In seminary this year I'm teaching The Old Testament. Part of the lessons we have had this week are about Moses and his many moments of questioning God's instruction. The class decided that he must have had difficulty maintaining his faith in God and in God's power. I am inclined to agree.
I thought about this a great deal today. Moses was a prophet,led by God, and a talented leader. But he was human. He had grown up with the teachings of the Pharaoh, not the gospel. In essence, he was a convert and in spite of that he ended up being an incredibly righteous man.
He was given the opportunity to frequently commune with the Lord. He spoke with him face to face. He was transformed in order to withstand the immense presence of God, and yet he was not a perfect person. In fact no prophet in ancient or modern history has ever been perfect. All of them were and are human and are therefore fallible.
Being a prophet doesn't mean you are no longer tempted, or no longer make human mistakes. It does mean that for reasons only God knows, that person was chosen to receive revelation for the church and it's population. That individual was the one whom the Lord chose to carry out His plan at that particular time.
Was Joseph Smith perfect? Absolutely not. But he was a prophet. He was chosen by the Lord to receive the fullness of the gospel and to restore Christ's church on the earth with the proper priesthood authority and organization that Christ originally brought to the Earth. Jesus Christ is the only person to live on the earth from birth to death in a state of complete perfection.
Today President Hinkley is a prophet to the world. Is he perfect? Absolutely not. But he and he alone has been given all the keys to the priesthood as well as the authority to receive revelation for the good of the church.
When we are confronted by people who argue that a prophet has led an imperfect life, fill them in on the facts here. Imperfection is human. That is precisely why Christ came to the earth, to atone for our sins. That is why we are taught to forgive, and to repent for our misdeeds. The only real sin is to deny that the atonement pertains to all. The act of repentance is what makes the difference between righteous men (and women)and those who remain in sin.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Forgiveness - The Gift you Give Yourself
The Holiday Season reminds us to be compassionate toward others. But what about someone who has offended you in some way? How can you be compassionate toward someone you feel has hurt you? Forgiving someone who has offended you is the best way to let go of negative energy and hurt feelings.
Forgiveness isn't about condoning the offending behavior, nor is it about forgetting that it ever happened. Forgiveness is a choice to no longer allow the offender's previous behavior to control your emotions. It is about letting go of your anger, and choosing to step out of the victim role.
What is forgiveness?
There's no single definition of forgiveness. But in general, forgiveness is a decision to let go of resentments and thoughts of revenge. Forgiveness is the act of releasing yourself from thoughts and feelings that keep you tied to the offense committed against you. Doing so can reduce the power these feelings have had over you. When you forgive, you can live a freer and happier life in the present instead of focusing on your negative past experience. Forgiveness can even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy and compassion for the one who hurt you.
Forgiving isn't the same as forgetting what happened to you. The act that hurt or offended you may always remain a part of your life. But forgiveness can lessen its grip on you and help you focus on other, positive parts of your life. And forgiveness doesn't mean that you deny the other person's responsibility for hurting you, and it doesn't minimize or justify the wrong. You can forgive the person without excusing the act.
There are also tangible benefits to forgiving?
Researchers have recently become interested in studying the effects of being unforgiving and being forgiving. Evidence shows that holding onto grudges and bitterness results in long-term health problems. Forgiveness, on the other hand, offers numerous benefits, including:
* Lower blood pressure
* Stress reduction
* Less hostility
* Better anger management skills
* Lower heart rate
* Lower risk of alcohol or substance abuse
* Fewer depression symptoms
* Fewer anxiety symptoms
* Reduction in chronic pain
* More friendships
* Healthier relationships
* Greater religious or spiritual well-being
* Improved psychological well-being
Help yourself - forgive your offender and live a happier, less stress-filled life.
Forgiveness isn't about condoning the offending behavior, nor is it about forgetting that it ever happened. Forgiveness is a choice to no longer allow the offender's previous behavior to control your emotions. It is about letting go of your anger, and choosing to step out of the victim role.
What is forgiveness?
There's no single definition of forgiveness. But in general, forgiveness is a decision to let go of resentments and thoughts of revenge. Forgiveness is the act of releasing yourself from thoughts and feelings that keep you tied to the offense committed against you. Doing so can reduce the power these feelings have had over you. When you forgive, you can live a freer and happier life in the present instead of focusing on your negative past experience. Forgiveness can even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy and compassion for the one who hurt you.
Forgiving isn't the same as forgetting what happened to you. The act that hurt or offended you may always remain a part of your life. But forgiveness can lessen its grip on you and help you focus on other, positive parts of your life. And forgiveness doesn't mean that you deny the other person's responsibility for hurting you, and it doesn't minimize or justify the wrong. You can forgive the person without excusing the act.
There are also tangible benefits to forgiving?
Researchers have recently become interested in studying the effects of being unforgiving and being forgiving. Evidence shows that holding onto grudges and bitterness results in long-term health problems. Forgiveness, on the other hand, offers numerous benefits, including:
* Lower blood pressure
* Stress reduction
* Less hostility
* Better anger management skills
* Lower heart rate
* Lower risk of alcohol or substance abuse
* Fewer depression symptoms
* Fewer anxiety symptoms
* Reduction in chronic pain
* More friendships
* Healthier relationships
* Greater religious or spiritual well-being
* Improved psychological well-being
Help yourself - forgive your offender and live a happier, less stress-filled life.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Loving Thy Mormon Neighbor
It seems to me that "Mormonism" is the latest media fad. But what really intrigues me is how hateful some self-proclaimed "Christians" can be. Ignorance I can understand. I can even understand vehemently defending one's belief system. What I have a hard time understanding is the hypocrisy and angry intentions of some of those professing to love and follow God and His son Jesus Christ.
I'm talking about the people who respond to blogs, news articles and other media saying that they follow the Bible or that they are the "true" Christians and yet they hold deep seated hatred for members of other faiths including members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) - often referred to as the Mormons.
So to those who feel self-righteous, who believe that they are endowed with the authority to determine who is a real Christian and who is going to Hell, let me just quote the following:
Mathew 7
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye;
Mark 12
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these (the first being to love the Lord).
Luke 10 - (The Good Samaritan)
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
If you are a true Christian and profess to live life according to the Bible then you must love Mormons, refrain from judging them and be compassionate toward them.
I'm talking about the people who respond to blogs, news articles and other media saying that they follow the Bible or that they are the "true" Christians and yet they hold deep seated hatred for members of other faiths including members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) - often referred to as the Mormons.
So to those who feel self-righteous, who believe that they are endowed with the authority to determine who is a real Christian and who is going to Hell, let me just quote the following:
Mathew 7
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye;
Mark 12
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these (the first being to love the Lord).
Luke 10 - (The Good Samaritan)
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
If you are a true Christian and profess to live life according to the Bible then you must love Mormons, refrain from judging them and be compassionate toward them.
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