God will destroy the wisdom of the wise

18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. (1 Cor. 1:18-29)

Paul recognized that preaching salvation through Christ and the testimony thereof did not fit with the convincing methods of rhetoric and logic of the Greeks in his day. The Greeks required something logical, and the Jews required a convincing miracle (a sign).  All Paul could do was testify and allow the Spirit to work on his hearers.    Naturally, those looking for logic or miracles would not accept that, but those who could recognize the witness of the Spirit and accept it, would be saved.

I love that Paul calls this “the foolishness of God” and “the weakness of God” that is “stronger than men.”  With the Spirit, even the most unlearned could preach the gospel. Which makes it possible for the Lord to use far more people than just the learned. World history has far more ignoramuses than learned people.

Further, Paul points out that not very many wise, learned, mighty, or noble had accepted the gospel. They depended too much on the wisdom of the world, and on their own capabilities to be able to accept the whisperings of the still, small voice. The wise, learned, mighty noble too often have their appearance and reputation to keep up, and they’d have to leave that all behind.  Paul knows what he’s talking about here, since he had been of the most zealous sect of Pharisees before his converting vision. He had to leave that all behind too, and no doubt he noticed how hard it was when he likely tried to get his friends to accept it too.

I love that Paul says, “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.” Doesn’t that give you hope? It does me. It tells me God could work through me or you.  The poster child for foolish things confounding the wise is the story of Joseph Smith, a poor, ignorant, young farm boy who was given a vision of God and Jesus Christ and was given a mission to translate the golden plates.  He had none of the advantages of learning or wealth or connections that one would expect someone called by God would need to have to complete such a mission, and yet he did it with God’s help.

Why does God do this sort of thing?  “That no flesh should glory in his presence.”  It shows us God can do His own work and use even the most ignorant and disadvantaged of us to do the most startling things.

Various scriptures about “inasmuch”

I ran across a verse that had “inasmuch” in it, and it seemed to me that it expressed proportionality—the bigger one thing is, the bigger another thing is.  So I decided to search for scriptures to see how often I could find this and what I could learn from it.

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. (Matt. 25:40)

To the extent we are charitable to the least of humanity, we are charitable to Christ.

…inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. (Phillippians 1:7)

This one is a little tricky to follow, but I think it is staying Paul seems to have noticed that to the extent he was confined but continued to defend and confirm the gospel, he was given grace from God to strengthen others.  That gives some encouragement about our effectiveness for when we feel like we’re hampered by persecution, doesn’t it?

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. (1 Peter 4:13)

So to the extent that we suffer as Christ did, we will be joyful when His glory is revealed. That gives a good reason to be valiant, doesn’t it?

And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands. (1 Nephi 2:20)

So to the extent we keep the commandments, we will prosper. This theme is repeated throughout the Book of Mormon. (1 Nephi 4:14; 2 Ne. 1:9; 2 Ne. 1:20; 2 Ne. 4:4; Jarom 1:9; Alma 9:13; Alma 36:1; Alma 38: 1; Alma 50:20)

And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren. (1 Nephi 2:22)

This was definitely true of Nephi, and it may very well be true in general—to the extent one keeps the commandments, one is made a ruler and a teacher.

And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led. (1 Ne. 17:13)

Maybe we are not seeking out a promised land like Nephi, but it is still true that to the extent that we keep the Lord’s commandments we will be led and we will know we are led by God.

And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. (1 Nephi 2: 21)

To the extent that we rebel, we are cut off from the Lord’s presence.  Pretty simple.

And the Lord God said unto me: They shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in remembrance of me; and inasmuch as they will not remember me, and hearken unto my words, they shall scourge them even unto destruction. (2 Ne 5:25)

So to the extent that we don’t remember God, we will be scourged to destruction. The use of “scourge” here is interesting. A scourge is a whip. It’s not meant to be an execution device, but if it keeps hitting and doesn’t stop, then it becomes one. This scourge is stopped by remembering God and listening to His words. (Oh, look!  Remembering God is part of what we promise to do in the sacrament!)

And it came to pass that they did repent, and inasmuch as they did repent they did begin to prosper. (Helaman 4:15, see also Ether 11:8)

So to the extent that we repent, we prosper.

I’m going to end this post with a triple-packed scripture of inasmuches. 

25 And inasmuch as they erred it might be made known;

26 And inasmuch as they sought wisdom they might be instructed;

27 And inasmuch as they sinned they might be chastened, that they might repent; (D&C 1:25-28)

This tells me I should expect exposure and chastening to the same extent that I err and sin.  There’s fairness in that.  The Lord doesn’t work like the world and overdo it on the chastening. And I love that the Lord tells us that we can be instructed to the extent we seek wisdom.  Doesn’t that just make you want to learn all you can and pray hard for wisdom?

The Cunning Plan of the Evil One

27 But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state!

28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.

29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God. (2 Nephi 27-29)

It’s a well-known scripture, memorized by many seminary students over the years.

Recently I was reading it over, and I noticed some things.

I noticed Jacob observes on the cunning plan of the evil one, but he doesn’t seem to elaborate on what that cunning plan is, but goes on talk about “the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men.”

I realized that we have to infer some things. We have to realize it is the devil who tries to use those things. He also tries to make us think our learning makes us wise enough that we don’t have to listen to the counsels of God.

Learning doesn’t automatically translate into wisdom, as I’m sure many of my readers know. “Learning” in the gospel is like knowing in your head that stealing is a sin, but “wisdom” could be represented as the point where you can realize when you’re being tempted to steal and you can resist it successfully once and for the rest of your life.

Jacob mourns over the vainness, frailties, and foolishness of men. It hit me this time reading that after having had a number of temptations recently targeted specifically at my vanity, frailties, and foolishness.  Satan really does try to use those things against us.

Vainness is our pride.  Because of our divine nature, we know we have the potential to become something so much greater…  But Satan tries to use that against us, twisting it into a desire for ascendency, hostility toward authority, notions that we are better than others.  He tries to use it to destroy any notion that we need to be humble. He wants to keep us from achieving the meekness that we need to turn to Christ, to repent, and to grow, and to learn from anyone else. 

Frailties represent our mortal weaknesses and limitations. We can’t live long without discovering we have these, yet Satan will try to conceal them from us.  Or he will try to make us think that we can’t overcome them, to make them into our prison. Or he will stress us in moments of weakness (hunger, loneliness, fatigue, discomfort) to get us to sin.

Foolishness.  Today we think this means “stupidity,” but it had a different meaning before, evoking the tendency to backslide, to err, to go apostate, to wander from the truth, or even to rebel.  Mormon observed on man’s falseness and unsteadiness, quickness to do iniquity and slowness to do good, how quick to be proud and slow to be humble. (see Helaman 12:1,4-5)  We all have a tendency to wander or divert, which we have to recognize and curtail whenever we notice it starting to take over. Satan tries to use it and exacerbate it.

Our best weapons against vanity, frailty, and foolishness are probably humility, grace, and repentance.

Treasure Up Wisdom to Not Fear

29 Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land.

30 I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear. (D&C 38:29-30)

Apparently the brethren were very much interested in the international situation at the time and speculating about the possibility of foreign wars a bit and praying about it. The Lord warned them that war was in the hearts of men nearby them as well. I think He wanted them to know so that it wouldn’t be so much of a shock when violence and mobbing broke out.

I think there is a principle here that still stands true today. We hear stories of wickedness in faraway places or other towns or other neighborhoods and we tsk-tsk over that, but we don’t know the hearts of people nearby. The same things can happen nearby. If we realize that, we won’t be so shocked when it does happen. A shooting can happen at our schools. Murders and thefts and all kinds of awful crime can happen on our streets. Our families can be affected. Our country can be attacked.  

If we don’t realize this, when it happens it is as the Lord says, --it “shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth.”  It’s worse than an earthquake because it destroys all mental-emotional sense of security and stability.

Realizing it could happen here or close by helps us not fear when it does. Not that we go around expecting awful things to happen, but retaining the sense that the awful can occur prepares us just enough to cope better if it does.

Some bits of wisdom from Ecclesiastes

I was reading through Ecclesiastes and stumbled on some verses that are full of wisdom that is only accessible to those with an eternal perspective. To those who don’t, they probably would just sound messed up.

1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

2 ¶It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. (Ecclesiastes 7:1-5)

How is a good name better than precious ointment?  The precious ointment is nice-smelling and gave people pleasure as they came within the personal space of the wearer. But a good name (or good reputation), assuming it is built upon good works and a righteous life, is spiritually inspiring to others and has the potential to provoke others to imitation. The world needs good influences and great examples.

How is the day of death better than the day of one’s birth? For those of us who are living the gospel and repenting carefully and who know this life is a probationary period, the day of our death is the end of the test of mortality. If we can make it to that day and stay faithful, how happy we will be! Both birth and death are advancements along the continuum of eternal progression, but death is further along.

Why is it better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting? The house of mourning was an expression for a house where there had been a death in the family. The wise realize that eventually everyone will die, and they use this occasion to ponder their own progress in life and whether they are spiritually prepared for their own death. Then they make changes as needed. But no such soul-searching happens at a party.

In what way is sorrow better than laughter? How is the heart made better by sadness of countenance?  Sorrow is usually in response to difficult circumstances—death, disappointment, conflict, rejection, tribulation, frustration, etc.  Sorrow is uncomfortable, and we don’t like to be sad, so for a righteous person, sorrow can lead to soul-searching and pondering what one needs to change in life. So a sad face on a good person is a sign that they are doing or about to do some spiritual change that will make their heart better, i.e. improve their character.

Why would the heart of the wise be in the house of mourning? Again, they are thinking about the end of their life and what they need to do to prepare to meet God. It might also be said they have the house of mourning in them if they try to keep a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Why is it better to hear the rebuke of the wise than the song of fools? The wise are those who are righteous. Listening to their rebuke helps us learn where we need to repent, so even though it might be uncomfortable, humbling ourselves will help us become better. The song of fools, however, has no such spiritual benefit.

Certifying worthiness to go to Zion

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15 Thus it cometh out of the church, for according to the law every man that cometh up to Zion must lay all things before the bishop in Zion.

16 And now, verily I say unto you, that as every elder in this part of the vineyard must give an account of his stewardship unto the bishop in this part of the vineyard—

17 A certificate from the judge or bishop in this part of the vineyard, unto the bishop in Zion, rendereth every man acceptable, and answereth all things, for an inheritance, and to be received as a wise steward and as a faithful laborer;

18 Otherwise he shall not be accepted of the bishop of Zion.

19 And now, verily I say unto you, let every elder who shall give an account unto the bishop of the church in this part of the vineyard be recommended by the church or churches, in which he labors, that he may render himself and his accounts approved in all things….

24 A few words in addition to the laws of the kingdom, respecting the members of the church—they that are appointed by the Holy Spirit to go up unto Zion, and they who are privileged to go up unto Zion—

25 Let them carry up unto the bishop a certificate from three elders of the church, or a certificate from the bishop;

26 Otherwise he who shall go up unto the land of Zion shall not be accounted as a wise steward. This is also an ensample. Amen.  (D&C 72:15-19)

In these verses we are given some of the rules by which people were to go up to Zion. 

1)   Consecration – “every man that cometh up to Zion must lay all things before the bishop in Zion” (v15)

2)   Stewardship and accountability – “every elder in this part of the vineyard must give an account of his stewardship unto the bishop in this part of the vineyard” (v16)

3)   Recommendation by the bishop – “a certificate from the judge or bishop…unto the bishop in Zion, rendereth every man acceptable” (v17)

I think we have a mistaken idea today that anyone could decide to go to Zion and settle. These verses give us a different view. They show us that members had to have a certificate from the bishop to take with them to show the bishop in Zion that they had done what was required.  They had to give an account of their stewardship.  The certificate showed they were good stewards (a faithful laborer and wise with their resources) and they could be given an inheritance.  Everyone going up to Zion had to have that certificate, otherwise they were not to be considered a wise steward.

Once they got to Zion, there would be a stewardship interview right off the bat to assess what the new arrival had in their charge (and probably to determine any additional needs or any surpluses that could be disposed).

So, this meant that Zion was to be a place full of people who had consecrated, who were wise stewards (hard workers and wise managers of resources) and had been certified as such by their bishops. Going to Zion did not happen willy-nilly; in fact, people who tried to move there without the certificate would not be given an inheritance by the bishop. According to D&C 85: 1-5, 9-11 there was to be a history kept of those who received their inheritances and those who “snuck to Zion” were not to be listed in those records.

It is more than likely that when it comes to the point that we are building Zion in Jackson county, Missouri, this same pattern will be used again to determine who will go there.  Temple recommend interviews and tithing settlement interviews give us an idea of what it might be like to receive a Zion recommend. 

We’re pretty comfortable with tithing settlement interviews, and it is pretty easy to declare whether we have been a full-tithe payer or not. It’s kind of a binary thing—either we are or we’re not.  A stewardship interview may be trickier because stewardships can be complex.  It occurs to me that probably the best and easiest tool for demonstrating wise stewardship may be our ability to show that we can make and keep a budget and live within our means…

The Star of Bethlehem: Prophesied of?

In Sunday school a few weeks ago we talked about the story of the wise men seeing the star and coming to Israel from the east.  I love this verse containing their question of Herod:

Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. (Matt 2:2)

This is fascinating because it implies these wise men 1) have been watching the skies and know the stars well, 2) they know when an unusual star appears, 3) they know what the new star means, 4) they know generally where to go to find this king of the Jews and they seem to think everyone in Israel (most especially the current king) should know all about it and be able to give directions.

In Sunday school, someone mentioned that this prophecy of the star isn’t in our scriptures.  This intrigued me, so I went looking. 

And actually…

It is there, in a place totally unexpected.  Would you believe the prophet Balaam?

15 ¶And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:

16 He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. (Numbers 24: 15-17)

It is interesting that this prophecy doesn’t seem to speak literally; rather it uses parallelism to communicate that the Messiah would be a great light and ruler, and it combines in second coming prophecy of the destruction of the wicked.  But it was also literally fulfilled, as a star did arise.

Also, you can see why Herod would be worried.  If the wise men quoted the prophecy to him with its context, he would be concerned about the bits telling about smiting and destroying and ruling because not only would he feel in the way, but he’d worry about the plunging of his kingdom into war with its neighbors, which is also implied.

Now, we don’t know if this was the only scriptural reference to the star that the wise men had.  They may have had other scriptures we know nothing about.  They may have had angelic visitors telling them to watch for that sign, much as the shepherds had an angelic visitor telling them to look for a baby in swaddling clothes in a manger, or as Samuel the Lamanite had an angel tell him to look for the day and the night and a day with no night and a new star.

However, if all they had was that one reference in Numbers, then part of what made them so wise was their belief in what this prophet said, to the extent that they watched and studied the skies.  Part of their wisdom (which looks a lot like the spirit of prophecy) lay in being able to truly discern a literal prophecy in what looks very much like symbolic figurative language.

God’s wisdom versus the world’s wisdom

Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the way he spoke to them and it is interesting to see how aware he is of the process.

4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.  (1 Cor. 2: 4-5)

Paul’s initial preaching was all of Christ, using testimony so that the Spirit could testify.  This meant that the people’s conversion and faith would be spiritually based rather than based on rhetoric.

Once conversion takes place, whoever, Paul’s preaching gains something more--

6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:  (1 Cor. 2:6-7)

Conversion by the Spirit gives us access to hidden wisdom that comes from God, which Paul calls “the wisdom of God in a mystery.”

Paul says this is spoken among them that are “perfect,” but I don’t think he means “flawless,” but instead “whole and complete.”

This kind of wisdom is hard to grasp by a carnal mind and seems foolish, but it makes sense for those prepared for it.

In this context, Paul gives a description of this hidden wisdom--

9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.  (1 Cor. 2:9-10)

We usually think of v9 as referring to the glory of the celestial kingdom, but in the context of Paul’s discourse we also see it refers to the wisdom from God that we gain after conversion.  It would be a shame if we were to cease to learn from the Spirit and to cease to search all things.

One of the things these verses explain is why certain principles of truth can seem so obvious to members of the church and yet the rest of the world seems completely oblivious to it, and if they are informed of it, they think it silly or they are threatened by it.

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Cor. 2:13)

How many principles are founded in the wisdom of God!  Chastity.  Fidelity.  Sacrifice.  Obedience to prophets.  Continuing revelation.  Priesthood authority.  Eternal families.  Vicarious ordinance work for the dead.  I could go on and on.  You can’t justify these adequately using only man’s wisdom because man’s wisdom only deals with mortal life and temporal consequences, whereas the full consequences of these principles stretch into the eternities, which fallen man knows nothing about.  (Also, we’ve been told that this life is a time of probation, so consequences are delayed in order for us to practice living by faith.)  In order to grasp them, you have to start with faith in Christ as the Savior. 

Wisdom in the Sight of the Nations

 This is part of some talks Moses gave to the Israelites before he was to be translated.  I ran across these verses and liked them:

5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.

 6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.

 7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?

 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;

(Deuteronomy 4:5-9)

I really love that it says keeping the commandments is our wisdom and understanding in the sight of the nations.  It tells us it is possible for other people to understand the wisdom in the commandments, how following them really does make life better.  (The caveat is that those nations have to be honest in heart..)

Interestingly enough, this also implies missionary work.  Other nations will not be impressed with the wisdom of the commandments unless they have them explained to them, and they won’t have them explained unless we talk about the commandments.  And the best time to talk about them is when we are about to do them.  By expressing our joyful anticipation of fulfilling commandments, we may elicit questions from others, which we can answer with explanations, doctrine, testimony, and invitation to experiment upon the word.

When the commandments are explained, the honest in heart can see that they are head and shoulders above the laws of men.  (Just as a single example, Welfare Square in Salt Lake City routinely impresses visiting dignitaries who have the church’s welfare program explained to them.  Explaining that program touches on principles and commandments of tithing, fast offerings, work, and self-reliance, etc.)

I also like this bit—“For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?”   Consider all the ways that we can have God so close to us.  1) Receiving answers to prayers 2) Coming into the presence of God in the temple, which is the house of the Lord 3) Having the gift of the Holy Ghost whereby we can have a member of the Godhead with us always. 

We are soooo blessed!

Things that Helped Me Stay Chaste When I Was a Teen

The Redheaded Hostess has a post called “Teaching Chastity and Virtue Part 1: How to Approach the Subject”, which got me thinking about the bits and pieces of principles I learned as a teen that increased both my desire and my ability to remain chaste.  I also started thinking about the different factors that intersected—people and circumstances—that helped me stay safe.

Understanding the plan of salvation.  This was HUGE.  It is hard for me to point to all the ways that it influenced my thought process and my decision-making as a teen because it ran subtly through everything in one way or another.  It was a very important foundation to have during all the excitement of crushes and relationships and flirting..

When we’re young we are anxious to form relationships to know that we are desirable and can become close with someone.  We want to learn what our power of attraction is.  Having the goal of the celestial kingdom helped me keep my vision from being too trapped in the moment.  Rather than getting too serious about early relationships, I subconsciously evaluated them according to whether they would lead to the temple.   Dating a nonmember wasn’t going to lead there unless the guy converted, so when he chose not to listen further to doctrines of the Restoration, I knew the relationship should not go very far and I learned to hold back and keep it lighter.   Knowing the plan of salvation led me to become willing to make sacrifices in order to reach higher.  Ultimately, I was able to leave two relationships because I had the courage to act on the conviction that those guys weren’t good for me.

Saving the dates for after age 16.  Looking back, I can see this was very helpful.  It didn’t stop me from having crushes. (Heck, I had crushes from when I was 5 years old!) But I think if it weren’t for these standards, I would have felt like I had to get in a relationship and that I had to do anything to keep it.

Long distance relationships.  When the boyfriend lived over 50 miles away, there were fewer opportunities to get into trouble.  Of course, the times when he visited had its own brand of peril because giddiness about seeing him conflicted with the principle of caution.  (It is giddiness when you start to think that rules don't matter and aren't needed because surely nothing bad is going to happen..) This is where the structure of the dates became very important

Structuring the dates right.  Again, I was giddy when I got to be with my date/boyfriend.  My mom insisted on structuring our dates such that they occurred with friends and at least one adult.  If friends weren’t available, then meeting in public among crowds of people was advised.  (Yes, chaperones are a true principle.)  I learned other wise principles for good date structure—doing things rather than just sitting, talking instead of touching, avoiding late dates.  In college I learned to self-advocate to build some of these structures into my dates. 

Good friends.  My friends had good dating standards.  We supported each other in them. 

Paul’s Passion Profile.  One particular EFY class on dating and chastity stayed with me.  The teacher drew this diagram—named alliteratively after himself—on the board for us that looked like a rounded hill.  He put hash marks on the upward slope and labeled them “arm around, holding hands, hugging, kissing” and then the opposite downward slope he labeled “French kissing, touching private parts, sex.”  He told us that when you’re doing the stuff on upward slope it isn’t too hard to stop, but if you reach a point where you are doing stuff on the downward slope, your hormones get all revved up and it gets very hard to stop.  He counseled us to stay away from the stuff on the downward slope.

It was not the only thing he said, but this particular thing helped me because it made me aware that physical touch (often called “public display of affection, or PDA) in a relationship has a pull with momentum toward sexual intimacy.   It taught me that certain kinds of touching have more momentum than other kinds, and if I wanted to stay chaste, then it would be very wise for me to stay away from the dangerous kinds.  

I still marvel at the incredible practically of this bit of wisdom.  I’m so grateful I didn’t have to learn this by sad experience.

Avoiding the “special” trap.  I remember hearing that there is a tendency to add some additional PDA in order to prove to the partner the relationship was special.  I remember thinking to myself, “If someone believes they have to add more PDA to the current relationship to prove it is more special than the last relationship, then it won’t take too many relationships before they have broken the law of chastity.”  I decided I had to be careful, no matter how many relationships I might find myself in.  A relationship isn't special until it becomes marriage.

Avoiding even small regrets.  I’m not sure where I learned this, but I remember hearing that people who gave out their PDA too freely eventually regretted what they had done in their previous relationships when they moved on to a new one.  I found this to be true for me too, even when I carefully limited the types of PDA I gave and how much.  Eventually, while in college, I decided I had had enough of that regret, and I decided I wasn’t going to do PDA at all.  And a very interesting thing happened.  I found the scripture “bridle all your passions that you may be filled with love” was absolutely true.  When I restrained myself, I felt much more affection.  I made much better friendships with guys and I remember those relationships with far greater fondness than the others.  I found that by avoiding PDA I developed new skills of expressing attachment without touching. 

Avoiding PDA is not a popular choice today.  In fact, our culture emphasizes and glorifies the giving and receiving of PDA.  If I could give any bit of advice to teens, I would say, learn how to show affection without touching.  Then, by the time you marry, you will have accumulated many ways to say, "I love you" and keep the relationship strong.

In which I ask speculative questions about intelligence, light, and truth

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

Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be. (D&C 93:29)

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; (Abraham 3:22)

I think that when “intelligence” is defined as “light and truth,” we are actually given a fair amount of information.  It is almost as if it has a dual nature.  Think about the dual nature of light.  Is it a wave?  Is it a particle?  It acts like both, depending on the situation.  Might intelligence act like light or like truth, depending on the situation?  I have no idea.

Light has energy.   What generates this light?  

And then the “truth” part of it.  Does that mean that there is some kind of encoding and storing of information going on intelligence?  And if so, does that mean there’s some kind of inherent sensory aspect?  Does that mean there is a discernment aspect too? If truth is knowledge of what is, was, and what will be, how does it know it is eternal and not temporary?  That's like saying truth is history and prophesy all rolled into one.

Is truth the message or is it the vessel holding truth?  Or is light the vessel that holds truth?  How do light and truth become connected?  Or are they inseparably connected already?

D&C 130 talks about how intelligence is increased through diligence and obedience.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. (D&C 130:19) 

 Whatever the exact connective nature of light and truth in intelligence, we are clearly told how to get more.  More is good.

Inevitably the question will be asked, “What good is this stuff Joseph Smith gave us about intelligence, light, and truth?  I think the basic principles of intelligence can keep us grounded in the midst of dialogues about philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, and other stuff that has to do with brains and being smart.  It helps us see beyond the mortal chemical imbalances, genetic defects, developmental delays, and other such problems into the divine potential within.

That compass yourselves about with sparks

When I was looking at my blog’s analytics recently to see what kind of search terms were used to find my blog, I noticed that one search term used was “that compass yourselves about with sparks, meaning, Isaiah.”  

I can totally understand why someone would search for an explanation for that line of Isaiah.  It took me a lot of thought to figure out what was meant by that imagery and what gospel lesson it was teaching.  That image of someone surrounding themselves with sparks is the negative side of a contrast that Isaiah is trying to set up in these verses:

10 ¶Who is among you that feareth the Lord,

that obeyeth the voice of his servant,

that walketh in darkness, and hath no light?

let him trust in the name of the Lord,

and stay upon his God.

11 Behold, all ye that kindle a fire,

that compass yourselves about with sparks:

walk in the light of your fire,

and in the sparks that ye have kindled.

This shall ye have of mine hand;

ye shall lie down in sorrow.

(Isaiah 50:10-11)

Verse 10 is the positive side of the contrast (those who fear the Lord) and verse 11 is the negative side (those who don't fear the Lord)

In verse 10, Isaiah asks a rhetorical question—“Who among you that fears the Lord and obeys his servants (the prophets) walks without light?”  It is sort of a loaded question because for those of us who follow the Lord and listen to the prophets, there should be plenty of gospel light in our lives showing us what we should do.  It is like walking in the day in the light of the sun/Son.

But of course, it isn’t always that simple.  Sometimes there are very dark times in our lives even with that prophecy and revelation.  To those of us who are in this situation, Isaiah says, “let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay (depend) upon God.”  We have to get through those dark times by trusting the Lord.

How about verse 11?  If gospel light comes from above as revelation, what then is meant by kindling a fire?   It means to manufacture our own way to see by, to make our own rules to live by, instead of trying to live by God’s commandments.  (This is the creation of worldly principles, which are not nearly so bright.)  And compassing ourselves about with sparks?   “Compassing [oneself] about with sparks” describes a person with flint and steel in hand, banging those fire-producing materials together and trying to see where to go in the very brief light that is produced by the little flashes of sparks.  They bang that flint and steel all around them to try to see where they are.  That is kind of like trying to use debate to find the true path.  In debate, you collide two viewpoints together in hope that some light will be generated about what the truth is. 

But what is the end result?  “Ye shall lie down in sorrow.”  At the end of their lives, those who have lived by worldly principles will lie down to their graves with regrets.  They will also lie down in sorrow at the end of the day without the hope of Christ.

I like these verses because they show that even in dark times, people who trust the Lord have more light in their lives than people who depend on worldly wisdom.