America before the Word of Wisdom

We have all heard the stories about the incidents that prompted D&C 89.  The school of the prophets would meet and the elders would dirty the floor chewing tobacco that they spit liberally in all directions, and they’d fill the room with smoke from their pipes as they discussed the doctrines of Zion.  Emma Smith had to clean up all that yuck from the floor in the evening and she complained to her husband about it, and then he asked the Lord about it and received the Word of Wisdom.

We might be inclined to think that for some reason the elders of the church were major slobs to spit tobacco all over, but actually their behavior was typical in various American cities at that time.  So typical, in fact, that Charles Dickens commented freely on his observations in his travelogue American Notes.

As Washington may be called the head-quarters of tobacco-tinctured saliva, the time is come when I must confess, without any disguise, that the prevalence of those two odious practices of chewing and expectorating began about this time to be anything but agreeable, and soon became most offensive and sickening. In all the public places of America, this filthy custom is recognised. In the courts of law, the judge has his spittoon, the crier his, the witness his, and the prisoner his; while the jurymen and spectators are provided for, as so many men who in the course of nature must desire to spit incessantly. In the hospitals, the students of medicine are requested, by notices upon the wall, to eject their tobacco juice into the boxes provided for that purpose, and not to discolour the stairs. In public buildings, visitors are implored, through the same agency, to squirt the essence of their quids, or ‘plugs,’ as I have heard them called by gentlemen learned in this kind of sweetmeat, into the national spittoons, and not about the bases of the marble columns. But in some parts, this custom is inseparably mixed up with every meal and morning call, and with all the transactions of social life. The stranger, who follows in the track I took myself, will find it in its full bloom and glory, luxuriant in all its alarming recklessness, at Washington. And let him not persuade himself (as I once did, to my shame) that previous tourists have exaggerated its extent. The thing itself is an exaggeration of nastiness, which cannot be outdone.

On board this steamboat, there were two young gentlemen, with shirt-collars reversed as usual, and armed with very big walking-sticks; who planted two seats in the middle of the deck, at a distance of some four paces apart; took out their tobacco-boxes; and sat down opposite each other, to chew. In less than a quarter of an hour’s time, these hopeful youths had shed about them on the clean boards, a copious shower of yellow rain; clearing, by that means, a kind of magic circle, within whose limits no intruders dared to come, and which they never failed to refresh and re-refresh before a spot was dry. This being before breakfast, rather disposed me, I confess, to nausea; but looking attentively at one of the expectorators, I plainly saw that he was young in chewing, and felt inwardly uneasy, himself. A glow of delight came over me at this discovery; and as I marked his face turn paler and paler, and saw the ball of tobacco in his left cheek, quiver with his suppressed agony, while yet he spat, and chewed, and spat again, in emulation of his older friend, I could have fallen on his neck and implored him to go on for hours….

The Senate is a dignified and decorous body, and its proceedings are conducted with much gravity and order. Both houses are handsomely carpeted; but the state to which these carpets are reduced by the universal disregard of the spittoon with which every honourable member is accommodated, and the extraordinary improvements on the pattern which are squirted and dabbled upon it in every direction, do not admit of being described. I will merely observe, that I strongly recommend all strangers not to look at the floor; and if they happen to drop anything, though it be their purse, not to pick it up with an ungloved hand on any account.

It is somewhat remarkable too, at first, to say the least, to see so many honourable members with swelled faces; and it is scarcely less remarkable to discover that this appearance is caused by the quantity of tobacco they contrive to stow within the hollow of the cheek. It is strange enough too, to see an honourable gentleman leaning back in his tilted chair with his legs on the desk before him, shaping a convenient ‘plug’ with his penknife, and when it is quite ready for use, shooting the old one from his mouth, as from a pop-gun, and clapping the new one in its place.

I was surprised to observe that even steady old chewers of great experience, are not always good marksmen, which has rather inclined me to doubt that general proficiency with the rifle, of which we have heard so much in England. Several gentlemen called upon me who, in the course of conversation, frequently missed the spittoon at five paces; and one (but he was certainly short-sighted) mistook the closed sash for the open window, at three. On another occasion, when I dined out, and was sitting with two ladies and some gentlemen round a fire before dinner, one of the company fell short of the fireplace, six distinct times. I am disposed to think, however, that this was occasioned by his not aiming at that object; as there was a white marble hearth before the fender, which was more convenient, and may have suited his purpose better. (1)

I remember when I first read this I was simply amazed that such a dirty and disgusting habit could have been so widespread and socially acceptable.  It gave me a deeper sense of what a revolutionary concept it would be for our church members in that time to learn that tobacco was not for the body or the belly.   I had an instant appreciation for the messes that we don’t have to clean up now that this is no longer a common practice in our society.  And too, a look at some pictures of decayed and rotting mouths of teeth caused by frequent tobacco chewing caused me to appreciate the greatly increased health we enjoy now.

As I was working on this post, I started to wonder at what point in our history people decided that spitting tobacco was bad.  Michael Pekker had a bit of insight on his blog about smoking tobacco.

When the germ theory was proven in the late 19^th century, public reform efforts began targeting unsanitary practices, such as spitting, which could spread disease.  Public opinion turned against spitting tobacco, and laws were framed that made spitting unlawful in public places.  (2)

Might we have spiritual habits that are just as ugly and unhealthy which we wouldn’t see without an outsider telling us how gross they are?

Sources

(1)  (Charles Dickens, American Notes, chapter 8) [http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/americannotes/9/]

(2)  Michael Pekker, “Chewing Tobacco: History, Specifics, and Health Effects”, http://smoking-tobacco.blogspot.com/2011/05/chewing-tobacco-history-specifics-and.html

How I gained my testimony of the law of tithing

I want to share this story from my life with you.

First, I have to say that my parents taught me about paying tithing, and I grew up paying it without any question. 10% right off the top.

When I started going to college at BYU, I found that it was necessary for me to earn a certain amount every summer in order to have enough for the rest of the school year. That’s when it started to feel a little more difficult to pay tithing. I would look at the amount I was writing for a tithing check, and somehow it seemed large to me, and I would resent it just a little bit.

My second summer home from BYU, I heard of another guy in the ward who had paid all his paychecks as tithing at the beginning until it reached 10% of the full sum he needed and how he was blessed to make enough money for college. I decided I wanted to do that to bind the Lord to bless me with the money I needed for college.

I got a part time job as a telemarketer at the beginning of that summer. (This was back when telemarketers still sold things.) That job was really hard for me, especially because I had to try to convince people to take out a second mortgage. (More debt, bad!) It was also especially hard to pay my entire paychecks as tithing. I remember crying a few times as I was filling out the tithing slip. But I had faith that Heavenly Father would bless me.

Then, I lost my telemarketing job. On one hand, I was happy about that because I didn’t like telemarketing to try to get people to go deeper into debt. On the other hand, I was sad because it meant I had to go on the job search AGAIN. Deep down, I didn’t worry at all because I had paid all the tithing for the sum I needed for college, so Heavenly Father was now BOUND to bless me. The iron had entered my soul. I sensed that there was a better job out there for me.

There was. With a job application miraculously pulled from the trash, I became one of two candidates for a job with a mosquito abatement company. They chose me. All of a sudden, I had a job counting dead mosquitoes and treating standing water for mosquito larvae. The amount of work I had depended upon how bad the mosquitoes were and how much standing water there was for mosquitoes to breed in. In turn, the amount of mosquitoes depended upon high temperature and lots of rain. That summer became a very hot and rainy summer. The mosquitoes were so terrible, my hometown used up all of that year’s mosquito abatement budget and had to use part of the next year’s mosquito abatement budget to pay for mosquito abatement services.

At the end of the summer, I didn’t have all the money I needed for the school year, but I still wasn’t worried because I knew that Heavenly Father was bound to bless me. While I was at BYU, I was prompted to get an on-campus job. I picked out a job at an electronics parts storeroom, which I felt qualified for and applied. They didn’t hire me, but as I left, I felt prompted to go back and ask if they knew anyone else who might need me. They directed me to a different electronics storeroom on campus. The second storeroom didn’t need employees at the moment, but they took my name and number. After that, I didn’t feel any extra urgency to apply for jobs. Near the beginning of winter semester, I got a call from the second storeroom with an offer of a job to work there. I took the job and thereby earned the rest of the money I needed.

When I looked back at the end of the year, I could see how the Lord had blessed me with what I needed, and I had a strong testimony of the law of tithing. But that wasn’t the end of it. A few years later, I could look back and see that not only had the Lord blessed me with the money I needed, He led me to a job where I met my future husband. Every time I think of this experience, I am always flabbergasted by the immensity of this blessing the Lord poured out upon me. I feel like what I did was so small in comparison, even though it was an extra trial of faith for me. I learned that sacrifice does bring forth the blessings of heaven.

Will you share with me how you gained your testimony of the law of tithing?

What are dead works?

I was reading section 22 of the Doctrine & Covenants and I ran across that term “dead works”.

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Manchester, New York, April 1830. HC 1: 79–80. This revelation was given to the Church in consequence of some who had previously been baptized desiring to unite with the Church without rebaptism.

1 Behold, I say unto you that all old covenants have I caused to be done away in this thing; and this is a new and an everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning.
2 Wherefore, although a man should be baptized an hundred times it availeth him nothing, for you cannot enter in at the strait gate by the law of Moses, neither by your dead works.
3 For it is because of your dead works that I have caused this last covenant and this church to be built up unto me, even as in days of old.
4 Wherefore, enter ye in at the gate, as I have commanded, and seek not to counsel your God. Amen. (D&C 22:1-4)

The term that interested me was “dead works”. The general gist that I get from this chapter is that temporary rules (like the Law of Moses) are dead works, whereas the more ancient works are more enduring.

I decided I wanted to learn more about what “dead works” meant. So I went to the index and the topical guide to see if I could get some perspective. Here are some scriptures I found:

22 For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law. For the power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing—
23 But it is mockery before God, denying the mercies of Christ, and the power of his Holy Spirit, and putting trust in dead works. (Moroni 8:22-23)

This suggests that dead works are those that are done upon those who don’t need it. Mormon’s letter to Moroni names little children and those without the law as those who don’t need baptism. They simply don’t know enough to be accountable. Another example of dead works would probably be duplications of vicarious temple ordinances.

27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. (John 6:27-29)

This suggests that live works are strongly coupled with belief in Christ and that dead works are those that are dissociated from Christ or done without belief in Christ.

10 And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it.
11 But if it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence there is no return. (3 Nephi 27:10-11)

This suggests to me that dead works tend to spiritual death, which makes them the works of men or the devil. On the positive end, I think there is a thought that is very significant—“[if] the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it.” This indicates that live works are actually the Father’s works—what He would do if He were doing it. It could mean that the church is given examples to follow from the Father and it could mean that the live works act as signs as well.

The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin. (Proverbs 10:16)

This shows us that live works bring us closer to eternal life (enlarging our souls, enhancing our spirituality), while dead works actually bring with them a tendency towards sin.

24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. (1 Peter 1:24-25)

Even the works of men, well-intentioned as they are, are dead works. If our works are to endure, they must have their foundation in the gospel with the power of the priesthood.

Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy…(2 Nephi 9:51)

This tells us that dead works do not (indeed cannot) satisfy us. (And they certainly don’t satisfy the Lord.) On the other hand, live works will satisfy us, as the rest of the verse says, as shown below:

…come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness. (2 Nephi 9:51)

And again, by way of commandment to the church concerning the manner of baptism—All those who [:]
humble themselves before God,
and desire to be baptized,
and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits,
and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins,
and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ,
having a determination to serve him to the end,
and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins,
shall be received by baptism into his church. (D&C 20:37)

Look at the verbs in that list. Humble, desire, come forth, witness, are willing, having a determination, truly manifest. These are the doings of live works preliminary to baptism. And really, they aren’t much different from the live works we should have after baptism as well. Dead works would be the opposite: puffing up, apathy, heart hearts, denying the Spirit, unwillingness, uncommitted, falsely manifesting.

6 For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing.
7 For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness.
8 For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God.
9 And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such. (Moroni 7:6-9)

This tells us that unless real intent is attached to our works, they don’t do us any good, which means they are dead works. I think this was given us so that we can learn to monitor the intentions behind our works and pray for a purer intent if we find ourselves lacking. On the more positive side, when the works are done with real intent we DO profit from them, which I think means that we are sanctified by those works. (For example, when our service is done with real intent, we come out of the temple better people than we were when we went in.)

And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. (Isaiah 32:17)

This shows us that live works are those that give us peace and assurance and that dead works will leave us uncertain.

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14)

This seems to suggest that God will also judge every religious work, whether it was a dead work or a live work.

In summary, it seems that for religious works to be live rather than dead, they have to have these characteristics:

• They are built upon the Lord’s works
• They are according to the Lord’s eternal word
• They are founded on the gospel
• They are done to those that have been given the law and who need it
• They are done with real intent
• They are done with belief in Christ

Live works are promised these blessings:

• The worker is given peace and assurance forever
• The worker is satisfied
• The Lord considers the work righteous
• The worker is sanctified

Coping Techniques for Economic Cycles Planned into the Law of Moses

In modern times economists have noted a cycle that seems to occur every so often, about ever three to five years. There is a boom with prosperity and ready money and plenty of employment and good things, and then soon after there is a bust in which there is a surplus of over-production and then many people lose their jobs as it takes a while for the surplus to be used up. Keep this in mind as you read the following:

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord.
3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;
4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
6 And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee,
7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat. (Leviticus 25:2-7)

20 And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:
21 Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years.
22 And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store. (Leviticus 25: 20-22)

This scripture suggested to me that Heavenly Father was well aware of this cycle and had His own way of handling it and even planned it into the religious observance of His ancient covenant people so that they would think of it not as a bad thing, but as a thing to be planned for and even an opportunity to become closer to the Lord and to increase personal righteousness through exerting faith and demonstrating charity.

I had an interesting realization. We’ve been counseled by the prophets for many many years that we should build up a year’s supply and a financial reserve. It may be that this is not just meant to save us from a sudden cataclysmic event that wipes out farms and transportation systems that bring us our food. It may be that this is how Heavenly Father has provided for us to deal with the boom-bust cycle of the economy so that we can be prepared and not fear during the periodic ups and downs. If we think of it this way, we can see that we need to be saving up and using the boom times to prepare for the bust times that will immediately follow.

Here’s something else I found.

8 ¶ And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.
11 A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.
12 For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.
13 In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession.
14 And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour’s hand, ye shall not oppress one another:
15 According to the number of years after the jubile thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee:
16 According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee.
17 Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the Lord your God.
18 ¶ Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.
19 And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety. (Leviticus 25:8-19)

Not only does it seem that Heavenly Father was aware of economic cycles, but it seems that Heavenly Father was well aware of the tendency for excessive debt to pile up over a few generations and since He is very interested in promoting freedom from bondage of all kinds, He appointed the 49th year as a jubilee with releasing from debts and reverting of lands, giving the downtrodden a fresh start. (There’s more on the specifics of Jubilee in Leviticus 25: 23-55, if you’re curious.)

The Jubilee year was a codified act of slate-clearing to return some equity to the people, since there was a tendency for the poor to get so deep into debt that they couldn’t get out and wealth would become more and more concentrated in the hands of a few. Other ancient nations had the practice of periodically “clearing the slate”, but it was usually at the whim of the ruler. The innovation of the Law of Moses to codify the slate clearing was that it could be planned for and anticipated, thereby being fair to both creditors and debtors. It was highly practical, not utopic.

The promise that the Lord gave for living the law of the Sabbath year and the Jubilee year was:

• the people would dwell in the land safely,
• the land would yield her fruit, and
• the people would eat their fill.
  

That sounds similar to what we’ve been promised for building a year’s supply of food and a financial reserve, doesn’t it?

The Lord wants us to be free to be HIS servants. We can’t fully serve the Lord if we are in debt or bondage. The intent of all of this is to preserve our self-reliance so that we can serve the Lord freely, rather than be serving our debt.

It’s easy to think that a Jubilee is only something of an ancient practice and hasn’t been done it modern times, but I ran across a paragraph in the booklet “Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” on page 96 that said differently:

On 6 April 1880, Church members celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the organization of the Church. They called it a Jubilee Year, as the ancient Israelites had named every fiftieth year. President Taylor forgave many of the debts owed to the Church by its needy members. The Church also contributed 300 cows and 2,000 sheep to be distributed among its “deserving poor.” The Church’s Relief Society sisters donated almost 35,000 bushels of wheat to those in need. President Taylor also urged Church members to forgive individual debt, especially among the distressed. “It is the time of Jubilee!” he declared. A spirit of forgiveness and joy was strongly felt among the Latter-day Saints.

What do you think? Do you think the Latter-day Saints could do a Jubilee year in the present day?

Nephi Elaborates on Isaiah’s Words about the Precepts of Men

25 Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men—
26 Therefore, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise and learned shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid. (2 Nephi 27:25)

..Yes, we know that the Lord will do a marvelous work and a wonder that causes the wisdom of the learned to perish. But what does this have to do with the precepts of men? What are the precepts of men?

In trying to get my mind around what “precepts” meant, I decided to look in the Topical Guide to see how the scriptures generally used the word. It turned out that it meant commandments and laws. My dictionary widget says it means “a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought”.

Being newly alert to this meaning, I happened to look into the next chapter and right away I noticed the word “precept” was used a lot. (The next chapter contains the well-known “eat-drink-and-be-merry” false doctrine that Nephi skewers with such aplomb.) And that’s when I realized that Nephi was probing into what these false precepts were and dragging them out into the light of day. (And likely he had seen them in his vision of the future as well.)

9 false precepts of men Nephi warns against:

• There is no God today because the Redeemer has done his work and given his power to men. (2 Nephi 28:5)
• Teach with learning; the Holy Ghost doesn’t give utterance. (2 Nephi 28:4)
• Deny the power of God (2 Nephi 28:4)
• Don’t believe stories of miracles because God is not a God of miracles today and he’s already done his work. (2 Nephi 28:6)
• We have the word of God and we don’t need anything more. We have enough. (2 Nephi 28:29)
• All is well in Zion; Zion prospers. (2 Nephi 28:21)
• Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. (2 Nephi 28:7)
• Eat, drink, and be merry, but fear God. He will justify committing a little sin. If we are guilty, God will punish us a little bit and at last we’ll be saved. (2 Nephi 28:8)
• There’s no devil and no hell. (2 Nephi 28:22)

So what happens when denominations don’t believe in the power of God and the Holy Ghost to teach and convince, don’t believe in miracles, don’t believe there will be any more scripture or revelation, think God has already done His work, think everything is just fine, believe its okay to sin, and think there is no devil and no hell? From looking at the list that Nephi cited, it is easy for me to see that they gradually cut themselves off from good, and gradually embrace more and more evil, all while thinking they are doing okay. There’s no direction they can really go but down.

…there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark. (2 Nephi 28:9)

Do we see false precepts today? You bet we do. I recently read a blog entry of a commentator on the economy who maintains the dubious idea that deliberately walking away from one’s upside down mortgage is not a moral issue, thereby implying that a person is justified in not paying the debt they incurred. WHAT!!? What happened to telling people to pay their debts and avoid excessive debt? Another case: we have all heard those who argue that having premarital sex is okay as long as protection is used. WHAT?! What happened to the commandment to be chaste? In ASU’s Career Prep Center on the Polytechnic campus I saw a poster that advocated making sure there is a designated driver when going drinking. WHAT?! Why not say, “Don’t drink”? How about the idea that you have to live together in order to know whether someone would be a compatible spouse? Why don’t they tell people to be more observant when with their dates and talk things over?

So, we see that when the precepts of men are taught, gradually society becomes completely corrupted, thinking that good is evil and evil is good. This means that God has to set things straight again. And you can now see how the restored gospel, when it comes among such corruption meets with a violent reception. “…at that day shall [Satan] rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.” (2 Nephi 28:20)

At best, a corrupt society totally dismisses the commandments of God. “Wo unto them that turn aside the just for a thing of naught and revile against that which is good, and say that it is of no worth!” (2 Nephi 28:16)

11 Yea, they have all gone out of the away; they have become corrupted.
12 Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted… (2 Nephi 28:11-12)

When people take their corrupt ideas and precepts to church, they try to remake the church in the image of those ideas, and that’s how churches become corrupted.

So what happens to a corrupted society? Isaiah has the answer (as quoted by Nephi).

27 And wo unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord! And their works are in the dark; and they say: Who seeth us, and who knoweth us?
And they also say: Surely, your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay.
But behold, I will show unto them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that I know all their works. For shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, he had no understanding?
28 But behold, saith the Lord of Hosts: I will show unto the children of men that it is yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field; and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest. (2 Nephi 27:27-28)

This scripture used to puzzle me, but I’ve started getting some ideas about what it means and why it is said when it is (after the marvelous work and the wonder is declared). Here we see two faults of the corrupt society—they secretly do evil thinking that no one will know it was them, and they also think a certain work (the marvelous work and the wonder) is turning things upside down, but they think it won’t last and things will easily revert to what they were before as easily as soft clay in the hands of the potter can be mashed from the form of a new jar into a lump again. (But this is only because they had turned things upside down and the marvelous work actually puts it all right side up again.) As an example of this, many people thought that killing Joseph Smith would kill Mormonism too and it would all fade away, but they were wrong.

The Lord knows these faults and gives two perfectly matched decrees to address them.

For those who secretly do evil, the Lord will show them that He knows their works. Nephi prophesies this:

16 Wherefore, the things of all nations shall be made known; yea, all things shall be made known unto the children of men.
17 There is nothing which is secret save it shall be revealed; there is no work of darkness save it shall be made manifest in the light; and there is nothing which is sealed upon the earth save it shall be loosed. 2 Nephi 20:16-17)

I think the internet is a manmade way that this prophecy gets fulfilled, but I think also that the Spirit can inform of secret things that couldn’t be known otherwise. An example of this is in the Book of Mormon when the prophet Nephi (in Helaman) learns through the spirit of prophecy about the murder of the chief judge. Not only does he learn it happened, he learns who did it, he learns why, he learns the relationship of the murderer to the murdered, and he learns that they were both affiliated with Gadianton robbers.

All of this is meant to teach that the Lord knows about those secret and evil works and that He doesn’t approve.

For the people who think the marvelous work and wonder is turning everything upside down, the Lord makes an interesting analogy. He says that in just a short period of time,

Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field;
and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest.

Lebanon was a place of great forests in Isaiah’s day, so Isaiah was using Lebanon to represent the idea of forest.

The forest shall become a fruitful field
And the fruitful field shall be considered a forest.

This used to confuse me; I thought it was talking about a forest turning into a fruitful field then back into a forest again. A while ago I realized that wasn’t it at all. Isaiah is saying that things will switch places. What was a forest, becomes a fruitful field. What previously was a fruitful field becomes less and less fruitful until it has gone wild like a forest.

Further, as I was writing about this, I realized something else; the forest was supposed to represent a natural environment (or the natural man), and the fruitful field was to represent a domesticated environment (or the spiritual man who yields the fruit good works). These are meant to symbolize peoples. In this way, Isaiah tells us that through the Lord’s marvelous work, the people who were previously considered unfruitful, or those people often referred to as “the unchurched”, would become converted, become saints, and begin to bear fruit (good works). On the other hand, those who were previously considered the most fruitful or religiously devout would soon be considered unfruitful in comparison to those who were now truly converted. In essence, the unchurched would learn the true gospel of Christ, become converted, and would overtake and far surpass in spirituality and good works those who had previously been considered religious (but who were really corrupt).

Isaiah continues this thought using other images to convey the idea of turning things upside down (or right side up).

29 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
30 And the meek also shall increase, and their joy shall be in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
31 For assuredly as the Lord liveth they shall see that the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off;
32 And they that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught….
35 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. (2 Nephi 27:29-35)

Did you catch those changes?
Deaf …. hear
Blind …. see, no longer in the dark
Meek …. increase (in Christ)
Poor …. rejoice (in Christ)
Terrible one …. brought to nothing
Scorner …. consumed
Those that watch for iniquity/those that are offended by a technicality/trap setters/those who deny people their rights on the grounds of little technicalities …. cut off (meaning they are excommunicated)
Those that make spiritual mistakes …. come to understand
Murmurers …. learn doctrine

That idea that murmurers will learn doctrine I think refers to those people who are dissatisfied with the false doctrine they have been fed and who murmur against it. (I don’t think it means those who murmur against true doctrine.) Those who are genuinely dissatisfied with false doctrine and want the truth open themselves up to the influence of the Holy Ghost and eventually will learn the truth.

I’ve seen all of this happen. It’s happening now. Do you see it?

Spiritual Foundations of Freedom

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? (John 8:31-33)

26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and call things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. (2 Nephi 2:26-27)

34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
(John 8:34-36)

16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness….
even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness….
22 ….becom[ing] servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (Romans 6:16-19,22)

And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives. (Mosiah 5:8)

Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written. (Ether 2:12)

For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel; (3 Nephi 21:4)

20 And this shall be my covenant with you, ye shall have it for the land of your inheritance, and for the inheritance of your children forever, while the earth shall stand, and ye shall possess it again in eternity, no more to pass away.
21 But, verily I say unto you that in time ye shall have no king nor ruler, for I will be your king and watch over you.
22 Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people, and ye shall have no laws but my laws when I come, for I am your lawgiver, and what can stay my hand? (D&C 38:20-22)

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1)

1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:
2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. (2 Thes. 3:1-2)

(also see Doctrine & Covenants 134 on beliefs regarding earthly governments and laws)

Image: from Bring the heat, Bring the stupid; http://xbradtc.wordpress.com/2009/06/14/happy-birthday/american-flag/

Messing around with the Declaration of Independence

Back in December I watched the movie National Treasure (involving treasure and the Declaration of Independence). After watching, just for grins, I thought I would read over the text of the Declaration.

As I was reading it, I got to the part where the grievances of the American colonies against the British government were specified, and I noticed that quite a few of them seemed to return to the same issues. So I decided to do an experiment. (It’s the kind of experiment that I, a passionately enthusiastic writing tutor, get a kick out of, so be warned.) I cut and pasted the text of that list into a document. I numbered each list item—1,2,3,4,5, etc.—from top to bottom. Then I started grouping similar topics together, moving list items around. Then I arranged the categories in an order that seemed most logical and effective for an argument.

The following the result. The numbers next to each item represents its order in the original Declaration of Independence. The subtitles are mine:

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

LAWS

21 For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

1 He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

2 He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

3 He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

REPRESENTATION

4 He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

5 He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

22 For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

6 He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

JURISDICTION

23 He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

20 For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

13 He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

JUSTICE

8 He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

9 He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

18 For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

19 For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

IMMIGRATION & LAND

7 He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

ECONOMY

16 For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

17 For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

BEAUROCRACY

10 He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

MILITARY & WARFARE

27 He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

11 He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

14 For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

25 He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

24 He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

12 He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

15 For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

26 He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

FINALE

28 In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Me again. Look how the order that I put them in is so different from the numbers on the side that indicate the order they are actually in the original!

When I look at this list and see how changing the order seemed to bring it much better into focus, I can’t help but realize how much stronger the Declaration of Independence would have been if Thomas Jefferson had been able to use a word processor. But even without it, the Declaration of Independence is still strong. It really gives you a sense of what difficulties and oppressions the American colonies labored under, doesn’t it?

Image: retrieved from www.history.com/minisites/declaration.

Why an organized religion? (part 1) On Order

Recently I was talking with a good friend who expressed her dislike for organized religion. If I understood her sentiments correctly, her dislike arose from the idea of having anyone tell her what to do. She said that if other people needed churches to help them be moral, then that was fine, but she could be spiritual on her own.

For the record, I want to make it clear that I was not offended. Rather, I felt a measure of concern.

Having been part of an organized religion (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) for my whole life, and having enjoyed the benefits of it, I felt that perhaps there are some misunderstandings out there about the purposes and methods of organized religion. People have questions about why there is a need for groups to gather together to worship, when worship is such a personal thing between an individual and God. People wonder why there is a need for an authority figure, and wonder just how much power the authority figure has or should have over the group. America has such a tradition of individual liberty with balance of power and government of the people by the people for the people that an unopposed authority figure seems undemocratic somehow.

In hopes that I can iron out some of these misunderstandings and answer some of these questions, I am going to embark upon a series that examines the underlying principles of my church’s organization (since it is the one I know the most about) with the help of modern scripture.

It seems to me that the first principle and reason for organized religion is that the Lord Himself is a God of order.

8 Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.
9 Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord, that is not made in my name?
10 Or will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed?
11 And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained unto you, before the world was?
12 I am the Lord thy God; and I give unto you this commandment—that no man shall come unto the Father but by me or by my word, which is my law, saith the Lord.
13 And everything that is in the world, whether it be ordained of men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, or things of name, whatsoever they may be, that are not by me or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead, neither in nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord your God. (Doctrine & Covenants 132:8-13)

Imagine the community of heaven, with the innumerable spirits in attendance upon our Heavenly Father. Do they all rush in and crowd about, pushing and shoving, yelling and waving their arms to catch His attention? Would this be heaven? No, it would be a madhouse. So we must envision people acting orderly and quietly, with reverent dignity. As God loves all His children the same, He wants to give each His attention, so He establishes rules by which His children can come to Him with assurance of His approval. (“I give unto you this commandment—that no man shall come unto the Father but by me or by my word, which is my law, saith the Lord”) This principle is the same on earth too. Our church is supposed to be an extension of heaven’s order. No one comes to Heavenly Father except through Jesus Christ and His word.

If something is to be done in an orderly manner, you must first know what is to be done, and then you must know the orderly way to do it.

There are a lot of people that think that they can serve God any old way and He’ll approve. They think that God doesn’t have an opinion or a preference about it, least of all any specific requirements. The scripture above seems to make it clear that God actually does have a very strong idea of what He wants us to do, and since He is God, and God is holy, we can be assured that what He wants is the right thing. He has such a strong opinion about it that He won’t accept anything except what He asks for. (“will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed?”) The things He asks for He gives as laws, or commandments.

Knowing that order and organization is an integral part of heaven and not just for earth life helps us reconcile ourselves to the prospect of adding order and law and organization to our lives. Organizing in the Lord’s way on the earth means that when we get to heaven and join that society of angels we will be perfectly familiar and comfortable with the way things are done.

Some thoughts on law and light

Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people. (Isaiah 51:4)

Here we see that when we are looking for enlightenment and guidance, the law of God is the light we need. I’ve found this to be true. In my school studies, I find that my understanding is always enriched and deepened when I use my gospel knowledge as a sort of touchstone and a way to quickly associate new ideas to absorb them faster. Not only that, but I found that my physics and chemistry classes could bring new insights to gospel truth I already had.

Ultimately, Christ is the light of the world. (see D&C 6:21)

In the following verses, Nephi quotes Isaiah.

10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light?
11 Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow. (2 Nephi 7:10-11)

I see verse 10 as more of a rhetorical question. “Is there any of you who fear God and obey the prophet and still don’t know what you should do?” (No one should answer.) Trusting the Lord and obeying the law of the Lord will give us plenty of guidance.

Isaiah knows that there are still people who will reject the law of God because they don’t want to be guided by it. They want to make their own rules. He likens this to someone who rejects the light of the sun and instead walks around with a flint and steel, banging them together and trying to see where they are going by the light of the brief sparks that come out. Isaiah tells them to go ahead and do that, but he warns them that result will be that they lie down in sorrow. (He may mean that they will lie down with regrets in their beds at the end of the day, or he may mean that they will lie down in their graves with regrets at the end of their lives. Or he may mean both.)

34 And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same.
35 That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice, nor judgment. Therefore, they must remain filthy still.
36 All kingdoms have a law given; (Doctrine 88:34-36)

There's no way of getting away from the law; there are rules everywhere we go, and in the afterlife there are house rules for each mansion the Lord prepares. Even mercy has limits and bounds that can't be messed with. God can't be fooled or manipulated and He knows when we're sincere and when we're not.

Another thought suggested to me by this scripture was that since we are commanded to believe in Christ and repent of our sins and be baptized, those are also laws.

One thing I know about the grace of Christ is that it empowers us to keep the law. On our own we could not do it, but when our heart has been changed, we find we want to keep the law, and grace strengthens us to do it. We still make mistakes and suffer all kinds of human frailties and weaknesses, but the opportunity to repent is still there and then grace is there for us.

If we thought that only belief is necessary for salvation, if we thought that once we confess Jesus is our Savior we have no need to do anything else, if we thought we don't have to worry about obeying ordinances or commandments we are indulging in a worrisome self-sabotage.

And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers. (Doctrine & Covenants 93:39)

Just how important is it to obtain and hang onto light and truth?

And every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation. (D&C 93:32)

Behold, here is the agency of man [meaning the ability to make a choice], and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light. (D&C 93: 31, square brackets are mine)

And further, one of the reasons for giving specific commandments about how to worship:

I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness. (D&C 93:19)

If we don't know who we are worshipping, we may be barking up the wrong tree. Knowing who is more than just knowing the name of the person, it is having a correct idea of their nature and characteristics.

If we don't know how to worship, we may find ourselves not pleasing the Being we worship as much as we could. Or even worse, we may find that we are not pleasing our God at all. We may find that when we say "Lord, Lord.." He says, "Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity!"

27 And no man receiveth a fullness unless he keepeth his commandments.
28 He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things. (D&C 93:27-28)

Believing and confessing Christ indeed brings a portion of light and truth, but keeping the commandments to repent, be baptized, and endure to the end will gradually bring the fullness.

The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth. (D&C 93:36)

Keeping the commandments of God actually makes us smarter and allows us to partake of God's glory. On the other hand, breaking the commandments makes us stupid and cheats us of the opportunity to become like God.

(Image credit - eJournalUSA, "Landmark Decisions", http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itdhr/0405/ijde/decisions.htm)

What does Isaiah say about nations in the Millennium?

So shall he sprinkle many nations;
the kings shall shut their mouths at him:
for that which had not been told them shall they see;
and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
(Isaiah 52:15)

This is a very interesting scripture. The Joseph Smith Translation of this scripture changes the word “sprinkle” to “gather”, so the line becomes “So shall he gather many nations”. Now, on the surface, this scripture seems to talk about the gathering of Israel, and we tend to think that the rest of the verse with it says that kings will be surprised to hear about it this gathering. However, something tells me there is something else. Kings have been given sets of scriptures and they’ve been visited by general authorities and they haven’t heard anything so shocking and inconceivable in these days that they have been rendered absolutely speechless.

In W. Cleon Skousen’s book, Isaiah Speaks to Modern Times, he pointed out that this prophecy was fulfilled in the past when the United States was set up as a free nation. Before then, kings had not considered the idea that they might not have a divine right of kingship or that the people had a right to change a tyrannical government. That was indeed an astounding and revolutionary idea back then. (W. Cleon Skousen, Isaiah Speaks to Modern Times, Salt Lake City: Ensign Publishing, 1984, 653-654.)

I suspect there is even more to come at the Millennium. I think that the news that kings and presidents are going to hear will be something they never thought about before, something that has even huger implications for them than the right of the people to change their government. It would be nothing less than the right of God to abolish nations. I think this scripture is talking about how in the millennium Christ will make a full end of all nations. He will gather all nations in one. There will be no United States, no Canada, no Mexico, no separate countries in North or South America or Europe or Asia or Africa. The whole earth will all be unified as one nation ruled by Christ. (He’s the king of the whole earth, so the whole earth becomes His nation.) No borders or walls, no passports, no visas, no immigration laws, no illegal aliens, no export or import taxes, no tariffs.

This is something that kings and rulers of countries have never thought about. They haven’t thought about what will happen when Christ comes to rule over the earth and what that will mean for their positions. When Christ says the country of England no longer exists as a political entity, that means that Parliament and the Royalty and the courts have been abolished too. When Christ says that the United States has been done away as a political entity, then that means the Supreme Court, Congress, the Presidency, and all the state government offices have all ceased to exist too. Every government will be abolished and Christ will take control himself, erasing borders, and divisions across the globe. “But, verily I say unto you that in time ye shall have no king nor ruler, for I will be your king and watch over you” (Doctrine & Covenants 38:21). The rulers will be told they are no longer in charge and they will become ordinary citizens. They will shut their mouths, because they will realize there is nothing they can say to change it.

The laws are going to be very different, but they will be perfectly familiar to those of us who have kept the commandments. “Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people, and ye shall have no laws but my laws when I come, for I am your lawgiver, and what can stay my hand?” (Doctrine & Covenants 38:22, emphasis added)