Are you truly religious?

My mother-in-law shared with me a wonderful article by Jewish Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, which can be found at this URL. Not only did it put religions into perspective in relation to each other, but it also put religious beliefs into perspective in relation to beliefs in scientific theories - questioning the rationality of believing in the probability of evolution to the extent that it was the process of forming the life forms on this earth today.

But my favorite quote from his article was the following:

People who are in a relationship with G-d are humble and do their utmost to refrain from judging others. Their proximity to a perfect being reminds them of their own fallibility. Their experience of G-d's compassion leads them to be merciful and loving. But those who worship a religion are arrogant and think they have the only truth. They are dismissive of other people's beliefs and maintain that advancing the cause of their religion is more important than life itself.

(It made me smile that he follows the tradition of not writing God's name out with all letters - to keep it sacred and from being overused.)

I love that quote. It echoes with truth. I have been accused in the past of not giving credence to documents from other people's religions, merely because I don't believe them. I wanted to clarify how I approach anything I read - whether from my own religious leaders or others.

I believe that God is the source of all truth and that he can speak to us in many ways and from many different sources. When I read something - like this article for instance - I try to keep an open mind and heart and allow the Spirit to speak to me. If I get a good feeling from my reading and have the Spirit confirm the truth of what has been said to me, then I believe the truth. It could be a portion of the article or the article as a whole, but the resounding truth confirmed by the Spirit is there. Whether it comes from the Koran, a Jewish Rabbi, a Native American medicine man, or a General Authority of the LDS church.

Once truth has been taught to me by the Spirit, then I try to act on what I have learned. One of the reasons I approach things taught by the leaders of my Church with perfect reliance in their truth is because I have had things confirmed to me by the Holy Ghost. In specific, I have had confirmed to me the truthfulness of Joseph Smith's record of the First Vision and the restoration of the Priesthood and the gospel to this earth and the Book of Mormon as a whole. Not only do I feel the truthfulness of these accounts confirmed every time I read them, but I have taken the matter to God in prayer and He has confirmed to me the verity of their words. Because these things are true, I know that the Lord restored His Church to the earth through Joseph Smith, that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and that the Lord is at the head of His Church today. He speaks to His prophet at the head of the Church (which was President Gordon B. Hinckley at the time I gained this testimony, and is now President Thomas S. Monson), as well as to the other leaders of the Church. I have the truthfulness of what they say reaffirmed to me as I read and listen to their words, but the Lord has given me His witness that what they say is true, so I do tend to listen to their words with faith in that witness.

Truth comes from all different sources, and I believe that God can speak to us in many ways. It is important for us to keep our eyes, ears, and hearts open to spiritual truth, no matter what the source. That way, the Lord will have no trouble speaking to us.

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I also really appreciated the rabbi's definition of a cult.

Those who worship their religion evince the classic characteristic of cult members. Whereas a real faith system is empowering and makes one strong and capable of operating outside their own faith community, cult members can only identify with other members of their group and require the environment of the cult in order to function. They don't have beliefs. Rather, they take orders.

This is not characteristic of the religion I observe, of which I am grateful. Thanks for the clarification, Rabbi Boteach.

The Power of Perspective

Lehi was commanded to leave Jerusalem so that he and his family would not be killed, and so that they could raise up a righteous nation to the Lord - away from all the corruption that had filled Jerusalem and away from the destruction that would come upon Jerusalem because of the wickedness of its inhabitants. While the reasons were good, the trip was not easy. He had to pack up his family, pack provisions, and leave quickly. Three days into his journey, they came to a river valley, and the following verse was written:

"And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God." (1 Nephi 2:7)

While his sons were murmuring about how difficult things were and how they wish they had never left, Lehi was offering thanks to the Lord for his mercies. There were so many things he could have been focusing on that were discouraging and difficult. But he chose, rather, to look to his God and thank Him for His mercies.

I recently had a religious discussion with a person I am very close to. And after our discussion, it became clear that there was only one difference between us, and it made all the difference in the world. It was a difference of perspective.

I know that there is a God, and because of this, I have the power to look and see His hand in my everyday life and I know that He is responsible for all the good in the world around me. This person does not believe or know that there is a God. And they see all the evil in the world around them and take it as evidence that there is no God. From my viewpoint, I can see the evil in its context and still believe in God. I can see the higher views that are given only to those who choose to find out and know.

Now, I do not claim to know everything about everything, or even everything about coming to know God and His plan. But I do know this: I know there is a God, who is our loving Father. He loves everyone on this earth and He has provided a way for us to return to Him and know Him -- to know His love and to understand His plan for us and what we are to do in this world. I know He exists and that makes all the difference. I can see everything differently with that knowledge driving my views. Am I always positive? No. I can tend to be negative at times; but because I know God exists, I have the ability to be positive at all times. Because God is good, and He affects everything. 

As Jamie in the movie "A Walk to Remember" says, "it's the center of everything."

I know, and that's the cream of it all.

What a beautiful verse!

"There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky."

The Hebrew word "Jeshurun" means "the upright, righteous;" so this verse could also be read:

"There is none like unto the God of the upright and righteous, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky."

What a powerful verse which inspires such beautiful images to come into my mind. The Lord rules and reigns and there is none like unto Him.

An amazing metaphor

I am reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, which is an interesting account of things that happened during the Holocaust. In the particular part I am in, the main character's family is housing a Jew in their basement (I almost feel guilty writing that on here, because it is such a huge, vital secret in the book). This Jew's name is Max Vandenburg. Before the war, Max was a boxer, but now he is in hiding in a basement to save his life.

There is a point during his stay there that he decides to start working out again, despite his malnourishment. He wonders if it's worth it, and then imagines himself in a boxing ring with Adolf Hitler, the cause of all his problems. For the first portion of the match, Hitler corners Max and pummels him, over and over again, until he is bleeding and falls to the floor. The crowd is cheering. Hitler backs up, and then Max gets up again and taunts, "Come on, Fuhrer." Hitler approaches, and Max dodges in order to back Hitler into the corner. He hits him several times, until Hitler falls to his knees. The following passage is an amazing analogy of exactly what happened in WWII in Germany:

When he [the Fuhrer] returned to his feet, much to the approval of the thousand-strong crowd, he edged forward and did something quite strange. He turned his back on the Jew and took the gloves from his fists.

The crowd was stunned.

"He's given up," someone whispered, but within moments, Adolf Hitler was standing on the ropes, and he was addressing the arena.

"My fellow Germans," he called, "you can see something here tonight, can't you?" Bare-chested, victory-eyed, he pointed over at Max. "You can see that what we face is something far more sinister and powerful than we ever imagined. Can you see that?"

They answered. "Yes, Fuhrer."

Can you see that this enemy has found its ways -- its despicable ways -- through our armor, and that clearly, I cannot stand up here alone and fight him?" The words were visible. They dropped from his mouth like jewels. "Look at him! Take a good look." They looked. At the bloodied Max Vandenburg. "As we speak, he is plotting his way into your neighborhood. He's moving in next door. He's infesting you with his family and he's about to take you over. He --" Hitler glanced at him a moment, with disgust. "He will soon own you, until it is he who stands not at the counter of your grocery shop, but sits in the back, smoking his pipe. Before you know it, you'll be working for him at minimum wage while he can hardly walk from the weight in his pockets. Will you simply stand there and let him do this? Will you stand by as your leaders did in the past, when they gave your land to everybody else, when they sold your country for the price of a few signatures? Will you stand out there, powerless? Or" -- and now he stepped one rung higher -- "will you climb up into ths ring with me?"

Max shook. Horror stuttured in his stomach.

Adolf finished him. "Will you climb in here so that we can defeat this enemy together?"

In the basement of 33 Himmel Street, Max Vendenburg could feel the fists of an entire nation. One by one they climbed into the ring and beat him down. They made him bleed. They let him suffer. Millions of them..."

 The truth and horror of the Holocaust of the early 1900s.

September 11th article in Washington Post

I was surprised and thrilled to see that President Monson, the prophet today and the current president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had an article in the Washington Post. He wrote somewhat of a memoir on September 11th, and how many of us felt a need to spiritually recommit our lives. He commented that the fervor of that spiritual desire has waned over the past 10 years. He asserted that God's "commitment to us...is unwavering."

And then he gave a powerful statement in the following:

"If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season.

"The way to be with God in every season is to strive to be near Him every week and each day. We truly 'need Him every hour,' not just in hours of devastation. We must speak to Him, listen to Him, and serve Him. If we wish to serve Him, we should serve our fellow men. We will mourn the lives we lose, but we should also fix the lives that can be mended and heal the hearts that may yet be healed.

"It is constancy that God would have from us."

Lord, let me be constant unto thee. Help thou my weakness.

There is a God, and that makes me who I am

I just started a personal finance course online from BYU. I recently stopped being the main provider for our family, and since then, I have felt somewhat lost when it comes to finances, how to manage them, and how to keep track of them as a couple. So, I figured I would start a course to help me with this.

It's been really interesting so far. This particular course is teaching finance as an integral part of Christian living - viewing and using our financial resources from an eternal perspective. In the process of teaching how to do this, the author (Bryan Lorin Sudweeks) has been trying to show the importance of having God at the center of one's perspective. He quoted some wonderful people.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

Living without God in the world brings a functional lack of consistent perspective. If there were no eternal truths, to what principles would mortals look for guidance? If not accountable to God, to whom are we ultimately accountable? Furthermore, if nothing is ever really wrong, then no one is ever really responsible. If there are no fixed boundaries, then there cannot be any excesses. Why should we be surprised, then, at so many disturbing outcomes, including the lack of community, when every man does that which is "right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6; Judges 21:25)  and seeks not the righteousness of the Lord but instead walks "in his own way"? (D&C 1:16) (Neal A. Maxwell, “Take Especial Care of Your Family,” Ensign, May 1994, 88).

We see the world and the people in it differently, because, as C. S. Lewis observed, it is by the light and illumination of the gospel that we see everything else. . . . The gospel is like the lens of a cosmic kaleidoscope that, instead of showing life, man, and the universe as senseless, unconnected fragments, shows us pattern, beauty, and purpose! It is this vision that can give us a special sense of proportion about the things in life that matter most. . . . This perspective can make so many differences in so many ways that, unintentionally, we may be unconscious of the implications of our difference in outlook (Neal A. Maxwell, “Talk of the Month,” New Era, May 1971, 28).

Benjamin Franklin:

Those who believe there is one God who made all things and who governs the world by this providence will make many choices different from those who do not. Those who believe that mankind are all of a family and that the most acceptable service of God is doing good to man will make many choices different from those who do not. Those who believe in a future state in which all that is wrong here will be made right will make many choices different from those who do not. Those who subscribe to the morals of Jesus will make many choices different from those who do not (The Art of Virtue, 1986, 88–90).

 I love this whole thought that what we believe and how we allow it to influence our perspective on life impacts everything we do and the decisions that we make. I know there is a God, and I will strive to live so that knowledge will be able to show through and shine onto everything I do and every decision I make. I know it influences a lot of my decisions now, but I hope it can eventually transform everything I do.

Sidenote: 

While I was writing this, "If I Were A Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof started playing on my iTunes. Perfectly fitting.

Mosiah 29:28-29

Nephite checks and balances system! Check it out! Must be inspired. =)

Smart idea

In Deuteronomy 17, the Lord says that anyone who is made king over the people must study the laws of God daily. What a better place this world would be if that were a requirement made of the rulers of all countries today.

Did you know?!

 The person in the notorious Roe vs. Wade case was not named Roe at all - her name was Norma McCorvey. Jane Roe was just a pseudonym. It was her case that got taken to the Supreme Court and resulted in the legalizing of abortion.

In the 1990s, Norma McCorvey started working for Operation Rescue, against abortion. She no longer believes abortion should be legal.

Now, that's one person who we should be asking about what changed her mind. And if the person who first asked for abortion to be legalized is now against it's legalization, shouldn't we take that as a hint? I was actually very excited to find out this information.

(commentary on information from Uncle John's Bathroom Reader: History's Lists)

The Lord's voice

There is a portion of the Bible where it talks about the Israelites hearing the voice of the Lord and being so frightened of it that they asked Moses to go talk to Him alone, rather than having God talk to them directly. 

Deuteronomy 5:22-25:

"...The Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
 

"And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;

"And ye said, Behold, the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

"Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we shall die."

I've always thought that the Lord's voice must have been booming and frightening at that time. But when I was reading about it yesterday, the incident is cross-referenced with the following verse:

"And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn" (3 Nephi 11:3).

The Lord's voice is not loud or harsh, but it is so powerful that it does pierce, burn, and cause people to quake.

The Lord's wish

Deuteronomy 5:29 - "O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!"

The Lord loves us and wants to help us. But in order for us to be blessed by Him, we must live as He has commanded us. It's sort of like when a child, confused as to why his mother does not want him to climb high on the bricks, climbs higher and higher, and then falls and hurts himself, over and over again. And yet he will not heed his mother's suggestion. We tend to do what we think is best for ourselves - against the Lord's counsel - and then cry out and wonder when we find ourselves hurt again and again.

From "Managing Stress as a College Student"

"We live in a day when the adversary stresses on every hand the philosophy of instant gratification. We seem to demand instant everything, including instant solutions to our problems. We are indoctrinated that somehow we should always be instantly emotionally comfortable. When that is not so, some become anxious -- and all too frequently seek relief from counseling, from analysis, and even from medication. It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal. Teach your members that if they have a good, miserable day once in a while, or several in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out. There is a great purpose in our struggle in life."

This quote by Elder Boyd K. Packer is so awesome. It's true that if we don't feel emotionally comfortable we want to do something about it. And that's a good thing, as long as it drives us in the right direction. It is when we feel uncomfortable that we strive to live better lives. Isn't is nice to know that "some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, [and] even some failure is normal"?

A time for everything

Deuteronomy 1.

It was so interesting... As I was reading this, I picked up something about the story of Moses and Israel that I hadn't beforehand. When Moses was leading them into the promised land, the Israelites said that though the land was good, it was inhabited by peoples that they were afraid of and so they did not want to enter the land. This made the Lord "wroth" because of their lack of faith, and he vowed that they would not enter the land. Seeing the Lord's anger, the people "repented," and said they would heed the word of the Lord and go into the land.

But it was no longer the Lord's will that they go into the land. In fact, he told them not to. The time had passed. However, they did, and those that entered were smitten and killed.

It made me realize that at times, there are things that the Lord would have us do, or things that are right for us at a certain time. Yet, if we do not act at the time we are prompted or commanded, the time may pass, and it is no longer right for us to do the thing we believed to be right (and was in fact right - we just delayed too long). This was a very enlightening story - it brought to light something that I'd sensed, but never quite been able to fully grasp as an eternal truth or concept. The scriptures are amazing.

The pure love of Christ never faileth

"Around the corner from Trafalgar Square in London stands a beautiful statue of an English girl. On that statue are engraved the words, 'Brussels Dawn, 1918,' and, 'Patriotism is not enough, I must have love for all men.'"

from Standing for Something by Gordon B. Hinckley

The Sabbath

I realize that this is a touchy subject, so I'll put a disclaimer to my comments about L. Tom Perry's talk "The Sabbath and the Sacrament": these are my views on the Sabbath and its observance. If you live differently or see it differently, this does not mean that you are wrong or that I think badly about you.

Elder Perry said "Let your family be filled with love as you honor the Sabbath all day long and experience its spiritual blessings throughout the week."

I love this quote. I have always felt that the Sabbath should be honored and set aside specially, not just by us going to church that day, but all day long. I feel that this includes dress, actions, mindsets, and activities.

Why? Well, I can give you a long list of reasons why, but it basically comes down to this: I believe that the Sabbath should be a day set aside for us to come closer to God. That being said, there are numerous ways to do that, and everyone has an opinion as to what's right and wrong in this matter. Even the Savior was reprimanded by people around Him who felt like His actions were not fit for the Sabbath when He was doing exactly as Heavenly Father - the person who created the Sabbath and assigned laws concerning it - would have Him do. Only when we are following the promptings of God and the teachings of His prophets as to what to do on the Sabbath will our actions on the Sabbath be acceptable and right.

For me, I dress nicely in "Sunday dress" (a dress or skirt with a nice top) all day long. This helps me feel that I am worshiping my Savior, and it helps me remember Him throughout the day, and that the Sabbath is His day - a day when I should be doing things to bring me closer to Him. On Sundays when I have had to dress differently for one reason or another, I have lost that reminder and oftentimes found myself drifting towards doing other activities that are not necessarily appropriate for the Sabbath.

Our actions should reflect our commitment to keeping the Sabbath Day holy. Whatever we feel to be right for that day, our actions should go along with our beliefs.

Activities? Anything that brings me closer to God I feel is appropriate. I usually strive to spend time with family, talking about religion, or reading my scriptures or the Ensign, listening to talks, praying, journaling, following promptings. I avoid doing things that would detract or distract me from coming closer to my Father in Heaven.

My personal view of working on the Sabbath is as follows: there are times when it is needed or necessary, but only specific types of work fall into that category. Even the Lord healed on the Sabbath (something our doctors and nurses in hospitals do as well). In my life, I have found that when it was requisite to work on Sunday (like helping people in a resident hall as a resident assistant) that I did my best to focus on the Savior and his work during those times, and consecrated all the money I earned on that day to Him. Whatever I earned on Sunday, I gave to the Lord in the form of fast offerings or something else. Working on the Sabbath should only be done when it is what the Lord would have us do.

I am so grateful that the Lord gave us the Sabbath Day to rest from our labors and to recuperate - not only physically but spiritually as well. It is a day where we receive the spiritual nourishment and power that helps us get through the week in all that we have to deal with and face. Of course we are able to do things throughout the week to keep up our spiritual strength, but there is no day like Sunday.

Numbers 35:31

"Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death."

Someone mentioned that they felt awful at the fact that so many people were celebrating and rejoicing in the death of Osama Bin Laden. For it is said in the Bible that we should not be happy when someone is killed who has murdered. I agree. The lives of everyone are precious to the Lord, and He does not rejoice in anyone losing his life, even if that person has done bad things. For "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God" (D&C 18:10).

Addressing a different issue: though we should not rejoice at the punishment of evil-doers, evil-doers should still receive punishment for their crimes.

Eeeeeee!

I'm reading the talks from the April 2011 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the May 2011 Ensign, and I couldn't help but squeal inside again as warmth and happiness rushed over me as I read the following passage:

"We continue to build temples. It is my privilege this morning to announce three additional temples for which sites are being acquired and which, in coming months and years, will be built in the following locations: Fort Collins, Colorado; Meridian, Idaho; and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They will certainly be a blessing to our members in those areas."

It is always good news when I hear that a temple is going to be built, but when that temple is going to be built in my own hometown which I'm hoping to move back to someday? That is aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! So exciting. =) Yay!

This thing called love

I'm reading Standing for Something by President Gordon B. Hinckley (my favorite prophet, by the way!), and he talks about love and the power it has to change lives. This is not some corny thing we're talking about here - the idyllic whimsy of fairy tales. This is the real thing. The world is a really scary place. Why? Most of it has to do with the lack of love and caring for each other, and the reckless abandon many treat people with. Treat is almost too kind a word - they attack people or use them for their own purposes, "tak[ing] the advantage...and digging a pit for [their] neighbor" (2 Nephi 28:8). The world is the worse for the lack of love and is the better for the love that we find in small patches throughout it. In reality, the adage "all we need is love" has a lot of truth to it. If all we did were seasoned by the true caring that it ought to be, then what an amazing place this would be.

My favorite quote from this book so far (I'm on page 9): "Nobody can live fully and happily who lives only unto himself or herself."

Thank goodness for footnotes

Numbers, Chapter 25:4 - I totally thought that God had told the people to literally hang all the heads of the people in the blazing sun. He really meant just the leaders (the cheiftains, i.e., "the heads") of the people should be hung. Leaders under the sanction of God will not be allowed to lead His people astray.

Numbers, Chapter 24

It is amazing to me that a man who is the king of a country would think that doing the same thing over and over again would produce a different result. Isn't that the definition of insanity?

We should come to accept that the Lord knows the beginning from the end and vice versa, so asking more than once is not going to bring a different answer. We are not going to convince the Lord to give us an answer other than the one He knows to be correct (though he may allow us to do things to our detriment at times as he did in with Joseph Smith in the instance of the 116 lost pages), and He knows all.

We should learn to listen and accept, as hard as that may be at times.