The post “What would a MormonInsider Say About…“  responded in part to Leah's questions. This post continues with some more parts.

I met him when I was in his city on business and later attended a meeting with several Latter-day Saint young single adults. He had a boy-next-door-grown-into-a-studly-man charm about him. He was spiritual, kindly, thoughtful, and brilliantly innovative. Did I mention he was also easy on the eyes? We'd been in touch a few times before my flight was laying over in his city and he picked me up from the airport.

I had called him about meeting during my 4 hr long layover. He didn't know I was flying stand-by on my brother's flight benefits, which meant I hadn't booked my flight before I talked to him. He didn't know if he wasn't able to meet me, I would have taken the earlier flight, leaving enough of an evening to enjoy the company of friends in my ward back in Washington, D.C..  It was my idea to hang out in the terminal. He had a better one. We hiked to a point that overlooked the city.

I was totally digging him. It would have been the beginning of a beautiful story if only he was interested in me, but he was not responsive to my shameless flirting. (I'm not of the camp who think men are stupid.)

While descending the hike, he was going on about being thirty-something and still unmarried. He said he must be doing something wrong because he's been sincerely praying about it for years and it escaped him. "Can't you see that I'M the answer to your prayers?" was the thought that crossed my mind. I looked away to broadly grin at my private joke.

I could have been an answer to his prayers, if he wanted me to be.

Leah asks about recognizing answers to prayers. How do you know they're not just coincidences? What about unanswered prayers and why does God seem to answer yes to frivolous occasions and fail to come through when it really counts?

All good questions.

The truth is, if handsome/charming guy ended up liking me, I probably would have attributed it to being the answer to his prayers and him to mine. I never would have considered it a result of my self-interest and/or biological factors; I really would have enjoyed kissing him. (I'd have to be his girlfriend, of course. I'm not the non-committal make-out type. But, you guessed that already.)

Usually when things happen in our favor, it's really easy to attribute it to God. For example, after a tornado, when one house is standing and the one next to it is demolished, someone could say God protected it. So how do you know it was really Him and not just chance, luck or nature's course simply unfolding?

Leah posed her questions on my claim of receiving answers to prayers on this post where I was describing the truth discovery process by the Holy Spirit. To be honest, I don't know if it's an answer to prayer unless the Spirit confirms it. And the Spirit doesn't confirm things to me as often as I'd like because it requires effort to take the mental action otherwise known as exercise of faith.  It requires diligent pondering, remembering past witnesses and deciding to trust that God will continue His pattern of communication that I've already experienced. By the phrase confirmation of the Spirit, I mean that my mind his enlightened with a simultaneous impression on my heart that I am able to conclude in the moment with certainty that it's not my imagination, but the Holy Ghost. Don't get me wrong, I'm quite diligent in seeking the Spirit, but only the most important things get the required attention.

In the post "My Current Explanation of Life's Purpose," I described how sometimes I feel like God leaves me alone, even when I remain diligent in seeking Him. I believe that the times of greatest growth in faith, for me at least, have come when I feel I'm not being heard. In those times, I look back, remembering past witnesses and decide to remain faithful to what has already been made known to me when I could very easily walk away. So, perhaps those unanswered prayers are purposeful in how God shapes me into who He knows I can become.

Without the Spirit's confirmation, I don't know for sure that it was God. I just infer it.

Without the Spirit's confirmation, I can't say that I know it was God and not chance. Usually, if something happens for which I have been praying, I simply infer it was God; I don't know for sure.

Here's an example.

With the recent downturn in the economy, the leadership of the nonprofit I'm with decided to focus all resources on the core mission. My position applies to the core mission's expansion. They cut me back from full time to part time, which does not cover my living expenses (gone are the days of BYU housing rent at less than $300 monthly). The break was nice for a while so I could breathe and sleep because working full time and going to school at night is very difficult. To cover my expenses, I started using more student loans than I originally planned when I began my master's program.

Several things weighed on my mind. I'm committed to "provident living" as it's known the Church, meaning that I should live within my means and only go into debt for education, a modest home and I can't remember the other one right now. Though my debt was to further my education, not all of it was necessary and therefore contrary to this principle. Also, I purposefully decided not to pursue a law degree and pursue a liberal studies degree.  I won't be qualified to work in a particular trade when I finish my program.  I chose enriching coursework with an end that requires me to forge my own way to form the unique career path that I envision. This was a relatively safe decision when I was employed in a job I loved.  It wasn't looking so hot once my circumstances changed. Lastly, the unemployment rate is over 10% nationwide. I often considered how if I continued living in part off the student loans in addition to the tuition loans, I could finish my program and have to start waiting tables to meet the demands of paying them back. Sheesh. Being an adult is the pits sometimes.

I wanted a new job in my field, but it is really small and specified and I prepared myself to have to take a detour job to pay the bills, if I could even find that. I started praying that I could find a new job in my field and began networking with the organizations whose work I admire.  Many of them operate partially off government grants and with the current tenor of Congress and its deficit decreasing efforts, the story was the same at all those I approached. They'd love to have me, but they have no funding for me and I could volunteer.  I did do some volunteer projects here and there while I continued networking. Unfortunately, I can't eat off goodwill. For the summer, I picked up a full time temp job in addition to the part time job with the nonprofit while taking summer school and I continued networking. It was going to be tight for a while, but hey, girl's gotta do what she can.

Then BAM!  The Bishop of my ward called me into his office and asked me to take on an ongoing time consuming “calling” or responsibility.

What should I do?

I decided I didn't have time to continue looking for a job and take on the responsibility of my new calling. In prayer, I told that Lord that I'm unsure how the job thing was going to work out, but I would trust that if I prioritized serving Him first, it would be fine. I didn't know what would happen; it could be one of those painful growing experiences, but I viewed it as a chance to put God first in my heart and my life.  If not at this moment, then when?  My life could turn into a long series of special circumstances that put my own needs first before the Lord and I don’t want to live that way.

I accepted the calling and quit thinking about finding a new job and put my mind and heart to pondering how I could seek the Spirit to better help those over which I now I had stewardship to access Christ's power more fully by faith.

A few weeks later, a friend of mine forwarded a job posting to me she saw while on a website she rarely visits. She knew that I was part time with my nonprofit, but didn't know I was officially looking and then officially quit looking for the time being (hey, she’s recently married, so we don’t keep up like we used to, you know how it goes). Her find sounded promising. Bleary eyed at midnight, I composed a specified cover letter, updated my resume and emailed it in. The very next morning the executive director emailed me wanting to schedule an interview. He was clear that they would not extend beyond the posted salary range because they'd already budgeted for the year, but assured me the benefits were good and that the next year they could readjust the salary.  I was pleased to hear that the position had a steady revenue stream, so it wasn’t from a temporary grant.

I came into the interview well prepared to make a case for myself.  He opened by telling me that since the job has been posted in the last month, 212 people applied. He was interviewing 12 and I was first because I wrote the best cover letter. "You told me what I couldn't surmise from your resume," he told me. He also liked that I said I look forward to a conversation where we could see if we were "a good professional match."  He said most people assured him in their cover letters they were a perfect fit for the job. He made clear that he would solely determine who was the best fit for the position.

Ends up, this is a position he's been wanting to expand for several years, but he's very particular on who should fill it. Though his board has been pressing him on it, he's been exploring it at his own pace.

After the interview, I used the weekend to draft some recommendations I thought they could do within the next year, based on my experience. I also mailed him a thank you card referring to some specifics from our conversation.

We corresponded for a week over my recommendations while he completed the other 11 interviews. I was preparing to negotiate for the highest end of his salary range, since I knew what it was. The day the interviews closed, he emailed me asking me to accept a director position, rather than the advertised manager position.  Along with the increased position, he offered an increase salary beyond the advertised range that reflected the responsibility of a director.

It was like getting a promotion without asking for one and before I even started.

I was grateful a thousand times over. It's work that I would do for free if I didn’t have to make a living. I'm specialized in a very small niche and this position seems tailor made to my greatest strengths. Of course I accepted (like I'd be blogging about it if I didn't). I later came in to discuss some specifics and he was beaming that I was just the person he has had in mind to realize the vision he has for this new expansion.

Was it God, me or just a coincidence?

So, was this an answer to my prayers?  After all, I must say I rocked the interview.  I wrote a cover letter according to what my quick Google search taught me at midnight since I couldn't remember exactly how to write one. I used my brain to conjure up some recommendations and I cordially sent a thank you note. That was all me. Oh, and my friend by chance could have been on a job database when she didn't have a reason to look for a job  and decided to pass along a possibility to me. But when I have been specifically praying for help about something beyond my control and it falls into my lap better than if I planned it myself, I'm highly suspicious Providence had a hand in it. I have found that God is really good at arranging introductions between people who should meet if the required faith is offered to work such a miracle.  I'm just what my new boss has had in mind for the last few years for the position and what they want to do is exactly what my very unique job at the nonprofit prepared me to do for them. Coincidence? Of course I don't think so, but it's only an inference. The Spirit hasn't confirmed it to me, but I’m connecting the dots on this one.

The Lord told Joseph Smith, "I, the Lord,...delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end" (Doc & Cov 76:5).  I'm choosing to live my life in a way that puts God first, trusting that as I do, He delights to help me out. This isn't the first instance in my life where I seem to get a beautiful break, but I don't do it for what I can get. I do it because of what I want to give.

I can't really prove it was God, but I don’t require proof to continue this path of experimentation.

Next up, I'll respond to why bad things happen to good people, which is what I think Leah means when prayers are not answered before a child is murdered. Then I'll write up my long time promised Black Mormons part 2 post because my response to Chris’s post will make more sense in light of understanding some views I have, explained well through relaying the history of race in the Church. It might rock a few socks, but hey, let’s keep things authentic here at the MormonInside.

Stay tuned.

Tags: "Mormon Church", faith in Jesus Christ, grace of God, mind and heart, mormon beliefs, mormon cult, Mormonism, personal revelation, truth seekers

To my delight, Michael Shermer was Stephen Colbert's guest this last week. It was interesting to see Stephen's tone at the following point in the interview. He's a practicing Catholic, so I wonder how much of this was portraying his conservative-pundit-caricature and how much was the real Stephen being playful with a nonbeliever.

Colbert: "You used to be a Christian, right?"

Shermer: "That's right."

Colbert: "Jesus misses you...He told me."

Shermer: "He did? Well why didn't he talk to me?

Colbert: "Because you don't believe."

Shermer: "If being talked to depends on whether I believe or not, then that means it doesn't really exist, it's all up here in my head, which is the point of my book, that it's all up here."

I sympathize with the criticism of prerequisite belief for a confirmation of God's existence. On its face, first believing before you can believe smacks of the very kind of self-deception Shermer tags onto believers.

However, God works according to the faith we exercise.  If we thought of God as a painter, our offered faith is the medium with which He paints. The more we offer to Him to use, the more He does on the canvas. If someone doesn’t outreach to God, they’re not offering the faith that will produce miracles.

Compare Shermer's I-won't-believe-until-I-have-evidence  approach to this ancient American soon-to-be christian convert's prayer:

“O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee..."

(Alma 22:18).

This man wasn't sure if what he was learning from Aaron was true, but he was willing to ask with the hope he'd receive an answer. He also was willing to sacrifice to gain the desire of his heart, which is also a prerequisite to recognizing the Holy Ghost or in other words, receiving answers to prayers.

This  prayer was the catalyst of a spiritual experience that led him to be faithful to Jesus Christ.

From what I know about Jesus, Stephen Colbert was right, Christ does miss Michael Shermer. He'd like to offer Shermer the kind of communication that affirms His existence, but it would likely take Shermer's initiation and humility.

Speaking of doubts, I doubt that's going to happen any time soon. It would hurt his book sales.

(Surely, God can initiate with whomever He wishes, but the usual pattern is we outreach to Him in trust and He confirms. I must say the Apostle Paul doesn’t seem to fit this pattern of ask in faith first, then communication comes, but we don’t know the backstory of what’s absent from the record. As an observant Jew, he very well could have been seeking God’s will and received an unexpected answer on the road to Damascus.)

Here’s the video

The post “Magic Mormon Underwear Gets a Mention at the Believing Brain Discussion” and the post “My Response to the Shermer Lecture“ relate to my interaction with Michael Shermer.

Tags: faith in Jesus Christ, mormon beliefs, personal revelation, truth seekers

This post responds to Leah's comment on this post.

Hi there – I have found your last two posts interesting. I’m a woman who was raised mormon and now consider myself a secular humanist/naturalist/whatever non-religious term you want to use. I was at the Shermer lecture and before you said you were Mormon – I leaned to my husband and said “she’s Mormon”. Mormon-dar? It’s a thing I guess. I can see a lot of the old me in your thinking in your posts, so it’s very interesting. I wondered about your comments above, you say that you have had answers to your prayers. You have probably had this question before, and I present it to you as I once presented it to myself – you have had answers to your prayers, you have had spiritual experiences, but what about those prayers that were not answered? Or just coincidences? Why does God answer YOUR prayer about finding your driver’s license but doesn’t answer the prayer about finding the missing child before she is murdered? Ok, I went extreme there, but I think you get my point. What about people who pray and get answers that a different church is true? What about Mother Theresa?! These were questions that hurt my brain and I’d be interested to hear your response. I’m not a great writer, so I apologize for the choppiness of my thoughts here. I also thought of this blog recently when I was watching this:   I think Chris puts a lot of my own thoughts into words and if you ever feel like giving it a watch and response I’d be really interested in that as well – particularly about his “water” example about 10 min. in. Oh, one more thought – how do you explain people like myself, or Chris in the video, who are happier and feel more “ourselves” and love this world and planet and human beings and  life more than ever AFTER leaving what is supposed to be the one true church and greatest happiness? Are you ever curious about that? Do you not think it’s genuine? That is one thing I never considered when I was Mormon (that people actually cared MORE about families and life and this earth AFTER leaving) so I don’t know what a “Mormon Insider” would say to that. Thanks!

Dear Leah,

I'm so glad you dropped in. I was amused by you pegging me as a Latter-day Saint at the lecture before I announced it. It could have been the soft glint of my gold CTR ring, but it was likely the impish grin I shot back to my friend when Shermer started razzing on polygamists and called them Mormons.

Your questions are sending me in several different directions. I need to be brief tonight and will respond more fully another time about Chris' video. I've watched it in full and read most of the comments.

Your questions about my view of prayer would make this post very long, so I'll save it for another day. Stay tuned.

What about Mother Theresa?

From this question, it seems to me you're asking how I make sense of religious people outside of what I claim to be Christ's restored Church. I think there are lots of people who were placed in circumstances to influence God's purpose for mankind, but their life situation did not include access to the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ (meaning seeking to fully receive the Atonement of Jesus Christ by living in a priesthood covenant relationship with God). Martin Luther King comes to mind.  He wouldn’t have been effective if he was LDS. People don’t really care for Mormons, much. As a Protestant preacher, he was able to appeal to a broad audience and was powerfully able to draw on legitimacy higher than the state for rights claims. His leadership eventually influenced the potential  ordination of every faithful man in the Church. The great reformer, Martin Luther, also comes to mind as a man of God who fulfilled a great purpose in God’s plan of salvation, but did not have the fullness of the gospel in mortality.

The 138^th section of the Doctrine and Covenants describes how those who did not have the opportunity to hear and live the fullness of the gospel will get the chance to accept it in the Spirit World. The Spirit World is the place where all departed spirits go before resurrection and judgment.  God holds us accountable to knowledge we have; if He did otherwise, it would not be just.

As a tremendous woman of God, I'd expect Mother Theresa will continue to seek to do God's will, even while she awaits resurrection in the Spirit World.  I’d say for people like her, accepting the fullness of the gospel there will be seamless.

- how do you explain people like myself, or Chris in the video, who are happier and feel more “ourselves” and love this world and planet and human beings and  life more than ever AFTER leaving what is supposed to be the one true church and greatest happiness? Are you ever curious about that? Do you not think it’s genuine?

As a strong advocate of religious freedom, I'm committed to respecting others' free exercise of conscience, especially if the decision is not to believe. I read a book recently by a Georgetown professor who worked for the  State Department in the International Religious Freedom commission. While making the case that religious liberty is an inherent right, he wrote the following:

"An undersecretary of state once told me that his most powerful existential questions had to do with his tennis swing, not the existence of God. This was a cordial but pointed jest, designed to refute my argument that the search for transcendence is universal. It reflected a point of view that should not be trivialized, much less ignored"

(Thomas F. Farr World of Faith and Freedom p. 22).

I don't trivialize or ignore your decision to walk away from belief in God. I'm happy that you have found happiness and contentment in your life. For me, I enjoy lots of things that are seemingly apart from a faith experience. I enjoy my work, I like to exercise, I enjoy my friends and family and other things. However, I have experienced the greatest amount of joy through accessing God. I want Him to mentor me. I want to  know Him better and discover His will and pursue it. It’s what is most important to me. The more I understand about Him, the more insatiable my motivation to seek after Him becomes. But as Dr. Farr invites his readers to recognize, not everyone views life as a search for transcendence. Some are happy thinking about the beauty of their tennis swing.

Because there are these different shades to which people are interested in God, it makes sense to me that heaven has multiple levels, as described in the  76^th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. Heaven is organized to accommodate the level to which people were interested in internalizing the gospel of Jesus Christ. For those insatiably seeking to know God, their level of heaven would be living with Him and continuing to know Him throughout eternity. For those who weren't interested in such a venture, they ultimately settle in a comfortable place that reflects the degree of God's glory they pursued.

Have you ever wondered if there is a God, why would He put mankind through a mortal experience where He cryptically remains hidden from proof of His existence?  I've wondered that and since I saw Harry Potter this weekend, can describe it best in this way. [spoiler alert!]

After Voldemort kills Harry, he ends up at the railroad station King's Cross where he speaks with Dumbledore.

Harry: "I've got to go back, haven't I?"

Dumbledore: "That's up to you."

Harry: "I've got a choice?"

Dumbledore: "Oh yes," Dumbledore smiled at him. "We are in King's Cross, you say? I think that if you decided not to go back, you would be able to. . .let's say. . .board a train."

Harry: "And where would it take me?'

Dumbledore: "On," said Dumbledore simply."

(Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows p.722)

For those who choose to live life according to the gospel of Jesus Christ, including God’s commandments, they always go "on."  This is why God created the earth- life experience and gave His Son. It is by the development of faith in Jesus Christ that we increase in spiritual power and we go “on.”  Going “on” includes changing to gain holiness more like God’s. We become more holy through the exercise of faith in Christ. If God wasn’t so cryptic, we would miss out on the development of faith and trust in this power greater than ourselves. God wanted to provide all His children the opportunity to go “on.” Good people who are disinterested in the gospel ultimately live in a place like Harry's King's Cross.  Harry's at peace (p. 712) and it's a pleasant place, but that's the end. No trains will be coming to take these residents “on.” They don’t change beyond what the were like when they arrived.

The joy we receive in this life and in the next is directly proportional to the degree we choose to receive the Atonement of Jesus Christ.   We access the power of the Atonement through trusting in it, or exercising faith.

I absolutely consider your claims to happiness as genuine, but your happiness would not be my happiness.

I hope that wasn’t incredibly dissatisfying for you.  And I hope it won’t be interpreted as self righteous. It’s really more of an attitude of may we all receive the desires of our hearts, in this life and into life’s later phases.

Thanks again for your questions. My life is a little crazy right now, so I will respond to prayer questions and Chris' video another time.  Thanks for giving me writing prompts!

Tags: Book of Mormon, faith in Jesus Christ, mormon beliefs, mormon cult, personal revelation, truth seekers

This post relates to this post.

"I know it's not my brain," I told my friend on our way home from the Michael Shermer discussion at sixth&i. I was trying to explain that my spiritual experiences weren’t imaginary.  He responded simply, "How do you know it's not your brain?" He wasn't trying to make me feel foolish for my claim. If he was willing to treat me that way, I wouldn't choose to spend any discretionary time with him. He just wanted to hear how I could be so sure. He's not sure there's a God and he's not sure there's not. Whatever the truth is, he just wants to know it. I like that about him. I'm increasingly more appreciative of self-honest people these days.

"Let me think about it and I'll get back to you," I told him.

This is the part where I'd refer to the profile I wrote for this blog, but I see now that it's deleted. Shoot. Anyway, I would have used it to demonstrate that the ongoing questioning process is key to my walk of faith. Some people feel like their faith is shaky when they start to question things they previously accepted. One of the most often repeated invitations in scripture is to "ask." It is usually coupled with the promise and "ye shall receive." I've lived that promise, more than I can count. As I have had innumerable experiences with the Divine (one described in the post "Why I Believe“), it increases my confidence to deepen in my questions and seek more.

Through this process, I have a few personal beliefs that others in the Church accept as true, but I personally think are more products of our culture. Some of Latter-day Saint belief (and other faith tradition beliefs, too) is based on logical inferences drawn from writings accepted as revelations. We have the words of prophets, living and dead, and we have the Holy Ghost whose role is to "teach us all things" (John 14:26). Then, God invites us to make sense of it and ask along the way to fill in the gaps and gain a personal understanding of truth.

I'm finding it's a lifelong process to really take this venture seriously. As I am open and willing to reexamine what I've previously accepted, I come to better know God. It's highly motivating to continue forward.

Though as a general practice I like to think myself special, I'm not alone in this approach.  I have lots of Latter-day Saint friends who approach their faith similarly.

The stereotype that people of faith are close-minded likely comes when people attack them, which seems to be the style of the atheist/non-theist community (you can see the comments in the previous post for an example of this). If my friend had treated me this way, first we wouldn't be friends much longer, and second, I likely would have appeared close-minded because I would end the conversation.

After that Background, Here's my Response

This brings me back to Michael Shermer's The Believing Brain: From Gods to Ghost and Politics and Conspiracies and my own brain activity. His thesis is that the brain naturally looks for patterns as it processes its environment.   The brain then forms these patterns into belief that people confirm with self-selected proof, ignoring evidence to the contrary.  Further, through these beliefs, the brain can even produce experiences perceived as supernatural, especially when someone is alone or sleep deprived.  These perceptions are fired by neurons in the brain, self produced by these formed beliefs.

I think he's right, to a point. It's a usable thesis to generally explain some instances of why people believe as they do. It especially applies to prejudices and stereotypes. I'm hoping that in his book he has something stronger with regards to experiencing the "supernatural" beyond the examples he provided in his lecture. He personally stayed up for 72+ while driving and hallucinated human forms on the side of the road. Once he slept, it ended.  He also used an example of prisoners in solitary confinement. These hardly match similar circumstances of those who claim to have been visited by heavenly messengers or other comparable reports.

The skeptic's approach is to think critically, meaning you look for evidence and draw conclusions based on it, which I appreciate and practice. Some people find me intolerable because I sometimes ask questions that require them to show what evidence led them to their conclusion.  The skeptic’s model of truth discovery declares that if there's no substance to an assertion, it should be rejected. Because of the critical thinking approach, they view faith in God claims as comparable to belief in Santa Claus and fairies.

This is the part that atheists/nontheists will find terribly dissatisfying. My faith operates in a model that shares similar aspects to this evidence-based approach, but relies on the Holy Ghost to confirm what is substantial.

My truth discovery model with regards to faith

Alma, an ancient American prophet, in a discourse on faith invites readers to "experiment on the word" and to "exercise even a particle of faith."   Are you a skeptic and don't have any faith to exercise? Alma says simply the desire to believe is enough (Alma 32:27).

The process in which I engage to explore truth claims is the following:

1. I have an idea.
2. I pursue that idea. Alma describes this as giving " place, that a seed (the word) may be planted in your heart.” (Alma 32:28).
3. I discern by the Holy Ghost if the results are worthy of keeping or tossing out. Alma says you can identify it as a good seed if it enlarges the soul, enlightens the understanding, and/or begins to be delicious (Alma 32:28). Further, he says that if it is light, it is good. (Alma 32:35).
4. I cultivate the good idea by rinsing, repeating and pursuing more good ideas.

What I anticipate is incredibly preposterous to an atheist/nontheist is that this experiment can't be physically measured; it is only spiritually experienced. And yes, it happens in the mind and some could clearly apply Michael’s model and self-deception claims to it.  I’m not trying to disprove him because I don’t think it’s possible to prove either way. I’m just trying to explain my worldview. There have been times when I completely wanted something so badly that I would have willed it so, if possible. I’ve received answers to prayers that were completely different directions than my mind was petitioning for.  If it was my self-deception, I anticipate I would always get or believe exactly as I was seeking. This isn’t the case.

I've also tested and pursued ideas that turned out to be a flop. They didn't grow and enlighten as other ideas I've tested.

Being tutored by the Holy Ghost requires humility and a willingness to act on any enlightenment received. I'm currently living and experiencing this process and at times have had my mind and heart enlightened and filled with light as I've considered the things of God. I have a certainty that not only there is a God, but that He cares about me.  I’m not certain of a great many other things in the Church. I simply believe them. I’m still working on the certainty. It takes a lot of work.

The enlightenment by the Holy Ghost is a different experience than other pursuits of the mind. I wish I could explain this, but am currently not able to. This is likely what is so frustrating to an atheist/nontheist. Since spirituality is experienced, individually, it’s difficult to put into a box for display and evaluation.

During the post-lecture book signing, Michael asked me if I was raised Mormon. When I replied yes, he said, "of course," as if I wouldn't believe in gods, ghosts, politics or conspiracies any other way. I must say that I feel it was to my advantage to be raised within a framework to test ideas through the spiritual process I've explained.  I was able to amass lots of communication from God by the Holy Ghost before my secular world taught a different framework of discovering truth. I have three very smart friends who are currently trying to step into new areas of faith, but I believe they are operating from the perspective of show-me-proof-then-I'll-believe.  This is the scientific model. I'm this way too because of my smarty-pants education. But I have the advantage of countless answers to prayers through the medium of the Holy Ghost under my belt that motivates me to continue believing and expanding spiritually.

Because this process requires humility, it only works if someone "becomes as a little child" as the Savior taught (Matthew 18:4). It's a lot harder for adults. I can feel that in myself, which is why I feel so advantaged to have had many passed experiences in spirituality with the Holy Ghost  before I arrived to my less-trusting phase of life.

This process is rational in that it is a series of decisions made in my brain. Michael described neurons in the brain producing experiences. I suspect he may be right.

Now, I actually do think it's coming from my brain.

I think that God perfectly navigates nature as its best scientist and as the creator. It's a new idea to me that perhaps as the Holy Ghost is instructing me and enlightening my mind, He's actually firing neurons in my brain to do it.  It's a little unromantic-sounding, but if it's the truth, I'd accept it.

Tags: atheist/nontheist, mind and heart, personal revelation, prayer, truth seekers

“Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord?” Open Access with Preparation

Just this last week a friend of mine told me about her friend’s friend’s description of their exclusion from a Latter-day Saint Temple wedding ceremony. (How’s that for degrees of separation?) This friend of a friend of a friend said he had to wait outside the Temple because he was “unclean.” It was a joke at which both my friend and I laughed because that’s not  how Latter-day Saints view it. If I had to choose one word describing those waiting outside the Temple during a wedding ceremony, it wouldn’t be “unclean,” it would be “uncovenanted.”

Latter-day Saints believe that in every “dispensation” in which God has dispensed the gospel of Jesus Christ, He has made a covenant with His people designed to instruct them of His nature.  In the Old Testament, Jeremiah records the Lord’s description of the ancient covenant,

“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33).

This covenant relationship is no longer limited to only the Jews as it was in ancient times.  Now anyone can be adopted into the “House of Israel.” The covenant relationship begins at the first ordinance, which is “baptism by immersion for the remission of sins by one with authority.”  Though baptisms are open to the public, later ordinances of the covenant akin to baptism are administered in sacred “Temples.”  Temples are open to anyone willing to (1) be baptized by restored authority into Jesus Christ’s modern Church (2) live God’s commandments like keeping the Sabbath day holy and observing the Law of Chastity and (3) strengthen their commitment to God by making further covenants. So God’s covenant is no longer limited to the Jews only, but in order to enter the “House of the Lord” also known as a  Temple, you have to willingly enter into a modern covenant relationship with Him. This often means many friends and family members do not observe Temple wedding ceremonies.:(

In a sense, every time a missionary knocks on someone’s door, it is an invitation to the Temple. However, no one is entitled to enter the “House of the Lord” without first spiritually preparing. We are guest in His home and He sets the guidelines.

(Photo of the Washington, D.C. Temple  from Chance Hammock Photography)

Chapels are Different than Temples

Latter-day Saints hold weekly Sunday services and social events in chapels. These are open to the public. Here’s a video describing the logistics of a Latter-day Saint worship service. Temples are special, sacred spaces where Latter-day Saints make covenants with God and seek personal revelation. In a similar way to how the ancient covenant people did not speak the name of God to show Him respect, Latter-day Saints reverence the ordinances of the Temple by not speaking of them casually. Material posted online and else where depicting specifics of Temple ordinances is highly offensive to a Latter-day Saint.

Prerequisite Covenant to the Marriage Covenant. What Does the Covenant Include?

A covenant ceremony, called the endowment, precedes the covenant of marriage. The following is a modern prophet’s description of what the covenant includes in the endowment:

“In the Temples of our Lord we learn obedience.  We learn sacrifice. We make the vows of chastity and have our lives consecreated to holy purposes” (President James E. Faust “Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord.” August 2001 Ensign).

This covenant requires us to access the Atonement of Jesus Christ to change the desire of our hearts.  A modern Apostle describes this process as:

To have our hearts changed by the Holy Spirit such that "we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2), as did King Benjamin's people, is the covenant responsibility we have accepted. This mighty change is not simply the result of working harder or developing greater individual discipline. Rather, it is the consequence of a fundamental change in our desires, our motives, and our natures made possible through the Atonement of Christ the Lord. Our spiritual purpose is to overcome both sin and the desire to sin, both the taint and the tyranny of sin“

(Elder David A. Bednar “Clean Hands and Pure Heart, Nov 2007).

Mormon Temples Made Simple YouTube video describes well Temple practices in a respectful way.

Marriage is the Crowning Covenant in the Temple

The crowning covenant with God in the Temple is the marriage promise to care for another in a selfless, Christlike way. Latter-day Saints believe that God intended marriage to extend beyond the grave. Adam and Eve were married in their immortal state prior to the Fall and their ability to die (Genesis 2:23-24). The book of Matthew records the “power to bind on earth and in heaven” was given to Peter (16:18-19). Since God’s authority to administer ordinances was lost from the earth with the death of the Apostles, He restored this power in our time (Doc & Cov 128:9-10). If the couple is true to each other and to God, they will remain married after death.

Because of the sanctity of the Temple, photography isn’t permitted.  Wedding pictures are usually taken outside. Here are a few of my friend, Brittany’s, wedding. (She met her husband, Paul, on an internship in Denmark from her D.C. area school.)

Centered in Christ at the Altar of Sacrifice

I’ve attended several wedding ceremonies in the Temple.  They are incredibly beautiful.  The rooms are typically small and attendance is limited to preserve its sanctity and avoid making it too much of a social event. The couple kneels at an altar, facing each other and holding hands as the “sealer” performs the ceremony. The altar represents personal sacrifice to God and the ultimate sacrifice of Christ. When Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden and were gradually learning the steps back to God’s presence, they were commanded to offer a lamb in sacrifice to look forward to Christ’s Atonement (Moses 5:5-8). Ancient Israel also offered animal sacrifice, but as they fell away from the truth they became too focused on the form, rather than pointing their minds to the Savior. Because the people in the Book of Mormon left Jerusalem about 600 B.C., they also had the Law of Moses. It is clear from this record that the animal sacrifices were drawn to point their minds to the coming of Jesus Christ (Mosiah 13:28-35).

After Christ fulfilled His Atonement, He commanded the discontinuance of animal sacrifices and instead required a “broken heart and contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 9:19-20). As a couple kneels across the altar, face to face, holding hands, they are to offer this to God as they enter into a covenant with Him and each other.

A Latter-day Saint marriage ceremony is centered in Christ.

Maybe a Ring Ceremony, Usually a Paartaaay

Latter-day Saint couples often hold a reception to celebrate their union. These are not held in the Temple. Because only covenanted people observe the Temple marriage ceremony, many Latter-day Saint couples hold a ring ceremony at their reception hall (exchanging rings is not a part of the Temple ceremony). At a ring ceremony, a couple may design a program that involves all of their well wishers.

Here are a few pics of Brittany and Paul’s reception.

Unity in Marriage

I have many friends who move in together prior to marriage.  Even my new favorite royals, “Wills & Kate” lived together for years before finally marrying. If my friends aren’t religious, it’s normal in my mind for them to move in with their significant other once they feel a sense of longevity. However, as mentioned previously, Latter-day Saints covenant to live God’s Law of Chastity which is only to have sexual relations with your spouse. We do this simply because God commands it, but there are obvious benefits. In doing this, we prepare ourselves to create a unifying bond with someone special that will deepen loyalty and devotion. It is beyond my ability to imagine sharing something so special with someone who had yet to decide they wanted to keep me forever. Breaking up is hard enough without creating such strong emotional bonds without the foundation to support them. (I’ve written about this topic on this blog several times, including Mormons and Sex: Living the Law of Chastity and others.) God has commanded union in marriage and sexuality is part of the process, but the union is more than physical. Emotional, spiritual, mental and physical unity is built through a lifetime of kindness, love, sacrifice, admiration, appreciation, hard work, synergy, cooperation, obedience, faith, grace, sanctification and more. A modern prophet describes the command to be united in marriage as:

“The Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, said of those who would be part of His Church: ‘Be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine’ (Doc & Cov 38:27). And at the creation of man and woman, unity for them in marriage was not given as hope; it was a command! ‘Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh’ (Genesis 2:24). Our Heavenly Father wants our hearts to be knit together. That union in love is not simply an ideal. It is a necessity. . . . The Savior of the world spoke of that unity and how we will have our natures changed to make it possible. He taught it clearly in the prayer He gave in His last meeting with His Apostles before His death. That supernally beautiful prayer is recorded in the book of John. He was about to face the terrible sacrifice for all of us that would make eternal life possible. He was about to leave the Apostles whom He had ordained, whom He loved, and with whome He would leave the keys to lead His Church. And so He prayed to His Father, the perfect Son to the perfect Parent. We see in His words the way families will be made one, as will all the children of our Heavenly Father who follow the Savior and His servants: “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me’ (John 17:18-21). In those few words He made clear how the gospel of Jesus Christ can allow hearts to be made one. Those who would believe the truth He taught could accept the ordinances and the covenants offered by His authorized servants. Then, through obedience to those ordinances and covenants, their natures would be changed. The Savior’s Atonement in that way makes it possible for us to be sanctified. We can live in unity, as we must to have peace in this life and to dwell with the Father and His Son in eternity” (Elder Henry B. Eyring Ensign, May 1998, 66).

Is it too much to say that Mormons are incredibly romantic?

God designed love stories with eternal possibilities. Your love story can be eternal through the power of Jesus Christ and living His restored gospel. Latter-day Saints live in a way to write their own eternal love stories in partnership with God.

“Why We Build Temples”

Frequently Asked Questions about Temple Marriage Ceremonies written for Latter-day Saints

Frequently Asked Questions about Temple Marriage Ceremonies written for people unfamiliar with Latter-day Saint belief

“The Blessings of the Temple” YouTube video

Check out Brittany’s amazing blog: The House That Lars Built 

The picture of the Washington, DC Temple was taken by Chance Hammock. Check out his work.

Tags: building eternal relationships, faith in Jesus Christ, family, friends, God's law of chastity, modern prophets, mormon beliefs, Mormon Temple, Mormon Temple Ceremony, Mormons and marriage, Mormons and Sex, personal revelation, Restoration, romantic love, sealing power, Temple marriage, Temple ordinances

Remember my shameless bait to draw out insights from the  tremendous reservoir of Internet users?

No?

For the month of March, I offered a $10 gift card each to the top 3 MormonInsider visitors willing to both share posts with others and share their perspectives on the posts.

We can call these people top sharers. Everyone loves someone who shares good things.

Thanks to Elisabeth for sharing a specific example of the difficulty navigating the difference between being meek and being a pushover at “Blessed are the [pushovers] for they shall in inherit the earth“?

Thanks to Paul for sharing his satire, revealing the sometimes unacknowledged ridiculousness of gender expectations at “Can Women Ask Out Men and it Work Out?”

Thanks to Afton for frequently sharing, especially for her perspective in “Do I Need a Man? A Woman with Needs or a Needy Woman?” I’m glad she added the insight about how fulfillment in life and in dating has more to do with how much you give of yourself, rather than looking for others to fulfill our needs.  I like how she looked to Christ to support her point.

A special thanks goes to Anonymous on “Modern Apostle’s Message: Question Your Guts Out.” She responded to the following instruction by Elder Bednar:

"Girls, if you're getting serious with someone, you should ask,

Tags: blind obedience?, faith in Jesus Christ, fear and faith, God is our loving Heavenly Father, personal revelation, truth seekers

How excited would you be if you were a Christian living in Corinth and Paul the Apostle came to town?  The modern day equivalent happened this weekend here in Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C.. Latter-day Saints (Mormons) believe that as God has restored His New Testament Church in our time, He has also called Prophets and Apostles as modern day special witnesses of Jesus Christ. Elder David A. Bednar was the modern Apostle who visited.  The Prophet and Apostles address Church membership twice a year in world wide broadcasts, but with the growth of the Church, it is uncommon to have an opportunity to hear them in person outside of the conference center.

I was anxious to see what he had in mind to teach us.

He began with saying that we likely all came waiting to hear what the speaker had to say, but we should have come seeking what the Holy Ghost would teach us. As we gather together in a congregation, seeking the Holy Ghost, there is a greater outpouring of the Spirit and thoughts will come to our minds and feelings to our hearts.

With that, he informed us this would be a Q & A. He said that no question was a foolish question, but some are better than others. He provided a few examples of better questions and then opened up the microphones to the about 1,800 in attendance.

The 2 hour meeting started 10 minutes early and ran 10 minutes late and I was mentally engaged the whole time.  It could have been much longer if it were only up to me because of the presence of the Holy Ghost.

At the close, Elder Bednar asked how many of us received an answer to a question we had, but no one asked anything related to our chosen question.  He identified that as the Holy Ghost teaching us and invited us to continue that questioning process through the Spirit with the Lord.

I really wanted to ask him my question and was disappointed that I wasn’t able. But it was only then I realized that I received some instruction from the Spirit regarding two other things that I’ve been weighing that weren’t related to my readied question or to anything anyone was able to ask. Wow. I would have missed these two concepts if he hadn’t asked the question.

I’d summarize his message as, “Question Your Guts Out.” Those are my words, of course.  I could say it differently, like “Instruction on Seeking Personal Revelation,” but the former phrase captures more of my sentiment for it.  I think many in the Church feel guilty about questioning what they have previously accepted to be true.  Truth has so much depth. The more we work to understand it through the Spirit, the deeper our understanding and greater our ability to recognize nuance and colors in what we may have previously viewed as black and white. As I mature, I rehash out my faith through asking questions, seeking the Spirit. It facilitates revelation, as Elder Bednar taught.  I ask very difficult questions that bring me to a point where it seems like the issues are irreconcilable; they can’t fit perfectly into my previously crafted faith box. But I don’t want to be in that box and I don’t think the Lord wants me there either.  That box was a step to get me to where the real faith action is happening and I’m only just beginning to get there.

I believe God wants us to constantly question. The difference between doubting and questioning is whether I choose to reject God until He gives me an answer or if I choose to continue to trust Him, believing I will receive a better understanding and an added measure of peace.

As I wrestle with questions, rehashing my faith, I gain added insight from the Holy Spirit. I gain more spiritual depth through this revalatory process in action.  Elder Bednar wanted us to learn that we should be questioning with the Spirit.

I question and I trust because I have had too many tutorials from the Holy Ghost not to have reason to trust or question. I should question my guts out.

Questions asked by members of the congregation

“We’re commanded to forgive. How can we forgive those who hurt us and it’s not our fault?”

“How can we be closer to the Savior when it’s to the Father we pray?”

“You often speak of keys.  What is it that you would have us understand about keys?”

“How would you recommend we prepare for marriage?”

“How can we make decisions in the confidence of the Lord and have the courage to act on the decision?”

Snippets of Elder Bednar’s responses:

“Get a copy of the Book of Mormon. Not expensive. Read it marking every reference to Jesus Christ and especially how the people were ‘strengthened in the Lord.’ As a servant of the Lord, I promise as you seek this, you will receive [the ability to forgive].”

“The best questions are inspired of the Holy Ghost and specific to the person.”

“Learn to love living the gospel. It’s NOT living the gospel that is hard.”

“Priesthood keys were restored so ordinances would be efficacious in time and eternity, making covenants with God, and the channel for revelation opened.”

“We didn’t receive a text message from Moroni.”

“[speaking of marriage] If you take a strong person and a weak person, you get one less strong person. But if there are two strong people together, [look out].”

“Girls, if you’re getting serious with someone, you should ask, ‘Have you ever been involved with pornography?’ If the answer is no ask, ‘What do you do to protect yourself?’ If he is bothered by you asking the question, then you know the answer.”

“It is more important not to shrink than to survive.”

“Moral agency is the opportunity to act instead of being acted upon. We are to act and not simply to be acted upon.  We are to be agents, not objects.”

“Do not pray as objects, ‘Heavenly Father, get me out of here.’ Pray as agents, ‘give me the strength to get out of here.’ There is enabling and strengthening power in the Savior’s Atonement.”

“If you live the gospel, you get more commandments. They are private, personal commandments, not institutional commandments…  They are a source of joy.”

“Revelation comes as a conclusion, not a reason.”

“Everything you need to know about revelation is in the sequence. ‘Faith is of action and of power.’ Act first in accordance with the teachings of the Savior. Peter didn’t know he could walk on water. He looked to the Savior [heeding His invitation] and stepped out on the water. Don’t sit on the side of the straight and narrow path revving your engines.  Press forward, with steadfast faith in Christ. ”

My Question I Didn’t Get to Ask

I had a 2 part question in mind that I didn’t get to ask: ”In this month’s [Church magazine publication] Sister Julie B. Beck  taught that because the family is centered in the doctrine of Jesus Christ, if something is ‘anti-family, it is anti-Christ.’ What guidelines can you recommend to help us accurately identify forces that are anti-family, so we don’t incorrectly label something as anti-Christ? Further, how can we stand for the family without being zealots or fanatics?”

Looks like I have this one to add into my questioning process through the Spirit.

How does questioning affect your spirituality?  Why do you think some spiritually inclined people are hesitant to question their faith?

Tags: "Mormon Church", Book of Mormon, modern prophets, modern revelation, mormon beliefs, mormon cult, Mormonism, personal revelation

For my most recent birthday I asked my parents to get me new scriptures. I wanted the compact version where the Bible is a separate book from my “triple combination,” which includes the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants and Pearl of Great Price.  My last set of scriptures were also the compact version, but all four books of scripture were combined to make a massive brick.  Depending on the direction and time of my study, sometimes I only want to carry one or the other.

I also wanted a new set because my preceding set are beautifully marked up. This isn’t a bad thing, but when I read them, I am reminded of the ideas I’ve had in the past instead of seeking new inspiration. It’s been challenging reading from naked pages, but I welcome the challenge. It stretches me to remember the context of the scriptures I’m trying to recall instead of thinking of the visual markings. Plus, I like finding scriptures new to me that teach basic gospel principles, such as faith and repentance, that aren’t the classic scriptures I’ve heard so often that they’ve unfortunately  lost their punch.

Also, I learned as a full time missionary of the benefits of using a study journal. I record impressions or ideas I have while studying the scriptures in addition to summarizing my life’s happenings.  This decreases the amount of marking I’ll do in my new set.  I’m wondering if I want to mark this set at all.  I still haven’t decided.

My dear friend’s mom made me covers for my new set! This protects the bindings when I lug them around in my bags.  Before I’ve begun a scripture study these days, I usually spend about 2 minutes just showering them with admiration.  I do that with other things in my life too. It’s one way I manifest my gratitude.  About twice a week, I have similar moments over my current residence.  I found it after diligent prayer over a year ago.  I’m still just as happy now about its proximity to the metro, cuteness, price and wonderful roommates as the day I moved in.  As long as I don’t mark on these covers, I’ll probably never want to replace them.:)

I was concerned that the debut of my new scripture covers would cause rampant covetousness throughout my “ward” (congregation) this Sunday passed. Thankfully, I think it all turned out well.:)

Check them out. They’re worthy of admiration!

Tags: faith in Jesus Christ, inspiration, personal revelation, repentance through Christ, scripture study

This last week in my Religion and Politics in the U.S. class at Georgetown University, my professor illustrated varying approaches to biblical interpretation utilizing the topic of slavery. She explained that especially before and during the Civil War, people justified the existence and perpetuation of slavery with text from the Bible. It's all over the place. One powerful example is Paul's slave convert Onesimus. When he ran away from his master, Paul encouraged the human property to return to his master (Philemon 1:10) .

I would be floored if anyone used the Bible today to justify human enslavement.

She described how abolitionists and others prior and during the Civil War employed a thematic reading of the Bible. The Old Testament's overall theme is justice and the New Testament's is love. In this topic's case, love trumps justice, ironically decided by the outcome of the bloodbath we now casually call the Civil War.

She noted briefly that similar interpretation approaches are now happening in Islam.

Also, someone in my class suggested that the same interpretation approaches apply to the current topic of homosexuality and gay marriage. That sent my mind racing about the possible implications of such a suggestion.

But my mind soon turned back to slavery. I thought of Paul's lack of opposition to slavery when in a modern revelation, it is clear how God feels about it. In describing why He directed that the U.S. Constitution be established, the Lord said through Joseph Smith, "It is not right for one man to be in bondage to another..." (Doctrine & Covenants 101:79) How could Paul as an Apostle not oppose slavery? Because he didn't, people used his writings to dehumanize others of Heavenly Father's children.

My best contribution to the discussion was that the potential for innovation seemed infinite. Some forms of innovation could be detrimental for mankind. However, I welcome warmly the innovation in approach regarding slavery and I'm optimistic generally about innovation of scriptures because of my personal experience with the Holy Ghost. Based on precedent, I know that God answers prayers and even if the answers don't come as I'd like, I usually gain peace through wrestling in the Spirit.

Inspiration, Revelation and This Latter-day Saint

First, I view inspiration as suggestions from God. I receive these almost daily in the form of ideas. There are millions, even billions, of possible ways I can do good in the world. When I'm pondering one topic deeply, I usually have ideas come from left field whose connection are only that they’re part of the process, not necessary the result of a sequential series of my own thoughts. This allows me to use my free will or "agency" as a Latter-day Saint would say, to further explore and work through possibilities.

Revelation is different. I've only received revelation on infrequent occasions and most often when I was a missionary. After seeking urgently and exercising a great deal of trust in God, my mind and heart would experience a heightened connection where the will of the Lord pressed heavily on me and I knew what specifically He would have me say. The best description I have for it is becoming an instrument or a messenger. Interestingly enough, I never delivered any new information that I hadn't studied myself prior to the delivery. Sometimes in the moment, the impression would facilitate the formation of connections, but the pieces were already inside me from prior tutoring sessions with the Holy Ghost in scripture study. Drawing deeply from the Savior's well of Living Waters in scripture study is key to my spirituality. This revelation process enables me to use my agency too, but it's usually in the form of whether I choose to obey the message or not.

I accept modern prophets. These men are the today's equivalent to Abraham, Noah, Moses and the like. They are today's mouthpieces for God who act as His messengers or instruments for the world. I believe the inspiration and revelation process I’ve described is the same for prophets, too. Sometimes it's inspiration and sometimes revelation and it’s always according to their understanding. Sometimes they're teaching according to their own best judgement based on previous revelation or inspiration. This is what I think Paul was doing in this slavery instance.

Revelation can be updated. Peter's vision to take the gospel to the Gentiles and to eat what was previously considered unclean is an example of an update. (Acts 10:9-20).

Why am I not disillusioned that Paul did not oppose slavery when it grinds against my modern conception of right and wrong and my current understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Was he an Apostle? Yes. Did he receive revelation according to his understanding? Yes. Did he write instructions to various churches and individuals based on his understanding? Yes. How can I know what God thinks of Paul's teachings?

I ask Him what He thinks about it, expecting He'll let me know. I'm comfortable with innovation of the scriptures because of my experience with the Holy Ghost. He's no respecter of persons, as Peter learned by the updated revelation. (Acts 10:34) He'll make known His will through the Spirit to those who seek to know it.

I'm secure on a personal level. It's how a broader audience could possibly innovate scripture that makes me anxious.

Tags: God is our loving Heavenly Father, Joseph Smith, mind and heart, Mormonism, personal revelation, scripture study