One reason that people turn to religion is to try to figure out what happens after they die. We talk a lot about that. I was thinking a lot about heaven/hell. We teach that it's more than that after you die, and for me, it's a topic that I've spent a lot of time considering. I'm putting my thoughts really simply and probably pretty unorganized here, but I hope that for you, it will be food for thought. I'm not great at articulating myself. Especially in writing. I encourage you to study for yourself, ponder thoughtfully, and come to your own conclusions. 
   Peter says "Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." Who is the judge? Christ. As I understand (always remember, this is just how I see it) the "quick" here are those who are living. The gospel must be preached to those who are dead to make their opportunity equal to what the living are having or had. Death is not the end of the journey: only the beginning of the next. Therefore, I believe that just as life does not end with death, neither do our opportunities to change and learn.
     For me, simply heaven vs. hell doesn't make sense. I suppose this depends on how hard you think it is to get in to either place. I believe it's based on your heart and your actions. Consider the words of Christ: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." So, it takes action. It's also WHO you are though: "Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
     Not everyone will believe in/accept/whateverwordyouwannause Christ during this life. They are still good people. They don't deserve to go to hell. That is something that hits me in the strongest way: No good person deserves everlasting torment. I don't believe that, and I don't think God does either, not if He's just. He knows our hearts. Some people don't accept the gospel because they're ignoring the Spirit. Some people never hear the gospel. Some people have had horrible things happen that make it very hard for them to believe in God. The Lord knows what has happened to them, and He will be kind. The people who get that knowledge of Christ will probably (as far as I can tell) be that much farther ahead in the long run, but they won't be the only "saved" ones. The Lord expects us to do the best with what we have, and He will be understanding where we lack because of circumstance. There's no excuse for not doing your best though. We're all guilty of that. Doesn't make it ok.
    I believe in a God who loves. I believe that there's hope for everyone: even those who have passed on. That's why we do work for the dead. But we do work for the living because everyone deserves hope in this life. I do it because I want everyone to find the same peace and happiness I have had. No matter what, God is a God of second chances. Repentance is proof of that. He has set things up so that as many as possible will succeed. The more I study, the more I see that. At first, it's not very apparent, but the more you get to know and love God, and as you feel His love in your life, you can come to know that too.

*If you're not Mormon and you're just feeling confused right now, call up some LDS missionaries. They can better explain what I mean. I'm just spewing thoughts onto a website and really, I'm not a super great writer. 
http://www.lds.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-and-church-history-seminary-teacher-resource-manual/plan-of-salvation-overview?lang=eng Here's this. 
    

     Missionaries are imperfect people. Jeffery R. Holland once said "Imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we." Now, I'm not saying we should all just give up and stop trying to be better. I'm not saying it's ok when a missionary does something that they shouldn't, or that it should simply be excused. However, I feel like the whole thing goes deeper than people some times think about... 
     The missionary is there to serve others...but they are not perfect. And they are being changed and improve as they serve. What better motivation to become better than having to teach other people about living those same principles? Let me tell you, I am not perfect. I am nowhere near perfect. I am so glad that I can be out serving though. I am being changed for the better every day.
    So, why don't missionaries always get sent home immediately when they mess up? Well, I'm not a mission president. I can't speak for them. But, I'd like to share my opinion. Sometimes, it is better for a missionary to keep serving, even after a mistake, than to send them home right away. Think of Alma talking to his missionary son Corianton. There's an awkward conversation for you between dad/prophet and son. 
Alma 39:2-6:"For thou didst not give so much heed unto my words as did thy brother, among the people of the Zoramites. Now this is what I have against thee; thou didst go on unto boasting in thy strength and thy wisdom. And this is not all, my son. Thou didst do that which was grievous unto me; for thou didst forsake the ministry, and did go over into the land of Siron among the borders of the Lamanites, after the harlot Isabel. Yea, she did steal away the hearts of many; but this was no excuse for thee, my son. Thou shouldst have tended to the ministry wherewith thou wast entrusted. Know ye not, my son, that these things are 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?...11 Suffer not yourself to be led away by any vain or foolish thing; suffer not the devil to lead away your heart again after those wicked harlots. Behold, O my son, how great iniquity ye brought upon the Zoramites; for when they saw your conduct they would not believe in my words."
Translation: Son, you really messed up. You've been not only prideful, but you've broken the law of chastity, which is the worst thing you could do short of murder or perdition. You've destroyed trust, and no one will listen to us because of what you've done.
BUT, here's what follows in chapter 42, after Alma spends some time clearing up questions for Corianton he says: "O my son, I desire that ye should deny the justice of God no more. Do not endeavor to excuse yourself in the least point because of your sins, by denying the justice of God; but do you let the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in your heart; and let it bring you down to the dust in humility. And now, O my son, ye are called of God to preach the word unto this people. And now, my son, go thy way, declare the word with truth and soberness, that thou mayest bring souls unto repentance, that the great plan of mercy may have claim upon them. And may God grant unto you even according to my words. Amen."
Translation: Corianton, repent. Gain an understanding of the Atonement that you should have been talking about. Be humble. These people need what you have to offer, they deserve to hear the gospel, and YOU are called to teach them. 
    Alma didn't say "Son, you messed up. Stay home. Your brothers can take care of this. You've done enough damage already." When the Pharisees said in John 8 "Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?", Christ said "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." He then talks to the woman caught in the act of adultery, and simply councils her to "go, and sin no more".
     Christ could have had her killed. And since she was imperfect, in letting her go, he knew that she would sin again and in the Garden of Gethsemane he would have to suffer for it. However, he let her go. I think He knew that when she left, that experience would change her life. She would never again be caught in adultery, but would try to be better. And she would help others improve by sharing her experience. I think Alma felt the same way about Corianton: sometimes, people just need to be loved, trusted, and allowed to repent. Then, even if they make a BIG mistake, like Corianton, and cause bad opinions and misinformation to arise, perhaps they can help more lives than they hurt. They know because of experience what true repentance is. And they desperately want to share that beautiful gift and keep others from following in their footsteps.
    In general, for everyone, I like this scripture from 3 Nephi 18:32: "Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your synagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them."
    I am guilty of sin. I'm guilty of the sin of judging as much as anyone. I mean, I don't think I've done anything to get sent home for, but I've never been a perfect teacher or perfect missionary or perfect person. We all need the gospel. We can all be better. I know that sometimes missionaries do things they shouldn't, and people judge them and the LDS church, and even the gospel for it. But, I'm with Holland on this one. God is working with imperfect people. We don't know their lives. We don't know what will make them better. We don't know what companion or investigator will say something to change their life. And we don't know who that imperfect person might save when they change. Only the Lord knows that. We simply have to love those people, and all people, regardless of their mistakes, flaws, and sins. Love, sometimes tough love, changes lives more than anything else.
    In the end, it is what we share that is important. The happiness it brings and the lives it changes, even if it's our own. The hope in Christ, and the love of Christ in our lives. Regardless of the mistakes we make, most of us are still doing what we think is for the best and simply want to serve Christ who is the giver of second chances, and who has shown the greatest love that their ever was.

Back in the day, I used to visit the library A LOT with my brothers and sister.
That's where we rented A LOT of movies. One of those movies is called "The Great Dictator". In it Charlie Chaplin is playing two parts: one is a Jewish man, and the other is Hinckle (who is a clear knock-off of Hitler). It's a hilarious
movie, but it also contains one of the most moving speeches I have ever heard.
And, coming just at the end of WWII it was extremely appropriate. The Jewish
man, who had suffered many hardships because of what the dictator had commanded, somehow gets switched with the dictator because of their being exact look-alikes. The wisdom and beauty of the speech that Chaplin gives near the end of the movie is hard to describe. Perhaps we can love more. We can do more to help each other. We have an infinite capacity for good. Why don't we use it?


     When I read this speech, I like to think of it through the lense of the Book of Mormon and Captain Moroni in Alma 48: "And
Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and
slavery; Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he
bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people. Yea, and he was
a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood...Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and
were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." The very powers of hell would be shaken. The devil would have no power. Pain and misery would cease. Hatred would be gone. If only we all could be as Moroni. I believe that Chaplin is saying basically the same
thing.

     As you will see, Chaplin says that "the kingdom of God is within man." It is within you. It is within me. WE have the
power to overcome fear, to continue progress, to show love, to be kind. WE have the power to overcome the Devil and the bad in the world. I could see Moroni himself making this speech had he lived in our day. I can most certainly see him
ending with that rallying cry "Soldiers! In the name of democracy: let us all unite!" 
     Now that you have my thoughts, read this speech. YOU have the power to make a better world. I have the power. Let us learn to have a perfect understanding. Let us not delight in bloodshed. Let us rejoice in the wellfare of others. Let us be as Captain Moroni.

Chaplin's speech:

I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an Emperor, that's not
my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to
help everyone if possible, Jew, gentile, black man, white. We all want to
help one another, human beings are like that. We all want to live by each
other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and
despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone and the good
earth is rich and can provide for everyone.
The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls, has
barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed.

We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. machinery that gives abundance has left us in want.
Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too
much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity more than cleverness we need
kindness and gentleness.

Without these qualities life will be violent and all will be lost.

 The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature
of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men, cries out for universal 
brotherhood for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions 
throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women and little children, 
victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To 
those who can hear me I say: do not despair.


The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of
men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass and dictators
will die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people and so long as men die liberty will never perish.

Soldiers: don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you and enslave
you, who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to
feel, who drill you, diet you, treat you as cattle, as cannon fodder!


Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men machine men, with machine
minds and machine hearts. You are not machines. You are not cattle! You
are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts! You don't hate, 
 
Only the unloved hate. The unloved and the unnatural.
Soldiers: don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty!


In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke it is written:
- "The kingdom of God is within man."
Not one man, nor a group of men, but in all men: in you!


You the people have the power, the power to create machines, the power to
create happiness. You the people have the power to make this life free and
beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.
Then, in the name of democracy, let us use that power, let us all unite!
Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give you
the future and old age and security. By the promise of these things, brutes
have risen to power, but they lie. They do not fulfil their promise, they never
will. Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people.
Now let us fight to fulfil that promise. Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national 
barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a
world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness.


Soldiers! In the name of democracy: let us all unite!

     So, my friends, in the name of our families, our  liberty, and our religion, let us all unite.

If there's one thing people seem to think in relation to Mormons, it is
that they're marriage crazy. Young, fast, and kids right away. THe nicknames for the schools are "Breed 'em Young University", "BYU I do", and...well...there's not one that I've heard for
Hawaii...but that's because it's just awesome. But for sure, I find that young marriages tend to be associated with the LDS church.      
     Here's the skinny: family is central to our faith. Beginning with our souls, we believe that we are creations, or children, of Heavenly Father. We are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ who in saving us, adopted us. Perhaps other verses explain this better, but I like how it is said in Romans 8: "15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Did not Christ cry "Abba" to Heavenly Father in His darkest hour? He did in the moment when he took on all the pains, infirmities, and sicknesses of the world. Do we not call on Christ in our struggles? "Abba" is about equivalent to "papa". And that is family that we always have.
      As well as our divine family, we believe earthly family ties, created under the priesthood, last beyond death. In fact, for us, marriage is extremely holy and sacred. Marriage should not be about the reception, or the dress, or any material thing. It must be centered around two people ready to make a covenant to follow God and help each other follow Him. This is the power given to Peter in Matthew 16:19 "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." As in, the family created by the sealing power of the priesthood is bound as an eternal thing. Marriage lasts forever, and children belong to us forever. How that all gets sorted out in heaven I don't know, but we can figure it out when we get there.    
     Family is important enough that it is the first thing we teach about as missionaries. (For more about how we view family ties
post-death, see the bit about baptisms for the dead that I put up earlier.) You see, salvation, and progression, they're not something we do alone. For, there are very few people who go through life and never meet anyone. True, we are responsible for our actions, however, Christ stepped in that we might work out our own salvation. He then instructed that we should love and help one another. The family is the ultimate version of this.      
     Look, personally, I'm not marriage crazy. The idea of marriage makes me nervous, and I'm sure my companions here in the mission field can imagine why. I'm not good at living with and depending on other people (I would like to add here that I didn't get to pick my companions: we've all had to learn to live and work together, despite our many differences. Had I not had companions, I would never have realized the areas of my life that needed the greatest improvement. I'm learning trust, humility, sacrifice, service, charity, patience, and so much more. I know adjusting to someone else is hard, but I also know it's worth it). And, I have worked very closely with broken families and broken people. I've seen marriages fall apart. No, that's not how it should have worked out. Ideally, all families would love each other and every marriage would last, but, we are imperfect and selfishness will happen.     
     However, I do think that a marriage is a really amazing thing. What if people weren't selfish? How much growth would each partner experience personally if they raised a family as they should? Theoretically, the family is the ULTIMATE experience in
Christlike charity. Giving up everything you are, even changing your dreams, to love one person that you picked, and as many other random strangers as you chose to bring to earth as children. Loving them so much that you are willing to sacrifice comfort, in some cases, even life for them. If every person would have true charity, marriage would always last. If they thought of their family before themselves, as my parents always did, there will still be hard times, but the family will, in the end, endure.    
     Also, regarding children, what in the world is a greater creation than life? Did God Himself not tell Adam and Eve to
multiply and replenish the earth? A man in his own lifetime can do very little, but through the legacy of offspring, he can achieve immortality. And, while many couples cannot have children, we believe that they will be given the opportunity
when their bodies are perfected and all things are made equal.    
     We believe that the family brings true happiness, and true progression. We don't guarantee it, because it depends on the family as a whole to chose to work together. Many people are left in horrible circumstances. Hear the words of Jacob 2:35
concerning the sins of his people against their families: "Behold, ye have done greater iniquities than the Lamanites, our brethren. Ye have broken the hearts of your tender [husbands and] wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you. And because of the strictness of the word of God, which cometh down against you, many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds." The cries of the broken family ascend up to God unto the condemnation of them that caused it. Those who hurt little children are warned in the Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon, and the Bible of terrible consequences. Crimes of selfishness and lust against the family are not taken lightly.
      Just like life, marriage is hard. It requires sacrifice. But, that always goes back to my favorite point: "sacrifice" means "to make holy". Christ made the ultimate sacrifice. We strive to be like him. Things that are hard are often worth doing and create the most growth and learning. Many people, including Mormons, miss the point of marriage. Love is important, but not so much the kind of love that comes from mutual attraction. It's the love that comes from time, and sacrifice, and having one common goal: to help your family to follow Christ and find happiness. Any marriage can be happy, any marriage of any two people can
work out if both of them understand true charity and unselfishness. 

     So, there's this like, list of questions that I feel like came out of a 1970's film made by the LDS (Mormon) church. "Who am I?", "Where am I going?", "Where did I come from?", "What is the purpose of life?". Whenever I hear these questions, I swear the image of a guy with Luke Skywalker hair and bell bottoms walking through a field pops into my head. Now you all know what goes on in my head. Sorry. ANYWHO...
     There's a point to sharing my strange mental images with you. That is, that I had planned to talk about the question "Where do I come from?" today...Um and not birds and the bees style. For such things, all I have to say is that if you don't know...have you ever seen Dumbo? It went a little something like that. Singing stork and all. Anyways, I mean before you was born. 
     Is that such a preposterous idea? Could you not have existed as a soul before you were born? Even before the world began? I mean, it certainly seems Biblical to me. Haven't you ever wondered about all those scriptures that talk about "before"?
    "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world"-Ephesians 1:4
    "even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory"-Corinthians 2:7
    "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began"-Titus 1:2 (All the above are Paul speaking)
    "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world."-John 17:24 (Christ speaking)
   Reading these little snippets (if you'd like to check out the context, please do, the references are there for you), I get a few things. 1. We existed before the world did. Before the world was even really conceived. 2. God made us promises and ordained us to do things during that existed 2. God knew us. Personally. Individually. Otherwise, did he just make promises to random people before? I think, rather, that he knew them before. 3. The Father loved us as who we were. He loved Christ. And if we are all children of the same Father, why would he not love us all? Does a parent with multiple children, and perhaps even favorites or more talented kids, not love all of them immensely? 
     We learn that the God the Father is the father or our spirits, or our souls literally. Christ is the adoptive father of our Spirits when we are baptized and take on his name. Why would they not love us? And, if we exited before, why would they not have loved us then? The Father because we are his children. Christ because he loved us enough to atone for us and adopt us as his own. 
     Christ says that the Spirit comes from His Father to comfort the apostles many times. However, in Matt 10:20 Christ says "For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." YOUR Father. Who he usually refers to as MY Father or THE Father. But here, he says YOUR father. Isn't that awesome? There's also Romans 8:17 "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." Joint heirs with Christ and children of God. Pretty sure that sums it up. 
     Now, most of what we believe comes from the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, which are modern revelation. To sum it up, in those writings we learn that before we had bodies, we were simply intelligences that were organized by God the Father (who already had a body: consider that God created us here in his own image...so we can assume he probably looks somewhat like us). There was a war in heaven where Satan (before known as Lucifer, which means "bringer of light") wanted the glory of God for himself. This is supported by Isaiah  "12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit." His idea was to send us to earth and make us be perfect, but we would have had no struggles, nor downfalls, and therefore, would have had no experience to make us progress and become greater and learn to be more than we are.
     Rather than glory, he was sent to spend eternity in Hell for his rebellion. We learn, also from D&C, that he took about a third of the spirits in heaven with him. Those who are here on earth, and have bodies, chose to follow Christ who offered a plan in which he would atone for our mistakes. That way, we might be able to improve ourselves by making mistakes and learning from them, but not be damned by the sins that we would commit. He would take on the infirmities that come with a physical, not yet perfected body. You see, perfection is a progressive work. Not an instant thing. So we BECOME perfect.
     Hopefully that's not more confusing than it is helpful. There is much more to it, so maybe this will help: 
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/10/our-fathers-plan?lang=eng&query=pre-existance
Once again, I am much better at explaining these things in person, and I am sure that another missionary or a church leader would be able to help with any questions. Being a question-asker myself, I feel like it makes sense based on the scriptures. But, you can always study it out yourself and ask for the witness of the Holy Ghost to tell you who you are as a child of God and where you come from.

     Let me clear this up straight away for any nonmormons: No, we do not keep dead people in the temples. No, we do not baptize dead bodies. No, we do not force souls of the dead to accept baptism. Glad we've got that out of the way. 
     What we do is be baptized for the dead. As a proxy. Remember that Christ continually said that all men must be baptized. All (...there is one exception being little children who have not reached an age where they can understand or be accountable for their sins...). How could that be fair if there were going to be people who never had the chance? Are they just dead and have lost the oppertunity?
     That's why we do so much family history work. True, bappies for the dead are only mentioned once in the Bible or Book of Mormon: 1 Corinth 15 says: "29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?", and that's the only mention we get. It is interesting to note however, that Paul gives no description of how these baptisms are performed. I think the practice was common enough that he probably assumed they already knew what they were doing when it comes to baptisms for the dead.
     We hold to the promise of Malachi 4: "6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." We see that as saying that we, the children, would turn to our fathers, our ancestors. We become perfected in each other. We perform ordinances for those who have passed on: ordinances that we consider to be vital. What could cultivate more love for our heritage, for those who have passed beyond, what would create a greater connection to our past than performing these services for them?
     Think about this as well: John 3: "3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

     How can a man be born when he is dead? Can he re-enter into his body, or be born in another so that he may be baptized? There wasn't an exeption made for dead people. So, I think that it would make sense that provisions were made. Then, the soul of that person in whose behalf the work was done, has the choice still of whether to accept that baptism or not. That probably sounds really strange because they're already dead so if it was right, why wouldn't they? But remember that we have the same personality after we die as we do now. We're the same person. And God still does not force us to make choices. 
     Most of us have never died. I'm pretty sure. Most of us have never seen "beyond". Is it any more ridiculous to say that we get baptized on behalf of dead people (by the way, for the curious, a baptism for the dead is EXACTLY like a regular baptism: the only difference is it's done in the temple and you use the deceased persons name) than anything else? I mean, is it really all that unreasonable of an idea? I know that I have learned A TON about my ancestors and have gotten to spend some really good time with my mom because of it. If you haven't done your family history work, DO IT. It's important. And your ancestors will thank you when you hit the other side: even if they don't accept the baptism, the act itself shows that you care. It's missionary work that's easy to do. So dooooo it.

     Today, I'm not going to be very scriptural. I want to talk about some things I've learned in the last three months as a missionary in Utah.
     To give you a little background, when I got my call, I looked at it and went "...Utah Ogden mission? English speaking? Is this some sort of bad joke? I mean, I AT LEAST could have ended up in like...Detroit or something." I thought about how much more good I could do digging wells in Africa or helping feed starving children in Asia. Why Utah?
     I've come to realize that people in the US are as much in need of help as anywhere else. The pain may not be physical, but if we can't help ourselves, how are we supposed to help other people? I'm a 20 year old with no experience in social work. In fact, I'm a marketing major. However, I've ended up being the listening ear to many people. They tell me things that they would never tell anyone else. They relate their struggles to my companion and I. They tell us how much they hurt. I think because we establish that we represent Christ right off, they at least see us as people that they can trust and confide in. People they can share their prayers with and look to for healing.
     And their children. Oh the poor children who suffer. Children tell me a lot. Whether they say it directly and embarass their parents by sharing too much with random strangers (the parents usually feel a need to expound and then being to tell us their whole story), or by mentioning to God in a prayer about their family trouble. Children understand. Children are sensitive. They overhear when their parents talk about their hard times. They pray and say "please bless mommy not to be sad", or "please help daddy find a job". When I teach them lessons about having faith and hope, and ask them how they can use it in their lives they say things like "I hope mom and dad will love each other again". It breaks my heart. 
     I am learning to identify with Jacob in chapter 2 of the Book of Mormon when he says: "31 For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters [and sons]...in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands [and wives]...Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you. And because of the strictness of the word of God, which cometh down against you, many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds."
     I work with broken hearted people. People who's souls have been crushed by their own addictions who feel worthless and enslaved by them. Pornography and alcohol are the main problems. I didn't realize how both break people, espesially together, until I had to start trying to put them back together. I work with children who have lost living parents to such addictions and am trying to help them understand why bad things happen. Husbands who left wives to protect their children and vis versa. I'm coming to understand the atonement so much better. I feel love for these people. Compassion. I found myself thinking "I wish I could take your pain. I wish I could help your children more.". I understand why Christ performed the atonement. I understand love in a way I never did before.
      While I cannot take away their sorrow and pain, I can help them heal. I can help them to find reasons for their sorrow. I can promise them that life will be better. I represent Jesus Christ. I come with the ultimate message of hope. Even people who are bitter at God, or hardly know if they believe find hope in what I tell them. They know I love them. I can tell that when they listen to me speak by the power of the Holy Ghost in the name of Christ that the skeptic believes for  just a moment. Just long enough to feel better. I am changing lives. I have never had that power before like I do here. I am literally saving lives by giving people hope. I am helping parents give their children a better future. I'm giving them somewhere to turn when they're in despair. I can't tell you how good that feels. I can't begin to relate the power that love and hope bring.
     I am in Utah for a reason. I am needed here, and I know it now more than ever. There is pain all around us. What can we do to relieve it? I share the message of Christ because it DOES change lives. It saves lives. It heals souls, and mends the broken heart. It has helped me heal, but I never  ever understood fully til I found that I had the power to perform the healing of others through the Holy Ghost. What I teach is good. I know I am in the right place. I know I am needed. I hope that I'm helping one more child to have hope (as well as their parents when they sit in on or overhear the lessons), and one less child will lose their parents to addictions.
     
     

     I think something that really confuses people who haven't read the Book of Mormon is that they claim that it doesn't support the Trinity and therefore makes us non-Christian. Actually, our belief that God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings is the reason that people go "You believe in a different Jesus". Or, they exclude us from believing in Christ altogether. However, we most definitely do believe in the Christ of the Bible. And it's not the Book of Mormon that we use to say that the three are separate beings (...or, that's not what I use.... If someone is going to argue that I'm wrong, I'd at least ask that they understand my logic here. Most of it, for me at least, is based on the Bible. Allow me to explain:
     The use of the word "one" to me, means one in purpose or mindset. As I understand, the Greek work "one" that was used in the original translation was a neuter form, and as any good German student knows, gender of the word can be quite important. One in the neuter form, as opposed to a masculine form, refers to the idea of being one in characteristics (I'll quote exactly what I'm talking about when I can whip out my Jesus the Christ. It's in there. Awesome book. READ IT). That would make sense since that's how we see Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ as being. They have one purpose: to help us progress. To make us better. They love us. They're not just one floating mass that is indifferent to our existence. And, same for the Holy Ghost (although it is a Spirit).
     So, then, let's look at some Bible passages. The most commonly used I think is the baptism of Christ: "16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son,in whom I am well pleased."

     So, Christ is standing there getting baptized. Then the Holy ghost was SEEN descending on him. Then, a voice from heaven claims Christ to be it's son. And I think we can pretty safely assume that since it's referring to a son, it must be the Father. Here's the question: did Christ stand there, descend on himself, and then shoot up to heaven and talk about himself? While still standing with John? How does that work exactly if he's one person? 

     In Christ's prayer for his apostles, John quotes him as saying in chapter 17:" 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."

     Looking at that, Christ is clearly addressing someone else based on his talking to "Father". Unless, of course, he's just praying to himself...calling himself Father. And he says that His apostles should be one even as he is one with whoever he is addressing. Thinking that Christ and his Father are one body/figure, is he praying that all the apostles get smashed together? Because I don't remember that happening. It seems like he means one in glory, one to help each other to perfection, and one in the love of the Father. And one in the cause of Christ and the Father.

      Romans 8 reads: 16 "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."

     The Spirit bears witness. Or, in other words, the Holy Ghost. Which Christ left the apostles to comfort them and testify to them after his death. We are heirs of God, or in other words as I see it, God the Father and we can have what he has. And not heirs OF but joint-heirs WITH  Christ. The language there indicates three separate beings.

     I can give TONS of examples, and I can also see other scriptures where this would be confusing too. We do have to remember that terms such as "father" can be used interchangeably: when we are baptized, we take on us the name of Christ. Therefore, he is taken as our adopted father as we take his name. If you think that doesn't work, look at Paul's words. He tells people to follow him so that they may follow Christ numerous times. He refers to those who read his epistles as his sons. So, it gets really confusing, but I use context to figure out who they mean.

     I worship one God, but in the sense of one Godhead. And they are one in purpose and intent. In this way they are one God. I feel like this topic gets to deep and complicated to do on a blog, but suffice it to say I've done a lot of reading and thinking about it and it makes sense to me. A really helpful way to understand it, I think, is through Jesus the Christ which is entirely based in the four gospel, besides a couple excerpts and chapters. I absolutely love the New Testament (...obviously, considering my Paul obsession...). I feel that the Trinity is not in harmony with the four gospels and that there is more evidence for three separate beings than against. And it's funny that most people think that that's a main teaching of the Book of Mormon. When it's not...Although it is an important part of what we believe as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

     I'm hoping that isn't too confusing. I'm waaaay better at explaining these things during a nice long, in person sit down. But, for you, you have the scriptures. You can obviously read. Check it out and see what you get from it. It definitely couldn't hurt.

     Everyone has horrible days. Face it. You're not the only one that gets rained, or poured, on. And someone has it worse. However, that doesn't mean your life seems less lame at the time. It also doesn't usually make you feel any better. In fact, you might even get more depressed because you know life is hard all over the place. Great. Makes life so much better, right?
     What I want to do is give a little hope though. While a knowledge that everyone has hard times might not make it easier, finding hope, and a reason behind bad things that happen is something that could actually make you feel a little better. Or at least make those awful times more understandable, and keep a mindset that bad things don't usually last forever. And now, the great question: Why do bad things happen.
    First, ask yourself why YOU let bad things happen. What can you do to make some elses life better? Perhaps one day they'll return the favor. God answers our prayers through other people 90% of the time.
     Check out 2 Nephi 2: "11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things...righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness,
neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must
needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs
remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption,
happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye
shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if
there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no
righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these
things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are
not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither
to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away."

     An interesting assertion in this passage is that without righteousness, there is no happiness. What, really, is happiness? A closeness to God. That's why you feel warm and fuzzy when you do something good for someone else. So, if we never sinned, if we never did anything wrong and seperated ourselves from God, we'd never know what it was like to be sad. And if we never knew sadness, we'd never know what it was like to be happy.
     Look at it this way (one of the people I worked with used this. I love it): All you have ever eaten are peanuts. And that's ok. You like peanuts. But then one day you find curdled milk. And you drink it. And you realize "Man. That was nasty. I'm going to keep eating peanuts.". However, then, you try chocolate ice cream. Just think of the best food you've ever eaten. And you go "WHY HAVE I JUST BEEN EATING PEANUTS ALL MY LIFE?!". If you just keep eating chocolate ice cream, eventually it'll be like the peanuts though: you have to try the peanuts or curdled milk again to appreciate how great that ice cream is.
      That's like life. If no one ever left, and you were never sad about missing them, do you think you could ever be as joyful when you got to seem them again? Do you think you'd appreciate them as much? If you never got sick, would you ever know how great good health feels? 
     While that doesn't take away bad times, at least remember that day comes after night.Life will get better. And thinking back to how hard those hard times were will only make you appreciate the greatest times that much more. How much more awesome do you feel about something you've mastered after a really long struggle? We have to overcome hard stuff to love the better stuff. We have to feel lonely truly understand love. Be hopeful. Try to remember that the suffering that happens will only help you to enjoy the easy times that much more. Pray for strength and understanding. And I'd say the best thing is to always, always, ALWAYS be hopeful. You don't lose anything for being optimistic.
      To help that idea, Hebrews 12 says"2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our
faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the 
throne of God." Do you think his life was EVER easy? No. But he knew it was for a good reason that it was so hard. Try to keep that in mind next time life is difficult. Christ did it. You can do it. And he will help you along.

      You and I are out in the woods. Work with me here. We're out in the woods and all the berries growing there are poisonous. I don't know the difference between poison berries and the ones I buy at the store, but YOU know that if I eat any of them I'll die or get super sick. And, assuming we're friends and you don't want to deal with the clean-up, you're going to warn me, right? You probably don't want me to eat the berries, right? 
     How would you warn me, a person prone to eating just about anything that looks good, not to eat the berries? Would you say "Don't eat the poison berries"? Or just a general statement of "Don't eat any of the berries", and then follow it up later with "They're all poison."
     If you said "Don't eat the poison berries", that would assume that I was either A. knowledgeable of the berries being poison and you felt like reminding me would stop me from eating them, or B. that some of the berries are ok to eat. Naturally my next question would be "Which berries are poison?" and then you'd say "All of them" and then I'd say "Why didn't you just tell me not to eat any of them?". And then we'd have a much longer conversation to deal with. If all the berries are poison, it would be much more simple to say "Don't eat any of them, because they're all poisonous".
     However, if there were some ok berries, you'd probably tell me which ones were poison, and then show me which ones I could eat.
     I use this metaphor because it will help to explain my point about false prophets. Let's establish now that no prophet is perfect: everyone is human. Everyone makes mistakes. Even Moses. Even Isaiah. Even Jeremiah. That doesn't mean that the Lord didn't still inspire much of what they did, and still do, despite the fact that they can mess up. "Take a chance on him. Think of the risk the Lord took when He called you." says President Hinkley about new members. I would say the same thing of  anyone that we serve with. Not that we should throw caution out the window, but we have the Holy Ghost to help us know if the prophet is a man called of God. Ask. And then, consider this from Mattew 7:

 15 Beware of  false prophets, which come to you in  sheep’s clothing, but  inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

     In my post regarding the Holy Ghost, we got to look at a scripture saying something similar about telling general good from evil. This one is from the Bible and specifically deals with prophets, so it suits our purposes.
     Notice right off the bat that Christ says "beware of false prophets". Not "beware all prophets". It's like that berry idea. Why wouldn't he have made it it simple and just said "beware all prophets"? Consider that, and ask yourself, why wouldn't he have said all prophets? Doesn't "false" indicate that there's an opposite being "true"? I'm open to people who consider I may be wrong, but I don't think I've ever seen scripture warning against all prophets to come. Later in Matthew 24 he says " 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." He doesn't say "beware all Christs". Only false ones; because there is a true Christ. Couldn't the same be said of prophets? If Christ knew that all the prophets would be false, wouldn't he just say "don't listen to any of them"?
      There's a lot of talk about deception though: how do we know a true prophet, considering that they exist? 2 Corinthians 11 says of the false apostles:"14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." (Interestingly, Lucifer means "bringer of light"). Whose end shall be according to their works. 
     We've already established that a violent death does not necessarily indicate a false prophet. But let's call their "end" to  be the "fruit" that Matthew talks about. Is the result of what they do good? Does it bring people closer to Christ as was discussed in the article about 1 John 4/Moroni 7? 
     Also, I can't think of another religion claiming to be lead by a prophet (in the way that the Israelites were led by Moses) right now, that's as well known as the LDS church and still standing. There are some smaller religions, but they are not growing near as fast. The Book of Mormon has been tried and tested. The LDS people have been slandered and made fun of. Yet, we're still standing. And we actually claim to have a true prophet who guides the Church by divine revelation.
     As for those who want to know why we claim to continue to get more revelation, here are the words of Isaiah 28: "9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little". The idea of "milk" reminds me of Paul's words about not giving meat where they could only take milk: I see milk to be the foundations of the gospel. The basics. But we only get meat when we're ready for it: more understanding as we can take it. And we get it a little at a time "precept upon precept". The Lord didn't give us everything at once. Only a little at a time. Just as with the Bible, he revealed more as time went on, and he still continues in that. Through prayer and study and paying attention to the Holy Ghost we can understand this more fully. We can have personal revelation. 
     Was Christ warning against all prophets? For those who say he was in the Bible, notice where all of my evidence comes from. And, why would Christ have come back just to tell the apostles to continue in his work, if he didn't intend for that to keep happening today? They seemed content to keep fishing. It at least says something about missionary work, if not the rest of the structure of the Church. Truly think about what I've said. Pray and ask Heavenly Father about it, and you will receive an answer if your heart is open to it.


*( I want to give credit for what started me thinking about this to my high councilman over missionary work who is awesome, and one of my investigators who is also awesome...I'm not just a super scripture genius who is always pulling this stuff out randomly of my own accord. Much is what I remembered or found during personal study, but I also write about what we talk about in lessons often.).