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.

---

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...

---  ---  ---

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)

---  ---  ---

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

Alma 32:28-42

Time to dust the dust off the blog a little bit! I've been focusing more on a Spanish blog at the moment (See Here!), but I figured I'd give this one a little TLC.

I thought I'd share something I drew today (Disclaimer: I don't claim to be an artist. However, my dad is! Here's his website [Ron Richmond Fine Art], and here's his business facebook. Enjoy!). As quoted, the pictures are based off of a sermon that the Book of Mormon prophet Alma gave on the topic of Faith.

If you can't read what the stickies say, I'll provide some captions:

1. "Now, we will compare the word unto a seed...(Alma 32:28)"

2. "...If ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold...it will begin to swell within your breasts... (Alma 32:28)"

"...And now, because...it...beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good (Alma 32:33)"

3. "And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care,... that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us... (Alma 32:37)"

4. "...by your faith with great diligence, and with patience... it shall be a tree springing up unto Everlasting Life (Alma 32:41)"

5. "...By and by, ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious... and pure above all that is pure... and ye shall feast upon this fruit, even until ye are filled (Alma 32:42)"

So, what does all this mean?

It means that there is a process we follow to see if something will help us out. We first obtain a seed, either by reading the scriptures or hearing someone's testimony. The seed is the word of God, and it promises us happiness. If we believe it, we then seek to apply it to our lives (we "plant it in our hearts") to see if it really will bring us the promised blessings (and even if we don't believe it, simply the desire to believe in it can be enough to work with (see Alma 32:27)). As it grows, it makes us feel good, and we can then determine that the seed was a good seed; the word is true. But, that isn't the end. We must continue to act on this belief, or "nourish the seed," throughout our lives. At the end, we'll have a giant tree, bearing fruit. And, as we eat this fruit, we will find that it brings us the greatest joy possible: the joy of Eternal Life with our Heavenly Father, His son Jesus Christ, and our families, for eternity.

I know that, even though I haven't tasted the fruit yet, it does exist, and it will be the most wonderful thing we can possibly imagine. I know that patiently nourishing the tree of our faith can be discouraging at times, but I know that it really will be worth it in the end. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Elder Richmond