No Coincidences

Tag: theology

  • Profession of Faith

    Profession of Faith

    *Before I post this I want to unequivocably say that I respect any church and its teachings, especially if they bring people and families closer to Jesus Christ. I don’t get to interact with teenagers much outside of coaching, but from what I’ve seen with the girls I’ve gotten to coach at two catholic schools, they are kind, compassionate, intelligent, awesome young women.

    When I started coaching basketball at my second catholic high school, I had to sign a Profession of Faith.

    I started reading through the document.

    “I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.”

    Okay, yeah, I can get behind that, we’re off to a good start.

    “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.”

    We’re good here. This is going to be easier than I thought!

    “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;”

    Wait, hold on, what’s that word mean?

    Consubstantial: “Of the same substance or essence (used especially of the three persons of the Trinity in Christian theology).

    Uh oh.

    But wait. Didn’t I just say I believe in one God, the Father almighty? Also, I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God?

    “through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.”

    Yes! Exactly. Seated at the right hand of the Father. Okay, we’re back on track again.

    “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.”

    Yeah! Okay, this is great!

    “I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.”

    Uh oh.

    “I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

    I wholeheartedly agree (does the Catholic Church have one baptism? I personally don’t know, I’m curious… to Google we go… quick Google search says no, the Catholic Church does not have one method of baptism).

    “With firm faith I also believe everything contained in God’s word, written or handed down in tradition and proposed by the Church, whether by way of solemn judgment or through the ordinary and universal magisterium, as divinely revealed and calling for faith.”

    Another word I have to look up, let’s see.

    Magisterium: “the teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church, especially as exercised by bishops or the Pope.”

    Hmm.

    “I also firmly accept and hold each and every thing that is proposed definitively by the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals.”

    Uhm, I’m not sure. But I hope we can agree on principles of faith and morals.

    “Moreover, I shall always teach in accord with the Official Magisterium of the Church as it is proclaimed by the Pope and the College of Bishops.”

    …

    I then re-read it to see if I could make it work. I kept coming back to this:

    “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.”

    How can Christ be consubstantial with the Father and then sit on His right hand?

    “I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.”

    That one I couldn’t wiggle around. I don’t believe that.

    This wasn’t going to work. I couldn’t sign this. I so looked forward to coaching at this new school. I looked forward to continuing our work as a coaching staff. I looked forward to a new group and new challenges, though I’d miss my girls at St. Mary’s so much. I was excited to coach closer to home. I was excited to start taking Ivy to practice with me so she could hopefully start to develop a love for basketball like I had.

    I had to call Patricia and tell her we had a problem, that I couldn’t sign the Profession of Faith.

    I picked up my phone to call Patricia to see if there were any options available to us. I hit dial. The phone rang. I scrolled down a little bit more on my  screen and saw this:

    “FOR NON-CATHOLICS

    Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
    Division of Education and Evangelization
    Profession of Faith

    I accept and hold each and every thing that is proposed definitively by the Catholic Church regarding teaching on faith and morals.“

    Patricia answered.

    “Never mind, we’re in the clear!”

    She was confused. I explained. All I had to do was enter the church I belonged to and I was good.

    How grateful I was for that last part, that I could submit my belief and move on. Was I prepared to refuse to sign that Profession of Faith? Yes, I was. I could not deny what I know. I couldn’t sign something I didn’t believe to be true.

    As I thought more about this, I thought more about the United States of America. How grateful I am to belong to a free country. How grateful I am to have the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution which grants me freedom of religion. How grateful I am that, even at a Catholic high school, which I just detailed might have some strong opinions about my beliefs, I can still click “other religion,” enter what church I belong to, and an institution with different beliefs accepts that. I am grateful for different beliefs. I am grateful for different opinions. I am grateful for debate and disagreement – as long as it is done with love. I am grateful for freedom.

    I’ve now coached three seasons at this new school. Of course there have been no issues. I hope through my example and love I can teach these girls about becoming great young women. I don’t proselytize them.

    It’s ended up being an amazing transition and I’m glad I’ve gotten to coach at a great Catholic high school. Andddd I checked with Patricia before posting this, just to be safe.

  • Why Do I Care?

    Why Do I Care?

    I’ve been thinking recently. Why I care about this?

    This being – the Gospel, the Church of Jesus Christ, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ in general.

    Let’s start with Jesus Christ in general. I feel like I write about this constantly and it’s the constant conclusion to one of my posts, so I’ll be brief here. I care about Jesus Christ in general because He has given me everything. The least I can do in return is share Him, follow Him, try my best to be like Him.

    Let’s go broader. Why do I care about the Gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ? That, I think goes in line with why I care about Jesus Christ Himself. If I care about Him, then I would care about His church, and I’d want to share His gospel. That lines up.

    You’ll notice I distinguished the Church of Jesus Christ with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is what I want to focus on and think about here.

    Why do I care to share that I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Why do I invite people to church? Why do I invite people to activities? Why do I share Book of Mormons? Why do I invite people to meet with the missionaries? Why do I share being a latter-day saint? Why do I talk about it? Why does it matter? Why do I care? Why do I keep doing it with such little success?

    It’s something I think about relatively often. The why?

    How do I stay motivated to write spiritually themed blog posts every week not very many read and fewer still are interested in?

    Why do I keep having gospel discussions with people and trying to convince them that this is the restored Church of Jesus Christ – when everyone I talk to disagrees, or worse, doesn’t care?

    Why do I keep inviting people to church and activities when they never come?

    Why do I keep sharing scriptures and conference talks that no one reads or listens to?

    Why is being a “Mormon” important?

    Hmm.

    Sounds depressing right? Sometimes it’s hard. Being a member missionary is hard. It’s discouraging. It seems like an endlessly fruitless effort.

    And yet I’m not being persecuted or crucified so I have really nothing to complain about compared to saints from earlier times.

    So, I’ve distinguished “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” from “The Church of Jesus Christ” but that’s really the answer to the question of why. I do all these things, no matter how hard or discouraging, because I believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Church of Jesus Christ. I believe they are one and the same. I believe this is Christ’s restored church. I believe it is the way back to Him. I believe I was called and sent here to share it. That’s why I do it. That’s why I care.

    I have a friend who converted to this church who once said something I found fascinating. He said, basically, “Whether it’s true or not, I don’t care. This church brings me happiness. It’s made my life better. It’s made me a better person. It’s made me feel closer to God. Is it true? Is it the One True Church? I don’t know. Really, I don’t care.”

    He doesn’t care because for him it’s about his well-being. This church has helped his life and brought him joy. What does he care about the rest of it? While I think in a completely different way, I can appreciate this line of logic, this way of thinking. This person is an extreme pragmatist. So when he said this statement, it told me a lot about him.

    Does what this individual said make him any less of a latter-day saint and disciple of Christ than me? I’ll say, I think it could, but it doesn’t. This person is still one of the most faithful, serving, selfless, Christ-like individuals I know. Ultimately his why doesn’t matter as much as who he is becoming, which is more like Jesus Christ.

    I consider that person’s why somewhat temporal. ‘This church has been good to me and brought me joy, I’m for it.’

    My why is different.

    My question is, what if the church doesn’t bring you joy? What if it makes your life worse? This friend of mine might leave if that were the case. Right now he has no reason to leave.

    Maybe this is why so many leave. They don’t see how the church is benefitting them.

    This friend and I have a mutual friend. The mutual friend is very interested in religion and so we’ve had religious conversations together. After a few discussions, my friend said the mutual friend would never join the church. He said the mutual friend had too much to lose. His family would disown him, his wife would hate him, his whole life would change. It would be too hard. Should that person join the church?

    My friend would say no.

    Again, my why is different.

    I look at that and say, “Is it true?”

    Response from hypothetical person, “Well…”

    “No well, is it true?”

    If it’s true, if God sent a prophet, and that prophet established a church, and it’s Christ’s church – if it’s true – what else matters?

    Is it true?

    I believe it is.

    That’s why it matters. That’s why I care. That’s why it’s so important to me.

    I’ll write more on the temporal vs spiritual benefits of the church another time. But for now, I wanted to share that.

    Is it true?

    Yes.

    Then it matters. It matters more than anything else on this entire earth.

  • Lectures on Faith – Lecture 2: The Object of Faith

    Lectures on Faith – Lecture 2: The Object of Faith

    A main theme throughout the Lectures on Faith is God’s perfect attributes.  Logically, for us to be able to have any faith in God He must be perfect.  We must know that we can trust God and, in turn, His Son, Jesus Christ. 

    The major theme I took away from Lecture 2 specifically is how we have attained faith throughout history.  Lecture 2 presents the profound idea that our faith in God is always dependent, or comes initially, from the faith of another.  Consider this, if no one in your life ever mentioned any sort of higher being, any sort of God, any sort of creator, would you come up with the thought on your own?  You think about God because He is someone we have been taught about since Adam.

    Even if your parents aren’t the ones who teach you about God, you learn about God from someone.  I would venture to say that in the world today every single person on the face of it has heard of the concept of a supreme being.  Why is this?  Where does our innate belief/consideration of God come from?

    Lecture 2 points out that there was an unbroken chain of testimony that started from Adam and was handed down through Abraham.  If you read Genesis carefully and do the math you will see that ancient prophets handed the knowledge of God down for generations.  It continues today.

    Adam knew God in the Garden of Eden.  When he left the Garden Adam still knew God.  We know Adam’s sons knew God.  Abel provided sacrifices to God.  Cain spoke to God even after murdering his brother.  This shows us that God spoke to men even after the fall and continued to speak to them as they continued to fall into transgression.  There is something significant here that I’d never considered.  Abel first got his knowledge of God from his father, Adam, as did Cain.  After they were told about God by Adam, then they had to develop their own faith in God.  They had to learn, trust, and depend on Him, or not. 

    The important thing to remember from this: we all start our faith by leaning on the faith of another.  We possess dependent faith.  This leads to another profound truth: God possesses independent faith.  God’s faith is not reliant on any outside source.  As discussed in lecture one, God’s faith is perfect.

    I’ve been studying the lectures alongside a video series that I will link at the bottom.  There were many amazing thoughts and ideas presented in that video, related to this second Lecture on Faith.

    Faith is faith until it happens, then it is knowledge. Since God has perfect faith, He doesn’t need to wait for something to happen for Him to know it.  He knows it is going to happen.  His faith is perfect therefore His knowledge is perfect.  It’s simple when you think about it in these terms, but it’s so critical.  It’s why we can have perfect faith in Him, BECAUSE we know His faith is perfect.

    IMPORTANT:  God is not still progressing.  This is important for us to understand.  God is not still learning.  If He was, we couldn’t have perfect faith in Him.

    God is Perfect - Ottawa Church of Christ

    This leads to a question: isn’t life boring for God if He has mastered everything?

    In the video they gave an awesome analogy.  Imagine you’re an accountant.  You master every aspect of accounting there is.  You have a perfect knowledge and ability in accounting.  Would you get bored with accounting?  Probably.  So, what would you then do?  You would teach others how to also master accounting.  God is the master accountant.  He has attained all knowledge on life, faith, eternity, creation – so what does He do?  He teaches us.  What a thought!  We are being tutored by the God of the universe.  That’s what makes this life so important.  When we consider that we are learning and being personally groomed by God Himself, what power it adds to our existence here!

    This leads to another important thought.  What was Christ’s ultimate message while here?  I think it would be service.  Love through service.  Give through service.  Charity.  Without charity you are nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2, Moroni 7:44)  Why did Christ teach this ever-important principle?  Because His Father, our Father, God is the ultimate server.  He is doing everything He does to teach us.  We truly are “His work and His glory” (Moses 1:39).

    I want to conclude with two last realizations: 

    1. The scriptures help develop our faith by teaching us of God.  This is important.
    2. Faith comes by hearing the word of God through the testimony of the servants of God, that testimony is always attended by the spirit.

    You aren’t told to have a testimony.  You’re not made to know Jesus is the Christ.  These are things you must come to a knowledge of through the spirit.  Think about it.  Christ, in His whole ministry, never told anyone He was the Son of God.  He always let them come to that conclusion on their own.  One example is Peter who He told, “blessed art thou for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).   Another example is Christ to the woman at the well (John 4).  Christ didn’t go telling people who He was.  It had to be revealed by the spirit.  This is why signs come by faith, and not the other way around (D&C 63:7-12).

    Our hearts must be open for us to receive the testimony of Jesus Christ.  2 Nephi 33:1 “When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it UNTO the hearts of the children of men.”  Not INTO but UNTO.  It’s then on the heart of the individual to accept or reject the testimony.  The system is in place.  The system has been in place for God’s children to develop faith in Him from the beginning.  Once the testimony is carried to the heart It’s then on the agency of the individual to receive or reject that testimony. 

    God has perfect faith.  We are here to develop our faith so that we can be like Him.  He is the great accountant, and we are his protégés.  It is His hope, His glory that we can become like Him.  As we develop our faith here it will benefit us for the rest of eternity.  I know I say it a lot, but, what a thought.

    Video 3 (Lecture on Faith 2):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-o59d9ioGA&list=PLc5yYrpPFm2umksQf3jgULxoV4YIXTd2h&index=3

    Lecture on Faith 2: http://lecturesonfaith.com/2/

  • 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