No Coincidences

Tag: Lectures on Faith

  • The God You Know

    The God You Know

    When I started writing the post Unity, Peace, and Love, I actually had another point I intended to make. As often happens when I write, my point got sidetracked (I hope by the Spirit) and I ended up going a completely different direction than originally intended. The point I was sidetracked from, I still liked, and think is important, so I decided to write it anyway. Hopefully the Spirit will guide this post as well.

    In Unity, Peace, and Love I talked about a video that shocked me, the video of someone strutting up to a rameumptom to pray. The idea of a follower of God shoving people out of his way to pray was so bizarre to me. I wrote in the aforementioned post what I think ended up being a better point about this. But what really came to mind the first time I watched that video is how corrupt religion can become if people don’t know who they worship.

    In my original post about the rameumpton, I wrote about the God a friend of mine knew. His God was vengeful, exclusive, and selective. This friend believed that I was going to hell despite my best efforts. I assured that friend that I believed he was going to heaven. Do I worship a different God?

    Let me be clear, I believe we’re all trying to worship the same God. I don’t mean to make the same argument that many Christians make against members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that I’m not Christian because I don’t worship the same Jesus Christ. Just because we have different understandings of the person doesn’t completely diminish our worship. My efforts in worshiping Christ, even if others deem it a “different” or “inaccurate” Jesus Christ, is still worship.

    The problem comes when our understanding of who we worship completely alters our understanding and our behavior. The idea that someone could shove someone on their way to prayer was so bizarre to me. But what if the God someone understands has no body, passions, and is unknowable? What if someone thinks God is a selective and vengeful God that needs to be feared?Why not shove someone on their way to prayer? This shoving behavior isn’t as bad as a God who destroys people on a whim, a God who sent us here so 99% of us could be damned to eternal torment. Surely shoving someone isn’t that bad if our example is that God.

    I wrote the above before I finished Alma chapter 21 so I’d forgotten about the next part about the Zoramites, their rameumptom, and their recited prayer.

    Verse 15 of chapter 21, after the depiction of a Zoramite shoving someone out of his way on his way to prayer, reads:

    “Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art God, and we believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a spirit, and that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever.”

    Interesting their beliefs line up with my thinking about how not knowing God corrupts our behaviors not only religiously, but in life. Here we have a recited prayer and the confusion on God’s character destroying a society.

    The culmination of the Zoramites corruption was not in their recited prayers or confusion in God, though. The culmination is found in verse 16 which reads:

    “Holy God, we believe that thou has separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of their fathers; but we believe that thou has elected us to be thy holy children; and also thou has made it known unto us that there shall be no Christ” (emphasis added).

    All their confusion, twisting of doctrine, and beliefs ultimately led to a denial of Christ. We will know the modern religions have truly fallen when they stop believing in He who keeps this all together.

    In an April 2023 General Conference talk, Mark A. Bragg reminded us of the Joseph Smith quote, “If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves.”

    This is where modern revelation and especially the Lectures on Faith (See here, here, and especially here for more on those) becomes so important. We must understand the character of perfection and love that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ possess so that we can aspire to those characteristics. An unknowable God gives us an unknowable standard. Knowing God is perfect love, and we can do our best to be like Him, gives us the ability to do our best to emulate His love.

  • Why do we Love our Children?

    Why do we Love our Children?

    I recently heard a quote so good I want to quote it in full:

    “Think about this. When a little baby is born, that baby cries at inopportune times, makes a lot of noise. It soils its diapers; it demands to be fed when it wants to be fed. It costs you a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of energy, a lot of lost sleep. So why do we keep putting up with these little creatures? It’s because there’s this deep, underlying feeling of love for these children of ours. We love them so much that we don’t look at what it’s costing us. We keep infusing life and we keep teaching, and we keep forgiving, and we keep working with, and we keep nurturing and feeding and helping them to grow to become who they need to become and who they have the capacity to become.”

    I think that’s an awesome quote. Well said.

    I’ve been thinking about this more lately. With a toddler that is so full of joy and happiness, and also, sometimes, not. And a 7-month-old that still isn’t sleeping great. And with plates thrown and irrational frustrations (by the toddler), and crying and no sleep and…

    Ivy “loving” Sage

    *Sigh

    The energy it takes. The life force being sucked out of me.

    And.

    Would I go back if I could?

    Not in a kagillion-billion-zillion-babillion years. I love them so much. It’s all worth it.

    Is it hard? Heck yeah. It’s so hard. Do I feel like I’m dying a slow death sometimes? Uh, yeah, I do.

    And then, Ivy smiles and says, “Dada. I love you.” And Sage sees me and inexplicably giggles. And suddenly, all that sucked out life force flows into my body from my head to my toes in a rush of energy and exhilaration and LOVE. It’s like nothing else in this world: looking at my two daughters. The love.

    As a parent, speaking for myself, there’s a point where you become numb to the sacrifice and all you give up for your children. There was a time when having to get up once in the middle of the night to check on anything would ruin my entire night of sleep. At this moment, the average night has at least 3 middle-of-the-night wake ups. Zero wake ups in the night is a miracle.

    Early on with Ivy, I really struggled with this. I started to wonder how I could survive without getting sleep. And now we’re starting over with Sage who doesn’t sleep nearly as well as Ivy did. I’m probably getting hours less sleep per week than I ever have. And yet I feel alive and invigorated. Somehow, I’m surviving. I think it’s that infusion of love I get from seeing them happy, healthy, and growing each day.

    Ivy the morning after waking me up three times in the middle of the night. She didn’t go to sleep with the crown.

    The time, the noise, the diapers, the feeding, the money, the energy, the sleep put into these “little creatures.” And yet, do I regret it? A resounding NO! I want more. I love them so much, it hurts. Sometimes it physically hurts how much I love them. That quote above came from a video of a guy discussing the Lectures on Faith. I’ll link it HERE.

    He was talking about the attributes of God. That wasn’t where the quote ended.

    “If we as mortal parents can figure that out (the love for our children), how much more do perfect, eternal parents have that figured out? God is a God motivated by love. It’s not just this outward thing, it’s part of the divine characteristic. God is love. Without that, you and I can’t have full faith in God unto life and salvation.”

    We’re here to learn to love like God. God, Christ, and the Holy Ghost love so perfectly that they have become one in mission, intent, and purpose. That is the love I feel for my family. I would give anything for them. My wants and needs have taken three back seats. Beth, Ivy, and Sage’s needs are so much more important than mine. The “world” will try to say this is unhealthy, that I need to “put myself first” or “take care of myself.” Of course, I don’t completely disregard my health and care, but that idea that I come first is extremely wrong. I don’t come first. I know that. And not coming first is what gives me strength each day. That infusion of love that comes from my family makes every sacrifice the sweetest sacrifice there is.

    If I feel this way, as a mortal man who knows how to give good gifts, how much more perfectly does God love me? How much more is He willing and able to give me because He loves me? I know God loves me. I am eternally grateful for His love. Now, He is teaching me how to love.

  • Lectures on Faith – Lectures 3 and 4: The Character and Attributes of God.

    Lectures on Faith – Lectures 3 and 4: The Character and Attributes of God.

    These two lectures are combined because they are so closely linked.  They were also combined into one video in the series I’m watching that teaches about the Lectures on Faith.

    Lectures 3 and 4 are about the unchanging attributes of God and why understanding those attributes is necessary for our faith.

    The points made in the video were so good I’m going to just list the character traits and attributes of God given in these lectures and then give points from the video.  All the points from the video I believe inspire some thought-provoking ideas.

    Character of God:

    1. He was God before the world was created and continued to be God after.
    2. He is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abundant in goodness, He was from everlasting, and will be to everlasting.
    3. He is unchanging, there is no variableness with Him, His course is one eternal round.
    4. He is a God of truth and cannot lie.
    5. He is no respecter of persons.
    6. He is love.

    Attributes of God:

    1. Knowledge
    2. Faith or power
    3. Justice
    4. Judgement
    5. Mercy
    6. Truth

    It is obvious why these two lectures go hand in hand as there is a lot of overlap between the character and attributes of God.

    I’ll now go over some interesting thoughts from the video.

    1. Pretty obvious but worth saying, this is not a finite list of attributes.  It’s meant to help our minds to understand who God is so we can put complete faith in Him.
    2. Unfortunately, this has become less true in our day, but most of us don’t have a problem believing in God, it’s what He’s like where we have an issue – and so much disagreement.
    3. The first attribute listed is mercy.  One of the first attributes of God Nephi mentions in the Book of Mormon is mercy.  In Moroni’s last chapter, the concluding chapter of the book of Mormon, mercy is mentioned again.
      • 1 Nephi 1:14 And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!
      • Moroni 10:3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
      • It is important for us to understand the mercy of God.
    4. If we have the idea that God is easy to anger it makes it harder for us to have faith in Him.  In the parable of the talents, why did the servant bury his talent?  Because he was afraid.
    5. The fifth and sixth attributes can be combined.  God is a God of love because He is no respecter of persons.  He loves us all. 
    6. God doesn’t stop loving people when they sin.  The difference is God is not able to bless people when they sin.
    7. Where there is doubt faith cannot exist.  Questions are different from doubts.

    I’ll conclude with a statement directly from lecture 4:16 because I think it is extra relevant to us today.

    “And lastly, but not less important to the exercise of faith in God, is the idea of the existence of the attribute truth, in him. For, without the idea of the existence of this attribute the mind of man could have nothing upon which it could rest with certainty: all would be confusion and doubt; but with the idea of the existence of this attribute in the Deity, in the mind, all the teachings, instructions, promises and blessings become realities, and the mind is enabled to lay hold of them with certainty and confidence.”

    We see the fruits of this today.  If no one knows for sure what truth is we become so shaken and confused, thrown about by any wind, blown about on the sea like a boat without paddle.  That’s how we are today when we try to understand truth without putting our faith in the truth of God.  One expert disagrees with another expert.  No one knows how to fix anything.  It is all confusion.  We don’t know who to listen to or who to trust.  Trust God.  His attribute of truth allows us to put our complete confidence in Him and know He will never lead us astray.

    To read the lectures yourself you can find them HERE.

    For the videos about the lectures you can go HERE.

  • Lectures on Faith

    Lectures on Faith

    Lectures on Faith – Introduction and Lecture 1: Faith Defined.

    I’ve been watching a series of videos on the Lectures on Faith as supplemental material to my study of the Lectures.

    If you’re not familiar with the lectures on faith, you can read them all here:

    https://lecturesonfaith.com/

    It’s unclear who officially wrote the Lectures on Faith, though they were approved of and taught by Joseph Smith.  At a minimum, the concepts and theology of them comes from revelation given to Joseph Smith.  Yet another example and evidence of his calling as a prophet.

    I write here my notes and thoughts on these videos and the lectures.  There are seven Lectures.  The 10 video series I’ve been watching spans almost 5 hours and reviews each of the Lectures.  In writing this it will help me put together my thoughts and understanding on what Joseph Smith tried to teach us about faith.  Through this process I know my faith will grow by studying these principles.  What Joseph Smith taught about faith is beyond profound, it is revelatory. I will need to study his words and all supplemental material for the rest of my life to get a grasp of the profound and eternal nature of faith.  I look forward to reading over my notes here many times to refresh my mind and expand my knowledge on the subject.

    Video 1 was an introduction to the Lectures.  Video 2 was all about Lecture 1 – Faith Defined. 

    First, what are the Lectures on Faith?  They are principles put together by Joseph Smith to help early elders to share the gospel.

    What do the seven lectures cover? (from Video 1)

    Lecture 1 What is faith?

    Lecture 2 Links the principles of faith and the doctrine of revelation.  The power of human testimony is the medium with which the gospel is passed from generation to generation.

    Lectures 3 and 4 The character and attributes of God.  If we don’t understand the attributes of God, we can’t have confidence to exercise proper faith in Him.

    Lecture 5 The Godhead, nature of the members of the Godhead.

    Lecture 6 The Law of Sacrifice.

    Lecture 7 The fruits of faith.

    What is the plan for the Lectures on Faith?

    1. Teach what faith is.
    2. Teach how to obtain faith.
    3. What happens if you obtain faith?
    Lectures on Faith: The Exalted Nature of the Godhead (Part ...
    Bob Millet

    My favorite part from the first video was this suggestion from Bob Millet, one of the panelists. His suggestion was this: read the Lectures on Faith 20 times then you can start to study them.

    Now that I have an overview on what all 7 lectures will cover and teach, I can get into Lecture 1.

    Lecture 1: Faith Defined

    Obvious question to start, what is faith?

    Faith is the first principle in revealed religion and the foundation of righteousness.  Faith is the substance of things hoped for but not seen (Hebrews 11:1).  The lecture starts broad – faith is the belief that something will come to pass.  Then it gets more religious in tone: “the principle of action in all intelligent beings.”

    Faith is a principle of action.  Faith implies works, it implies activity, both physical and mental.  Just as faith is the moving action in all things temporal, so it is with spiritual (paragraph 12). 

    By faith God formed the earth.  I think this is the most profound point from Lecture 1.  That it is God’s faith that is His power.  Take faith from God and He would cease to exist (paragraph 16).  I know to many this seems like outright blasphemy.  But before rejecting the idea without thought, consider what is being said.  Faith is a principle of power.  It is the power by which God formed the earth.  Take away His faith, take away His power, He ceases to be God.  Luckily for us God’s power cannot be taken away.

    God’s faith and knowledge are equivalent.  It is God’s perfect faith that allows His perfect knowledge.  Consider: faith is believing in something that you haven’t yet seen.  Since God’s faith is perfect what He has faith in will be, it will exist.  We mortals look at faith as weak, unproven, unscientific.  It is God’s trust in the Plan of Salvation that makes Him create worlds. It is God’s perfect faith that created those worlds. It is God’s perfect faith that makes Him the Almighty.

    Again, faith is the power of God.  If faith is that important, it adds a whole new meaning, explanation, and understanding to this life.  Why do we move through life as if through a misty darkness, unsure of everything?  Why the veil that covers our eyes and fogs our minds to so much that we used to know?  Why don’t we know where we come from?  Why don’t we know where we’re going?  Why doesn’t God send angels down to tell us which church is true?  Why doesn’t God allow profound miracles to occur before unbelievers’ eyes so they can KNOW that He exists?  The reason God doesn’t do these things is due to the importance of faith.  We are here to learn faith, develop faith, grow faith; because it is that important.  God does not want to take that opportunity of growth and development away from us.  He won’t.  He knows how critical it is.

    Faith, then, is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion, and authority over all things: by it they exist, by it they are upheld, by it they are changed, or by it they remain, agreeably to the will of God.  Without it, there is no power, and without power there could be no creation, nor existence!” (Paragraph 24).

    Link to Lecture 1: https://lecturesonfaith.com/1/

    Link to Video 1 An Introduction on the Lectures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiV4dCY9OEA&list=PLc5yYrpPFm2umksQf3jgULxoV4YIXTd2h&index=1

    Link to Video 2 What is faith?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_EXFQK-KJE&list=PLc5yYrpPFm2umksQf3jgULxoV4YIXTd2h&index=2