Know Your Religion

Why should we be baptized?

2012-01-25T19:57:00.000-08:00

Question:

I was looking over the blog and I found that a question that I was looking to get answered was not there. I have a good friend of mine who believes in the Book of Mormon, but he wonders why he should be baptized into the church. I was wondering if you could answer his question in two perspectives. One perspective with the inquisitor asking with a belief in the Book of Mormon, and one without a belief in the Book of Mormon. Again, the question is: "Why should I be baptized into the church?"

Answer: Great question. The answer to both scenarios is the same—we are baptized because we are commanded to be baptized as the basic prerequisite to re-entering the presence of God. Whether a person has a testimony of the Book of Mormon or not, the Savior’s teaching to Nicodemus is relevant: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.( John 3:3-5)
If a person wants to enter the kingdom of Heaven, then baptism is the gate. Obviously that teaching is confirmed and expanded in the Book of Mormon. Note what Nephi was taught in 2 Nephi 31:5-7: “And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!”
And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?
Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.”
Nephi continues to explain the necessity of baptism as recorded in 2 Nephi 31:9-11: “And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.
And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?
And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.”
You really ought to read the entirety of 2 Nephi 31 but here are some concluding verses: 2 Nephi 31:16-18: “And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved.
Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.
And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.”
This isn’t just a “Mormon” teaching. The Bible is full of the teachings of the Savior and His apostles about the absolute necessity of baptism if one wants to enter into the celestial kingdom. In addition to that the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price confirm what the Bible and Book of Mormon teach. Any person who is serious about preparing for the next life can’t help but be motivated to seek out God’s true key that He offers to all—that key opens the door to the celestial presence of God. If one doesn’t exercise his or her agency to take the key and open the door, then it seems ridiculous to accuse God of being prejudicial or discriminatory in excluding some from His divine presence. The choice is ours. Our eternal destiny hangs in the balance dependent on the choice we make.

Bro. Bott

Sexual Sins

2012-01-25T19:43:00.000-08:00

Question:

For sexual sins, at what point does somebody run the risk of their membership being in jeopardy, either with excommunication or being dis-fellow-shipped? Also, at what point does somebody need to go confess sexual sins to the bishop?

Answer:

Great Question,
Generally speaking it isn’t the sin that causes a person to have Church disciplinary action taken against them—it is their un-repentant attitude. If you go in to see the bishop, humble, contrite and willing to follow his counsel, the likelihood that you will be excommunicated is zero to none. If the bishop determines that in order to help you repent by temporarily suspending certain priesthood and Church rights, then he may opt to disfellowship you. Likely, probation would be a more viable option if you are humble. The number one reason for Church discipline is to save the soul of the transgressors (that is a quote from the Church Handbook of Instructions). So whatever is best to get your sins forgiven and get you back on the straight and narrow pathway leading to exaltation is what you and the bishop determine together.
I have written a letter to a student about why we confess to the bishop that may be helpful in assisting you to understand how the repentance process works. I will “cut and paste” it for you and hope that it helps you make the decision to get things right with God.

Bro. Bott

Thanks for the question. One of the areas where we seem to be lacking in the Church (not just with your sister) is our understanding of why we confess to a bishop. Let me back up and see if the question won't resolve itself as I explain.
Whenever we sin, the Spirit withdraws from us–below the threshold of our awareness-(see Isaiah 59:2)-- or more accurately, we withdraw ourselves from the Spirit (see Mosiah 2:36). That is Heavenly Father's designated way of letting us know that we are no longer in the pathway that will lead us back to His celestial presence.
When that happens we strive to repent so the Spirit returns, thus signaling in our lives that we are headed in the right direction and doing what our Heavenly Father wants us to do (see D&C 111:8) and if we keep going, we will eventually return to the presence of God.
The Lord told us in D&C 58:42-43 that we can tell if we have repented because we will "confess and forsake" our sins. After repenting He will forgive us and "God will remember our sins no more." We will still remember them and even regret doing them-- that is to act as a deterrent to keep us from sinning again.
So whenever we sin (as noted by the withdrawal of the Spirit) we immediately do two things-- confess and forsake (or stop sinning). We first confess to God-- not for His benefit but for ours. He already knows whether we have repented or not, but we confess to Him to demonstrate that we are humble enough to admit our mistake to the Highest Authority in the universe and ask for His forgiveness.
We can tell if that confession is sufficient because His Spirit will return. That means we are "just" or "justified"--meaning without divine condemnation. If the Spirit doesn't return, then we haven't gone far enough in our repentance. Then we confess to the person we have wronged and ask for their forgiveness. Our receiving a forgiveness of our sins is not dependent on whether they will or will not forgive us. If they choose not to forgive us, then the greater sin lies with them (see D&C 64:9-11). If, after we have confessed to them and asked for forgiveness, the Spirit returns, then we need go no further because God is letting us know by the return of His Spirit that what we have done is sufficient and we are forgiven.
If that doesn't work, then graciously God has provided a representative on earth to help us determine what we have to do to get from our sinful state to the state of forgiveness that we desire-- that is the bishop or stake president. Evidently we are so close to our sin that we can't see what we have to do to gain forgiveness so we go to the bishop who is authorized to receive revelation for us. After we have described the extent of our sins, then (hopefully) that will trigger the spirit of revelation in him so that he can tell us by inspiration what is necessary to gain divine forgiveness. The Bishop doesn't forgive sins-- God does. The bishop is only an agent to impose Church discipline or waive the discipline because of the state of repentance we are in.
So in answer to your question, don't go to the bishop because you "have to" confess. Go because you want to avail yourself of the resources God has provided to help you get back on the straight and narrow pathway to perfection.
Whether you have repented or not, you must understand that Satan will dredge up everything you have ever done or said or thought and chuck it in your face over and over again to make you feel unworthy, un-forgiven, and not a candidate for the Celestial Kingdom. That is what he is good at-- being "a liar from the beginning" (see D&C 93:25). So if past problems (already confessed) continue to be thrown in your sister's face, by all means she should add that extra layer of protection by rehearsing them again with her bishop-- not because she "has to" but because "she wants to!"
Now the caution: Satan will always tell a person that confessing to God is sufficient-- when it isn't. The greatest harm we could have is to deceive ourselves into believing that we have confessed to God and the Spirit has returned when it really hasn't. It is actually worse than failing to recognize when the Spirit has returned in our lives after it has. That way, we continue to seek help until we find a bishop who can confirm that we have met the divine requirements and need go no further.
So if you are going to err, err on the part of confessing too much-- not too little. Un-repented sin is like an infected wound. If you cut out some, but not all, of the infection and cover it over-- it will become infected again and is often worse than at first. Make sure your confession is complete so that the infection doesn't return.
Once the bishop declares that you have satisfied the requirements for forgiveness, then accept that and move ahead. Too often sincere people want to continue to beat themselves up when the authorized judge (bishop or stake president) has made the judgment that they have satisfied the divine requirements.
So my counsel is that you stop reading right now and contact your bishop for an appointment. He alone has the keys to help you or your sister or the people in his ward through the repentance process. I can promise you that when the Lord allows His infinite atonement to lift the burden of un-repented sins off your shoulders, you will kick yourself that you have waited this long to confess. Do yourself a favor and call right now.

Bro. Bott

2012-01-24T14:15:00.000-08:00

Question:
What does it take to personally know God and Jesus Christ and to have a personal relationship with them?

Answer:

Thanks for the thought-provoking question. I remember when I was a child getting into verbal arguments with other children. Often there was name-calling involved. The standard response was “It takes one to know one!” That generally ended the argument. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that that answer is not entirely incorrect in an eternal perspective. Mormon, in explaining charity to his son, Moroni said: “And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail--
But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen” ( Moroni 7:45-48).
Then the more of the attributes the describe God that we incorporate into our lives, the more we become like Him. The more we become like Him, the more we know Him because we are like Him. When He comes again those who have incorporated those Christ-like attributes into their lives will recognize Him immediately.
Remember the Savior teachings of the separation of the sheep from the goats at the Second Coming? In Matthew 25:34-40. Those who were numbered among the sheep were surprised because (apparently) none of them recognized that they had seen the Savior: “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
The formula for getting to know God and Christ is fairly easy—just do what They do. You will recall in Acts 10:38 Luke describes the Savior: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” It isn’t in a single act that we become Christ-like. It is daily going about “doing good.” You may not even recognize when you have helped to “heal those oppressed of the devil” by merely talking with them, encouraging them, spending time with them, giving them hope, and leaving everyone better than you found them. In doing these things you will find that God will be with you just as He was with Jesus.
I think there are times when we want to make coming to know God some mystical event or transcendent spiritual experience. As you noted in Matthew 25 quote, it was in the little daily things, unheralded, unrewarded, usually unnoticed that the sheep became sheep. By ignoring those little things over a lifetime, the goats became goats.
Think about your friends here on earth. Who are they? Are they not people you spend time with, have similar interests, text each other, do social things together, help each other when help is needed, etc.? Then King Benjamin’s question is relevant: “For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?” (Mosiah 5:13).
That certainly is one reason why the Lord, the Scriptures, and the Brethren encourage us to spend time daily in the Scriptures and in fervent prayer. Perhaps that is why the Prophet Joseph Smith, in concluding his remarks about the Second Comforter (i.e. the personal visitation of the Savior—and at times the Father—see Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith pp. 149-151) said this: “The Spirit of Revelation is in connection with these blessings. A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.,) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.”
Rather than seeking for a single event, why not adjust your focus so that you can keep God and Christ involved in your life every minute of every day. Then They become your “friends” (see D&C 88:62) and when that times comes for you to re-enter Their presence (whether that is during your mortal life or when you die) you will see that you have become like them and then you’ll realize more fully than ever the truth of that childish statement: “It takes ones to know one.”

Bro. Bott

Why does Lord choose some people to be people born with mental disabilities?

2011-04-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

Question:
Hi brother Bott-
I'm getting ready for a mission and my friend referred me to your blog. It's wonderful. Also I have a question for you ( I haven't been able to find it on your blog). I was wondering why the Lord chooses some people to be people born with mental disabilities. I have a younger sister who has this (and she is such a blessing!) and I'm also majoring in special education so I'm very curious.
Thanks so much!

Answer: What a great question. Perhaps you have already answered it yourself—your sister is such a blessing. Often those with mental handicaps are not responsible for their actions. They therefore are automatic candidates for the highest degree of the celestial kingdom. Since that is what we are all striving for, is that really a punishment to be born that way? However, there seems to be three factors (at least) that determine when, where, under what conditions we are born. 1) We earned the right through countless ages of pre-mortal diligence. 2) There are certain parts of the perfecting process we have yet to master so we are born into an environment where we can (if we will) best learn them; 3) There are roles we need to play in the great plan of our Heavenly Father that only we can fulfill.
What if your sister’s major role was to help those in her family and those she associated with learn pure, untainted Christ-like love? How is she doing? What if her major mortal role was to teach others patience and compassion for those less fortunate—since Christ-like sympathy is certainly a godly attribute? How is she doing? What if she was vulnerable to temptations (if she was completely normal) that her disability has put her into a situation where those temptations (even if she failed) would not be counted against her? I suppose you could continue to list the potential blessings that come from her disability but it has obviously influenced you and your life’s career decision. I wonder how many other people that you may be totally unaware of have made extra efforts to cope with life’s problems based on their association with your sister?
Unfortunately, there are always more questions than answers. Someday we’ll understand and see that a very loving Heavenly Father did what was absolutely best for all of us—including your sister. D&C 29:50 puts those with mental handicaps in proper eternal perspective and encourages us to trust that God will continue to do what is best for all of His children: “And he that hath no understanding, it remaineth in me to do according as it is written. And now I declare no more unto you at this time. Amen.”
Perhaps some of these thoughts will give you some direction for your future study. I love D&C 42:61 because everywhere I turn it applies: “If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things--that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.” Now it is up to you to unlock the revelatory windows of heaven and pull down understanding that has likely been hid from the foundation of this world. If not you, who?

Bro. Bott

How do you know if your answers are coming from God himself, or your own self, or even from someone else?

2011-04-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

Answer:

I hope it won’t be too cheesy if I “cut and paste” a letter I wrote some time ago which may provide a starting point for you to discover the answer to your question. I know it is long and perhaps wanders a bit more than you would like, but the principles are spelled out fairly clearly.

I could apologize for being so slow in answering your e-mail, but realistically I have thought about it every day since you sent it. There seems to be a depth that we need to plumb in order to help you and all of us to understand more correctly what Heavenly Father does and doesn’t do when answering our prayers.
Let’s start from the end and work backwards. Remember the eternal principle: Whoever must ultimately stand judgment for the decision must be free to make the decision. Therefore, in the final analysis, it would be grossly unfair for anyone other than yourself (God included) to make the decision that you must eventually stand judgment for. Too often people seem to expect that God will tell them what to do and therefore sit around wringing their hands waiting for a decision. They become very frustrated because God won’t (can’t?) make the decision for them. When Oliver Cowdery expected God to do the work of translating the Golden Plates, the Lord said to him: “Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me” (D&C 9:7). Perhaps Oliver was used by the Lord to teach all of us a true principle. We are the ones who are on trial—not God. He already knows how to make every decision correctly. Where did He learn that godly characteristic? By having His God make His decisions for Him? I don’t think so. He had to learn the best He could the will of His Father and then align His decisions with that Divine Will. So if God’s God had made the least decision for Him, it would have slowed His progress towards His eventual exaltation. So it is with us. We must go through the often uncomfortable experience of gathering all the facts we can (you have done that pretty well by getting “everyone’s” opinion), then you have to weigh out the options. This is where the real work comes because there isn’t often a single right answer or direction we need to go. Too often we become too simplistic by weighing just the “pro” or “con” or an idea—like serving a mission.
It would be more correct if we could make a chart with the pro and con in two columns on the left for Going on a Mission and then two more columns with pro and con on the right for Not Going on a mission. I hope this explanation doesn’t confuse you too much. Now to continue the Lord’s direction. In D&C 9:8 the Lord says: “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind.” Let me take an example using the four columns on your chart (two for pro and two for con). If a factor is in the “pro” column for both decisions, then it doesn’t count. For example: Let’s say you will learn the scriptures better. That is a definite “pro” but you can do that as well at home as you can while serving a mission. So that one doesn’t count. Now say that you have allergies—a definite For example: Let’s say you will learn the scriptures better. You that is a definite “pro” but you can do that as well at home as you can while serving a mission. So that one doesn’t count. Now say that you have allergies—a definite “con” for going on a mission. But you would have allergies if you stay at home so that is a “con” in the Stay Home column—that one doesn’t count. Now if you decide to go on a mission, you obviously won’t be getting married for at least 18 months—a “con” for going if you are serious about getting married. If you stay home you can get married—a definite “pro” if you are wanting to get married. That one counts! One more. Suppose you want to spend full time teaching the gospel and bringing people to the Church and the Savior. That is a definite “pro” in the column for going on a mission. It is very unlikely that you will be able to devote 100% of your time to missionary related activities if you stay home—a definite “con” in the stay at home column. Therefore that one counts. Can you see how that works? Two “pro” votes or two “con” votes do not count but a “pro” in one column and a “con in the opposite column do count.
That was probably totally confusing—much easier to understand if we were sitting face to face and I could draw it out or if I was good enough to do graphics on the computer. Now, by the time you work through each of your major decisions like that, it should become fairly apparent which one has the strongest case. Then you make an iron-clad decision. According to the Lord: “then you must ask me if it [the decision you made by your own intellectual processing as described above] be right”, and if [the decision you made] is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.” Why not that you will “know” it is right? Because you already have come to a knowledge based decision by your intellectually working through the options. Now you are adding the “affective” or “feeling” domain.
You may recall that in D&C 8:2-3 the Lord defined the “Spirit of Revelation”: “Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.
Now, behold this [mind AND heart] is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.”
You or the adversary can manipulate one domain or the other (mind OR heart), but neither you or the adversary can manipulate both mind AND heart at the same time or it would negate the Spirit of Revelation. So when you get the “peace to your mind” (see D&C 6:23) and the confirming burning in the bosom, then you know that you have made the right decision. What if you have arrived at the wrong decision by your intellectual processing? The Lord says in D&C 9:9: “But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget [or as Melvin J. Ballard—an apostle says: Shall turn your heart away] the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.”
I’m not convinced that you made all of the wrong decisions as much as you failed to make the decisions the Lord’s way and therefore became frustrated when you didn’t get the divine confirmation you wanted. Is it uncomfortable to have to do that much intellectual work? Yes, but the growth resulting from paying the price is that you become more and more confident that you 1) know the mind and the will of God; and 2) are aligning your desires with His will concerning you. As you mature and gain more experience, you’ll discover that the decision making process becomes easier and easier. The more you learn about God and His will, the easier it is to know the direction your decision ought to take you. You shied away from making the biggest decision of your eternal life (who you should marry) likely because you wanted to be more secure in the knowledge that you had made the right decision. A change of major really put you into the category of thousands of other students who change from one major to another to another. The decision to serve a mission or not serve a mission is one that can be made at any time—as can the major change. However eternal marriage can’t be jumped into and out of like you would jump into a shower—at least without offending God.
Don’t get down on yourself. What you are experiencing is part of the process of growing towards Godhood. Enjoy the frustration, the tears, and the lack of total certainty. So if God won’t (can’t) make the decision for you, how does He play into the decision making process? He will prompt, inspire, direct, urge, clarify, give you sudden strokes of ideas, etc. All of those are part of the information gathering process. I would never try to do anything without first consulting with God and asking for any inspiration He cared to give me. However, as you read Helaman 10:4-10 you will see the account of a man (Nephi, son of Helaman) who had mastered the art of knowing the mind and will of God to the degree that God gave him unlimited access to God’s priesthood power: “Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.
And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.
Behold, thou art Nephi, and I am God. Behold, I declare it unto thee in the presence of mine angels, that ye shall have power over this people, and shall smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people.
Behold, I give unto you power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye have power among this people.
And thus, if ye shall say unto this temple it shall be rent in twain, it shall be done.
And if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou cast down and become smooth, it shall be done.
And behold, if ye shall say that God shall smite this people, it shall come to pass.”
I suspect Nephi didn’t get to that blessed state over night. It took years of practice, trial and error, etc. before he knew the mind of God to the degree that he could be trusted not to ask anything that was contrary to God’s will. With a lot more patience (something your generation—and mine—is not long on) you will find yourself growing and becoming more and more comfortable with the decision you make knowing full well that if you stray too far from God’s proposed plan for you, that He will definitely let you know. I hope this helps rather than muddies the water for you.

Bro. Bott

Why don't women hold the preisthood?

2011-04-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

Answer:

Thanks for the thought-provoking questions. Most members would scoff at you asking such things (definition of priesthood, women and priesthood, motherhood and priesthood, etc), but having spend some time studying and pondering these very topics, I can see that you are anything but "clueless"-- in fact you are embarking on one of the most exciting of all quests for understanding.

Now having said all that, I'm not sure I know how to answer your questions. I am assuming that you haven't been through the temple yet. So my hesitancy comes not solely from not understanding but from not wanting to share that which I have covenanted not to share.

Priesthood-- depending on the nature of the definition is "the power of God"-- in the short definition. It is also "the power of God delegated to man to act in God's stead for the salvation and exaltation of His children." That is a longer definition. I suspect if we wanted to search the talks given by the Brethren for the past 175 years, you would find many more definitions which would focus on one or more aspects of the Priesthood. However, for our discussion, the above two definitions should suffice.

If we stick with the first definition-- Priesthood being the power of God, then obviously motherhood equals priesthood. Why? Because without God's sanctioning power, no matter how often a man and woman had sexual relations it would not result in the creation of a body. That life-giving power is God's power (see D&C 88:7-13), which we have defined as priesthood.

There is a further consideration. In D&C 131:1-4 the Prophet Joseph Smith declared that a man must enter into "this order of the Priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]" in order to attain unto the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom. Then in D&C 132:19-20 verse 19 begins by stating "if a man marry a wife" and they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, then it states in verse 20 "then shall they be gods". So if Godhood really is "an order of the priesthood" and it requires "a man and a woman", doesn't it stand to reason that the woman would be a joint bearer of the priesthood?

Since mortality is our probationary or preparatory period (see Alma 34:32-35), and since we are gaining the experience necessary to become like God, doesn't it seem reasonable that God would grant to His daughters as well as His sons, part of His power (Priesthood) so we could learn to use it before we are given it as an eternal part of our exaltation?

What about Motherhood being associated with Priesthood? You may recall the quotation by Matthew Cowley:

"You [Sisters] belong to the great sorority of Saviorhood. You may not hold the priesthood. Men are different. Men have to have something given to them to make them saviors of men, but not mothers, not women. You are born with an inherent right, an inherent authority, to be the saviors of human souls. You are the co-creators with God of his children. Therefore, it is expected of you by a right divine that you be the saviors and the regenerating force in the lives of God’s children here upon the earth." (Matthew Cowley Speaks, p. 109)

When he said "you may not hold the priesthood", I don't think he had any illusion to the fact that you would never hold the priesthood but that "here during mortality" you might be limited to that portion of the priesthood associated with "saviorhood" or "motherhood." Isn't the office of "Savior" a priesthood office? While men would hold what we traditionally see as being the "priesthood"-- which in reality is only half of God's administrative--life-giving power. That may not be too clear. Priesthood seems to have two halves (at least for our discussion): 1) an administrative part; and 2) a life-giving part. Hence the man has one half and the woman the other half. Together they make a whole which eventually is given the priesthood title of "God."

If women were given the portion of the priesthood reserved for men in addition to their life-giving power part of the priesthood, then what need would women have of men? If men could bear children (which the screwed up world is trying to get to happen) in addition to their administrative part of the priesthood, what need would men have of women? Since neither sex is complete without the other, then you can see why the Priesthood title "God" consists of both an exalted man and his exalted wife.

Understanding that principle, it becomes fairly evident to see why in Moses 6:8-9, God "calls their name Adam" in the day He created them-- He didn't call his name Adam and her name Eve. Since our total objective in coming to earth is to qualify to become like our Heavenly Parents, and since They are called God, it would be counterproductive for all the power to placed in one half of the divine Duo rather than having them equally dependent on each other to qualify for the exaltation They now enjoy. Also, you can see why the Lord commands in D&C 38:27-- "Be one, and if ye are not one, ye are not mine."

If you understand that principle, then it is relatively easy to determine whether any teaching, philosophy, activity, or movement is ordained of God or no-- when it relates to husband and wife. If it divides them, it is not of God. If it unifies them, it has the stamp of Divine approval.

You made a quantum leap when you suggested (and it is found in Abraham 3:24-25) that Christ and priesthood-bearing men helped to create the earth and then questioned where righteous, noble and great women were. What makes you think that women did not help create the earth? The two aspects of the priesthood that I haven’t talked about (see again D&C 88:7-13) have to do with the “creative power” and “the enlightening power”—because here in mortality we don’t have either of them given to us as mortals. However, that doesn’t mean that we didn’t have at least a partial access to the creative powers when we (men and women) helped to create the earth.

Why did God organize the relationship of the sexes as He did? I don’t know that I fully understand that. However, let me share at least one idea that may give you some additional direction. Up to this point in our progression towards godhood, we have only had to deal with one person—ourselves. Since God is a composite of an exalted man and his exalted wife, where are we to learn to work together in a complimentary, non-competitive way where we realize that we are not a “whole being until we are eternally united? You may remember my paraphrasing President Joseph F. Smith and Apostle Erastus Snow where they both said in essence: “Do you mean to tell me that you believe that God is both a man and a woman combined? If I believe anything that God has revealed about Himself, I must believe that. I like to liken it to a pair of sheers (we would call them scissors). They are made of two complimentary, non-competing halves. Alone neither can perform its function. Welded together they can perfectly perform their function.” Then it dawned on me—what is obvious—there couldn’t be a “Father in Heaven” unless there was a “Mother in Heaven” and there couldn’t be a “Mother in Heaven” unless there was a “Father in Heaven.”

Now one more thought. Since Satan is called “the enemy to ALL righteousness four times in the Book of Mormon and once in the New Testament, and since men and women cannot be exalted without a mate, where do you think Satan would focus his greatest destructive efforts? Certainly he is doing a number on LDS temple-married couples in these days leading up to the Second Coming. I am seeing an increasing concern expressed by young woman (you are not one I am concerned with) feeling cheated that they are not priesthood bearers (the governing principle that men hold) like the men. Some are questioning their testimonies and even threatening to leave the Church. How terrible shallow of us to cut and run just because we do not understand fully some principle or doctrine revealed by God. There are mega things that I understand much more clearly now that I didn’t understand as a young man. Thankfully I have been willing to put those questions in the “hold” part of my brain and continue on living the gospel knowing that sooner or later the Lord would give me the insight I needed to satisfactorily answer the question. I have seen too many people lose their testimonies, leave the Church, and wander off into forbidden paths just because they didn’t currently understand. I suggest you continue studying, asking, and pleading with Heavenly Father for more insight. Who knows but what you will be the one to answer to all women how this whole thing fits together.

Now I have only scratched the surface of the topic but hopefully it will give you the confidence to continue your search without viewing yourself as "clueless" or moving towards apostasy. Just proceed cautiously and be patient enough to allow God to reveal to you the answer to your questions in "mine own due time, and in my own way, and according to my own will" (see D&C 88:68). Your questioning and searching will yield revelatory fruits the likes of which you cannot even begin to imagine at this time. However, I suspect some of the information will not be given to you until you have departed this life. Even members of the Church seem to be content with the superficial understanding of the gospel rather than searching deeper and deeper to understand even the mysteries (see D&C 6:11; 8:11). One final caution: Don’t get out in front of the Brethren. If they are not teaching a principle or doctrine, then don’t you. Is it OK to ask the tough questions which may not have immediate and complete answers? Sure. But be wise enough to keep to yourselves those things which have not been revealed through the authorized channels.

Bro. Bott

Why did God send Jesus, why didn't He do everything by Himself?

2010-12-31T15:35:00.000-08:00

Question: I have been reading the book of genesis and it talks about god and Jesus being separate beings. Now my question is why did it have to happen like that? Why couldn't god just do it by himself? I know that Jesus came to atone for us. But why couldn't god just do it himself? Did it have to happen that way?

Answer: Great question. Obviously God the Father could do everything Himself since He is omnipotent and omniscient. However, in Moses 1:39 He states that His work and His glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Therefore all that He does is to give us the experience, to help us develop the attributes, and to teach us the lessons necessary to become what He is.
Joseph Smith said that the Godhead consists of three characters—God the First, the Creator, God the second, the Redeemer, and God the third, the Testator. If we are going to become like God, where better to get the experience in building an earth, than in helping to create the earth on which we live. In Abraham 3:22-24 you will read that the “One, like unto God”—that would be Christ, said to those who were with Him (see previous verse to see that the “them” refers to the “noble and great ones”) that they were all to help create the earth. In Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, page 29 it states that all of us were part of the group labeled “noble and great” ones.
So everything that God assigns us to do here on earth, could easily be done by Himself. However, where would the growth towards godhood be for His spirit children? So the gracious God allows failing mankind to do His work—not because He can’t but in order to help us attain His goal for us—our exaltation.

Bro. Bott

The cleansing power of the Atonement

2010-12-31T15:32:00.000-08:00

I wish I could teach the whole world what a powerful, cleansing influence the atonement of Christ has on people who have made mistakes. The second part of what I would like to teach is the role that the adversary plays in destroying our self-esteem and confidence in our ability to be exalted beings. I don’t know how long this response will be but I want it to be long enough so you can correctly see where you stand with the Lord.
First, you made a mistake as a teenager. Those were turbulent days when the body and mind were on different courses and often never met until later. I am not trying to justify your immorality but the Lord looks with compassion on the young, inexperienced kids who have just discovered that they have hormones and without almost superhuman resolve, far too many are sure they know all about it and are adult enough to handle sexual experiences. All find out (generally too late) that they were succored by the adversary—who is called five times in scriptures “the enemy to ALL righteousness”.
When you confessed to the bishop and felt that burden lifted and had that joy and happiness return to your life, that was God’s way of “signalizing” that you had been forgiven. In Moses 6:60 after teaching Adam why a man must repent and be baptized, the Lord said: “By the water ye keep the commandment, by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified.” What that means is: we go into the waters of baptism because that is an observable act testifying to men on earth and angels in heave that we are willing to keep God’s commandments. Justified means we are without divine condemnation. How can you tell? When the Spirit is with you, you are living as well as the Lord expect you to given the amount of light and knowledge that He has revealed to you. It means you have satisfied His prerequisites to trigger the sanctifying power of the Atonement of Christ. To be sanctified means to be cleansed, purified, and made holy. That happens when the Blood of Christ is activated in your behalf.
When you left the bishop’s office years ago, thrilled with the Spirit, you should have known that you were no longer the “old woman of sin” (see Romans 6:3-6) but because of the Atonement of Christ you had become “a new creature in Christ” (see Mosiah 27:25-26). If you had really understood, you would never have looked upon yourself as an immoral girl. Why? Because the “new creature in Christ” had never been immoral.
The same thing applies when you made a mistake later in life. You may think that because you dropped the ball a second time that you have gone beyond the point of no return. That is exactly what Satan is screaming in your ears. That is one reason he is called “a liar from the beginning” (see D&C 93:25). The Lord said in Mosiah 26:30: “Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.” Does that sound to you like two strikes and you are out?
True it was a huge mistake to go to the temple without completing the steps of repentance, but it wasn’t an unforgivable sin. The fact that you have made it right with the bishop and stake president and feel that joy and happiness much of the time ought to be a testimonial to you that you are clean. In D&C 111:8 the Lord said: “And the place where it is my will that you should tarry, for the main, shall be signalized unto you by the peace and power of my Spirit, that shall flow unto you.” As long as you have the Spirit with you, you can rest assured that you are a candidate for the highest degree of the celestial kingdom and if you continue on the course you are pursuing, you will eventually become an exalted being.
Don’t expect that Satan will just roll over and play dead and allow you to go uncontested through life enjoying the Spirit. He will always dredge up the past and fling it in your face to try to make you feel unworthy, helpless, hopeless, not-the-stuff-the-celestial-kingdom-is-made-of. How do you tell whether it is the Lord telling you that you need further repentance or Satan trying to drag you down? Mormon says it is a plan as daylight is from dark night (see Moroni 7). Before he began His ministry Christ was a carpenter or a Builder. Satan, on the other hand is called “the destroyer.” If it is the Savior urging you to repent you will get a feeling that is almost a euphoric, excited feeling. Like “If I do this one thing, I can soar with the eagles spiritually.” If it is Satan trying to destroy you, you will feel depressed, negative, hopeless, etc.
It doesn’t take a PhD in Theology to determine who is trying to destroy your self confidence. As I read your e-mail, I don’t see an immoral woman at all. I see a pure, clean daughter of God who is well on her way to eternal life. Why would you consider going back and re-identifying yourself with someone who was crucified by the Atonement of Christ many years ago? Don’t ever look back at yourself as the “old woman of sin.” She is gone and will never be mentioned again and according to D&C 58:42-43, God will remember her no more. Trust that the Lord is telling it the way it really is. Learn from your past but don’t wallow in self-pity because of what the old woman of sin did.
I just hope and pray that you will take a minute and thank the Lord for His atonement and then ask if what I have written is true. You will get the manifestation that ought to put to rest (forever) any thoughts of you being unworthy.

Bro. Bott

Guilt and Godly sorrow

2010-11-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

Question: I understand that part of the repentance problem is feeling guilt for the sin you committed. I want to repent, but for some reason, I don't feel bad about the sin I've committed. My head tells me that what I've done is wrong--after all, I've heard that it's wrong ever since I was a child. However, I don't have that feeling of guilt or remorse. Does this make me a bad person? How can I feel those feelings of guilt?

Answer: Great question. Godly sorrow is what you are looking for. In 2 Cor 7:10, Paul wrote: “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” Too often we mistakenly think that the “sorrow of the world” (i.e. I feel so bad because I got caught) is godly sorrow. That isn’t true. If you are only concerned about the physical or earthly consequences of your sin, then you have a ways to go before forgiveness and restoration of the Spirit is available to you.

Not that you are anywhere close to being one, but the sons of perdition know they are destined to outer darkness forever, but have no incentive to repent—because they have none of the Spirit of the Lord with them. The “godly sorrow” comes when the Spirit illuminates your mind and shows you the detrimental impact, now and in the future, of your sin. When you see that “no unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God” and that the only way you can be cleansed from your sin is by your faith in Christ, which triggers real repentance, and then baptism (which for you, if you are already a baptized member of the Church would be worthily partaking of the sacrament). Following which the Holy Ghost comes back into your life signalizing to you that you have repented sufficiently and fulfilled all of the requirements of the Lord in order to trigger the Atonement in washing away all of your sins.

I suspect your lack of remorse could be caused by a lack of understanding of the gravity of what you have done wrong. If your sin was sexual in nature, then un-repented of (which likely will not happen because sooner or later you’ll get the understanding necessary to motivate you to repent) would result in your not making the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom. That would mean that you would live separately and singly (not married) for all eternity as a servant rather than achieving the high priesthood office of a God (see D&C 132:15-17).

Why are you having trouble feeling sorry? That answer is fairly easy. You may recall the great war in heaven fought before we came to earth (at least we have been taught about it, even if we can’t remember it). Satan and a third part of the hosts of heaven were cast out. His original plan was rejected because it never could have worked. He wanted to “redeem all mankind that not one soul should be lost” (see Moses 4:1). In exchange he wanted to dethrone God and take over God’s position. His flawed plan was rejected. Often we think his plan was to “force us to do good.” When has the devil ever forced you to do good? His plan was rewards with no effort, actions with no consequences, exaltation without obedience.

When he was kicked out of heaven, he was cast down to the earth (see Revelation 12:4-12). The war didn’t end—just the battlefield changed. Five times in the scriptures Satan is called “the enemy to all righteousness.” So when you or anyone else tries to keep the commandments, do anything that will propel you towards exaltation, or make you a better person, what must you expect? Satanic opposition. He is a seasoned master at whispering in your ears that we should “eat, drink, and be merry” and even if we are guilty God will beat us with a few stripes but in the end all will be well with us (see 2 Nephi 28—you’ll want to read the full chapter). Then Nephi calls that vain and foolish doctrine. So rather than saving or redeeming all mankind, once rejected Satan changes his stated objectives. Now he wants to blind, deceive, and lead captive (see Moses 4:4), he wants to destroy mankind (see Moses 4:6) and he wants to make all men miserable like unto himself (see 2 Nephi 2:18, 27).

If you want to get the gift of Godly sorrow, I would suggest you start a regular scripture study program. It doesn’t take too many chapters before you see someone who has committed the same (or similar) sins that you have. Many times you read about their unwillingness to repent and by the end of the chapter you see what happened to them (see Alma 30 with Korhior the Anti-Christ as a prime example). Knowing that God isn’t going to turn a blind eye to sin and that we will either have to repent or suffer for our sins gives me a great incentive to repent. You might want to read D&C 19 and see how Christ described the intensity of the suffering that He went through to pay for our sins and then warns us that unless we repent, we must suffer “even as I which suffering caused myself, even God, the Greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, to bleed at every pore, to suffer both body and spirit”—doesn’t sound like something I would like to go through.

The more you ponder and pray about these issues, the more a kind and loving Heavenly Father will help you gain the desire to repent. You might ask:” If He is so kind and wise, why would He threaten me with that kind of suffering?” The reason is that He is not only a merciful God but He is also a just God. Mercy cannot rob justice (read Alma 42). I just can’t find an end to the scriptures which motivate us to repent. So once you start praying multiple times each day, reading the scriptures every day, and living in a way that the Spirit can touch your soul, then the remorse you desire will come like a freight train and you’ll shudder at the thoughts of ever considering not repenting.

I hope this helps you a little. I can tell you from my own personal experience and the experience of thousands of students over the years, that once the Atonement enlightens your soul, you will marvel that you were in the darkened room and didn’t even realize it. Once that burden of sin is lifted off your soul and you see the marvelous light that you have been depriving yourself of, you will kick yourself that you waited so long to repent. Good luck in your quest to get back into the light.

Bro. Bott

3rd Nephi 19 the Nephites praying to the Savior

2010-11-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

Question: I was just wondering why in 3rd Nephi 19:18, 24, and 30 it talks about the Nephites praying to the Savior when we are told that we only pray to the Father? I had an investigator on my mission ask me about that and I didn't know how to answer it. Thank you for taking the time to help me with this.

Answer: You hit the same wall that I did when I served my first mission in Samoa many years ago. When I found the answer, it made me a little embarrassed that I hadn’t been more careful in my reading. The verses you cited are part of a wonderful chapter. But they are only that “a part.” If you look at verse 23, the Savior tells why they are praying to Him. “Father, thou hast given them the Holy Ghost because they believe in me; and thou seest that they believe in me because thou hearest them and they pray unto me: and they pray unto me because I am with them.”
The Savior acknowledged that in this one instance, because of His physical proximity, the people were praying directly to Him. The abbreviated version that we have doesn’t mention it, but every other place in scripture would indicate that part of His direction would have been: “As soon as I leave your physical presence, you will recommence praying to the Father in my name.” It is obvious from verses 6 and 7 that they understood the correct order of prayer and that this experience was an exception rather than establishing a new pattern.
I hope this clarifies it for you as it did for me. I think this was actually one of the apparent contradictions that caused me to start reading more carefully and scrutinizing every word rather than trying to speed read the scriptures.

Bro. Bott

Reasons why the spirit would withdrawl

2010-11-10T10:29:00.000-08:00

Questions: I have been reading your Serve With Honor book. Chapter 20 talks about 2 reasons why the Spirit withdraws. I understand the first being because of doing something wrong against better judgment. However, I don't understand how the second can be true; that we've mastered a trial and God is now trusting us to go forward on our own for a while. I understand the concept of the second one, but in the Sacrament prayers, it promises that if we keep the commandments we will always have His spirit to be with us.

Answer: Thanks for the e-mail. It is difficult to write in a book everything I talk about in class and use all of the examples. Let me back up a bit and give you some additional information that may help you understand. First, before I do, however, ask yourself the question whether the Spirit is always there burning a hole in your soul no matter how well you live your life. If you are like me and virtually every other person I talk with, there are times when, no matter how hard you are trying to keep the commandments, the Spirit is not evident in your life.
The background for what I wrote came when I was serving as a mission president in California. In the words of Brigham Young and Wilford Woodruff I gave the missionaries a challenge that if they would rise to the level of their ordination (setting apart) as missionaries, they would “enjoy open visions by day and inspired dreams by night.” They responded to the challenge and the spirituality of the mission increased notably to the point that the local members were commenting on the change. Then I started to get phone calls and president’s letters saying that no matter how hard they tried to keep the mission rules, the Spirit didn’t always stay with them.
Somewhat mystified by what they were saying, I decided to look at my own life. I realized that I was very aware when I would enjoy a “peak” spiritual experience—like at a Zone Conference, a Stake Conference, a General Conference, etc. but day by day, although I felt good and happy, my hair wasn’t standing on end because of the Spirit burning me up. So I started to study. Some of what I wrote in the book is what I found. What I didn’t write (because the book would become so long the publishers wouldn’t touch it (p.s. the editors cut the length of the book by half as it was). The editing caused some concepts to create more questions than answers—not what I intended.
I had to wrestle with the statement in the sacramental prayers about the Spirit always being with us. Then I found a quote by Elder Dallin H. Oaks that helped me to understand. He said that the Spirit can “continually” be with us without it being “continuously” with us—something only a Supreme Court Justice would say and fully understand. He went on, however, to explain that the Spirit is always with us—or we would not continue to live (see D&C 88:7-13 for the four manifestations of the ‘Light of Christ’—one of which is a “life-giving power”). He explained that although the Spirit is there, we may not be aware of it because it is below the threshold of our awareness. It is only when we have those “peak” or “spike” experiences that we become aware of the Spirit’s presence.
I think I included the Savior’s experience in Gethsemane and on the Cross when He questioned as to why God had abandoned Him. It certainly wasn’t because He had sinned but according to Brigham Young, it was necessary in order for Him to be tested. Let me include Brigham Young’s statement for your consideration:
Equal and Opposite Temptations for each Blessing

Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 3:205-206
I ask, is there a reason for men and women being exposed more constantly and more powerfully, to the power of the enemy, by having visions than by not having them? There is and it is simply this--God never bestows upon His people, or upon an individual, superior blessings without a severe trial to prove them, to prove that individual, or that people to see whether they will keep their covenants with him, and keep in remembrance what He has shown them. Then the greater the vision, the greater the display of the power of the enemy. And when such individuals are off their guard they are left to themselves, as Jesus was. For this express purpose the Father withdrew His spirit from His Son, at the time he was to be crucified. Jesus had been with his Father, talked with Him, dwelt in His bosom, and knew all about heaven, about making the earth, about the transgression of man, and what would redeem the people, and that he was the character who was to redeem the sons of earth, and the earth itself from all sin that had come upon it. The light, knowledge, power, and glory with which he was clothed were far above, or exceeded that of all others who had been upon the earth after the fall, consequently at the very moment, at the hour when the crisis came for him to offer up his life, the Father withdrew Himself, withdrew His Spirit, and cast a vail over him. That is what made him sweat blood. If he had had the power of God upon him, he would not have sweat blood; but all was withdrawn from him, and a veil was cast over him, and he then plead with the Father not to forsake him. "No," says the Father, "You must have your trials, as well as others."
So when individuals are blessed with visions, revelations, and great manifestations, look out, then the devil is nigh you, and you will be tempted in proportion to the vision, revelation, or manifestation you have received. Hence thousands, when they are off their guard, give way to the severe temptations which come upon them, and behold they are gone.

Then add to that statement the one by Elder Neal A. Maxwell—also quoting Brigham Young—called “Righteous in the Dark.”

Neal A. Maxwell– “Meekness–A Dimension of True Discipleship,” Ensign, March, 1983, p. 74)

When asked in conversation, “Why are men left alone and often sad? Why is not God always at man’s side promoting universal happiness at least for His Saints? Why does not God do everything for man?” President Young responded that man’s divine destiny requires individual experience and practice in learning “to act as an independent being– to see what we will do, whether we will be “for God or not”-- and in developing our own capacity and in using our own resources. Such experiences will teach us to be “righteous in the dark– to be a friend of God.” (Brigham Young Office Journal, 28 Jan. 1857.)

I suspect you will find, that the same is true with you. It seems like it would be great if we could enjoy the Spirit all of the time, but if you take a step back and view your own experience, you’ll see that you can’t really be tempted when the Spirit is powerfully witnessing to you. It is when you are left alone and “in the dark” that you prove to yourself that you really have internalized the principle or teaching you are being tested on or tempted to break.
The future that you face will be determined, at least in part, by your understanding of how things really are. I can tell you from my experience as a mission president that unless you understand this particular principle, you are destined to hours and days of frustration and self-doubt. Even teaching here at BYU where I interface with thousands of returned missionaries, I find that just having served a mission doesn’t guarantee that they understand even some of the very basic parts of the gospel such as answers to prayers, using the priesthood, recognizing the Spirit, etc. So you are well on your way to getting a deeper understanding of this particular principle. Keep asking the tough questions and don’t be satisfied with superficial answers. You will want to read, study, and memorize D&C 42:61. There is the invitation and the promise—make it a part of your life.

Bro. Bott

Trying to justify homosexuality

2010-11-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

Question: Are gays born with innate tendencies and attractions to the opposite sex? Pres. Packer stated that God would not do that to someone in his last address. Yet, many who are gay claim otherwise and are very offended by his remarks. Have any prophets and apostles spoken about this subject? What am I to believe about gays and the plan of salvation?

Answer:
Sorry for the delay in answering your question. Life for me is lived in the fast lane as well. Here is a rather lengthy letter I wrote to a student whose friends were trying to rationalize and justify that which God has specifically forbidden. Of course the gays were offended by President Packer’s remarks—didn’t Nephi say that “the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center” (see 1 Nephi 16:2). That doesn’t change anything just because they are offended at what God has said. I suspect you’ll find (if you read the entire letter) plenty of scriptural evidence that what President Packer said has been the unchanging position of God from the very beginning. In spite of what they believe that they were “born that way” even their own gay advocates admit that there is no scientific evidence that homosexuals are any different than heterosexuals. It is a learned pre-disposition. I hope this letter give you and your friends something to ponder and seriously consider.

Bro. Bott

Homosexuality trying to justify

Thanks for the e-mail. Your “ex-LDS” gay-oriented friends seem to have failed to understand the difference between doctrine and policy. Policy is adapted to the condition of the people at a particular time and changes according to the circumstances the people are in. Joseph Smith said: “Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God. But we cannot keep all the commandments without first knowing them, and we cannot expect to know all, or more than we now know unless we comply with or keep those we have already received. That which is wrong under one circumstance, may be, and often is, right under another.
God said, "Thou shalt not kill;" at another time He said, "Thou shalt utterly destroy." This is the principle on which the government of heaven is conducted—by revelation adapted to the circumstances in which the children of the kingdom are placed. Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire. If we seek first the kingdom of God, all good things will be added. So with Solomon: first he asked wisdom, and God gave it him, and with it every desire of his heart, even things which might be considered abominable to all who understand the order of heaven only in part, but which in reality were right because God gave and sanctioned by special revelation” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.255-256). What is the use of believing in a living God who is intimately involved in the salvation and exaltation of His children if we want to shut His mouth on topics of interest to us today? I can already hear (because I have heard it before) the gays saying: “Well, what if God gives His sanction to gay marriage although He has forbidden it from the beginning of time? We really do try to justify our actions until we have put ourselves in a position where the Lord cannot save us. If such a revelation were to ever come (and it never will), it would come through the Prophet and be approved in General Conference—not to individuals who are attempting to justify their perversions.
Doctrine, on the other hand, does not change. The doctrine of the Church always has been and always will be that a man and a woman must be married and sealed in a temple in order to gain the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom. Note the Lord’s direction through the Prophet Joseph Smith: “In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; And if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase” (D&C 131:1-4). That has never changed. Further your friends who seem more intent in justifying that which God has (from the beginning of time) forbidden than in conforming to His divinely established requirements to gain exaltation, fail to realize that heterosexual procreation is the key established by God for the exaltation of His children. In D&C 132:15-17 the Lord revealed: “Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world.
Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.
For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.” If they continue to read to verses 19-25 they will see that once again the Lord states: “If a man marry a wife” and then He described the blessings that await them. If we accept God’s prophets as leaders then the 1995 “Family—A Proclamation to the World” should put an end forever to the idea that the Church can be strong-armed into accepting homosexuality as a viable sexual alternative.
Your gay friends may play games with the difference between policy and doctrine but they do it at the peril of their eternal exaltation. First, I doubt that any of your gay friends were alive during the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s so they were not there to see the implications of the policy statements they have compiled to try to make their case. Perhaps if they were more interested in discovering the reasoning behind the policy statements of former years, they would see that times have changed—not with regard to homo vs. heterosexual relations but in allowing couples to exercise their agency on when to have children and how many to have. That really is no different than allowing a late teen to drive alone whereas the law stated that they must be accompanied by an adult for their first few months of driving. There have been many indications that the Lord is sifting more and more responsibility for decisions—along with the consequences for those decisions—to the individuals.
If your friends would like to see the scriptural example of what I am saying, they may want to read carefully Mosiah 29 where Mormon describes the transition from Kings to Judges. Although the entire chapter deals with Mosiah’s reasoning with the people on the advisability of judges over kings, verse 38 shows the shifting of responsibility for their choices: “Therefore they relinquished their desires for a king, and became exceedingly anxious that every man should have an equal chance throughout all the land; yea, and every man expressed a willingness to answer for his own sins.” Prior to this time, it was the king who was accountable for the actions of the people since he had dictatorial power. It isn’t difficult to read the chapter and see that there was no less accountability for the sins of the people—it was just who was accountable. Now there is no less responsibility for the exercising of the procreative powers in marriage than there was in the 1960’s when the birth control letter was issued. I was alive and we were married in the late ‘60’s so your friends are tackling an issue of 50 years ago of which they know absolutely nothing about in order to justify their breaking a commandment that was punishable by death under the law of Moses (see Leviticus 20:13). It certainly was not that the First Presidency was “wrong” in what they said—it was the exact same principle mentioned in Mosiah 29 and by Joseph Smith in the quote above.
The second issue of “oral sex in marriage” is another issue that they know nothing about. I was in a stake presidency when that letter was issued—actually for a year it was in the Temple Recommend questions as a parenthetical comment. As the Church became more universal, embracing diverse cultures, it seems the Lord inspired His leaders to stick with the very basics and not delve into that which the Spirit could and would prompt couples to do and not to do. Those couples who listen carefully to the prompting of the Spirit will come to their own conclusions. Those who would not heed the promptings of the Spirit would not be constrained by a policy statement from Church Headquarters. Again, this had absolutely nothing to do with the homo vs. heterosexual issue but intimacy between two individuals who had not only been given divine approval to procreate but had taken upon themselves by temple covenant that they would continually include God in their marriage relationship.
I suspect if your gay friends would take a huge step back and consider how God always works with His children they would see that in almost everything that which is forbidden (which falls within the divinely established curriculum for the exaltation of His children) eventually is given to them or allowed when they are mature enough intellectually and spiritually to handle the freedom. Isn’t it amusing that your gay friends would readily agree that driving a car by a six year old is forbidden and then the laws of man totally reverse themselves when the child has matured to 16? And yet you don’t hear an outcry of “flip-flop” from them when even puny man can see that certain privileges need to be withheld until the individual has sufficient maturity both physically and mentally to handle the privilege without harming himself or others. But how loudly and roundly we accuse God’s leaders for “flip-flopping” whenever a policy is changed giving more freedom to supposedly spiritually maturing people. They may be waiting for God to “recognize that they are mature enough to handle the homosexual lifestyle but that is totally outside the divinely established curriculum leading to exaltation—so it will never happen.
If the Church ever endorses homosexual marriages, it would first have to abandon its role as facilitators for getting men and women into the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom. There never has been and there never will be two men or two women who will enter the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom to claim their exalted priesthood titles of ‘gods’ (see D&C 132:19-20). I am not unsympathetic to those struggling with same-sex attractions. I have many friends who are struggling to control those feelings. I have other friends who openly embrace the gay life-style. However over the years we have come to agree to disagree. When questioned why the Church won’t just step aside and not get involved in what man has tried to make a political or legal issue, the answer is given by the Lord in D&C 101:97-98: “Let not that which I have appointed be polluted by mine enemies, by the consent of those who call themselves after my name; For this is a very sore and grievous sin against me, and against my people, in consequence of those things which I have decreed and which are soon to befall the nations.”
A gay or lesbian person’s agency allows him or her to engage in whatever activities they choose. However, the consequences of those choices are not negotiable. Just as surely as God lives there will come a day of judgment. For many who give lip service to believing in God but have marginalized Him by insisting that they be free to make their own rules, that day of reckoning may not come until the next life—but it will come. Then, if not before, they will discover, to their dismay that God’s laws were never subject to human legislation nor to popular vote. Mankind may do what he chooses to do but to try to mandate Church approval for that which God has strictly forbidden is not the prerogative of those who opt to disregard the commandments of God.
I hope you can glean from this answer some points that will enable you to reason with those who are challenged in understanding gender issues. They are not bad people—they are doing bad things. They still have, if they will control their desires the say way heterosexuals are expected to control their desires, the opportunity to enjoy life and eventually have every worldly temptation taken from them. There are some wonderful books being written about overcoming homosexual tendencies that may be of interest to those who want to change. I do not believe for one minute that a person cannot change his or her sexual orientation given the help of God (see D&C 50: 35; D&C 64:2). It will require divine intervention but He stands ready to help all who desire to conform their lives to His revealed “Great Plan of Happiness.”

Bro. Bott

Is iced tea against the Word of Wisdom?

2010-09-24T18:42:00.000-07:00

Question: I've been looking for new ways to have a healthier diet, and I keep coming across iced tea. From everything I've looked at its very good for you and doesn't cause problems from withdrawal if you stop drinking it. I know that the work of wisdom specifies not to have strong drinks or hot drinks and that regular tea is against the word of wisdom, but I don't see why iced tea would be. It has caffeine, but so do coke and pepsi and they aren't specifically prohibited by any church leaders. I don't want to disobey the word of wisdom, but I'd really like to start drinking iced tea if it isn't prohibited.

Answer:
I’m not sure I can give you a definitive answer although I have been asked this question a number of times. There seems to be some commandments that are given just to see if we will be obedient. There are others that the Lord gives which (according to His infinite foreknowledge) will cause us grief in the future but He hasn’t as yet revealed all the reasoning behind the commandment. For example note what He revealed in D&C 89:4: “Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—“ We didn’t know in 1833 the harmful effect tobacco would have on the human body. In fact it wasn’t until the 1980’s when it became so obvious that the tobacco companies could no longer deny it, that efforts to control it by legislation started to take place. So 150 years before wise men discovered the connection, the Lord warned and forewarned us to avoid it.
As of this point (and I haven’t done any recent research on the subject since I completed my doctor’s degree) I read one article that said scientists have identified 98 toxins in tea that are more harmful than caffeine. I was just relaxing from my intense research and happened upon the article. I can’t even tell you where it is—I just made a passing note of it. So right now I don’t know why the Lord said no tea but I’m going to follow His almost 180 year old counsel warning us to stay away from it. I don’t doubt that sooner or later “scientists” will discover what the Lord knew and forewarned about so many years ago.
If you are really interested, why don’t you dig into it and see what is being said nowadays. If they are still taunting it as “harmless” then I would suggest you wait and see for another few years and sooner or later science will catch up. In the early ‘60’s when I was growing up, marijuana was taunted as “the harmless drug.” All the fun and escape from mortality and virtually no ill side effects. It took many years before scientists discovered that it is not only a gateway drug leading to the hard drugs but in and of itself is very dangerous—especially to the offspring of those who smoked pot. I was grateful that we had living prophets who said to stay away from illegal drugs even though (at that time) scientists hadn’t discovered anything wrong with them. I remember being mocked for avoiding something so innocent as marijuana.
Just a few years after my mission (when I was doing student teaching in psychology—my major) I took a group of student to Evanston, Wyoming to a rehabilitation center. We went into an auditorium and a group of young people (the same age as the students I was teaching) were brought in. They were just as normal and happy as any teenager. We laughed and joked with them wondering all the time where the inmates were that we were supposed to meet. Then all of the sudden one young man freaked out. He went to the cinderblock wall and put his nose on the mortar between the cinderblocks. Then he followed the seam along until he got to a doorway. He started to wail like a caged animal. One of the students we were talking with got up and took him and put him on the mortar seam on the other side of the doorway.
We were shocked to silence. We asked what was going on. One of the kids we were talking to said they were all from the same LDS ward in Ogden (where I was student teaching). Just for kicks they had gotten some LSD to see what it was like. Evidently the stuff was too pure for their non-drug taking bodies. They had all freaked out. Most of the time they were as normal as they had been before but without warning they would freak out and do some terribly bazaar thing. We asked how long it was going to last. Sadly they said that nobody knew and that they might be there for the rest of their lives.
What had been a noisy, happy group of high schoolers on the way up to Evanston, was a totally silent ride home. Most of the students I was teaching were LDS. The prophets had sternly warned them against drugs and specifically LSD since that was then the experimental drug without any lasting effects. One mistake and these kids (the inmates) didn’t get a second chance. I don’t know what happened to them, but I will never be the same after that experience. No Russian roulette with the counsel of living prophets or the commandments. Even if I don’t understand, I will follow their counsel until it becomes clear to all that they really are “seers”—or see ers who can see things in the future that are not obvious to us (see Mosiah 8).
So how is that for a non-answer answer? I suspect it won’t be too many years before many of the things that God has asked us to accept on faith will be proven by science.

Bro. Bott

Is masturbation a sin?

2010-09-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

Question:How serious is masturbation? Would one who has participated in it need to go to a bishop? Should this person not be taking the sacrament?

Answer:

Dear Questioning,

I want to cut and paste a letter I wrote to a student who was struggling to bring the problem under control. It isn’t as bad as fornication or adultery but it certainly leaves the participant feeling unworthy. Whether to partake of the Sacrament or not is really between you and the Lord. If you involve the bishop he may feel impressed to restrict you for some time. You might want to read 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 for some scriptural direction. Now for the letter that goes beyond what you ask but may give you some ideas on how to take control of yourself.

I wish I could tell you that you are the only one plagued with this problem– you are not! Statistics reveal that about 95% of young men and 65% of young women engage in masturbation before their 20^th birthday. That doesn’t make it right and it doesn’t lessen the feelings of weakness that you have verbalized so eloquently.

Let’s talk turkey about the problem before offering some suggestions. Answer a question: Are those sexual feelings you are experiencing good or bad? The real answer is that they are good. They were placed in your body and activated many years before the Lord knew you would be authorized to use them. So don’t make the mistake of saying that you are bad because you are feeling the emotions which God placed in your body.

Why would God pull such a “mean” trick to turn on those desires so long before they are to be used? Could it be that controlling those emotions constitute part of the test of mortality? If you had no sexual desires before you were married, how would you know that you could resist those temptations?

Is masturbation in the same category of sin as fornication and adultery? The answer is “no” but based on the way one feels after participating in such activities, it is obviously not good. If it was “good” why would you feel “bad” after masturbating? However, it is a manifestation that, as of that very moment in time, your unruly telestial body is controlling your celestial spirit– just backwards from what is necessary for you to go to the celestial kingdom.

It seems like any time Satan can tempt us to follow the “lusts of the flesh” (see Galatians 5) that he can cause us to slow up our spiritual progress. Since Satan is called “the enemy of all righteousness (see Alma 34:23), then we should expect that he is going to oppose any righteous effort we make. Since you need to control and overcome the practice before serving a mission, you can see that Satan will do all in his power to get you to mess up and therefore postpone, delay, or possibly forfeit your opportunity to serve a mission.

Since masturbating makes you feel dirty, unclean, and unworthy, if Satan can tempt you to continue the practice, then he can pretty well be assured that you will lose your confidence in your ability to enter the temple worthily and hence not be worthy to serve your foreordained mission.

So what can be done about it? First and foremost you must have confidence that you can and will overcome the problem. It may not be easy and it may not happen instantaneously, but you will succeed. Just realizing that you want to change is a huge first step. Too many want to resign themselves to a life of spiritual mediocrity rather than fight the battle. So let’s look at some proactive steps you can take to begin the battle.

First you must know yourself well enough to know if there are certain triggers which start the cycle of increasingly, inappropriate physical activity. It might be when you watch a certain DVD or movie. It could be when you see a girl dressed in provocative clothing. It might be when you and your friends have been talking about sexual things. Generally, my experience in working with hundreds of young men and women, is that with a little effort and serious thought, they can identify something that causes their minds to wander into forbidden paths.

Continuing the quest to know yourself, identify, if you can, the place and/or time when the problem occurs. It is late at night? When you are in bed? In the shower? After a date? After a movie? When you have had a terrible day or a really good day? Have you just finished reading the scriptures or returned from a spiritual fireside? The more you know about the times of greatest vulnerability, the easier it will be to redouble your efforts to control. You might think it strange that I would list such things as after reading the scriptures or attending a spiritual fireside, but look at Joseph Smith and Moses’ experience. Joseph Smith had an “equal and opposite” temptation just before the pillar of light. Moses’s “equal and opposite” came immediately after. Don’t let down your guard just because you have enjoyed a spiritual experience.

Now given that you have been successful at identifying the triggers, the times, and the places where Satan has succeeded in the past in getting you to mess up. Now take the proactive approach. EVERY TIME you catch your mind starting to wander into forbidden paths, thank Satan for the reminder that you want to do something that will help you achieve your eternal goal. If I were you, I would suggest you have a list of activities you automatically default to whenever you find yourself being tempted. For example Plan “A” might be to read a chapter from the Book of Mormon; Plan “B” memorize a passage of scripture; Plan “C” sing a hymn or listen to the Tabernacle Choir sing one or memorize the words to a hymn; Plan “D” get down on your knees and plead for help and thank the Lord for the Atonement to help you overcome the temptation. Plans E through Z can be of your own making. It might be that you re-read your patriarchal blessing or call your parents or a trusted friend and chat for a few minutes. You might even get up and bake a batch of cookies, or go shovel snow or go for a jog or walk. With a little creativity, you can come up with several dozen fun, desirable things you look forward to doing every time you are tempted. It really doesn’t matter what time of the day or night the temptation occurs. Even if you are asleep and become conscious of the temptation, get up and do something about it.

Realize that Satan isn’t intelligent, but he isn’t stupid either. When he realizes that you not only do not fall into his deceptive trap every time he throws it in your way, but actually do something that takes you further away from his kingdom and power, then he backs off and hits you from a different angle.

Too often, after many failed attempts to overcome weaknesses (not just self-abuse, but any weakness we are working to overcome), we begin to see ourselves as the victim rather than the conqueror that we are born to be. Remember the Lord said: “For verily I say unto you, I will that ye should overcome the world; wherefore I will have compassion upon you” (D&C 64:2).

If you don’t think it possible to overcome the problem, note carefully what the Lord said: “And by giving heed and doing these things which ye have received [that would be scriptures], and which ye shall hereafter receive [that could be quotes from latter-day prophets]--and the kingdom is given you of the Father, and power to overcome all things which are not ordained of him” (D&C 50:35, emphasis and bracketed words added). There isn’t anything that Satan would rather have you believe than that you are a helpless, weak victim who can never resist his temptations.

Remember the story of the creation of the world as recorded in Moses? After each of the creative periods, the Lord said “it was good.” It wasn’t perfect, and there was a long way to go when He first started commending the progress that was made. Don’t wait until you have been free for six months or a year to recognize the progress you are making. If you are currently giving in to the temptations on a daily basis and can go for two days, then it is time to rejoice. If you can go three or four days, that is wonderful. When you get to a week it is time to party. Two weeks and you deserve a special dinner. A month and you are nearly home free.

However, even when you have been free from the practice for six months or a year, don’t let your guard down. The devil is patient and persistent. He will hit you where and when he saw in the past that his temptations were successful. However, given that you have gone so long without giving into the temptation, it should give you the confidence that you can make it a life-long goal to never fall back again. If you happen to slip up, don’t get discouraged. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go for it again.

If you have a really close parent, leader, or friend who you want to confide in, then get them to check up on you on a regular basis. Just knowing that you have to account often gives you the strength to resist.

I know this has been long, but I can sense the disappointment and hurt you are feeling. Know that I am not casting any stones. I am only try to give you the help you need to continue the battle until the victory is yours. If I can help further, let me know.

Bro. Bott

Participating in multi-cultural activities

2010-09-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

Question: I enjoy participating in multi-cultural activities, but many of these are part of their religious rituals. Is it wrong to go to a celebration that is centered around a false god?

Answer: What an interesting question! I don’t think I have ever been asked this one before. First I would suggest you read 1 Corinthians 10:25-33: “Whatsoever is sold in the shambles (i.e. market place), that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:
For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.
If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.
But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof:
Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?
For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”

I suspect you are wise enough to know if there is something immoral, or drunkenness, or drugs, etc. involved that the part of wisdom would tell you to steer clear of the activity. I have seen far too many young people over-estimate their ability to control the situation and grossly under-estimate the power of the adversary to tempt and destroy them. More young women than you care to know about have had a “date rape drug” slipped into their soda water at one of these parties and later bemoaned the fact that they had been gang raped while they were unconscious. They didn’t get a second chance to think twice about attending parties hosted by those who have a whole different set of values than they have.
Is there anything wrong with attending multi-cultural events? No, the Brethren do it all the time. Obviously if they offer you a drink that is against the Word of Wisdom, then far better to offend them by refusing the drink than offending God by pleasing them. I don’t know how far to take the definition of a false god. In D&C 1:16 the Lord revealed: “They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.” According to that definition, going to the Oscar or Emmy awards would be a celebration to the false God of fashion, popularity, good looks, wealth, etc. Not all false gods are made of stone or wood or are animals.
Thankfully, as a member of the Church, you have been given a gift to help you discern right from wrong, when you are safe and when you are in danger—it is called the Holy Ghost. If you will live so as to enjoy the companionship of the Spirit, you will be warned well in advance if you are in danger—either physical or moral danger. By giving heed to the promptings of the Spirit you can avoid the devastation of those who have sought my counsel who were forever sorry that they didn’t listen more carefully to the Spirit and heeds its promptings.

Bro. Bott

Adam/God theory

2010-09-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

Question:Did the Church teach the Adam-God Theory as a doctrine in the early days of the church? I've heard it said that the Adam-God Theory was taught as doctrine by the early prophets of the Church up until the time of Joseph F. Smith. I also know that Elder Bruce R. McKonkie says that the Adam-God Theory is one of the 7 deadly heresies of the Church. So my question is: Do you know if this theory was taught as doctrine in the early church and if it is still a doctrine we believe today? Thank you for your time!

Answer: Thanks for the e-mail. Sorry for the delay in answering—I’m not teaching Summer term so I don’t get into my office as frequently as during the school year. I would like to begin by “cutting and pasting” a letter I wrote to a student on the Adam-God theory and then make some summary comments at the end.

For a number of years I spent countless hours reading and searching out the responses to anti-Mormon claims. Many of those who claimed to have found "proof positive" that some doctrine was not true or that some prophet or Church leader made some absurd comment really didn't have anything other than the old worn-out anti stuff that has been around from the beginning and has been proven false so many times that it is an embarrassment to them to still use the material.

The problem was that too many members of the Church are not informed enough about the answers that have been given that many fall for the same false charges and accusations that have worked in the past.

One of those drums beat most strongly is the Adam-God theory. Most of the anti stuff is taken from Pages 50-51 of volume 1 of the Journal of Discourses. I have read those pages many times and fail to see why the big issue. The rub comes from the way Brigham Young phrased (or more accurately-- the way the scribes recorded what he said) in teaching the personal involvement of Deity with mankind.

Supposedly Brigham said: "That same being who was in the Garden of Eden, who is our Heavenly Father, is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." If one is not familiar or doesn’t want to know the truth they will steadfastly maintain that Adam was the only one in the Garden of Eden. From the Temple and also the scriptures we know that God the Father walked and talked with Adam and Eve while they were in the Garden. Therefore, where is the conflict? Brigham Young was only identifying which individual in the Garden he was referring to. He couldn't have said it more clearly. That same being (God the Father, Eloheim, our Heavenly Father) who was conversing with Adam in the Garden of Eden, is also the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

However, you are beating a dead horse to try to get the antis to understand and accept that-- not because it isn't true but because that would weaken their cause and their attacks on the Church-- which they are not about to do.

I think Elder McConkie, like those of us who have dealt with the issue for a number of years and with a variety of people, are just tired of wasting our time arguing with those who have absolutely no desire to understand the truth. I think Pres. Kimball's blanket statement in 1974 that the Adam/God Theory, as taught by the antis, is false doctrine, ought to be sufficient to lay it to rest once and for all. But I suspect we will have it around until the Millennium because of the success that the antis have in luring the uninformed off into forbidden paths.

You might want to go to the library and read those two pages (50-51) for yourself. If you are really motivated you might do a search to see what else Bro. Brigham has said on the matter. Little concern or attention is given by the antis to the virtual multitude of statements Brigham Young made that demonstrated that he knew exactly the make-up and relationship of God, Adam, and Christ. There was no mistake. But the antis present that one statement (which they purposely misuse and distort) as though that was the only statement Brigham Young ever made on the subject.

How convenient for them to use a statement where the speaker is been dead for over 130 years and can't defend or clarify a statement attributed to him.

If you are really into the subject, I think there has been several master's thesis or doctoral dissertations that have been written on the subject. For me, I have so much more positive gospel to learn that I have virtually no time to dabble in falsehoods and out-right lies. Your choice.

Bro. Bott

There really has never been any mass confusion about the father of the Savior—it was revealed by the Lord Himself, confirmed every time the Father introduces the Son as “This is my Beloved Son, hear Him” and understood and taught by not only prophets but lay members of the Church from the earliest times (i.e. from Adam’s time to Christ’s and the apostles’) and restored as part of the restitution of all things during this dispensation. You have never (and will never) hear an informed member of the Church or a Church leader teach anything other than that God the Father is the Father of Jesus Christ. Adam is second in priesthood command to Christ (a rather interesting twist if Adam was Christ’s Father—the son holding a higher priesthood office than the father! It isn’t going to happen).

As you continue your study of the gospel, focus on those things that fall within the mainstream of doctrine. You can waste countless hours wallowing through Anti-Mormon literature and only end up confused or unfulfilled when you reach the realization that I did many years ago—they have nothing to offer. They only want to distort and destroy. They have nothing to replace the gospel with that they are trying to tear down. Of course the choice is yours. You may allocate your study time wherever you deem it to be most productive. I have chosen to focus on the gospel that has been revealed and will result (if I follow the commandments, ordinances, and covenants carefully) in my return to the presence of God. Good luck in your quest to understand.

Bro.Bott

What are the consequences of having your records removed voluntarily from the church versus excommunication?

2010-09-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

Question: What are the consequences of having your records removed voluntarily from the church versus excommunication? Is it the same thing? Do you need to be re-baptized/ receive your endowment again if you choose to come back to the church?

Answer:

When a person requests his or her name to be removed from the records of the Church (if there are no membership-threatening sins they are trying to escape without repenting), then they become as though they had never been members of the Church. In other words, their baptismal covenants are erased, priesthood (if they are males and held the priesthood) is taken away, if they were endowed their temple blessings are nullified, if they were married in the temple, their marriage (civil) is still valid but the promise of being together forever is eliminated. Where temples are located, most local governments grant civil authority to temple sealers to perform marriages just like a justice of the peace would perform a civil marriage. Hence to have their name removed from the records of the Church nullifies the eternal part of the marriage but not the civil part.
When a person has transgressed to the point that membership is more of a detriment than a blessing, a very gracious Heavenly Father has allowed His chosen leaders to remove the burden of membership by excommunicating the person. It is a blessing of the first order. Let me explain. When you are baptized you covenant with the Lord to live a higher standard than before you were baptized. If your behavior comes up to the level of commitment or covenant, then the blessing is that you will enjoy the near constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. However, if your behavior deteriorates to the pre-baptismal level or lower, the condemnation is from what you covenanted to where your behavior is. In D&C 82:3 the Lord explained: “For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation.”
When a person has taken on Priesthood covenants (if he is a male and gets the Melchizedek Priesthood) and especially temple covenants and then his behavior drops below the level expected of members of the Church and if he is unwilling to repent, then rather than leave him under the heavy weight of condemnation, the Lord allows His Priesthood Leaders to remove the burden of covenants so that the level of his condemnation is much less given that he is no longer under covenant to live that higher law.
Without understanding that principle, too many people view excommunication as a punishment. If the Church or its leaders really wanted to punish a transgressor who had made temple covenants and then was living far below the level they covenanted (say they were living in adultery and wouldn’t repent), then the worst case for them would be to ignore them and let them remain under the condemnation. I feel so sorry for those who make covenants and then ignore them and live like the world thinking that they are under no obligation to follow through on their commitments. The day will some (sooner or later) when they will know first hand the punishment that is associated with making covenants with God and then not living them.
If a person decides, after having his or her name removed from the records of the Church, that they want to re-join, they would have to be re-baptized. Given that they could prove faithful over a period of time after being re-baptized, they could have their temple blessings restored as with a person who had been excommunicated. I might just note, it has been my experience that those who voluntarily have their names removed from the records of the Church are often scrutinized more closely before allowing them to be re-baptized than a person who was excommunicated for sin, repents, and applies for re-baptism.
I hope this at least points you in the right direction in continuing your study and broadening your understanding.

Bro. Bott

How can we learn to forgive?

2010-08-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

Question:How can we learn to forgive those who have deeply hurt us? How can we learn to have Heavenly Father's helping hand and blessing to forgive those, and will Heavenly Father forgive us for not first forgiving those who've deeply hurt us?

Answer: What a great question. Let me start from the back end. Will Heavenly Father forgive us for not first forgiving others? We are all works in progress. I don’t know of anyone who has ‘arrived’ at perfection. If, at any given time while we are mortals, Heavenly Father passed final judgment on us, we would all be condemned. I am heartened by a statement that Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon said about those people in the Celestial Kingdom . In D&C 76:60 they recorded: “And they shall overcome all things.” If I understand it correctly, “shall” means a condition or state that does not currently exist but will some time in the future. Does that really mean that those in the Celestial Kingdom are still in the process of “overcoming all things?” If they are there and we are still working towards getting there, then doesn’t it seem reasonable to believe that Heavenly Father will allow us sufficient time to “overcome all things” before the door is closed on eternal progression?
I hope I haven’t given you the impression that you can put off indefinitely the process of perfecting yourself. That would be a huge mistake. It is so much easier to conform to the principles of eternal life while our bodies and spirits are together rather than waiting until we are dead with the idea that we will repent then. While it is true that there is repentance after death (see D&C 138:58-59), you will also note in those two verses that there is an element of “paying” for their sins that can be avoided if we “practice virtue and holiness before me”. Here are two verses that may point us in the right direction: D&C 38:24: “And let every man esteem his brother as himself, and practise virtue and holiness before me.” D&C 46:33: “And ye must practise virtue and holiness before me continually. Even so. Amen.” I suppose the Lord is saying “practice” because that is something we do over and over again in order to become expert in doing it. Like paying basketball—we practice the shots over and over again until we can hit the basket a majority of the time with absolute accuracy. However, “practice” also means a profession or career. That is like a doctor who “practices” medicine. It is a lifelong quest.
So how to you go about forgiving those who have hurt you deeply—by practice! Start by doing what the Lord said in D&C 64:9-11: “Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.
I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.
And ye ought to say in your hearts--let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee according to thy deeds.”
Not only does the Lord command us to forgive, but He tells us how. We ought to say in our hearts—Let God judge between thee and me and reward thee according to thy deeds.” In other words, “I refuse to try to fill God’s role as judge. I believe that God is fair and just. He will balance the eternal scales of justice to my perfect satisfaction. But for right now, I have a life to live and an exaltation to gain—I’m out of here.” Why would you give those who have deeply hurt you the power to continue to hurt you after the event is over? By your constantly mulling over in your mind the wrongs that have been done to you and allowing the devil to mess with your mind in figuring out how to get even, you are retarding your own spiritual progress. So someone wronged you, which was painful and not pleasant to go through. Then the wrong was over. At that point you are in a position to take control. You can either let the wrong continue to eat away at you, destroying your peace, occupying your mind, sapping your mental energy, etc. or you can choose to let it go and move on knowing full well that even if they “get away” with it here in mortality, there is an eternal judge who they cannot deceive.
You might say: That is easier said than done! And you are correct. However note what Apostle Paul said in his counsel to overcome past wrongs. In Philippians 3:13-14 he wrote: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul was a real “abuser” but once he got headed in the right direction there was no looking back. What great counsel for all of us. Leave the past in the past. Learn what lessons we can from what we did and what was done to us, and then move ahead. For your further benefit read carefully D&C 98:1-3 especially noting in verse 1: “Rejoice evermore and in EVERYTHING give thanks” (which would include the bad things that happen to us), and in verse 3 “all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good (that is here in mortality) and for my names glory (remember, His work and His glory is to exalt you—see Moses 1:39).”
I guess it really boils down to your trust that God is a just God. If you believe that, then whether someone gets what they deserve here in mortality or whether the payment has to be made in the next life, really doesn’t make any difference. Over the many years I have lived I have come to see the devastating impact that refusing to forgive has on people. It really doesn’t matter what has happened to you. You are powerless to go back and un-do the wrong. It is totally within your power to drop your burden at the feet of the Savior and move ahead. Does that take time and “practice” to do? Yes. Is it worth the effort? Absolutely. Good luck in applying one of the most Christ-like of all virtues. How many of the wrongs that were heaped upon the Savior did He really deserve? None of them! But almost His last word from the cross was “Father forgive. . .” If He offers us peace by following His example, then isn’t today a wonderful time to draw a line in the sand and move on leaving all of your hurt feelings, grudges, feelings of revenge, etc. behind the line?

Bro. Bott

2010-08-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

Question: Will being divorced keep you from the celestial kingdom? if not, what if you are divorced and get your temple sealing erased?

Answer: Thanks for the question. Being divorced will not keep a person from the celestial kingdom, however, in order to enter the highest degree of the celestial kingdom, a person will have to be married in the temple. Now having said that, let me explain.
In D&C 131:1-4 the Lord said: “In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; And if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.” Having been a long-time observer of how the world is making inroads into LDS marriages, I can see that divorce is sometimes a better option than staying in an abusive, dead-end marriage. That statement can actually be backed up by prophetic statements so I am not telling you something that the Church leaders haven’t said.
Now there are two divorces we ought to consider. One is the informal divorce that happens long before the formal one is finalized. No one wakes up one morning after going to bed happily married and informs their spouse that they want to get a divorce. People don’t get divorced because they are having too much fun being married. They face problems which they consider to be too big to resolve and so decide that divorce is a less painful course to take. Very often that is an erroneous conclusion but that is the subject of a different e-mail.
In direct answer to your question, in D&C 54:4-6 the Lord revealed: (even at the risk of being distracting, I am going to give a short commentary following each verse)
4 And as the covenant which they made unto me has been broken, even so it has become void and of none effect. (That is what I described above. When a couple gets married in the temple, they enter into a “trilateral covenant”—husband, wife, and God. If the husband and wife conduct their lives in such a way that God can continue to be part of their relationship, then problems that arise can and will be solved in a way that leaves the marriage stronger rather than weaker. If either the husband or the wife fails to keep the covenants they made in the temple, then in order to signal that their marriage is no longer headed towards the celestial kingdom, God withdraws His Spirit. Since 1 John 4:16 states that “God is Love” and since the presence of God is indicated by the presence of His Spirit, then when the Spirit leaves, love diminishes and eventually ceases to exist unless the couple begins living their covenants again. So in this verse the Lord flatly declares that one or both members of the covenant have ceased to keep their promises and so the marriage that was intended to be eternal is not. Now verse 5 speaks of the offending partner):

5 And wo to him by whom this offense cometh, for it had been better for him that he had been drowned in the depth of the sea. (I don’t know for you, but for me that doesn’t sound much like exaltation. I fear that too many LDS temple married couples view divorce as the first option when the going gets tough. It should be the last option. If both husband and wife would humbly go before the Lord and ask for help in solving their marital challenges, there would be no divorce in the Church. The fact is that one or both of the marriage partners has strayed from the covenants they made and now think they can make a trilateral covenant work bilaterally—it never has worked and it never will work. But walking away from a temple marriage has dire consequences associated with it. However, even if one of the two remaining partners of the trilateral covenant (i.e. wife and God or husband and God) try to make the marriage work, it won’t. You can’t make a trilateral covenant work bilaterally. So what happens to the wife (or husband) who is still trying but their spouse isn’t? That is the subject of verse 6)

6 But blessed are they who have kept the covenant and observed the commandment, for they shall obtain mercy. (The “mercy” that they will obtain is that after a “cancellation of sealing” for the woman or “sealing clearance” for the man—we often call it “temple divorce”—the faithful spouse is free to marry again and be sealed in the temple. If that doesn’t occur in mortality, the fact that they have been faithful through their mortal trials, they will (of their own free will and choice) be able to find a spouse in the Spirit World and then, during the early days of the Millennium, come back to earth and reveal the necessary information to some mortal in a temple (mortals do temple work, immortal, resurrected beings do not), and once the sealing is performed for them, they are off to the highest degree of the celestial kingdom as though they had been married and sealed here on earth.)
Very often (in an emotionally charged state of mind) an offended wife will run to the bishop and demand a “cancellation of sealing” from her ex-temple-married husband. That isn’t granted because the minute the President of the Church grants that cancellation, she no longer has claim upon those blessings. That doesn’t mean she will be with her ex in the next life. As described above, he has already broken the covenant and what lies ahead for him is not pretty. But as long as she is faithful, either in this life or the next, she will receive all the blessings she was promised when she got married—it just won’t be with that first husband. I wish more women understood that. This is where trust in the Lord’s fairness and mercy comes in. Leave your future status in the hands of the One whose “work and glory” is to exalt you (see Moses 1:39). He will perfectly balance the eternal scales of justice before you enter into the Celestial Kingdom .
I hope this points your thinking in the right direction. Keep thinking, praying, and asking the tough questions and watch the revelatory windows of heaven open to you.

Bro. Bott

Confessions

2010-08-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

Question:Wow, this is an AWESOME website! I have a question for you...I've been married in the temple for 2 years now. My marriage is absolutely wonderful! However, years before I was married I regret to say I struggled with the law of chastity. Yet thanks to the glorious, continuous, gift of the Atonement, I have truly become a new creature through my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. At times I was next to Alma the Younger with the sorrow I was blessed to feel to bring me to true repentance! I have truly confessed, forsaken, and repented of my heinous past. So my question is that lately I remembered a couple instances of breaking the law of chastity that I had not confessed. I guess I didn't remember or think to confess them at the time I was confessing to proper Priesthood Authorities. But, they knew it was a battle and I confessed the worst of it all and every instance I could remember at the time... So do I need to go back in to my bishop and re-confess? Or confess these other couple times? I know the Lord judges us not only on our actions, but the way we ARE...He doesn't keep some score sheet but looks at our hearts and whether or not we have truly repented. But if confessing these other couple instances is necessary to be forgiven (though I have felt the guilt lift and the Spirit very actively in my life) then I of course want to do the right thing! Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions!

Answer:Thanks for the e-mail. In order to understand the answer to your question, you need to understand what it means to be “justified.” When Adam asked the Lord why he needed to repent and be baptized (you will want to read Moses 6:53-60) the Lord teaches him 18 foundational doctrine. Then almost like an after-thought, in verse 60 He says: “For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified.” To be “justified” or “just” means that a person is without divine condemnation. In other words you are doing as well as the Lord expects you to do given the amount of light and knowledge that He have given you and that if you continue on in that path you will eventually reach the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom.
The way the Lord lets you know whether you are just or not is by the presence or absence of His Spirit. In D&C 111:8 the Lord revealed: “And the place where it is my will that you should tarry, for the main, shall be signalized unto you by the peace and power of my Spirit, that shall flow unto you.” So when you are heading in the right direction, you will have two indicators that you are OK: 1) peace; and 2) the power of the Spirit. You mentioned that you feel the Spirit very actively in your life. Now reason with me. If you had un-repented sins hanging over your head that would prevent you from reaching the Celestial Kingdom and the Lord allowed you to enjoy the presence of His Spirit (indicating that you are a candidate for the Celestial Kingdom ) wouldn’t that be sending contradictory messages? He isn’t going to do that.
The presence of His Spirit indicates that you have satisfied the divine requirements to activate the atonement, that you have been forgiven, and that you need go no further. Now for your future benefit. Mormon wrote a letter that Moroni included in the final book of the Book of Mormon. In Moroni 7:15-17 he states: “For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.” (you will want to read the entire 7th chapter—it is a good one). Even after Mormon said that, I was still left to wonder if I was applying the right formula. Then one day it dawned on me that there really is a daylight/dark night contrast between when the Lord works with you and when Satan is trying to tear you down. Here it is:
Before He started His formal ministry the Savior was a carpenter or builder by profession. Virtually everything He does builds, uplifts, encourages, and energizes you. On the other hand, one of the name/titles of the devil is “the destroyer.” Virtually everything he does to you is negative, leaving you feeling hopeless, helpless, discouraged, unworthy, unmotivated, not-the-stuff-the-celestial-kingdom-is-made of.
So whenever you have one of these “flashbacks” take a step back and see if it discourages or encourages you. If it is from the Lord you will feel almost an excited, euphoric feelings like: “If I can overcome this one thing, I will soar with the eagles spiritually.” On the other hand, if you feel worthless, torn down, helplessly lost, etc. then you can know with a perfect knowledge that is Satan trying to destroy you.
Now a word of counsel—don’t EVER re-identify yourself with the old, immoral, “woman of sin.” You are worthy to go to the temple—old women of sin are never worthy. You are worthy to and have received the presence of the Spirit actively in your life—old women of sin never feel that way. You are a powerful instrument in God’s hands in helping others negotiate the rapids of mortality—old women of sin never do that. There isn’t anything in your e-mail that suggests to me that the “old woman of sin” wrote the e-mail. Leave her dead and buried. Every time Satan can get you to re-identify yourself with the old woman of sin, he wins. It retards your spiritual progress, causes you to question your worthiness, and diminishes your confidence in your ability to play an important role on the Lord’s first team in the final minutes of the fourth quarter of the super bowl of all time. Don’t give Satan that kind of power. You evidently confessed sufficient sins to cover even the ones you forgot to mention specifically. Let the bishop and stake president who recommended you as one worthy to be married in the temple, exercise their roles as judges. You just go merrily on your way and enjoy life as the new creature in Christ that you obviously are. Bro.Bott

Will I have a chance (after this earthly life) to choose an eternal companion?

2010-06-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

Question: I keep hearing from my LDS relatives that it it's too bad I haven't found a man to marry and that since I can't marry in the spirit world and likely won't be living when the millenium comes (in order to marry during the millenium as a mortal), and I can't marry when I'm a resurrected being, it's too bad I missed the chance in this life; therefore, I can't be in the highest glory of the Celestial Kingdom.   My family is embarrassed by me--I know--it's their problem; but I understood that if I don't have a chance to marry in the earthly life, I will still have another chance to be sealed in the temple. Please correct me if I'm wrong.   One relative says that when I die, she'll have to seal me to a man who has also died in order for me to have a chance to be in the highest glory of the Celestial Kingdom .   Please clarify: Will I have a chance (after this earthly life) to choose an eternal companion? If so, what/when is this chance?

Answer: Thanks for the question. For some reason (unknown to me) we fail to connect the dots when it comes to God’s dealings with us. Let me review some basic principles and you’ll see what I mean. I don’t mean to disparage in any way your LDS relatives, but they also need to take a huge step back and consider all the factors from an eternal perspective.
The whole purpose for you being born in the pre-earth life to our Heavenly Parents was to eventually become like Them. It seems like such a no-brainer (but is totally hidden from the so-called Christian world) that there couldn’t be a “Father in Heaven” (who is referred to frequently in all of the scriptures) unless there was a “Mother in Heaven” (although She is not mentioned by name or title in the Scriptures—likely because of the profound respect that Heavenly Father has for Her, She is definitely there).
You were born as a female in the pre-earth life (see “Family—A proclamation to the world” issued by the First Presidency and the 12 Apostles in 1995). As such you were born to become a mother. Up until this time in your eternal progression, you have only been responsible for yourself (I am assuming you are still single). After you have mastered yourself (both in the pre-earth life and here in mortality) you are prepared to move to the next and final stage of your preparation to become an eternal mother—eternal marriage.
But before going there, we need to pause for a moment to recall that our Heavenly Parents knew this would be a challenging course to become what They are and so They gifted to us all our agency—even in the pre-earth life. No one would be forced to enroll in the curriculum or take the tests if they didn’t want to. Because the test was to contain some risk, a third part of our Heavenly Parent’s children opted not to continue taking the test. They wanted exaltation without effort, actions with no consequences, and rewards without effort. A spirit brother, Lucifer, lead the rebellion against Heavenly Father’s plan which was championed by Jesus Christ. Rather than override their agency, Heavenly Father allowed a third part of His children to exercise their agency to their own destruction. Lucifer became Satan and his followers became fallen angels.
The fact that you are here on earth indicates that you chose to follow Christ who was, is, and always will be the Champion of God’s plan. The other part of God’s children (the one-third part that followed Satan) were cast down onto the earth (see Revelation 12:4-9) and are here to try to get us to rebel against God and break His commandments. They know that their unwillingness to comply with God’s commandments in the pre-earth life resulted in their being cast out and also being denied forever having physical bodies.
Now we are here on earth. Up to this point you have only been responsible for yourself. Your obedient pre-mortal spirit now has to wrestle with your unruly physical body. Hence the war that is going on inside you. Your obedient spirit warring against your lustful flesh. Additionally you have unseen evil spirits surrounding you constantly whispering in your ears that you don’t have to obey the commandments and you can still have all the blessings. They know they are lying but one of their objectives is to “destroy mankind” (see Moses 4:6). They are still beating that old, dead drum of something for nothing, blessings without obedience, and exaltation without effort. It didn’t work in the pre-earth life and it won’t work down here on earth.
It was God who established the criteria for returning to His presence to live forever. Those criteria are called commandments. Try as we will (and people have been trying for over 6000 years) we cannot change the requirements for gaining exaltation. The Savior Himself said that we have to be baptized or we can’t even see the kingdom of heaven (see John 3:3-5). In modern scriptures we are told that eternal marriage is the gate to the highest degree of the celestial kingdom and that marrying civilly relegates us to a kingdom of glory lower than the highest degree of the celestial kingdom where we will live separately and singly in our saved condition for ever and ever (see D&C 131:1-4 and D&C 132:15-17). You may recall that in Alma 34:32 we are cautioned that “this life” is the time to prepare to meet God. The term “this life” goes from the time we are born as mortal beings to the time we are resurrected—not just mortality.
I hear young people all the time say: “Oh, I don’t believe that God will keep us from being together forever just because we don’t marry in the temple.” To which I say: “I agree 100%. It won’t be God that keeps you apart, it will be you! If you refuse to abide by the laws that God has established for your exaltation, then don’t accuse God of keeping you from the promised blessings—it will be you exercising your agency that keeps you from being together forever.”
Now to straighten out the thinking of some of your LDS relatives. The vast majority of our Father’s children have been born, lived, and died without ever hearing the name of Jesus Christ or having the opportunity of learning and living the gospel. Are they to be condemned forever for not complying with requirements that they knew nothing about? How unfair of God to condemn His children for not obeying laws they never heard of. This is where the gospel is so magnificently beautiful (and the only Church on the face of the whole earth that has such a comprehensive plan—that is because Christ said it is the “only true and living Church on the face of the whole earth”—see D&C 1:30). Every son or daughter in the whole family of Adam and Eve will have the opportunity either here in mortality or in the post-earth spirit world to accept or reject the fullness of the gospel—including eternal marriage.
The arrangements for marriage for those who were not married and sealed while they were mortals are somewhat different. In the Spirit World, if they accept the gospel when they are taught, they will have to wait for someone here on earth to do their genealogical research, take their names to the temple, and have the ordinances necessary for their exaltation done for them (that would include baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, priesthood for the men, endowment, and temple marriage). What about those of whom we have no record? Even after they accept the gospel in the Spirit World, they will have to wait until the Millennium when they can come back and visit someone in a temple, give them their genealogical information (including who they want to be sealed to). Once the vicarious (or proxy) work is done for them, it is as though they had performed it themselves—they are off to their exaltation. That is why in 1 Corinthians 15:29 Paul questioned the saints in Corinth why they were doing baptisms for the dead if the dead didn’t eventually resurrect.
So if you never have a chance to be sealed to a man in the temple while you are a mortal, then after you die of your own free will and choice you will find a suitable mate in the spirit world and then (because there is no such things as arbitrarily sealing any given woman to any given man—unless they were married while they were in mortality) during the early days of the Millennium you and your chosen husband would appear to someone in a temple and have the sealing done for you. The rub comes if you had a chance to be sealed to a righteous priesthood bearer here on earth but exercised your agency to marry outside the temple. That doesn’t mean that you absolutely won’t be given the chance to marry someone eternally as I outlined above, but it means that you have introduced a huge question mark as to whether you will be given that opportunity in the Spirit World. Why would you want to take a chance with your eternal life hanging in the balance?
Your relatives are correct in saying that once you have been resurrected and assigned to an eternal kingdom, the opportunity to marry is over (see Matthew 22:23-30). But only God can (and will) judge as to whether what you had here in mortality was a full chance or whether you need additional information and time in the post-mortal spirit world to come to a full understanding of what is required to gain eternal life.
As far as God “forcing” you to be with some guy you don’t love—use a little reason. God is called an “unchangeable Being”. If He allowed a third-part of His children to go to hell forever rather than override their agency, does it sound reasonable that He will reverse fields in these last days and “force” His faithful sons and daughters to do something that they don’t want to do?
It is true that those who live (as mortals) during the Millennium will continue to marry and being given in marriage as we do right now. It never has been and never will be the plan of God to “force” His spirit children to do anything against their wills. It is true that those spirit children of God (of whom we all are part) who exercise their agency not to conform to the prerequisites for gaining eternal life, will be barred from going to the highest degree of the celestial kingdom. Not barred by God from entering His presence because that is His work and His glory to exalt you (see Moses 1:39), but because they refused to exercise their agency to be obedient.
I hope this clarifies the mis-information that you have heard. My plea is that you seriously consider the potential consequences of turning your back on your opportunity to marry in the temple. Why take a chance that this is your full one-and-only chance to qualify for eternal life?

Bro. Bott

2010-06-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

Question: Did the early LDS Church authorities speak in tongues, specifically in the Adamic Language?

Answer:
Without taking an inordinate amount of time to research the answer to your question, I found this quote: Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.374
These are of two kinds: (1) learning to speak foreign tongues, to understand the words spoken by aliens, and to translate what is written in other languages; and (2) speaking or understanding alien and unknown languages without premeditation. The first kind is by far the more important and more commonly conferred; the second type is more dramatic and may involve languages spoken by others now living or dead languages long unknown among men. Some have spoken, for instance, in the pure Adamic language.
If you want to pursue this further, here is a point to start from: Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.1, ADAMIC LANGUAGE
In the early years of the Church, some words of the Adamic language may have been revealed to Joseph Smith (JD 2:342), and other early Church leaders, including Brigham Young (HC 1:297) and Elizabeth Ann Whitney (Woman's Exponent 7 [Nov. 1, 1878], p. 83), who were said to have spoken it in tongues. More recently President Ezra Taft Benson alluded to its possible universal reinstatement to resolve linguistic diversity (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [Salt Lake City, 1988], p. 93; cf. Brigham Young JD 3:100).
I haven’t heard recently anyone who has been identified (as Joseph Smith did of Elizabeth Ann Whitney) that they had the gift to speak in the pure adamic language.

Bro. bott

Is there good guilt?

2010-06-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

Question: What's the difference between good guilt and bad guilt? How do you deal with bad guilt?

Answer:

What a great question. Fortunately, you understand that there are two sources tugging at you when it comes to changing or repenting—God and Satan. Unfortunately for us and especially for him, Satan doesn’t honor the Atonement. Therefore he is always going to be telling you that whatever you have done repentance-wise is not sufficient to trigger forgiveness. I presume that is part of the reason he is referred to as “a liar from the beginning” (see D&C 93:25). So learning how to discern the difference between Godly Sorrow (see 2 Corinthians 7:10) and Satan’s constant barrage of lies telling you that you are not worthy, is one of the great growing experiences of life.
Mormon, in writing to his son, Moroni , said: “For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him” (Moroni 7:15-17).
Even after reading that (for the first hundred times) I still didn’t see what Mormon was saying. Then it dawned on me—the Savior, before He began His ministry was employed as a carpenter or builder. Satan has been called “the destroyer” (see D&C 61:19). Everything that Christ does is to build, lift, encourage, edify, and give hope to you. Everything that is inspired of the devil leaves you feeling helpless, hopeless, weak, unworthy, and not the stuff the celestial kingdom is made of. Now I have something I can use and easily discern as between “daylight and dark night.” It is the way that the flashback or memory of the past makes me feel. If I feel worthless, helpless, hopeless, etc. then I can know with a perfect knowledge that it is Satan trying to destroy me. On the other hand, if I feel almost excited about repenting like: “If I can overcome this one thing, I can soar with the eagles spiritually” then I can know that is the Builder or the Savior who is prodding me to repent.
If you determine that it is Satan bringing up your past transgressions to make you feel worthless, then you can thank him for the reminder that the Atonement of the Savior makes you a “new creature in Christ” (see Mosiah 27:25-26) and that the “old woman of sin” (see Romans 6:3-6) has been crucified with Christ. Then armed with the confidence that you are no longer an “old woman of sin” you can confidently go forth into the world helping others who may be less experienced than you, to understand what the Atonement of Christ really does for them.
I suspect the difficulty you are experiencing in coming to a final conclusion on the matter you wrote about is designed by the Lord to give you the experience of “experimenting upon the word” (see Alma 32:27). The more experience you have and the more you have successfully fine-tuned your ability to discern between daylight and dark night, the more useful you will be in helping others who have less understanding and less experience than you do. So don’t despair as the Lord tutors you through this learning and growing experience. Continue to study the scriptures and identify and collect all the references dealing with forgiveness and remission of sins. You’ll be amazed at what a few hours of scriptural study can do in expanding your understanding of the gospel. Then turn to the conference talks and see what Living Prophets are saying about the matter. When you combine those two (prophets and scriptures) with the personal insights you will definitely receive, then your understanding of whatever principle you are dealing with will expand and you will become an instrument in God’s hands in helping others of His children learn the lessons that you are well on your way of mastering.

Did Adam and Eve have children before Cain and Abel?

2010-06-03T22:30:00.000-07:00

The simple answer is “yes, Adam and Eve had many children before Cain and Abel.” It was just that Cain and Abel were the first ones that we have names for because of the most famous story about Cain murdering Abel. The longer answer starts in Moses 5:2-3 where it is recorded: “And Adam knew his wife, and she bare unto him sons and daughters, and they began to multiply and to replenish the earth.
And from that time forth, the sons and daughters of Adam began to divide two and two in the land, and to till the land, and to tend flocks, and they also begat sons and daughters.” So there seems to be several generations of sons and daughters of Adam and Eve before Cain was born.
Later in that same chapter is recorded: Moses 5:12-17: “And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters.
And Satan came among them, saying: I am also a son of God; and he commanded them, saying: Believe it not; and they believed it not, and they loved Satan more than God. And men began from that time forth to be carnal, sensual, and devilish.
And the Lord God called upon men by the Holy Ghost everywhere and commanded them that they should repent;
And as many as believed in the Son, and repented of their sins, should be saved; and as many as believed not and repented not, should be damned; and the words went forth out of the mouth of God in a firm decree; wherefore they must be fulfilled.
And Adam and Eve, his wife, ceased not to call upon God. And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bare Cain, and said: I have gotten a man from the Lord; wherefore he may not reject his words. But behold, Cain hearkened not, saying: Who is the Lord that I should know him?
And she again conceived and bare his brother Abel. And Abel hearkened unto the voice of the Lord. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.”
You can see that Satan had already lured the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve off the straight and narrow path long before Cain and Abel were born. It sounds like Eve thought that at last Cain would be the righteous one indicating that up until that point Adam and Eve didn’t have anyone who was holding tightly to the iron rod.
Going on a few more verses in Moses 5:27-28 we learn that: “And Adam and his wife mourned before the Lord, because of Cain and his brethren. And it came to pass that Cain took one of his brothers' daughters to wife, and they loved Satan more than God.” So Cain ended up marrying one of his nieces indicating that a full generation must have passed before Cain and Abel were born. That whole fifth chapter of Moses reveals one of the saddest and most heartbreaking stories recorded in scriptures how effective Satan is in leading people to destruction. But that chapter also gives us the best insight as to the timing of Adam and Eve’s children.
I hope this answers some of your questions—at least as far as has been revealed.

Bro. Bott

Repentance "nigh unto death"

2010-06-03T22:19:00.000-07:00

Question: My question is this: in Mosiah 27:28 Alma tells us that he repented "nigh unto death." What exactly does it mean to repent night unto death? How does this relate to our own repentance? Do we actually suffer real physical pain that brings us close to death? Is that what happened to Zeezrom? Could you help me understand this verse?

Answer: Thanks for the thought-provoking question. I think the reason you are having trouble identifying with the wording in that verse is because you haven’t ever sinned as deeply and for such a prolonged period of time to merit that kind of personal payment. You will recall what Mormon said in characterizing Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah. In Mosiah 28:4 it states: “And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them, for they were the very vilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy to spare them; nevertheless they suffered much anguish of soul because of their iniquities, suffering much and fearing that they should be cast off forever.”
Even in our man-made courts of law, it is evident that the punishment needs to match the crime. In other words, you don’t execute a guy for running a red light. But if he cold-bloodedly killed another person, then the death penalty might be an appropriate punishment.
I learned a bunch about mental and physical suffering while participating in over 400 Church Disciplinary Councils. Since they were all held on a Stake Presidency/High Council level that meant that the man being questioned for his membership was a Melchizedek Priesthood bearer who had done something serious enough that excommunication was a viable outcome of the council. I watched large muscular men tremble like a leaf, sweat profusely, and go through cramps and physical pain when they recounted what they had done and the hurt they had inflicted on innocent family members and friends. I witnessed mental anguish the likes of which I had never seen before even to the point of one man passing out. Then I began to realize that as bad as my sins were, the punishment I had experienced as I worked through the repentance process didn’t come anywhere near what these men were experiencing.
Then as I re-read Alma and Amulek’s experience with Zeezrom, I could identify first hand with what they saw when they arrived at his bedside. He was going through a mental hell so severe that his physical body reacted with high fever and what he thought would be death.
If I was you, I don’t think I would care to experience the depths that Mormon wrote about. I suspect as you continue faithful in the Church and you are called to sit on disciplinary councils, the answer to your question will become more and more evident. I also saw the other end that Alma described in Alma 36 that after he had received a remission of sins that his joy was as exquisite as his pains had been. When we held a counsel for a man who had been out of the church for many years and approved of his re-baptism, his joy was more than anything I had ever witnessed or even experienced myself. I suspect that is one of the many benefits that comes from growing older. You begin to see first hand what the prophets and others have written in the scriptures. I don’t know that I have adequately communicated what it was like to witness each end of the suffering/forgiveness spectrum, but once you have seen it, you will never forget it.

Bro. Bott

Suicide

2010-05-11T13:56:00.000-07:00

Question:I have a serious question. I have a friend contemplating suicide and I can't seem to get it through her head that she is loved and that she shouldn't do this. She is on suicide watch with the school and her family. What happens to suicides in the afterlife? What should I do?

Answer: Sorry for the delay in answering your question. It got shoved off the bottom of my ‘inbox and I just discovered it again.
Contemplating taking of one’s own life is a very serious matter which seems to indicate two things (which will help in your assisting your friend). First she has a very limited understanding of the great plan of salvation; and second, she doesn’t understand what death is and what impact it has on her in the Spirit World. Let’s take them one at a time and see if you can reason with her.
First, we were born into the pre-earth life for one purpose only—that is to grow up to become like our Eternal Parents—i.e. Gods. The great plan of salvation (also called the Great Plan of Happiness— Alma 42:8, 16, and many other things like the “merciful plan of the great Creator”) was designed by God to give us experience, knowledge, and attributes to fulfill our desire to become what our Heavenly Parents are. The vast majority of that test of Godhood was already over and successfully passed before we ever came to this earth life. So much so that if little children die before arriving at the age of accountability (8 years of age), they automatically gain eternal life (see Mosiah 15:25; D&C 137:10).
We seem to be born where we are, when we’re here, and into what environments we are for three reasons: 1) we earned the right through pre-mortal diligence; 2) there are elements in our environment that will provide the final tests and trials to prepare us for eternal life; and 3) we have certain roles to play or missions to perform in helping our Eternal Parents with Their stated objective which is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (see Moses 1:39). The problem we face (at least it seems at times like a problem) is that we have a veil of forgetfulness over our minds so we cannot remember our pre-earth past. That veil is in place so we can learn to live by faith—a prerequisite for an exalted being. To compound the problem (at least, again, it seems like it does) we have Satan and a third part of the hosts of heaven continually fighting against us. The unfairness seems to be that we have the veil of forgetfulness over our minds blocking our memory of our pre-mortal past—Satan and his followers don’t seem to have that veil. In other words, they can see your friend’s pre-mortal past—she can’t but they can. They can see her greatness and her potential to do serious damage to him (Satan) and his kingdom and realize that if they don’t destroy her, she will assist in destroying them. Hence the satanic opposition that has put her into a position where she is thinking of ending her life.
If she was a spiritual loser, Satan could afford to ignore her and let her go without opposition through life because she would pose no threat to him or his kingdom. Since Satan has ganged up on her with all kinds of stressors and depressors, why can’t she see that those opposing efforts by Satan represent him bearing his testimony about her potential to damage him and his kingdom? She must see herself as worthless and wants to end life not realizing that she agreed with Heavenly Father to fight this battle to the end—the reward for doing that would be her eternal exaltation.
She must feel her life is more challenging and difficult than she can handle. Doesn’t she believe 1 Corinthians 10:13 where the Lord said through Paul, the Apostle: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it?” So her challenge isn’t that she can’t make it through these trials—it is that she can’t make it ALONE through these challenges. Note what Alma told his son as part of his farewell address to him: “Preach unto them repentance, and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ; teach them to humble themselves and to be meek and lowly in heart; teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil, with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Alma 37:33). If your friend would put her trust in the Lord and rely upon Him, call upon Him, use His all—powerful Spirit to assist her, there would not be any challenge she would face in mortality that would overwhelm her. The Savior said in John 15:5 that He was the vine and we are the branches. Then He said: “Without me ye can do nothing!” However the Lord promised in D&C 50:35 that if we would give heed (i.e. read and apply) those things that we have received (that would be scriptures) and that we would hereafter receive (that would be counsel from living prophets), then the promise is that the Kingdom would be given to us (that is both the Church and the Celestial Kingdom) and “power to overcome all things which are not ordained of God.” There just isn’t anything that your friend cannot overcome if she will look heavenward for help.
Once she works her way through this trial she will see that there were great lessons to learn and growth to be achieved by having the challenge. Then she will see that the Lord will use her over and over again to help others who may not be as strong as she is. Someday (possibly some years down the line from here) she will look back and thank the Lord that she had these challenges noting that she couldn’t have learned the lessons she has and been the help that she has been if it wasn’t for these tough times. Right now that probably seems like an impossibility to her but I have lived a long time and have seen that scenario played out literally thousands of times in my own life and the lives of others.
Now the lack of understanding that she has about death is that she doesn’t seem to realize that “the same spirit which doth possess her body at the time she dies will have power over it in the Spirit World.” (see Alma 34:32-35). The only thing that happens when one dies is that the body and spirit separate. The same challenges she is facing here that deal with her mental state, will continue with her in the Spirit World—unless she has learned to control them here, then they will not follow her into the Spirit World. She will just have succeeded in divesting herself of the medium of repentance—the body. Then when she gets to the Spirit World she will have to learn the lessons that she is refusing to learn here, then her spirit must try to repent without the assistance of her body. It will take significantly longer to repent in the Spirit World than it does here because once the spirit changes here, the war commenced with the body. Once the spirit changes in the Spirit World, there is no body to make the necessary changes.
President Spencer W. Kimball wrote in his book The Miracle of Forgiveness, pp.10-11: “Even if we leave aside the many scriptures which bear similar testimony, reading and prayerfully meditating upon this one brings an awe-inspiring conviction of the need to repent—now!
From the modern apostle Melvin J. Ballard we obtain an emphasis of Amulek's expression in these terms:
...But this life is the time in which men are to repent. Do not let any of us imagine that we can go down to the grave not having overcome the corruptions of the flesh and then lose in the grave all our sins and evil tendencies. They will be with us. They will be with the spirit when separated from the body.
This life is the time to repent. That is why I presume it will take a thousand years after the first resurrection until the last group will be prepared to come forth. It will take them a thousand years to do what it would have taken but three-score and ten to accomplish in this life.*
President Joseph F. Smith's revelation of 1918 contains these words: "... the dead had looked upon the long absence of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage."* Another quotation from Elder Ballard amplifies President Smith's thought:
...When we go out of this life, leave this body, we will desire to do many things that we cannot do at all without the body. We will be seriously handicapped, and we will long for the body; we will pray for that early reunion with our bodies. We will know then what advantage it is to have a body.
Then, every man and woman who is putting off until the next life the task of correcting and overcoming the weakness of the flesh are sentencing themselves to years of bondage, for no man or woman will come forth in the resurrection until they have completed their work, until they have overcome, until they have done as much as they can do.”
So why would she want to sentence herself to mega years of work in the Spirit World to accomplish what she can do in a few short years here in mortality? Then there is one more consideration. If she succeeds in taking her own life, has she forfeited her opportunity for eternal life? I don’t know—only God can pass judgment. However, there is one thing I do know—she has introduced a huge question mark over her eternal destiny. Can people who take their own lives eventually gain exaltation? Yes. Will everyone who takes his own life be exalted? No. Therefore the question mark. I would hate to see anyone exit earth life just because the going gets tough thinking that they are better off in the spirit world only to find out that they had passed up their chance for exaltation. That is pretty short sighted.
I certainly am not casting stones at anyone who is so crushed down as to contemplate taking their own life, however given what we know about God’s willingness to help us not only survive but thrive under mortal conditions, it seems like there is a far more superior route to take. Get some counseling if necessary, but the real help will come when she (and everyone else) learns to reach up and take the Savior’s outstretched hand and allow Him to use His infinite power to life us out of the pit of depression into the glorious light of His love and gospel. I hope this helps a bit. Not matter what the outcome, it must be her decision. That is the very reason the Savior died—was to give us the right to exercise our agency either to our exaltation or our destruction. You can only do so much and go so far in helping her—the rest lies with her.

Bro. Bott

Moral issues

2010-05-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

Question: I have always felt that because we, as a church body, are advised on many moral issues of our day, that it is appropriate for governments to have laws that uphold the morality of its citizens. I am curious as to whether the church, or any doctrine, supports the idea of government enforced morality. Obviously, there are some moral values that a government must uphold to protect its citizens, such as killing and stealing. But what about moral issues that don't directly affect the safety of the citizens, such as drug use, alcohol use, or prostitution? I am wondering if there are any statements from the brethren or any doctrine in the scriptures that would enlighten me on whether things such as these should be enforced by the government or whether they should be left to the agency of the individual. Thank you for your time.

Answer: What a challenging question! It would be so simple to answer off the top of my head but perhaps a bit deeper thinking would serve us both better. There is a practice used in philosophy called “prior question” which means: Is there some question that needs to be asked before you can rightly answer the question just asked? Perhaps we should do a little “prior question” that may clarify the answer to your question.
Just for kicks I “googled” “Morality” and went to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy definition. If you have lots of time you can read it for yourself. It was more than I wanted and reminded me very much of what John Taylor said of Philosophy—it was “fried froth!” In the regular Webster’s Dictionary there is a fairly lengthy definition of “moral.” The first definition is “of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior.” So a “prior question” would be “who determines what is right or wrong.” In a Judeo-Christian society (which we claim to be), then God is the source of what is right and wrong. In other words, what God says is right is right and what God says is wrong is wrong. I suppose if you abandon a belief in God, then morality would be defined by popular vote. You are seeing this nation (and the world) drift towards that in trying to re-define marriage, legalize same-sex marriages, legalize abortion, etc.
So your question about whether governments ought to be involved in those decisions rests upon your answer to whether we are still a Christian society who recognizes God as the ultimate source of morality. If you answer “Yes” then governments do have the right and responsibility to establish laws that promote what God has commanded. If you say “No” then we are thrown into the swirling mess we are in at present when we can’t seem to determine white from black, good from bad, or right from wrong.
Even if you choose to exclude God from the discussion, you still have to address the issue of individual “rights” verses community “rights”. Your individual rights cannot and should not override the good of the people. The classic example that is used to demonstrate this principle is your right to cry “FIRE” in a crowded theater does not trump the collective rights of the people to enjoy safety—if there is no fire. If you cry “fire” when there is a fire, in reality you are protecting the rights of the community by warning them of impending danger.
Now some of your specific questions. What about drug use? How many burglaries are committed to secure funds to buy drugs? So although the stealing drugs themselves constitutes only a small part of the total items stolen, the money to purchase illegal drugs is certainly a major contributing factor. Add to that the number of crimes (murder, rape, arson, driving deaths, etc.) that occur when people are high on drugs and you can see that the individual right to “do drugs” cannot and should not trump the collective rights of the people to be safe from robbery, vehicular death by drug impaired people, etc. So how can we be protected from the ills of society associated with people who steal to get drugs or commit crimes while under the influence unless the governments enact legislation against it?
I suppose we could lump alcohol consumption into the same category as drugs and not miss the mark very far. The irony is that laws proscribing drinking are fewer and more lenient which seems to be directly associated with the number of legislators who make the laws but also have drinking habits. It is pathetically funny how we want to control everyone who has a habit we deem to be socially unacceptable but do not want to do anything that would proscribed what we do.
England addressed the prostitution problem a number of years ago. They declared that they had no prostitution problem because they legalized it! Does that really solve the problem? Why, if a person wants to engage in illicit sex should we care? Isn’t that their prerogative? Then we have the problem so prevalent in the Far East and it is finding its way to Europe and also America where children are kidnapped and sold into prostitution. So “human trafficking” becomes the “prior question” as to whether or not it ought to be governed by law. There are women who enter into prostitution by choice but escalating numbers are in the profession not by choice but by being literal slaves to be discarded when their bodies are no longer attractive.
How about pornography? That seems like such an innocent thing, why should governments be concerned about controlling it? Prior question: Does your “right” to view pornographic material trump my right not to be bombarded in virtually every media outlet by material that I consider offensive? You see how the problem is exacerbated when we exclude God from the formula? Now consider the escalating numbers of young men and young women who are kidnapped, raped, mutilated, and murdered only to discover when the serial murderer is caught that he had watched countless hours of pornography and then he ended up acting out what he had watched on television, at the movies, or on the Internet. Should society be subjected to this kind of animalistic behavior in order to safeguard the individual rights of the person to watch whatever he chooses? You can see why we will never regain civility in our society or the world until we re-enthrone God as the Ultimate Source of right and wrong.
It isn’t until you get below the surface that the first “prior question” becomes the one that makes all the difference in the world: “Do we believe in God and are we willing to govern ourselves according to His revealed commandments?” If we answer that question correctly, then we are on our way to happiness, peace, and social rest. Until we adopt that answer we are destined to suffer wars, crimes, unnecessary deaths, misery, and an endless array of Satan-inspired results. Give this some serious thought before you cast your vote for a God-less society.

Bro. Bott

Is the LDS church a cult?

2010-05-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

Black text: question
Blue text: answer

Question = The LDS church has many behavioral characteristics of a cult. (see some information regarding the behavioral characteristics below) How do you respond to that? The typical, "you just need faith" response will not satisfy my answer.

In Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves,cult counselor Steven Hassan describes his "BITE model" stating that it is not necessary for every item to be present:

Behavior Control
Regulation of individual's physical reality
"Where, how, and with whom the member lives and associates, what clothes, colors, hairstyles the person wears, what food the person eats, drinks, adopts, and rejects, how much sleep the person is able to have, financial dependence, little or no time spent on leisure, entertainment, vacations." Have you looked around at the variety that exists among Church members? Although I am very busy and involved in Church related activities, I find more than ample time for leisure, entertainment, and vacations. The Church does absolutely nothing to try to limit or control where I live, with whom I associate, what clothes I wear or the style I wear my hair. No one looks over my shoulder when I go out to eat or eat at home. Although the Lord has revealed a Word of Wisdom with some broad guidelines for healthy living, you (confirming what scientists have also concluded), as a member of the Church, can eat whatever you want to. No one that I know of even tries to control how much sleep I get or when I go to sleep. You will be very hard pressed to find the Church falling into any of these Hassan-defined areas.

Major time commitment required for indoctrination sessions and group rituals – Unless you belong to an entirely different Church than I do, I have never had any long major time commitments to indoctrinate me or any that I have presided over. I don’t know of any “group rituals” participated in by Church members. There are temple ceremonies (an hour and a half long—hardly long, extended times) where covenants are made the same as with any organization that has a standard of conduct. By association over time I have noticed that most organizations spend a lot more time “indoctrinating” their employees than the Church does. I wish the Church would spend more time “indoctrinating” couples on how to be successful in marriage than they do. The Catholic Church does a far better job than the LDS Church does in this area. Are they also a cult? Is their approach “wrong” because Hassan has it on a list? Think about it.
Need to ask permission for major decisions DNA. I have never had anyone tell me what to do or made me ask permission before doing anything.
Need to report thoughts, feelings, and activities to superiors DNA
Rewards and punishments (behavior modification techniques -- positive and negative) The rewards for obedience are built into the commandments and the punishments are inextricably connected with disobedience. Isn’t that what D&C 130:20-21 says: “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated-- And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” These “rewards” and “punishments” are not man-imposed or Church imposed, but part of the way that God established things to operate—before this world was created and in His divine presence in heaven.
Individualism discouraged; "Group think" prevails If there is an organization in the world that glories in individual differences, it is the Church. So why do so many people tend to think alike? Could it possibly be that each has come to an understanding himself that a particular way of doing things is superior to all others? To say that we are all dumb sheep because we choose to act the same is denying that there is a “good, better, and best” way of doing things. The fact that “likes attract” (see D&C 88:40) is common to all society. The druggies associate with the druggies, the party group with other party people, the computer people hang with computer people, the religious associate with others who are religious. Welcome to society. While cultism may take this principle to an extreme (which really boils down to Hassan’s analysis of every characteristic of a cult) the very elements he describes are also present in any human interaction.
Rigid rules and regulations Have you ever been part of any organization, club, church, government, etc. that didn’t have rules and regulations? If that is a sign of a cult, Hassan has lumped all of humanity into a cult.
Need for obedience and dependency Same thing goes here—if you want to participate as an Olympic athlete, you have very rigid rules and you had better obey them or be stripped of your metal even if you win one. If you want to work for a computer company you had better believe that they demand obedience to very strict rules and regulations and just as you depend on them for your wages, they depend on you to produce for the organization. Again Hassan describes any typical organization whether religious or not.

Information Control
Use of deception DNA. Only those who look for the sinister see deception in the Church. At this particular point Hassan’s characterization would describe our Government to a tee.
Deliberately holding back information, distorting information to make it more "acceptable," "outright lying." Same as above.
Access to non-cult sources of information minimized or discouraged. I have taught at BYU for the last 17 years and with CES for 20 years and have never had anyone try to restrict my research or writing in any way. I have free access to anti-Mormon literature (if I choose to look at it), I can watch whatever films I choose to. The thing that prevents me from accessing those materials isn’t imposed by the organization but are the result of my own choices. Just as you choose to listen to Country Music rather than Classical Music, it isn’t by force but by exercising of your own agency.
Media (books, articles, newspapers, magazines, TV, radio), critical information, former members, keep members so busy they don't have time to think and check things out.
Compartmentalization of information; Outsider vs. Insider doctrines I guess you must belong to a different Church than I do. I have seen very few people (regular members) who are so busy that they have no time to see or read anything other than Church materials. Have you checked out Deseret Book or Seagull Book lately? Ninety percent of their offerings are non-Church related—fiction and fantasy rather than doctrine.
"Information is not freely accessible, information varies at different levels and missions within pyramid, leadership decides who "needs to know" what and when." Covered above.
Spying on other members is encouraged If you see this in the Church you really do belong to a different Church. I hardly have enough time to take care of my own interests rather than those of my neighbors. I have never been asked to “spy” on anyone and I have been in major leadership positions for the past 40+ years. Where are you getting your information or is this just one of the items on Hassan’s tic list?
"Pairing up with "buddy" system to monitor and control, reporting deviant thoughts, feelings, and actions to leadership, individual behavior monitored by whole group." DNA unless you are alluding to missionaries going out two by two. Then you are dealing with 50,000 out of a total population of over 13.5 million people. Hardly a representative sampling—and (by the way) the Lord commands His people to go two by two so it isn’t the Church at all but God’s established way of fulfilling St. Paul’s admonition that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”
Extensive use of cult generated information and propaganda. Once again I don’t see any force in using Church produced information. I have a 56 volume set of the Great Books of the Western World in my office that I am free to read any time I want to. I have a 40 volume set of the Harvard Classics at home for my leisure reading. Are you just looking for something to complain about? Who has ever restricted your reading to Church related materials? I suspect one of the frustrations of Church Leaders (and quite frankly—the Lord also) is the reluctance of members to spend time reading, searching, pondering, praying about scriptures or Church related materials.
"Media (newsletters, magazines, journals, audio tapes, videotapes, etc), misquotations, statements taken out of context from non-cult sources." Are you describing government or the Church? Sounds more like an argument leveled against one political party or the other rather than against the Church.
Unethical use of confession DNA. Confession is the voluntary coming forth with private behavior that needs correction. I suspect you are coming from a dry well on this one. I have been in on over 400 disciplinary councils and never once heard a confession that wasn’t private and voluntary.
"Information about "sins" used to abolish identity boundaries, past "sins" used to manipulate and control (no forgiveness or absolution)." Wrong application of a sacred practice called repentance and seeking forgiveness. I have participated in over 400 Church Disciplinary councils and never heard of a whisper about a persons sins mentioned outside the council. You might be interested that very strict instructions are given to those who participate in Church Disciplinary councils about talking outside the council about what they hear in the council. That goes even so far that those who do break a confidence will be summoned before a council themselves.

Thought Control
Need to internalize the group's doctrine as "Truth" Have you ever looked in the Bible about the Lord’s injunction to live a principle to discover the truth of it? Look at John 7:17 and see what I mean. How is a person to internalize a teaching as true without living it? Did not the Lord say that it was in the ‘doing” not the “saying” that qualified a personal as a disciple? (see Matthew 7:21).
"Adopting the group's map of reality as "Reality" (Map = Reality), Black and White thinking, Good vs. Evil, Us vs. Them (inside vs. outside)." Now I guess Hassan has made God a cultist. There seems to be a very distinct set of “rights and wrongs” called commandments given throughout the scriptures and by living prophets. How can one qualify as a disciple of Christ or God without conforming his life to the commandments given by God? Somehow this kind of thinking ignores our relationship with God making it sound as though adopting what God has revealed is somehow restrictive and evil. Our entire society would cease to exist if there weren’t certain principles that everyone was expected to ascribe to. Prisons would be unnecessary because whatever an individual thought was right was acceptable unless there was some level of conformity required.
Use of "loaded" language (for example, "thought-terminating clichés". ). Words are the tools we use to think with.[clarification needed] These "special" words constrict rather than expand understanding, and can even stop thoughts altogether. They function to reduce complexities of experience into trite, platitudinous "buzz words" (The best analogy would be Newspeak in Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell). Are you alluding to wording of covenants? Have you ever been in a court of law where people swear an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth—so help me God? Does not even the President of the United States solemnly swear (with an oath) using “special words” that he will uphold the ideals of the United States . I know Hassan must have noted every one of these things so common to our society as having been taken to extremes but can you see that the way you listed them does nothing other than define what our society has established so we can live together in relative peace?
Only "good" and "proper" thoughts are encouraged. So when the Savior said that we would give an account of every idle word in the day of judgment (see Matthew 12:36) was He establishing a “cult?” When Amulek stated that we must account (in the day of judgment) for every thought we think, every word we say, and every deed we do (see Alma 12:14) and therefore cautions us to take control of them, is he promoting cultism? I can’t think of a society that has any semblance of order that doesn’t encourage good and proper thoughts. Where is Hassan going with this idea? Is it bad to want to be good and promote good? If that constitutes being a “cult” then sign me up!

Use of hypnotic techniques to induce altered mental states DNA.
Manipulation of memories and implantation of false memories DNA I assume you must be referring to some specific event that you think you have observed but I have never seen anyone try to manipulate anyone’s thinking nor to create false memories of past events. Perhaps you are not referring to the LDS Church at all but some small group that you have associated with who happen to be members. I just don’t see where you are coming from in this item or the one above.
Use of thought-stopping techniques, which shut down "reality testing" by stopping "negative" thoughts and allowing only "good" thoughts Lump this one with the “Only Good thoughts” answer above. Do you have any concept of how powerful your mind is? When your mind tells you something, whether it is supported by evidence or not, unless you take remediating action those mental tapes trump anything and everything else. Note the mental tape a girl suffering from anorexia plays: “I’m fat!” What do you see? Skin and bones. If you take pictures and get doctors’ testimonials as to her physical state—which one takes precedence—the mental tape or the evidence? If you said: “The mental tape” you are correct. So unless you change your mind-set about what the Church is, all of the evidence in the world is not going to change your mind. And just as continuing the girl’s practice of not eating will eventually end in the destruction of her life, so you continuing to run the wrong mental tapes concerning the Church will eventually result in your spiritual demise.

Rejection of rational analysis, critical thinking, constructive criticism. No critical questions about leader, doctrine, or policy seen as legitimate There are two ways of asking questions (maybe more but two for my purpose). One is to “question unto doubtful disputation” (see Romans 14:1) which will lead to destruction of faith and confidence in the Church. The other is “questioning to understanding” which will result in mind-expanding revelations. Are you familiar with D&C 42:61: “If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things--that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.” Does that really sound like the Lord is discouraging us from asking or questioning? How many times in the scriptures are we commanded to “ask” with the promise that “ye shall receive”, “knock” with the assurance that “it shall be opened unto you” and “seek” with the sure understanding that “ye shall find”? You are really barking up a dead tree on this one since the entire gospel is designed to be a participator sport—not a spectator sport. Get involved and find out for yourself. I can tell you for sure that if you honestly compare the amount of time and effort you put into the study of the scripture and Church related material to that of worldly philosophies, you (if you are honest) will have to admit that the two are very disproportionate. Then answer for yourself King Benjamin’s question as recorded in Mosiah 5:13:” For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?”

No alternative belief systems viewed as legitimate, good, or useful You really are out of the loop as far as religious matters are concerned if this represents your view. Do you not understand what Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:21: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” Does that really sound like we should not search for truth in any and every legitimate source? I have so many friends and associates in other religions, in no religion, as agnostics, as atheists, etc. who have truths that are desirable—even if I view them as incomplete. Over the years I have associated with some of the intellectuals of England —none of whom are members of the Church. These are great and wonderful people who respect my beliefs as I respect theirs. We have enjoyed countless hours of open and frank discussions comparing and contrasting our beliefs. I only wish you would take a huge step back and see that Hassan (as great as he is or claims to be) does not represent the voice of others who have spent a lifetime of study and learning. He is just one of many, many voices.

Emotional Control
Manipulate and narrow the range of a person's feelings. Perhaps I have answered this entire group as I have addressed those issues above. I just wanted to spend enough time to demonstrate to you that I take very seriously your questions and am willing to sacrifice (with no possibly benefit to myself) my limited time to try to help you see more clearly where the truth lies. In every aspect of life you will find attitudes and characteristics common to humankind that some choose to put a label on thus making them sinister and undesirable. Exclude God and what He has revealed from the beginning of time and consider only what man (not even claiming to be inspired of God) concludes and you can see a very fertile seedbed for Satan-inspired philosophies since he is called (four times in the Book of Mormon once in the New Testament) the “enemy to all righteousness.” So all one has to do is stand back and put a label on Christ (i.e. “Beelzebub”) or His Church (i.e. it is a “cult”) and unless people are willing to investigate with an open mind and compare their fruits to the alleged label, they are apt to be lead astray only to discover later in life that they have traded everything in exchange for nothing. I am not criticizing you for asking the questions or even questioning the Church. I am suggesting that you use a standard far superior to Hassan as your standard for judging the rightness or wrongness of the Church. Go to the Standard Works and then “ask God the Eternal Father if these things are not true” with the promise that if you will “ask, with a sincere heart, with real intent” God will reveal the truth of the Gospel and the Church and His existence to you by the power of the Holy Ghost. Then He adds, by the Power of the Holy Ghost you may know the truth (or falseness) of all things—see Moroni 10:3-5. Good luck in your quest to find the truth. Spirit detours are costly and very unproductive.

Make the person feel that any problems are always their fault, never the leader's or the group's.
Excessive use of guilt: identity guilt (who you are, not living up to your potential, your family, your past, your affiliations, your thoughts, feelings, actions), social guilt, historical guilt.
Excessive use of fear: fear of thinking independently, fear of the "outside" world, fear of enemies, fear of losing one's "salvation", fear of leaving the group or being shunned by group, fear of disapproval.
Extremes of emotional highs and lows.
Ritual and often public confession of "sins".
Phobia indoctrination: inculcating irrational fears about ever leaving the group or even questioning the leader's authority. The person under mind control cannot visualize a positive, fulfilled future without being in the group.

God has a body of flesh and bone

2010-04-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

Question: We understand that God has a body of flesh and bone, and gaining a body is central to our life on Earth and the life to come. From what I understand a body is necessary to receive all the powers and blessing associated with God. I'm not sure the best way to word or my question, but I guess I don't understand how Christ was able to create, or organize, the world without having a body? I hope you can understand my question and any information you have or know of that you could refer me to would be great. Thanks

Answer:
Thanks for the e-mail. You are asking a very good question—once (actually) that can be relatively easy to answer. Whenever we ask questions, they are generally based on certain assumptions. If those assumptions are correct, then the answers are fairly easy to arrive at. If, however, the basic assumption is not correct, then very often we get sidetracked into a dead-end discussion that really has no easy answer. For example, look at the so-called Christian world’s definition of God. When the scholars at Nicea defined Him as being three in one and one in three without any body parts or passions, and then based all of their conclusions upon that false definition, look where it has taken all of Christianity. That may be an extreme example, but I think it proves my point. Even God revealing what He is like (D&C 130:22-23) is unacceptable to them because of their mind-set. One would assume that God explaining what He is really like ought to be sufficient to stop all of the endless wrangling but it seems like men are prone to believe what man has said about God rather than accept what God has said about Himself. Pretty arrogant, huh?
The basic assumption that you started with—i.e. it is necessary to have a body to have all of the powers associated with God, is not correct. Maybe better said—it is only partially correct. You are correct that in order to become the kind of God that our Heavenly Parents are, one must have a resurrected body. However, Christ was called God, long before He got a mortal body. If you have taken Missionary Prep from me you will remember that the term “God” is a title and not restricted to a name—like President is a title and not a name. And just as there are various levels of being president (i.e. Deacon’s president, Elder’s president, Stake President, Mission President, Temple President, President of the Church), so are there different levels of “gods.” In 1 Corinthians 8:5-6 Paul said: “For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” Joseph Smith said that he had it straight from God that Paul wasn’t referring to pagan gods but children of God who had elevated themselves to the status of gods before this world was created (see Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith pp. 371-374).
So the power to command and have the elements obey did not require a physical body. Christ (and the noble and great ones—of whom President Kimball said you were one of them—see Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, page 29) created the earth. Note what the Lord revealed to Abraham when He showed him all the great governing stars. In Abraham 3:22-25 Abraham records: “Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.
And there stood one among them that was like unto God (that would be Christ, but who is the “them” referred to? The noble and great ones), and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” Can you see that, according to what God revealed to Abraham, you and I and all of the noble and great ones helped to create the earth (actually organize the elements from which the earth is constructed) long before you or me or even Savior had a physical body.
So when the Savior revealed in D&C 93:7-10 the following truths, He was merely telling it the way it was: “And he bore record, saying: I saw his glory, that he was in the beginning, before the world was; Therefore, in the beginning the Word was, for he was the Word, even the messenger of salvation-- The light and the Redeemer of the world; the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because the world was made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men. The worlds were made by him; men were made by him; all things were made by him, and through him, and of him.”
If you look up in the Topical Guide in the back of the Bible under “Jesus Christ-Creator (page 244), you will see many references that the pre-mortal Christ was the Master Builder of this and countless other words long before He took upon Himself a mortal body.
I hope that gets you pointed in the right direction. Keep asking the tough questions—that is where understanding comes from. But be cautious that each foundational building block upon which you build your understanding is correct according to the scriptures and the latter-day prophets.

Bro. Bott

Will there be marriage after the resurrection?

2010-04-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

Question = In Mark 12:18-25 it sounds like the Savior is saying that there is no marriage after being resurrected. I'm not sure that I understand this correctly and wanted some clarification on marriage after this life. Thanks for your time!

Answer: Thanks for the question. You will find the same account given in Matthew 22 where I generally go when I teach Missionary Prep on how to answer difficult gospel questions. They are almost verbatim accounts.

If you look carefully at Matthew 22 you will see that Matthew does something that is seldom done-- he prefaces the story with an explanation of the foundational beliefs of the Sadducees. Verse 23 "The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him." They then pose a situation where seven brothers all marry the same woman. Then in verse 28 they ask what they thought was an unanswerable question: "Therefore in the resurrection [which we do not believe is a reality!!] whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.

In the first place, if Jesus had not been teaching eternal life and eternal marriage, their question would have no foundation. Secondly, why did the six brothers marry the first brother's wife after he died? To raise up see to their brother. If he, as the Sadducees believed, ceased to exist as an individual entity at the time of death, then why "raise up seed" unto him?

The Savior nails the problem in verse 29: "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, [1] not knowing the scriptures, [2] nor the power of God." The first problem is that they didn't understand the scriptures or we would say “the written plan of salvation.” If they had understood they would have known that the entirety of the purpose of earth life is to marry-- not just for time only, but for time and all eternity. Second problem: They didn't understand the "power of God" or we would say “the priesthood” and the sealing power. In the mind of a Latter-day Saint, we know that the first marriage was the eternal marriage-- that is why the brothers were not raising up seed to themselves but to the deceased brother. The other six brothers married her for "time only."

The problem most LDS trip up on is verse 30: "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." That is as true a statement as possible but not knowing the scriptures many (including LDS) don't seem to realize that marriage is an ordinance of exaltation associated with "this life"-- which goes from our mortal birth to our resurrection. So either a person must make the covenant of eternal marriage before they die or find their mate in the Spirit World, reveal themselves to mortals in the temples during the Millennium, have the sealing done for them, or when they have entered into their kingdom of Glory in the eternal worlds, it is too late then to perform marriages. So what the Savior said was absolutely true-- "in the resurrection" or eternal kingdoms, they neither marry nor or given in marriage.

Perhaps part of a story to help you see where the understanding comes from and to get the rest of the story.

Many years ago as a newly hired seminary teacher, I accepted a challenge by a Protestant minister to take his "three discussions that lead all Mormons to Christ." I can't take the time to give you all the details, but one of his questions which he gave to entrap me was the one concerning eternal marriage. After the above explanation (which he said he thought was “a perversion of the scriptures), I said: "Reverend, surely you believe in eternal marriage!" To which he answered emphatically: "I certainly do not!" I then queried, "I thought you said you believed in the Bible?" He said he believed every word of it. I said, "Then you believe in eternal marriage." He said: "Prove it!" So I did.

I asked him who the first marriage was on earth. He said not to be juvenile, of course it was Adam and Eve. I asked him who married them. He thought for a minute and said: "God did, because He was the only one around." I agreed and turned him to Genesis 2:22-25. Then I asked if he would read Ecclesiastes 3:14 which states: "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him." I asked him if that didn't constitute a "forever marriage" or "eternal marriage?" He thought deeply on the subject and then, to his credit, he said: "I must admit that although I think you are perverting the scriptures terribly, there will be at least one "eternal marriage" in the next life."

I then followed up with another question: "Reverend, don't you want to be with the Lord in the next life?" He said that his entire life was being lived so he could live with God forever." Then I said: "You had better plan on entering into an eternal marriage or you will never make it." I then cited 1 Corinthians 11:11 which reads: "Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord."

I think on that day he saw something he had never considered before. As a result of many such challenges to our revealed gospel he gave me and the answers I readily had for him, the Reverend suggested that it would be a waste of time for me to take the remaining discussion. I bore him my testimony and reaffirmed a truth, that he and I would stand toe-to-toe with the Savior in the day of judgment and he would have to explain to Jesus why he rejected my testimony and teachings when I knew and he knew that the Spirit had born witness to the truths that I taught. He wasn't a happy camper.

Now that was a long way of answering your question. Can you see that just because you or anyone else (including me) can't come up with an answer, doesn't mean that there isn't one? The testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel does not come because you or any other person can answer every single question or accusation that is leveled against the Church. The Church is true because there is a God in Heaven who will manifest through the witness of His Spirit to every sincere son or daughter that the Church really is true. Then we can spend the rest of our lives trying to figure out the answers-- like the one I have answered above.

I hope this helps you understand better why we need a restoration and additional scriptures. Then and only then will we realize that only by reading the restoration scriptures can we truly understand the Bible. The Bible is a beautiful book of sacred scripture. However so many "plain and precious" doctrines have been obscured or taken out all together (see 1 Nephi 13), that without the assistance of God's continued revelation as found in the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and living Prophets, so many of the Biblical doctrines are so easily misunderstood that the result is over 2000 Christian Churches-- all claiming to be the right one, based on their individual but vastly differing interpretation of the Bible.

Have no fear, sooner or later, every honest truth-seeker will see the beauty of the restored gospel will embrace the fullness of the gospel and dine from the entire smorgasbord of Divinely revealed doctrine, rather than being satisfied with a partial meal. I hope this gives you the direction you are looking for.

Bro. Bott

Helping someone with addictive behavior

2010-04-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

Question: What would be your advice to someone who has felt that they have overcome an addictive behavior, but fell again into old habits and feel lost and hopeless, because they feel that the Lord will not forgive them again once they have had such a great experience with the Atonement and then turned around and fell again into the same sins that they had been forgiven of?

Answer: Thanks for the e-mail. What would I say? That person needs 1) to know the scriptures better, and 2) understand the Infinite Atonement and God’s Love for His children much better. Let me explain. When Alma was given the responsibility of judging the Nephite members of the Church who had transgressed and King Mosiah refused to be the judge in spiritual matter, Alma was concerned lest he do something that was contrary to the Lord’s will. He turned to the Lord for some direction on how to handle transgressors. Part of the Lord’s answer is found in Mosiah 26:29-30: “Therefore I say unto you, Go; and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he has committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also.
Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.”
Does that sound like repent once, sin again, lost forever? It doesn’t to me. You must realize you are dealing with an adversary who has enjoyed over 6000 years tempting and destroying billions of our Father’s children. And to think that we can stand against him and win every battle—this being our very first experience having a mortal body—isn’t a legitimate expectation. With the help of the Lord we can and will anticipate and overcome almost all of the sins that the devil throws in our way but if we could perfectly anticipate and rebuff his temptations, why has there only been One Perfect Person who ever lived on earth? The Lord knew we would slip and slide on the straight and narrow pathway to perfection and that is why He provided an avenue of escape for us—even the Atonement of Christ.
In Matthew 12:31-32 the Lord said: “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.”
Since you do not have anywhere near enough experience and knowledge to become a son of perdition, then why would you think that the Atonement doesn’t cover your slipping back into old habits? While it is true that after a couple have gone so far as to have the permanent seal put on their temple marriage (through years of successfully passing the tests of life), if they sin, they must pay for their own sins with murder being the exception that they cannot pay for (see D&C 132:26), it is not true that very many people get to that point before they pass from this mortal existence.
I frequently reflect on this statement by Neal A. Maxwell- Conference Report Oct. 1976, pp. 14-16
“Now may I speak, not to the slacker in the Kingdom, but to those who carry their own load and more; not to those lulled into false security, but to those buffeted by false insecurity, who, though laboring devotedly in the Kingdom, have recurring feelings of falling forever short...
The first thing to be said of this feeling of inadequacy is that it is normal. There is no way the Church can honestly describe where we must yet go and what we must yet do without creating a sense of immense distance. Following celestial road signs while in telestial traffic jams is not easy, especially when we are not just moving next door--or even across town.
In a Kingdom where perfection is an eventual expectation, each other’s needs for improvement have a way of being noticed...
Some of us who would not chastise a neighbor for his frailties have a field day with our own. Some of us stand before no more harsh a judge than ourselves, a judge who stubbornly refuses to admit much happy evidence and who cares nothing for due process. Fortunately, the Lord loves us more than we love ourselves...
Yes, brothers and sisters, this is a gospel of grand expectations, but God’s grace is sufficient for each of us. Discouragement is not the absence of adequacy but the absence of courage, and our personal progress should be yet another way we witness to the wonder of it all!
True, there are no instant Christians, but there are constant Christians!”
So rather than get down on yourself for slipping back, get back up, dust yourself off, and go for it again. One day, with the help of the Savior, you and I will overcome all things. It won’t be while we are here in mortality. Note what Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon recorded as they viewed the people in the Celestial Kingdom : “And they SHALL overcome all things” (D&C 76:60). Isn’t “shall” a condition or state that will exist in the future but does not currently exist? Are they really seeing that people in the celestial kingdom are still in the process of putting the final touches on their perfection? I certainly am not trying to give license to anyone to sin because “God cannot look upon sin with the lease degree of allowance” (see D&C 1:31), but certainly allowance must be made for the sinner (a quote by Joseph Smith).
There isn’t anything that would please Satan any more than to have the noble and great ones become discouraged and give up in their quest to perfect themselves. Now is definitely the time to “buck up” and take control of whatever weaknesses we have relying upon the mercies of God and the power of Christ’s atonement. Read these passages and see if they suggest hopelessness: D&C 64:2; D&C 50:35; Alma 37:33; D&C 78:17-19. That should give you a start. Now get into the scriptures and look at what the Lord teaches concerning your eternal destiny and the power of Christ’s infinite Atonement.

Bro. Bott

Is it wrong of me to have hopes and aspirations to be one of the great and noble ones described in the scriptures?

2010-04-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

Question: I am newly converted to the church, and I really want to be great. I want to be a powerful tool of the Lord, kind of the Ammon type that would affect the lives of thousands. I don't know if this is even a good question or not, but is this attitude wrong? Is it wrong of me to have hopes and aspirations to be one of the great and noble ones described in the scriptures?

Answer:
Your request is not so much wrong as it is a bit misguided. You have very good company in the request you made. As you read Alma ’s great plea to the Lord in Alma 29:1-6 you’ll see what I mean: “O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!
Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.
But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.
I ought not to harrow up in my desires, the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.
Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.
Now, seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?”
I suspect if you tweak your desire just a bit, you’ll be directly in line with prophets and great ones who have gone before. The Lord has already designated you as one of His “elect”—you demonstrated that when you joined the Church. Note what He said in D&C 29:7: “And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts.” That is you all over again. When the Lord designated Abraham as one of the “noble and great ones” (see Abraham 3:22-24) He said there were “many” in that chosen group. President Spencer W. Kimball said the following: “A plan was presented in the great council. Before this earth was created the Lord made a blueprint, as any great contractor will do before constructing. He drew up the plans, wrote the specifications, and presented them. He outlined it and we were associated with him. This was probably when, according to the scientist, this earth was just a nebulous mass in space. Our Father called us all together as explained in the scripture, and plans were perfected now for forming an earth. In his own words: "And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them." (Abraham 3:24-25.) That assemblage included us all. The gods would make land, water, and atmosphere and then the animal kingdom, and give dominion over it all to man. That was the plan. He gave it all to man that man might grow and develop and perfect himself and become godlike. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7.) And that wasn't by accident, either, nor by chance. God was the Master-worker, and he created us and brought us into existence. The Psalmist in addressing the Lord said, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour." (Psalm 8:4-5.) (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.29).
I suppose every Latter-day Saint who catches the vision of what work has to be done and is fired by the Holy Spirit, wants to do his part and more in preparing the earth for the Second Coming of the Savior. If you will just be as valiant and diligent as you can, then leave the rest in the hands of the Lord, I don’t think you’ll be left to sit on the sidelines as this great drama unfolds. You will discover that it isn’t position that makes you a valuable player on the Lord’s First Team but how well you play the part you are assigned.
When I served as a mission president men would call wanting to know what they had to do to be called as a mission president. I told them “Be the best Home Teacher in the Ward!” That isn’t what they wanted to hear. They thought there was some fast track where they could by-pass all the mundane little assignments and start at what they perceived as being the “top.” It just doesn’t happen that way. First you prove you can be trusted in doing the little jobs then the Lord moves you up the ladder with more and more responsibility until you finally arrive at where you thought you wanted to be all along only to discover that it isn’t as glamorous as you thought. All that the men saw (who wanted to be a mission president) was me sitting shoulder to shoulder with the General Authorities and speaking in large group meetings. They didn’t see the countless hours of headaches, counseling, correcting, paper-work, reports, problem solving, transfers, etc. that occupy 99% of a Mission President’s time. If they could have seen the other part, they wouldn’t have been nearly so excited about being a mission president.
So for right now, give it your best shot in whatever the Lord (through His chosen leaders) asks you to do. It won’t take long before your efforts will be recognized and rewarded. Don’t be overly anxious or you’ll turn people off. Without the confidence of the people, who will you lead? The Lord doesn’t have an overabundance of qualified leaders so don’t worry about being left out.

Bro. Bott

In the LDS religion is God cruel?

2010-04-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

Question: When I think of God I think of a loving being, someone who wouldn't want you to feel guilty or angry or hatred towards yourself. And it seems to me that in the LDS religion he is a cruel being? Loving at times but wants you to feel low so you turn to him. I am lds just going through a rough time.

Answer:
Thanks for the thought-provoking question. This is one I have pondered for many years and perhaps can expand your thinking just a little to help you understand what I have come to know. First and foremost God is a very loving Being. Years ago I found this statement which helps me understand and points me in the direction of further enlightenment. It was given by President George Q. Cannon (who served as a counselor to four presidents of the Church starting with Brigham Young): “The Saints should always remember that God sees not as man sees; that he does not willingly afflict his children, and that if he requires them to endure present privation and trial it is that they may escape greater tribulations which would otherwise inevitably overtake them. If He deprives them of any present blessing it is that he may bestow upon them greater and more glorious ones by and by, and that if counsel does not always result, immediately as they had hoped and anticipated yet, if they will continue to faithfully and unwearyingly obey it, it will guide them into the celestial kingdom of the almighty and lead them back into the presence of their Father and God, where they will enjoy a fullness of all those blessings which their hearts ever desired, and see abundant reason to rejoice that they had received and acted upon the counsel of God's servants.” (Millennial Star 25:634, Oct. 3, 1863).

I couldn’t see how some things demonstrated the “kindness” and “loving nature” of God until I began to realize that God doesn’t look at us as mortal beings but as immortal, eternal beings. I can totally empathize with your anger and frustration when considering the afflictions of so many of God's children. Most of them are innocent. It seems like the tyrants go free while the innocent suffer. If you are looking for equity and fairness between the bookends of birth and death, you will look in vain. Perhaps I could use an analogy that would help clarify the issue.

In my mother's home (it was a really old home), she had doors with keyholes under the door knobs. After my father died, she would invite several of her friends up for a social afternoon. So as not to be interrupted by us kids, she would give us the choice of playing outside or going into the adjacent room. Because the smell of the cinnamon rolls was so inviting, we often opted to play in the next room. In order not to be interrupted, she would lock the door and then position herself in the room opposite the door.

We would take turns looking through the key hole. Unfortunately, all we could see was my mother sitting across the room in line with the keyhole. At times she would be looking to her left and laughing at something she could see but we could not. Other times she would be looking to her right and intently listening to something or someone who she could see but we could not.

If we consider that we are locked on this side of the veil of mortality and all we can see when we look through the keyhole of eternity is God, then we begin to understand. God, who dwells in eternity, can see our never beginning past and our never ending future. We can't remember our pre-mortal past and to us our future hasn't happened.

Often we make serious judgmental errors when we try to judge without knowing what has gone before and what comes after. For example, if you looked through a keyhole and saw six men dressed in flowing robes, each with a mask on, one holding a razor sharp knife in his hand, surrounding a table with a naked woman strapped to it, what might you conclude? A satanic sacrifice? Some demonic ritual?

Would it change your attitude if you could see a half hour before and see that all six men were highly skilled physicians and that it was determined the woman, nine months pregnant was not able to have a normal vaginal birth. Without an emergency C-section both her and the baby would die?

Would it change your attitude further if you could look an hour and a half into the future and see the same woman, now a mother, with a healthy baby, and a husband in the recovery room expressing their thanks to the doctors who had saved the wife and the mother and helped them become a happy family?

I don't know or pretend to understand all of the injustice we see in the world. But I know there is a God in Heaven who is a Just God. I know a God who does not do things by chance or without purpose. Although I may not understand the reasoning behind the suffering, certainly He does.

As you get older, marry, and have children you will understand much better. The first time you take your pre-schooler in for shots and he or she screams in pain and questions your love for him, you will understand much better what President Cannon is saying. Infinitely better to inoculate your child now with the small, momentary pain than to run the risk of contracting childhood diseases that could main or kill them later on. When we see as God sees, you will freely acknowledge that God orchestrated everything for your eternal exaltation. He will not require that you suffer one minute longer or one iota more than is absolutely necessary for your eternal benefit. Many of the things that I saw when I was younger as being senseless, worthless, and totally random have taken on great meaning and significance in my later years. For example, the early death of my father (i.e. he drank himself to death when he was 33 and I was only 4 ½ years old) seemed like a major blow against me by a cruel and mean God. How could God possibly force me to grow up in a single-parent home with no paternal guidance and expect me to turn out anything other than bad? I was not the happiest camper during those growing up years. But I figured if God wasn’t going to help me out, I would have to figure it out on my own.

Years later (as a missionary), I realized that I had learned so many valuable lessons that I likely would not have learned had my father not died. These lessons have enabled me to be a better husband than my father was (at least that is according to what my mother says). I learned by observing other husbands interfacing with their wives. I saw some things that worked really well and some things that never did work. I watched how each father interfaced with his children. Again, there were many good lessons to pattern my parenting after and there were many techniques and methods which I definitely did not want in my parenting manual.

Over the years I have counseled tens of thousands of students using the lessons I learned from not having an alcoholic, abusive, immoral, clinically depressed father as a role model. What seemed so senseless to me then I have had to humbly admit was the greatest manifestation of God’s love for me that He could possibly have given me. Are you sure you are in a position to judge God as to what is and isn’t for your eternal benefit.

Much later, when I began to teach seminary and institute, I found four scriptures that brought the answer to your question into a much clearer perspective. D&C 58:2-5: “For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven. [Greater than what? Greater than if we are not faithful in tribulation. The Savior said we would have tribulation in this world—see John 16:33 so that is a given. Whether we are rewarded for enduring these trying conditions or not depends not upon the tribulation but upon our reaction to them. Since you are going to have to go through tough times anyway, why not get the maximum benefit from them?]

3 Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. [Isn’t that God telling you that seldom if ever will you see the benefit of the trials you are going through while you are going through them?]

4 For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand. [There’s the promise if you hang in there and continue faithful—not getting angry at God, not judging God, and not running off into forbidden paths and doing things that will spiritually destroy you—that blessings including eternal glory will eventually come.]

5 Remember this, which I tell you before, that you may lay it to heart, and receive that which is to follow.”

The second scripture is one of my favorites. In D&C 78:17-19 the Lord says: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;

18 And ye cannot bear all things now; [in other words, you are not going to be perfect right now. You are going to make mistakes—even some big ones but note the next phrase] nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. [Although we shouldn’t glory in the mistakes we make, the Lord also does not expect us to become overly depressed and beat ourselves up constantly. “Nevertheless” means “in spite of” not being perfect, we are still “commanded” to “be of good cheer” with the promise that the Lord will not abandon us in our times of trial but will continue to lead us along. Can you see why I really like this scripture?] ”The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. [Did you notice any strings attached to this promise? I didn’t. “The Kingdom” refers both to the Church and the Celestial Kingdom . “The riches of eternity” have been defined by apostles and prophets as exaltation, thrones, kingdoms, and worlds without end].

19 And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more. [Perhaps I’ll reserve to the next scripture the explanation of why we need to be “thankful” in all things. But in light of this verse remember that the final destiny of “this earth” is to become our celestial kingdom—see D&C 88:25-27].

The third scripture caused me some serious reflection for a long time before I understood it and come to know of its truthfulness. In D&C 98:1-3 the Lord says:” Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks; [I’m going to bold face several phrases that I want to draw your attention to. The Lord calls us His “friends”. Do friends let friends suffer? You might mistakenly answer “no, of course not.” But what if the momentary suffering results in gains that they could not attain to without the suffering? The Lord does not expect us to have a “gloom and doom” attitude in spite of the toughness of the times in which we live. In fact He commands us to “rejoice evermore” and then comes the first very hard part—“and in everything give thanks”. How can you “give thanks” for the bad things that happen to you without being totally hypocritical? You can’t—UNLESS—you can remove yourself from the suffering far enough to see that the lessons you learned, the gains you’ve made, the growth you experienced far, far outweighs the pain and discomfort of the trial. Then you can give thanks for something that originally seemed senseless].

2 Waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded with this seal and testament--the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they [your prayers and petitions to God—not always in the way we think they ought to be answer and seldom according to our timing, but they will be granted] shall be granted.

3 Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; [that is a reconfirmation in the strongest terms—“immutable” means “not capable of or susceptible to change”] and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name's glory, saith the Lord. [Did you read that correctly? “all things wherewith you have been afflicted”—even, maybe “especially” the bad things will work together for “your good”—that is here during your mortal life—and “to my name’s glory”—remember His work and His glory is to exalt you—see Moses 1:39. For many years I could not understand how that could possibly happen but the older I get and the more experience I have, the easier it is to see the divine wisdom in allowing me to go through the trials I am going through and the less inclined I am to judge or criticize God.]

The fourth scripture is somewhat familiar and puts us into perspective compared to the Savior. In the last few lines of D&C 122:7 and going through verse 9 the Lord says: “know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good [in order to keep that in perspective you must know that Joseph Smith and his fellow prisoners had been incarcerated for months in the Liberty Jail, the jailers tried to feed them human flesh, the guards attempted to poison them, they nearly froze to death, etc. This was no cake-walk and yet the Lord said that “all these things” would be for their good. Then a very sobering verse}.

8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? [If you read Romans 8: 16-18 you find Paul, the Apostle teaching: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Somehow we want all of the glory and exaltation that Christ has attained to, but we want nothing to do with His Gethsemane or Calvary . If Paul is correct (and according to what you and I have experienced, it is true), then we need to expect some undeserved suffering, pain, and trials to qualify us to be “joint-heirs” with Christ. So would you really say that God was being unjust in allowing us to suffer knowing that exaltation awaits those who faithfully endure?]

9 Therefore, hold on thy way, [in other words, “don’t get discouraged. Don’t throw in the towel and quit. Don’t think about ending your own life just because things are tough. Note the blessings that are promised] and the priesthood [the power of God] shall remain with thee [you are not going to be left alone. You might want to read D&C 84:88 and see what company you can expect during your trials]; for their [that would be the persecutors and their persecutions, the trials and the sufferings] bounds are set, they cannot pass [the Lord will never cause you to be tried more than you can withstand—see 1 Corinthians 10:13]. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less [nothing that has or will happen to you will shorten the time you have been allotted here on earth. Read carefully D&C 121:25. You will ‘live until you die’ and then return to claim the reward you have earned. What is that reward? Note what is taught in D&C 109:76: “That our garments may be pure, that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for all our sufferings.” Can you see why it took me many years to sort out the satanic smoke screens from true Godly understanding about sufferings?]; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever. [What more can you ask than for God to be with you forever and ever? Without even a hint of condemnation towards you, can you see that time and experience can greatly enlarge your vision of the role that suffering plays in the “merciful plan of the Great Creator?” (see 2 Nephi 9:6).

So as you sequence through these “tough times” are you really sure you want them to stop? If they are the very means of you gaining exaltation, why not pray for strength and understanding so you can maximize the benefits that come from sequencing through the tough times? May the Lord give you understanding and comfort during these difficult times.

Bro. Bott

Is Hell a physical place of punishment or is it a mental state of guilt?

2010-04-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

Question:Recently in church we had a discussion about Hell in the Spirit World. There were two concepts brought up, one side said it was a state of mind and of self-punishment, the other side was that Hell is an actual physical place where rebellious souls must stay and be punished in order to be judged again by the Lord at the end of the millennium. I searched for statements by the brethren and in the scriptures, some lean toward a physical place while other sources claim Hell as a state of mind. Is Hell a physical place of punishment or is it a mental state of guilt?

Answer: Thanks for the e-mail. Part of the problem we face as a Church is that there seems to be far too much “hearsay” gospel preached and not enough of the “revealed” gospel. It is so easy to give one’s opinion about one thing or another. However this statement by Brigham Young and the 12 Apostles ought to be emphasized more: “Be careful that you teach not for the word of God, the commandments of men, nor the doctrines of men nor the ordinances of men, inasmuch as you are God's messengers; study the word of God and preach it, and not your opinions, for no man's opinion is worth a straw: advance no principle but what you can prove, for one scriptural proof is worth ten thousand opinions: we would moreover say, abide by that revelation which says, "preach nothing but repentance to this generation," and leave the further mysteries of the kingdom, till God shall tell you to preach them, which is not now. ("To the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, to the Churches Scattered Abroad, and to All the Saints," Times and Seasons, Nov. 1839, p. 13)

Now let’s take a look at what the scriptures and the prophets say and see if they resolve the difference of opinion you encountered. Hell- D&C 29:38 - And, behold, there is a place prepared for them from the beginning, which place is hell. (see also 1 Nephi 15:35; 2 Nephi 28:23; Alma 54:22)

HELL (DEVIL IS PREPARATOR OF)- 1 Nephi 15:35 - And there is a place prepared, yea, even that awful hell of which I have spoken, and the devil is the preparator of it; wherefore the final state of the souls of men is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out because of that justice of which I have spoken. (now taken with respect to the next scripture, it must mean that the devil is the one who causes the torment in outer darkness—that Hell that hath no end).

HELL (PLACE GOD PREPARES FOR WICKED)- Moses 6:29 - Wherefore, they have foresworn themselves, and, by their oaths, they have brought upon themselves death; and a hell I have prepared for them, if they repent not. (this Hell is what I call “Hotel Hell” because it is temporary between death and the Spirit World. “Hell forever” is outer darkness where Satan and his followers will dwell eternally. So it will require you to read carefully to see which “hell” is being referred to—the temporary one or the eternal one).

HELL—TEMPORARY RESIDENCE OF SPIRITS OF THE WICKED UNTIL RESURRECTION- 2 Nephi 9:12 - And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.

‎ From these scriptures I assume you can tell that Hell is a real place but it is also a state of mind. So both of you were right and to some degree both of you were wrong—probably a better way is to say that both of you have an incomplete understanding of the doctrine of “hell.” I love this statement by James E. Talmage concerning Hotel Hell (Conference Report April 1930, p. 97): “Hell is no place to which a vindictive judge sends prisoners to suffer and to be punished principally for his glory; but it is a place prepared for the teaching, the disciplining of those who failed to learn here upon the earth what they would have learned. True, we read of everlasting punishment, unending suffering, eternal damnation. That is a direful expression; but in his mercy the Lord has made plain what those words mean. “Eternal punishment” he says, is God’s punishment, for he is eternal; and that condition or state or possibility will ever exist for the sinner who deserves and really needs such condemnation; but this does not mean that the individual sufferer or sinner is to be eternally and everlastingly made to endure and suffer. No man will be kept in hell longer than is necessary to bring him to a fitness for something better. When he reaches that stage, the prison doors will open and there will be rejoicing among the hosts who welcome him into a better state. The Lord has not abated in the least what he has said in earlier dispensations concerning the operation of this law and his gospel, but he has made clear unto us his goodness and mercy through it all, for it is his glory and his work to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man.”

Perhaps this statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith marries the two concepts as well as any: “Hear it, all ye ends of the earth—all ye priests, all ye sinners, and all men. Repent! repent! Obey the Gospel. Turn to God; for your religion won't save you, and you will be damned. I do not say how long. There have been remarks made concerning all men being redeemed from hell; but I say that those who sin against the Holy Ghost cannot be forgiven in this world or in the world to come; they shall die the second death. Those who commit the unpardonable sin are doomed to Gnolom—to dwell in hell, worlds without end. As they concoct scenes of bloodshed in this world, so they shall rise to that resurrection which is as the lake of fire and brimstone. Some shall rise to the everlasting burnings of God; for God dwells in everlasting burnings, and some shall rise to the damnation of their own filthiness, which is as exquisite a torment as the lake of fire and brimstone” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.361).

There is great power that comes when one is able to turn to the scriptures and the prophets rather than relying strictly upon one’s own opinion—which is often not doctrinally sound. So keep discussing and asking the tough questions but don’t be satisfied until you have the world of the Lord through scriptures or prophets as the final word.

Bro. Bott

Family history

2010-04-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the thought-provoking question. You have hit on something that seems very strange to me as well. Why, if families are so important and we must be linked all the way back to Adam and Eve, is it not more talked about? You have cites D&C 128 where Joseph Smith makes it clear that without that sealing our ancestors cannot be made perfect (i.e. exalted), and neither can we without them be made perfect. Now let’s see if we can make some sense of the matter. This is my own logic and reasoning and obviously is still a work in progress. But see if you can expand on what I have formatively concluded.

Say you heard in the news that a billion dollar estate had been discovered left by of a deceased person bearing your same last name. He died 200 years ago and the news release went out that anyone who could “prove” a direct lineage would receive part or all of the estate. What would you do? I can tell you based on the Howard Hugh’s estate settlement of some years ago (which is still not completely settled), that relatives would come out of the woodwork from every direction. So what does that have to do with the answer to your question?

Now say that you finally realize that in order to establish a right to inherit a “piece of the rock” (i.e. the celestialized earth) that you must be able to “prove” that you are a direct descendent from Adam and Eve. What would you do if your eternal life was hanging in the balance (which in reality it is)? I’ll bet you would be doing genealogy work like crazy trying to make sure that link was secured. Well, that is actually the case. You must have two forms of identification in order to inherit the highest degree of the celestial kingdom: 1) your “born again” certificate saying you, through baptism, have become a daughter of Christ (see Mosiah 5:7) and therefore are a rightful heir to His kingdom (which the Father has given Christ His kingdom); and 2) your pedigree chart from you back to Adam and Eve proving that you are a rightful heir of what Adam was given when the Lord made him a prince over all of his posterity for eternity. Without both of them, you could not claim your inheritance.

Now you have mega ancestors who were born, lived, and died in a time when the gospel of Jesus Christ was not on the earth and hence there was no way for them to qualify for the first form of identification (i.e. their “born again” certificate) because it wasn’t available to them. Hence the only hope they have for the celestial kingdom is if some mortal (i.e. you) search out their information, have the ordinance done for them by proxy so that they can claim that right to inherit. That will satisfy their need, but why do we need them?

You are not a dangling participle in the great tapestry of humankind. You are the direct result of countless ancestors marrying and having children. In order for you to have the second form of identification necessary to claim your right to inherit the celestial kingdom (i.e. an unbroken pedigree from you back to Adam and Eve), it must include your ancestors. But without having their temple work done, whatever ordinances (if any) that they performed without the sealing power of the Priesthood and the seal of the Holy Spirit of Promise, were not valid after they died. Hence your chain reaching back to Adam and Eve is broken and you are left without a legitimate claim.

So here we stand—your ancestors who gave their lives so you might have your life, waiting for you to do the temple work necessary for their exaltation. And you and I waiting to see if we can squeeze in any time for temple work without realizing that unless we do, we will not gain our own exaltation. I hope this kind of an explanation makes sense to you.

Here is what is written in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.4, TEMPLE ORDINANCES : SEALING OF FAMILIES. Only after patrons make these unconditional covenants with and through Jesus Christ may they receive "the most glorious ordinances of the temple," the covenants of marriage and family sealing (Widtsoe, 1937, p. 128). Marriage and sealing covenants are performed in temple sealing rooms convenient to the celestial room. Officiators and close family and friends often attend the couple. Kneeling opposite each other at the altar, the bride and groom are placed under mutual covenants to each other, and are married through the sealing power of Jesus Christ; their children will thus be born in the covenant, and the family kingdom will become a nucleus of heaven. If the couple has been previously married under secular authority and now has children, the husband and wife are sealed in the temple under the new and everlasting covenant and their children are then brought to the altar and are sealed to them. All subsequent children born to this family are born in the covenant. By apostolic authority, the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are explicitly invoked upon all marriages and sealings. It is envisioned that eventually further sealings will link all the couple's progenitors and all of their descendants in an unbroken chain (see Sealing: Temple Sealings ). Thus, divine parenthood is imaged on earth. The saintly life is not in renunciation but in glorification of the family. The quest for happiness and completeness within the marital state is transformed from the banal and temporary toward the divine and eternal.

In Journal of Discourses, Vol.7, p.89 - p.90, Orson Pratt, taught: “But we have spoken concerning our fathers that are to be redeemed. We have spoken concerning the work of the children to redeem them. Let me here say that before this last dispensation ends there will be a perfect unbroken chain from the first of the fathers to the time of the close of the dispensation; and all will be saved who can be saved: all who are placed within the power of redemption will be redeemed.”

I eagerly look forward to a member of the First Presidency or one of the 12 Apostles taking this one on in General Conference so that my logic and reasoning can be adjusted, if necessary. Keep asking the tough questions. Good luck on your talk and also in realizing how vitally important it is for you and everyone else to get outside our comfort zone and do all the family history and temple work we possibly can while we will in such close proximity to temples.

Bro. Bott

How do I apply the Atonement to bring me peace?

2010-04-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

What an insightful question. Generally when students write inquiring about the Atonement it is how to get it activated in their lives so that they can receive a remission of sins they have committed. Your question demonstrates that your understanding of the broad scope of benefits the Atonement affords goes far beyond remission of sins. Let me give you some ideas to get you thinking.

Often the hurt that we carry was imposed on us unjustly. Some thoughtless person said or did something that really hurt us. Or some designing person tried to bring us down. Certainly (in most cases) you did nothing to deserve the abuse or wrong that was foisted on you. If you stop to think about it, Christ didn’t do anything to deserve the treatment He received at every turn during His recorded mortal existence. Now the challenge of how to get the Atonement to help your wounded soul and move on rather than letting the unjust hurt continue to retard your spiritual growth.

I suspect that those who have been the abusers often realize what they have done and wonder if they can or should do something to make it right—if that is even a possibility. I consider (in both cases—whether you are the abused or the abuser) Paul counsel in Philippians 3:13-14 to be a wonderful starting place: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Is he saying (in our English): “Look I am not perfect. I have a really checkerboard past of persecuting “Christians”. I have repented of that and I can’t go back and undo the wrongs I have done, but this one thing I can do—let the past be behind me and I’m going to focus 100% of my attention and efforts on the present and future as I sequence towards exaltation.” Unless you are really unusual, you cannot go back and undo or erase the hurt that has been inflicted on you. But you can refuse to let the thoughtless actions of others permanently retard your spiritual progress. Doesn’t D&C 64:9-11 command us to let go of the past and then tells us how to do it? “Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.

I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.

And ye ought to say in your hearts--let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee according to thy deeds.”

Let me analyze those verses using an extreme example so you can see its application. Say a guy invited you out on a date. Things got out of hand and he date-raped you. What did the Lord say? You need to forgive him or there lies in you the greater sin! How can that be? He raped you not the other way around. When you refuse to allow God the liberty of extending forgiveness to the guy when He, God, who knows all things past, present, and future, sees it is expedient to extend forgiveness, then you put yourself in front of God by demanding that you know better than God what his punishment should be and when (if ever) he should receive forgiveness. That is called blasphemy and is worse than date-rape. You know nothing of this young man’s pre-mortal past (God does). You know practically nothing about what has happened to him up to that point in his life (God does). You know what he did to you (so does God). You know nothing about what he is in for in the future (God does). Can’t you see why the Lord tells us to say in our own hearts: “Let God judge between me and thee and reward thee according to thy deeds”?

Does that mean you don’t press charges against him? Absolutely not—you should press charges. Does that mean you shouldn’t testify against him in court? No, by all means you should testify against him. Does that mean you hope he doesn’t get sent to prison for what he did? No, you want him locked up for as long as possible. It does mean that once you have carried out your obligation so no other girls will suffer your same fate, that you let it go and refuse to give him continuing control over your spirit as he had temporary control over your body. Will it be easy? You know the answer to that one. But now we come to the answer to your original question. Where do you go from here?

Put Paul’s counsel into practice. Put it out of your mind and move on. Perhaps you will have the opportunity of helping someone else who has endured a similar situation. The past hurt, as painful as it may be, doesn’t necessarily mean you must carry that hurtful burden throughout your life. I know from personal experience that Heavenly Father provides ways of you healing and moving on. I was a first-hand observer to the miracle of healing.

My wife grew up in a home where there were definite “favorites” among her siblings—she was not one of them. The discrimination was obvious to all. She was never told that she was loved, never given any verbal or moral support, never hugged. Although she earned her own money to buy her own school clothing from the age of seven, her dictatorial mother took control of the money when it came time to purchase school clothes. Even at our wedding reception, her mother dictated what refreshments we would have. All of this came (the reception) after she spent the entire night before we got married trying to talk my wife out of marrying me. You can see with those skimpy details that there was ample opportunity for my wife to feel genuinely hurt and wronged by her parents (I haven’t mentioned her dad’s neglect and other issues because they are not relevant to this example).

Ten years ago “Mother May” suffered a stroke which resulted in her dying. None of my wife’s five brothers or sisters “were available” to stay with her in the hospital in Logan to give moral support to her dad who literally fell to pieces when this happened. So it fell to my wife (Vickie). Every one of her siblings said: “Oh, Vickie can do it because she doesn’t work!” (meaning have a job outside the home). So for two solid weeks my wife spent day and night in the hospital feeding, adjusting, assisting her mother as she slowly degenerated towards death. She knew she needed to be strong for her dad so there wasn’t a time for emotional release. Sometime during that two week period she had a life-changing spiritual experience. She said it was like all the poison drained out of her soul as she served her mother and it was replaced by the sweetest love she never imagined she could have for her mother. I was with her the day before it happened, returned to teach my classes, and then drove up the next day to be with her. It was a total miracle. She can’t explain it and neither can I but it was so real that neither of us can deny that it happened.

We have tried, over the years since Mother May’s death to analyze how that happened. It seems that when my wife forgot her own hurt and focused 100% of her comforting attention on her mother (who certainly hadn’t done anything to deserve it), the Savior reached in and healed my wife’s soul. I have never had anything that dramatic happen in my life—probably because I’m too insensitive as to when people offend me—but I know it can happen to you as well.

As I read the scriptures and come to trust that God is not putting me on but is literally telling the truth, I come to see that seldom as we sequence through the hurtful times do we see the value of the trial (see D&C 58:2-5). But I see that the Savior said in spite of our not being able to perfectly handle every situation, He promises to “lead us along” (see D&C 78:17-19). He also commands us to “rejoice ever more and in everything give thanks” promising us that “all things where with we have been afflicted will work together for our good [i.e. here in mortality] and to his name’s glory [Moses 1:39—to exalt you]—(see D&C 98:1-3), and then He promises that all of these senseless happenings will “give thee experience and will be for thy good” with the promise that we will not be pushed further nor longer than is needful in order to transform us into exalt-able beings (see D&C 122:7-9).

When all of those factors began to line up in my mind, and I put my unwavering trust in God, then virtually nothing that happens to me can get me down because I know that (even though I can’t see it yet) God is involved in the very details of my life and will turn every one of these senseless things to my future exaltation. The healing in my soul comes from trusting God and Christ and striving to see the lessons I am supposed to learn from the bad things that happen to me. The growth comes when I forget my hurt and focus on helping others get a more eternal perspective on how to solve their problems. The inner peace comes as a total miracle. It comes when the Lord sees fit and to the degree that I need it. Usually long after the event, I look back and see the unmistakable wisdom of God in helping me learn the lessons necessary to qualify for eternal life. I suspect He will do the same for you.

Take some of these ideas and make sure you read carefully the scriptures I have cited and see if you are not well into the course that will eventually result in you being ultimately prepared to re-enter the celestial presence of God as a Goddess yourself.

Bro. Bott

Did Joseph Smith have a wife Emma didn't know about?

2010-04-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

Question: My dad is struggling with the church because of something that her heard about Joseph Smith. He heard somewhere that Joseph had another wife that Emma did not know about. My dad has been questioning whether the church has been lying to him about Joseph Smith and the man that he was. I would really appreciate it if you could help me. Thanks for your time.

Answer:
Thank you for your thought-provoking question. Let me first acknowledge that I don’t know everything about everything. But—having said that—there are some things that I do know for sure. First there is a God in Heaven who is our Heavenly Father. Second, we have an Elder Brother, Jesus Christ, who really is our individual Savior as well as the Savior of all mankind. Third, Joseph Smith, although a man like you and me, was and is the Prophet of this dispensation. You get the idea—the same is true of the Book of Mormon, the restoration of the gospel, the priesthood, etc. As far as all of the “hidden” items of Church History, I don’t know all of them and have a difficult time diverting my attention from the positive gospel to issues which are only dredged up by those who have a stated agenda to weaken and destroy the testimony of Latter-day Saints.
Let me explain more fully. When I was a young man (missionary and the first ten years of teaching seminary and institute), I felt driven to answer every challenge made to our faith by anti-Mormons, apostates, and anyone else who wanted to take a pot shot at our doctrines or beliefs. I spent (wasted?) countless hours refuting their lies, distortions, misrepresentations, partial truths, etc. It took longer than it should have for me to realize that they really weren’t interested in the truth—only to destroy the Church. I would engage them in debates (since I love exchanging ideas on any point of doctrine where there is a controversy) only to discover than when I would pin them down on one of their major points or catch them in a lie or distortion, that they would immediately jump from one topic to another to another to another. Never once did they ever admit they were wrong—even when I would prove from the original sources they were supposedly taking their information from that they were wrong. Then it dawned on me (sorry it took so long for me to wake up), that I was wasting my time.
As life continued on, I found that the anti-Mormon literature hasn’t changed much since E.D. Howe’s “Mormonism unveiled” published in 1835. Same old worn-out, long-since-disproved arguments. The “Adam/God theory” is a classic example. Taken from Journal of Discourses 1:50-51 where Brigham Young said: “That same character who was in the Garden of Eden, who is our Heavenly Father, is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I couldn’t see where the problem was until some anti claimed that it was Adam that Brigham Young was referring to as “that same being in the Garden of Eden.” I knew by reading every account (Genesis and Moses) in scripture and from the temple endowment that not only were Adam and Eve in the Garden but that they openly had interface with God. So Brigham Young couldn’t have said it more plainly by eliminating any and all possibility of misunderstanding when he clarified which character in the Garden he was referring to—“Our Heavenly Father”—not Adam, was the Father of Jesus Christ. Yet even when I would read directly from the Journal of Discourses, the antis would refuse to accept it. Their “cut and pasted” rendition used in all their anti-Mormon literature, did not read the same as the transcript of the talk given by President Young.
I only give this as one example of what your father is dabbling with. He isn’t just casually reading the 26 volumes of the Journal of Discourses—he is getting his information from anti-Mormon sources. Does he really expect to find truth honestly and fairly presented in literature produced by those whose avowed purpose is to destroy the Church? I am constantly amazed that people of intelligence will turn to apostates, to antis, to atheists, etc. to see what the Latter-day Saints believe.
As far as “hiding” things from members about Joseph Smith or any one else in early Church History, I wonder if your exact-minded father has considered how many issues are omitted from the texts he studied from—not because the professors were trying to hide anything but because of space and time restraints? How many times in the Book of Mormon did the writers lament that they could only include a hundredth part of what was available because of lack of space on the plates? An anti would accuse Nephi or Mormon or Moroni or any of the other writers of “hiding” vital truths from us whereas the reality was that the plates had limited space and the writers were inspired to include things necessary for our salvation and exaltation—not the secret oaths and combinations that resulted in the destruction of the Jaredites and Nephites.
I don’t know how many thousands of volumes of Church History it would take to record everything that happened to every person in the Church but I can tell you that neither you nor I nor your father would have enough time—if we all lived to be 1000 years old—to read all of them. Therefore, what would your father like to see included in Church History—the things that lead people towards salvation and exaltation or the issues that would require volumes to explain why people did what they did?
It is always somewhat troublesome to read in Genesis (not once but twice) about Abraham (the Father of the faithful) “lying” to Pharoah in saying that Sarah was really his sister rather than his wife. You and I weren’t there, we don’t know what God had commanded Abraham to do, or really any of the pertinent facts. And yet we rather arrogantly stand back 3000 years later and past judgment on something we know absolutely nothing about other than that it was written in abbreviated form in the Bible. Based upon that one incident alone (given your father’s response—and that of any other person looking for an excuse to leave the Church) we could abandon our quest to be descendants of Abraham and thus miss out on the blessings given by God to Abraham and all his posterity.
I could spend hours defending the prophet Joseph Smith and still those who have an agenda of destruction would not be convinced. I do know what God told Brigham Young about Joseph Smith following the Prophet’s martyrdom. In D&C 136:37-39 the Lord said: “Therefore, marvel not at these things, for ye are not yet pure; ye can not yet bear my glory; but ye shall behold it if ye are faithful in keeping all my words that I have given you, from the days of Adam to Abraham, from Abraham to Moses, from Moses to Jesus and his apostles, and from Jesus and his apostles to Joseph Smith, whom I did call upon by mine angels, my ministering servants, and by mine own voice out of the heavens, to bring forth my work; Which foundation he did lay, and was faithful; and I took him to myself. Many have marveled because of his death; but it was needful that he should seal his testimony with his blood, that he might be honored and the wicked might be condemned.”
Now if God—the Great and Final Judge said that Joseph Smith was faithful up to the end, then all of the “evidence” in the world would not overturn God’s testimony. I may not know all of the details of why Joseph did what he did. I do know that he sinned (see D&C 64:5-7 as one example) but the Lord did not cast him off because of whatever sin he had committed any more than the Lord casts you or me or your father off for the sins that we commit.
The real issue isn’t whether Joseph had a wife or wives that Emma did not know about—you and I weren’t there, we have no knowledge of the circumstances, etc. the real issue is—did God authorize it and was he condemned for what he did? Consider this: what if God did command Joseph Smith to do exactly what he did. Does that mean God is wrong or that He is obligated to explain all the details to you and me in order to be justified? Didn’t the same God who commanded Moses not to commit murder, within a few years command that same Moses to kill every man, woman, and child among the Midianites and Amorites? According to the Lord’s statement to Brigham Young, there must have been a lot going on that is not recorded in the front of each Church History manual that, if we understood, would give a lot more light and knowledge than we presently have.
The idea of Joseph, Brigham and others being sealed to other men’s wives while they were still alive and married to them could be something that causes people to stumble until you understand that God always reveals eternal principles “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little” (see D&C 98:12), until we understand them in full. For example when the Lord first revealed the concept of baptism for the dead, the saints were so excited that they ran to the Mississippi River and were baptized for their departed ancestors. After some time (see D&C 127-128) the Lord said through Joseph Smith: “Don’t you think it would be a good idea to keep a record of these baptisms?” Novel thought! To you and me that is a no-brainer but to them everything was brand new and they hadn’t even considered the necessity of record-keeping. So they started keeping records. Later it was revealed that men should be baptized for men and women for women—which hadn’t been the standard up to that time. Again, to us that is a no-brainer because we have been doing it that way for many years. But to them it was a brand new thought. Were they “evil” or “deceived” for doing what they did? Certainly not. They were growing just like we are growing.
In the early days when the concept of being sealed was first revealed, no one understood it in full. Somehow we want young Joseph Smith to exit the grove in 1820 having a perfect knowledge of every aspect of the gospel—he didn’t. So when the doctrine of eternal families was revealed everyone thought they had to be sealed to Joseph or Brigham or Heber or one of the leaders of the Church. So women were sealed to Joseph Smith, etc. Ironically, not too often mentioned by the antis—so were men sealed to Joseph Smith as part of his eternal family. Joseph never lived with those women, had relations with them, had children by them. It was something that they figured was meant to happen in order to insure eternal family relationships in the next life. Later it was revealed (once the concept of eternal sealings was firmly in mind) that every wife could be sealed to every husband and that children could be sealed into their own families. It sounds like such a no-brainer to us because we have been living it for many years, but they hadn’t. I am confident that many adjustments have been made since those early saints have died insuring that each husband is sealed to his own wife. Let’s leave that adjustment in the hands of an all-knowing God rather than passing judgment on something we know very little about.
So why would the Church want to spend countless hours trying to explain to people who really don’t want to understand why they did what they did and the evolutionary nature of doctrine and policies? Is your father not aware that during his lifetime (assuming he is 50+ years old) that the Church (as it grew) had “Assistants to the 12 Apostles”? They were replaced by the scripturally mandated 70’s. Were the Church leaders wrong in having Assistants to the 12? No, it was just the continuing process of refining until we become perfect in our understanding. You are seeing (if you are watching) the continuing hand of the Almighty in the fine-tuning and evolution of the organization of the Church to accommodate world-wide growth. We didn’t need eight quorums of 70’s in Joseph Smith’s day—we need them today.
Now concerning the evolution of the temple endowment. Again, if your father is looking for flaws, he can see what to him will be proof positive that the endowment has changed. I have been attending the temple regularly for the past 45 years. There has never been a single word changed in the actual covenants we made. There have been multiple changes in the presentation of the endowment. What used to be an eight hour temple session (before my time) was at some time split up into four parts—each could be participated in separately—the baptism and confirmation, the initiatory, the endowment, and the sealing. Were they wrong in making it so people could participate in a shorter, partial endowment rather than devoting an entire day to it? Only if you are looking to set yourself up as the judge as to what God can and cannot do. Frankly I can see how the Lord is fulfilling His promise to “. . . hasten my work in its time” (D&C 88:73).
May I suggest not only to you and your father, but to all seekers of truth, that you focus on the truths of the gospel that pertain to your individual salvation and exaltation and leave the running of the Church to those whom God calls? Even while serving as a mission president, I received multiple calls from men and women telling me how to run the mission. It became somewhat irritating so I would suggest that, without breaking any confidences, I would share just some of the factors they may not be aware of but are essential in making the tough decisions I was faced with. Without exception I would get into my explanation a minute or two and they would interrupt and say: “President, I am really sorry. I had no idea what you were dealing with. You be the president and we’ll pray for you!” I suspect if we could peek into Joseph Smith’s time and world we would be inclined to say the same thing: “Joseph, you be the president of this dispensation. We had no ideas the challenges you are facing, the revelations you are receiving, and the satanic opposition that you are faced with. You be the president and we will pray for you.” I have found over a life-time that when I refuse to counsel God or His prophets and put in the “hold” part of my brain those things which I don’t understand and which seem so contradictory, and go on living the gospel, that sooner or later the Lord gives me the insights so that the senseless makes much more sense. Then I humbly thank the Lord that I didn’t take my juvenile lack of understanding, allow it to destroy my faith and testimony, and leave the Church—which I have seen happen so very often over my many years of teaching.
I would encourage you to do the same. Look to the positive parts of the gospel which bring joy and consolation. Ask the tough questions—but ask for understanding, not to “doubtful disputation” (see Romans 14:1). Then the Lord will do what He promised He would do in D&C 42:61: “If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things--that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.”
I know this is longer than you wanted, but I wanted to make sure I put down my logic and reasoning that may be helpful to you in meeting the challenges that will surely face you as we close in on the Second Coming of the Lord.

Bro. Bott

Marriage "man made"?

2010-03-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

Question: I am at a new college getting some prerequisites out of the way for my degree and I have to take an ethics class. Classes are so so so much different that at BYU and a lot of my beliefs are challenged daily. My teacher made the comment that marriage is something humans have created. First of all, we know that isn't true and second, it makes me so mad that he can just stand there and indoctrinate so many impressionable minds! So, next class period we will be discussing same-sex marriage and I just know he is going to make a similar comment about man-made marriage. Can you help?

Answer: Thanks for the e-mail. Welcome to the world! You are now tasting (for the first time, possibly) what we all went through during our undergraduate work at “pagan” universities. Right out of the gate let me give you more than you can possibly digest. Go to the Topical Guide in your Bible and from pages 309-312 you will find literally hundreds of references to marriage—from the Bible and all of the other standard works.

Now a word of caution. If you take on a professor in front of his class, you will lose every time. Most professors have tremendous egos and are not about to be bested by a student. Even when they are wrong, most are not humble enough to admit that they are wrong. So they bully and use their age and experience to make it look like the questioning student is stupid. Perhaps a safer and more productive course of action would be to ask for an interview with him where you take your concerns to him in private. You didn’t even say whether this guy was a Christian or not. If he is a Christian then you start off with Genesis 2:22-25 where God, Himself takes the woman and gives her unto the man and from that very first experience (and from then on) it refers to “the man and his wife.” So contrary to your ill-informed, professor, it was God, not man, that established marriage and also set the standard of a man and a woman.

Then throughout the scriptures the Lord through His prophets have repeated condemned homosexual relationship. On page 216 of the Topic Guide you will see references (biblical and otherwise) condemning same-sex relationships. The world has a really tough time (particularly the gay community) claiming to believe in God and be Christians and also claiming to believe every word in the Bible and yet trying to dismiss references (unmistakable) condemning homosexual acts. The Unchangeable God even imposed the death penalty for such ungodly acts. They just can’t justify their way around homosexuality and still claim to be staunch Christians no matter how hard they try. Then they claim that that portion of the Bible was written in a less enlightened time. You are in for the time of your life as you tackle this one.

Now to secure your Latter-day Saint understanding let’s review a little doctrine. All spirit children of God were born into the pre-mortal spirit world as either male or female. You need to get a copy of “The Family—a Proclamation to the World” that the First Presidency and 12 Apostles issued in 1995. There is no wiggle room that we were male or female in the pre-earth life. We were born of Heavenly Parents via the same act of procreation that you and your husband will create bodies for the spirit children of God. We were born in that pre-mortal life for one purpose only—to mature and grow and develop until we became what our Parents are—Gods. The ultimate priesthood office of God consists of an exalted man and his exalted wife. You can’t be the ultimate office of God alone. Hence in 1 Corinthians 11:11 Paul emphatically states: “Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.” In other words, if we ever return to the presence of God and become like Him, we will do it as couples. There never has been and never will be a time when two women or two men will be exalted. With all of the godlessness of mankind, God has not allowed (and will not allow) two men or two women to reproduce.

Since Satan is called “the enemy to all righteousness” (see Alma 34:23 as one of five scriptural examples), and since eternal marriage is the final step to becoming like God, where do you expect Satan’s greatest efforts to destroy to be? In Moses 4:6 one of Satan’s objectives is stated: “To destroy mankind.” If Satan could convince all men to marry men and all women to marry women, in one generation he could depopulate the entire earth. Satan’s objective in attempting to thwart the plan of God for the exaltation of His children includes tempting us to abuse or misuse the God-given powers of procreation. I suspect you’ll see that there are relatively few in your classes who aren’t or haven’t been immoral. All part of Satan’s plan to “make us miserable like unto himself” (see 2 Nephi 2:18, 27). They, unfortunately, only look at the short term pleasure or fun of being immoral. In the long run everyone of them will rue the day they were so arrogantly stupid. That includes LDS as well as other so-called Christians.

If you keep firmly in mind that everything that happened to us in the pre-mortal life and everything here in mortality is designed to help us gain the experience, attributes, and characteristics so we can become like God, then you’ll have a pretty good idea where the Church stands on almost any topic—even if you can’t put your finger on a scripture, quote from a Latter-day Prophet, or a policy statement. If you remember that Satan is the enemy to ALL righteousness, then you can identify and overcome any deception that he tries to foist upon the unwary in his never-ending attempt to destroy them. Hence abortion is a no-brainer. If we come here on earth to get a body (why do we need a body? Because God has a body and we are trying to become like Him), then we can expect Satan to try to get unenlightened mankind to legalize abortion, same-sex marriage, marriage without children, suicide, etc. See how that works? You don’t have to have a PhD in Theology in order to be able to see through the smoke screen that Satan throws up by claiming that a woman should have “the right to choose” or “gays have as much right to be married as anyone else”, etc.

By the way, I totally agree that a woman has the right to choose whether to have children or not. But you make the choice by having sex or not having sex. You don’t pull the trigger on a gun and then try to decide whether or not the bullet is fired. If you don’t want the gun to go off—don’t pull the trigger. Pretty simple isn’t it? You will hear them argue ad nauseum about pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. They constitute such a miniscule percentage of pregnancies that it is even hardly worth mentioning. In those cases, the Lord allows abortion without divine condemnation. But abortion as a convenient way of terminating unwanted pregnancy where the woman was a willing participant puts it into an entirely different category.

The challenge you face (and by the way, I face it here at BYU) is the students and professors who believe or try to promote that the commandments of God are or should be subject to popular vote or legislation. It really doesn’t make any difference what your professor says concerning marriage or homosexual relationship—he isn’t the final word—God is. It really doesn’t change things because states or countries or the entire world votes to legalize same-sex marriage. That does nothing to alter the decrees of God. You really stand on very firm ground for those who claim to be Christians and believe in God. Unfortunately for them (fortunately for all mankind) the commandments were not written with an asterisk exempting certain ones.

Your burden is not to convert the world—that is the role the Holy Ghost occupies. However as you teach the truth, you have a wonderful promise found in D&C 100:5-8: “Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men; For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.

But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.

And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say.” I have seen that promise fulfilled literally thousands of times. Very likely your professor and others who are not prepared (at this time) to accept your testimony, will make fun of you, but know that in their heart of hearts the Spirit is testifying that what you are teaching is true and that someday they (and you) will have to stand face to face with the Savior and explain why they turned away from your testimony.

So go merrily on your way living what you know to be true, teaching and testifying as opportunities present themselves. Be silent when the Spirit tells you it isn’t the time or the place to share your understanding. You are on the Lord’s errand. Don’t be afraid of what mankind can do and say about you. You have the assurance that what you teach is true and eventually truth cuts its own way.

Bro. Bott

Men and Women

2010-03-17T14:03:00.000-07:00

Brother Bott,

Q:Men have a lot more of the "natural man" to deal with than women. They have pornography, the ability to physically abuse, seem a little less sensitive, statistics show they are generally less spiritually inclined, and sometimes they have a tendency to be authoritarian. It almost seems that in order to make it as a righteous good guy, they almost have to be of a higher caliber than righteous girls, because they have so many more things that can get in the way.

A:Let me say that women have as many temptations as men—sometimes they are in different areas but they are equally as challenging. Most men are not as prone to taking “guilt trips” as women. Most men (that I know) are not nearly as fashion conscious as women—many of whom take it to the extreme. Most men are not nearly into gossip as women. Although many men are volatile, more women experience extreme monthly mood swings not common to men. And the list goes on and on. I don’t want to make this too long but look at this rather shocking article from the Church News February 28, 2004

Pornography's lies
"A recent New York Times report showed that women are beginning to comprise a large percentage of the people who frequent pornographic sites on the Internet. Common wisdom has held that men are the prime consumers of smut, but an Internet research company has found that women, primarily those between 18 and 34 years of age, made up 42 percent of the visitors to such sites in January.
One woman, who said she hopes to produce and direct her own pornographic films, told the Times this was a question of "empowering" women.
Isn't it interesting how the world can take the very thing that saps humanity of its real power and call it empowerment? Or, as Isaiah said, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20.)
Pornography, which today is being forced upon people in ways never before contemplated, is destroying countless lives, addicting minds and robbing people of uplifting passions and feelings. It causes people to view one another as objects for their own selfish pleasure, not as humans worthy of respect and basic dignities. It makes them weak and subject to the flesh.
By contrast, the true gospel of Jesus Christ builds moral and inner strength in every man and woman by acquainting them with the eternal truth that they are sons and daughters of an all-powerful God, and heirs to all that He has. It rescues the finest qualities deep down inside each individual and teaches people how to communicate with the Father.
The most empowering act of all time was the atonement of Jesus Christ, which gives all humans the opportunity to return into the presence of a loving God. Throughout His life, the Savior taught by example, and the example He gave was always as one concerned about others, not His own pleasure.
The prophet Joseph F. Smith made note of this. "The test . . . of our soul's greatness is rather to be sought in our ability to comfort and console, our ability to help others, rather than in our ability to help ourselves and crowd others down in the struggle of life. If the reader will stop a moment to reflect upon the healing qualities of Christ's life, he will understand that Christ was a master in the art of healing. . . . What a comfort His life is to those in sorrow! How instinctively our thoughts turn to Him! How prone we are to go to him for consolation! He is truly the great Healer of the afflictions of others" (Juvenile Instructor, March 1903, Vol. 38, pp. 178-179).
Greatness, then, requires unselfish love as well as humility, two things completely at odds with pornography and the aims of its purveyors.
Many modern prophets have spoken eloquently on the destructive power of filthy pictures and movies. Speaking to BYU students nearly 30 years ago, during an age that, by comparison, seems much more innocent, President Spencer W. Kimball gave this stern warning:
"Each person must keep himself clean and free from lusts. He must shun ugly, polluted thoughts and acts as he would an enemy. Pornography and erotic stories and pictures are worse than polluted food. Shun them. The body has power to rid itself of sickening food. That person who entertains filthy stories or pornographic pictures and literature records them in his marvelous human computer, the brain, which can't forget this filth. Once recorded, it will always remain there, subject to recall" (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, Bookcraft, p. 283).
There is little wonder why Satan would wield this evil tool in the latter days, a time when, as the Apostle Paul said, "men shall be lovers of their own selves . . . without natural affection . . . lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" (2 Timothy 3:2-3).
There also is little wonder why Satan would want to trap women in pornography's grasp as well as men.
But there is no excuse for a Latter-Day Saint to fall for the lie that such filth leads to empowerment of any kind.”

I think we made a common mistake in assuming that pornography was strictly a man’s problem. While we (Church leaders) were focusing our attention on helping men overcome the problem, Satan silently and secretly redirected his attention to women. So part of your premise needs to be reassessed in order to be completely correct.

Q:I am wondering if the standard held up for guys to be "normal" and righteous (exaltation worthy) is higher than it is for girls? I have recently been attending a ward and have found that the number of single girls attending it is much larger than the number of guys. The logistics just don't work out that they're all going to get married. And I hear about so many women in horrible marriage situations.

A: Consider a couple of scriptures as we formulate an answer to this question: 2 Nephi 26:33: “For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.”

D&C 1:35: “For I am no respecter of persons, and will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion.”

From this I conclude that there isn’t a double standard in the eyes of God. What constitutes righteousness for a man is exactly what is required of a woman. While it is true that women seem to be inherently more tuned in to spiritual things, it does not follow that all or even most of them respond more readily to those promptings. I see (on a daily basis both here at BYU and at the MTC) young men who are responding to the promptings of the Spirit. I see many young men who really do need a good wake-up call—but there are some young women who also seem to be asleep spiritually. I keep asking myself why we focus on the immorality of young men knowing that if the young women were not participating or willing, the young men would not be immoral. In Jacob 2:27-29 the Lord states that He “delights in the chastity of women”—that always made me wonder why He didn’t say He delighted in the “chastity of men” until it dawned on me that if all women were chaste, men would be also. So I don’t think God is favoring the chastity of one sex over the other, He just chose to mention the gender who is really in control.

Q: Are righteous guys more righteous than righteous girls?

A: A righteous person is one who voluntarily conforms his or her life to the standard set by God. It has nothing to do with gender. There isn’t one set of commandments set down for men and a different one for woman. Do I detect a hint of feminism in this statement? Women are (according to what the Brethren have been teaching for years) the crowning creation of God. Does that sound like “give or take a few” women it really doesn’t make any difference? You will discover in Jacob 2:30 (I referred you to Jacob 2:27-29 earlier) that the sole purpose for polygamy is “to raise up seed unto me” and it can and is only authorized by God in order to give you kids more choices to marry than a single deacon in your branch or ward. I think we have missed a mile when we try to devalue women because of a very temporary and exclusively mandated policy for authorizing plural marriage.
I totally agree that husbands are so much work that it wouldn’t’ be fair or possible for a woman to handle more than one. However, the opposite is true also. Women and men really are hard-wired differently. We think different, we act different, we make decisions differently, etc. BUT we are built to compliment (not compete) with one another. It is like two halves of a pair of scissors. They are to equal, complimentary, non-competing halves. Alone neither can perform its function, but connected properly they can perfectly perform their function. I think we have gotten away from that fact as we have been increasingly influenced by the philosophy of the world—which is really anti-oneness between the sexes. I love this statement by President Boyd K. Packer: “The Influence of a Woman

Boyd K. Packer (Unpublished talk, October 1, 1970 Church Relief Society Conference)

It is interesting to know how man is put together– how incomplete he is. His whole physical and emotional, and for that matter, spiritual nature, is formed in such a way that it depends upon a source of encouragement and power that is found in a woman. When man has found his wife and companion, he has in a sense found the other half of himself. He will return to her again and again for that regeneration that exalts his manhood and strengthens him for the testing that life will give him. A woman has the privilege and influence to transform a man into an able and effect LDS priesthood leader. However, for this there are two prerequisites. First, she must want to, and second, she must know how. Part of knowing how includes the genius of encouraging him to meet his obligations without replacing him in his role, without presiding over him.

Q:But I feel husbands should put just as much effort into their wives as wives put into their husbands.

A: We couldn’t be more on the same page on this one. Even the ”Family: A Proclamation to the World” that the Church issued in 1995 stated that husbands and wives share equal responsibility to nurturing and rearing children. I can tell you for sure if women would focus on meeting the needs of their husbands and if husbands would forget themselves and focus on meeting the needs of their wives, there wouldn’t be the escalating divorce rate among temple marriages. It is when we take that satanic attitude “what’s in it for me?” into our marriages that eternal marriages become more like hell than heaven.

Q: How are all the girls going to get righteous guys? polygamy?

A:This is one of the questions that I asked more some years ago than I do now. It seemed (when I first started teaching) that there were many more righteous women than men. Now the difference in numbers is not so noticeable. Then one day it dawned on me that there have been countless millions of men killed in mindless wars ever since the beginning of time. Where will we find enough women for every man to have just one wife? Once again old age and pondering has altered my attitude towards the answer to this question. Consider that those in the Celestial Kingdom will eventually become perfect (see D&C 76:60). Would a woman be “settling” in marrying a perfect person? Now here in this life, as you have noted, there are so many horrible marriages that I have reversed my thinking. I used to think that a bad marriage was better than no marriage at all. I don’t think that any more. I have seen too much abuse—of every kind—to suggest a woman marry whoever comes along or (as you put it) “settle” for any guy who comes along. As the light of Christ is withdrawn from the earth (see D&C 63:32-34) you will see more and more of the animalistic behavior of human beings one towards another. Unfortunately, your gender will (is) not be exempted. The number of abusive women is escalating just as it is for men. Women are killing their husbands and children in far greater numbers than when I first started teaching almost 40 years ago. You will continue to see more and more a polarization take place among humankind. The righteous will become more righteous and the wicked will become even more wicked. Those who are currently trying to “play both sides of the net” (i.e. be Latter-day Saints but try to look like, act like, recreate like, etc. the world) will be forced by the environment around them to make a choice. This is literally the “sifting process” that Heber C. Kimball talked about in the 1850’s that would precede the Second Coming. You will (unfortunately) see many men and women fall away from the Church and wander off into forbidden paths and become lost (like in Lehi’s dream). You will see an increasing number of young men and young women who will recognize the deceptive tactics of the adversary for what they really are and shun them. You will see (even though it is starting now, you will see it in much greater clarity in the future) the fulfillment of D&C 1:35-36: “For I am no respecter of persons, and will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion. And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst, and shall come down in judgment upon Idumea, or the world.” Our challenge is to be found playing on the right side of the net as we close in on the Second Coming.

Q:If I don't want my husband to take on a second wife, how much say do I have in the matter? I know Emma Smith didn't have much.

A: I am sort of amazed that we don’t think this one through better than we do. Consider this: Here is an Unchangeable God who allowed a third part of His spirit children to go to hell forever rather than override their agency and force them to do something that would have been for their eternal benefit. Now in the last days we think the Unchangeable God is going to reverse fields and force His faithful sons and daughters to enter into a marital relationship that they do not want to embrace? Is there something wrong with this scenario? Emma Smith (as with Joseph) was in a very peculiar situation. In order to complete the “restitution of all things” (see Acts 3:19-21) necessary to complete the dispensation of the fullness of times, plural marriage (which was part of Abraham’s gospel) had to be restored temporarily—as will blood sacrifice (part of Adam’s gospel down to the time of Christ). The Lord used more pressure with Emma in order to fulfill His divine purpose than He has with any other woman although God still left the final decision up to Emma. True He said that if she was unwilling she would be destroyed—but the choice was still hers. That really is no different than what He is saying to us today: Either exercise your agency to marry in the temple or you will be damned (i.e. stopped) in your eternal progression. That is exactly what agency is: learn the commandment, know the blessings that come from obedience and the negative consequences that come from disobedience, and then with your eyes wide open, make your choice. That is the very principle upon which the War in Heaven was fought over—our right to choose. Note that the term “Free Agency” is never used in the scriptures. Yes, you are free to make whatever decision you want to but you are not free to choose the consequences associated with that decision. So Emma was a free as you and I are in making the decision to follow God’s commandment to her. His statement about her being destroyed if she chose not to obey is really no different than it is for any of us who knowingly opt to exercise our agency to disobey the commandments of God.

Q: Why is it that a guy could have a wife all to himself but a girl might have to share?

A:Perhaps I have beat this to death already. You don’t “have to share” if you opt not to. As far as I know (and as far as I care) I will only have one wife in the eternal worlds. I’m not interested in having more than one wife and certainly do not see a time when I will be “forced” to take another wife or my wife be “forced” to accept another wife into our marriage. Somewhere along the line (in the last 120 years since the Manifesto doing away with plural marriage was issued) we have not been successful as a Church in ridding ourselves of the idea that somehow conditions will be forced upon us which are repugnant to our very core values. I wish I could just get the young women of the Church to stop worrying about “having to share” their husbands and enjoy the challenge of becoming “one” with their husbands and enjoying being married and raising children without the ungrounded fear that the day will come when they will (against their wills) have to share their beloved husbands with other women.

This has been long, I hope it hasn’t bored you to death but it is good for me to respond and refresh in my mind why I believe what I believe with some scriptural and prophetic backing behind me.

Bro. Bott

Does God have a God that he worships?

2010-03-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

Question: My question is pertaining to the origin of Heavenly Father. I seem to recall that Heavenly Father had to have been born of woman, ergo He must also have divine parents. We know that we can ultimately become like God and dwell with him, but does God dwell with his God? Man is now what God once was. What God is now, man may be. My question I guess is, does God have a God he worships?

Answer:This is really a mind expanding question. I got my first glimpse of the magnitude of the eternal drama we are playing out from reading the following quote by Joseph Smith:

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Six 1843–44, p.373

I learned a testimony concerning Abraham, and he reasoned concerning the God of heaven. "In order to do that," said he, "suppose we have two facts: that supposes another fact may exist—two men on the earth, one wiser than the other, would logically show that another who is wiser than the wisest may exist. Intelligences exist one above another, so that there is no end to them."

If Abraham reasoned thus—If Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and John discovered that God the Father of Jesus Christ had a Father, you may suppose that He had a Father also. Where was there ever a son without a father? And where was there ever a father without first being a son? Whenever did a tree or anything spring into existence without a progenitor? And everything comes in this way. Paul says that which is earthly is in the likeness of that which is heavenly, Hence if Jesus had a Father, can we not believe that He had a Father also? I despise the idea of being scared to death at such a doctrine, for the Bible is full of it.

I want you to pay particular attention to what I am saying. Jesus said that the Father wrought precisely in the same way as His Father had done before Him. As the Father had done before? He laid down His life, and took it up the same as His Father had done before. He did as He was sent, to lay down His life and take it up again; and then was committed unto Him the keys. I know it is good reasoning.

At first I thought the Prophet was saying that God the Father was a Savior on His world but other quotations suggests that each of us will do precisely what Jesus did—i.e. lay down our lives and take them up again as resurrected beings and go on to our exaltation. Now if we follow the Prophet’s logic we can see that we will continue to worship and revere our Father forever, and I assume He does the same with His Father and He does with His Father and back through the endless eternities past.

What about living in the same house with God in the next life? I don’t think that is what it means. Remember that time and space are only relevant in the dimension we are in right now. Since eternal beings can move at the speed of thought (or faster in some dimension that we don’t begin to comprehend), then whether we lived next door or a billion miles away wouldn’t make any difference, we would only be a thought away. Right now my married children don’t live with me and I don’t suspect they will all move back in since they have moved on with their lives. I suspect that is the same sociality we will enjoy in the next life (see D&C 130:2).

Whether we will have any association with those above our Father or not, has not been revealed as far as I am know. Once we have successfully completed mortality, I suspect our vision of what lies beyond will answer a lot of questions that we now have. In the mean time, we have our hands full trying to negotiate the rapids of mortality without worrying about conquering worlds without number above ours.

Bro. Bott

Alma 40:11, is this the 1st judgement?

2010-03-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

Question: In Alma 40:11 it says that “…as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.” I do not think that that MEANS as soon as one dies they see God and he judges them… but my sister in law swears that immediately when you die you go to a “1st judgment” and see Him. THEN you either go to paradise or spirit prison. Can you please clarify this for us?

Answer: While it is true that when people die they are “taken home to that God who gave them life” the Brethren have not interpreted that as actually seeing God face to face. The way that verse 11 is generally interpreted is that God lives in a huge mansion with many, many rooms. You may be taken to the mansion where God resides but not actually go into the room where He resides and see Him.

We need to step back a bit and consider the purpose for mortality and then this question will be more easily answered. In the pre-mortal estate we lived in the presence (i.e. visual) of God. In order to progress and fulfill our eternal destiny (to become like God), it was necessary to come to earth. We came here first to gain a body. Why do we need a body? Because God has a body and we are trying to become like Him. A veil of forgetfulness was placed across our minds so we couldn’t remember our pre-earth life. Why was the veil placed there? So we could learn to live by faith. Why do we need to learn to live by faith? Because in both Hebrews 11:3 and the Lectures on Faith we are told that “it is by faith that God created the worlds.” So part of the purpose of earth life is to learn to act based on faith rather than by sight.

If we pass the test of mortality (i.e. learn to live by faith), then there would be no need for a continued veil when we pass to the spirit world. But what if we haven’t learned to live by faith? Then the test is not passed and we need to continue with a veil over our minds until we do learn that vital lesson of living by faith. If those who have not passed the test of learning to live by faith were to see the face of God, then exercising faith in God would be eliminated because we would have sight knowledge. Can’t you see that God would be working against His own agenda for His spirit children to give them the answers to the test before they had studied for the test?

If you study further you will discover that the term “this life” in Alma 34:32-35 used to designate the time for men to prepare to meet God, does not end with physical death. In Alma 12:24 Alma teaches: “And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.” If the term “this life” is confined strictly to mortality, then why do work for the dead since Alma 34 states that no work can be performed when the night comes? That “night of darkness” referred to in verse 33 means following the final judgment when the sons of perdition have no more ability, power, or desire to repent and do good works.

As I understand, the preparatory time designed by God as the final testing period to prepare us to live with God starts with our mortal birth, continues to the end of our mortal life, and then continues on until the resurrection when we will have a final judgment. We are literally being “judged” every second of every day of our lives. We can tell how well we are doing by the presence or absence of the Spirit (see D&C 111:8 and Moses 6:60). Certainly our tithing settlement at the end of each year is a time of judgment. Our temple recommend interviews are certainly times of judgment. Death will be a time of judgment also. Resurrection will be time of judgment since we will receive a resurrected body suited for the kingdom of glory (or no glory) into which we will be assigned for the rest of our eternal existence (see D&C 88:21-32). The Final Judgment, in many ways will be rather academic in that we will already know which kingdom we are going into. If you note D&C 132:37 you will see something of a preliminary judgment: “Abraham received concubines, and they bore him children; and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they were given unto him, and he abode in my law; as Isaac also and Jacob did none other things than that which they were commanded; and because they did none other things than that which they were commanded, they have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not angels but are gods.” Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (and very likely many others—these three being used as examples), sit upon thrones as gods—not as angels and yet their final judgment will be at the same time as ours—following the little season at the end of the Millennium.

I suspect you are getting the idea that judgment is far more expansive than just a single time but is a continuing process by which we are demonstrating to ourselves (not to God because He knows the end from the beginning) that we really are the stuff the Celestial Kingdom is made of. Virtually everything in the divinely established curriculum is calculated to give us experiences, develop character, improve on attitudes, and eventually gain all knowledge enabling us to become like God.

This is more than you asked for but it gives me a chance to help you learn a vital tool in understanding the gospel—that is taking a huge step back and putting yourself into an eternal setting. Once you do that, many of the questions that seem so difficult are really quite easily answered. When we only look through the key hole of mortality, without trying to get the unrestricted view from an eternal perspective, we often stumble or come to erroneous conclusions. Keep asking the tough questions and watch the revelatory windows of heaven open to you (see D&C 42:61).

Bro. Bott

The Atonement and Godly sorrow

2010-03-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

Question:My question for you today concerns the Atonement, but more specifically the principle of Godly sorrow. This principle has long been something that I wish I knew better. For example, if someone truly realized his/her mistakes and had a sincere desire to change and overcome them, but when they sought to have Godly sorrow for their sins (I say sought to have this Godly sorrow, because I feel it is usually not there right to begin with) they tended to go to "extremes," in which they beat themselves up over their sins to the point that they felt worthless and as a result they fell again into the same sins they were seeking to overcome.I guess the just of what I am asking is what is godly sorrow? How might one possess this without feeling hopless and helpless? And how should one's attitude be during the repentance process?
I apologize if my question is hard to understand but I thank you for your willingness to answer these questions they have been a great source of peace in many's lives.

Answer: What a great question. Let’s review a bit and see if we can discover together some additional understanding that will help us move confidently through life without being crushed by our human weaknesses. The first and only place in scripture that the term “godly sorrow” is used is in 2 Corinthians 7:10 where Paul writes: “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” That non-productive and unnecessary “beating one’s self up” sounds more like the “sorrow of the world” which “worketh death” rather than breathing life back into us. Here are a few quotes to broaden our understanding:

John Taylor, Mediation and Atonement, Ch.25: “The second principle of the Gospel of salvation, is repentance. It is a sincere and godly sorrow for and a forsaking of sin, combined with full purpose of heart to keep God's commandments. As is written by the Prophet Isaiah: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

Harold B. Lee, Stand Ye In Holy Places, p.344: “To mourn, as the Master's lesson here would teach, one must show that "godly sorrow that worketh repentance" (2 Corinthians 7:10) and wins for the penitent a forgiveness of sins and forbids a return to the deeds of which he mourns. It is to see, as did the Apostle Paul, "glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope." (Romans 5:3-4.) You must be willing "to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light." (Mosiah 18:8.) You must be willing to mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort. (Mosiah 18:9.) When a mother mourns in her loneliness for the return of a wayward daughter, you with compassion must forbid the casting of the first stone. It is the kind of mourning portrayed in the deep feelings of the marine on Saipan who wrote to us during World War II when his buddy was killed, "As I lay in my foxhole that night I wept bitterly." Your mourning with the aged, the widow, and the orphan should lead you to bring the succor they require. In a word, you must be as the publican and not as the Pharisee. "God be merciful to me a sinner." (Luke 18:13.) Your reward for so doing is the blessedness of comfort for your own soul through a forgiveness of your own sins.”

The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.88: “Whatever our predispositions when influenced by the pride of our hearts, the person convinced of his sin and suffering godly sorrow for it in humility is reduced—or rather in this case elevated—to tears. Thus he expresses anguish for his folly and for the grief it has brought to the innocent. Those who have not been through the experience may not comprehend this reaction, but the spiritual writers with their deep insight understood that there is a healing balm in tears for the humble soul who is reaching toward God. Jeremiah wrote: "Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night." (Jeremiah 9:1.) The Psalmist cried in his anguish: "I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears." (Psalm 6:6.) And again he pleaded: "Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted." (Psalm 25:16.).”

The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.89: “Godly sorrow is not coerced. The felon in the penitentiary, coming to realize the high price he must pay for his folly, may wish he had not committed the crime. That is not repentance…. The truly repentant man is sorry before he is apprehended. He is sorry even if his secret is never known. He desires to make voluntary amends. The culprit has not "godly sorrow" who must be found out by being reported or by chains of circumstances which finally bring the offense to light. The thief is not repentant who continues in grave offenses until he is caught. Repentance of the godly type means that one comes to recognize the sin and voluntarily and without pressure from outside sources begins his transformation.”

Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.153: “Sorrow Not Enough: Often people indicate that they have repented when all they have done is to express regret for a wrong act. But true repentance is marked by that godly sorrow that changes, transforms, and saves. To be sorry is not enough. Perhaps the felon in the penitentiary, coming to realize the high price he must pay for his folly, may wish he had not committed the crime. That is not repentance. The vicious man who is serving a stiff sentence for rape may be very sorry he did the deed, but he is not repentant if his heavy sentence is the only reason for his sorrow. That is the sorrow of the world.

The truly repentant man is sorry before he is apprehended. He is sorry even if his secret is never known. He desires to make voluntary amends. The culprit has not "godly sorrow" who must be found out by being reported or by chains of circumstances which finally bring the offense to light. The thief is not repentant who continues in grave offenses until he is caught. Repentance of the godly type means that one comes to recognize the sin and voluntarily and without pressure from outside sources begins his transformation.”

In each of these quotes you will see that “godly sorrow” comes voluntarily—not by being caught or punished. Godly sorrow seems to go beyond the person selfishly being concerned with his own position and causes us to reach out to others who are suffering. It sounds like godly sorrow may require some considerable time of introspection and suffering before it is complete but not to the point of being debilitating. Godly sorrow seems to make us more tender towards the suffering of others rather than crushing us to where there is nothing left for us to give to others in the way of help. Godly sorrow seems to have an element of going beyond what is required in turning away from our sins. It includes helping others, seeking out ways of being more righteous. It seems to have an element of making restitution as far as possible but not continuing to wallow in things of the past that we cannot go back and undo.

Godly sorrow seems to be stripped of pride and arrogance. There is no hint of attempted self-justification but of humble admission that we are wrong and need to do whatever the Lord requires in making it right. I assume the list could be expanded to book length but perhaps an apt summary is that godly sorrow causes us to double and redouble our efforts to be more Christ-like in everything we do. As we make mistakes, godly sorrow causes us to immediately repent—not waiting to be found out or punished. I suspect if you were to take the opposites of each of these and many other issues, you would see the contrast between the sorrow of the world and godly sorrow.

As you continue your quest to become more Christ-like you will discover that Christ is a Builder (i.e. Carpenter) while the devil is called “the destroyer”. Whatever builds and causes you to be more Christ-like comes from God and whatever makes you feel worthless and helpless and hopeless and not the stuff the celestial kingdom is made of, comes from the devil. Mormon told Moroni (in a letter) that one could tell the difference as plainly as “the daylight is from the dark night’ ( Moroni 7:15). Continue on in your quest to understand until you receive the divine insights that lights up your whole soul and causes you to see with clarify the application of this godly principle.

Bro. Bott

Did we know our spouse and children in the pre-existence?

2010-03-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

Question: Is there any doctrine that says we knew our children and spouse in the pre-existence? If we did, wouldn't that mean that there truly was only ONE person/spouse in this world for me? Everyone says our children are watching and cheering on every decision that we make. Is that true? Because I know we have been told many times that there is not only one person in this world for me.

Answer:Thanks for the thought-provoking question. Let me “cut and paste” a couple of quotes and then reason with you a little.

"Righteous love comes so naturally and so beautifully that it is apparent that there is a special providence about it. "They were meant for each other," we say. While I am sure some young couples have some special guidance in getting together, I do not believe in predestined love. If you desire the inspiration of the Lord in this crucial decision, you must live the standards of the Church, and you must pray constantly for the wisdom to recognize those qualities upon which a successful union may be based. You must do the choosing, rather than to seek for some one-and-only so-called soul mate, chosen for you by someone else and waiting for you. You are to do the choosing. You must be wise beyond your years and humbly prayerful unless you choose amiss." -Packer, Boyd K., Eternal Love (given at a BYU Devotional in 1973 and adapted to a book) pg. 11

The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.305

While marriage is difficult, and discordant and frustrated marriages are common, yet real, lasting happiness is possible, and marriage can be more an exultant ecstasy than the human mind can conceive. This is within the reach of every couple, every person. "Soulmates" are fiction and an illusion; and while every young man and young woman will seek with all diligence and prayerfulness to find a mate with whom life can be most compatible and beautiful, yet it is certain that almost any good man and any good woman can have happiness and a successful marriage if both are willing to pay the price.

Now having said that—and I certainly am not going to disagree with the Prophets, let me ask a simple question: Are there soul mates? From whose perspective? If you take our perspective then we must conclude that what President Kimball and President Packer teach is true. Why? Because there would be far too many young men and young woman sitting around waiting for God or an angel to bring their special someone to them. Frustration would rapidly set in because it was never designed that angels or God would do our homework for us.

Now if you ask the question: “Does God know who we are going to marry?” The answer is “yes”—why? Because He knows the end from the beginning. So from God’s perspective there is a one and only—from our mortal perspective there is not.

Does God know who our children will be? Certainly, as stated before, He knows the end from the beginning. Do our future children know they will be born to us? That hasn’t been revealed so it is speculative to say that they are cheering us on. President Ezra Taft Benson did say: “Billions of the deceased and those yet to be born have their eyes upon us. Make no mistake about it, you are a marked generation.” However he stopped short of saying that our children had their eyes upon us individually. I have found it wise to take the safe course and not try to put words in the mouth of God or His prophets.

When Lucifer fell and became Satan, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw that “the heavens wept over him” (see D&C 76:26). Who were “the heavens”? Wasn’t that you and me and the rest of those who followed Christ? Then if we knew Satan and those who followed him well enough to “weep” when they were banished from heaven, doesn’t it seem reasonable to think that we knew the righteous spirits who followed God and Christ—at least as well? I suspect when we get to the other side, we will gain an entirely different perspective on how things really work. What was so important to us here (i.e. how we look, where we live, many of the material things of life) will hold absolutely no appeal for us in the next life. I do believe, however, that the feelings and affections we develop here will be greatly enhanced in the next life. In fact that is what the Lord revealed in D&C 130:2: “And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy.”

So whether we did or didn’t know our siblings and our children in the pre-earth life doesn’t seem to be as important as the relationship we develop with them here. Although much of the animosity we endure here is the result of Satan’s influence, that which we can overcome will only make it that much more desirable to be with our families in the next life. If you read carefully D&C 121:41-46 you will find eleven principles of righteousness that makes for celestial living in a telestial world. Then starting from the middle of verse 45 (with the word “then”) the Lord lists five blessings that will exist in our homes. The last one is: “thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.” How would it be to live in an environment where people wanted to be with you forever and have you be their mom even though they have become exalted beings themselves? That is what we can live for if we will stop playing into the hands of the adversary and really try to apply the principles of the gospel that God has revealed to us.

Bro. Bott

Patriarchal Blessings

2010-03-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

Question: How literally can we take our patriarchal blessing? I knew someone whose blessing talked all about their daughters, yet they have 5 sons and no daughters. That scares me! If mine talks about my husband and our children, should I believe 100% that I will get married some day and have children? Or could it possibly be talking about my life after my time on this Earth?

Answer:You ask a very thought-provoking question about patriarchal blessings. I have heard observations about patriarchal blessings being “generic” many times before. Sometimes the blessings are criticized for being too specific. I guess you just can’t win if you are a patriarch. For nine years (while serving as first counselor in a stake presidency) I was privileged to sit next to the Stake Patriarch on the stand at almost every meeting we attended. His name is Max Pinegar and one of the most Christ-like individuals I have ever known. While waiting for meetings to start we often had a few minutes to converse freely on a variety of subjects. Having received a letter much like your e-mail, I asked Brother Pinegar about it. He pushed back the curtains of my understanding a whole bunch. In essence this is what he said and I have experienced.

Patriarchal blessings are only paragraphs out of your book of eternal possibilities. They are not the entire book. The blessings often act as a mere catalyst to get the person in the spirit to receive immediate and further revelation. I had had one of those experiences shortly after my wife and I were married. I was sitting in the front room of our little home reading my blessing while she was in the kitchen preparing supper. There was a phrase that jumped out of my blessing that I had never seen before. It was so revelatory I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t seen it before. I set my blessing on the coffee table and walked in and asked her to come read this part of my blessing with me. She came into the front room, sat on the couch next to me and I started reading the place where the insight had come. To my amazement that statement or insight was no longer there. She looked at me like I was losing it. She returned to the kitchen and I was left pondering what had happened. I didn’t understand until many years later while discussing blessings with the Patriarch.

I wonder if your blessing won’t take on tremendous significance as you slowly, prayerfully, ponderously read it. Don’t speed read your blessing. Stop after each sentence. Spend some time looking at the wall and letting your mind wander a bit. It may be that you will have one of the experiences that I had where the Lord separates the words and spreads the lines to insert something He wants you to know right now. I have also noted that what I have learned from my blessing (the actual words) is only a fraction of what I have gleaned over the years from reading and re-reading my blessing. What a shame for a person to read the Book of Mormon once and think they have captured everything that is there. I have read the scriptures dozens of times and each time I do it is like reading them for the first time. That is why the gospel is called “the new and everlasting gospel”—it is everlasting because it has been here since Adam’s day. It is new because every time a person reads (being in a unique position and time that he or she has never been in before) it takes on a new meaning.

This may sound a bit contradictory but I almost wish my blessing wasn’t quite so specific. When I read the exact promises and blessings contained in the words, I tend to limit my vision of what the Lord has in mind for me. Once you see your blessings as a mere catalyst to start the process of continuing revelation, you will not be so quick to criticize that it doesn’t contain more. One more bit of advice. Don’t limit yourself to those gifts and blessings contained or mentioned in your patriarchal blessing. If you want a specific gift, then pray and ask for it. The Lord is willing to bless you with every blessing you need in order to gain your exaltation in the world to come. If you are struggling in a particular, then pray for the gift that will help you overcome that challenge. I love the quote by President George Q. Cannon (a counselor to four presidents of the Church):

George Q. Cannon (Millennial Star 56:260-261, April 23, 1894)

“How many of you...are seeking for these gifts that God has promised to bestow? How many of you, when you bow before your Heavenly Father in your family circle or in your secret places, contend for these gifts bestowed upon you? How many of you ask the Father in the name of Jesus to manifest Himself to you through these powers and these gifts? Or do you go along day by day like a door turning on its hinges, without having any feeling upon the subject, without exercising any faith whatever; content to be baptized and be members of the Church, and to rest there, thinking that your salvation is secure because you have done this?...

If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect. Have I imperfections? I am full of them. What is my duty? To pray to God to give me the gifts that will correct these imperfections. If I am an angry man, it is my duty to pray for charity, which suffereth long and is kind. Am I an envious man? It is my duty to seek for charity, which envieth not. So with all the gifts of the gospel. They are intended for this purpose. No man ought to say, “Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature.” He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things, and to give gifts that will eradicate them. If a man lack wisdom, it is his duty to ask God for wisdom. The same with everything else. That is the design of God concerning His Church. He wants His Saints to be perfected in the truth. For this purpose He gives these gifts, and bestows them upon those who seek after them, in order that they may be a perfect people upon the face of the earth, notwithstanding their many weaknesses, because God has promised to give the gifts that are necessary for their perfection.”

The sooner you get the vision that God is a constant influence in your life—involved in the very details of your life (a Neal A. Maxwell quote), the sooner you start to look for and see His influence. The more you recognize and thank Him for His input, the more powerfully and constantly He involves himself in your life. You are at the best position a person could possibly be at where you are reaching upward wanting to make contact with the Infinite and looking for confirmation of that involvement. You’ll get it if you don’t despair and give up. Since the Spirit is the one to interpret blessings that He inspires, the Spirit will let you know whether the blessings mentioned are for this life or will be fulfilled in the eternities. Don’t put boundaries on your blessing and let the Spirit enlarge your blessing far beyond what the words actually say.

Bro. Bott

New Missionary Blog

2010-02-16T21:07:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,

I have finished another phase of the blog overhaul. I have made a blog page just for missionary questions. Click Here I hope that these blogs will better serve you, Thanks for reading!

What is the difference between hope and faith?

2010-02-16T20:45:00.000-08:00

Answer:
What a great question. Perhaps a good starting point is to turn to what Mormon taught his son, Moroni , about faith and hope. In Moroni 7:40-44 we read: “And again, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you concerning hope. How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope?

And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.

Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.

And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.

If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.”

In verse 40 it appears that hope has to precede faith. Then as you continue reading it says that “without faith there cannot be any hope”—which puts faith before hope. After puzzling over this one for some time it dawned on me that just as there are different levels or degrees of faith (see Alma 32), there are at least two levels of hope. So the formula would look something like this: “Hope-Faith-Hope.”

Let’s see if we can find an example to clarify what Mormon seems to be teaching. How can you have faith in God or life after death, or anything else unless you know they exist? So when you first learn about something desirable (i.e. eternal marriage), you “hope” it isn’t just a “pie-in-the-sky” idea that someone has thought up just to make us feel good.

That “hope” generates a desire in you to know if it is a true principle. Now you begin to study, ponder, meditate, pray, reason, and plant the seed of desire (again see Alma 32). The testimony begins to build within you. You can feel your faith increasing—something that you cannot generate yourself and those who have never paid the price can never understand. You know that the doctrine of eternal marriage is a reality and something you desire more than anything else (when it comes time to marry).

Now you find the man of your dreams and start talking about marriage. You have this growing faith that marriage can not only be “heaven on earth” but also that it can endure beyond the grave. So you take the steps necessary to prepare for a temple marriage (i.e. stay morally clean, keep your courtship on a celestial level, be active in the Church, study the scriptures, etc.). On your blessed and happy day, you kneel across the altar from each other in the temple full of faith that what you are doing and the simple words that are spoken will insure your relationship will not end at death. Now you are fired by the presence of the Spirit confirming to you that if you will continue to keep the covenants you made in the temple you are assured of an eternal relationship. That hope of eternal marriage grows brighter and brighter until eventually you have an absolute knowledge that you will be together forever. Until that time, your “hope” is carrying you through the tough times, enabling you to find happiness in the midst of the turmoil of life, and insuring that your faith has not been in vain.

Now a short re-cap of what I have written. Just as your knowledge of and desire for eternal marriage begins by being exposed to the doctrine, your hope may be very small at first because your knowledge of the doctrine is small. As you continue to learn and ponder and pray about it, that sparks the beginning of what will develop into faith. Just as faith isn’t a perfect knowledge at first, so your understanding isn’t perfect at first. The more you live, study, ponder, and pray, the stronger your faith becomes. That faith becomes powerful enough to enable you and your boyfriend to avoid the temptations that Satan constantly puts in your pathway to be immoral or at least inappropriately intimate before marriage. You both decide (based on the growing strength of your faith) that you will postpone being intimate until you are authorized by God.

Then the day is set for your marriage. That “tingling” feeling that you both experience isn’t just the anticipation of God-approved intimacy but a hope that this will be the beginning of an eternal relationship. You go to the temple and kneel at the altar. You have seen temple marriages fail before and wonder what happened since they seemed to be so much in love when they got married. Your determination is that the “D” word will never be mentioned or become an option in your marriage.

You exit the temple full of the Spirit, firm in the faith that what you have done has God’s approval, and fired with hope that you can live “happily ever after” in this life and gain eternal life in the world to come. Trials and problems arise (which is all part of the divine plan to prepare us for Godhood) but given the faith that you made the right choice of a mate before you married, and fired with the hope that you can not only survive but thrive in overcoming these challenges, you meet and overcome one obstacle after another. The more you meet the challenges of life together, the stronger your bond and love for each other becomes. Almost without notice you see your hope that your marriage can and will endure throughout eternity increase. Then one day after many years of struggling and conquering, you both receive a revelation that your hoped- for assurance of an eternal marriage is no longer in question but is a literal reality that has been “sealed upon you by the Holy Spirit of Promise.” Now all you have to do is valiantly endure to the end and your hope of eternal life will be a reality.

I hope this hasn’t been confusing. It took me some time of really working it through in my mind before it became crystal clear. So if my placing of the words has caused you not to understand, I apologize and hope that what I have written will at least point you in the right direction and give you a starting place to understand the wonderful hope-faith-hope formula for eternal life.

Bro. Bott

Satan–is he necessary?

2010-02-16T20:40:00.000-08:00

The issues surrounding Satan can be confusing. First off, let's use the Lord's injunction in D&C 50:10-- come, let us reason together. Does it seem logical that an omniscient, omnipotent God would be beholding in any sense to a disobedient son? That should be the first tip-off that something isn't right in our train of logical thinking.

Second, if Satan is such an integral part of the testing plan of our Heavenly Father, what about the countless billions of people who will be born, live out their lives, and die during the Millennium when Satan will not be present? Are they doomed because they were not tempted by someone who did not have access to them?

Third (and this one is still an open ended question), What makes ours the most wicked world ever peopled by the children of our Heavenly Father? (see Moses 7:36). Could it be that we have Satan and his followers here and there really isn't a devil on other worlds? Remember (Moses 1:35), we haven't been given the answer to that question, but it is interesting to ponder the possibilities.

Yes, Heavenly Father did use His rebellious son, Lucifer--who became Satan-- to accomplish His ends, but to say God was bound until He had a rebellious son come alone to enable him to activate His great plan of redemption, gives way too much power to a fallen son over an exalted, all-powerful Father.

When Lehi talked about us becoming "angels to a devil" he was obviously talking about conditions that took place after the Fall and posing the situation what would happen if there wasn't an atonement to be made. In 2 Nephi 2, when Lehi is explaining to Jacob the necessity of there being opposition in all things, it really didn't hinge on there being a Satan. The fact that there was a law given, consequences for obedience and for disobedience, agency to make a choice, and the passage of time, gives us all the elements necessary to have opposition.

In the pre-earth life, before Lucifer fell, did people choose to do wrong? The answer is yes (see D&C 93:38). Was there a "super Satan" who tempted us to stray? Not that has ever been revealed. Some chose to disobey merely because there was choice and they had the freedom to exercise their agency. That will be the same as during the Millennium when wicked men will still live (see Isaiah 65:20) because there will always be law, choice, and consequences and some people will always be inclined to choose in opposition to God's will.

There is one point in the temple which, if I could find reference to it outside the temple, would make a whole bunch of sense. But, unfortunately, I can't so I'm sort of stymied in giving a further explanation. If you have been endowed, I suggest you go back to the temple and listen very carefully when Satan is telling God what he has been doing. Perhaps the same insight will open to your mind. I'm at a loss to explain more.

Did God know that Satan would rebel? Sure, He knew the end from the beginning. However, that foreknowledge in no way caused Satan to fall any more than God's foreknowledge of what we will do causes us to do anything. Satan actually believed that he could "destroy the world" (Moses 4:6-- the world being mortal people in the world) for "he knew not the mind of God." If he had had understanding and really wanted to mess up the plan of the Father, he would have left Adam and Eve entirely alone in the Garden of Eden. Then, unless you picked up my point in the endowment session, they would have lived forever without being able to bear children.

I believe it is extremely important that we understand God and Satan in order that the constant whisperings by Satan as he tries to destroy us and lead us captive (see Moses 4:4, 2 Nephi 2:18, 27) and make us miserable like unto himself, not be successful. We also need to understand Heavenly Father's plan and how to keep otherwise senseless issues in proper eternal perspective. If we can do that, Satan will have very limited success in getting us to believe false doctrine which could jeopardize our success in this life and our chances for eternal life in the world to come.

Just one more issue– did Satan realize the consequences of his rebellion? He had to or it his rebellion wouldn’t have been unpardonable. There are those who suggest that he wasn’t fully aware of the consequences of his rebellion, but that doesn’t hold up either in the scriptures or from the quotes by latter-day prophets. It is difficult for you and me to comprehend a being so arrogant as to think he could dethrone God or so stupid to believe he could rally enough support to overpower an All-Powerful Being. Or again so prideful and stubborn not to back off when he could see that he had failed and would be cast out forever. Yet those are revealed facts about this fallen brother.

I hope this short answer gives your friend something to think about. I applaud her for thinking below the surface and asking the tough questions. Encourage her to keep asking the hard questions. That is the very catalyst that triggers revelation. Remember, it was an unanswered question that prompted young Joseph Smith to go to the Sacred Grove on that memorable morning in 1820.

Bro. Bott

Is it bad to hope that I fail to do something that God told me to do?

2010-02-16T20:17:00.000-08:00

Question:Is it bad to hope that I fail to do something that God told me to do?

Answer: What an interesting question. However, in order to get an answer that fits the eternal scheme of things, we need to take a huge step backwards and ask a question: Does God ever “tell” us to do something then not prepare a way to accomplish what He has commanded us to do? Obviously I’m referring to 1 Nephi 3:7. If it is the difficulty of the task and you (or your brother or anyone else) are shying away from it because of the amount of work required, then you and Nephi wouldn’t get along very well. Think of his life—going to get the Brass Plates, providing food for an entire family for 8 years in the wilderness, building a ship, etc.

If you decide not to go for your choice major, I don’t think the world will stop. I do know that as we pursue our dreams, our passions, our professions, or our careers, that the Lord will direct us but I don’t think He will make the decision for us—that would be totally contrary to His eternal plan for our growth. I have lived a long time and watched mega people go to work every day and hate every day they are at work. Unfortunately, far too often they bring their hatred of work home and poison the family. Perhaps I am selfish but I want to be totally passionate about what I do. I don’t want to look back with regrets at what I did or didn’t do with my limited time and talents while sequencing through mortality.

I am not convinced that the Lord cares a great deal about what we do for a living—only if we are honest in our dealing. Perhaps your brother would benefit from reviewing President David O. McKay’s six items that will be on our final exam with the Savior:

David O. McKay- (from the notes of Fred A. Baker, Managing Director, Department of Physical Facilities, June 1965)

While engaged in explaining to them the importance of the work they were engaged in, he paused and told them the following:

“Let me assure you, Brethren, that some day you will have a personal Priesthood interview with the Savior, Himself. If you are interested, I will tell you the order in which He will ask you to account for your earthly responsibilities.

First, He will request an accountability report about your relationship with your wife. Have you actively been engaged in making her happy and ensuring that her needs have been met as an individual?

Second, He will want an accountability report about each of your children individually. He will not attempt to have this for simply a family stewardship but will request information about your relationship to each and every child.

Third, He will want to know what you personally have done with the talents you were given in the pre-existence.

Fourth, He will want a summary of your activity in your Church assignments. He will not be necessarily interested in what assignments you have had, for in his eyes the home teacher and a mission president are probably equals, but He will request a summary of how you have been of service to your fellow men in your Church assignments.

Fifth, He will have no interest in how you earned your living, but if you were honest in all your dealings.

Sixth, He will ask for an accountability on what you have done to contribute in a positive manner to your community, state, country and the world.”

Particularly note # 5. So if President McKay is telling it the way it will eventually be, then whether your brother majors in math or science, or basket weaving, really doesn’t make any difference to Him. Perhaps a better question to ask would be: ‘Am I passionate about my major? And am I being the very best in that major that I can possibly be?” If he can answer in the affirmative to both questions, then taking the entrance exam is a matter of personal choice rather than divine mandate.

Bro. Bott

Word of Wisdom- Tea

2010-02-04T21:29:00.000-08:00

Question: Why are some kinds of tea okay for us to drink, while other kinds are not? Is this because of the caffeine content? Is green tea okay for us to drink?

Answer:

You ask as really good question. I haven’t seen any official policy statement issued by the Church concerning green tea. I (like you and millions of others) have heard the advertisements and testimonials. When I teach D&C 89 (Word of Wisdom) I try to emphasize that this is just that—a word of wisdom—not the whole book of do’s and don’ts. The most sensitive One who knows all things is the Spirit (see D&C 42:17). In D&C 111:8 the Lord revealed: “And the place where it is my will that you should tarry, for the main, shall be signalized unto you by the peace and power of my Spirit, that shall flow unto you.” And part of verse 60 in Moses 6 states: “by the Spirit ye are justified.” To be just or justified is to be without divine condemnation. So, in the absence of direct church counsel, you decide to drink green tea (or any other substance that makes health claims beneficial to you) the presence or absence of the Spirit seems like the sure-fire indicator. I don’t believe the Lord would condemn you for drinking something that He (in His infinite wisdom) has chosen to remain silent about. It is when people try to justify that which God has specifically forbidden that the condemnation comes into play.

So proceed cautiously. I remember a number of years ago when “phen-pehn”—(Probably spelled wrong—but it was a harmless dietary pill that worked wonders in weight reduction) was introduced. It wasn’t until some years later that it was directly connected with heart problems. Millions (probably billions) of dollars in lawsuits were levied against the company but the damage had been done—peoples’ hearts were un-repair-ably damaged. I certainly am not suggesting the same will be found to be true of green tea, but I am raising the warning flag that you carefully study the benefits and risks of trying any new product that makes such remarkable claims but lacks the long-term data to certify its safety.

Bro. Bott

KYR Changes

2010-02-01T08:30:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,

I am making KYR more user friendly. I am hoping by doing so that you may be able to find the questions that you are looking for more easily. The first phase I did was to make a dating and marriage blog with all the questions that have to deal with these subjects. There is a link on the side of this blog that will take you to those questions. Please let me know if this is helpful I really want to you to be able to find the answers to your questions. Thanks, The Moderator

Dating a non-member

2010-01-27T11:55:00.000-08:00

Question: My friend is dating a non-member.I told her that it is hard to date someone hoping you will bring them into the church. She is just really frustrated because this is the first time in a long time she has ever really felt anything strong for a guy, and she just wonders why it has to be a nonmember. I do not know what to tell her. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
Thanks for the question. Although I have answered this question many times before, for some reason I haven’t posted the answer. Perhaps if we take a step back and look at the larger picture, it will make the answer more evident. At the waters of baptism your friend “crucified the old woman of sin” (see Romans 6:3-6) and became a “new creature in Christ” (see Mosiah 27:25-26). She also made the commitment that she would be a witness for God and Christ at all times, in all places, and in everything she does for the rest of her life (see Mosiah 18:8-10). According to the commitment she made at baptism, she has now turned her sights from the worldly towards the heavenly. That certainly doesn’t mean she can enjoy life and all that the world has to offer—with this one exception—those things which are contrary to what God has revealed.

If she is continuing in her quest to return to the presence of God, she knows that baptism (preceded by faith in Christ and repentance) is only the gate that leads to the pathway that leads back to the presence of the Father. In 2 Nephi 31: 17-20: “Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.

And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.

And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.”

What does it mean to “press forward”? Baptism is the first covenant she made with God. Now her eyes must be focused on the temple and eventual temple marriage. To look back to her life before becoming a member is not pressing forward. Here is the counsel of President Spencer W. Kimball: “Importance of Proper Dating: Clearly, right marriage begins with right dating. A person generally marries someone from among those with whom he associates, with whom he goes to school, with whom he goes to church, with whom he socializes. Therefore, this warning comes with great emphasis. Do not take the chance of dating nonmembers, or members who are untrained and faithless. A girl may say, "Oh, I do not intend to marry this person. It is just a 'fun' date." But one cannot afford to take a chance on falling in love with someone who may never accept the gospel. True, a small percentage have finally been baptized after marrying Church members. Some good women and some good men have joined the Church after the mixed marriage and have remained devout and active. We are proud of them and grateful for them. They are our blessed minority. Others who did not join the Church were still kind and considerate and cooperative and permitted the member spouse to worship and serve according to the Church patterns. But the majority did not join the Church and, as indicated earlier, friction, frustration and divorce marked a great many of their marriages” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.241-242).

Of course your friend has her agency—everyone does. But with each choice comes a consequence. When she committed to follow Christ into the waters of baptism, she accepted that she would heed the counsel of His chosen prophets. Refusing to do so will result in the loss of blessings. She is free to pick up one end of the stick but she is not free to choose what is on the other end. If she wants eternal life, then dating a non-member puts a huge question mark over her ability to achieve that goal. Why? Because a non-member has never been married in the temple (i.e. the gate to the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom ). As President Kimball said, some non-members actually join the Church and become faithful members. The safer course for her to chart is to help him join the Church before becoming serious with him.

I think all of us knew (to a degree) that membership in the Church would require some sacrifices. Many seem to ignore or underestimate the magnitude of those sacrifices. How much is your friend willing to give up in order to avoid putting her eternal life in jeopardy?

Not all non-members share the same standards that she has committed to live. Too often in so many cases I have counseled with, the member tries to reach down and pull the non-member up and in the end gets pulled down instead. As you mentioned, this is the first one that she has really been attracted to for some time and it happens to be a non-member. Does that mean that once she has passed this test and exercised her agency to follow the counsel of President Kimball that the Lord will not bring a member into her circle of acquaintance that she will fall in love with and take her to the temple? This life really is a test. A test to see if we are committed to follow the Savior at any cost. If your friend chooses to go with the very immediate but temporary affections of the flesh, that doesn’t mean she is lost forever or that she is “bad” but it will retard her progress (and possibly derail—if she marries him and he never joins the Church) towards eternal life. At this late stage of the world’s history, it isn’t the smartest thing in the world to play Russian roulette with the Lord by trying to get blessings without keeping the commandments.

I want to make sure that both of you understand this eternal principle: “Whoever must stand judgment for the decision must be free to make the decision.” That sounds like such a no-brainer but too often I see people of all ages wanting someone else to make the decision for them. Even God, Himself, will not override her agency and “force” her to keep His commandments. Growth towards becoming like our Heavenly Parents comes from our exercising our agency in making right choices. So you can and should counsel with her but then leave the final decision up to her.

One of the arguments I hear on a regular basis is: “Oh, I know that God loves us and will not keep us from being together in the eternities just because we didn’t marry in the temple!” To which I respond: “I fully agree! God will not keep you out of the highest degree of the celestial kingdom—you will keep yourselves out by refusing to exercise your agency to comply with the rules the Lord has established to insure that you can be together forever. You will want to read carefully D&C 132:7-17 and see what the Lord has said about those who make the marriage covenant only “until death do us part.” See how long He says they will remain in a “separate and single” state.

This is no game. Either we learn the laws necessary to achieve exaltation and live by them, or we cannot accuse God of being unfair for not exalting us. The choice is hers but so are the inescapable consequences. Now you have my thoughts on the subject. If I have left some portion unanswered, send me another e-mail.

Bro. Bott

2010-01-21T09:27:00.000-08:00

Question: When Reuben lost his birthright due to sin, did he also lose his birthright as a tribe in Israel , meaning that no one is of the tribe of Reuben in their patriarchal blessing?

Answer:
What an interesting question. Let me step back with you and see if logic will help us come to a correct answer. Does the sin of a parent automatically disqualify their offspring from blessings they could otherwise have? I suspect your answer is “no, that wouldn’t be fair.” In fact note what 2 Chronicles 25:4 says about that: “But he slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.”

The tribe of Reuben received their patriarchal blessings along with the other tribes (see Genesis 49:3-4) but he (Reuben) no longer had the birthright which would have given him a double portion or inheritance. In Deuteronomy 33:6 Moses gives his parting blessing to the tribe of Reuben. In Joshua 18:7-8 Joshua gives the tribe of Reuben their inheritance in the land of Canaan as he does the other tribes (except Levi whose inheritance was the Priesthood). In Revelation 7 where John the Revelator is speaking of those who will constitute the last administrative/missionary force before the Second Coming, those of the tribe of Reuben are mentioned.

So it seems to me that Reuben really did dirt to himself by his sleeping with one of his father’s wives, but that didn’t permanently disqualify his descendents from receiving any blessings they earned the right to have. I have taught, over the years, several students who say their patriarchal blessings state that they come from the tribe of Reuben. They seem to be a spiritually in tune as any of those who descend from Ephraim.

I hope this gives you a direction to continue your studies.

Bro. Bott

Will our Bodies be restored to a perfect frame in the resurrection?

2010-01-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

Question:
I was reading in Alma 40 and came to verse 23, where it talks about how our bodies will be restored to their "perfect frame" and "a hair of the head shall not be lost" after we are resurrected. Well, I would assume that would pertain to any scarring because a scar would be from a mortal wound, right? Why, then, did Jesus keep the scars in his hands, feet and side from when he was crucified? Is it because that's how people would recognized him? If so, what does that say about when we are resurrected? Will we choose to keep some of our imperfections?

Answer:
Thank you for the question. Probably the question you ask is as good a place as any to see the value of taking everything the scriptures say rather than one isolated verse. Let me explain. Earlier Alma and Amulek were being cross-examined by the apostate Zoramites who were trying to trick them into saying something that they could use against them to cause them to be put to death. In Alma 11:43-44 they taught: “The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.

Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.”

I highlighted the points that I want to make. Traditionally we have been taught that we would be “perfect” when we were resurrected and often use these two verses and the one you cited in Alma 40:23 as proof. However, a closer reading suggests that what is really being taught is that there are absolutely no changes to our physical bodies in the grave. As we go down, so we come up—even that a hair of our heads will not be changed. We want to put a period after “in its perfect form” and another after “restored to its perfect frame” in verse 42 but it isn’t a period at all—it is a semi-colon after the first phrase and a comma after the second one suggesting that the thought is not complete. Again in verse 44 we have traditionally put a period after “every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame” but again it is a common and not a period. Each of them (verses 43 and 44) put the time frame in place “as it is now” “or in the body”.

While it is true that once we are resurrected our bodies will then progress or retrograde to the prime of life and in the process all physical deformities (scars or birth defects) will be removed, it is not technically correct to use those Alma verses as proof that the change to perfection happens to our physical bodies while we are in the grave. I don’t have any idea of how long that transition to perfection will require. President Joseph Fielding Smith seems to think it will be nearly instantaneous. I don’t think that makes much difference since we will be eternal beings who will never grow older with the passing of eternities.

Now as to the reason for Christ still having the prints of the nails in His hands and feet and the gash of the spear in His side, that is for the purpose of showing to those He revealed Himself to that He was indeed the Son of God who was crucified for the sins of the world. I suspect those marks are not there permanently but can be placed there whenever is necessary to prove His Saviorhood. Since neither you nor I have the necessity of using our infirmities or scars to prove who we are, I don’t see any impelling reason why we would have or want to have those as a permanent part of our resurrected bodies.

These are my thoughts on the question. I hope they point your mind in a direction where you can keep asking the tough questions. I firmly believe that a well fashioned question is the key to the revelatory windows of heaven. Look at D&C 42:61 and you’ll see what I mean.

Bro. Bott