No Coincidences

Tag: prophets

  • Inheritance and Lehi’s Blessing

    Inheritance and Lehi’s Blessing

    I have always been confused by the blessings of Lehi to his posterity in the 4th chapter of 2 Nephi in the Book of Mormon.  For one, there is the obvious blessing that is missing: Nephi’s.  For another, there seem to be mixed messages.  Laman and Lemuel have a blessing, but it may be removed?  What does Sam get?  Who is the actual new leader- Nephi or Laman?

    In an article titled Lehi’s Last Will and Testament: A Legal Approach, John Welch goes into great detail on the legality and custom of Lehi’s blessing, and answers all of the above questions. I’d encourage anyone interested to read his whole article. It strengthened my testimony of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon and reminds us of the real world that Nephi was a part of.

    I want to go over some highlights from John Welch’s article that explain Lehi’s blessing in its cultural context. Credit also goes to Alan C. Miner who put together the points I found most relevant to the above questions.

    Inheritance and succession was an important aspect of near eastern culture. It was a way of “preserving and transmitting the family estate from one generation to the next” (John Welch). Typically, the eldest son of the father’s first wife inherited his estate. The leadership of the family was also an important inheritance given. Faulk points out, “a father was free to choose a younger son as his successor, if he found the eldest unworthy of the office.” Sound like this fits Laman and Lemuel much? The father passed this leadership of the family on often through a special blessing (Deuteronomy 21:17), like we see in 2nd Nephi chapter 4.

    There are many examples of this spiritual or ruling leadership being given to a younger son including:

    1. Abel
    2. Seth
    3. Jacob (Israel)
    4. Ephraim
    5. David
    6. Solomon

    In each of these cases older sons were passed over as the spiritual leaders of the family.

    So, we have property inheritance and ruling inheritance. There was a third category sometimes handed down from the father: priestly duties. This is what happened with Lehi giving Jacob the priestly authority in the Book of Mormon. Another example of this was Jacob/Israel’s blessing in the Old Testament. Israel blessed Judah with the ruling authority (Genesis 49:10), Joseph of Egypt receiving a double portion through Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48:22), and Levi inherited some priestly rights to the priesthood.

    As time passed in ancient Jerusalem, it became common custom for the eldest son to automatically receive a double portion of the inheritance. As noted, there were times that younger sons received different portions, or rights to rule, or increased inheritance. This was the exception, not the rule.

    This basic background information brings us to our fascinating story in the Book of Mormon. We have an eldest son, Laman, who was the eldest son of, what appears to be, a relatively well-off citizen of Jerusalem. This family leaves behind their land and property, to venture off to a promised land, a promised land Laman seldom showed faith in attaining. This family spends years in the wilderness, potentially months on a ship, and eventually land in the promised land. This elder brother is now over the moon with joy and enthusiasm. He will inherit all that his father has and be the leader and now king of a new nation.

    But what about Nephi? It was Nephi from the start that helped the family in the wilderness. It was Nephi that went back and got the plates so they could remember God and how to read and write. It was Nephi who built a ship to get them to the promised land. Nephi led the family, physically and spiritually to the promised land. He was the natural leader of the family and deserved to inherit the leadership, and kingship, of this great new nation.

    Lehi has a bit of a conundrum. How was Lehi going to handle Laman’s expectation to receive a double portion from his father? How was Lehi to handle the expectation from Laman that, as the oldest son, it was his RIGHT to inherit everything, despite his lack of leadership throughout the journey. Especially when Nephi had been declared a “ruler and a teacher” (1 Nephi 2:22, 3:29) by God Himself.

    This brings us to our blessing, and to the answer to the questions I always had.

    Lehi needed to appease Laman while attaching appropriate contingencies to his blessing. The main contingency was that Laman’s blessing would be applicable as long as he hearkened unto Nephi. This same admonition was given to Lemuel, Sam, and the sons of Ishmael. If they refused to follow Nephi, their blessings would be null and void.

    So Lehi employed three ways to diminish Laman’s blessing and role as the firstborn son. In diminishing Laman’s role Lehi enhanced Nephi’s. This leads us to the questions:

    First, why was Sam’s portion linked with Nephi’s? Why were there no Samites?

    Combining Sam’s inheritance with Nephi’s was similar to Joseph of Egypt’s blessing being doubled through his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Sam’s share of the land was linked to Nephi’s and therefore Nephi’s portion was doubled through Sam’s faithfulness, loyalty, and devotion he would show to Nephi as he always had.

    Welch discusses a second way Lehi diminished Laman’s blessing as found in 2 Nephi 4:5-9, “He [Lehi] blessed his firstborn’s children to the effect that their sins and cursings would be answered upon the heads of their parents. This could not have been flattering to Laman.”

    The third way Laman’s authority and blessing was reduced, Lehi referred to Jacob three times as his “firstborn…in the wilderness” and applied the priestly duties to him. By naming Jacob as another version of the “firstborn,” Lehi subtly took away from Laman’s claims as the firstborn son. As we remember, the custom in ancient Jerusalem was for Laman to receive the inheritance by default because he was the firstborn son. But, with Jacob also receiving a form of the title, “first born son,” Laman lost some claim on this exclusive title.

    Laman was warned that if he was disobedient, to God and to Nephi, that his blessing would be revoked. Lehi was, in a way, willing to give Laman the cursory “honor” of the blessing while putting many safeguards in place to keep Laman from actually ruling.

    This background context gives us additional insight into how the Nephites (followers of Nephi) and Lamanites (followers of Laman) could so quickly devolve into war and contention. The peace was kept as long as Lehi, the official patriarch, was around. Custom in Jerusalem was to love and respect the father (Exodus 20:12). But as soon as Lehi died, it was chaos. Laman was never one to heed faith or blessings, so the warnings from his now passed father were of no concern to him. He wanted to rule.

    To conclude, Alan C. Miner states, “Thus, John Welch has provided a plausible cultural background and answer as to why there were no “Samites.”  His words also give testimony to the fact that the ancient world of which Lehi and Nephi were proposed to be a part of in the pages of the Book of Mormon was a very real world.” The confusing nature of the blessing adds to the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.  Lehi’s blessing is consistent with the pattern an ancient Israelite may use in blessing his children. 

    I bear testimony that the Book of Mormon is a true historical account of families that originated in Jerusalem and eventually settled in the Americas. The more I read and study the book the more obvious it becomes. God has given us a second witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ, and I’m grateful for it. I’m grateful for a book that has been tested for 200 years and still holds up. I’m grateful to know God is still invested in us and our lives. I’m grateful for the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

  • Beth’s Talk on Mosiah 3:19 (January)

    Beth’s Talk on Mosiah 3:19 (January)

    This is a talk, exactly as written, by Beth, that she gave in church in January. She rehearsed the talk verbally to me multiple times before I heard it in church. Of course, through hearing it I knew it was a great talk, but it wasn’t until proofreading and preparing to post this that I was struck by how phenomenal a talk this really was. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as much as I did. And now, Beth –

    Mosiah 3:19 Talk
    January 9, 2022
    Good morning brothers and sisters.
    I wanted to start by introducing my family as we are one of the families that were blended into this ward with the recent changes in the stake. My name is Elisabeth Quackenbush. My husband is Brayden Quackenbush. We met in the Scottsdale Young Single Adult Ward in 2017 and have been married for over 2 years. We have a one year old daughter named Ivy. You’ll see her running around Sunday School for another 5 months but she is very excited to start nursery after that.

    The topic I was given to speak on this morning is the scripture Mosiah 3:19. When I was informed this was my assignment I wasn’t really surprised. This scripture comes into my mind a lot and is brought up in conversations about life all the time when I’m chatting with my husband. I think it sticks in my mind because it stands in such contrast to a lot of the attitudes of the world these days.

    For those of you that memorized scripture mastery back in the day you may remember this scripture, but as a reminder, this scripture is King Benjamin speaking to his people in the Book of Mormon. It reads,

    “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”

    When we break down this verse, we can derive meaning in a variety of ways. The first that I noted is that the natural man is inherently selfish. The second is the importance of change to the Eternal Plan of Happiness.

    Boyd K Packer stated in his 1990 talk, “Put Off the Natural Man, and Come Off
    Conqueror”:
    “Unchecked selfishness [of the natural man] stubbornly blocks the way for developing all of the divine qualities: love, mercy, patience, long-suffering, kindness, graciousness, goodness, and gentleness. Any tender sprouts from these virtues are sheared off by sharp selfishness. Contrariwise, I cannot think of a single gospel covenant the keeping of which does not shear off selfishness from us.”

    Through the influence of the Holy Ghost, and the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can and should change from the narrow focus of the natural man and become, “submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, and willing to submit to the will of God.”

    This idea of our ability and strength to change stands in stark contrast to the pervasive attitude of our society. This attitude states that we are born a certain way. We can’t change, and even shouldn’t want to change. If we do change, we are inauthentic. On the surface, this has a false sense of empowerment, I think. However, this idea that change is bad and that we must only be one way for the rest of our life is truly limiting, almost an eternal purgatory of mediocrity. Compare this to the freedom and growth permitted to us through Jesus Christ’s suffering, that we may improve and become like our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ.

    My husband and I have had the opportunity to have many deep, religious
    conversations with friends of a variety of backgrounds. We often come across
    criticism of our faith’s belief that we can take steps, including repentance, baptism, and participating in temple ordinances, to change and become like God. We are accused of valuing works and forgetting the grace provided through Jesus Christ. On the contrary… His grace is the key element that permits us TO become new beings.

    In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
    creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

    Brad Wilcox does a beautiful job in his BYU talk, “His Grace is Sufficient” at outlining how the Atonement of Jesus Christ, through His death and resurrection, provides us the need to change… (forgive me for this lengthy quote but as many of you know, this talk is incredible…)

    “[Yes, we are saved by Grace but] Have you been changed by grace? [We] are so excited about being saved that we are not thinking enough about what comes next. We are so happy the debt is paid that we may not have considered why the debt existed in the first place. Latter-day Saints know not only what Jesus has saved us from but also what He has saved us for.

    “A life impacted by grace eventually begins to look like Christ’s life. While many Christians view Christ’s suffering as only a huge favor He did for us,
    Latter-day Saints also recognize it as a huge investment He made in us.

    “As Moroni puts it, grace isn’t just about being saved. It is also about becoming like the Savior. The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can live after we die but that we can live more abundantly. The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can be cleansed and consoled but that we can be transformed.“

    Again, just think for a minute… how does that compare to what we are being taught by the world? I can’t change, I shouldn’t change…

    HOW DO WE PUT OFF THE NATURAL MAN AND BECOME LIKE CHRIST?

    We can actively seek this positive change…

    In her 1998 BYU Speech, Wendy Watson, now well known as Wendy Nelson, lists some ways. One is reflection. She notes how Alma directs this type of reflection:

    “Just how does Alma invite these change-inducing reflections? One way is through his use of questions. In Alma 5 alone, more than 40 questions are offered—questions like:
    ‘Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? . . .
    . . . If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?‘ [Alma 5:14, 26]. Through the process of persistent questioning, Alma invites us to reflect over and over again: on our status with the Lord, on our spiritual growth and development, on things that need to change or have changed—and before we know it our desire for more change increases.”

    Another idea is to listen to the uplifting voices of authority in your life remembering, “As helpful as human voices of authority are, none can or should replace the ultimate voice of authority—the Word himself: the Savior Jesus Christ. What are you doing to hear his voice in your life? What are you doing to establish his voice as the voice of authority for you?”

    Other ways we can develop this change to become more like Him… Consistently and earnestly repent, seek out holy places, take steps of faith, pray to Him daily.”

    Sometimes change finds us…whether it be through loss, grief, depression, or trials in life, change is often thrust upon us in this mortal life. Again, the world finds few answers as to why there is such suffering and grief in the world. His eternal plan of growth and development is sometimes the only answer that makes sense. If we are to become like Christ, our innocent brother that felt all the sufferings of the world, how can we expect to be truly changed without some suffering of our own?

    Peter in speaking of [trials], said: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”

    When we endure this life, put off the natural man, and develop into more Christ-like beings, we set ourselves up to feel an even greater degree of joy in this life and in eternity.

    This topic makes me think of a time when I came back to church after living a life that was not in line with what I knew to be right. I made many positive changes when I started coming back and attending the Scottsdale Young Single Adult ward. I starting observing the sabbath day, stopped a lifestyle of college partying, broke off a serious relationship, and made several other difficult but important decisions.

    However, with all this positive change and shunning of the enticings of the natural man, I still felt like I wasn’t receiving the blessings I thought I would. I wallowed in self pity over my own suffering for a while because of this and even wondered if all of my change was for nothing.

    However, I eventually decided I would stop focusing on what I needed and instead turned outward. I made it my mission to seek anyone in my ward that seemed lonely as I was. I sought opportunities to serve those that were also going through a variety of trials. And a miracle happened! The less I focused on my pain, my loneliness, my loss, and focused on loving those around me as Christ did, I really came to find true joy.

    I couldn’t believe how sincerely I loved everyone around me. I didn’t feel lonely. I developed new, Christ-like attributes. And ultimately, I shunned the ultimate trait of the natural man – selfishness. What a blessing that lesson was for my life.

    I know how hard it can be to put off the feelings we have as humans in a difficult mortal journey. It is something we will actively have to work for as long as we live. However, I know that when we let ourselves change and take on the characteristics of Christ we will prepare ourselves to find real joy in eternity. We will truly have cause to rejoice in his second coming.

    I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

  • We are Scripture

    We are Scripture

    As I read the historical background of Section 136 of the Doctrine and Covenants, I’m struck by the realization of how much the pioneers of the 1840s parallel the children of Israel leaving Egypt.

    The pioneers were leaving persecution, and in many ways bondage, just as the children of Israel.

    The pioneers had a humble leader, being inspired of God.  Brigham Young said, “What I know, I have received from the heavens…Men talk about what has been accomplished under my direction, and attribute it to my wisdom and ability; but it is all by the power of God, and by intelligence received from him.”

    The pioneers were on a covenant path.  The destination was not as important as the journey.  Section 136 is all about the pioneers learning to trust and follow God, whatever happened.  This has many parallels with the children of Israel, from manna coming to heaven to their rejection of the full covenants with God along their way.

    The pioneers were going to settle a new promised land.  The children of Israel were going to settle the Lord’s city.

    The comparisons go on and on.

    As I’ve been writing this, I have said: the pioneers compared to the children of Israel.  It’s important to realize that the pioneers were the modern children of Israel.  It is no coincidence that their story so perfectly parallels the Exodus from Egypt.  God works in patterns.  This is proof of His work.

    Brigham Young, when worries came from the pioneers about them being behind schedule in their goal to have crops planted, is quoted as saying, if the Saints “had done all [they] could,” he would feel “just as well satisfied as if [they] had a thousand acres planted with grain.  The Lord would do the rest.”

    Ultimately, the pioneers settled Utah.  Salt Lake City has become a bustling and powerful city of the world.  The desert has blossomed as the rose, (Isaiah 35:1) just as Jerusalem became a powerful city in ancient times.

    I believe we often read the scriptures and forget that we are scripture.  Very little differentiates us from the followers of God 2000 or 4000 years ago.  Different places, different time, new technology; but we are still following God, trying our best to keep His covenants, and trying our best to come closer to Him.

    If scripture verses were written about you, what would be written?

    With this understanding comes an important realization.  History repeats itself.  I believe we can read of the ancient Jews condemning their Christ to death on the cross and scoff at the idea.  We are ~170 years removed from our “time in the wilderness,” our pioneer days.  If Christ came before Zion today, would we know Him?

    I hope we would, but sometimes I worry for Zion.  We know Zion will become complacent in the last days.  It’s important that we stay vigilant in our devotion to God and to our covenants with Him.  Otherwise we risk the same fate that befell Jerusalem so many years ago.

  • A Dream About Prophets

    A Dream About Prophets

    I had a dream last night.  In it I was going down a stream.  I had the feeling of leaving civilization for the wilderness.  I came to a cliff.  I climbed to the top and on the precipice there was a small and shabby tent erected.  I went inside and there was an old prophet.  I spoke with him.

    A new prophet came.  The new prophet was well dressed and well-kept, not like the old prophet living in a tiny tent on the edge of a cliff.  The new prophet was respected, and I knew he came from a comfortable home.  He was well regarded by society and lived comfortably in the world.  He was told he had to take the place of the old prophet and live there in the wilderness, in a tent.

    When I woke up from this dream, I had a feeling it was important, but I couldn’t figure out why.

    What was this dream telling me?

    I write down all my dreams.  But this one felt important.

    Was Russell M. Nelson the new prophet?  Was he of the world?  Was he flawed?  What was the dream telling me?

    As I meditated in the morning, I continued to ponder this question.  On my drive into the office, I prayed to know if there was something I was supposed to glean from this dream.  I asked specifically that if there was something important that I was supposed to learn to please allow my reading for the day to guide my mind to understanding.

    I’m in Mosiah chapter 3 and Doctrine and Covenants section 133 respectively in my daily scripture study.  A few hours later I was reading verse 71, exactly where I’d left off the day prior, of section 133, which reads:

    “Behold, and lo, there are none to deliver you; for ye obeyed not my voice when I called to you out of the heavens; ye believed not my servants, and when they were sent unto you ye received them not.”

    Alongside D&C I’m reading a commentary.  The commentary for verse 71 said:

    Why Are the Prophets Rejected?

    President Spencer W. Kimball commented:

    “Various excuses have been used over the centuries to dismiss these divine messengers. There has been denial because the prophet came from an obscure place. ‘Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ (John 1:46.) Jesus was also met with the question, ‘Is not this the carpenter’s son?’ (Matt. 13:55.) By one means or another, the swiftest method of rejection of the holy prophets has been to find a pretext, however false or absurd, to dismiss the man so that his message could also be dismissed. Prophets who were not glib, but slow of speech, were esteemed as naught.…

    “We wonder how often hearers first rejected the prophets because they despised them, and finally despised the prophets even more because they had rejected them. Even so, why else is the record of rejection so complete? The cares of the world are so many and so entangling, even very good people are diverted from following the truth because they care too much for the things of the world.…

    “Sometimes people let their hearts get so set upon things and the honors of this world that they cannot learn the lessons they most need to learn. Simple truths are often rejected in favor of the much less-demanding philosophies of men, and this is another cause for the rejection of the prophets.

    “But while there are various excuses for rejection, there’s a certain cause for this sad record. It must not be passed over: the cares of the world, the honors of the world, and looking beyond the mark are all determined by a persuasive few who presume to speak for all.…

    “The holy prophets have not only refused to follow erroneous human trends, but have pointed out these errors. No wonder the response to the prophets has not always been one of indifference. So often the prophets have been rejected because they first rejected the wrong ways of their own society.

    “These excuses for rejection of the prophets are poor excuses. The trouble with using obscurity as a test of validity is that God has so often chosen to bring forth his work out of obscurity. He has even said it would be so. (See D&C 1:30.) Christianity did not go from Rome to Galilee; it was the other way around. In our day the routing is from Palmyra to Paris, not the reverse. Just because something is in our midst does not mean that we have been in the midst of it. We can daily drive by a museum or an art gallery but know nothing of what is inside.

    “The trouble with rejection because of personal familiarity with the prophets is that the prophets are always somebody’s son or somebody’s neighbor. They are chosen from among the people, not transported from another planet, dramatic as that would be!…

    “Of course, rejection of the holy prophets comes because the hearts of people are hardened, as people are shaped by their society. Yet even when the hardening is swift, it can also be subtle. Who, for instance, a scant twenty years ago would have foreseen the massive use of abortion in society today? Like all the diseased doctrines of the devil, the practice is pleasing unto the carnal mind.

    “Prophets have a way of jarring the carnal mind. Too often the holy prophets are wrongly perceived as harsh and as anxious to make a record in order to say, ‘I told you so.’ Those prophets I have known are the most loving of men. It is because of their love and integrity that they cannot modify the Lord’s message merely to make people feel comfortable. They are too kind to be so cruel. I am so grateful that prophets do not crave popularity.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1978, pp. 115–16; or Ensign, May 1978, pp. 76–77.)

    It wasn’t until the very end of that statement from Spencer W. Kimball that it hit me, and I remembered – I asked for guidance in what I read today to help with my dream.  I dreamed of prophets, now I was reading a long commentary from a prophet about why prophets are rejected.

    I thought back on my dream.  I had correctly believed that Russell M. Nelson was the “new prophet.”  What I incorrectly interpreted was that Russell M. Nelson was “of the world” or wrong in some way.  My dream gave me a feeling that he was flawed.  That he was attached to the comfortable home and respectful world he lived in.

    After reading that comment from Spencer W. Kimball, I realized there was no flaw in Russell M. Nelson. 

    The attacks on prophets are starting to escalate in our current society.  See the recent backlash against Jeffrey R. Holland as an example.

    The eternal and correct view of prophets on gender, marriage, and the importance of the family is under attack.  Prophets will not deny truth.  They will continue to speak truth even as they are rejected by the world.

    Nobody embodies a “loving man” more than Jeffrey R. Holland.  If you’ve ever watched one of his tear-filled and tear-jerking General Conference addresses, you know that the man emanates love for us, for followers of Jesus Christ and for all of God’s children.

    “Those prophets I have known are the most loving of men. It is because of their love and integrity that they cannot modify the Lord’s message merely to make people feel comfortable.”

    No statement has ever fit Jeffrey R. Holland more accurately.

    I started making connections between my dream and what it was trying to tell me, so I went back and re-read where I was at in Mosiah 3:18, 19 (the verses I read before D&C that day).  It reads:

    18 “For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

    19 “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”

    “And the infant perisheth not that dieth in infancy.”

    “but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children.”

    “For the natural man is an enemy to God.” 

    “And becometh as a child.”

    “even as a child doth submit to his father.”

    “Who, for instance, a scant twenty years ago would have foreseen the massive use of abortion in society today? Like all the diseased doctrines of the devil, the practice is pleasing unto the carnal mind.  Prophets have a way of jarring the carnal mind.”

    I think my dream was reminding me what I already know to be true.  We are in the time where our society has fully rejected the prophets.  The attack on them is going to increase.  Russell M. Nelson has been a respected heart surgeon, kind, gentle, grandfatherly figure.  I believe we are quickly approaching the time that he will be cast into the wilderness and hated by a world that has always hated prophets.  I believe this is what my dream was telling me.

    Those of us with faith in Jesus Christ and His anointed servants must keep firm in our faith in Him, and in His servants.  Don’t be shaken by the attacks on His chosen servants.  If you do, your faith in Him (Jesus Christ) can be shaken next.  Trust in whom He has chosen.  Follow them as you follow Him.  The Lord’s prophets will not lead us astray.  Russell M. Nelson is the Lord’s anointed and he is our prophet.  As the world turns on Jesus Christ’s prophet, we must support and protect him from a world that will hate what he and our Lord stand for.

    For more on this topic, I read this blog post that elaborates on the dangers of choosing what we do and do not want to believe from prophets. Click the image below to read the post:

    Why it is dangerous to throw away prophets you dislike

  • The Trinity

    The Trinity

    I’m not going to cite a bunch of scriptures supporting my point.  In my experience that does nothing because individual scriptures can be interpreted in a million different ways.  Any scripture I give that seems clear as day to me to show God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost as three distinct personages is quickly explained away and followed up with another scripture that someone believes shows they are one being. 

    Instead of trying to convince anyone of this doctrine, I more want to give my thoughts on it.  I also want to briefly discuss the importance of this doctrine and why I believe it has been so adamantly fought over throughout the centuries. 

    First, the “they are one” controversy with the many scriptural references is so easy for me to understand.  They are one in intent and purpose, so they are one.  Christ, when praying to His Father said, “let them be one, Father, as you and I are one.” (John 17:21-23)  Why would Christ say this?  Given the doctrine of the trinity, was Christ praying that his apostles would morph together into one super spiritual being?  No, it doesn’t make sense.  What Christ was praying for was literal.  “Let them be one, as you and I are one” – in intent, purpose.

    Second, what sense does a unified being make?  I know we are human, and we don’t understand much of anything about the true nature of Heaven, of eternity, of what is next.  I have faith in a lot, but I understand little.  Maybe the next life is filled with multiple personality Gods and beings that I’m meant to worship.  Maybe God can split into three personages.  Maybe He did this to make us understand some deep, important principle.  Maybe?  Or maybe every person who counseled over this principle (the famous Nicene Creed) and ultimately came to a decision we follow hundreds of years later didn’t understand.  God isn’t setting out to confuse us.  He doesn’t want us to NOT comprehend Him.  He wants us to know how much He loves us.  He wants us to know He SENT His only begotten son, who also loves us.  He wants us to know the Holy Spirit can be a constant companion to us.  He doesn’t want to confuse us.  He isn’t throwing out stumbling blocks all along the way to make things more difficult.  This life isn’t intended to be a maze of confusion that we may be lucky to determine what God wants us to know.  He wants us to seek Him and to seek truth.  He WANTS us to understand.  God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are three separate, distinct beings.  I don’t know this (yet), but I have faith and hope that it’s true.

    The Godhead: One In Purpose – ToGather Saints

    Joseph Smith saw them.  That’s why that moment was so significant.  They didn’t speak to Him from the clouds.  They appeared in their bodies.  To show him, “you are like us, and we are like you.”  They have bodies of flesh and blood.  Christ really came here, His Father’s Son, to attain a body and die for us.  That principle is pure and beautiful.

    Have you ever wondered why Christ ate fish and bread with the apostles after his resurrection?  Why was that account included in the scriptures?  The scriptures are full of important information, obviously.  Why was this seemingly unimportant detail included?  Not because Christ was trying to make His apostles comfortable.  It was included because it was important.  Christ was showing that He had a body.  Just as we, when we are resurrected, will be resurrected with our bodies. 

    This brings me to the third point, exactly why this doctrine was fought so hard against for all of history.  Satan is cunning.  Satan knows what is and isn’t important to our salvation.  With the fervor and aggression Satan has fought this doctrine with, it seems obvious to me how important it is.  This doctrine is so important because the corruption of it distances us from our Heavenly Father.  That is Satan’s great purpose.  What greater way to distance us from our Father than corrupting His image into some unknowable, un-understandable, un-comprehendible being?  It is the opposite of what God is.  He knows us, He understands us, He comprehends us, and he wants us to understand Him.  This bizarre trinity He’s been morphed into makes it so hard to communicate with Him.  How do you communicate a triple being you can’t imagine?  Not the same, personal way you can communicate with your own father.  Not the way your loving Heavenly Father wants you to communicate with Him.  A father that sent His only begotten Son to save the rest of His spirit children. 

    I wish I could be more eloquent on this topic.  Of all topics I wish I had a poet’s or philosopher’s eloquence for, this is it.  Because it’s important.  But I’m not a poet or a philosopher.  My words fall short of what I want to portray.  I wish so much that everyone could know Heavenly Father the way I feel and know Him.  He and Christ are so important to me.  Combining them in one takes away one of the most important persons in my life.

    This truth is eternal, and this truth is important. 

    To learn more about the truth of the Godhead, visit here:

    https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/article/do-members-of-the-church-of-jesus-christ-believe-in-the-trinity