Faith
The need for faith in our life-- faith is an action, faith is correct understanding, we must obey to have complete TRUST in his SERVANTS. This means that we should have faith in the church leaders. We need to cultivate spiritual gifts, because without faith, we are nothing. Have you taught your children your faith? Faith comes only thru OBEDIENCE. Obey, obey, obey. Righteous, obey, get more faith. More obedient will give you more faith. There is no such thing as relative ethics. We must be EXACTLY obedient in ALL things, including the small, simple things. Holy ghost acts upon the light of christ within us, then we will desire to know. Faith grows as we obey. OBEY, obey, obey. Then we can have belief. Faith is a principle of power thru OBEDIENT behavior. Personal righteousness is a choice, yields spiritual power. You can see it in people's lives. If you don't see it, they must not be righteous. Focus, being steadfast, continually holding fast, obey even amidst the mists of darkness. This is powerful.
Opposition is free will. We can act for ourselves, so that's why satan can tempt us. All things are possible to him that believest. Help thou my unbelief. Fear cannot coexist with faith. Disbelief is destructive. Disbelief will destroy your life. Eliminate sources of doubt. Don't allow doubt to control you. Don't consistently focus on faith-erroding things. That is satan pulling you down.
What are your personal tendecies that are pulling you down. Six destructive Ds. Doubt is evil and bad and wrong and negative, and comes from lack of confidince. Discouragement, decreased effort, weakened desire, not following the spirit. Despair. Distraction is against faith. Satan will use these bad habits. Lack of diligence, the willingness to follow god. Disappointment. This path leads to DISOBEDIENCE. GOOD GOD NOT DISOBEDIENCE. We are all doomed.
We have hardened our hearts, are beyond feeling. We must have faith, we must chose to obey. We need greater spiritual power. Faith brings power from jesus. God lives and loves us as long as we obey. christ will save us if we obey president monson. Because he lives, we can have hope if we have faith and obey. As long as our houses are righteous, and have faith and don't doubt, everything will be sunshine and kittens.
Amen.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
The mormon church DOESN"T teach that other religions are going to hell
So says Quentin Cook. Despite the doctrine that says that mormons will become gods, and that everyone who does not become a god is damned, or stopped in their eternal salvation. Despite the fact that Joseph Smith history says that all other religions are false, that they draw close to god with their lips, but their hearts are far from god. Despite the fact that a protestant minister was portrayed as a servant of satan in the temple ceremony until the 1990s. Despite the fact that mormons are taught that their church is the ONLY true church on the face of the earth, that all other churches are false.
But as the one true church, we are also perfect in our benevolence and courtesy towards all those other wrong minded religions who believe false and silly doctrines. Aren't we so righteous?
But as the one true church, we are also perfect in our benevolence and courtesy towards all those other wrong minded religions who believe false and silly doctrines. Aren't we so righteous?
Quentin Cook
Stumbling blocks to faith. What a shame that some people don't believe in the truthfulness of the bible. The bible that has been edited and shown to be not a literal history. The bible which is myth and fantasy and allegory and prejudice and metaphorical and ... and ... and...
OF COURSE the bible is not true in the strictest sense of the word. Of course there are people who disbelieve it and don't base their lives on it because they have studied how the bible was created, what things are wrong with the bible. They see how the bible does indeed condemn homosexuality, but it also CONDONES a FATHER allowing his DAUGHTERS TO BE RAPED AND KILLED. Yes, that is just what I want to base my life off of.
What about the book of mormon? I mean, it hasn't been retranslated and changed, right? RIGHT? Well, not exactly. The book of mormon states that black skin is a punishment from god for unrighteousness, and if you are righteous enough, your skin will turn white. It teaches that god thinks killing is ok, as long as you really REALLY need a book. It teaches that submarines predate WWII, indeed, they were contemporary with the tower of babel, as was glass.
So, why don't I base my life and morals and ethics on these inspired writings??? Well, I can't imagine.
OF COURSE the bible is not true in the strictest sense of the word. Of course there are people who disbelieve it and don't base their lives on it because they have studied how the bible was created, what things are wrong with the bible. They see how the bible does indeed condemn homosexuality, but it also CONDONES a FATHER allowing his DAUGHTERS TO BE RAPED AND KILLED. Yes, that is just what I want to base my life off of.
What about the book of mormon? I mean, it hasn't been retranslated and changed, right? RIGHT? Well, not exactly. The book of mormon states that black skin is a punishment from god for unrighteousness, and if you are righteous enough, your skin will turn white. It teaches that god thinks killing is ok, as long as you really REALLY need a book. It teaches that submarines predate WWII, indeed, they were contemporary with the tower of babel, as was glass.
So, why don't I base my life and morals and ethics on these inspired writings??? Well, I can't imagine.
The pride cycle
Elder Ballard talks about the pride cycle. I remember learning about this in Sunday school. When we are righteous, we are blessed. When we are blessed, it is with monetary wealth. When we have wealth, we become prideful, then we are punished. Then we repent and are righteous. Then it begins again.
This whole concept is based on a faulty premise that baffles the rest of christianity, a principle that is central to mormon doctrine. Monetary blessings come from righteousness in mormon theology. In the rest of christianity, money is the root of all evil, and Jesus says a rich man has a snowball's chance in hell of getting into heaven.
But in mormonism, it is all different, based, perhaps, on the fact that the founding prophet Joseph Smith was raised a poor boy and always after money. That is completely understandable. I was raised hungry, and what I want in life is stability, a job that pays me money, a bed to sleep in instead of the floor.
Joseph Smith, however, took it a little bit further and made money his goal. He lived off the finances of the church, like Brigham young did after him. Even tho the book of mormon says that Prophets, like King Benjamin, should NOT live off the people. Smith took advantage of the people, lived very well in Navuoo, took advantage of others with the Kirtland bank. Smith didn't even pay for the printing of the Book of Mormon: Martin Harris did that.
Money DOES NOT mean you are blessed of god. Being poor does not mean god is punishing you. However, looking at the make up of the first presidency and the twelve apostles, it is clear that those righteous enough to lead the church are wealthy and white and successful and from Utah. Well, except for Uchdorf, who is white and wealthy and successful and from Germany. What diversity.
This whole concept is based on a faulty premise that baffles the rest of christianity, a principle that is central to mormon doctrine. Monetary blessings come from righteousness in mormon theology. In the rest of christianity, money is the root of all evil, and Jesus says a rich man has a snowball's chance in hell of getting into heaven.
But in mormonism, it is all different, based, perhaps, on the fact that the founding prophet Joseph Smith was raised a poor boy and always after money. That is completely understandable. I was raised hungry, and what I want in life is stability, a job that pays me money, a bed to sleep in instead of the floor.
Joseph Smith, however, took it a little bit further and made money his goal. He lived off the finances of the church, like Brigham young did after him. Even tho the book of mormon says that Prophets, like King Benjamin, should NOT live off the people. Smith took advantage of the people, lived very well in Navuoo, took advantage of others with the Kirtland bank. Smith didn't even pay for the printing of the Book of Mormon: Martin Harris did that.
Money DOES NOT mean you are blessed of god. Being poor does not mean god is punishing you. However, looking at the make up of the first presidency and the twelve apostles, it is clear that those righteous enough to lead the church are wealthy and white and successful and from Utah. Well, except for Uchdorf, who is white and wealthy and successful and from Germany. What diversity.
Auditing department
I never thought I could be so bugged when I have been out and away from the church for the better part of three years. Unfortunately, conference always brings it out in me.
During conference, we have an unknown man get up and read a letter from the church auditing department. They tell us that this unknown department is independent from all other areas of the church. This mythical auditing department, populated (we are told) with capable and certified individuals, have access to all financial records of the church. (I find this hard to believe since the church hasn't been open with its finances for the better part of a century.) The auditing department has evaluated the finances of the church based on policies that are unknown, and procedures that any member of the church do not have access to.
Why are the church finances all fine and righteous? Because an unseen and unknown "department" of the church tells us so through a letter read in general conference!
Keep in mind that in recent years, the church has done a lot of back peddling, saying "not everything said over the pulpit is doctrine or true." So what is? Reminds me of the song, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so." It stretches credulity to imagine that the only historical record we have of Jesus should be the source of all knowledge. How do we know that Jesus exists? Well, the bible says so! How do we know he died for our sins? The bible says! How do we know the bible is true? Well, silly, the bible tells us it's true!
So, how do we know the church isn't spending BILLIONS of dollars on a fucking MALL in downtown Salt Lake while faithful saints are paying their tithing and going without and suffering in this economic downturn? Well, silly, we know that the church is spending their money righteously because they say so! Well, then, I guess I was stupid to even ask.
During conference, we have an unknown man get up and read a letter from the church auditing department. They tell us that this unknown department is independent from all other areas of the church. This mythical auditing department, populated (we are told) with capable and certified individuals, have access to all financial records of the church. (I find this hard to believe since the church hasn't been open with its finances for the better part of a century.) The auditing department has evaluated the finances of the church based on policies that are unknown, and procedures that any member of the church do not have access to.
Why are the church finances all fine and righteous? Because an unseen and unknown "department" of the church tells us so through a letter read in general conference!
Keep in mind that in recent years, the church has done a lot of back peddling, saying "not everything said over the pulpit is doctrine or true." So what is? Reminds me of the song, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so." It stretches credulity to imagine that the only historical record we have of Jesus should be the source of all knowledge. How do we know that Jesus exists? Well, the bible says so! How do we know he died for our sins? The bible says! How do we know the bible is true? Well, silly, the bible tells us it's true!
So, how do we know the church isn't spending BILLIONS of dollars on a fucking MALL in downtown Salt Lake while faithful saints are paying their tithing and going without and suffering in this economic downturn? Well, silly, we know that the church is spending their money righteously because they say so! Well, then, I guess I was stupid to even ask.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Young women values part 1: Faith
"Faith is belief in things which are not seen, but which are true." --Bible dictionary
In my college class, I taught freshmen about begging the question. Contrary to popular belief, it does not mean "it's as if the issue is begging us to ask this question!" It means a circular logic, a conclusion inherent in one or more of the premises.
I remember sitting in my mia maid class, discussing faith. The teacher said that we could not have faith in things like UFOs, because it's simply not true. Faith is belief in things which are not seen, but which are true. I tried to argue that if UFO fanatics believed it was true, than it was still faith. My teacher was a bit upset with me as I argued the definition, and she assured me that faith can only be in true invisible things, like god.
We also discussed how we could not have faith if we had a perfect knowledge. The prophets no longer had faith in god because they had a personal knowledge of him. I was also told on a number of occasions that the reason there is not incontrovertible proof for the Book of Mormon is because then god would take away faith from us. It is necessary for us to believe WITHOUT that knowledge. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed." The act of faith without knowledge is necessary for our salvation, a kind of benevolent gnosticism.
Faith is belief in things which are not seen, things like history, things like the testimony of others. Faith that Joseph Smith is a prophet, faith that the Book of Mormon is true. These are the two most important cornerstones of our religion. Invisible but true. The problem is the church asks more: belief in things which are not seen and demonstrably false. The Book of Mormon can be proven false on several different fronts, linguistic, historical, biological. Joseph Smith has been proven dishonest, misleading, and self-serving. So, faith is irrational belief in the face of overwhelming contrary evidence.
In my college class, I taught freshmen about begging the question. Contrary to popular belief, it does not mean "it's as if the issue is begging us to ask this question!" It means a circular logic, a conclusion inherent in one or more of the premises.
I remember sitting in my mia maid class, discussing faith. The teacher said that we could not have faith in things like UFOs, because it's simply not true. Faith is belief in things which are not seen, but which are true. I tried to argue that if UFO fanatics believed it was true, than it was still faith. My teacher was a bit upset with me as I argued the definition, and she assured me that faith can only be in true invisible things, like god.
We also discussed how we could not have faith if we had a perfect knowledge. The prophets no longer had faith in god because they had a personal knowledge of him. I was also told on a number of occasions that the reason there is not incontrovertible proof for the Book of Mormon is because then god would take away faith from us. It is necessary for us to believe WITHOUT that knowledge. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed." The act of faith without knowledge is necessary for our salvation, a kind of benevolent gnosticism.
Faith is belief in things which are not seen, things like history, things like the testimony of others. Faith that Joseph Smith is a prophet, faith that the Book of Mormon is true. These are the two most important cornerstones of our religion. Invisible but true. The problem is the church asks more: belief in things which are not seen and demonstrably false. The Book of Mormon can be proven false on several different fronts, linguistic, historical, biological. Joseph Smith has been proven dishonest, misleading, and self-serving. So, faith is irrational belief in the face of overwhelming contrary evidence.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Entitlement
The idea was popular in 17th century England: the Protestants must be right because they suffered so much. Truth in Areopagitica, a political tract by Milton, is hewn into a thousand pieces and scattered to the four winds. Not only is Truth tortured, she is Truth BECAUSE she is tortured. Martyrology goes hand-in-hand with an apocolyptic mindset: the end is coming because -look!- everything is so bad.
The worst thing about the concept of martyrology is the sense of entitlement it grants to its proponents. I'll use the mormon church as an example, just because I am so intimately aquanted with it. Mormons are, from birth, imbued with the sense of being a peculiar people (just as a side note, the word peculiar comes from an English tax, and that which was taken was understood as "belonging to the king"--see, do you see how it connects?), a fact that they are proud of. Different is good and essential. Don't you see what a horrible place the world has become?? However, the problem comes in opposition to the accepted and sanctioned mindset. It doesn't matter what is proposed to followers of the mormon church; the fact that there is such a huge "anti" mormon movement PROVES that the church is true. If it weren't true, people wouldn't devote their lives to arguing against it. There is no way to argue with a position like that. No matter how articulate, convincing, and/or aggressive opposition becomes, the faithful gather together in the sure knowledge that what they believe is true because there is so much loud evidence to the contrary.
The worst thing about the concept of martyrology is the sense of entitlement it grants to its proponents. I'll use the mormon church as an example, just because I am so intimately aquanted with it. Mormons are, from birth, imbued with the sense of being a peculiar people (just as a side note, the word peculiar comes from an English tax, and that which was taken was understood as "belonging to the king"--see, do you see how it connects?), a fact that they are proud of. Different is good and essential. Don't you see what a horrible place the world has become?? However, the problem comes in opposition to the accepted and sanctioned mindset. It doesn't matter what is proposed to followers of the mormon church; the fact that there is such a huge "anti" mormon movement PROVES that the church is true. If it weren't true, people wouldn't devote their lives to arguing against it. There is no way to argue with a position like that. No matter how articulate, convincing, and/or aggressive opposition becomes, the faithful gather together in the sure knowledge that what they believe is true because there is so much loud evidence to the contrary.
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