So this week I was having Emotions™ about injustices in Church history and how they're never discussed in American history classes. Because of this I felt the need to write a song about some of those injustices done to the early Saints. Much of the content was taken from first-hand accounts of the incidents, and the final verse is based upon Joseph's account of the First Vision in Joseph Smith -- History. I call it "Hear Him."
A little boy asleep in bed
Dreams of summer in his head
But the peace of the night is broken in attack
Fire sears and screams are heard
His mother weeps, his father's burned
By the heat of the tar and mockery on his back
Listen to his story
Listen to his tears
Listen to the song that history forgot to carry through the years
Hear him
A quiet eve, a flag of truce
Weary from the year's abuse
But the foreheads of brass spilt innocence that night
Sanguine mist in autumn skies
Mangled men in blood baptized
While their wives turned to God, hearts broken and contrite
Listen to their story
Listen to their tears
Listen to the song that history forgot to carry through the years
Hear them
Our blood and tears cry to the Lord
We're slaughtered by sweet Freedom's sword
With the pains of Hell we've been pursued
And though we freeze and weep and die
Our faith's a candle burning bright
The story that we share, we know is true
A little boy awake in bed
Questions running through his head
So he prays in the grove for wisdom and a guide
A pillar shines with heavenly light
Two persons there adorned in white
And one said, pointing to the other by His side,
"Listen to His mercy
Listen to His love
Listen to the song the angels sing of my Only Begotten Son
Hear Him!"
Sunday, 25 September 2016
Saturday, 17 September 2016
Six Metric Tonnes of NaCl
Not gonna lie, I get extremely salty extremely easily when people spit nasty words at each other in the name of righteousness. I look around me and see so many good people, those who want to bring joy to others and continue to live up to the measure of light they've been given. Still, there are those who cross my path that seem to forget the verse I came across this week, 2 Nephi 31:20, which reads:
"Wherefore ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."
In my experience, many seem to focus on the first part of this verse, the part about pressing forward. I mean, it is the youth theme this year. However, to me, what's equally important, if not more, is what follows. Pressing forward in your own faith isn't enough. A "perfect brightness of hope" is required, as is having a "love of God and of all men." I feel like people forget that loving all men is the second great commandment under heaven sometimes. I constantly see people looking at others with distaste, and sometimes even verbally expressing that distaste, simply because they have differing beliefs. I'm not completely innocent of this, but I'm cognizant of that, and I'm working to be better, to be more Christlike in my dealings with people who believe differently from me.
Christ never treated others with disrespect and venom. He was always kind, always understanding, and though he didn't go around telling people that their sins were okay, he never condemned them. He offered a hand, offered a way to repentance, expressed what he knew to be true, and then let them decide what to do, whether that be changing or continuing down the path they were on.
I think that in order to truly be Christlike and to return to the Father, we must remember the principle of agency and the principle of unconditional love. People can choose what they do with their lives, and as a result, there will be those who choose to do things that we disagree with or consider sinful. We can express our views, offer our light, and extend a helping hand, but if they choose not to accept, that's okay. Everyone receives light at a different pace. If we try to force our beliefs on people, regardless of how true we know them to be, we are subscribing to Satan's plan. Love and understanding of people must come before we try to educate and bring them closer to God, else they push back harder and we lose them for even longer.
"Wherefore ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."
In my experience, many seem to focus on the first part of this verse, the part about pressing forward. I mean, it is the youth theme this year. However, to me, what's equally important, if not more, is what follows. Pressing forward in your own faith isn't enough. A "perfect brightness of hope" is required, as is having a "love of God and of all men." I feel like people forget that loving all men is the second great commandment under heaven sometimes. I constantly see people looking at others with distaste, and sometimes even verbally expressing that distaste, simply because they have differing beliefs. I'm not completely innocent of this, but I'm cognizant of that, and I'm working to be better, to be more Christlike in my dealings with people who believe differently from me.
Christ never treated others with disrespect and venom. He was always kind, always understanding, and though he didn't go around telling people that their sins were okay, he never condemned them. He offered a hand, offered a way to repentance, expressed what he knew to be true, and then let them decide what to do, whether that be changing or continuing down the path they were on.
I think that in order to truly be Christlike and to return to the Father, we must remember the principle of agency and the principle of unconditional love. People can choose what they do with their lives, and as a result, there will be those who choose to do things that we disagree with or consider sinful. We can express our views, offer our light, and extend a helping hand, but if they choose not to accept, that's okay. Everyone receives light at a different pace. If we try to force our beliefs on people, regardless of how true we know them to be, we are subscribing to Satan's plan. Love and understanding of people must come before we try to educate and bring them closer to God, else they push back harder and we lose them for even longer.
Sunday, 11 September 2016
I Promise I'm Not a Satanist
So fun tidbit: there’s this crime show on Fox called Lucifer, and as its name suggests, the main character is Satan. However, it’s not a typical representation of him. He’s depicted more as a punisher of the wicked than an unrelenting force for evil, which is a really interesting perspective. The show focuses on the fact that though Satan can tempt and make wickedness seem attractive, and the Lord can guide and inspire righteousness, everyone ultimately has their agency. (It’s a good show. I recommend it.) This, however, is not my focus, though discovering the show did lead to a discussion with my friend, Kathryn, that inspired a handful of questions.
If Lucifer was one of God’s most elect, one of the best and brightest, what happened that led him to pride?
Does Lucifer regret rebelling against God?
Is or was there any way for him to repent and be redeemed, provided that he genuinely wanted to?
Obviously there’s no way for us to answer the first two questions since he’s the only one who could ever properly answer them, but the last one really piqued our interest. Kathryn and I immediately dove into the scriptures to find anything and everything about Lucifer, the Sons of Perdition, and the premortal life.
In D&C 76:25-27 we get an account of the fall of Lucifer:
“And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son, And was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him—he was Lucifer, a son of the morning. And we beheld, and lo, he is fallen! is fallen, even a son of the morning!”
From this we can see that Lucifer was a beloved son of God, one who the entirety of heaven wept for. One who we wept for. This account doesn’t convey hatred for our fallen brother, it begs for pity and grief. Kathryn pointed out that the sorrow in the account is reminiscent of the sorrow of the father in the parable of the prodigal son, and it got us thinking. Could Lucifer be like the prodigal son, but where the son in the parable humbles himself and returns home, Lucifer is still too bitter and stubborn to do the same? But what if he did humble himself someday and desire to repent? Is the infinite Atonement infinite enough to offer redemption to the Father of Lies himself?
These questions plagued us. We had to know. So we scoured the scriptures, hunting through the topical guide and the entirety of the Standard Works, looking for answers. Hours passed, bubble maps were drafted, and we found so many interesting nuggets about Lucifer and his personality—enough for a whole other forum—but none of them really answered our question about whether or not Christ’s Atonement applies to him. But then, I came across the account of Christ’s 40 day fast where Satan tempted him. In Luke 4:6-7, Satan says to Christ,
“All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.”
Now, for the longest time, I had been under the impression that Christ had then told him to go away and leave him alone because God was the only true God, but reading Christ’s response in 4:8 had me see the situation in a whole new light.
“Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
That’s not a dismissal. That’s an invitation. He doesn’t mirror the words of Moses in Moses 1:16, “Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not,” he says “Get thee behind me,” which sounds an awful lot like “Come follow me.” Christ is asking his little brother to repent. He wouldn’t say that unless it were possible for Lucifer to do.
Of course, the doctrine of the eternal fate of the Sons of Perdition still stands, that for them “there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come,” (D&C 76:34), and we’re told that to descend into that state, one would have to have “denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame.” (D&C 76:35) I pondered this for a long time, confused as to how Christ’s Atonement could be infinite and not cover everyone who wanted to use it. However, it occurred to me that perhaps living in that denial would require constantly and actively denying Christ and the Lord without ever seeking absolution. Perhaps the reason the Sons of Perdition never gain forgiveness is because they never seek after it, because if they did seek to accept the Atonement, they wouldn’t be living in that denial anymore. Perhaps Sons of Perdition are doomed because any who genuinely try to change wouldn’t be considered a Son of Perdition any longer. Perhaps a Son of Perdition, by definition, is one who had every opportunity to use the Atonement, knew it could redeem them, but still chose to scorn it and not accept it, thus removing them from the power of the Atonement. So maybe those Sons of Perdition do have an opportunity to cease being a Son of Perdition. Maybe that could be an option for Lucifer if he ever stopped existing in that state of anger and bitterness and denial, but as of yet, it doesn’t appear he ever will.
If this is the case, the implications are incredible. If even Satan himself could be redeemed through the infinite mercy of Christ’s Atonement (provided he ever stopped refusing it), then how much more redeemable are we? It doesn’t matter how black our sins, we can always, always be restored. This whole time spent researching this with Kathryn has really strengthened my testimony in the Atonement and the love that the Lord has for me and all of his children. Not only that, but it’s given me a better perspective on human imperfection. The Lord loves us all so much; we’ve been told this since we were babies. Yet, we look down on others so much for making mistakes or being, quite frankly, terribly wicked and venomous. The whole “he who has no sin, let him cast the first stone” ideal applies once again. While I think it’s important to call people out for their wrongdoings so they know that they need to repent, I think it’s equally vital that we never forget that there is nothing that they can do that will make the Lord stop loving them.
I'm not sure if this is completely doctrinally sound. I know this is a lot of speculation that's very difficult to confirm, but it feels right, and if Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can still love and weep for Lucifer and offer him a way home after all he did and continues to do, there’s no question that he loves the rest of us and will always offer us a helping hand should we choose to accept it. That gives me strength, so I'm sticking to it. There is always another chance. Always.
If Lucifer was one of God’s most elect, one of the best and brightest, what happened that led him to pride?
Does Lucifer regret rebelling against God?
Is or was there any way for him to repent and be redeemed, provided that he genuinely wanted to?
Obviously there’s no way for us to answer the first two questions since he’s the only one who could ever properly answer them, but the last one really piqued our interest. Kathryn and I immediately dove into the scriptures to find anything and everything about Lucifer, the Sons of Perdition, and the premortal life.
In D&C 76:25-27 we get an account of the fall of Lucifer:
“And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son, And was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him—he was Lucifer, a son of the morning. And we beheld, and lo, he is fallen! is fallen, even a son of the morning!”
From this we can see that Lucifer was a beloved son of God, one who the entirety of heaven wept for. One who we wept for. This account doesn’t convey hatred for our fallen brother, it begs for pity and grief. Kathryn pointed out that the sorrow in the account is reminiscent of the sorrow of the father in the parable of the prodigal son, and it got us thinking. Could Lucifer be like the prodigal son, but where the son in the parable humbles himself and returns home, Lucifer is still too bitter and stubborn to do the same? But what if he did humble himself someday and desire to repent? Is the infinite Atonement infinite enough to offer redemption to the Father of Lies himself?
These questions plagued us. We had to know. So we scoured the scriptures, hunting through the topical guide and the entirety of the Standard Works, looking for answers. Hours passed, bubble maps were drafted, and we found so many interesting nuggets about Lucifer and his personality—enough for a whole other forum—but none of them really answered our question about whether or not Christ’s Atonement applies to him. But then, I came across the account of Christ’s 40 day fast where Satan tempted him. In Luke 4:6-7, Satan says to Christ,
“All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.”
Now, for the longest time, I had been under the impression that Christ had then told him to go away and leave him alone because God was the only true God, but reading Christ’s response in 4:8 had me see the situation in a whole new light.
“Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
That’s not a dismissal. That’s an invitation. He doesn’t mirror the words of Moses in Moses 1:16, “Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not,” he says “Get thee behind me,” which sounds an awful lot like “Come follow me.” Christ is asking his little brother to repent. He wouldn’t say that unless it were possible for Lucifer to do.
Of course, the doctrine of the eternal fate of the Sons of Perdition still stands, that for them “there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come,” (D&C 76:34), and we’re told that to descend into that state, one would have to have “denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame.” (D&C 76:35) I pondered this for a long time, confused as to how Christ’s Atonement could be infinite and not cover everyone who wanted to use it. However, it occurred to me that perhaps living in that denial would require constantly and actively denying Christ and the Lord without ever seeking absolution. Perhaps the reason the Sons of Perdition never gain forgiveness is because they never seek after it, because if they did seek to accept the Atonement, they wouldn’t be living in that denial anymore. Perhaps Sons of Perdition are doomed because any who genuinely try to change wouldn’t be considered a Son of Perdition any longer. Perhaps a Son of Perdition, by definition, is one who had every opportunity to use the Atonement, knew it could redeem them, but still chose to scorn it and not accept it, thus removing them from the power of the Atonement. So maybe those Sons of Perdition do have an opportunity to cease being a Son of Perdition. Maybe that could be an option for Lucifer if he ever stopped existing in that state of anger and bitterness and denial, but as of yet, it doesn’t appear he ever will.
If this is the case, the implications are incredible. If even Satan himself could be redeemed through the infinite mercy of Christ’s Atonement (provided he ever stopped refusing it), then how much more redeemable are we? It doesn’t matter how black our sins, we can always, always be restored. This whole time spent researching this with Kathryn has really strengthened my testimony in the Atonement and the love that the Lord has for me and all of his children. Not only that, but it’s given me a better perspective on human imperfection. The Lord loves us all so much; we’ve been told this since we were babies. Yet, we look down on others so much for making mistakes or being, quite frankly, terribly wicked and venomous. The whole “he who has no sin, let him cast the first stone” ideal applies once again. While I think it’s important to call people out for their wrongdoings so they know that they need to repent, I think it’s equally vital that we never forget that there is nothing that they can do that will make the Lord stop loving them.
I'm not sure if this is completely doctrinally sound. I know this is a lot of speculation that's very difficult to confirm, but it feels right, and if Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can still love and weep for Lucifer and offer him a way home after all he did and continues to do, there’s no question that he loves the rest of us and will always offer us a helping hand should we choose to accept it. That gives me strength, so I'm sticking to it. There is always another chance. Always.
Wednesday, 7 September 2016
Darkness. No Parents.
The other day during my daily scripture reading, I came across 2 Nephi 5:21, which discusses the cursing of the Lamanites with a "skin of blackness." This idea of being "cursed" with dark skin has always bothered me, especially because in 2 Nephi 26:33 it's states that "all are alike unto God," whether they be "black [or] white." It didn't sit right with me -- and I know many others that have qualms -- that God would consider darkened skin a curse. I mean, there's been all sorts of extremely kind and wonderful people of color, and Christ himself was Middle Eastern, not "white," so I decided to look in the footnotes to see if I could gain any insight into what the Lord meant by a "skin of blackness." The footnotes took me to 2 Nephi 30:6, which mentions "scales of darkness...[falling] from their eyes." This leads me to believe that the cursing of the "skin of blackness" didn't mean literal dark skin, but rather a shroud of spiritual darkness falling over the people. For me, this insight helped ease my confusion and reaffirmed my testimony of God's love for his children, regardless of what they physically look like, and I feel like others with similar concerns and questions may be able to gain similar comfort from it as well.
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