23–24).” Why do the leaders of the church reccommend that we journal or keep records of our own lives? Why did the Lord command in these chapters that the people should write the things they have experienced?

I’ve thought about this. One of the first reasons I can think of is so that you remember your experiences. I’m amazed at the things that I can forget. We can forget that we’ve had touching, inspirational, or spiritual experiences at all if we don’t write them down. Time can dim our memories and we can forget how powerful or striking they may have been at the time. However, if you write things down for yourself, in your own words, it’s hard to argue with a past self.

As we write down the things we’ve experienced, inspirations, and impressions, the experiences and interpretations of our past self can help us in a few ways. If you’re in a worse place, you can be inspired by how valiant, faithful, or steadfast you were in the past, and strive to be like him or her again. After all, it was you. You can’t argue much that you can’t be as good as another version of yourself. You can draw inspiration or strength from a past version of yourself just like you could from any other example. If you’re better off than your past self, you can be proud of your progress and how far you’ve come.

Writing things down helps in other ways too. It clarifies what’s in your mind. There are studies about the benefits of writing as a way to deal with difficulty and as a means to relieve stress. Spiritually, writing down inspiration and impressions helps you to see patterns emerge. Maybe you’ve been worried about something or praying for an answer to a problem. As we write things down we can see the repetition of themes or ideas, which can help us realize we may be being guided more than we thought.

There was quite a bit of contaversy regarding what the people should call the church. Christ's response was simple. “8 And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.” We are to call Christ's teachings his own, and his church his own, and his people his own. I think this is what it means to take upon us the name of Christ. When we label ourselves as Christians or followers of Christ, we are labeling ourselves with his name, and taking his name as our own descriptor, which should mean that we believe, follow, or adhere to his teachings.

Later we’re told in several places not to “spurn the doings of the Lord.” To spurn means to reject with disdain or contempt, so we’re advised not to reject with disdain and contempt the “the activities in which [the Lord] engages” or in other words not to be disdainful about the performance, implementation, activities, actions, undertaking, endeavor, work, ventures, etc of the Lord (and if you believe this is his church) then the activities and efforts of his followers and church.

We read that Christ formed a Church. A church often describes a building, but can also refer to a "particular denomination, belonging to the same city, country, nation . . . or constituting one congregation." A congregation is a group of people assembled to worship. The reading tells us that all the people were converted. It says that there were no contentions or disputations, and all the people dealt justly with each other. There were miracles, respect, prosperity, and peace. They rebuilt great cities and lived in a moral, just, and good society. 

Now we’re getting into some interesting things that I want to really focus on. “3 And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.” I want to spend a lot of my time now discussing this. What does it mean to have all things common among them? How did they eradicate poverty? Is this socialism/communism? If not, why not? We’re told that all things were common among them. This sure seems like they shared everything. That sounds like Communism. It also sounds like the Law of Consecration, which is something that really deserves it’s own study. We’ll only talk briefly about those things here.

The Law of Consecration and Communism/Socialism appear the same on the surface. How can two things that appear so similar be so different? They have to be different because President Benson was an extremely vocal advocate against communism, warning it was one of the greatest evils. He didn’t mince words at all. It’s interesting to read some of his past talks through the lens of our current culture. I’m not an expert, but from my understanding Communism and Socialism are just degrees on the same spectrum. My understanding is that it is a forced ideology. The state compels you to give up some of what you have, and redistributes it with the intent of achieving equity. A hallmark of communism is that the workers own the means of production, which basically negates private property (depending on how far along on the scale the state in question is).

Could the primary difference between these ideologies be whether the sharing is forced or voluntary? We believe in private ownership as evidenced by the commandment that we should not steal. How can we steal something from someone else unless there is ownership? We’re also told that we shouldn’t covet what our neighbor has. So at least now, perhaps pre-law of consecration we believe in private ownership.

We also talk about how all of the blessings and things we have are really God’s. So while we own things now, really, we recognize that it is God’s. This is true of our bodies, our possessions, our money. The parable of the talents, though often equated with literal talents, is actually a parable about money that illustrates stewardship. It shows how it is our responsibility to take what we have been given (money, talents, opportunities, privilege) and to magnify it and to make it greater. Stewardship is the obligation to care for and make better the things we're responsible for. 

Within the law of Consecration it also appears that there is not necessarily equity (equal outcomes), but rather a base level of equality. We read in Doctrine and Covenants that they were to “appoint unto this people their portions, every man equal according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs.” So it appears that while everyone’s basic needs may have been met, people’s varying wants and needs were still taken into consideration. Also, I’ve written in the past what it mean to consecrate yourself to something, so we won’t go into that in as much depth here. It was basically to dedicate something to a specific purpose, goal, or service.

If we were to consecrate our money or lives to God, it could mean that we are dedicating our efforts and money to bettering earth, bettering the lives of others, or bettering the world. Personally, I think this is what it means to live the law of consecration and to build the kingdom of God upon the earth. Since people have so many different ideas, opinions, and interests, they would approach the problem of bettering the world in very different ways. They would apply their money to different problems and improve things different ways, but this could still count as living the law of consecration even though everyone's approach would be different. I think this diverse approach would lead to better outcomes than a centralized state trying to micromanage everything because the people would autonomously decide how to dedicate their capital in areas in which they're interested or have expertise. Another possibility is that we may eventually have common ownership of things, and we just aren’t living that way now because it’s a higher law. I don’t think this is the case though, because as we demonstrate success and responsibility in our lives we typically are able to take on more. To me it appears like there is no responsibility or stewardship without ownership.

A second possibility is that we don’t understand the context of the word common here in this context. It can mean that something isn’t unusual, that it is very standard. If “all things were common among them,” it could mean that there weren’t unusual variations. Perhaps there were no rich or poor, as the verse later elaborates. All things were pretty standard. Everyone had a minimum level of comfortable living. If salt and pepper are common household seasonings, then having things common among them could mean that accessibility to housing, food, and educational opportunities were the norm, they were common and standard among all the people. Other synonyms of the word common are ordinary, customary, regular, routine, everyday, standard, typical, predictable, normal, average. It does appear that having all things common among them could merely be referring to equality and descriptors, rather than possessions. They had all things common, and they were not rich or poor, slave or free, but all equal before God and the law. This reminds me of the Constitution, which says "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. . ."

Other meanings of the word are shared by, coming from, or done by more than one. All things being common could mean things were shared, or it could mean that all things came from everyone, or all things were done by everyone. Maybe in this law of consecration world if you wanted to learn something new, you just had to ask and a person would apprentice you and be happy to teach you without charging money. Maybe knowledge would be free.

Some other ways to think about it are to examine the use of the word in some ordinary phrases:

Common good-mutual benefit of all

Common knowledge-known by most people

Common ground-interests or opinions shared by 2 or more

Common garden-ordinary, not unusual or exceptional

Common property-jointly shared

In common-joint use or shared, belonging equally, shared


Either way, regardless of the meaning of the word common, the fact that there were no poor among the people is clear. Some of these things sound like a fairy tale when we look at our cultural and political landscape, but this world of peace, prosperity, where poverty has been eradicated is the world we are trying to realize here on this earth. This world that we read about is the consequence of actually following Christ’s teachings. This is the Kingdom of God on the earth.


“15 And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.

16 And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.

17 There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.

18 And how blessed were they! For the Lord did bless them in all their doings; yea, even they were blessed and prospered. . .”

Come Follow Me October 19-25

Val's Email Sunday School: Understanding Isaiah and Covenant Israel

I’ve been a bit busy lately, so I haven’t been able to spend as much time on Email Sunday School as I sometimes did before, so I hope you don’t mind too much if this has a little less depth or is a little shorter than some of my previous lessons. This week we are discussing 3 Nephi 20-26. In it we read, “. . .that when the words of Isaiah should be fulfilled—behold they are written, ye have them before you, therefore search them— . . .that when they shall be fulfilled then is the fulfilling of the covenant which the Father hath made unto his people, O house of Israel.”

What’s all this about the words of Isaiah being fulfilled, and why do we care? Christ tells us at least a few times throughout the scriptures how important the words of Isaiah are, and so do some of the other prophets. So if Christ himself and many of the prophets are telling us that these scriptures are very important, we should probably listen. Now, if you’re like me, Isaiah is your least favorite of all the scriptures. In fact, they’re your favorite scriptures to skip. . It’s confusing, it’s weird, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. I’ve read about how important Isaiah is, and I previously bought an entire book (Isaiah for Airheads) that is supposed to help you decode what Isaiah is talking about. The thing was, is that Isaiah seems to have written this way on purpose. The people who had studied the scriptures got his messages loud and clear, but the people who hadn’t studied found him difficult to understand. This was apparently by design, pearls before swine, or something.

The book I have on Isaiah gives a bit of advice for understanding Isaiah. Obviously where it’s an entire book, I’m just going to give you a few snippets of what it talks about. First, keep in mind that Isaiah mingled a lot of things together in his prophecies, but that he’s typically talking about one of 4 things at a time even though they’re intermingled. These are the 4 C’s.

• Covenant Israel
• Christ (the Lord)
• Current Events (of his day, so typically past events like covenant Israel leaving Babylon, so to us events fulfilled anciently)
• Comng Events (or prophesies to be fulfilled in our day, or current latter day events) 

Other tips for understanding Isaiah outlined in that book are:

1. Learn the manner of prophesying among the jews
2. Have the Spirit of Prophecy (Seek God’s Guidance, pray)
3. Know the regions or geography of Jerusalem
4. Live in the Last days

Okay, with that out of the way, let’s see what else the reading in Nephi says. Christ is talking, and he says that when we begin to see the prophecies of Isaiah fulfilled (this necessitates us knowing what those prophecies are), “then shall the remnants, which shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, be gathered in from the east and from the west, and from the south and from the north; and they shall be brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them.”

So, when we begin to see the prophecies of Isaiah being fulfilled, then we know that the gathering of Israel has begun. We’ve also heard that the Book of Mormon is the tool of the gathering. Another prerequisite we have for understanding this reading in the Book of Mormon and Isaiah is to know what the Abrahamic Covenant is, because understanding the Abrahamic Covenant tells us who Israel is, who the House of Israel is, and what that means/why it matters.

What was Abraham promised? What are we promised if we become part of covenant Israel? This deserves it’s own lesson and it’s own book. But basically, some of the promises are that we’ll have a land to inherit, the land of promise (the Book of Mormon talks a lot about the Americas being a land of promise), and that we will have seed or descendants, and that we will be entitled to spiritual blessings. Do we just get these blessings? Not so fast, you have to qualify for them, so you have to take specific steps. Covenant Israel means you have to make covenants to get them, and covenants are promises you make between you and God saying you’ll do something, and in return you get something.

One analogy I really liked about the last days, gathering Israel, and what it means to be covenant Israel, is one that I think John Bytheway had in one of his books. He said that the world is like a giant cruise ship. And on that ship you have passengers and you have crew. Covenant Israel are the cruise ship workers. Eveyone else is a passenger. The crew is fewer in number than the passengers, they have special privileges, and they have extra responsibilities. He said in his book that step one is to gather the gatherers. And then, at that point when you have a crew amassed, you can begin in earnest to gather Israel. Again, so to truly understand the gathering of Israel or the events preceding the second coming, it would be helpful to have a background in the Abrahamic Covenant and have studied to be able to decipher the words of Isaiah.

So again, Christ reiterates in this reading, that "when these works and the works which shall be wrought among you hereafter shall come forth from the Gentiles. . . when these things come to pass that thy seed shall begin to know these things—it shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel.” We are reassured that God “will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.”

This reading is full of promises about how the Lord will protect his people. He says repeatedly they’ll be like a lion among sheep: “my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.” The repetition of this imagery is,  I think, to reinforce the absurdity of covenant Israel fearing the gentiles, the Second Coming, or the events preceding it. Why would a lion fear sheep (again gentiles, the wicked, or anyone)? It says a “young lion” which to me implies that the more time that passes the less the lion has to fear. The sheep never pose a threat to the lion, but the more time that passes and the bigger the lion gets, the more dangerous it gets to the flock of sheep. The lion, if it needed to, could single handedly destroy the entire flock of sheep.

At this point, as we see Isaiah being fulfilled, then the gathering commences. “And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.” This whole lesson brings to mind the 10th Article of Faith, which says, “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built on the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.”What is the New Jerusalem then? It would be helpful to study the significance of Jerusalem in the past, but for now we’ll just equate it with establishing the Kingdom of God on the earth, establishing Christ’s Church upon the earth, or Zion. I feel like another really interesting thread to follow in this vein would be the City of Enoch, but again, I didn’t allocate as much time to Sunday School. It could be a fun thread to follow on your own. They talked about the City of Enoch a lot in conference last week, so it could be a fun topic to study.

In this new Jerusalem, Christ will dwell in the midst of the people there, and the power of heaven will be present. Eventually, he will "reign personally upon the earth." The work will commence and the Father will prepare the way. Chapter 22 is all about how glorious it’s supposed to be. “And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you.”

Sometimes I think when we consider church, we think it’s enough to try to be a good person, or to make and keep covenants. And that’s a nice first step, but if you believe in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, that’s just the beginning. So, our responsibilities range from bringing ourselves to Christ and becoming covenant Israel, but then our responsibilities broaden and expand to bringing others to Christ’s teachings as well and inviting them to become covenant Israel too. The prophecies say that they will join. The prophecies say that we'll establish the kingdom of God on the earth, just like Enoch, and that Christ will come to the kingdom we've prepared. 

One thing I really like about the LDS church is this framework. There is order in everything. Things are structured very small, and then they expand with consistency. Most of the principles and lessons are this way. They are applicable small scale, and applicable medium scale, and larger scale too. Principles apply to situations, they apply to individuals, they apply to families, communities, and nations. Covenants are the same. They apply to individuals, families, nations, and the world. The consistency is reassuring in it’s order and awesome if true. It reminds me of this scripture, which I’ll end with. “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.”

Val's Email Sunday School: As a Hen Gathers Her Chicks

        

What struck me this week was how much of the reading was about Christ, his direct words and teachings. For people who profess to be followers of Christ, it seems like the Book of Mormon would be a must read--even if they didn’t think it was inspired of God or actually representatives of what happened in the past when the resurrected Christ visited the American continent. But what if it was? I would definitely want to read it to see what it said if I professed to believe in Christ regardless of the denomination I belonged to. I would be hungry to read any additional teachings, accounts, or witnesses of Christ. It also makes sense to me that if God and Christ did have a gospel that they wouldn’t share it in only one location in the world. It would seem to make sense for them to proclaim their desired behaviors for man in more than just one place. I also can’t help but think of the movie the testaments and how powerful the portrayal of Christ’s visit to Bountiful was in that movie.

Whether the book was written by ancient prophets in America testifying of Christ or if the book was just some fan fiction about Christ written by Joseph Smith, I would think it was a must read for all Christians. At the very least they should want to read the Book of Mormon, or at the very least the chapters in 3 Nephi when Christ returns, speaks to the people, and then personally visits them. How amazing would it be to discover that entirely new descriptions of the visitations of Christ existed that you didn’t know about? I would want to read more.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. The reading for the week opens with the signs of Christ’s death and the destruction of entire famous and large cities. There was a mist of darkness that was so pervasive that the people were unable to have any light. Apparently it snuffed out any flames. They were in total, all-consuming darkness. In the reading the people lamented a lot. They lamented for the friends and family they had lost, for the destruction of the cities, and that they hadn’t repented sooner.

The fact that they lamented not having repented sooner stuck with me. This could mean either of two things in my head. They knew they were doing wrong and didn’t want to change so they didn’t, or they weren’t necessarily believers of Christ but the events that had occurred convinced them of the truthfulness of the warnings of the prophets and they wished that they had listened. Were the evidences of what was happening and the fulfillment of prophecy so clear, obvious, and undeniable even to those who did not believe? I like to believe that. I like that it reinforces what earlier chapters have said that the signs and wonders occurred so that there would be no cause for unbelief. The signs are meant to provide evidence and reinforce faith. “14 And now, whoso readeth, let him understand; he that hath the scriptures, let him search them, and see and behold if all these deaths and destructions by fire, and by smoke, and by tempests, and by whirlwinds, and by the opening of the earth to receive them, and all these things are not unto the fulfilling of the prophecies of many of the holy prophets.”

As everyone is languishing in the darkness, they all hear a voice. It’s clarified later that it’s Christ speaking. He exhorts them to repent. He lists a bunch of the cities that were destroyed and what happened to them. Basically it’s a long monologue, cataloging the destruction that has occurred. God takes credit for it, and then says, “O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?”

He tells them that they should “offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.” He tells them that through him the Law of Moses was fulfilled, and that from now on their offering they make to him should be the sacrifice of “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” We are told to repent and come unto Christ as a little child. When I think of children I think of someone who is trusting, believing, guileless.

We are also told repeatedly that Christ sought to gather the people “as a hen gathereth her chickens.” The repetition was so frequent, that I decided this was really something that was important. So I looked up why hens gather their chicks under their wings. I originally thought it was just because a hen protects the chicks from the elements, keeps them safe and warm. And that’s part of it. When there are wind and storms raging around, the chicks under the hens wing won’t even get wet. They’re protected from the brunt of storms and weather and are kept safe, dry, and warm. But it’s more than that.

One story I read about a mother hen said she died in a forest fire, shielding her chicks and suffering pain and death to protect them. Obviously she could have left them, but she instead chose to stay and save them, to her own detriment. The hen and chicks comparison can be one of self sacrifice to protect the children the hen loves.

There were other stories too. The hen can’t run to all of the chicks in times of danger. They have to stay close to her so that when danger arises, they can flee to her for safety instead of being devoured by predators or danger. Safety for the chicks only works if they stay close enough to run to the mother’s safety, a mother who is willing to sacrifice her own life for theirs, even though she could get away or save herself if she abandoned them.

Chapter 11 ends with Christ’s physical appearance to the people at the Temple in Bountiful. God the Father introduces Christ, and they see Christ himself descend out of heaven, clothed in white. He introduces himself, and explains the atonement. They remember the prophesies that Christ would come to them after he ascended to heaven. They fell the nail prints in his hands and the slash in his side. Again, they’re offered evidences which they get to personally see and touch. After all of them get this opportunity, they praise God and worship him. We learn about baptism, and Christ gives some the authority to baptize in his name. He exports the people to repent.

He teaches them the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel, as iterated in the Articles of Faith, namely, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, second, repentance, and third, baptism by immersion. He explains that his doctrines not to contend or fight with one another. His doctrine is love and peace. Repeatedly he expresses that this is his doctrine, or his beliefs and principles. To repent. To be baptized. To become as a little child. He tells the people who saw him there to go and tell the others what he’s said, “unto the ends of the earth.”

Val's Email Sunday School: Shared Values, The Foundation of Civilization

The reading this week begins shortly before the coming of Christ to the Americas where he visited the Nephites and the Lamanites. It says “the prophecies of the prophets began to be fulfilled more fully; for there began to be greater signs and greater miracles wrought among the people.” However, despite increased miracles and signs, the people who didn’t believe in Christ persecuted those who did “saying: Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled; therefore, your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath been vain.”

They caused a “great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been spoken might not come to pass.” There began to be armed conflicts and heated disagreements among the people. The groups of people who had secret agreements among one another to try to achieve power and wealth “had become so numerous, and did slay so many of the people, and did lay waste so many cities, and did spread so much death and carnage throughout the land, that it became expedient that all the people, both the Nephites and the Lamanites, should take up arms against them.”

The people who believed in God and followed God “did unite with their brethren, the Nephites, and were compelled, for the safety of their lives and their women and their children, to take up arms against those Gadianton robbers, yea, and also to maintain their rights, and the privileges of their church and of their worship, and their freedom and their liberty.” However, despite uniting against a common enemy, they were still fighting among themselves, and the “robbers did gain many advantages over them.” At this time the people were “in a state of many afflictions; and the sword of destruction did hang over them, insomuch that they were about to be smitten down by it, and this because of their iniquity.”

Something I’ve thought a lot about regarding the destruction of civilizations is whether God smites these civilizations because of their wickedness, or whether destruction is just an inevitable consequence of societies that stray too far from the spectrum of shared values that allows humans to live in peace together. I don’t think that once societies hit a threshold of wickedness that God is annoyed enough to try to destroy the people. Instead, I think it’s like all commandments. The wisdom for them is sound, but we don’t always understand what we sometimes perceive as a restriction on our freedom when in reality it’s usually setting guidelines to allow us to thrive more fully by giving us a framework in which to operate. In games, morality, society, and life, there must be rules to create order.

Without order, there’s chaos. When everyone tries to play by their own rules, the game (a board game, society, or life) is ruined. You can’t play/live/thrive together when you aren’t using the same framework. We need some basic shared values (not necessarily shared beliefs) for the game to continue. In the case of the US, our shared values used to be Judeo-Christian values of equality of all men/women before God and in society (regardless of wealth or position which by extension means equal application of the law), and refraining from lying, cheating, stealing, murdering, etc. I think that societies and people destroy themselves by going to war with one another when they drift too far from common values that allow for peace and prosperity. In the scriptures it says that when the majority of the people choose evil, then they’re ripe for destruction. However, if people “repent” or change then they’re spared. To me this doesn’t seem to imply a vengeful God intent on punishing people for wrongs, but rather a continuum with consequences that at some point may tip past the point of no return.

The scriptures show us repeated cycles of the people living in peace and going to war. The cause of the rise and fall of conflict and peace among these people is the same, and it’s not restricted to scripture. When societies start to elevate certain people above others in worth or importance, and the rule of law ceases to apply equally to all people regardless of position or class, and groups of people begin to cheat one another, battle for wealth and power, and society/civilization begins to decay. What’s funny is that the word “civilization” seems to encompass this meaning, the action or process of being courteous or polite, noncriminal. What’s funny is that we have groups in the US right now, particularly BLM (Black Lives Matter Inc), who state a main objective is to rid us of “the oppression of respectability.” Respectability is defined as “proper, correct, and socially acceptable.” They are literally and actively seeking to undermine civility, or the representation of civilization, and we wonder why the world is going to crap.

There are a lot of really interesting studies about how sexual morality and promiscuity are also one of the biggest determiners of the health of a civilization. Civilizations that permit promiscuity undermine the order of civilization. Stable family units are the basis of ordered society. Promiscuity leads to kids without a set of parents, fewer stable homes, and increases in cheating and divorce. I read about how monogamy and restrained sexual passions allow you to bridle your passions and channel them into more productive outlets like career, family, and community, while promiscuity indulges people’s hedonism so that they’re constantly seeking satisfaction and pleasure instead of seeking to building things like family, life, or community. Again, we want the effects of following the rules without having to actually follow them.

Other symptoms of a decaying society are the glorification of violence, and the debasement of the currency. You can find a lot of examples of inflation and what causes it (governments), but I really liked this article about it https://mises.org/library/inflation-and-fall-roman-empire. It explained how the rulers of Rome and the military (those who worked for the government) benefitted from a dual monetary system where the people at the top reaped benefits, while everyone else struggled to get by because their purchasing power was constantly being undermined. That doesn’t sound anything like the rich benefiting from rising asset prices while regular people have the purchasing power of their savings constantly diminished like today, does it? This seems extremely relevant to me when we consider the chaos of all of the currencies in the world from Venezuela to Zimbabwe. The plague of deficit spending is also addressed, and we won’t go too far into it, but the manipulation of currencies and deficit spending to the benefit of the few to the detriment of many are what’s caused things like the sovereign debt crisis in Europe (Greece most famously), stagnant growth over the course of decades in Japan, and 0% to negative interest rates across the board, and rising inequality all over the world. But again, without arguing morality, how can we say that this is wrong? Unfortunately if we aren’t going to be blazing hypocrites, we need to be consistent and moral all the time, not just when it’s convenient or we’re the one getting screwed. There is no moral high ground if you don’t care about morality unless it affects you negatively.

I know this is a bit of a tangent for a Sunday School lesson, but I hope I can help you see the relevance. When we consider the scripture that tells us that “wickedness never was happiness,” I take it to mean that doing the wrong thing doesn’t lead to the good outcomes that we want. These principles are broadly applied. Fiscal or monetary wickedness (doing the wrong thing, being irresponsible, spending what you don’t have) never leads to prosperity. Sexual wickedness (doing the wrong thing and only pursuing pleasure) doesn’t actually lead to satisfaction. I’ve watched the world around me double down on things that are wrong, and act surprised when there are negative consequences.

How can we be surprised that people don’t value life in terms of mass shootings, terrorism, or murder, when we as societies kill unborn babies with abortion (usually for convenience), fail to provide shelter for homeless and let people die on the streets, and let the poor go hungry (whether in our own communities, countries or the world)? How can we expect people to value the sanctity of life when so much of what we do as a society teaches that life is not precious or valuable or sacred at all? When nothing is sacred anymore? We have to do better. We have to actually live the values we profess to have.

How can we be shocked or surprised at all the variations of pornography and sexual exploitation and rape when we as societies profess that sexuality is just pleasure, a need to be filled, and that it doesn’t mean anything special? How can we sexualize children more and more and debase innocence and be surprised when that leads to even worse things? How can we do everything wrong, celebrate it, and then act surprised or horrified to find out there are consequences?

When we discourage marriage, encourage divorce, and destroy the family unit, the foundation of ordered society and civilization, how can we be surprised that the structure and rules of society are crumbling? One thing the pandemic showed us starkly is how much families have shifted the responsibility of their children to the state. Here in the US people were lamenting what children would do if schools were closed because then those kids would have “food insecurity,” meaning that some kids wouldn’t have anything to eat if the school wasn’t feeding them breakfast and lunch. As a society we’ve hoisted the responsibility of feeding our children from the parents onto the state. Teachers and schools shouldn’t be responsible for feeding your children. They shouldn’t be responsible for caring for the emotional, spiritual, and/or physical needs of children. We need to take more responsibility for our own lives, our own children, and our own communities.

Jordan Peterson, a Canadian Psychologist, talks about this. He talks about how the voluntary acceptance of responsibility is what gives us meaning in our lives. The more we seek supposed freedom by refusing responsibility (regarding the state of our lives, our finances, our kids), the more we diminish meaning in our lives. I think that the acceptance of the burden of responsibility and bearing it well is what we consider success. For example, in any area of life, it is the voluntary acceptance of responsibility and striving to bear it well that constitutes success. In our pursuit of ultimate freedom from rules and responsibilities in our modern societies, we’ve destroyed the basis of our meaning and success.

Back to the reading. The leader of the wicked group of people sends a letter to the leader of the people, Lachoneus. Lachoneus was “exceedingly astonished, because of the boldness of Giddianhi demanding the possession of the land of the Nephites, and also of threatening the people and avenging the wrongs of those that had received no wrong, save it were they had wronged themselves by dissenting away unto those wicked and abominable robbers.” This reminds me of what’s happening in the US right now too. There are groups of people, who I believe are a minority, who are demanding that the country acquiesce to them. They’re threatening everyone because of perceived wrongs.

In the reading, the good guys prepared for conflict. They only plan to defend themselves, instead of going after the bad guys. They “put up their prayers unto the Lord their God, that he would deliver them in the time that their enemies should come down against them to battle.” When the bad guys come to battle against them, “behold, great and terrible was the day that they did come up to battle; and they were girded about after the manner of robbers; and they had a lamb-skin about their loins, and they were dyed in blood, and their heads were shorn, and they had head-plates upon them; and great and terrible was the appearance of the armies of Giddianhi, because of their armor, and because of their being dyed in blood.” The bad guys use fear and intimidation as a deliberate tactic. They want to scare the people into submission, into surrender. They wanted to punish the people for things that they didn’t do. I don’t know about you, but this tactic in the Book of Mormon and in our society today is against my religion. It’s wrong. It’s evil. I believe that man should be punished for their own sins and not for Adam’s transgressions, or that we should only be held responsible for the things that we do, not for Adam's sins or for the sins of our ancestors. I didn't want to bring politics into this, but the concept original sin in which we are all born sinful, is one that a certain political party is pushing. I watched a community event in which one of the presidential candidates spoke of us as a people and a nation needing to address the original sin of 400 years of slavery. There's so much that's morally wrong with this that I wasn't even sure that I should mention it here. I don't believe in original sin. I don't believe in holding people accountable for things that they had no part in. 

The good guys fell down on the ground, praying to God for protection. There’s very little in life that we can control. We have some control over our own lives, and little control over the direction of society or the world. We are fragile and frail, and much of the control that we think we have is an illusion. Prayer is what we do to try to influence those things which are out of our control. The battle ensues, and the good guys win. Afterwards, “their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; and they knew it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction.”

Though the deliverance in these chapters was physical, I think that we can superimpose the lessons in the story onto other areas of life. We can talk about emotional or spiritual deliverance instead of just physical deliverance. Though The Book of Mormon is full of physical battles, the stories can apply to us. We can think of it in the context of the armour of God (see the bible) with the shield of faith, the sword of the spirit, etc. We too can prepare as best we can, and when the time comes to battle, we pray for strength and guidance and then boldly act.

It said near the end of the reading that “behold, there was not a living soul among all the people of the Nephites who did doubt in the least the words of all the holy prophets who had spoken; for they knew that it must needs be that they must be fulfilled. And they knew that it must be expedient that Christ had come, because of the many signs which had been given, according to the words of the prophets; and because of the things which had come to pass.” I mentioned this in my last lesson, but I liked how it spoke of the people believing because of the many signs which had been given. In the recent reading in Helaman 14 it said, “many shall see greater things than these, to the intent that they might believe that these signs and these wonders should come to pass upon all the face of this land, to the intent that there should be no cause for unbelief among the children of men.”

These scriptures tell me that there will be evidences given to people by God, with the intent that they should believe. We were never meant to blindly believe in prophecy, God, the prophets, or The Church. We are supposed to experiment in our own lives on a micro-level and receive evidence, experience, and knowledge there, and we are also supposed to watch society and the world follow the macro-level prophecies written about in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, so that when we see them fulfilled, we will have reason to believe. Because the people had the prophecies proven to them as they watched them fulfilled, and presumably had individual spiritual experiences in their own lives as well, they believed and “they did forsake all their sins, and their abominations, and their whoredoms, and did serve God with all diligence day and night.”

It says a few different places that Nephi ministered with “power and with great authority.” Guess what the reaction was of the people who weren’t trying to follow God or Christ. You’ll never guess. Nephi was casting out devils, performing miracles, and raising his brother from the dead and providing evidence of the truth of his words, and “they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they. . .” They were mad at him because he was more powerful than they were! How dumb is that! They were also mad at him because it wasn’t possible “that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. . .” The bad guys “saw it, and did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power; and he did also do many more miracles, in the sight of the people, in the name of Jesus.” Another place in the reading it talked about the people willfully rebelling against God. They didn't do bad things in ignorance. They knew better and they chose to do evil things willfully. 

In the end, their chief judge is murdered and it says that basically the government is destroyed. The bad guys who tried to destroy the government appoint an anti-Christ King over themselves. Everyone else divided into tribes which consisted of their friends and families. There is some tenuous peace between many of the tribes, but the shared values that previously bound them together are gone. They don’t have the same laws, but “they were united in the hatred of those who had entered into a covenant to destroy the government.”

To me, the reading this week was a stark warning of what can happen to people when we disregard the consequences of immorality. Everyone wants to live in a moral society with moral leaders, but many people don’t want those rules of morality to apply to them. It also is a warning of what happens when we no longer have shared values. When order breaks down, chaos ensues. The fall of the Nephite civilization into tribalism is so interesting, and what’s even crazier is that it’s not out of the realm of possibility for our societies today. We like to believe that we're more evolved, more enlightened, or somehow more civilized than the rest of humanity because of our modernity, but this isn't the case, and to believe it is dangerous. 

It reminds me of a quote by Jeffery R. Holland in a CES broadcast in 2015 when he said, “We know for certain that if or when everything else in the latter days is down or dying: if governments, economies, industries, and institutions crumble; if societies and cultures become a quagmire of chaos and insecurity, nevertheless through it all the gospel of Jesus Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that bears that gospel to the world will stand triumphant. It will stand undefiled in God’s hand until the very Son of God Himself comes to rule and reign as Lord of lords and King of kings. Nothing is more certain in this world. Nothing is more sure. Nothing could be more of an antidote to anxiety.”

Val's Email Sunday School: Bravery, Faith, and Hope

Ah yes, it’s time again for Email Sunday School. Today we’ll discuss another one of my favorite scripture stories, Samuel the Lamanite, and what this story can teach us about ourselves and our day. Samuel the Lamanite was a prophet who came to a city called Zarahemla to preach to the people. He taught about repentance (or the need to become better and more moral) and about Jesus Christ. The scriptures say “he did preach, many days, repentance unto the people. . .” However, the people didn’t like what he had to say, and they threw him out of the city. Samuel the Lamanite received inspiration that he needed to go back, but the people wouldn’t let him into the city. This is where it gets good.

We’ve got to admire Samuel’s resolve to do what he feels is right, despite the obstacles he faces. First, he preaches and no one listens. Then, he preaches and they literally throw him out. He’s instructed to go back, but they won’t let him into the city. If I was Samuel and I knew God wanted me to do something, I’d be wondering why He wasn’t preparing the way a little bit instead of having me face all of these obstacles and dead ends. But instead of dwelling on what he couldn’t do, Samuel the Lamanite instead does what he can do. Samuel keeps putting in the effort.

President Nelson said that, “...the Lord loves effort, because effort brings rewards that can’t come without it.” What might those rewards be? Maybe allowing us to learn how to exercise trust or faith. Maybe allowing us to realize our actual capacity or strength. Maybe having us do things we know, we know, that we didn’t have the ability to do on our own so that we can bear witness and testimony to others later? President Nelson never specifies in that talk what those rewards are, but I think it would be enlightening for us to think about why sometimes the things that God wants from us are hard and why he lets us struggle. Why did Nephi and his brother’s have to go back for the plates? Why did they have to try so hard to get them? Why is struggle often a theme in the stories about following the Lord?

Back to Samuel. Samuel decides to do what he can, and climbs up on the wall of the city since he can’t get inside. It’s fun to imagine how high the wall of the city might have been. Did he have to rock climb up it? It had to have been pretty high for the rest of the story to make sense. Anyway, he went and got “upon the wall thereof, and stretched forth his hand and cried with a loud voice, and prophesied unto the people whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart.” He prophesied of their destruction if they didn’t change and become more moral, more righteous. They needed to change (repent). He taught of Christ, and Christ’s coming. He prophesied of violence, famine, and pestilence if they didn’t change. He taught that they would face God’s fierce anger if they didn’t improve. He taught that the city was spared because of the righteous who were in it, “But behold, the time cometh, saith the Lord, that when ye shall cast out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction. . .”

He doesn’t mince words as he describes how the people “do not remember the Lord” in the things he’s blessed them with, but they “always remember [their] riches, not to thank the Lord . . .for them; yea, [their] hearts are not drawn out unto the Lord, but they do swell with great pride, unto boasting, and unto great swelling, envyings, strifes, malice, persecutions, and murders, and all manner of iniquities.” He preaches very specifically about the prophecies around Christ’s birth and death, saying that “many shall see greater things than these, to the intent that they might believe that these signs and these wonders should come to pass upon all the face of this land, to the intent that there should be no cause for unbelief among the children of men.” I find this reassuring. When we consider the Second Coming of Christ, and the last days, and the signs, wonders, and prophecies that will come before his return, it is comforting to think that the Lord will provide us enough evidence with the specific intent that there should be no cause for unbelief.

It’s a good sermon. He has a lot to say. I like it because whether or not you believe that The Book of Mormon is an actual history of people on the American Continent, it’s at least as old as Joseph Smith’s day. And the philosophies and arguments and ideologies of man are not new. I particularly liked this excerpt:

“25 And now when ye talk, ye say: If our days had been in the days of our fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets; we would not have stoned them, and cast them out.

26 Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him; yea, you will say that he is a false prophet, and that he is a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds are evil.

27 But behold, if a man shall come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye shall not suffer; yea, he will say: Walk after the pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth—and if a man shall come among you and say this, ye will receive him, and say that he is a prophet.

28 Yea, ye will lift him up, and ye will give unto him of your substance; ye will give unto him of your gold, and of your silver, and ye will clothe him with costly apparel; and because he speaketh flattering words unto you, and he saith that all is well, then ye will not find fault with him.

29 O ye wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened and ye stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose that the Lord will suffer you? Yea, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be led by foolish and blind guides? Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light?”

He goes on to say that if we don’t choose to do right now, then at some point it will be too late, because “your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head.” What Samuel the Lamanite says here is really interesting, and you can find a lot of variations of this sentiment in self-help books and self-development books. Many people believe that being happy is a side effect of a certain type of life, a certain type of living, and not an ends in itself. They say that the harder you pursue happiness, the more elusive that it is, but if instead you build a life, based on service and meaning, that happiness is a result.

The people are so mad about what Samuel the Lamanite has to say that the crowd decides to try to kill him. When I was little, I didn’t know why the people wanted to kill Samuel for what he said. I just thought they were bad guys, so that’s what they did. The bad guys tried to kill the good guys. Wasn’t that how it worked? But seeing the anger and senseless violence of the riots throughtout the country this summer online has exemplified to me George Orwell’s quote that says, “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.” I can see people in our society today wanting to kill people for saying things they don’t like.

The mob starts throwing rocks and shooting arrows at Samuel. Samuel is not only obedient and wise, he’s brave. He keeps his cool and continues preaching, trusting that God will protect him, especially because he’s on the errand that God sent him on. Some of the people believed his words because they couldn’t hit him, but the others who didn’t believe him were even madder and “when they saw that they could not hit him with their stones and their arrows, they cried unto their captains, saying: Take this fellow and bind him, for behold he hath a devil; and because of the power of the devil which is in him we cannot hit him with our stones and our arrows; therefore take him and bind him, and away with him.” When Samuel the Lamanite saw the people coming to physically get him because they couldn’t kill him any other way, “he did cast himself down from the wall, and did flee out of their lands, yea, even unto his own country . . .”

Samuel’s most famous prophecy is probably the one that told of Christ’s Coming. He talks about the signs and wonders that will precede the birth of Christ. I liked reading about the prophecies regarding Christ’s birth and death, and the stalwart faith of those who believed Samuel. That’s a whole other lesson, so I’ll conclude talking about what this story of Samuel can teach us today.

One thing that struck me was that Samuel managed to offend almost everyone. If “the wicked take the truth to be hard” he managed to rub everyone’s sore points. Some of the people realized he was right, and decided to change and become better, but most of them just got mad. To me, this demonstrates the importance of not giving into hate and anger, the importance of humility. When we are humble we can recognize when we’re doing wrong and we can change. The world is better when we are better. The people in the crowd listening to Samuel were just people. Many of them were probably relatively good people who were making some immoral choices that Samuel pointed out. Instead of recognizing that he was right, they got defensive, angry, and violent.

Becoming defensive, angry, and hateful is something I’ve seen online a lot. And I’ve seen it from people in various denominations who claim to follow Christ. They publically disparage others and rant about how they can’t believe that someone who follows Christ could support one political candidate or the other. This is so disappointing. We know better. Are we living up to the standard we know is right?

We must be more Christlike, and that includes not shaming others for having different opinions. Isn’t that literally one of the biggest problems our society has today anyway? Are we going to jump on the bandwagon of division when people don’t reach the same conclusions we have? Tolerance, agency, and freedom of choice are literally the point of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to have actual tolerance, understanding, and love for others and not try to force them to conform to what we think is best.

Life is full of shades of grey, and there is often no “right” choice, but merely the best choice we think we can make after reasoning things out in our minds. This is why Christ is supposed to be our advocate with God. He knows our hearts, minds, and intent. It’s not our place to judge people and their choices and try to shame them into what we think is right. It’s wrong to use God, our church, or Christ as a justification for what we’re doing and try to force or compel others to do the same. President Uchdorf said, “We must realize that all of God’s children wear the same jersey. Our team is the brotherhood of man. This mortal life is our playing field. Our goal is to learn to love God and to extend that same love toward our fellowman.”

I hope we can look at this story and find inspiration in Samuel’s example of resilience, perseverance, obedience, faith, and bravery (also his magnificent superhero-like ability not to get hit with projectiles and arrows). I hope that as a society we can stop being so rooted in our ideologies and instead find common ground in our shared values of freedom, liberty, agency, and humanity. I hope we can rise above the psychological and spiritual warfare that seems to be being waged against us in news cycles and on social media and instead choose faith over fear. I hope we can focus on the good and have hope. Hope is a scarce commodity, and those who have it will stand apart in this world. As Thomas S. Monson said that “the future is as bright as your faith.”