Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! I enjoyed mine thoroughly.

So, as I've mentioned, I'm training a new missionary again (his name is Elder Jensen). That means that, every Friday, we have an hour-long conference call to listen to. And what does that mean?

It means I've got more time to make sticky notes.

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Brightly beams our Father's mercy

From his lighthouse evermore,

But to us, He gives the keeping

Of the lights along the shore

Dark the night of sin has settled

Loud the angry billows roar

Eager eyes are watching, longing,

For the lights along the shore

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;

Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,

Trying now to make the harbor

In the darkness may be lost

Let the lower lights be burning; 

Send a gleam across the wave,

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman

You may rescue, you may save

(Hymns, No. 335)

Like we discussed last time, we believe that God has given us the fulness of His gospel in these latter days. We feel this gospel bless our lives and the lives of those around us. The natural result is that we seek to share it with others. We all start out in the midst of the storm-tossed sea, struggling to stay afloat. Eventually, we catch a glimpse of the light of our Father's mercy. If we stay the course and follow this light, we arrive safely in the harbor. It then becomes our duty to help in the rescue effort, reflecting His light and guiding others to Him. 

It's a work of love. It's God's work.

It is missionary work. 

I know that God lives and loves us. I know that He restored His church to the earth in order to bless us. I know that I've been incredibly blessed by this church, and I continue to see blessings as I seek to share it with others. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Until next time,

-Elder Richmond

Notes:

-President Monson has spoken a lot about "The Rescue." His most recent words on the subject are found here.

-Yes, I am aware that I misspelled "sailor" in the third note. 

-Speaking of light, the last note looks different because we swapped out lamps in the room where I make these.

Just thought you'd like to know.

Why I'm Here (Part 1)

So, maybe you've been able to tell from past entries, but missionary work is hard. It's really hard, in a myriad of ways. I'm not going to go into details, because that could turn depressing, but let it be declared: being a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is not exactly a walk in the park.

What's that got to do with anything? Well, because missions are hard, there's a question that comes up a lot. Sometimes it comes from other people who find out about what we do. Many times, it's something we ask ourselves. The question is this:

"Why are you here?"

I've asked it of myself a lot. The first time I asked it was around a year ago, when I found myself sitting on a Cuban man's back patio, sweating like a pig in my suit and struggling to understand his conversation with my companion about the Bible. Throughout my mission, I've kept asking that question, and I've found two answers. One talks about the purpose of missionary work; the other talks about why I'm engaged in it.

So, why am I here?

I'm here because over two thousand years ago, a baby was born in a stable in Bethlehem. That baby grew up and learned of His identity. He was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and He came to this earth to fulfill a very specific and special mission. He lived a perfect life. He taught the people His Gospel, or the things that they should do in order to accomplish what God wanted them to do. He performed miracles; he organized His church by calling Twelve Apostles. And, at the end of His life, He carried out the most important event of all time: The Atonement. He suffered for our sins and our pains; he was crucified, and died on the cross. And, after, three days, he resurrected, completing the Atonement, and giving all of us the chance to live the Gospel and become worthy of living in God's presence after this life.

After His resurrection, Christ continued to direct His church through revelation to the Apostles. He commanded them to preach His Gospel over all the face of the earth:

 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the endof the world. Amen." (Matthew 28:18-20)

 But, it was prophesied that this wouldn't last.

As the prophet Amos said:

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:
 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." (Amos 8:11-12)

 Even the Apostles in the time of Christ knew that the church would fall before Christ was to return. Paul wrote:

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3) 

So, not too long after Christ ascended into heaven, His church had been taken from the earth, and the people were in spiritual darkness. In this time, God didn't give up on His children; He inspired men and women to speak out against practices that were against the original teachings of Jesus Christ. These people made changes, and because of these changes, the world was eventually prepared to receive the Church of Jesus Christ again.

So, in 1820, in the state of New York, there was a 14-year-old boy. He was honest and pure in heart; he just wanted to do what God wanted him to do. But, he felt inadequate. The many different pastors and ministers of religion in the area each claimed to be the true church on the earth. But, as he put it:

"...So great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong."

So, the boy turned to the only religious source he felt he could trust: the Bible itself. He read its pages day after day, and pondered its words in his heart. Eventually, he came to the Epistle of James, and read the following verse:

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)

The verse struck him deeply. And, we'll use his words to tell what happened next:

 "Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.

At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God,” concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.

 So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.

 After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.

 But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" (Joseph Smith--History 1:12-17)

The boy, Joseph Smith, had received an answer to his prayer. He was, without a doubt, amazed by what was happening, but he still went on with his question: he asked the two heavenly beings before him which church they would have him join. They responded that none of the churches then established on the earth contained all of what had been revealed previously, so he shouldn't join any of them. They then also told him that he had a work to do, and that he would be called to be a prophet on the earth again, in order to restore their church again on the earth.

I testify that this happened, and that, through Joseph Smith, God and Jesus Christ restored their church to the earth, as well as the complete and perfect Gospel that had been preached anciently. With this great blessing came a great responsibility: the task of sharing this Gospel with the whole world.

"Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor." (D&C 88:81)

And so, nearly 200 years ago, without airplanes, cars, or even trains, missionaries began to go to all nations, teaching the Gospel of faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.

So, this is all very nice, but what does it mean for us?

Well, as I talked about last time (you know, the one where I talked a bunch about oatmeal?), the Gospel allows us to become better people, little by little, until we can eventually meet the standards set by our Heavenly Father to return to live with him. And, the only way we can know of the Gospel is through missionary work. Sure, I'm a multi-generational member of the church: my parents are members, as are their parents, and so on and so forth. But, that all started with a missionary preaching to my ancestors, way, way back.

The fact is, we live the Gospel, and we know how it blesses our lives. It's our duty, then, to share that with the world.

And that is why I'm here...

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I know that God lives and loves us. I know that He has always loved His children, and I know that He has given us the Gospel in order to bless us in this life. I know that the sweetest peace that can be felt on this earth comes from living the Gospel and serving others. I know that I've been called to help other people feel as good as I do. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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...But that's not the whole answer to the question. Stay tuned!

-Elder Richmond

Oatmeal and the Natural Man

Welcome back! Today, we're going to start off with a little glimpse into my missionary life...


So, in my apartment's kitchen right now, there are two microwaves, stacked one on top of the other. Why do we have two? Well, that's a long story. Maybe another time we'll talk about it another time. For now, we'll just say that we have two microwaves. The bottom one is newer and bigger, the top is older and smaller.

For a while, the top microwave just sat on the bottom one, unused and unappreciated. Recently, though, I've found a use for it. Throughout my mission, I've enjoyed a nice bowl of oatmeal to start off the day. However, when I came to this apartment, I ran into a problem. The big microwave worked a little too well; my oatmeal would boil over if I left it in too long. I tried taking the oatmeal out before it boiled over, but then found that it was undercooked. There wasn't any way to adjust the power level on the microwave, so I had to give up the oatmeal for a while (you can make it on the stove, but I generally don't have enough time in the morning to do that and get all my other things done on time).

One day last week, though, I noticed that the top microwave had an adjustable power dial on the front. I changed the settings, put in some oatmeal, and Viola! I had the perfect bowl of oatmeal!

So, what does all of this have to do with the Gospel? Nothing.

Yet.

See, the other day, I was getting my oatmeal ready, but I had something I wanted to do while waiting for it to cook. I put my oatmeal in the microwave, turned the timer dial, and then went about doing whatever else. When I finished, I went back to the kitchen, opened the door to the top microwave...and found that my oatmeal was gone.

I was more than a little bit confused: I'd heard the microwave "ding!" when the timer ran out. I knew that I'd cooked my oatmeal; so where was it?

It dawned on me that perhaps Elder Pope was trying to pull some kind of joke on me. I was about to call him out, but then figured I'd look around the kitchen first to see where he'd hidden it. I opened the door to the other microwave, and smiled as I found my bowl. I was about to make some sort of comment on Elder Pope's silly little joke, when I noticed something: my oatmeal wasn't cooked. The bowl wasn't warm at all.

I stood there for a few seconds, puzzling over what was going on. Then, it finally dawned on me. Elder Pope hadn't moved my oatmeal bowl at all: I had placed it in the lower microwave out of habit, then started the timer on the higher microwave.

I had a good laugh at myself, told Elder Pope what had happened, then actually cooked my oatmeal. If that had been all, it would have just been a funny little experience, something to write home about so that the family could laugh at my absent-mindedness. Definitely not something worth a blog post.

But, the thing is, not too long after, I did it again! I put my oatmeal in the lower microwave, then started the timer on the higher one. Except, this time, I caught myself before I left the kitchen. I laughed again, then cooked my breakfast. I thought to myself, "Well, next time I'll just try a little harder to do a little better," paraphrasing a quote from former church president Gordon B. Hinckley.

And that's what I'd like to talk about today.

In the church, you'll often hear people talk about how we need to repent every day. That can seem a bit strange, especially if you think like I did before the mission. Before, I thought repentance was only for those that were seriously violating God's commandments: killing, stealing, commiting adultery, etc. I'd hear all of these stories about people being weighed down by the burden of their sins and feeling incredibly relieved when they felt the power of the Atonement in their lives and repented.

So, this is what confused me: I was going about, living my life, and I wasn't breaking any of those commandments. That meant I didn't need to repent, right? But then, everyone always said that we all need to repent daily so that we can always feel the Savior's influence in our lives. But...how could I do that if I wasn't sinning?

Since becoming a missionary and helping other people repent, I've come to learn a lot about what sin and repentance really are. See, it's not just deliberately breaking the commandments that keeps us out of God's presence. Because of the Fall of Adam, all of us are born into this world as imperfect mortals, or Natural Men. Mosiah 3:19 teaches us that the Natural Man is an enemy to God; in other words, all of us, no matter how hard we try, will fall short in this life, and that keeps us out of God's presence. However, that same scripture also gives us hope: through the Atonement of Christ, we can stop being Natural Men and become saints, worthy to be in God's presence.

Every time we do something wrong, every time we act imperfectly, we sin, and fall short of the glory of God. However, this is why we have repentance. When we repent, we recognize that we've done something wrong, plead forgiveness from those we've wronged (including God), stop doing whatever we've done, seek to restore any damages we've incurred, and then keep moving forward in our lives, not sinning again. Every time we go through this process, we become better, less likely to sin. As we keep doing this throughout our lives, we become more and more saintlike, more and more like our Heavenly Father.

So, that's what me learning from my oatmeal mistakes has to do with all of this. It doesn't matter how many times I fall short of making the perfect breakfast, so long as I recognize what I've done and seek to improve. And, eventually, I know I'll make it to a point where I won't ever boil over a bowl of oatmeal again.

I know that God lives and loves us. I know that He wants us to become more like Him in every way. I know that He has given us the Gospel so that we can achieve that goal. I know that, as we trust in Him and in His Son, Jesus Christ, we'll feel the saving and enabling power of the Atonement in our lives. We'll become better people, and we'll feel free of all our past mistakes. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

-Elder Richmond

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Note: Since the original writing of this post, some exciting changes have taken place. Firstly, Elder Clark found a good home for the smaller microwave. Second, because of the loss of said microwave, I finally found out how to adjust the power level in the remaining microwave. Things are going much smoother, though occasionally I still overcook a bowl.

Late to the Party

I'm thankful for large bodies of water, like rivers, lakes, and oceans.

I'm thankful for really good Italian food.

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[Wait, is this his Thanksgiving post?]

[When did he upload this?]

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I'm thankful for warm breezes on cool days and cool breezes on warm days.

I'm thankful for clouds and the opportunity I have to stare at them

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[No, he didn't post this around Thanksgiving...it's been at least a week...]

[Did he forget or something?]

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I'm thankful for bike rides, be they in the mountains or just around town.

I'm thankful for the smell of flower shops, especially if it's been a while since I went in one.

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[Well, this is embarrassing. Was he thinking no one would notice?]

[It's Christmas season already. Is he even going to have time to post about that now?]

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I'm thankful for really good books.

I'm thankful for tall glasses of icy lemonade after a long summer's day.

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So, what's going on here? It should be fairly obvious:

A) I'm listing things I'm grateful for and
B) I'm pretending to write the words of some random reader of the blog.

Why? Well, for the latter, it's something I do a lot. I like to imagine that people read my blog and actually think about what they're reading.

So why am I listing what I'm grateful for, especially since we've already passed Thanksgiving? Shouldn't my posting be a bit more timely?

Well, in my opinion, it is. When Christmas, we get a bit preoccupied with pine trees, candy canes, snowmen, reindeer, holly wreaths, and all sorts of other symbols of the season. And that's not necessarily bad. However, since I've come out to Florida, I've found that Christmas still happens, even if none of the previous things are in sight [I'm thankful for the few houses around here that actually put up Christmas lights].

So, what is Christmas? It's celebrating the birth of Christ, of course. But, in my mind, it also has to do a lot with giving thanks. Why did the wise men come with gifts? Why did the shepherds offer newborn lambs? Why do all of us sing "Joy to the World?" Because Christmas marked the beginning of perhaps the most important time of all history; the life and ministry of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Because He came to this earth and atoned for us, we have the chance to return and live with our Father in Heaven again. We know that, because of him, we'll live again after this life. We'll see our families again, including loved ones long since passed.

The very act of celebrating Christmas is the act of giving thanks. It is showing Heavenly Father that we appreciate so very, very much the sacrifice that His Son made for all of us. Besides giving thanks directly in prayer, we know that we can show thanks to Heavenly Father through obedience to the commandments and through service to others. Since we're so thankful for Jesus Christ, we essentially take an entire month to show this gratitude to God and others.

All that aside, there's something else I've learned about gratitude. As I've tried to find something every day that I'm grateful for, or at least something that makes me smile, I've found more peace in my life. I'm more content with what I have, and I seek more to share it with others. Small moments of gratitude have become a sustaining force in my life. They help me Keep Moving Forward.

I know that God lives and loves us. I know that He gives us countless blessings, and we'll be happier if we seek to recognize them. I know that the ultimate sign of His love is His Son, Jesus Christ. I know that Christ came to this earth to help us on our journey back to Heavenly Father, and I know that, because He lives, we can all live again as well. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

-Elder Richmond

You Already Said Yes

I've got a question for you: are you having troubles moving on? Does the future and all of its challenges and struggles loom dauntingly before you? Are you sitting, anguished, on the brink of a decision, knowing you need to make the right choice but seeming to lack the courage or strength to move forward?

I've been thinking about you recently. And I want to tell you something: I know you can do it. I know you've got what it takes. How do I know this? Well, it's because I know certain things about you. I know them because they're true of everyone on this earth.

You see, before you or anyone else was born here, you still existed. You lived as a spirit in heaven, with God, your Heavenly Father. He created you; you are and were his child. You grew up as a spirit in His presence, living and learning. You noticed that He, unlike you, had a physical body, and He also had all wisdom and knowledge. Perhaps, on a whim, you may have wondered if you'd ever become like Him, but more often than not you were content with your life with Him and all your brothers and sisters.

It probably surprised you, then, when God called for a great gathering of His family, a "council in heaven." As you took your spot, you may have been a bit apprehensive, but felt your worries ease a little when you saw Jesus, God's firstborn and your older brother, sitting at God's side. You looked up to Him, and trusted Him.

While we don't have a specific record of what happened next, I imagine it went something like this: when everyone was present and accounted for, God stood to speak. He smiled warmly at all of you. He expressed His love for each and every one of His children. He talked of how happy He was to see all of you learning and progressing. He told you how much he cares for you and how often He thinks about what He can do to make you happy.

With that in mind, Heavenly Father announced something incredible. He told you of a plan that He had created, a plan in which every one of His children, you and all of your brothers and sisters, would be given an amazing opportunity. God said He would create a place for all of you to go, in order to gain a physical body (like His) and continue learning and growing in ways not possible in your then-current state. Then, everyone would have the opportunity to return and live with Heavenly Father again, but now with perfect physical bodies and enhanced understanding. It was a plan in which all of God's children could become more like Him.

You likely were taken aback, amazed at this incredible opportunity. Thousands of questions could have sprung to mind, but in that moment, a feeling of peace probably entered your being. You knew, as incredible as it seemed, that this plan was right.

As you pondered these news, though, another voice sounded, one of discontent. Another one of God's older children stood, and, to your astonishment, spoke out against God's plan. Whether or not he'd heard of this plan before the council, you weren't sure, but he seemed to be more familiar with it than most. You listened intently as he pointed out what he saw to be a flaw in the plan. Though all of the spirit children would, indeed, be given an equal opportunity to succeed, to prove themselves worthy of the great blessings God promised, their success wasn't guaranteed. As God had outlined the plan, every one would have Agency, or the ability to choose. And, as this son pointed out, many of God's children could easily choose wrong, and lose their privilege of returning to God's presence, forever.

You were likely stunned; it hadn't occurred to you before that so much of your success would be dependent on on your choices and actions. What's more, God had said that, in order for the plan to work the way He intended, everyone would forget their previous lives. Doubt perhaps crept into your thoughts; could you really choose the right without anything to guide you?

Perhaps, at this point, Jesus spoke up, reiterating that the children of God would not be left completely alone; God had promised to send them blessings such as Prophets, the Scriptures, and the Holy Ghost to aid in their journey. He also described that Agency was what Heavenly Father treasured most, and to take it away would spoil the entire purpose of the plan But this wasn't enough for the other son. In his mind, a plan in which failure was a possibility was imperfect, and to be discarded.

Then, turning to the rest of you, this son began to tell you of his wonderful news; that he had devised a plan as well. The plan was similar to Heavenly Father's, but with one marked difference: there would be no choice. Every child of God would come to the world prepared for them, receive their physical body, and automatically do everything required to merit returning to God's presence. Not a single soul would be lost, he promised, and all he asked for was the credit of coming up with such an amazing scheme.

You pondered this idea in your mind. It seemed to be the perfect solution; and yet, something didn't feel right. That feeling, that assurance that you'd felt before was missing.

Uneasily, you turned to look at God again. He looked sad, pained by His son's proposal. Jesus then spoke:

"Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever." (Moses 4:2)

And thus began a war in heaven. Whether it was a war of words or a war of weapons or a war of some other sort, we don't know. What we do know is that a "third part" of God's children sided with the rebellious son. They balked at the chance of losing everything, and flocked to the assurance that his plan seemed to offer. In the end, though, they lost the war. God, Jesus, and the rest of His children fought against the other souls, and won. As a result, all those who rebelled were cast out of the presence of God. They lost any opportunity to receive a physical body and progress. The rebellious son was then known as Satan, and from that point on he and his followers have sought the destruction of God's children.

So, what does all this have to do with you, right here, and right now? Well, before the war in heaven was fought, you and everyone else had a choice to make. Both God's plan and Satan's plan were laid out in front of you completely and thoroughly. You had absolutely all the information you needed. And then you maid a choice. You saw Satan's plan, which appeared easy and attractive. You'd be guaranteed a place back in heaven with God, and you didn't even really have to do anything.

Then, you looked at God's plan, and frankly, it didn't seem easy. You'd forget your entire life in heaven from beforehand. You'd be born into a world with natural disasters, sickness, and wars. You'd have to make your own choices and then live with the consequences of those choices. You'd have to walk by faith and not by sight. And there was a very real possibility that you could fail and lose everything you held dear.

But you looked to God, and you said "I'll do it."

Isn't it incredible? Isn't it amazing? All that time ago, you had the faith to accept God's plan. You trusted that He wouldn't ask you to do anything out of your power. You felt that, as hard as His plan appeared, it was the right thing to do. So, unlike so many others, you rejected the offer to do what was easy, what was comfortable. Where countless souls faltered because there was a chance they could fail, you stepped forward with faith, trusting that there was a chance that you could succeed and that God would help you.

When asked to do something that perhaps wasn't easy, but was worth it, You Already Said Yes.

So take courage in this! As much as you've grown and changed throughout your life, you're still that same spirit that accepted God's plan. Look deep within yourself, and find the resolve you've already shown. If you can't seem to find it, then ask God, your Heavenly Father, to help you. He'll aid you to recover what you once had, and then he'll multiply it a thousand times over.

You can do it. I know you can. Keep up the faith. Keep doing your best. Keep Moving Forward.

I know that God lives and loves us. I know that He created a plan so that we could be happy. I know He wants each and every one of us to succeed, and is actively working to help us do so (see my favorite scripture, 1 Nephi 3:7). I know that he'll help you in whatever trial you face. I know this because He's helped me in countless occasions. He's helped me when I've lacked the strength to do better, to be better. He's helped me when I've been lost and confused, unsure of how to proceed.

He's helped me, even when I haven't felt worthy of it.

I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

-Elder Richmond

Photo Courtesy of LDS.org

Why I'm glad to be a Drinking Fountain

Goodness, you do not know the writer's block I've had in trying to write this post.

It seemed simple enough: it all started off with an email from my family, describing how there was a group of women who were going to try and attend the Priesthood Session of General Conference a month ago. (What is Priesthood Session? It's a meeting in the conference that all Priesthood holders are invited to attend. Why don't women attend? We'll get to that) It seemed like it would be a good idea to jump on the issue and write a blog post about it. I'd originally wanted to post the entry a bit closer to Conference, but then I got rather busy with missionary things. Sometime last week, I finally sat down to start writing, and I've been stuck ever since.

It's not exactly that I don't have anything to say--if you could see my browser window you'd see that's not the case. It's just that I don't exactly know...what I want to say. And how I want to say it.

I guess I'll start out with the basics. The Priesthood is God's power (the same force that created the world and parted the red sea), coupled with the authority (or His permission) to use it. It's given to men on earth so that they can officiate in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which we believe is God's kingdom here on the earth. So, all the leaders of the basic Church organization, from the President of the Church to the local bishop (like a pastor of other faiths) have this power and authority, and if they use it righteously, the church succeeds and grows.

So, what's the issue? Well, when I said that God gives the Priesthood to men in order to church, I didn't mean it generally, in a mankind sort of sense; only men hold the Priesthood. There are auxiliary organizations in the church that are presided over by women (The Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary), but at the core of everything, the church is presided over and run by men. (And only the men who hold the priesthood attend Priesthood Meeting)

That seems a bit sexist, doesn't it? If this were any other organization, I'd probably be on the women's side, pushing for equality.

BUT...

This church isn't just any old organization. While it has leaders such as the Prophet and the Apostles here on the earth, they're really not the ones in charge. We believe that God, our Heavenly Father, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, is the one calling the shots, and all the Prophets and Apostles do is relay His instructions to His children on the earth.

With this being true, another question pops up: if God is our Loving Heavenly Father, and all of His children are equal in His sight, why does he only want men to hold the Priesthood? Why doesn't He let women hold the Priesthood, too?

The answer (which, admittedly, I've been waiting this whole post to say):

WE DON'T KNOW.

Elder Neil L. Andersen, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, used a passage of scripture to illustrate this point beautifully (in fact, this topic, of women and the Priesthood, is what he spoke on. You should go read it/watch it/share it with friends here). The following dialogue is between an angel and an ancient Book of Mormon prophet, named Nephi:

 "And he [the angel] said unto me [Nephi]: Knowest thou the condescension of God?
 And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." (1 Nephi 11:16-17)

Even though I very often do not understand why God does things the way He does, at the core of all my beliefs and testimony is the fact that He loves me and all of His other children, and would never do anything to limit their growth or hold them back.

So, sisters, in a sense we do have an answer for you: you don't hold the Priesthood because God loves you and knows that you don't need it to realize your full potential. And perhaps that's not true of men. Perhaps, without this power from God, with all of the responsibility it carries with it (Uncle Ben was right when he said that With Great Power comes Great Responsibility. You can imagine, then, what kind of weight the infinite, eternal power of God entails), we men wouldn't be able to reach what we're supposed to become.

That's just an opinion, though.

So, what does all this have to do with water fountains, and why am I glad to be one? Well, let's think about drinking fountains: their purpose is to distribute water, a substance necessary for life. Anyone, male or female, adult or child, can come to the fountain and drink. That's not to say that the fountain has any sort of power or control over the people. It's purpose is to serve.

Thus it is with the Priesthood. Though we men hold it, we can't use it to bless ourselves. We can only use it to bless others. We are to use it to serve, and as we do, we obtain indispensable blessings for ourselves as well.

I know that God lives and loves us. I know that He has an important part for each of us to play. I know that He knows best and has created a perfect plan for each of us to progress in the best way possible. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

----------

Whew, well, that took a while to get out. I hope I've expressed everything in a way that helps you. Even if I didn't, I'll Keep Moving Forward, as I encourage each of you to do. Carry on!

-Elder Richmond

The Legend of Stu

Photo Courtesy of LDS.org

This entry of Keep Moving Forward is written in honor of Elder Nelson, my previous mission companion (see his mormon.org profile). If it hadn't been for serving nearly three months with you and listening to all your stories about "the river," I probably never would have thought of this post.

---   ---   ---

Let's say you're looking to take a trip down the nearby Delavida River. You've got all the necessary supplies; boat, life jackets, paddles, oar, etc. You're just lacking one thing: a river guide. You've never been down the river before, and at least for this first time, you don't want to go it alone.

You consider looking in the phonebook (who am I kidding, no one looks in the phonebook anymore) looking online for some established river expedition companies, but then you get a better idea. Using your handy-dandy time machine, you zip back in time in search of Stu Williams, the first man to ever explore the river. You really want the trip to be authentic, and you figure he probably knows the river better than anyone else.

So, you jump back to the 1840's, find Stu, convince him you're not some kind of alien or wizard, and then eventually bring him to the future, promising to show him the wonders of our day (iPhone's, airplanes, flush toilets, etc.). You take him to a pond so that he can familiarize himself with modern boating equipment, and after a bit of practice, Stu says he's ready to take you down the river. So, you round up a few friends, and early the next morning you all disembark down the Delavida.

The trip is quite laid back at first. The river is calm, only requiring occasional paddling from you and a bit of steering from Stu in the back with the oars. While you float on, Stu tells you all about the history of the river and all the thrills of navigating its rapids and other hazards.

"Speakin' of which," says Stu, craning his head to the side, "pull 'er to the starboard, everyone. Don't want to run into ol' Nellie."

"Which side is starboard again?" your friend Steve pipes up.

"To th' right," says Stu, grunting as he heaves at the oars.

You follow his advice, even though you can't see any reason why. As you round the bend, though, you see Nellie, an ancient willow tree growing out of the side of the canyon wall.

"That's it? An old willow tree?" you remark.

"That might look like just another willow tree, but you can be sure there's a swarm of hornets livin' up in Nellie's branches," says Stu. Sure enough, as you pass by the tree you hear the steady drone of the insects at work.

In front of you, your friend Malorie shudders.

"Ugh. I'm glad we've got you here, Stu. I'm allergic to hornets."

"Happy to oblige," is all Stu replies, but you see a warm smile cross his face. You can tell he's enjoying himself.

"When's the next hazard?" you ask, wanting to stow your paddle for a second to drink some water.

"Well, if I reckon correctly, we should have a couple more miles of smooth sailin' until we hit another tricky bit..." Stu strokes his beard as he ponders the river.

"What's that noise then?" asks Kim, sitting up at the front.

Stu pauses, confused, listening to the river. You hear it too: the rushing of running water.

"What in tarnation..." mutters Stu. Before he has time to say anything else, your boat rounds the next corner, heading straight for a formidable whirlpool.

"Port! Port!" yells Stu, rowing with his might.

"Which one is port--"

"Left, confound it! Left!" yells Stu, cutting off Steve's question.

You all paddle frantically, seeking to cut across the whirlpool's outer edge. For a few frightening seconds, it seems as though you'll be sucked in, but eventually you pull through and shoot out of the pool's grasp. Panting, you all stow your paddles and try to catch your breath.

"What was that all about?" you ask between breaths.

"I'm not entirely sure," Stu remarks, taking off his hat and wiping his balding head. "I remember there being a little eddy around these parts, but nothing that powerful...things seem to have changed..."

Just as he says that, you pick up the sound of more rushing water.

"Stu?..." Kim asks timidly from the front.

Stu says something under his breath. You round another corner, and find yourselves facing  a sizable waterfall, created by two fallen boulders.

"What do we do?" you ask, not sure what way to paddle.

"Heck if I know! Hold tight!" yells Stu, looping his arm through a line running around the boat. You start to do the same, but not before the little boat plunges over the waterfall. The impact with the river below throws everyone except Stu from the boat. Thankfully, as you surface, you see that everyone seems to have made it through alright.

"Hang on! I'm comin' round to pick you up! Just lay on your back with your feet downriver!" Stu shouts, rowing frantically. You do what he says, but as you wait, you can't help but wonder if taking him along was the best idea after all...

---   ---   ---

So, what do we take from this perilous adventure with an ancient river guide? A lesson about guidance in this life. Perhaps you picked up that the river Delavida would really be the river de la vida in Spanish, or the river of life (boy, I'm clever, aren't I?). So, in that case, who is Stu? I've been thinking of Stu, in this case, as the Scriptures.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we study the Bible and consider it the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly (Articles of Faith 1:9) (to hear other members' thoughts about the Bible, head over to mormon.org). It's words give us guidance and support. I absolutely love reading the words of Christ in the New Testament; Matthew Chapter 5 and John Chapter 15 especially have found a special place in my heart.

When the Restoration of the Church took place in the 1830's, another book of scripture came forth: The Book of Mormon. This book, written by ancient prophets in the Americas, serves as another testament of Jesus Christ. It contains his words and his teachings, and supports the Bible. Together, the Book of Mormon and the Bible proclaim the truth and confound false doctrines (see 2 Nephi 3:12; the "fruit of the loins of Judah" are the jewish people (who wrote the bible), the "fruit of thy loins" (in this case referring to Joseph of Egypt) are the people described in the Book of Mormon, whom authored said book).

In addition, God revealed many things concerning His kingdom to Joseph Smith. These revelations were compiled in two other books of scripture, The Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price.

So, what with all these scriptures, aren't we well enough off? Shouldn't we be able to handle things pretty well with all these words of the Prophets?

In a word, no.

Just as changes had taken place in the river that Stu couldn't navigate, with only the words of prophets of times of old, we won't be able to get all the guidance we need. There's a wonderful quote from a General Authority (which I can't find at the moment) that says that, even if we had all the lost or missing scriptures in the world (the sealed portion of the Revelation of John, the rest of the plates of Ether, etc.), it would still be impossible to run the Church without living, current revelation. The words of the previous prophets can give us a marvelous base, to be sure, and we may be able to conquer some of the trials we face today based on those principles. But the bottom line is, we need modern revelation.

That's why millions of Church members flock to listen to General Conference. That's why I tear through every issue of the Ensign (the Church's monthly magazine) I can get my hands on. That's why we really, really mean it when we sing "We Thank Thee, O God, For A Prophet" (Hymns, #19)

I know that God lives and loves us. I know that He knows how to help us overcome any and all trials or problems we may face in this life. I know that He sends us Prophets in order to do so. I know that the Prophets and Apostles on the earth today are called of God, and they speak the words of God. I invite all of you to hearken to their words. I do so in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Have a great week! Keep Moving Forward!

-Elder Richmond

Cubans, Astronauts, and Commandments

Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed Conference! Elder Holland was definitely on the soothing side this go around. In general, I thought the conference was fantastic; I received many answers to my questions and felt God's Spirit strongly.

So, as a Spanish missionary here in Florida, I have the amazing opportunity to speak with Hispanic people from all over the world. I've met people from Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Spain, Puerto Rico and Uruguay, to name a few. Here in Jacksonville, I've had the chance to talk to a group of people I've especially grown to love: Cubans.

Before my mission, I didn't know a lot about Cuba or Cubans. I knew that it was in the Caribbean (a map of Cuba here, provided by the LDS church. Which gets its maps from Google), that their cigars were supposedly high quality (not that I'd ever smoke one--The Word of Wisdom (scroll down to find it) says that's not a good idea), and that their Spanish was a bit mumbly and hard to understand.

As I've talked with Cubans, I've found out a few things. For one, their way of speaking is, in fact, a bit hard to understand at first. You get used to it after a while, but there's still a particular man from Havanna that's just about impossible to figure out (we love him anyway). For another, they love to talk. They also love to read. They're very open and relaxed; most are pretty friendly. In general, they're a likeable people.

From recent conversations with some Cuban friends, I've also found out a bit about the actual country of Cuba. They say that the land is beautiful and there are stunning islands all around. But, they're not allowed to go there. In fact, Cubans aren't given free reign over a lot of things, due to the communist government currently in place. For the poorer people, you're told where to go, what to buy at the store, what to do for work. If your scores on scholastic tests aren't high enough, you're required to give military service for two years. Even if you do well in school, it can be hard to get around or even leave the country if you want. Few Cubans I've talked to say they want to go back.

Why does this matter? Well, a conversation with one Cuban in particular got me thinking. We were talking about all the restrictions in Cuba, and somehow the conversation turned to us talking about the missionary rules. The Church is known for its high standards of membership in general, but missionaries are asked to follow even more guidelines. We get up and go to bed early, we don't watch tv or go to the movies, we don't swim, and we only call our families on Christmas and Mothers' Day (not including weekly emails). All of these guidelines have been put in to place to help us better be able to do the work and help other people. However, after sharing some of these standards with our Cuban friend, he sat back and shook his head.

"Wow," he said (translated from Spanish). "I could never do it. After finally leaving all of that behind [he'd just finished describing the rigorous military service], I could never limit myself like that."

Stemming from that conversation, I believe, was the idea for this entry. I was thinking about things while shaving (I get a lot of good thinking done then), and a voice (not my own) came into my head and said:

"Wow, the commandments sure are restrictive, aren't they?"

To which I responded (in my head):

"Maybe they are restrictive. Seatbelts are pretty restrictive too, come to think of it. In fact, when you're in an accident, they tighten up and make it so you can barely move at all."

I then went on,

"Do you know what else is restrictive? Space suits. Astronauts can barely move around in those things."

Satisfied, I kept on with my shaving.

The point here is that the commandments, although they're "restrictive" (which is debatable), are there to help us. Just as seatbelts keep us safe during accidents and space suits keep astronauts secure when they travel to the moon, the commandments keep us safe as we go throughout this life.

The devil's advocate inside of me wasn't done, though.

"Hah! You think you've got it all figured out. Sure, we need things to protect us when we're in danger. But that's just the thing; we're not in danger! You don't need a seatbelt when you're parked in a parking lot! You don't need a space suit if you're just going for a walk on the beach!"

"Well, do you need any kind of protection if you're just walking on the beach?"

"No! You're free! You could even run around--"

I think he was about to suggest that I go running around the beach naked, but I cut him off.

"What about sunburns? What about skin cancer? Even if you're on the beach, you still need protection; you need sunscreen!"

And I think around then I moved on to thinking about other things.

--- --- ---

Taking a step back, the Devil's Advocate is right. There may be many situations where there are seemingly few or no consequences to breaking God's laws. This, I think, is a big reason why so many people don't care. But, just like hanging out on the beach without sunscreen, we'll eventually feel the consequences of our actions. It may not even be in a sunburn the next day (I very rarely get those), but somewhere along the line we are going to realize the damage we have done to our skin by neglecting our sunscreen. Similarly, the effects of sin may not manifest in days, weeks, months, or even years. It's possible we may not even see them in our lifetimes. But, if we continue to willingly disregard counsel from our Loving Heavenly Father (who would never ask us to do something that would limit our happiness), there will come a day when we'll have to stand before Him and realize what we've done.

President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles summed it up nicely (in a great Ensign Article by D. Todd Christofferson on the subject of obedience):

“We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see.”

 We don't follow God's laws because someone's just telling us to; we do it because we have long-term vision, and we know that a brighter future lays in store if we do.

I know that God lives and loves us. I know that He sent us here to earth in order to be happy, and to prove ourselves worthy of returning to live with Him after this life. I know that He didn't want us to fumble blindly, wondering what to do in this life, so He gave us commandments through His prophets. And I know from experience that living according to the commandments blesses us and helps us receive all the happiness Our Father in Heaven intends us to have. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Have a great Sunday (Keep the Sabbath Day Holy)! Keep Moving Forward!

-Elder Richmond

Photo courtesy of LDS.org

On Righteous Indignation and Loving Words

It's Conference time, brothers and sisters! By which I mean General Conference time! What is General Conference? It's one of the best things to happen twice a year, in my opinion (for a news release about conference, check out the Mormon Newsroom. Also, check out this nifty infographic )

General Conference is held twice a year. It consists of a series of talks and sermons by the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The words of the speakers are powerful, and more importantly, they're for our day (we'll talk about that in a later post).

While all of the speakers (and I mean all) give powerful messages, you tend to see some crowd favorites. One is President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (see his bio on lds.org), well known for his accent and stories about Aviation. Another is President Thomas S. Monson, (his bio), who draws masterfully upon his 50 years of service as an Apostle to tell engaging stories.

And then there's Jeffrey R. Holland, or as some have called him, "The Bulldog of the Lord."

I could talk about what makes Elder Holland an engaging speaker, but I figured I'd show you instead.

We'll first examine a well-known talk of Elder Holland's, entitled "Safety for the Soul." (If you have time, I highly recommend watching the whole talk. If not, watch from around 5:50 until 13:20 (again, you might as well watch the whole thing)) (Full Text Here)

Let that version of Elder Holland settle for a bit in your consciousness, then watch this next clip, from a later conference address entitled "Because of Your Faith." (Again; you might as well watch the whole talk. But, the part we'll focus on runs from 7:03-12:20). (Full Text Here)



That's quite the difference, isn't it? In one talk, Elder Holland is raising his voice and spitting fire, defending the truth of the Book of Mormon (which I also know to be true). In the other, he's calm and quiet, as he humbly thanks his parents for the sacrifices they made to help him have the life he has (which I would also like to do at this time. I'd be nowhere without my two parents. Keep Being Amazing, Mom and Dad. Keep Moving Forward).

Both talks may bring the listener to tears, but here's the question of the day; which one is better? Or, in other words: Elder Holland is an Apostle, a Special Witness of Jesus Christ. It is his duty to teach in a Christlike manner; in which talk did he do a better job of fulfilling this purpose?

To decide, let's examine two examples from the Savior's life depicted in the Bible Videos produced by the church. (Bible Video Home Page) These two incidents, recorded in the Gospel of John, take place one after the other.
First,

Then,
So, let's review. In one of the videos, Jesus tenderly forgives a woman who has committed adultery, a sin that the Book of Mormon prophet Alma says is "an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost." (Alma 39:5)
In the other, he severely chastises a group of Pharisees, calling them children of the devil (if you don't feel that's harsh enough, look no further than this video [Jesus Cleanses the Temple]). So, like Elder Holland, at times he was gentle, at others he was more forceful.

So what do we do? Though we're not Apostles or Prophets, almost all of us find ourselves in teaching moments where we need to instruct or correct someone else. Do we do it gently or forcefully?

As I've discussed this with my current missionary companion, Elder Pope (check out Elder Pope's Mormon.org profile here) we've found two guiding principles for the way in which we teach. Whenever we find ourselves in one of these situations, we must teach:

1) Out of love

and

2) By the Spirit,

As both Jesus and Elder Holland did. There's no one-size-fits-all solution to teaching. Just as we're all individuals, we all learn differently, and we all need to hear the message of the Gospel in our own way. Some of us will respond to a gentle nudge or mild reproof. Others will only listen as they feel the heat of a fiery sermon. No matter what, so long as the teacher seeks to teach his listeners in a loving, Spirit-guided way, the learners will hear what they need to hear and how they need to hear it.

In the end, I have no idea what Elder Holland is going to do this Conference. That goes for him and all of the other Prophets and Apostles. But what I do know is that they have spent countless hours preparing for this occasion, and if we're willing to listen to them and the Spirit, we'll come away edified, with a better idea of what God wants us to do.

I know that God lives and loves us. I know that He has called Prophets and Apostles in our days, and I know that they teach us in His way. I eagerly look forward to hearing their words this weekend, and I invite you all to do so as well (watch it online here, on BYUTV, or at a chapel near you). I say these things in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Happy Conference watching!

-Elder Richmond

How Atheists are Sometimes Right (Part 3)

Welcome back! This is the final look at Atheism and how it relates to my beliefs (to reiterate: Mormons believe in God and aren't Atheist. Thank You).

We've already examined a couple of statements about God's nature; why He lets bad things happen, and how He can still exist, standing with the laws of science. This post's statement is similar to the first:

"There's so much evil in the world; so many bad people doing bad things. You say God hates sin and evil, and yet I see it all around me. So, I don't believe He exists."

Which, once more, I'll rephrase:

"I don't believe in an all-powerful being who makes everyone live right."

And I don't believe it, either.

To be sure, God wants us to live righteously, and He's overjoyed when we live the commandments and do what's right. But, that doesn't mean that He'll eradicate evil any time He sees it.

Why not? It has to deal with what really matters to God, and that is Agency, or the ability to choose.

Think for a second: what is really yours in this world? What is something that no one, no matter how hard they try, can take from you?

Victor Frankl found the answer as he suffered in a concentration camp. He saw some men turn into animals; fathers would steal food from their own sons. But, he also saw prisoners, starved and emaciated, giving away their crusts of bread to those around them. Impossible as it seemed, they were smiling. What made the difference?

They chose to be happy. They chose not to be controlled by their circumstances. They were as tired and hungry and weak as all the others, but they chose not to let it break them. And nothing in the world could take that ability to choose from that. (For a better description, see "Man's Search for Meaning", by Victor Frankl)

To be sure, God wants us to keep His commandments. He has given them to us for our benefit; He knows that we'll be able to find the greatest possible happiness in this life (and a place to live with Him in the eternities) if we follow them. But He also knows that, in order for our obedience to mean anything, it has to be our choice. Forced obedience means nothing, but chosen obedience means the world. Our wills really are the only thing in this world that God won't ever choose to take away from us, and so our giving them to Him is the ultimate expression of love.

For this reason, God won't simply send down a lightning bolt to eliminate evil. He is sad when we sin. Very, very sad. But He knows that, if any of this world is going to be worth anything, we have to be able to choose.

As Lehi, the Book of Mormon prophet (who we've already quoted a lot in this series) put it:

"Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." (2 Nephi 2:27)

I know that God lives and that He loves us so very, very much. He loves us so much that He lets us make our own decisions, even when those decisions hurt others and distance ourselves from Him. I also know that He's given us a way to make up for our mistakes and to right our wrongs. And I know that what He wants the most is for all of us to choose to do what it takes to make it back. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Well, thanks for reading everyone! In the next few posts, we'll be gearing up for General Conference, which takes place on October 5-6. The windows of heaven are about to open up and pour out knowledge from our Heavenly Father. Let's get ready for it!

-Elder Richmond

Alma 30:44

In the midst of thinking about my ideas for "Why Atheists are Sometimes Right," I was pondering Alma 30:44 (which I mentioned in the last post), and figured I'd try to do some stickies of it. I'm pretty satisfied with the end result.

--- --- ---

I know that God, our Heavenly Father, created this and all the other worlds, and I know that all of His creations indeed witness that He created them. I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to be here and to enjoy everything He has made. I so say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

-Elder Richmond

How Atheists are Sometimes Right (Part 2)

[Note: As stated previously, even though I'll be comparing atheism and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, members of said church are not atheist. We believe in God, the Eternal Father. Thank you.]

Welcome Back!

So, as we were discussing earlier, I've been thinking about Atheism recently, and pondering how its beliefs sometimes line up with mine. Today, we'll look at another statement, one that hits rather near and dear to me: Science. (If you didn't know, I'm a Physics Major. Check out my mormon.org page for a bit more info about me)

Here's the idea:

"I believe in Science; there's solid, concrete evidence to back it up. And from what we can see from Science, there's no room for God in the equation."


Or, in other words,

"With what we know about Science and Religion, I don't see how the two can mix. I don't know how God and the Big Bang theory (for example) can coexist."

And I don't really know, either. At least, not exactly.

Before we say anything else, I'd like to offer a viewpoint. From studying Physics for only a year, I've run into lots of theories and equations, and I've found something interesting. Science can be beautiful. Science can be elegant. Of all the craziness of this world, there are some very simple and clean principles that govern it. I take that to mean that someone designed everything, that someone took great care into shaping our universe. As Alma put it, "All things [even Physics equations] denote there is a God." (Alma 30:44)

But, on to a more general solution.

The problem with the statements above is that they're static. They assume that we've already learned all we can about a certain subject. This, of course, is foolish. I'd wager that scientists in the 1910's felt pretty confident about what they were studying, and yet they'd be dazzled by everything we know today. And I'll bet that the people in 2113 are going to be pretty far ahead of what we know.

This applies as much to Religion as it does to Science. To quote the Ninth Article of Faith:

" We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God." (Articles of Faith 9)

So, we're not done learning about Religion or Science. And, I believe that one day we will close the gap.

The same situation is actually very closely mirrored in the scientific world today. Right now, a big challenge in Physics is to create "The Theory of Everything." This was something that Albert Einstein attempted, but didn't accomplish.

Here's how it goes: There are two overseeing theories in Physics: Relativity, and Quantum Mechanics (I'm over simplifying here). Relativity deals with the motion of really big things; Quantum Mechanics deals with the motion of incredibly small things. Both theories have principles that are true and are measurable. Relativity helps your GPS to work; Quantum Mechanics lets you talk on a cellphone. However, the two theories don't match up snugly. If one is to be completely true, then the other one can't be. But, do scientists stubbornly pick one theory and say the other is ludicrous? No. They admit that they don't know everything, and they keep researching both sides of the coin, working toward a common solution.

This is the same attitude we all need to take on the subject of Science vs. Religion. The two don't have to be stalwart opponents; on the contrary, they're two sides of the same coin. As Latter-Day Saints, we're told to seek after "anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy" (Articles of Faith 13). Basically, if anything in the world is true, we believe it to be part of the Gospel.

I know that God lives, and that He created the heavens and the earth. I know that he wants us to learn all we can about everything that is true. I know He loves us, and wants us to return to live with Him again. And I know that we can gain a witness of these things through prayer. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

-Elder Richmond

How Atheists are Sometimes Right (Part 1)

[Notice: I want to make it completely clear before we start: As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we believe in God, our Heavenly Father. (See Article of Faith 1). This post will compare and contrast certain beliefs of ours with those of Atheists, but church members ("Mormons") are Christians, and believe in Diety.]

As missionaries, we talk to a lot of people. From what I've seen (which is possibly biased because most of the people I talk to are Hispanic), most of them believe in God. They have different senses of who He is or what He does, but they believe in Him, regardless. Even the few agnostics I've met believe in a higher "something;" they're just not sure whether that something is God or some other force.

Very rarely have I encountered a pure atheist: someone who absolutely believes there is no God, nor a higher power like God. They stand out in the crowd of theology.

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we stand out, too. We're Christians, like many, but some of our beliefs, like the Restoration of the Gospel (see mormon.org for more info) put us add odds with those of different faiths.

As I've thought about how the two groups, Mormons and Atheists, sometimes get attacked because of what they believe, it made me think about what exactly we're defending. And, in pondering some of the statements Atheists have made, I find that I agree.

How is this possible? Let's take a look:

Most atheists I know of don't just simply not believe in God; they have reasons for it. We'll consider three common atheistic statements, and see if we can't find some common ground.

Statement 1: "I don't believe that God exists because of all the terrible things that happen in this world. If there really was a loving, caring, all-powerful being governing the universe, He wouldn't let such things happen."

In considering this (and the other statements), I'll rephrase just a bit:

"I don't believe in an all-powerful Being who takes away all of the pains and tragedies in this world."

And neither do I.

To be certain, God is our loving Heavenly Father. As John put it, "God is love," (1 John 4:16), and He has all the power imaginable. If He wanted, he could take away all the natural disasters, all the pains and sicknesses, and all the evils of this world. But, as is apparent from daily life, He doesn't do this. Why not?

We'll turn to the writings of a Book of Mormon prophet, Lehi. In his final words of counsel to his posterity, he spoke at length about happiness and the purpose of his life. In part of his remarks, he firmly decrees that "men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25) In the same sermon, though, Lehi also states:

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so,... righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad." (2 Nephi 2:11)

Essentially, Lehi is saying that there have to be two opposites in order to make a comparison. In order to know happiness, we also need to know what sadness is. If we really want to understand joy, we'll have to understand sorrow as well. Lehi teaches us that the point of this life is not to try and make it through with as few bumps or bruises as possible. We need to learn what's bad in this life so that we can more fully appreciate what's good. And, thanks to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we always have someone we can turn to when life gets rough. Christ suffered everything that we will suffer (See Alma 7:11-12), and so he knows exactly what we need to feel better. And, if we turn to Him through prayer and obedience to His gospel, He'll make us whole again.

God loves us. He loves us so much that he sent us here to this earth so we could come to understand true happiness. And He loves us so much that he sent his Son to earth, so that all that is unjust or unfair might be made right again.

I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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Thanks for reading! See you next time! Keep Moving Forward!

-Elder Richmond

D&C 122

Do you feel as if you're falling? 

Do all of your problems seem to be collapsing on top of you, 

threatening to crush your spirit?

Does the light at the end of the tunnel seem to be dimming?

Do you feel a darkness beginning to surround you?

Does it feel as if you're one step away from being swallowed up by

all the dark and gloom in your life?

If so...

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When Joseph Smith was 14 years old, he had a question. He took this question to prayer, and something miraculous occurred: God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him (more info here, on mormon.org)

After this occurred, Satan decided to turn things up a notch:

"I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common among all the sects—all united to persecute me." (Joseph Smith--History 1:22)

To be clear, Joseph didn't want to harm anyone. His message was of peace, and yet it was responded to by violence. 

Eventually, Joseph found himself in Liberty Jail, a dark, oppressing dungeon in Missouri. His wife, Emma, was left alone to take care of their children. His friends and family were being driven from their homes and beaten and killed. All of this, in effect, because of the vision he had seen.

It must have felt horrible. Stuck in the jail with no light, poor conditions, and nothing really to do but think about his situation. 

Did Joseph ever doubt the veracity of what he had seen? We don't know. We do know, however, that the oppressive circumstances led him to cry out:

"O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?" (D&C 121:1)

To which our loving Heavenly Father responded:

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes."

Following these words and other instructions, God counseled Joseph on the reasons for adversity, which we've already described with the stickies (read the full section here)

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So, what can we take from all of this? Unfortunately, bad things are going to happen to all of us. Part of the purpose of this life is so that we can recognize what sorrow is, because it will help us more fully appreciate true joy. 

What I want to share is that there is truly no suffering that comes upon us without a reason. Things will seem black at times. Very, very, very black. We often won't understand why these things happen to us until some time later, but they key is that we Keep Moving Forward until that day comes. And the day will come. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Elder Richmond