Category: Memes

  • Death Penalty

    Death Penalty

    A January 5, 1965 address at BYU by Spencer W. Kimball, ‘Love vs. Lust’: 1

    “My beloved young people:

    While this is a grave responsibility, and not an easy one, I am eager to discuss with you some matters of grave importance.

    I love youth. I rejoice when they grow up clean and stalwart and tall. I sorrow with them when they have misfortunes and remorse and troubles.

    Numerous disasters have occurred in mid-ocean by collisions of ships and sometimes with icebergs, and numerous people have gone to watery graves.

    Soon, such a thing will not be possible, for ships will be equipped with radar equipment which will alert ships’ officers should a collision be imminent. A tape will be played automatically, booming from the darkened bridge: “This is an alert. This ship is approaching an object. This is an alert. This ship is approaching an object.” And the voice will not be stilled until the mate comes to the radarscope and turns the recorder off. This will enable ships to alter their courses and save lives.

    I believe our young people are wholesome and basically good and sound; but they, too, are traveling oceans which to them are at least partially uncharted, where there are shoals and rocks and icebergs and other vessels, and where great disasters can come unless warnings are heeded.

    Yesterday as my jet plane soared in the air gaining altitude, the voice of the stewardess came clearly over the loud-speaker: “We are moving into a storm area. We shall skirt the danger, but there may be some turbulence. Be sure your seat belts are securely fastened.”

    And, as a leader of the Church and in a measure being responsible for youth and their well-being, I raise my voice to say to the youth: “You are in a hazardous area and period. Tighten your belts, hold on, and you can survive the turbulence.”

    I interview thousands of young people and many seem to flounder. Some give excuses for their errors and indulge in unwarranted rationalizations. Today I hope I may be able to clarify, at least in some areas, the stand of the God of Heaven and His Church on some vital issues.

    May I speak first of words and relate them to my theme? There is magic in words properly used. Some people use them accurately, while others sloppily.

    Words are means of communication, and faulty signals give wrong impressions. Disorder and misunderstandings are the results. Words underlie our whole life and are the tools of our business, the expressions of our affections, and the records of our progress. Words cause hearts to throb and tears to flow in sympathy. Words can be sincere or hypocritical. Many of us are destitute of words and, consequently, clumsy with our speech, which sometimes becomes but babble. Paul said:

    Except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. (1 Cor. 14:9.)

    And then Peter speaks of Paul and says of his epistles:

    “. . . in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. (2 Pet. 3:16.)

    Touring foreign lands, one comes to realize his utter helplessness without understandable words and symbols.

    The workmen engaged in building the Tower of Babel were craftsmen, skilled in their trades. Take away their tools: they will replace them. Take away their skills: they will learn anew. But take away their means of communication with one another and the building of the tower has to be abandoned. (Royal Bank of Canada Letter.)

    Words which confuse the hearer or reader are worse than valueless. A reasonable vocabulary of well-chosen words provides us with shadings of meaning and enables us to speak finely instead of coarsely.

    Words which are synonyms have much in common but still have peculiar application, such as “child and urchin,” “hand and fist,” “misstatement and lie.” Now, note the difference in the four-word sentences: “John looked at Mary”; “John glanced at Mary”; “John gazed at Mary”; “John glared at Mary.”

    A true definition of style is, “Proper words in proper places with thoughts in proper order.”

    The plain way of writing conceals great art. As you avoid pomposity, ambiguity and complexity, you attain simplicity, which is the greatest cunning. It conveys proper meaning into the minds of others straight away, without effort for them. They get a feeling of sincerity and integrity, for who can be suspicious of the motives of one who speaks plainly? “Sour notes do not become sweet because the musician is in white tie and black tails.”

    Words should be kind and gentle or firm and bold, according to the need of the moment. Words which betray are unkind and words which befuddle are frustrating.

    Some people have excellent ideas, but their thoughts either beat about aimlessly in their heads, finding no communication package in which to emerge, or they come out distorted and in fragments.

    Every person should say what he means, speaking clearly and distinctly. The politician particularly should pay attention to the niceties of language so as to address the voters meaningfully and not deceitfully. The deforming of meaning for political ends has become too commonplace. In our lives, we should express clearly what we have in mind, just as a purchaser would say: “I wish to buy three rolls of Kodak Ektachrome X Color Film, Daylight Ex. 127.” And the clerk knows exactly what is wanted.

    So in social life, and certainly in morals, there should be a careful selection of the right word to express the thought.

    It is reported that a Russian child has a primer of 2,000 words in the first grade and of 10,000 words in the fourth, while his opposite number in the United States has a primer of 1,800 words; and that the Russian child is reading Tolstoy while the same aged child in the United States is working his way through a book entitled, A Funny Sled. This charge is made in an article in Horizon of July, 1963.

    Even examinations now in many cases do not require expressions by students. They may place an “X” in an appropriate square and avoid intellectual effort in marshalling thoughts and expressing them coherently, and have about a fifty percent chance of being right even in a guess.

    Without discipline, language declines into flabby permissiveness, into formlessness and mindlessness. It deteriorates into what the late James Thurber called “our oral culture of pure babble.”

    Now, you may wonder why I have introduced my talk with the subject of words. May I lead you out with a few four-letter words to think about: fine, fire; good and grow; home, hide, hell, help; and tire, tide, tell and toll; wilt, wish, weak, worn, and weep. Then, there are these: limp, life, live, lurk, love and lust.

    Ah! Here I have finally found the two words on which I wish to dwell: love and lust-words strong and powerful-words which are life and death words-love and lust.

    Let me begin with a story. Across the desk sat a handsome, young nineteen-year-old and a beautiful, shy, but charming eighteen-year-old. They appeared embarrassed, apprehensive, near-terrified. He was defensive and bordering on belligerency and rebellion. There had been sexual violations throughout the summer and intermittently since school began, and as late as last week. I was not so much surprised. I have had these kinds of visits many times; but what did disturb me was that they seemed little, if any, remorseful. They admitted they had gone contrary to some social standards, but quoted magazines and papers and speakers approving pre-marital sex and emphasizing that sex was a fulfillment of human existence.

    Finally, the boy said, “Yes, we yielded to each other, but we do not think it wrong because we love each other.” I thought I had misunderstood him. Since the world began, there have been countless immoralities, but to hear them justified by Latter-day Saint youth shocked me. He repeated, “No, it is not wrong because we love each other.” Here was one of those misused four-letter words.

    They had repeated this abominable heresy so often that they had convinced themselves, and a wall of resistance had been built, and behind this wall they stubbornly stood almost defiantly. If there had been blushes of shame at first, such had been neutralized with their logic. Deeply entrenched were they in this rationalization. Had they not read in some university papers of the new freedom where pre-marital sex was sanctioned, at least not forbidden? Did they not see the looseness in every show, on every stage, on TV screens and magazines? Had they not discussed this in the locker room and in private conversation? Had it not been fairly well established, then, in their world, that sex before marriage was not so wrong? Did there not need to be a trial period? How else could they know if they would be sexually compatible for marriage ? Had they not, like numerous others, come to regard sex as the basis for living ?

    And a proverb came to my mind:

    Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. (Prov. 30:20.)

    In their rationalization they have had much cooperation, for, as Peter said:

    “… there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways. . .” (2 Pet. 2:1-2.)

    And Peter says further:

    “. . . they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, . . . the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2 Pet. 3:16.)

    And here they are, false teachers everywhere, using speech and pornographic literature, magazines, radio, TV, street talk-spreading damnable heresies which break down moral standards, and this to gratify the lusts of the flesh.

    Lucifer in his diabolical scheming deceives the unwary and uses every tool at his command. Seldom does one go to a convention, a club meeting, a party or social gathering without hearing vulgarity, obscenity and suggestive stories.

    Peter again cautioned us:

    Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Pet. 5:8.)

    And the Savior said that the very elect would be deceived by Lucifer if it were possible. He will use his logic to confuse, and his rationalizations to destroy. He will shade meanings, open doors an inch at a time, and lead from purest white through all the shades of gray to the darkest black.

    Young people are confused by the arch deceiver who uses every device to deceive them.

    This young couple looked up rather startled when I postulated firmly and with positiveness, “No, my beloved young people, you did not love each other. Rather, you lusted for each other.” And here was the other misused word.

    Paul told Titus:

    Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

    They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. (Titus 1:15-16.)

    I am sure that Peter and James and Paul found it unpleasant business to constantly be calling people to repentance and warning them of dangers, but they continued unflinchingly. So we, your leaders, must be everlastingly at it; if young people do not understand, then the fault may be partly ours. But, if we make the true way clear to you, then we are blameless.

    If when he [the watchman] seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

    Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

    He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

    But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. (Ezek. 33:3-6.)

    So, I wish today to help define meanings of words and acts for you young people, to fortify you against error, anguish, pain and sorrow.

    The boy and girl sat still and respectfully. I was not sure if they were comprehending. Apparently, their wrong concepts had been bolstered so long and firmly it was hard for them to change immediately.

    Now we talked again about words-short words like lift and lean, hide and lurk, flee and stay, lose and gain, fall and rise, open and shut, lure and save, lose and gain, live and dead, hell and home and again, love and lust. The beautiful and holy word of love they had defiled until it had degenerated to become a bedfellow with lust, its antithesis.

    As far back as Isaiah, deceivers and rationalizers were condemned:

    Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

    Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (Isa. 5:20-21.)

    And, we might add: Woe unto those who wrest the scriptures to interpret them to cover their weaknesses. The young couple had excused and justified their transgression on the grounds that they loved each other. Is there a word in the dictionary more misused and prostituted than the word “love”?

    Many of the modern terms for sin were not used in the scriptures and in olden days, and some people, therefore, excuse their contaminations because the age-old transgressions were not identified with modern terms. But, if one reads the scriptures carefully, all sins are denounced there in every shade of error. Again, the great Peter said:

    Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. (I Peter 2: 11.)

    Surely, every soul who has reached the age of accountability, and especially those who have received the Holy Ghost after baptism, knows the difference; but so often we hear what we want to hear and we see what we want to see. There is a definite war against the soul when evil is perpetrated. And I challenge any normal baptized person who says he did not know he was doing wrong. There is no compatibility between sin and righteousness, between guilt and peace.

    Paul charged the Corinthians:

    Flee fornication …. He that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. (1 Cor. 6:18.)

    And in order to avoid the disasters, Paul cautioned: “Do not company with fornicators.” And he urged people to keep good company and not eat with the evil ones who would tempt them, and then concludes: “Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” (See 1 Cor. 5:9-13.)

    Oh, if our young people could learn this basic lesson to always keep good company, to never be found with those who tend to lower our standards! Let every youth select associates who will keep him on tiptoes, trying to reach the heights attained. Let him never choose associates who encourage him to relax in carelessness.

    We must repeat what we have said many times: Fornication with all its big and little brothers and sisters was evil and wholly condemned by the Lord in Adam’s day, in Moses’ day, in Paul’s day, and in our own day. The Church has no tolerance for any kind of perversions. The Lord has indicated His lack of tolerance, stating:

    For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. (D&C 1:31.)

    Yet, He loves the repentant one. Paul said that even the converted Gentiles should be taught to “abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication,” and other deviations. (Acts 15:20.) He wrote the Romans that corrupt practices called fornication were extant among them. He exhorted the Galatians, lashing out against the “works of the flesh . . adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,” and then he added “that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal. 5:19-21.)

    They are like the:

    Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. (Jude 13.)

    These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. (Jude 16.)

    Let it be known positively that the Church is not softening its standards, nor abandoning its Godgiven practices. Those who interpret the scriptures to justify their own pernicious ways are spoken of in the Book of Mormon:

    . . . They are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they. (Mormon 5:18.)

    My young couple who had so seriously sinned were listening, and I reminded them of the statement of Mormon, where the Nephites, guilty of fiendish, abominable acts, had taken prisoners the daughters of the Lamanites, and:

    After depriving them of that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is chastity and virtue-(Moroni 9:9).

    They tortured and murdered them.

    When the scriptures are so plain, how can anyone justify immoralities and call them love? Is black white? Is evil good? Is purity filthiness?

    As I looked the boy in the eye, I said, “No, my boy, you were not expressing love when you took her virtue.” And to her, I said, “There was no real love in your heart when you robbed him of his chastity. It was lust that brought you together in this most serious of all practices short of murder. Paul said, ‘Love worketh no ill to his neighbour.’ (Rom. 13:10.)”

    I continued, “If one really loves another, one would rather die for that person than injure him. At the hour of indulgence, pure love is pushed out one door while lust sneaks in the other. Your affection has been replaced with biological materialism and uncontrolled passion. You have accepted the doctrine which the devil is so eager to establish-that sex relations are justified on the grounds that it is a pleasurable experience in itself and is beyond moral consideration.

    “When the unmarried yield to the lust which induces intimacies and indulgence, they have permitted the body to dominate and have placed the spirit in chains. It is unthinkable that anyone could call this love. You have ignored the fact that all situations or conditions or actions whose pleasures or satisfactions end with the termination of the act will never produce great peoples nor build great kingdoms.

    “In order to live with themselves, people who transgress must follow one path or the other of two alternatives. The one is to sear the conscience and dull the sensitivity with mental tranquilizers so that the transgression may be continued; the other is to permit remorse to lead to total conviction, repentance and eventual forgiveness.”

    This conviction is the element of which my two young visitors were quite devoid. They were somewhat like the unrepentant of whom Isaiah spoke:

    And the mean man boweth not down, and the great man humbleth himself not, therefore, forgive him not.(2 Ne. 12:9.)

    No one can ever be forgiven of any transgression until there is repentance, and one has not repented until he has bared his soul and admitted his intentions and weaknesses without excuses or rationalizations. He must admit to himself that he has grievously sinned. When he has confessed to himself without the slightest minimizing of the offense, or rationalizing its seriousness, or soft-pedaling its gravity, and admits it is as big as it really is, then he is ready to begin his repentance; and any other elements of repentance are of reduced value, until the conviction is established totally, and then repentance may mature and forgiveness may eventually come.

    Because of this widespread tolerance toward promiscuity, this world is in grave danger. When evil is decried and forbidden and punished, the world still has a chance. But when toleration for sin increases, the outlook is bleak and Sodom and Gomorrah days are certain to return.

    We were in Los Angeles years ago when the news broke of the illicit affair of a certain movie actress, from which she became pregnant. Because of her popularity, it was big news in heavy headlines in every paper in the land. We were not so surprised at her adultery-it was reported to be common in Hollywood as well as in the world generally. But that such dissoluteness should be approved and accepted by society shocked me. The Los Angeles papers took a poll of the people-club women and ministers, employers and employees, stenographers and teachers and housewives-and almost without exception, as though it were a child’s indiscretion, these community leaders found little fault and criticized as “puritanical” and “victorian” those who disapproved. “Let her live her own life,” they said. “And, why should we interfere with people’s personal liberties?” In state and nation and across the seas, toleration for sin is terrifying.

    There is no shame. Isaiah again strikes the sin:

    The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. (Isa. 3:9.)

    That the Church’s stand on morality may be understood, we declare firmly and unalterably it is not an outworn garment, faded, old-fashioned, and threadbare. God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and His covenants and doctrines are immutable; and when the sun grows cold and the stars no longer shine, the law of chastity will still be basic in God’s world and in the Lord’s Church. Old values are upheld by the Church not because they are old, but rather because through the ages they have proved right. It will always be the rule.

    I continued with the young couple, saying, “The youth of today are seeing too many ‘adults only’ movies which exploit sex. There are too many open dormitories on campus, too many mattress parties for adolescents, too many girls with extreme dresses, tight sweaters, calling attention to sex. And, there are too many young men with tight, suggestive attire. Youth generally have heard too many advertisements over radio and television and seen too many in newspapers and on billboards and in magazines where sex is used as a stimulus in selling. There have been too many parked automobiles. They have read too many novels where sex is the central, dominant theme.”

    “What kind of a world would we have,” I asked these young people, “if this heresy which you have espoused of pre-marital sex looseness and alleged free love were in order?” The world, already ill, would expire.

    We are not speaking of a sex-free world any more than we are speaking of a sexy world, for a sexless civilization would die in one generation if indeed it could be born. A sexy civilization will die of its own rottenness when it is ripe in iniquity. Pure sex life in proper marriage is approved. There is a time and an appropriateness for all things which have value. In ancient days, one city or one civilization could disintegrate without seriously disturbing other parts of the world, but today our communication and transportation facilities make the whole world one community.

    In our mass-production age in recent years, “we have witnessed the reduction of persons to things in a code number, a subscriber, a punched card. Each reduction indicates that the person is expendable, replaceable.. . .” “A person is not a function nor a means nor an instrument, but an end in himself; but the world speaks with a voice amplified by a thousand television stations and a half million printing presses.” It advances the biological materialism that man is a consuming, reproducing function, a collection of skills, or a unit in the labor force. This renders men functionaries and destroys their being and loses for them their self, dwarfed by a gigantic universe out there. This is hauntingly true as people are “used” to gratify physical passions in illegitimacy.

    This repulsive sense of “thinghood” is portrayed well in a few lines from John Pauker in the New Republic, January 5, 1963:

    I looked and looked again. There were no people.

    The people had disappeared. The people were gone.

    But the things they had created were still there.

    A suit of clothes and a gown walked arm in arm.

    With a dog at the end of a leash. The dog was there

    And snarling. In the street, vehicular traffic

    Flowed as usual but without drivers or riders ….

    Electric razors razed and revolvers fired

    As usual. The things went through their paces

    And seemed to be enjoying themselves highly.

    I longed to look in a mirror but did not dare.

    We really do not love things. We use things like doormats, automobiles, clothing, machines; but we love people by serving them and contributing to their permanent good. The Lord seemed to recognize this when He said:

    But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matt. 6:33.)

    And again, the difference was made manifest in His instructions to Peter, when He asked three times of that worthy:

    Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?

    To which Peter responded:

    Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. And the answer came:

    Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep. (See John 21:15-17.)

    What were the things, “these things,” which took second place to his love for his Lord and his fellow men? I think they must have been ships and nets and fish and desires and wants and even passions.

    Sexual encounters outside of legalized marriage render the individual a thing to be used, a thing to be exploited, and make him or her exchangeable, exploitable, expendable and throw-awayable.

    And when we come before the great Judge at the bar of justice, shall we stand before Him as a thing or as a person, as a depraved body of flesh and carnal acts, or as a son of God standing straight and tall and worthy? And as we answer the vital questions, will we be able to say, “I builded, I did not tear down; I lifted, I did not pull down; I grew, I did not shrivel; I helped others grow, I did not dwarf them; I helped, I did not hinder; I loved intensely and blessed, I did not lust toward exploitation to injure”?

    My young couple were still rationalizing and excusing themselves, and I said again, “Every kind of sex exploit for the unmarried from the first lustful stirrings of passions relating to self or to others is a sin, and thought habits are perverted and lives are blemished, and God’s laws are broken, and penalties will be paid.”

    Like some high pressure salesmen who claim far more for their product than can possibly be delivered, sex exploitation promises what it can never produce nor deliver. So, outside of marriage, improper sex life can bring only disappointment, disgust, and usually rejection “while it propels its participants down the long corridor of repeated encounters which are destined to fail.”

    Very often the couple-the two people who have been promiscuous, who have been wanton, who have crossed the lines of propriety-become disgusted with each other and discontinue associations altogether. How many come to dislike, if not to hate, the partner in sin.

    Illicit sex is a selfish act, a betrayal, and is dishonest. To be unwilling to accept responsibility is cowardly, disloyal. Marriage is for time and eternity. Fornication and all other deviations are for today, for the hour, for the “now.” Marriage gives life. Fornication leads to death. Pre-marital sex promises what it cannot possibly produce or deliver. Rejection is often the fruit as it moves its participants down the long highway of repeated encounters.

    The Eighth of the Ten Commandments says: “Thou shalt not steal.” Yet the immoral act is exploitation and robbery in its worst expression.

    It is taking with or without permission the most priceless, the most unrecoverable, the most unreturnable possession of an individual-chastity and virtue. In one dark, unglorious hour, lives can be taken or shattered; but in a long lifetime, health lost may possibly be regained, wealth lost may someday be accumulated again, freedom lost may be fought for and possibly recovered, but chastity gone is gone forever, and virtue stolen cannot be returned. Is not this one of the prime reasons why this forbidden thing is so heinous like murder, for neither can ever be wholly compensated nor returned nor undone?

    “THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY” (and we add its twin, FORNICATION) and also “THOU SHALT NOT KILL” came ‘ringing down from Mount Sinai. One can take a life easily but he can never restore that life. And so it is that when the pangs of futility and remorse impress the uselessness of the act, there must come the time when the fornicator or adulterer, like the murderer, wishes he could hide-hide from all the world, from all the ghosts and especially from his own-and there is no place to hide. There are dark corners and hidden spots and closed cars in which the transgression can be committed, but to totally conceal is impossible. There are no nights so dark, no rooms so tightly locked, no canyons so closed in, no deserts so uninhabited that one can find a place to hide his sins from himself nor from his Lord. Eventually, one must still face himself and his Great Judge.

    Cain had difficulty hiding. The Lord had asked, “Where is Abel, thy brother?” And Cain had boldly replied, “I know not. Am I my brother’ s keeper?” Did he think he was deceiving the Lord or himself? The next question was no simple inquiry, but an accusation and a condemnation, “What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground . . . which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand. “. . . a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. “And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. “Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth.” (Gen. 4:9-14.)

    That was true of murder. In a lesser degree, it is true of illicit sex, which, of course, includes all petting, fornication, adultery, homosexual acts, and all other perversions. The Lord may say to offenders, as He did to Cain, “What hast thou done?” The children thus conceived make damning charges against you; the companions who have been frustrated and violated condemn you; the body that has been defiled cries out against you; the spirit which has been dwarfed convicts you. You will have difficulty throughout the ages in totally forgiving yourself.

    After looking down at the crumpled body at his feet, and especially after the torments of hell began to persecute him and the ghost of his brother began to follow him, Cain must have wished that he could give Abel’ s life back. The Lord did not curse Cain; it was Cain who, breaking eternal law, cursed himself. And every man or woman who is guilty of moral misconduct may look down upon defiled bodies, his own and others; he may recognize frustrated and distorted minds; and as the ghosts begin to follow, he is certain to wish with all his heart that he could give back chastity and restore tranquility and peace in the minds and hearts and lives of those whom he has damaged.

    From the same tablet, from the same Sinai, came the Laws of God. After creating man in His own image, male and female, God then performed the holy marriage ceremony for eternity for His Adam and Eve. And in this beginning, He established a pattern of sex life consistent with all reason and propriety. In that first marriage blessing, the Lord commanded these two beings, who were complementary to each other, to multiply by being fruitful and bringing children into the world. Cain and Abel were only two of their many sons and daughters. This command did not give license to merely satisfy biological urges, for God followed it with the command,

    Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Gen. 2:24.)

    To cleave is to adhere closely, to cling; and the Lord gave as the purpose for their cleaving, the peopling of the earth, the replenishing of the earth, the subduing of the earth, the dominion over the earth. There was high purpose in the creation and in the proper associations of husband and wife, but intimacies could never be defended outside of marriage.

    The pre-marital sex act is a deception. It is a lie. The Lord asked:

    “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he . . . give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? (Luke 11:11-12.)

    Bread is the staff of life, while a stone is lifeless, indeed, sometimes death dealing. The fish as food builds and sustains the body, as does the egg; but the serpent destroys life and is the symbol of death. Love is promised and is delivered.

    Proper sex functions bring posterity, responsibility, and peace; but pre-marital sex encounters bring pain, the loss of self-esteem, spiritual death, unless there is a total, continuing repentance.

    What are the fruits of immorality? Instead of multiplying and replenishing the earth, every effort is made to avoid conception and the birth of progeny. Since Adam no soul has ever been made happy by transgressing. The Lord said:

    “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matt. 7:19-20.)

    “And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees.” (Matt. 3:10.)

    And the warning is repeated:

    Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (Matt. 7:15.)

    Could there possibly be a single good fruit which comes from pre-marital indulgence?

    Our great accumulated scientific knowledge about our bodies and their functioning, and our minds and their operating, seems not to have been translated into righteousness. As an example, all that we have learned of late from research about the ill effects of tobacco has done little to discourage its use, even as the holy revelations were ignored. And all that has been said from a medical and scientific standpoint about the social diseases seems to have deterred people very little from immorality-in fact, little more if any than the commandments of the Lord. For, in a recent local paper, we read of the great increase in VD in the big cities of our land.

    It is not so much what we know but what we do about what we know. Dr. Jenkins of the Utah State Health Department is quoted as saying that gonorrhea and syphilis epidemics are raging at this very moment in thirty of the nation’s largest cities.

    The Deseret News of December 13, 1964, quotes an Associated Press writer out of Washington as saying: “Some experts see a ‘general decline in morals’ and point to the sharpest rises of V.D. among teenagers.”

    We live in a sterile age, or so it seems-an age when young people turn to sex to escape loneliness, frustration; insecurity and lack of interest. “What can we do?” the youth complain. They are little interested in reading and family associations and youth socials and the community dance. They must have something more exciting. Long ago they ceased making their own entertainment which could be as clean and worthy as they wished to make it. Today, then, they look at television and go to shows in town, and to the so-called “passion pits,” where they are over-stimulated sexually. Oh, for a generation of youth who would move back to simplicity, away from the “canned” programs in most of which are ingredients to stimulate and stir the human passions!

    When we talk of sex, our first thought is adultery or fornication; but our second one, and close on its heels, is the sex stimulation to self and others, sometimes called “petting.” It is a damaging and a damning transgression in its own right, and then, of course, it is also the gateway to the final acts of fornication and adultery.

    And the world will go on dying-destroying itself until people begin to use words in their true meanings, “calling a spade, a spade” and not a spoon; calling “petting” a deep sin and not a harmless diversion– until we rip its disguising mask from its ugly face and strip from its lustful body the sheep’s clothing with which the vicious wolf has concealed his mean self.

    The young man is untrue to his manhood who promises popularity, good times, security, fun, and even love, when all he can give is passion and its diabolical fruits-guilt complexes, disgust, hatred, abhorrence, eventual loathing, and possible pregnancy without legitimacy and honor. He pleads his case in love and all he gives is lust. Likewise, the young lady sells herself cheap. She asks him for a fish; he gives her a serpent. He asks her for bread and she gives him a stone. She reaches for figs, and thorns are pressed into her hand. He would have grapes but gets a bramble bush. She asks for eggs and he stings her with a scorpion. The result is damage to life and canker to the soul.

    Reverend Lawrence Lowell Gruman says: “It is indeed a quaint morality that belittles sex and shrinks human beings to pleasure-seeking dwarfs, for if sex is good, as eating and sleeping are good, then it, too, has specific limits and an appropriate place and that place is within marriage.”

    And still these young people talk of love. What a corruption of the most beautiful term! The word is prostituted also in the realm of homosexuality. Both are in the realm of taking, not giving; killing, not saving; destroying, not building. The fruit is bitter because the tree is corrupt. Their lips say, “I love you.” Their bodies say, “I want you.” Love is kind and wholesome. To love is to give, not to take. To love is to serve, not to exploit.

    We sing of love in popular songs when we really are coveting and wanting and lusting. Why do people deceive themselves and others? Why not call it what it actually is?

    Undoubtedly Potiphar’s wife flattered Joseph and expressed her alleged love for him at first. When this failed, she tried force and intrigue; and, failing there, she tried to cover with blackmail. With such a clear conscience, Joseph’s dark dungeon must have been to him a pleasant prison. At least here he was safe from exploitation and contamination. She said to Joseph, “I love you.” What she wanted was not Joseph but his handsome, appealing body.

    Dr. Gruman says: “The sexual encounter ought to be a full and free affirmation of the other person, …a total commitment to him, and that spells permanence and permanence is spelled out in marriage ….

    If you love another person fully, wholly, unselfishly, then respect the sexual life of that person by surrounding him with marriage. Using and being used, we fail as human beings and sons of God.”

    What is love? Many people think of it as mere physical attraction and they casually speak of “falling in love” and “love at first sight.” This may be Hollywood’s version and the interpretation of those who write love songs and love fiction. True love is not wrapped in such flimsy material. One might become immediately attracted to another individual, but love is far more than physical attraction. It is deep, inclusive and comprehensive. Physical attraction is only one of the many elements, but there must be faith and confidence and understanding and partnership. There must be common ideals and standards. There must be a great devotion and companionship. Love is cleanliness and progress and sacrifice and selflessness. This kind of love never tires nor wanes, but lives through sickness and sorrow, poverty and privation, accomplishment and disappointment, time and eternity. For the love to continue, there must be an increase constantly of confidence and understanding, of frequent and sincere expression of appreciation and affection. There must be a forgetting of self and a constant concern for the other. Interests, hopes, objectives must be constantly focused into a single channel.

    For many years, I saw a strong man carry his tiny, emaciated, arthritic wife to meetings and wherever she could go. There could be no sexual expression. Here was selfless indication of affection. I think that is pure love. I saw a kindly woman wait on her husband for many years as he deteriorated with muscular dystrophy. She waited on him hand and foot, night and day, when all he could do was to blink his eyes in thanks. I believe that was love.

    I knew a woman who carried her little unfortunate child until the body was too heavy to carry, and then she pushed her in a wheel chair for the following years until her death. The deprived child could never express an appreciation. It seems to me that that was love. Another mother visited regularly her son who was in the penitentiary. She could receive nothing from him. She gave much, all she had.

    If anyone feels that petting or other deviations are demonstrations of love, let him ask himself: “If this beautiful body which I have misused suddenly became deformed, or paralyzed, would my reactions be the same ? If this lovely face were scarred by flames, or this body which I have used suddenly became rigid, or this keen mind which I have enjoyed were suddenly to become blank, would I be such an ardent lover? If senility or any of its approaches suddenly fell upon my sweetheart, what would my attitudes be?” Answers to these questions might test one to see if he really is in love or if it is only physical attraction which encouraged the improper physical contacts. The young man who protects his sweetheart against all use or abuse, against insult and infamy from himself or others, could be expressing true love.

    But the young man who uses his companion as a biological toy to give himself temporary satisfaction-that is lust, and is at the other end of the spectrum from love. A young woman conducts herself to be attractive spiritually, mentally and physically but will not by word nor dress nor act stir nor stimulate to physical reactions the companion beside her. That could be true love. That young woman who must touch and stir and fondle and tempt and use knows not love. That is lust and exploitation.

    Sometimes, there are twins, like Jacob and Esau, and the one is hairy and crude and evil; the other is smooth and clean and personable. There were two brothers, the sons of Adam-the one, crude, selfish, evil; the other, good and faithful and worthy. Their names also were four-letter words-Cain and Abel. And such words as love and lust are direct opposites.

    Speaking to my young couple, I said again, “No, it is not love if it manipulates; it is selfishness. It is not love if it neglects the welfare of the other: it is irresponsibility.

    “If sex relations merely become a release or a technique and the partner becomes exchangeable, then sex returns to the compulsive animal level.

    “Immorality brings generally a guilt deep and lasting. And this is a factor certainly not to be overlooked. These unresolved guilt complexes are the stuff of which mental breakdowns come, the building blocks of suicide, the fabric of distorted personalities, the wounds that scar or incapacitate individuals or families.

    “The Revelator, John, gives this: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (Rev. 20:12.)

    And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:15.)

    “And a question that surely arises when that vital moment comes is, will we stand before the Great Judge and be proud or ashamed, satisfied or frustrated? And no normal youth or adult who has received the Holy Ghost can conscientiously claim that he did not know that these things were transgressions.

    Pre-marital sex affairs are wrong, not because the Church declares against them, but the Church declares against them because they are wrong and because they hurt and destroy people who are God’s children.”

    The young couple still was sitting before me. They mentioned a possible future marriage, apparently thinking to impress me, and were a bit startled when I said with positiveness, “You should be married-and immediately.” And I quoted this scripture:

    “And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.” (Ex. 22:16.) and again from Moses: “If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; . . . she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.” (Deut. 22:28-29.)

    These two folks were “damaged goods.” They had prostituted each other. They had toyed with each other’s body. But now they were almost horrified at the suggestion of immediate marriage, and he remonstrated: “Why, we couldn’t marry. We are not ready for marriage. We haven’t completed our education. We have no employment. We are not ready to make a home. We are not prepared to buy clothing, pay rent, buy cars, employ physicians, buy groceries, pay hospital bills. We haven’t finished our education. We are not ready to assume the responsibilities of parenthood.”

    And then I asked, as kindly as I could, “Then why did you precipitate yourselves into that situation? Why did you do the act which would make you parents? Why did you engage in the associations that would demand a home, employment, status? Your very irresponsible act identifies you as most immature. You do not know the meaning of responsibility, but you have pushed yourselves prematurely into adulthood. You should now meet the responsibilities as best you can. You are hardly able to walk alone as little children, and yet you are likely now to be parents. You have not passed the tests in the grade school yet, and now you are enrolled in college. You made the choice when you broke the law of chastity and gave up your virtue. That hour, freedom was replaced with tyrannical fetters. You accepted shackles and limitations and sorrows and eternal regrets when you could have had freedom with peace.”

    King Benjamin said:

    And now, I say unto you, my brethren, that after ye have known and have been taught all these things, if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom’s paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved —

    I say unto you, that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in open rebellion against God; therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit, and becometh an enemy to all righteousness; therefore, the Lord has no place in him, for he dwelleth not in unholy temples.

    Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.

    And now I say unto you, that mercy hath no claim on that man; therefore his final doom is to endure a a never-ending torment.” (Mosiah 2:36-39.)

    Now, it would be wholly improper to so completely condemn sex sins without explaining to those who may already have yielded to these persuasions and temptations and have defiled themselves that there is eventual forgiveness, providing, of course, that there is commensurate repentance. “The way of the transgressor is hard,” and tough and long and thorny. But the Lord has promised that for all those sins and errors outside of the named unpardonable sins, there is forgiveness. But, many people misunderstand the principle of repentance and have the misconception that the changing of a policy, the breaking of a habit, or a few prayers can bounce them back in moments or hours the long distance that they skidded over months and possibly years.

    The Lord has said, “I will remember their sins no more,” and, “Thou shalt forgive them.” But sometimes it takes as long or longer to climb back up the steep hill than it did to skid down it. And it is often much more difficult.

    We mentioned self-conviction above. One has not begun his repentance until that is complete. But when a total self-conviction is stirred to a new life, and prayers have been multiplied and fasting, through humility, intensified, and weeping has been sanctified, repentance then begins to grow and, eventually, forgiveness may come. The king had said that the unrepentant would have a “lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.” (Mosiah 2:38.)

    And the Prophet Jacob said that those who reject the gospel and resist repentance would “stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar of God.” (Jacob 6:9).

    A basic thought which none may overlook is the statement of the Prophet Amulek:

    And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins,…and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins. (Alma 11:37.)

    But to those who have broken the law of chastity and who have complied as above, there is the promise of forgiveness, and the Lord charges the leaders of His Church when they have totally repented, “Thou shalt forgive them.”

    And He says:

    “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins –behold, he will confess them and forsake them.” (D&C 58:42-43.)

    Paul called attention to the Corinthian Saints:

    For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle. (1 Cor. 14:8.)

    And I believe the youth of Zion want to hear the clear and unmistakable tones of the trumpet, and it is my hope that I can play the tune with accuracy and precision so that no honest person will ever be confused. I hope fervently that I am making clear the position of the Lord and His Church on these unmentionable practices.

    Masturbation, a rather common indiscretion, is not approved of the Lord nor of His Church regardless of what may have been said by others whose “norms” are lower. Latter-day Saints are urged to avoid this practice.

    A person is the maker of himself. He may control his own destiny, if he is normal. James Allen says:

    “… A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts…. Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits . . . let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astounded at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life…”

    James Allen again says:

    …Man is manacled only by himself: thought and action are the jailers of Fate-they imprison, being base; they are also the angels of Freedom-they liberate, being noble.

    Anyone fettered by this weakness should abandon the habit before he goes on a mission or receives the Holy Priesthood or goes in the temple for his blessings.

    Sometimes masturbation is the introduction to the more serious sins of exhibitionism and the gross sin of homosexuality. We would avoid mentioning these unholy terms and these reprehensible practices were it not for the fact that we have a responsibility to the youth of Zion that they be not deceived by those who would call bad, good, and black, white.

    This unholy transgression is either rapidly growing or tolerance is giving it wider publicity. If one has such desires and tendencies, he overcomes them the same as if he had the urge toward petting or fornication or adultery. The Lord condemns and forbids this practice with a vigor equal to His condemnation of adultery and other such sex acts. And the Church will excommunicate as readily any unrepentant addict.

    Again, contrary to the belief and statement of many people, this sin, like fornication, is overcomable and forgivable, but again, only upon a deep and abiding repentance which means total abandonment and complete transformation of thought and act. The fact that some governments and some churches and numerous corrupted individuals have tried to reduce such behavior from criminal offense to personal privilege does not change the nature nor the seriousness of the practice. Good men, wise men, God-fearing men everywhere still denounce the practice as being unworthy of sons of God; and Christ’s Church denounces it and condemns it so long as men have bodies which can be defiled. Earlier in our treatise we quoted Peter as having said, “I beseech you . . . abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” (1 Pet. 2:11.)

    And James says:

    “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways…. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

    “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

    “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

    “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

    “Do not err, my beloved brethren .”(James 1:8, 12-16.)

    This heinous homosexual sin is of the ages. Many cities and civilizations have gone out of existence because of it. It was present in Israel’s wandering days, tolerated by the Greeks, and found in the baths of corrupt Rome. In Exodus, the law required death for the culprit who had sex play with animals, the deviate who committed incest, or the depraved one who had homosexual or other vicious practices.

    This is a most unpleasant subject to dwell upon, but I am pressed to speak of it boldly so that no student in this University, nor youth in the Church, will ever have any question in his mind as to the illicit and diabolical nature of this perverse program. Again, Lucifer deceives and prompts logic and rationalization which will destroy men and make them servants of Satan forever.

    Remember, Paul told Timothy:

    For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Tim. 4:3-4.)

    Let it never be said that the Church has avoided condemning this obnoxious practice nor that it has winked at this abominable sin. And I feel certain that this University will never knowingly enroll an unrepentant person who follows these practices nor tolerate on its campus anyone with these tendencies who fails to repent and put his or her life in order.

    May we return to words? In my Bible concordance, there are 550 listed references pertaining to love. They do not interpret it as carnal, sexual, handling, fondling, petting, perversions, nor fornication. In the same concordance, there are 53 references to adultery, and not one of them seems to connect this condemned sexual act with real affection which is love. I also found 32 references to fornication, but I found none which identified the forbidden act as holy, sacred love.

    Men talk of the love act and making love and the love life when what they mean is something quite different, and there can be no proper love life outside of proper marriage.

    Paul made this clear when he said,

    Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. (1 Cor. 6:13.)

    This would apply also to the other detestable sex manifestations named above.

    And Paul further gave to the Corinthians a stinging lashing when he indicated these sins must be overcome:

    Be not deceived: neither fornicators,…nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9-10.)

    Again, for clarification, let it be known that fornication is the same act as adultery, except the former pertains to unmarried people and the latter to married people. The words are often interchangeable in the Bible and the penalty of the law was death, as indicated when the Scribes and Pharisees brought to the Savior the woman taken in adultery and they indicated:

    Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? (John 8:5.)

    It is notable that the Redeemer did not negate the law, but He put His enemies to flight by a clever ruse, saying to them: He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. (John 8:7.)

    And further, there is no evidence that the Savior granted to her forgiveness. He did send her away to repent.

    I do not find in the Bible the modern terms “petting” nor “homosexuality,” yet I found numerous scriptures which forbade such acts under by whatever names they might be called. I could not find the term “homosexuality,” but I did find numerous places where the Lord condemned such a practice with such vigor that even the death penalty was assessed.

    And the Lord calls all such to repent. His words are most impressive:

    “Therefore I command you to repent–repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth…”

    And we refer the reader to the balance of that reference in D&C 19:15-18.

    We have stated that even this ugly practice can be overcome and can be forgiven. As one of many who might be considered authority, I quote one from the Medical World News, June 5, 1964:

    The effectiveness of therapy depends on the depth of entrenchment of the perversion, as well as the strength of the patient’s desire to modify it.

    This statement by the Public Health Committee of the New York Academy of Medicine agrees with our philosophy. Man is created in the image of God. He is a god in embryo. He has the seeds of godhood within him and he can, if he is normal, pick himself up by his bootstraps and literally move himself from where he is to where he knows he should be. As stated above, the longer the habit has been fostered, the harder it is to break.

    To clarify the matter for those who are honest, it must be stated that it is a “damnable heresy,” as Paul says, when men claim that “God made them that way,” or that such a life is just another different but acceptable way of life. All nature, reason, scripture and revelation cry out against such a claim. But it can be corrected and overcome. May I quote from a former article of my own: “Men have come dejected, discouraged, embarrassed, near terrified and have gone out later full of confidence and faith in themselves, with self-respect returned, with the confidence of their families, their home ties strengthened and ready to manfully take their part in proper society and even in the Church on an approved cured basis.

    “In some cases, they have been men with families, and we have had wives come in to tearfully thank us for bringing their husbands back to them. Wives have not always known what had been wrong, but they had sensed something serious and realized that they had lost their husbands. We have seen men come first with downward glances and leave months later looking us straight in the eye. We have had them admit after the first interview, ‘I am glad that I was arrested. I have tried and tried to correct my error but knew I would have to have help and had not the courage to ask for it.’ In a few months, some have totally mastered themselves, while others linger on with less power and requiring more time to make the total comeback. We realize that the cure is no more permanent than the individual makes it so, and is like the cure for alcoholism, subject to continued vigilance. To such men, we say, ‘Physician, heal thyself,’ and promise him if he will stay away from the haunts and the temptations and the former associates, he may heal himself, cleanse his mind, and return to his normal pursuits and a happy state. The cure for this malady lies in self-mastery, which is the fundamental basis of the whole gospel program.”

    “God made me that way,” some say, as they rationalize and excuse themselves for their perversions. “I can’t help it,” they add. This is blasphemy. Is he not made in the image of God, and does he think God to be “that way”? Man is responsible for his own sins. It is possible that he may rationalize and excuse himself until the groove is so deep he cannot get out without great difficulty, but this he can do. Temptations come to all people. The difference between the reprobate and the worthy person is generally that one yielded and the other resisted. It is true that one’s background may make the decision and accomplishment easier or more difficult, but if one is mentally alert, he can still control his future. That is the gospel message-personal responsibility.

    To the person blaming his perversions on his parents-man is punishable for his own sins. He can, if normal, rise above the frustrations of childhood and stand on his own feet and answer roll call.

    And if the yielding person continues to give way numerous times, he may finally reach the point of no return where he does not want to return. And the Lord says, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts .” (D&C 1:33 .)

    The doctors whose report is quoted above state without equivocation, “The homosexual is not a special order of creation.” (For further consideration of this subject, the reader is referred to the address “A Counseling Problem in the Church” by the same author, given to the seminary and institute instructors of the Church, July 16, 1964.) [Available only at the Office of Institutes and Seminaries, Brigham Young University.]

    And then, I found the 550 references to love. They had related generally to pure, holy love. Sometimes it was called charity. Lust and carnal desires were not mentioned. I found where Paul said that to have charity or real love is greater than to be a prophet, to understand mysteries, or to have great knowledge. It is greater than to have much faith, or extended power even to remove mountains. And in following the concordance on this subject of love, Paul contrasted the two four-letter words for Timothy:

    Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Tim. 2:22.)

    And Peter said that charity or love would cover a multitude of sins. (See 1 Pet. 4:8.)

    And from the Song of Solomon of Solomon comes this:

    For love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. (Song of Solomon 8:6.)

    Jeremiah quotes the Lord: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” (Jer. 31:3.)

    And Ezekiel contrasts these words of love and lust:

    “The people . . . hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.” (Ezek. 33:31.)

    As we speak of real love, a new concept comes into our minds: The Lord said:

    By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:35.)

    And, He continues:

    This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:12-13.)

    And John said:

    We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. (1 Jn. 3:14.)

    And in the Beatitudes, the Lord said:

    Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. (Matt. 5:43-44.)

    In none of these quotes is the slightest implication of bodily contact, of lust, of desire, of passion. Certainly, this is the test of love. It is honor and integrity and obedience.

    And Paul, speaking to the Saints, said: “Husbands, love your wives .”

    This is no carnal commandment. There is no sex in this command, for they were already legal partners.

    And then he continues:

    “…even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; . . . So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh …”(Ephesians 5:25, 28-29.).

    And as Paul continues, he says:

    For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. (Eph. 5:31.)

    The proper sexual life between husband and wife is only a part of this important commandment. When a man and a woman love the spouse as they love themselves, only rich and wonderful fruits come from such a tree.

    And Paul, speaking to Titus, exhorts:

    “The young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children. To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands….” (Titus 2:4-5.)

    Can you see anything vulgar, destructive, earthy, fleshly or carnal in any of these teachings? They loved their husbands and then their children. This real love has no lust involved. And then, we have the great examples:

    For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16.)

    This was the Savior of the world, who with His supreme love made the supreme sacrifice and gave a life that no one could take from Him, because He loved us so. This is love-sacred, holy love.

    And now, my dear young people, I have spoken frankly and boldly against the sins of the day. Even though I dislike such a subject, I believe it necessary to warn the youth against the onslaught of the arch tempter-who, with his army of emissaries and all the tools at his command, would destroy all the youth of Zion, largely through deception, misrepresentation, and lies.

    My beloved young folks, do not excuse petting and body intimacies. I am positive that if this illicit, illegal, improper, and lustful habit of “petting” could be wiped out, that fornication would soon be gone from our world. Remember what the Lord said:

    Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

    But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matt. 5:27-28.)

    And if there has been lust, repent of it and keep your minds clean, and convict yourself of serious evil if you permit your minds to dwell upon these forbidden things or your hands or bodies to yield to the call of lust.

    May I close with this scripture from Mormon:

    Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God. (Morm. 9:28.)

    In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

    References

    References
    1 Spencer W. Kimball, ‘Love vs. Lust – https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/spencer-w-kimball_love-vs-lust/
  • Masturbation

    Masturbation

    A January 5, 1965 address at BYU by Spencer W. Kimball, ‘Love vs. Lust’: 1

    “My beloved young people:

    While this is a grave responsibility, and not an easy one, I am eager to discuss with you some matters of grave importance.

    I love youth. I rejoice when they grow up clean and stalwart and tall. I sorrow with them when they have misfortunes and remorse and troubles.

    Numerous disasters have occurred in mid-ocean by collisions of ships and sometimes with icebergs, and numerous people have gone to watery graves.

    Soon, such a thing will not be possible, for ships will be equipped with radar equipment which will alert ships’ officers should a collision be imminent. A tape will be played automatically, booming from the darkened bridge: “This is an alert. This ship is approaching an object. This is an alert. This ship is approaching an object.” And the voice will not be stilled until the mate comes to the radarscope and turns the recorder off. This will enable ships to alter their courses and save lives.

    I believe our young people are wholesome and basically good and sound; but they, too, are traveling oceans which to them are at least partially uncharted, where there are shoals and rocks and icebergs and other vessels, and where great disasters can come unless warnings are heeded.

    Yesterday as my jet plane soared in the air gaining altitude, the voice of the stewardess came clearly over the loud-speaker: “We are moving into a storm area. We shall skirt the danger, but there may be some turbulence. Be sure your seat belts are securely fastened.”

    And, as a leader of the Church and in a measure being responsible for youth and their well-being, I raise my voice to say to the youth: “You are in a hazardous area and period. Tighten your belts, hold on, and you can survive the turbulence.”

    I interview thousands of young people and many seem to flounder. Some give excuses for their errors and indulge in unwarranted rationalizations. Today I hope I may be able to clarify, at least in some areas, the stand of the God of Heaven and His Church on some vital issues.

    May I speak first of words and relate them to my theme? There is magic in words properly used. Some people use them accurately, while others sloppily.

    Words are means of communication, and faulty signals give wrong impressions. Disorder and misunderstandings are the results. Words underlie our whole life and are the tools of our business, the expressions of our affections, and the records of our progress. Words cause hearts to throb and tears to flow in sympathy. Words can be sincere or hypocritical. Many of us are destitute of words and, consequently, clumsy with our speech, which sometimes becomes but babble. Paul said:

    Except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. (1 Cor. 14:9.)

    And then Peter speaks of Paul and says of his epistles:

    “. . . in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. (2 Pet. 3:16.)

    Touring foreign lands, one comes to realize his utter helplessness without understandable words and symbols.

    The workmen engaged in building the Tower of Babel were craftsmen, skilled in their trades. Take away their tools: they will replace them. Take away their skills: they will learn anew. But take away their means of communication with one another and the building of the tower has to be abandoned. (Royal Bank of Canada Letter.)

    Words which confuse the hearer or reader are worse than valueless. A reasonable vocabulary of well-chosen words provides us with shadings of meaning and enables us to speak finely instead of coarsely.

    Words which are synonyms have much in common but still have peculiar application, such as “child and urchin,” “hand and fist,” “misstatement and lie.” Now, note the difference in the four-word sentences: “John looked at Mary”; “John glanced at Mary”; “John gazed at Mary”; “John glared at Mary.”

    A true definition of style is, “Proper words in proper places with thoughts in proper order.”

    The plain way of writing conceals great art. As you avoid pomposity, ambiguity and complexity, you attain simplicity, which is the greatest cunning. It conveys proper meaning into the minds of others straight away, without effort for them. They get a feeling of sincerity and integrity, for who can be suspicious of the motives of one who speaks plainly? “Sour notes do not become sweet because the musician is in white tie and black tails.”

    Words should be kind and gentle or firm and bold, according to the need of the moment. Words which betray are unkind and words which befuddle are frustrating.

    Some people have excellent ideas, but their thoughts either beat about aimlessly in their heads, finding no communication package in which to emerge, or they come out distorted and in fragments.

    Every person should say what he means, speaking clearly and distinctly. The politician particularly should pay attention to the niceties of language so as to address the voters meaningfully and not deceitfully. The deforming of meaning for political ends has become too commonplace. In our lives, we should express clearly what we have in mind, just as a purchaser would say: “I wish to buy three rolls of Kodak Ektachrome X Color Film, Daylight Ex. 127.” And the clerk knows exactly what is wanted.

    So in social life, and certainly in morals, there should be a careful selection of the right word to express the thought.

    It is reported that a Russian child has a primer of 2,000 words in the first grade and of 10,000 words in the fourth, while his opposite number in the United States has a primer of 1,800 words; and that the Russian child is reading Tolstoy while the same aged child in the United States is working his way through a book entitled, A Funny Sled. This charge is made in an article in Horizon of July, 1963.

    Even examinations now in many cases do not require expressions by students. They may place an “X” in an appropriate square and avoid intellectual effort in marshalling thoughts and expressing them coherently, and have about a fifty percent chance of being right even in a guess.

    Without discipline, language declines into flabby permissiveness, into formlessness and mindlessness. It deteriorates into what the late James Thurber called “our oral culture of pure babble.”

    Now, you may wonder why I have introduced my talk with the subject of words. May I lead you out with a few four-letter words to think about: fine, fire; good and grow; home, hide, hell, help; and tire, tide, tell and toll; wilt, wish, weak, worn, and weep. Then, there are these: limp, life, live, lurk, love and lust.

    Ah! Here I have finally found the two words on which I wish to dwell: love and lust-words strong and powerful-words which are life and death words-love and lust.

    Let me begin with a story. Across the desk sat a handsome, young nineteen-year-old and a beautiful, shy, but charming eighteen-year-old. They appeared embarrassed, apprehensive, near-terrified. He was defensive and bordering on belligerency and rebellion. There had been sexual violations throughout the summer and intermittently since school began, and as late as last week. I was not so much surprised. I have had these kinds of visits many times; but what did disturb me was that they seemed little, if any, remorseful. They admitted they had gone contrary to some social standards, but quoted magazines and papers and speakers approving pre-marital sex and emphasizing that sex was a fulfillment of human existence.

    Finally, the boy said, “Yes, we yielded to each other, but we do not think it wrong because we love each other.” I thought I had misunderstood him. Since the world began, there have been countless immoralities, but to hear them justified by Latter-day Saint youth shocked me. He repeated, “No, it is not wrong because we love each other.” Here was one of those misused four-letter words.

    They had repeated this abominable heresy so often that they had convinced themselves, and a wall of resistance had been built, and behind this wall they stubbornly stood almost defiantly. If there had been blushes of shame at first, such had been neutralized with their logic. Deeply entrenched were they in this rationalization. Had they not read in some university papers of the new freedom where pre-marital sex was sanctioned, at least not forbidden? Did they not see the looseness in every show, on every stage, on TV screens and magazines? Had they not discussed this in the locker room and in private conversation? Had it not been fairly well established, then, in their world, that sex before marriage was not so wrong? Did there not need to be a trial period? How else could they know if they would be sexually compatible for marriage ? Had they not, like numerous others, come to regard sex as the basis for living ?

    And a proverb came to my mind:

    Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. (Prov. 30:20.)

    In their rationalization they have had much cooperation, for, as Peter said:

    “… there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways. . .” (2 Pet. 2:1-2.)

    And Peter says further:

    “. . . they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, . . . the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2 Pet. 3:16.)

    And here they are, false teachers everywhere, using speech and pornographic literature, magazines, radio, TV, street talk-spreading damnable heresies which break down moral standards, and this to gratify the lusts of the flesh.

    Lucifer in his diabolical scheming deceives the unwary and uses every tool at his command. Seldom does one go to a convention, a club meeting, a party or social gathering without hearing vulgarity, obscenity and suggestive stories.

    Peter again cautioned us:

    Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Pet. 5:8.)

    And the Savior said that the very elect would be deceived by Lucifer if it were possible. He will use his logic to confuse, and his rationalizations to destroy. He will shade meanings, open doors an inch at a time, and lead from purest white through all the shades of gray to the darkest black.

    Young people are confused by the arch deceiver who uses every device to deceive them.

    This young couple looked up rather startled when I postulated firmly and with positiveness, “No, my beloved young people, you did not love each other. Rather, you lusted for each other.” And here was the other misused word.

    Paul told Titus:

    Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

    They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. (Titus 1:15-16.)

    I am sure that Peter and James and Paul found it unpleasant business to constantly be calling people to repentance and warning them of dangers, but they continued unflinchingly. So we, your leaders, must be everlastingly at it; if young people do not understand, then the fault may be partly ours. But, if we make the true way clear to you, then we are blameless.

    If when he [the watchman] seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

    Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

    He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

    But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. (Ezek. 33:3-6.)

    So, I wish today to help define meanings of words and acts for you young people, to fortify you against error, anguish, pain and sorrow.

    The boy and girl sat still and respectfully. I was not sure if they were comprehending. Apparently, their wrong concepts had been bolstered so long and firmly it was hard for them to change immediately.

    Now we talked again about words-short words like lift and lean, hide and lurk, flee and stay, lose and gain, fall and rise, open and shut, lure and save, lose and gain, live and dead, hell and home and again, love and lust. The beautiful and holy word of love they had defiled until it had degenerated to become a bedfellow with lust, its antithesis.

    As far back as Isaiah, deceivers and rationalizers were condemned:

    Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

    Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (Isa. 5:20-21.)

    And, we might add: Woe unto those who wrest the scriptures to interpret them to cover their weaknesses. The young couple had excused and justified their transgression on the grounds that they loved each other. Is there a word in the dictionary more misused and prostituted than the word “love”?

    Many of the modern terms for sin were not used in the scriptures and in olden days, and some people, therefore, excuse their contaminations because the age-old transgressions were not identified with modern terms. But, if one reads the scriptures carefully, all sins are denounced there in every shade of error. Again, the great Peter said:

    Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. (I Peter 2: 11.)

    Surely, every soul who has reached the age of accountability, and especially those who have received the Holy Ghost after baptism, knows the difference; but so often we hear what we want to hear and we see what we want to see. There is a definite war against the soul when evil is perpetrated. And I challenge any normal baptized person who says he did not know he was doing wrong. There is no compatibility between sin and righteousness, between guilt and peace.

    Paul charged the Corinthians:

    Flee fornication …. He that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. (1 Cor. 6:18.)

    And in order to avoid the disasters, Paul cautioned: “Do not company with fornicators.” And he urged people to keep good company and not eat with the evil ones who would tempt them, and then concludes: “Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” (See 1 Cor. 5:9-13.)

    Oh, if our young people could learn this basic lesson to always keep good company, to never be found with those who tend to lower our standards! Let every youth select associates who will keep him on tiptoes, trying to reach the heights attained. Let him never choose associates who encourage him to relax in carelessness.

    We must repeat what we have said many times: Fornication with all its big and little brothers and sisters was evil and wholly condemned by the Lord in Adam’s day, in Moses’ day, in Paul’s day, and in our own day. The Church has no tolerance for any kind of perversions. The Lord has indicated His lack of tolerance, stating:

    For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. (D&C 1:31.)

    Yet, He loves the repentant one. Paul said that even the converted Gentiles should be taught to “abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication,” and other deviations. (Acts 15:20.) He wrote the Romans that corrupt practices called fornication were extant among them. He exhorted the Galatians, lashing out against the “works of the flesh . . adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,” and then he added “that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal. 5:19-21.)

    They are like the:

    Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. (Jude 13.)

    These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. (Jude 16.)

    Let it be known positively that the Church is not softening its standards, nor abandoning its Godgiven practices. Those who interpret the scriptures to justify their own pernicious ways are spoken of in the Book of Mormon:

    . . . They are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they. (Mormon 5:18.)

    My young couple who had so seriously sinned were listening, and I reminded them of the statement of Mormon, where the Nephites, guilty of fiendish, abominable acts, had taken prisoners the daughters of the Lamanites, and:

    After depriving them of that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is chastity and virtue-(Moroni 9:9).

    They tortured and murdered them.

    When the scriptures are so plain, how can anyone justify immoralities and call them love? Is black white? Is evil good? Is purity filthiness?

    As I looked the boy in the eye, I said, “No, my boy, you were not expressing love when you took her virtue.” And to her, I said, “There was no real love in your heart when you robbed him of his chastity. It was lust that brought you together in this most serious of all practices short of murder. Paul said, ‘Love worketh no ill to his neighbour.’ (Rom. 13:10.)”

    I continued, “If one really loves another, one would rather die for that person than injure him. At the hour of indulgence, pure love is pushed out one door while lust sneaks in the other. Your affection has been replaced with biological materialism and uncontrolled passion. You have accepted the doctrine which the devil is so eager to establish-that sex relations are justified on the grounds that it is a pleasurable experience in itself and is beyond moral consideration.

    “When the unmarried yield to the lust which induces intimacies and indulgence, they have permitted the body to dominate and have placed the spirit in chains. It is unthinkable that anyone could call this love. You have ignored the fact that all situations or conditions or actions whose pleasures or satisfactions end with the termination of the act will never produce great peoples nor build great kingdoms.

    “In order to live with themselves, people who transgress must follow one path or the other of two alternatives. The one is to sear the conscience and dull the sensitivity with mental tranquilizers so that the transgression may be continued; the other is to permit remorse to lead to total conviction, repentance and eventual forgiveness.”

    This conviction is the element of which my two young visitors were quite devoid. They were somewhat like the unrepentant of whom Isaiah spoke:

    And the mean man boweth not down, and the great man humbleth himself not, therefore, forgive him not.(2 Ne. 12:9.)

    No one can ever be forgiven of any transgression until there is repentance, and one has not repented until he has bared his soul and admitted his intentions and weaknesses without excuses or rationalizations. He must admit to himself that he has grievously sinned. When he has confessed to himself without the slightest minimizing of the offense, or rationalizing its seriousness, or soft-pedaling its gravity, and admits it is as big as it really is, then he is ready to begin his repentance; and any other elements of repentance are of reduced value, until the conviction is established totally, and then repentance may mature and forgiveness may eventually come.

    Because of this widespread tolerance toward promiscuity, this world is in grave danger. When evil is decried and forbidden and punished, the world still has a chance. But when toleration for sin increases, the outlook is bleak and Sodom and Gomorrah days are certain to return.

    We were in Los Angeles years ago when the news broke of the illicit affair of a certain movie actress, from which she became pregnant. Because of her popularity, it was big news in heavy headlines in every paper in the land. We were not so surprised at her adultery-it was reported to be common in Hollywood as well as in the world generally. But that such dissoluteness should be approved and accepted by society shocked me. The Los Angeles papers took a poll of the people-club women and ministers, employers and employees, stenographers and teachers and housewives-and almost without exception, as though it were a child’s indiscretion, these community leaders found little fault and criticized as “puritanical” and “victorian” those who disapproved. “Let her live her own life,” they said. “And, why should we interfere with people’s personal liberties?” In state and nation and across the seas, toleration for sin is terrifying.

    There is no shame. Isaiah again strikes the sin:

    The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. (Isa. 3:9.)

    That the Church’s stand on morality may be understood, we declare firmly and unalterably it is not an outworn garment, faded, old-fashioned, and threadbare. God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and His covenants and doctrines are immutable; and when the sun grows cold and the stars no longer shine, the law of chastity will still be basic in God’s world and in the Lord’s Church. Old values are upheld by the Church not because they are old, but rather because through the ages they have proved right. It will always be the rule.

    I continued with the young couple, saying, “The youth of today are seeing too many ‘adults only’ movies which exploit sex. There are too many open dormitories on campus, too many mattress parties for adolescents, too many girls with extreme dresses, tight sweaters, calling attention to sex. And, there are too many young men with tight, suggestive attire. Youth generally have heard too many advertisements over radio and television and seen too many in newspapers and on billboards and in magazines where sex is used as a stimulus in selling. There have been too many parked automobiles. They have read too many novels where sex is the central, dominant theme.”

    “What kind of a world would we have,” I asked these young people, “if this heresy which you have espoused of pre-marital sex looseness and alleged free love were in order?” The world, already ill, would expire.

    We are not speaking of a sex-free world any more than we are speaking of a sexy world, for a sexless civilization would die in one generation if indeed it could be born. A sexy civilization will die of its own rottenness when it is ripe in iniquity. Pure sex life in proper marriage is approved. There is a time and an appropriateness for all things which have value. In ancient days, one city or one civilization could disintegrate without seriously disturbing other parts of the world, but today our communication and transportation facilities make the whole world one community.

    In our mass-production age in recent years, “we have witnessed the reduction of persons to things in a code number, a subscriber, a punched card. Each reduction indicates that the person is expendable, replaceable.. . .” “A person is not a function nor a means nor an instrument, but an end in himself; but the world speaks with a voice amplified by a thousand television stations and a half million printing presses.” It advances the biological materialism that man is a consuming, reproducing function, a collection of skills, or a unit in the labor force. This renders men functionaries and destroys their being and loses for them their self, dwarfed by a gigantic universe out there. This is hauntingly true as people are “used” to gratify physical passions in illegitimacy.

    This repulsive sense of “thinghood” is portrayed well in a few lines from John Pauker in the New Republic, January 5, 1963:

    I looked and looked again. There were no people.

    The people had disappeared. The people were gone.

    But the things they had created were still there.

    A suit of clothes and a gown walked arm in arm.

    With a dog at the end of a leash. The dog was there

    And snarling. In the street, vehicular traffic

    Flowed as usual but without drivers or riders ….

    Electric razors razed and revolvers fired

    As usual. The things went through their paces

    And seemed to be enjoying themselves highly.

    I longed to look in a mirror but did not dare.

    We really do not love things. We use things like doormats, automobiles, clothing, machines; but we love people by serving them and contributing to their permanent good. The Lord seemed to recognize this when He said:

    But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matt. 6:33.)

    And again, the difference was made manifest in His instructions to Peter, when He asked three times of that worthy:

    Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?

    To which Peter responded:

    Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. And the answer came:

    Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep. (See John 21:15-17.)

    What were the things, “these things,” which took second place to his love for his Lord and his fellow men? I think they must have been ships and nets and fish and desires and wants and even passions.

    Sexual encounters outside of legalized marriage render the individual a thing to be used, a thing to be exploited, and make him or her exchangeable, exploitable, expendable and throw-awayable.

    And when we come before the great Judge at the bar of justice, shall we stand before Him as a thing or as a person, as a depraved body of flesh and carnal acts, or as a son of God standing straight and tall and worthy? And as we answer the vital questions, will we be able to say, “I builded, I did not tear down; I lifted, I did not pull down; I grew, I did not shrivel; I helped others grow, I did not dwarf them; I helped, I did not hinder; I loved intensely and blessed, I did not lust toward exploitation to injure”?

    My young couple were still rationalizing and excusing themselves, and I said again, “Every kind of sex exploit for the unmarried from the first lustful stirrings of passions relating to self or to others is a sin, and thought habits are perverted and lives are blemished, and God’s laws are broken, and penalties will be paid.”

    Like some high pressure salesmen who claim far more for their product than can possibly be delivered, sex exploitation promises what it can never produce nor deliver. So, outside of marriage, improper sex life can bring only disappointment, disgust, and usually rejection “while it propels its participants down the long corridor of repeated encounters which are destined to fail.”

    Very often the couple-the two people who have been promiscuous, who have been wanton, who have crossed the lines of propriety-become disgusted with each other and discontinue associations altogether. How many come to dislike, if not to hate, the partner in sin.

    Illicit sex is a selfish act, a betrayal, and is dishonest. To be unwilling to accept responsibility is cowardly, disloyal. Marriage is for time and eternity. Fornication and all other deviations are for today, for the hour, for the “now.” Marriage gives life. Fornication leads to death. Pre-marital sex promises what it cannot possibly produce or deliver. Rejection is often the fruit as it moves its participants down the long highway of repeated encounters.

    The Eighth of the Ten Commandments says: “Thou shalt not steal.” Yet the immoral act is exploitation and robbery in its worst expression.

    It is taking with or without permission the most priceless, the most unrecoverable, the most unreturnable possession of an individual-chastity and virtue. In one dark, unglorious hour, lives can be taken or shattered; but in a long lifetime, health lost may possibly be regained, wealth lost may someday be accumulated again, freedom lost may be fought for and possibly recovered, but chastity gone is gone forever, and virtue stolen cannot be returned. Is not this one of the prime reasons why this forbidden thing is so heinous like murder, for neither can ever be wholly compensated nor returned nor undone?

    “THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY” (and we add its twin, FORNICATION) and also “THOU SHALT NOT KILL” came ‘ringing down from Mount Sinai. One can take a life easily but he can never restore that life. And so it is that when the pangs of futility and remorse impress the uselessness of the act, there must come the time when the fornicator or adulterer, like the murderer, wishes he could hide-hide from all the world, from all the ghosts and especially from his own-and there is no place to hide. There are dark corners and hidden spots and closed cars in which the transgression can be committed, but to totally conceal is impossible. There are no nights so dark, no rooms so tightly locked, no canyons so closed in, no deserts so uninhabited that one can find a place to hide his sins from himself nor from his Lord. Eventually, one must still face himself and his Great Judge.

    Cain had difficulty hiding. The Lord had asked, “Where is Abel, thy brother?” And Cain had boldly replied, “I know not. Am I my brother’ s keeper?” Did he think he was deceiving the Lord or himself? The next question was no simple inquiry, but an accusation and a condemnation, “What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground . . . which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand. “. . . a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. “And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. “Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth.” (Gen. 4:9-14.)

    That was true of murder. In a lesser degree, it is true of illicit sex, which, of course, includes all petting, fornication, adultery, homosexual acts, and all other perversions. The Lord may say to offenders, as He did to Cain, “What hast thou done?” The children thus conceived make damning charges against you; the companions who have been frustrated and violated condemn you; the body that has been defiled cries out against you; the spirit which has been dwarfed convicts you. You will have difficulty throughout the ages in totally forgiving yourself.

    After looking down at the crumpled body at his feet, and especially after the torments of hell began to persecute him and the ghost of his brother began to follow him, Cain must have wished that he could give Abel’ s life back. The Lord did not curse Cain; it was Cain who, breaking eternal law, cursed himself. And every man or woman who is guilty of moral misconduct may look down upon defiled bodies, his own and others; he may recognize frustrated and distorted minds; and as the ghosts begin to follow, he is certain to wish with all his heart that he could give back chastity and restore tranquility and peace in the minds and hearts and lives of those whom he has damaged.

    From the same tablet, from the same Sinai, came the Laws of God. After creating man in His own image, male and female, God then performed the holy marriage ceremony for eternity for His Adam and Eve. And in this beginning, He established a pattern of sex life consistent with all reason and propriety. In that first marriage blessing, the Lord commanded these two beings, who were complementary to each other, to multiply by being fruitful and bringing children into the world. Cain and Abel were only two of their many sons and daughters. This command did not give license to merely satisfy biological urges, for God followed it with the command,

    Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Gen. 2:24.)

    To cleave is to adhere closely, to cling; and the Lord gave as the purpose for their cleaving, the peopling of the earth, the replenishing of the earth, the subduing of the earth, the dominion over the earth. There was high purpose in the creation and in the proper associations of husband and wife, but intimacies could never be defended outside of marriage.

    The pre-marital sex act is a deception. It is a lie. The Lord asked:

    “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he . . . give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? (Luke 11:11-12.)

    Bread is the staff of life, while a stone is lifeless, indeed, sometimes death dealing. The fish as food builds and sustains the body, as does the egg; but the serpent destroys life and is the symbol of death. Love is promised and is delivered.

    Proper sex functions bring posterity, responsibility, and peace; but pre-marital sex encounters bring pain, the loss of self-esteem, spiritual death, unless there is a total, continuing repentance.

    What are the fruits of immorality? Instead of multiplying and replenishing the earth, every effort is made to avoid conception and the birth of progeny. Since Adam no soul has ever been made happy by transgressing. The Lord said:

    “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matt. 7:19-20.)

    “And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees.” (Matt. 3:10.)

    And the warning is repeated:

    Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (Matt. 7:15.)

    Could there possibly be a single good fruit which comes from pre-marital indulgence?

    Our great accumulated scientific knowledge about our bodies and their functioning, and our minds and their operating, seems not to have been translated into righteousness. As an example, all that we have learned of late from research about the ill effects of tobacco has done little to discourage its use, even as the holy revelations were ignored. And all that has been said from a medical and scientific standpoint about the social diseases seems to have deterred people very little from immorality-in fact, little more if any than the commandments of the Lord. For, in a recent local paper, we read of the great increase in VD in the big cities of our land.

    It is not so much what we know but what we do about what we know. Dr. Jenkins of the Utah State Health Department is quoted as saying that gonorrhea and syphilis epidemics are raging at this very moment in thirty of the nation’s largest cities.

    The Deseret News of December 13, 1964, quotes an Associated Press writer out of Washington as saying: “Some experts see a ‘general decline in morals’ and point to the sharpest rises of V.D. among teenagers.”

    We live in a sterile age, or so it seems-an age when young people turn to sex to escape loneliness, frustration; insecurity and lack of interest. “What can we do?” the youth complain. They are little interested in reading and family associations and youth socials and the community dance. They must have something more exciting. Long ago they ceased making their own entertainment which could be as clean and worthy as they wished to make it. Today, then, they look at television and go to shows in town, and to the so-called “passion pits,” where they are over-stimulated sexually. Oh, for a generation of youth who would move back to simplicity, away from the “canned” programs in most of which are ingredients to stimulate and stir the human passions!

    When we talk of sex, our first thought is adultery or fornication; but our second one, and close on its heels, is the sex stimulation to self and others, sometimes called “petting.” It is a damaging and a damning transgression in its own right, and then, of course, it is also the gateway to the final acts of fornication and adultery.

    And the world will go on dying-destroying itself until people begin to use words in their true meanings, “calling a spade, a spade” and not a spoon; calling “petting” a deep sin and not a harmless diversion– until we rip its disguising mask from its ugly face and strip from its lustful body the sheep’s clothing with which the vicious wolf has concealed his mean self.

    The young man is untrue to his manhood who promises popularity, good times, security, fun, and even love, when all he can give is passion and its diabolical fruits-guilt complexes, disgust, hatred, abhorrence, eventual loathing, and possible pregnancy without legitimacy and honor. He pleads his case in love and all he gives is lust. Likewise, the young lady sells herself cheap. She asks him for a fish; he gives her a serpent. He asks her for bread and she gives him a stone. She reaches for figs, and thorns are pressed into her hand. He would have grapes but gets a bramble bush. She asks for eggs and he stings her with a scorpion. The result is damage to life and canker to the soul.

    Reverend Lawrence Lowell Gruman says: “It is indeed a quaint morality that belittles sex and shrinks human beings to pleasure-seeking dwarfs, for if sex is good, as eating and sleeping are good, then it, too, has specific limits and an appropriate place and that place is within marriage.”

    And still these young people talk of love. What a corruption of the most beautiful term! The word is prostituted also in the realm of homosexuality. Both are in the realm of taking, not giving; killing, not saving; destroying, not building. The fruit is bitter because the tree is corrupt. Their lips say, “I love you.” Their bodies say, “I want you.” Love is kind and wholesome. To love is to give, not to take. To love is to serve, not to exploit.

    We sing of love in popular songs when we really are coveting and wanting and lusting. Why do people deceive themselves and others? Why not call it what it actually is?

    Undoubtedly Potiphar’s wife flattered Joseph and expressed her alleged love for him at first. When this failed, she tried force and intrigue; and, failing there, she tried to cover with blackmail. With such a clear conscience, Joseph’s dark dungeon must have been to him a pleasant prison. At least here he was safe from exploitation and contamination. She said to Joseph, “I love you.” What she wanted was not Joseph but his handsome, appealing body.

    Dr. Gruman says: “The sexual encounter ought to be a full and free affirmation of the other person, …a total commitment to him, and that spells permanence and permanence is spelled out in marriage ….

    If you love another person fully, wholly, unselfishly, then respect the sexual life of that person by surrounding him with marriage. Using and being used, we fail as human beings and sons of God.”

    What is love? Many people think of it as mere physical attraction and they casually speak of “falling in love” and “love at first sight.” This may be Hollywood’s version and the interpretation of those who write love songs and love fiction. True love is not wrapped in such flimsy material. One might become immediately attracted to another individual, but love is far more than physical attraction. It is deep, inclusive and comprehensive. Physical attraction is only one of the many elements, but there must be faith and confidence and understanding and partnership. There must be common ideals and standards. There must be a great devotion and companionship. Love is cleanliness and progress and sacrifice and selflessness. This kind of love never tires nor wanes, but lives through sickness and sorrow, poverty and privation, accomplishment and disappointment, time and eternity. For the love to continue, there must be an increase constantly of confidence and understanding, of frequent and sincere expression of appreciation and affection. There must be a forgetting of self and a constant concern for the other. Interests, hopes, objectives must be constantly focused into a single channel.

    For many years, I saw a strong man carry his tiny, emaciated, arthritic wife to meetings and wherever she could go. There could be no sexual expression. Here was selfless indication of affection. I think that is pure love. I saw a kindly woman wait on her husband for many years as he deteriorated with muscular dystrophy. She waited on him hand and foot, night and day, when all he could do was to blink his eyes in thanks. I believe that was love.

    I knew a woman who carried her little unfortunate child until the body was too heavy to carry, and then she pushed her in a wheel chair for the following years until her death. The deprived child could never express an appreciation. It seems to me that that was love. Another mother visited regularly her son who was in the penitentiary. She could receive nothing from him. She gave much, all she had.

    If anyone feels that petting or other deviations are demonstrations of love, let him ask himself: “If this beautiful body which I have misused suddenly became deformed, or paralyzed, would my reactions be the same ? If this lovely face were scarred by flames, or this body which I have used suddenly became rigid, or this keen mind which I have enjoyed were suddenly to become blank, would I be such an ardent lover? If senility or any of its approaches suddenly fell upon my sweetheart, what would my attitudes be?” Answers to these questions might test one to see if he really is in love or if it is only physical attraction which encouraged the improper physical contacts. The young man who protects his sweetheart against all use or abuse, against insult and infamy from himself or others, could be expressing true love.

    But the young man who uses his companion as a biological toy to give himself temporary satisfaction-that is lust, and is at the other end of the spectrum from love. A young woman conducts herself to be attractive spiritually, mentally and physically but will not by word nor dress nor act stir nor stimulate to physical reactions the companion beside her. That could be true love. That young woman who must touch and stir and fondle and tempt and use knows not love. That is lust and exploitation.

    Sometimes, there are twins, like Jacob and Esau, and the one is hairy and crude and evil; the other is smooth and clean and personable. There were two brothers, the sons of Adam-the one, crude, selfish, evil; the other, good and faithful and worthy. Their names also were four-letter words-Cain and Abel. And such words as love and lust are direct opposites.

    Speaking to my young couple, I said again, “No, it is not love if it manipulates; it is selfishness. It is not love if it neglects the welfare of the other: it is irresponsibility.

    “If sex relations merely become a release or a technique and the partner becomes exchangeable, then sex returns to the compulsive animal level.

    “Immorality brings generally a guilt deep and lasting. And this is a factor certainly not to be overlooked. These unresolved guilt complexes are the stuff of which mental breakdowns come, the building blocks of suicide, the fabric of distorted personalities, the wounds that scar or incapacitate individuals or families.

    “The Revelator, John, gives this: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (Rev. 20:12.)

    And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:15.)

    “And a question that surely arises when that vital moment comes is, will we stand before the Great Judge and be proud or ashamed, satisfied or frustrated? And no normal youth or adult who has received the Holy Ghost can conscientiously claim that he did not know that these things were transgressions.

    Pre-marital sex affairs are wrong, not because the Church declares against them, but the Church declares against them because they are wrong and because they hurt and destroy people who are God’s children.”

    The young couple still was sitting before me. They mentioned a possible future marriage, apparently thinking to impress me, and were a bit startled when I said with positiveness, “You should be married-and immediately.” And I quoted this scripture:

    “And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.” (Ex. 22:16.) and again from Moses: “If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; . . . she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.” (Deut. 22:28-29.)

    These two folks were “damaged goods.” They had prostituted each other. They had toyed with each other’s body. But now they were almost horrified at the suggestion of immediate marriage, and he remonstrated: “Why, we couldn’t marry. We are not ready for marriage. We haven’t completed our education. We have no employment. We are not ready to make a home. We are not prepared to buy clothing, pay rent, buy cars, employ physicians, buy groceries, pay hospital bills. We haven’t finished our education. We are not ready to assume the responsibilities of parenthood.”

    And then I asked, as kindly as I could, “Then why did you precipitate yourselves into that situation? Why did you do the act which would make you parents? Why did you engage in the associations that would demand a home, employment, status? Your very irresponsible act identifies you as most immature. You do not know the meaning of responsibility, but you have pushed yourselves prematurely into adulthood. You should now meet the responsibilities as best you can. You are hardly able to walk alone as little children, and yet you are likely now to be parents. You have not passed the tests in the grade school yet, and now you are enrolled in college. You made the choice when you broke the law of chastity and gave up your virtue. That hour, freedom was replaced with tyrannical fetters. You accepted shackles and limitations and sorrows and eternal regrets when you could have had freedom with peace.”

    King Benjamin said:

    And now, I say unto you, my brethren, that after ye have known and have been taught all these things, if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom’s paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved —

    I say unto you, that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in open rebellion against God; therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit, and becometh an enemy to all righteousness; therefore, the Lord has no place in him, for he dwelleth not in unholy temples.

    Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.

    And now I say unto you, that mercy hath no claim on that man; therefore his final doom is to endure a a never-ending torment.” (Mosiah 2:36-39.)

    Now, it would be wholly improper to so completely condemn sex sins without explaining to those who may already have yielded to these persuasions and temptations and have defiled themselves that there is eventual forgiveness, providing, of course, that there is commensurate repentance. “The way of the transgressor is hard,” and tough and long and thorny. But the Lord has promised that for all those sins and errors outside of the named unpardonable sins, there is forgiveness. But, many people misunderstand the principle of repentance and have the misconception that the changing of a policy, the breaking of a habit, or a few prayers can bounce them back in moments or hours the long distance that they skidded over months and possibly years.

    The Lord has said, “I will remember their sins no more,” and, “Thou shalt forgive them.” But sometimes it takes as long or longer to climb back up the steep hill than it did to skid down it. And it is often much more difficult.

    We mentioned self-conviction above. One has not begun his repentance until that is complete. But when a total self-conviction is stirred to a new life, and prayers have been multiplied and fasting, through humility, intensified, and weeping has been sanctified, repentance then begins to grow and, eventually, forgiveness may come. The king had said that the unrepentant would have a “lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.” (Mosiah 2:38.)

    And the Prophet Jacob said that those who reject the gospel and resist repentance would “stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar of God.” (Jacob 6:9).

    A basic thought which none may overlook is the statement of the Prophet Amulek:

    And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins,…and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins. (Alma 11:37.)

    But to those who have broken the law of chastity and who have complied as above, there is the promise of forgiveness, and the Lord charges the leaders of His Church when they have totally repented, “Thou shalt forgive them.”

    And He says:

    “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins –behold, he will confess them and forsake them.” (D&C 58:42-43.)

    Paul called attention to the Corinthian Saints:

    For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle. (1 Cor. 14:8.)

    And I believe the youth of Zion want to hear the clear and unmistakable tones of the trumpet, and it is my hope that I can play the tune with accuracy and precision so that no honest person will ever be confused. I hope fervently that I am making clear the position of the Lord and His Church on these unmentionable practices.

    Masturbation, a rather common indiscretion, is not approved of the Lord nor of His Church regardless of what may have been said by others whose “norms” are lower. Latter-day Saints are urged to avoid this practice.

    A person is the maker of himself. He may control his own destiny, if he is normal. James Allen says:

    “… A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts…. Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits . . . let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astounded at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life…”

    James Allen again says:

    …Man is manacled only by himself: thought and action are the jailers of Fate-they imprison, being base; they are also the angels of Freedom-they liberate, being noble.

    Anyone fettered by this weakness should abandon the habit before he goes on a mission or receives the Holy Priesthood or goes in the temple for his blessings.

    Sometimes masturbation is the introduction to the more serious sins of exhibitionism and the gross sin of homosexuality. We would avoid mentioning these unholy terms and these reprehensible practices were it not for the fact that we have a responsibility to the youth of Zion that they be not deceived by those who would call bad, good, and black, white.

    This unholy transgression is either rapidly growing or tolerance is giving it wider publicity. If one has such desires and tendencies, he overcomes them the same as if he had the urge toward petting or fornication or adultery. The Lord condemns and forbids this practice with a vigor equal to His condemnation of adultery and other such sex acts. And the Church will excommunicate as readily any unrepentant addict.

    Again, contrary to the belief and statement of many people, this sin, like fornication, is overcomable and forgivable, but again, only upon a deep and abiding repentance which means total abandonment and complete transformation of thought and act. The fact that some governments and some churches and numerous corrupted individuals have tried to reduce such behavior from criminal offense to personal privilege does not change the nature nor the seriousness of the practice. Good men, wise men, God-fearing men everywhere still denounce the practice as being unworthy of sons of God; and Christ’s Church denounces it and condemns it so long as men have bodies which can be defiled. Earlier in our treatise we quoted Peter as having said, “I beseech you . . . abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” (1 Pet. 2:11.)

    And James says:

    “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways…. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

    “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

    “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

    “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

    “Do not err, my beloved brethren .”(James 1:8, 12-16.)

    This heinous homosexual sin is of the ages. Many cities and civilizations have gone out of existence because of it. It was present in Israel’s wandering days, tolerated by the Greeks, and found in the baths of corrupt Rome. In Exodus, the law required death for the culprit who had sex play with animals, the deviate who committed incest, or the depraved one who had homosexual or other vicious practices.

    This is a most unpleasant subject to dwell upon, but I am pressed to speak of it boldly so that no student in this University, nor youth in the Church, will ever have any question in his mind as to the illicit and diabolical nature of this perverse program. Again, Lucifer deceives and prompts logic and rationalization which will destroy men and make them servants of Satan forever.

    Remember, Paul told Timothy:

    For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Tim. 4:3-4.)

    Let it never be said that the Church has avoided condemning this obnoxious practice nor that it has winked at this abominable sin. And I feel certain that this University will never knowingly enroll an unrepentant person who follows these practices nor tolerate on its campus anyone with these tendencies who fails to repent and put his or her life in order.

    May we return to words? In my Bible concordance, there are 550 listed references pertaining to love. They do not interpret it as carnal, sexual, handling, fondling, petting, perversions, nor fornication. In the same concordance, there are 53 references to adultery, and not one of them seems to connect this condemned sexual act with real affection which is love. I also found 32 references to fornication, but I found none which identified the forbidden act as holy, sacred love.

    Men talk of the love act and making love and the love life when what they mean is something quite different, and there can be no proper love life outside of proper marriage.

    Paul made this clear when he said,

    Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. (1 Cor. 6:13.)

    This would apply also to the other detestable sex manifestations named above.

    And Paul further gave to the Corinthians a stinging lashing when he indicated these sins must be overcome:

    Be not deceived: neither fornicators,…nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9-10.)

    Again, for clarification, let it be known that fornication is the same act as adultery, except the former pertains to unmarried people and the latter to married people. The words are often interchangeable in the Bible and the penalty of the law was death, as indicated when the Scribes and Pharisees brought to the Savior the woman taken in adultery and they indicated:

    Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? (John 8:5.)

    It is notable that the Redeemer did not negate the law, but He put His enemies to flight by a clever ruse, saying to them: He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. (John 8:7.)

    And further, there is no evidence that the Savior granted to her forgiveness. He did send her away to repent.

    I do not find in the Bible the modern terms “petting” nor “homosexuality,” yet I found numerous scriptures which forbade such acts under by whatever names they might be called. I could not find the term “homosexuality,” but I did find numerous places where the Lord condemned such a practice with such vigor that even the death penalty was assessed.

    And the Lord calls all such to repent. His words are most impressive:

    “Therefore I command you to repent–repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth…”

    And we refer the reader to the balance of that reference in D&C 19:15-18.

    We have stated that even this ugly practice can be overcome and can be forgiven. As one of many who might be considered authority, I quote one from the Medical World News, June 5, 1964:

    The effectiveness of therapy depends on the depth of entrenchment of the perversion, as well as the strength of the patient’s desire to modify it.

    This statement by the Public Health Committee of the New York Academy of Medicine agrees with our philosophy. Man is created in the image of God. He is a god in embryo. He has the seeds of godhood within him and he can, if he is normal, pick himself up by his bootstraps and literally move himself from where he is to where he knows he should be. As stated above, the longer the habit has been fostered, the harder it is to break.

    To clarify the matter for those who are honest, it must be stated that it is a “damnable heresy,” as Paul says, when men claim that “God made them that way,” or that such a life is just another different but acceptable way of life. All nature, reason, scripture and revelation cry out against such a claim. But it can be corrected and overcome. May I quote from a former article of my own: “Men have come dejected, discouraged, embarrassed, near terrified and have gone out later full of confidence and faith in themselves, with self-respect returned, with the confidence of their families, their home ties strengthened and ready to manfully take their part in proper society and even in the Church on an approved cured basis.

    “In some cases, they have been men with families, and we have had wives come in to tearfully thank us for bringing their husbands back to them. Wives have not always known what had been wrong, but they had sensed something serious and realized that they had lost their husbands. We have seen men come first with downward glances and leave months later looking us straight in the eye. We have had them admit after the first interview, ‘I am glad that I was arrested. I have tried and tried to correct my error but knew I would have to have help and had not the courage to ask for it.’ In a few months, some have totally mastered themselves, while others linger on with less power and requiring more time to make the total comeback. We realize that the cure is no more permanent than the individual makes it so, and is like the cure for alcoholism, subject to continued vigilance. To such men, we say, ‘Physician, heal thyself,’ and promise him if he will stay away from the haunts and the temptations and the former associates, he may heal himself, cleanse his mind, and return to his normal pursuits and a happy state. The cure for this malady lies in self-mastery, which is the fundamental basis of the whole gospel program.”

    “God made me that way,” some say, as they rationalize and excuse themselves for their perversions. “I can’t help it,” they add. This is blasphemy. Is he not made in the image of God, and does he think God to be “that way”? Man is responsible for his own sins. It is possible that he may rationalize and excuse himself until the groove is so deep he cannot get out without great difficulty, but this he can do. Temptations come to all people. The difference between the reprobate and the worthy person is generally that one yielded and the other resisted. It is true that one’s background may make the decision and accomplishment easier or more difficult, but if one is mentally alert, he can still control his future. That is the gospel message-personal responsibility.

    To the person blaming his perversions on his parents-man is punishable for his own sins. He can, if normal, rise above the frustrations of childhood and stand on his own feet and answer roll call.

    And if the yielding person continues to give way numerous times, he may finally reach the point of no return where he does not want to return. And the Lord says, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts .” (D&C 1:33 .)

    The doctors whose report is quoted above state without equivocation, “The homosexual is not a special order of creation.” (For further consideration of this subject, the reader is referred to the address “A Counseling Problem in the Church” by the same author, given to the seminary and institute instructors of the Church, July 16, 1964.) [Available only at the Office of Institutes and Seminaries, Brigham Young University.]

    And then, I found the 550 references to love. They had related generally to pure, holy love. Sometimes it was called charity. Lust and carnal desires were not mentioned. I found where Paul said that to have charity or real love is greater than to be a prophet, to understand mysteries, or to have great knowledge. It is greater than to have much faith, or extended power even to remove mountains. And in following the concordance on this subject of love, Paul contrasted the two four-letter words for Timothy:

    Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Tim. 2:22.)

    And Peter said that charity or love would cover a multitude of sins. (See 1 Pet. 4:8.)

    And from the Song of Solomon of Solomon comes this:

    For love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. (Song of Solomon 8:6.)

    Jeremiah quotes the Lord: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” (Jer. 31:3.)

    And Ezekiel contrasts these words of love and lust:

    “The people . . . hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.” (Ezek. 33:31.)

    As we speak of real love, a new concept comes into our minds: The Lord said:

    By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:35.)

    And, He continues:

    This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:12-13.)

    And John said:

    We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. (1 Jn. 3:14.)

    And in the Beatitudes, the Lord said:

    Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. (Matt. 5:43-44.)

    In none of these quotes is the slightest implication of bodily contact, of lust, of desire, of passion. Certainly, this is the test of love. It is honor and integrity and obedience.

    And Paul, speaking to the Saints, said: “Husbands, love your wives .”

    This is no carnal commandment. There is no sex in this command, for they were already legal partners.

    And then he continues:

    “…even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; . . . So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh …”(Ephesians 5:25, 28-29.).

    And as Paul continues, he says:

    For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. (Eph. 5:31.)

    The proper sexual life between husband and wife is only a part of this important commandment. When a man and a woman love the spouse as they love themselves, only rich and wonderful fruits come from such a tree.

    And Paul, speaking to Titus, exhorts:

    “The young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children. To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands….” (Titus 2:4-5.)

    Can you see anything vulgar, destructive, earthy, fleshly or carnal in any of these teachings? They loved their husbands and then their children. This real love has no lust involved. And then, we have the great examples:

    For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16.)

    This was the Savior of the world, who with His supreme love made the supreme sacrifice and gave a life that no one could take from Him, because He loved us so. This is love-sacred, holy love.

    And now, my dear young people, I have spoken frankly and boldly against the sins of the day. Even though I dislike such a subject, I believe it necessary to warn the youth against the onslaught of the arch tempter-who, with his army of emissaries and all the tools at his command, would destroy all the youth of Zion, largely through deception, misrepresentation, and lies.

    My beloved young folks, do not excuse petting and body intimacies. I am positive that if this illicit, illegal, improper, and lustful habit of “petting” could be wiped out, that fornication would soon be gone from our world. Remember what the Lord said:

    Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

    But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matt. 5:27-28.)

    And if there has been lust, repent of it and keep your minds clean, and convict yourself of serious evil if you permit your minds to dwell upon these forbidden things or your hands or bodies to yield to the call of lust.

    May I close with this scripture from Mormon:

    Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God. (Morm. 9:28.)

    In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

    References

    References
    1 Spencer W. Kimball, ‘Love vs. Lust – https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/spencer-w-kimball_love-vs-lust/
  • Proclamation 1949

    Proclamation 1949

    Statement of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, August 17, 1949, Archives, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City. Note: The image above is designed to resemble the family proclamation.

    August 17, 1949

    The attitude of the Church with reference to Negroes remains as it has always stood. It is not a matter of the declaration of a policy but of direct commandment from the Lord, on which is founded the doctrine of the Church from the days of its organization, to the effect that Negroes may become members of the Church but that they are not entitled to the priesthood at the present time. The prophets of the Lord have made several statements as to the operation of the principle. President Brigham Young said: “Why are so many of the inhabitants of the earth cursed with a skin of blackness? It comes in consequence of their fathers rejecting the power of the holy priesthood, and the law of God. They will go down to death. And when all the rest of the children have received their blessings in the holy priesthood, then that curse will be removed from the seed of Cain, and they will then come up and possess the priesthood, and receive all the blessings which we now are entitled to.”

    President Wilford Woodruff made the following statement: “The day will come when all that race will be redeemed and possess all the blessings which we now have.”

    The position of the Church regarding the Negro may be understood when another doctrine of the Church is kept in mind, namely, that the conduct of spirits in the premortal existence has some determining effect upon the conditions and circumstances under which these spirits take on mortality and that while the details of this principle have not been made known, the mortality is a privilege that is given to those who maintain their first estate; and that the worth of the privilege is so great that spirits are willing to come to earth and take on bodies no matter what the handicap may be as to the kind of bodies they are to secure; and that among the handicaps, failure of the right to enjoy in mortality the blessings of the priesthood is a handicap which spirits are willing to assume in order that they might come to earth. Under this principle there is no injustice whatsoever involved in this deprivation as to the holding of the priesthood by the Negroes.

    The First Presidency

    References

    Statements made by Church leaders regarding the priesthood ban, Fair Mormon – https://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Mormonism_and_racial_issues/Blacks_and_the_priesthood/Statements

    Mormonism And The Negro – https://archive.org/details/MormonismAndTheNegro

    Letter from the First Presidency to Stewart Udall – https://archive.org/stream/StewartUdallConscienceOfAJackMormon/StuartUdall-OpenLetterOnRaceAndConsequencesOfConscience#page/n14/mode/1up

    Download

    1949 letter (PDF) – https://missedinsunday.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Proclamation_1949.pdf

    1969 letter (PDF) – https://missedinsunday.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Proclamation_1969.pdf

    See also:

  • Transparency

    Transparency

    October 1905 Conference Report, Prophet Joseph F. Smith, Pg. 5: 1

    “I want to say further to the Saints, that your brethren to whom you have entrusted the care and management of the finances of the Church stand ready and willing, any moment,’ to answer to YOU — to Latter-day Saints, to tithepayers, to those who are in the faith of the Gospel — for our stewardship. We can give you an account of our doings to the last senine; and I defy any man on earth to point his finger to a dollar that is willfully wasted, or stolen by the servants of God. The tithing books are kept as accurately and as perfectly as any books kept in any bank. Every man that pays a dollar tithing gets his credit on the books; and if he wants to see that his credit is there he can go and see for himself. But we do not propose to open our books and show your accounts to every Tom, Dick and Harry in the land that never did pay any tithing. We do not propose to do that, if we can help it. But you Latter-day Saints who pay your tithes and your offerings, if you want to see for yourselves, that you may be eye and ear witnesses, the books are open to you, and you can come and examine your accounts any business day you want.”

    April 1906 Conference Report, Prophet Joseph F. Smith, Pg. 6,7: 2

    “I want to say to the Latter-day Saints that the year 1905 has been the banner year for the tithings of the people. You can put that down in your memorandum books, and remember it. Never in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have the people contributed as much tithing as they did in 1905. And yet they have not done anything more than their duty; in fact, there are a great many Latter-day Saints that have not done their duty, as the books will show.

    In this connection I may say that a most thorough and searching auditation of the books of the Trustee-in-Trust, the books of the Presiding Bishopric, and the books of the Deseret News Company, has been made by the auditors that were appointed and sustained at our last conference. Before the conclusion of this conference we will read you their report, and I believe you will be perfectly satisfied with it. The man that complains about not knowing what is done with the tithing, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred is the man who has no credit on the books of the Church for paying tithing. We do not care to exhibit the books of the Church to such carpers and to that class of people. But there is not a tithepayer in the Church that cannot go to the Presiding Bishop’s Office, or to the office of the Trustee-in-Trust, if he desires, and find his account, and see to it that every dollar he has given to the Lord for tithing is credited to him. Then, if he wants to be more searching as a tithepayer and find out what is done with the tithing, we will set before him the whole thing, and if he has any good counsel to give us we will take it from him. But we will not — because we do not have to, and it is not the business of the world to require it open our books to the world, unless we wish to. We are not ashamed of them. We are not afraid for them to be inspected. They are honest and straight; and there is not a man in the world that will look at them, but will say so, if he is honest himself.”

    Excerpt from ’LDS Church Finances from the 1830’s to the 1990’s’, by historian D. Michael Quinn: 3

    “The combination of bad financial investments, declines in Church businesses, and the Great Depression once again pushed the LDS church into deficit spending. First Counselor J. Reuben Clark announced to general conferences that the Church had spending deficits amounting to $100,000 in 1937 and to nearly $900,000 in 1938. In President Clark’s view, voluntary disclosure of regrettable deficits was a way to encourage greater austerity on the part of the leaders at headquarters and elsewhere. During the 1940s Clark allowed the church to spend only 27% of its annual tithing revenues.

    Twenty years later, the First Presidency’s deficit spending stopped the practice of releasing detailed financial reports at April general conferences, a regular practice since 1915. During a few months in mid-1956, the Church lost a million dollars of tithing funds invested in municipal government bonds. Yet later that year, the First Presidency committed two thirds of Church income to continued investment in municipal bonds. ’08 The next annual financial report gave fewer details about expenditures of Church funds, and the Church published its last financial report in April 1959.

    By the end of 1959, the Church had spent $8 million more than that year’s income. This deficit was extraordinary in view of the fact that the Church had had surplus income of $7 million after 1958’s expenditures. To conceal the massive increase of building expenditures in the last half of 1959, which created that deficit, the Church stopped releasing even abbreviated financial reports. At the close of 1961, Apostle Harold B. Lee expressed “my stubborn resistance to the principle of ‘deficit spending,’ supposedly justified in the hope of increasing the tithing of the Church to cover the deficit,” to no avail.”

    References

    References
    1 October 1905 Conference Report – https://archive.org/details/conferencereport1905sa
    2 April 1906 Conference Report – https://archive.org/details/conferencereport1906a
    3 ’LDS Church Finances from the 1830’s to the 1990’s’, by historian D. Michael Quinn – https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/102-17-29.pdf
  • No God

    No God

    On June 1, 1980 Apostle Bruce R. McConkie gave an address at BYU entitled ‘The Seven Deadly Heresies’. The text version of this talk was drastically altered from the original audio address. 1

    Below is a comparison of the two versions.

     

    Printed version Audio version
    I have sought and do now seek that guidance and enlightenment which comes from the Holy Spirit of God. I desire to speak by the power Of the Holy Ghost so that my words will be true and wise and proper. When any of us speak by the power of the Spirit, we say what the Lord wants said, or, better, what he would say if he were here in person. I have sought very diligently to be given utterance and have the guidance of the spirit tonight in what I hope I will be able to say to you.
    I shall depart from my normal and usual pattern and read portions of my presentation because I want to state temperately and accurately the doctrinal principles involved and to say them in a way that will not leave room for doubt or question. I shall speak on some matters that some may consider to be controversial, though they ought not to be. They are things on which we ought to be united, and to the extent we are all guided and enlightened from on high we will be. If we are so united-and there will be no disagreement among those who believe and understand the revealed word-we will progress and advance and grow in the things of the Spirit; we will prepare ourselves for a life of peace and happiness and joy here and now, and for an eventual eternal reward in the kingdom of our Father. I am going to depart from a normal and usual pattern and read portions of what is involved because I want to state temperately and accurately the views that I have and say them in a way that will not leave room for doubt or for question. I intend to speak on some matters that some would consider to be controversial, they ought not to be. They are things upon which we ought to be united, and proportionately as we are, we’ll make progress and advance and grow in the things of the Spirit and prepare ourselves for a life of peace and happiness and joy here and for eventual eternal reward in the kingdom of our Father.
    There is a song or a saying or a proverb or a legend or a tradition or something that speaks of seven deadly sins. I know nothing whatever about these and hope you do not. My subject is one about which some few of you, unfortunately, do know a little. It is “‘The Seven Deadly Heresies”-not the great heresies of a lost and fallen Christendom, but some that have crept in among us. There is a song or a saying or a proverb or a legend or a tradition or something, that speaks of seven deadly sins. I know nothing whatever about these and hope you do not.
    My subject is one about which some of you, unfortunately, do know a little. It is “The Seven Deadly Heresies” – not the great heresies of a lost and fallen Christendom, but some which have crept in among us.
    Now I take a text. These words were written by Paul to certain ancient Saints. In principle they apply to us: I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. [1 Cor. 11:18-19] Now I take a text. These words were written by Paul to ancient Saints. In principle they apply to us: “I hear that there be divisions among you,” he said; “and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.” [1 Cor. 11:18-19]
    Now let me list some axioms (I guess in academic circles we call these caveats): Now let me list some axioms. I guess in academic circles we call these caveats:
    There is no salvation in believing a false doctrine. There is no salvation in believing a false doctrine.
    Truth, diamond truth, truth unmixed with error, truth alone leads to salvation. Truth, diamond truth, truth unmixed with error, truth alone leads to salvation.
    What we believe determines what we do. What we believe determines what we do.
    No man can be saved in ignorance of God and his laws. No man can be saved in ignorance of God and his laws.
    Man is saved no faster than he gains knowledge of Jesus Christ and the saving truths of his everlasting gospel. Man is saved no faster than he gains knowledge of Jesus Christ and the saving truths of his everlasting gospel.
    Gospel doctrines belong to the Lord, not to men. They are his. He ordained them, he reveals them, and he expects us to believe them. Gospel doctrines belong to the Lord, not to men. They are His. He ordained them, he reveals them, and he expects us to believe them.
    The doctrines of salvation are not discovered in the laboratory or on a geological field trip or by accompanying Darwin around the world. They come by revelation and in no other way. The doctrines of salvation are not discovered in the laboratory or on a geological field trip or by accompanying Darwin around the world. They come by revelation and in no other way.
    Our sole concern in seeking truth should be to learn and believe what the Lord knows and believes. Providentially he has set forth some of his views in the holy scriptures. Our goal as mortals is to gain the mind of Christ, to believe what he believes, to think what he thinks, to say what he says, to do what he does, and to be as he is. Our sole concern in seeking truth should be to learn and believe what the Lord knows and believes. Providentially he has set forth some of his views in the Holy Scriptures. Our goal as mortals is to gain the mind of Christ, to believe what he believes, to think what he thinks, to say what he says, to do what he does, and to be as he is.
    We are called upon to reject all heresies and cleave unto all truth. Only then can we progress according to the divine plan. As the Lord has said, We are called upon to reject all heresies and cleave unto all truth. Only then can we progress according to the divine plan.
    “Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” [D&C 130:18-19] “Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” [D7C 130:18-19]
    Please note that knowledge is gained by obedience. It comes by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. In the ultimate and full sense it comes only by revelation from the Holy Ghost. There are some things a sinful man does not and cannot know. The Lord’s people are promised: “By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moro. 10:5). But if they do not seek the Spirit, if they do not accept the revelations God has given, if they cannot distinguish between the revealed word and the theories of men, they have no promise of gaining a fulness of truth by the power of the Holy Ghost. Please note that knowledge is gained by obedience. There are some things a sinful man does not and cannot know.
    Now may I suggest the list of heresies. Now may I suggest the list of heresies?

    Heresy one

    Printed version Audio version
    There are those who say that God is progressing in knowledge and is learning new truths. There are those who say that God is progressing in knowledge and is learning new truths.
    This is false-utterly, totally, and completely. There is not one sliver of truth in it. It grows out of a wholly twisted and incorrect view of the King Follett Sermon and of what is meant by eternal progression. This is false-utterly, totally, and completely. There is not one sliver of truth in it. It grows out of a wholly twisted and incorrect view of the King Follett Sermon and of what is meant by eternal progression.
    God progresses in the sense that his kingdoms increase and his dominions multiply-not in the sense that he learn new truths and discovers new laws. God is not a student. He is not a laboratory technician. He is not postulating new theories on the basis of past experiences. He has indeed graduated to that state of exaltation that consists of knowing all things and having all power. God progresses in the sense that his kingdoms increase and his dominions multiply – not in the sense that he learns new truths and discovers new laws. God is not a student. He is not a laboratory technician. He is not postulating new theories on the basis of past experiences. He has indeed graduated to that state of exaltation which consists of knowing all things and having all power.
    The life that God lives is named eternal life. His name, one of them, is “Eternal,” using that word as a noun and not as an adjective, and he uses that name to identify the type of life that he lives. God’s life is eternal life, and eternal life is God’s life. They are one and the same. Eternal life is the reward we shall obtain if we believe and obey and walk uprightly before him. And eternal life consists of two things. It consists of life in the family unit, and also, of inheriting, receiving, and possessing the fulness of the glory of the Father. Anyone who has each of these things is an inheritor and possessor of the greatest of all gifts of God, which is eternal life. Now, the life that God lives is named eternal life. His name, one of them, is “Eternal,” and He applies that name to identify the type of life that He lives. And eternal life is the goal that we are able to obtain if we believe and obey and walk uprightly before Him. And eternal life consists of two things; life in the family unit, and, also, of inheriting, receiving, and possessing the fullness of the glory of the Father. Anyone who has each of those things is an inheritor and possessor of the greatest of all the gifts of God, which is eternal life.
    Eternal progression consists of living the kind of life God lives and of increasing in kingdoms and dominions everlastingly. Why anyone should suppose that an infinite and eternal being who has presided in our universe for almost 2,555,000,000 years, who made the sidereal heavens, whose creations are more numerous than the particles of the earth, and who is aware of the fall of every sparrow-why anyone would suppose that such a being has more to learn and new truths to discover in the laboratories of eternity is totally beyond my- comprehension. And eternal progression consists in living the kind of life that God lives and of increasing in kingdoms and dominions everlastingly. Why anyone should suppose that an infinite and eternal being who has presided in our universe for almost 2,555,000,000 years, who made the sidereal heavens, whose creations are more numerous than the particles of the earth, and who is aware of the fall of every sparrow – why anyone would suppose that such a being has more to learn and new truths to discover in the laboratories of eternity is totally beyond comprehension.
    Will he one day learn something that will destroy the plan of salvation and turn man and the universe into an uncreated nothingness? Will he discover a better plan of salvation than the one he has already given to men in worlds without number? Will He one day learn something that will destroy the plan of salvation and turn man and the universe into an uncreated nothingness? Will He discover a better plan of salvation than the one he has already given to men in worlds without number?
    I have been sorely tempted to say at this point that any who so suppose have the intellect of an ant, and the understanding of a clod of miry clay in a primordial swamp. [laughter] But, of course, I would never say a thing like that! [laughter] I have been sorely tempted to say at this point that any who so suppose have the intellect of an ant and the understanding of a clod of miry clay in a primordial swamp [laughter], but of course I would never say a thing like that. [laughter]
    The saving truth, as revealed to and taught, formally and officially, by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Lectures on Faith is that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He knows all things, he has all power, and he is everywhere present by the power of his Spirit. And unless we know and believe this doctrine we cannot gain faith unto life and salvation. The saving truth, as revealed to and taught, by the Prophet Joseph Smith is that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He knows all things, has all power, and is everywhere present by the power of his Spirit. And unless we know and believe this doctrine we cannot gain faith unto life and salvation.
    Joseph Smith also taught in the Lectures on Faith “that three things are necessary in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation.” These he named as- Joseph Smith taught that “three things are necessary in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation.” These he named as:
    1. The idea that he actually exists; 1. The idea that He actually exists;
    2. A correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes; and 2. A correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes; and
    3. An actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to the divine will. 3. An actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to the divine will.
    The attributes of God are given as knowledge, faith or power, justice, judgment, mercy, and truth. The perfections of God are named as “the perfections which belong to all of the attributes of his nature,” which is to say that God possesses and has all knowledge, all faith or power, all justice, all judgment, all mercy, and all truth. He is indeed the very embodiment and personification and source of all these attributes. Does anyone suppose that God can be more honest than he already is? Neither need any suppose there are truths he does not know or knowledge he does not possess. The attributes of God are given as knowledge, faith or power, justice, judgment, mercy, and truth. The perfections of God are named as “the perfections which belong to all of the attributes of his nature,” which is to say that God possesses and has all knowledge, all faith or power, all justice, all judgment, all mercy, and all truth. He is indeed the very embodiment, personification and source of all these attributes. Does anyone suppose that God can be more honest than he already is? Neither need any suppose there are truths he does not know or knowledge he does not possess.
    Thus Joseph Smith taught, and these are his words: Without the knowledge of all things, God would not be able to save any portion of his creatures; for it is by reason of the knowledge which he has of all things, from the beginning to the end, that enables him to give that understanding to his creatures by which they are made partakers of eternal life; and if it were not for the idea existing in the minds of men that God had all knowledge it would-be impossible for them to exercise faith in him. [As quoted by Bruce R. McConkie in Mormon Doctrine (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft), p. 264] Thus Joseph Smith taught, “Without the knowledge of all things, God would not be able to save any portion of his creatures; for it is by reason of the knowledge which he has of all things, from the beginning to the end, that enables him to give that understanding to his creatures by which they are made partakers of eternal life; and if it were not for the idea existing in the minds of men that God had all knowledge it would be impossible for them to exercise faith in him.” [Citing Lecture Four of the Lectures on Faith]
    If God is just dabbling with a few truths he has already chanced to learn or experimenting with a few facts he has already discovered, we have no idea as to the real end and purpose of creation. If God is just dabbling with a few truths he has already chanced to learn, or experimenting with a few facts he has already discovered, we have no idea as to the real end and purpose of creation.

    Heresy two

    Printed version Audio version
    concerns itself with the relationship between organic evolution and revealed religion and asks the question whether they can be harmonized.
    There are those who believe that the theory of organic evolution runs counter to the plain and explicit principles set forth in the holy scriptures as these have been interpreted and taught by Joseph Smith and his associates. There are others who think that evolution is the system used by the Lord to form plant and animal life and to place man on earth. There are those who say that revealed religion and organic evolution can be harmonized. This is both false and devilish.
    May I say that all truth is in agreement, that true religion and true science bear the same witness, and that in the true and full sense, true science is part of true religion. But may I also raise some questions of a serious nature. Is there any way to harmonize the false religions of the Dark Ages with the truths of science as they have now been discovered? Is there any way to harmonize the revealed religion that has come to us with the theoretical postulates of Darwinism and the diverse speculations descending therefrom? Yes, all truth is in agreement and true religion and true science bear the same witness, indeed in the true and full sense, true science is part of true religion. But there is no way to harmonize the false religions of the Dark Ages with the truths of science as they have now been discovered, and there is no way to harmonize the revealed religion which has come to us with the theoretical postulates of Darwinism and the diverse speculations descending therefrom
    Should we accept the famous document of the First Presidency issued in the days of President Joseph F. Smith and entitled “The Origin of Man” as meaning exactly what it says? Is it the doctrine of the gospel that Adam stood next to Christ in power and might and intelligence before the foundations of the world were laid; that Adam was placed on this earth as an immortal being; that there was no death in the world for him or for any form of life until after the Fall; that the fall of Adam brought temporal and spiritual death into the world; that this temporal death passed upon all forms of life, upon man and animal and fish and fowl and plant life; that Christ came to ransom man and all forms of life from the effects of the temporal death brought into the world through the Fall, and in the case of man from a spiritual death also; and that this ransom includes a resurrection for man and for all forms of life? Can you harmonize these things with the evolutionary postulate that death has always existed and that the various forms of life have evolved from preceding forms over astronomically long periods of time? Do not be deceived and led to believe that the famous document of the First Presidency issued in the days of President Joseph F. Smith and entitled The Origin of Man means anything except exactly what it says. The saving doctrine is that Adam stood next to Christ in power and mind and intelligence before the foundations of the world were laid; that Adam was placed on this earth as an immortal being; that there was no death in the world for him or for any form of life until after the Fall; that the fall of Adam brought temporal and spiritual death into the world; that this temporal death passed upon all forms of life, upon man and animal and fish and fowl and plant life; that Christ came to ransom man and all forms of life from the effects of the temporal death brought into the world through the Fall, and in the case of man from a spiritual death also; and that this ransom includes a resurrection for man and for all forms of life. Try as you may you cannot harmonize these things with the evolutionary postulate that death always existed and that the various forms of life have evolved from preceding forms over astronomically long periods of time.
    Can you harmonize the theories of men with the inspired words that say: And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. Try as you may you cannot harmonize the theories of men with the inspired word that says:
    And they [meaning Adam and Eve] would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. [2 Ne. 2:22-26] “And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they [meaning Adam and Eve] would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall.” [2 Nephi 2:22-26]
    These are questions to which all of us should find answers. Every person must choose for himself what he will believe. I recommend that all of you study and ponder and pray and seek light and knowledge in these and in all fields.
    I believe that the atonement of Christ is the great and eternal foundation upon which revealed religion rests. I believe that no man can be saved unless he believes that our Lord’s atoning sacrifice brings immortality to all and eternal life to those who believe and obey, and no man can believe in the atonement unless he accepts both the divine sonship of Christ and the fall of Adam. The atonement of Christ is the great and eternal foundation upon which revealed religion rests. No man can be saved unless he believes that our Lord’s atoning sacrifice brings immortality to all and eternal life to those who believe and obey, and no man can believe in the atonement unless he accepts both the divine Sonship of Christ and the Fall of Adam.
    My reasoning causes me to conclude that if death has always prevailed in the world, then there was no fall of Adam that brought death to all forms of life; that if Adam did not fall, there is no need for an atonement; that if there was no atonement, there is no salvation, no resurrection, and no eternal life; and that if there was no atonement, there is nothing in all of the glorious promises that the Lord has given us. I believe that the Fall affects man, all forms of life, and the earth itself. If death has always prevailed in the world, there was no fall of Adam which brought death to all forms of life; if Adam did not fall, there is no need for an atonement; if there was no atonement, there is no salvation, no resurrection, no eternal life; nothing in all of the glorious promises that the Lord has given us. If there is no salvation, there is no God. The fall affects man, all forms of life and the earth itself. The Atonement affects man, all forms of life and the earth itself.

    Heresy three

    Printed version Audio version
    There are those who say that temple marriage assures us of an eventual exaltation. Some have supposed that couples married in the temple who commit all manner of sin, and who then pay the penalty, will gain their exaltation eventually. There are those who say that temple marriage assures us of an eventual exaltation. Some have supposed that couples married in the temple who commit all manner of sin, and who then pay the penalty, will gain their exaltation eventually.
    This notion is contrary to the whole system and plan that the Lord has ordained, a system under which we are privileged to work out our salvation with fear and trembling before him. If we believe and obey, if we enter the waters of baptism and make solemn covenants with the Lord to keep his commandments, we thereby get on a strait and narrow path that leads from the gate of repentance and baptism to a reward that is called eternal life. And if we traverse the length of the path going upward and forward and onward, keeping the commandments, loving the Lord, and doing all that we ought to do, eventually we will be inheritors of that reward. This is contrary to the whole system and plan that the Lord has ordained, under which we are privileged to work out our salvation with fear and trembling before him. If we believe and obey, and enter the waters of baptism and make solemn covenants with the Lord to keep his commandments, we thereby get on a strait and narrow path which leads from the gate of repentance and baptism, a very great distance, to a reward that is called eternal life. And if we traverse the length of the path going upward and forward and onward, keeping the commandments, loving the Lord, and doing all that we ought to do, eventually we will be inheritors of that reward.
    And in exactly and precisely the same sense, celestial marriage is a gate that puts us on a path leading to exaltation in the highest heaven of the celestial world. It is in that highest realm of glory and dignity and honor hereafter that the family unit continues. Those who inherit a place in the highest heaven receive the reward that is named eternal life. Baptism is a gate; celestial marriage is a gate. When we get on the paths of which I speak, we are then obligated to keep the commandments. My suggestion in this field is that you go to the temple and listen to a ceremony of celestial marriage, paying particular and especial attention to the words, and learn what the promises are that are given. And you will learn that all of the promises given are conditioned upon subsequent compliance with all of the terms and conditions of that order of matrimony. And in exactly and precisely the same sense, celestial marriage is a gate that puts us on a path leading to exaltation in the highest heaven of the celestial world. And it is in that highest realm of glory and dignity and honor hereafter that the family unit continues, and that those who so inherit receive the reward that is named eternal life. Baptism is a gate; celestial marriage is a gate. When we get on the path we are obligated to keep the commandments. And my suggestion in this field is that you go to the temple and listen to a ceremony of celestial marriage, paying particular and especial attention to the words, and learn what the promises are that are given, particularly learning that all of the promises given are conditioned upon the subsequent compliance with all of the terms and conditions of that order of matrimony.

    Heresy four

    Printed version Audio version
    There are those who believe that the doctrine of salvation for the dead offers men a second chance for salvation. There are those who believe that the doctrine of salvation for the dead offers men a second chance for salvation. This is false, false, false.
    I knew a man, now deceased, not a member of the Church, who was a degenerate old reprobate who found pleasure, as he supposed, in living after the manner of the world. A cigarette dangled from his lips, alcohol stretched his breath, mind profane and bawdy stories defiled his lips. His moral status left much to be desired. I know a man, now deceased, a non- member of the Church, who was a degenerate old reprobate who found pleasure, as he supposed, in living after the manner of the world. A cigarette dangled from his lips, alcohol stenched his breath, and profane and bawdy stories defiled his lips. His moral status left much to be desired.
    His wife was a member of the Church, as faithful as she could be under the circumstances. One day she said to him, “You know the Church is true; why won’t you be baptized?” He replied,
    “Of course I know the Church is true, but I have no intention of changing my habits in order to join it. I prefer to live the way I do. But that doesn’t worry me in the slightest. I know that as soon as I die, you will have someone go to the temple and do the work for me and everything will come out all right in the end anyway.”
    His wife was a member of the Church, as faithful as she could be under the circumstances. One day she said to him, “You know the Church is true; why don’t you be baptized?” He replied, “Of course I know the Church is true, but I have no intention of changing my habits in order to join it. I prefer to live the way I do. But that doesn’t worry me in the slightest. I know that as soon as I die, you will have someone go to the temple and do the work for me and everything will come out all right in the end anyway.”
    He died and she had the work done in the temple. We do not sit in judgment and deny vicarious ordinances to people. But what will it profit him? He died and she did and it was a total and complete waste of time.
    There is no such thing as a second chance to gain salvation. This life is the time and the day of our probation. After this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. For those who do not have an opportunity to believe and obey the holy word in this life, the first chance to gain salvation will come in the spirit world. If those who hear the word for the first time in the realms ahead are the kind of people who would have accepted the gospel here, had the opportunity been afforded them, they will accept it there. Salvation for the dead is for those whose first chance to gain salvation is in the spirit world. In the revelation recently added to our canon of holy writ these words are found: There is no such thing as a second chance to gain salvation. This life is the time and the day of our probation. “After this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed” [Citing Alma 34:33]. For those who do not have an opportunity to believe and obey the holy word in this life, the first chance to gain salvation will come in the spirit world. If those who hear the word for the first time in the realms ahead are the kind of people who would have accepted the gospel here, had the opportunity been afforded, they will accept it there. Salvation for the dead is for those whose first chance to gain salvation is in the spirit world. Now in the new revelation recently added to our canon of holy writ these words come:
    Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God; Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom; For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts. [D&C 137:7-9] “Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God; Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom; For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.” [D&C 137:7-9]
    There is no other promise of salvation than the one recited in that revelation. Those who reject the gospel in this life and then receive it in the spirit world go not to the celestial, but to the terrestrial kingdom. There is no other promise of salvation than the one recited in that revelation. Those who reject the gospel in this life and then receive it in the spirit world, go not to the celestial, but to the terrestrial kingdom.

    Heresy five

    Printed version Audio version
    There are those who say that there is progression from one kingdom to another in the eternal worlds or that lower kingdoms eventually progress to where higher kingdoms once were.

    This belief lulls men into a state of carnal security. It causes them to say,

    “God is so merciful; surely he will save us all eventually; if we do not gain the celestial kingdom now, eventually we will; so why worry?” It lets people live a life of sin here and now with the hope that they will be saved eventually.

    There are those who say that there is progression from one kingdom to another in the eternal worlds or if not that, lower kingdoms eventually progress to where higher kingdoms once were. This is worse than false. It is an evil and pernicious doctrine. It lulls men into a state of carnal security. It causes them to say, “God is so merciful; surely he will save us all eventually; if we do not gain the celestial kingdom now, eventually we will; so why worry?” It lets people live a life of sin here and now with the hope that they will be saved eventually.
    The true doctrine is that all men will be resurrected, but they will come forth in the resurrection with different kinds of bodies-some celestial, others terrestrial, others telestial, and some with bodies incapable of standing any degree of glory. The body we receive in the resurrection determines the glory we receive in the kingdoms that are prepared. The true doctrine is that all men will be resurrected, but they will come forth in the resurrection with different kinds of bodies-some celestial, others terrestrial, others telestial, and some with bodies incapable of standing any degree of glory. The body we receive in the resurrection determines the glory we receive in the kingdoms that are prepared.
    Of those in the telestial world it is written:
    “And they shall be servants of the Most High, but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end” (D&C 76:112).
    Of those in the telestial world it is written: “And they shall be servants of the Most High, but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end” [D&C 76:112]
    Of those who had the opportunity to enter into the new and everlasting covenant of marriage in this life and who did not do it the revelation says:
    Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven; which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.
    Of those who remain unmarried in eternity, the revelation says: “Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven; which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.” [D&C 1 40:16]
    For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever. [D&C 1 40:16-17] Let me amend that, amend what I said, that is referring to people who had opportunity to be married right in this life and who were not. Of them, the revelation continues: “For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.” [D&C 1 40:17]
    They neither progress from one kingdom to another, nor does a lower kingdom ever get where a higher kingdom once was. Whatever eternal progression there is, it is within a sphere. They neither progress from one kingdom to another, nor does a lower kingdom ever get where a higher kingdom once was. Whatever eternal progression there is, is in a sphere.

    Heresy six

    Printed version Audio version
    There are those who believe or say they believe that Adam is our father and our god, that he is the father of our spirits and our bodies, and that he is the one we worship. There are those who believe, or say they believe that Adam is our father and our god. That he is the father of our spirits and our bodies, and that he is the one we worship.
    The devil keeps this heresy alive as a means of obtaining converts to cultism. It is contrary to the whole plan of salvation set forth in the scriptures, and anyone who has read the Book of Moses, and anyone who has received the temple endowment, has no excuse whatever for being led astray by it. Those who are so ensnared reject the living prophet and close their ears to the apostles of their day. “We will follow those who went before,” they say. And having so determined, they soon are ready to enter polygamous relationships that destroy their souls. The devil keeps this heresy alive as a means of obtaining converts to cultism. It is contrary to the whole plan of salvation set forth in the scriptures. Anyone who has read the Book of Moses, and anyone who has received the temple endowment and who yet believes the Adam-God theory, does not deserve to be saved. Those ensnared by it reject the living prophet and close their ears to the apostles of their day. “We will follow those who went before,” they say. And having so determined they soon are ready to enter polygamous relationships that destroy their souls.
    We worship the Father, in the name of the Son, by the power of the Holy Ghost; and Adam is their foremost servant, by whom the peopling of our planet was commenced. We worship the Father, in the name of the Son, by the power of the Holy Ghost; and Adam is their foremost servant, by whom the peopling of our planet commenced.

    Heresy seven

    Printed version Audio version
    There are those who believe we must be perfect to gain salvation. There are those who believe we must be perfect to gain salvation.
    This is not really a great heresy, only a doctrinal misunderstanding that I mention here in order to help round out our discussion and to turn our attention from negative to positive things. If we keep two principles in mind we will thereby know that good and faithful members of the Church will be saved even though they are far from perfect in this life. This is not really a great heresy, only a doctrinal misunderstanding which I mention here in order to help round out our discussion and to turn our attention from negative to positive things. If we keep two principles in mind we will thereby know that good and faithful members of the Church will be saved even though they are far from perfect in this life.
    These two principles are These two principles are:
    (1) that this life is the appointed time for men to prepare to meet God-this life is the day of our probation; and (1) That this life is the appointed time for men to prepare to meet God-this life is the day of our probation; and
    (2) that the same spirit which possesses our bodies at the time we go out of this mortal life shall have power to possess our bodies in that eternal world. (2) That same spirit which possesses our bodies at the time we go out of this mortal life shall have power to possess our bodies in that eternal world.
    What we are doing as members of the Church is charting a course leading to eternal life. There was only one perfect being, the Lord Jesus. If men had to be perfect and live all of the law -strictly, wholly, and completely, there would be only one saved person in eternity. The prophet taught that there are many things to be done, even beyond the grave, in working out our salvation. What we are doing as members of the Church is charting a course leading to eternal life. There was only one perfect being, the Lord Jesus. If men had to be perfect and live all of the law-strictly, wholly, and completely, there would be one saved person only in eternity. The prophet said that there are many things to be done, even beyond the grave, in working out our salvation.
    And so what we do in this life is chart a course leading to eternal life. That course begins here and now and continues in the realms ahead. We must determine in our hearts and in our souls, with all the power and ability we have, that from this time forward we will press on in righteousness; by so doing we can go where God and Christ are. If we make that firm determination, and are in the course of our duty when this life is over, we will continue in that course in eternity. That same spirit that possesses our bodies at the time we depart from this mortal life will have power to possess our bodies in the eternal world. If we go out of this life loving the Lord, desiring righteousness, and seeking to acquire the attributes of godliness, we will have that same spirit in the eternal world, and we will then continue to advance and progress until an ultimate, destined day when we will possess, receive, and inherit all things. And so what we do in this life is chart a course leading to eternal life. We determine in our heart and in our soul, with all the power and ability we have, that from this time forward we will press on in righteousness; so that we can go where God and Christ are. If we make that determination, and were in the course of our duty when this life is over, we will continue in that course in eternity. Because that same spirit that possesses our bodies at the time we depart from this mortal life will have power to possess our bodies in the eternal world. If we go out of this life loving the Lord, and desiring righteousness, and seeking to acquire the attributes of godliness, we will have that same spirit in the eternal world, and we will continue to advance and progress until an ultimate, destined day when we’ll possess, receive, and inherit all things.
    Now I do not say these are the only great heresies that prevail among us. There are others that might be mentioned. My suggestion, relative to all doctrines and all principles, is that we become students of holy writ, and that we conform our thinking and our beliefs to what is found in the standard works. We need to be less concerned about the views and opinions that others have expressed and drink directly from the fountain the Lord has given us. Then we shall come to a true understanding of the points of his doctrine. And if we pursue such a course, we will soon find that it proceeds in a different direction than the one that the world pursues. We will not be troubled with the intellectual views and expressions of uninspired people. We will soon obtain for ourselves the witness of the Spirit that we are pursuing a course that is pleasing to the Lord, and this knowledge will have a cleansing and sanctifying and edifying influence upon us. Now I do not say these are the greatest heresies that prevail among us. It seems to me that quite likely there are other things also that could be added. But my suggestion is that we become students of the holy writ, that we conform our thinking and our beliefs to what is found in the standard works. That we have less concern about the views and opinions that others have expressed and that we drink direct from the fountain that the Lord has given us, and that we come to an understanding on the points of his doctrine. And if we pursue such a course, we will find that it is in a different direction than the one that the world goes in. But we will not be concerned with the intellectual expressions of other people. We’ll soon obtain for ourselves the witness of the Spirit that we’re pursuing a course that is seeking righteousness, and this will have a cleansing and sanctifying and edifying influence upon us.
    Now, in order to have things in perspective, let me identify the three greatest heresies in all Christendom. They do not prevail among us, fortunately, but they are part of the gross and universal darkness that covers the earth and blots out from the minds of men those truths upon which salvation rests. Now, just to have things in perspective, let me mention the three greatest heresies that prevail in all Christendom. They do not prevail among us, fortunately.
    The greatest truth known to man is that there is a God in heaven who is infinite and eternal; that he is the creator, upholder, and preserver of all things; that he created us and the sidereal heavens and ordained and established a plan of salvation whereby we might advance and progress and become like him. The truth pertaining to him is that he is our Father in heaven, that he has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s, that he is a literal person, and that if we believe and obey his laws we can gain the exaltation that he possesses. Now that is the greatest truth and the most glorious concept known to the human mind, and the reverse of it is the greatest heresy in all Christendom. < Christendom. all in heresy greatest the is>
    The Christian heresy, where God is concerned, is that Deity is a spirit essence that fills the immensity of space; that he is three beings in one; that he is uncreated, incorporeal, and incomprehensible; that he is without body, parts, or passions; that he is a spirit nothingness that is everywhere and nowhere in particular present. These are concepts written in the creeds had in the churches of the world. The reverse is, that God is a spirit essence, three beings in one, a spirit nothingness that fills the immensity of space, the reverse of it is the heresy that is written in the creeds that are had in the churches of the world.
    The second greatest truth in all eternity pertains to the divine sonship of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It includes the eternal verity that he was foreordained in the councils of eternity to come to earth and be the redeemer of men, to come and ransom men from the temporal and spiritual death brought upon them by the fall of Adam. This second greatest truth is that Christ worked out the infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice because of which all men are raised in immortality and those who believe and obey are raised also unto eternal life. Now the second greatest truth in all eternity is that which pertains to the divine Sonship of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It is that he was foreordained in the councils of eternity to come to down here and be the redeemer of men, to come and ransom men from the indicated temporal and spiritual death brought upon them by the fall of Adam. This second greatest truth is that Christ worked out this infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice so that all men are raised in immortality and those who believe and obey are raised also unto eternal life.
    Now the second greatest heresy in all Christendom is designed to destroy the glories and wonders of the infinite and eternal atonement. It is that men are saved by some kind of lip service, by the grace of God, without work and without effort on their part. Now the opposite of that is the second greatest heresy in all Christendom, and the opposite is that men are saved by some kind of lip service, by the grace of God supposedly, without work and without effort on their part.
    The third greatest truth known to mankind is that the Holy Spirit of God is a revelator and a sanctifier, that he is a personage of spirit that his assigned ministry and work in the eternal Godhead is to bear record of the Father and of the Son, to reveal them and their truths to men. His work is to cleanse and perfect human souls, to burn dross and evil out of human souls as though by fire. We call that the baptism of fire. The third greatest truth known to mankind, the third greatest truth in all eternity is that the Holy Spirit of God is a revelator and a sanctifier, that he is a personage of spirit that his assigned ministry and work in the eternal Godhead is to bear record of the Father and of the Son, to reveal them and their truths to men. And that his work is to be a sanctifier to cleanse and perfect human souls, to burn dross and evil out of human souls as though by fire. We call that the baptism of fire.
    Now the opposite of that is the third greatest heresy in all Christendom. It is that revelation has ceased, that God’s mouth is closed, that the Holy Ghost no longer inspires men, that the gifts of the Spirit were done away with after the death of the ancient apostles, and that we no longer need to follow the course they charted. Now the opposite of that is the third greatest heresy in all Christendom, which is that revelation has ceased, that God’s mouth is closed, that the Holy Ghost no longer inspires men, that the gifts of the Spirit were done away with the ancient apostles, and that we no longer follow the course that they charted.
    I simply name these things; I think you will want to weigh and evaluate what is involved. I think you will want to ponder and wonder and search the scriptures. After Jesus had been teaching the Nephites as a resurrected person, giving them as much truth as in his wisdom he felt they could absorb at one time, he counseled them to go to their homes, and to ponder in their hearts the things he had said, and to pray to the Father in his name to find out if they were true, and then to come again on the morrow and he would teach them -more. Well, I have named these things; I think you will want to weigh and evaluate. I think you will want to ponder and wonder and search the scriptures. After Jesus had been teaching, as a resurrected person, the Nephites, giving them as much truth as in his wisdom they felt they could absorb at one time, he counseled them to go to their homes, and to ponder in their hearts the things he had said, and to pray to the Father in his name to find out if they were true, and then to come again on the morrow and he would teach them more.
    Now that gives us the pattern by which we should operate in the Church. We come together in congregations, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, studying the revelations, reading the scriptures, and hearing expressions of doctrine and counsel given by those who are appointed. These teachings ought to be delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit. They ought to be received by the same power. And if they are, then the speaker and the hearer will be mutually edified, and we will have true and proper worship.
    Then when the meeting is over, the “amen” should not end it. We should go to our homes and to our families and to our circles, and we should search out the revelations and find out what the Lord has said on the subjects involved. We should seek to get in tune with the Holy Spirit and to gain a witness, not solely of the truth and divinity of the work in which we are engaged but also of the doctrines that are taught by those who preach to us. We come into these congregations, and sometimes a speaker brings a jug of living water that has in it many gallons. And when he pours it out on the congregation, all the members have brought is a single cup and so that’s all they take away. Or maybe they have their hands over the cups, and they don’t get anything to speak of. Then when the meeting is over, the “amen” should not end it. We should go to our homes and to our families and in our circles, and we should search out the revelations and find what the Lord has said on the subjects involved. And we should seek to get in tune with the Holy Spirit and gain a witness, not alone of the truth and divinity of the work in which we are engaged, but of the doctrines that are taught by those who preach to us. We come into these congregations, and sometimes a speaker brings a jug of living water that has in it many gallons. And he pours it out on the congregation, and all that the members have brought is a single cup and that’s all that they took away. Or maybe they have their hands over the cups, and they don’t get anything to speak of.
    On other occasions we have meetings where the speaker comes and all he brings is a little cup of eternal truth, and the members of the congregation come with a large jug and all they get in their jugs is the little dribble that came from a man who should have known better and who should have prepared himself and talked from the revelations and spoken by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are obligated in the Church to speak by the power of the Spirit. We are commanded to treasure up the words of light and truth and then give forth the portion that is appropriate and needful on every occasion. Now in other instances, we have meetings where the speaker comes and all he brings is a little cup of eternal truth, and the members of the congregation come with a large jug and all they get in their jug is the little dribble that came from a man who should have known better and who should have prepared himself and talked from the revelations and spoken by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are obligated in the Church to speak by the power of the Spirit. We are commanded to treasure up the words of light and truth and then give forth the portion that is appropriate and needful on every occasion.
    Now I have deliberately read portions of my talk tonight because I wanted the words to be the way you heard them, so that I would be on record on the matters that are involved and so that as far as I am concerned the word would have been said in the plainness that I have given it. And those who hear would then be accountable themselves for their reaction to it.
    I do not think that the heresies I have named are common in the Church. I think that the great majority of the members of the Church believe and understand true doctrines and seek to apply true principles in their lives. Unfortunately, there are a few people who agitate and stir these matters up, who have some personal ax to grind, and who desire to spread philosophies of their own, philosophies that, as near as the judges in Israel can discern, are not in harmony with the mind and will and purpose of the Lord. It is incumbent upon us to believe the truth. We have the obligation to find out what is truth, and then we have the obligation to walk in the light and to apply the truths that we have learned to ourselves and to influence others to do likewise. I do not think that heresies as I have named them are common in the Church. I think that the great generality of the members of the Church believe and understand the doctrines and seek to apply the principles to their lives. Unfortunately, there are a few people who agitate and stir these matters up, and have some personal ax to grind, or desire to spread philosophies of their own, that as near as the judges in Israel can discern, are not in harmony with the mind and will and purpose of the Lord. It is incumbent upon us to believe the truth. We have the obligation to find out what is true, and then we have the obligation to walk in the light and to apply the truths that we have learned to ourselves and to influence others to do likewise.
    Now the glorious and wondrous thing about this whole system of revealed religion that the Lord, our God, has given us is the fact that it is true. There isn’t a grander, a more glorious, a more wondrous concept than the simple one that the work in which we are engaged is true. And because it is true it will triumph and prevail, and the knowledge of God and his truths will roll forth until it covers the whole earth as the waters cover the sea. We do not expect to have a perfect society among us until the millennial day dawns. But that is not far-distant. And when that day comes, we will all, as the scriptures say, see eye to eye and speak with one voice, and the Lord himself will dwell among us. He could not dwell among us now because we are divided and we are not living in that perfect harmony and unity and with that devotion that prevailed among the Saints in the city of Enoch. Now the glorious and wondrous thing about this whole system of revealed religion that the Lord, our God, has given us is the fact that it’s true. There isn’t a grander, a more glorious, a more wondrous concept than the simple one that the work in which we are engaged is true. And because it’s true it will triumph and prevail, and the knowledge of God and his truths will roll forth until they cover the whole earth as the waters cover the sea. We do not expect to have a perfect society among us until the millennial day dawns. But that is not far-distant. And when that day comes, we will all, as the scriptures say, see eye to eye and speak with one voice, and the Lord himself will dwell among us. He could not dwell among us now because we are divided and we are not living in that perfect harmony and unity and with that devotion that prevailed among the Saints in days of the city of Enoch.
    God grant that we may be wise in what we do, that we may seek truth, that we may live in harmony with the truth, that we may bear testimony of the truth, and that we may, as a consequence, have joy and peace and happiness here and now and be inheritors, in due course, of eternal reward in our Father’s kingdom. This is my prayer for myself and for all of you, and for all of the members of the Church, and for honest truthseekers everywhere, and I offer it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. God grant that we may be wise in what we do, that we may seek truth, that we may live truth, that we may bear testimony of the truth, that we may, as a consequence, have the joy and peace and happiness that comes to people who so do have it here and now and thus be inheritors, in due course, and eventually of eternal reward in our Father’s kingdom. This is my prayer for myself and for all of you, and for all of the members of the Church, and for honest truthseekers everywhere, and I offer it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

    References

  • The Seven Deadly Heresies

    The Seven Deadly Heresies

    On June 1, 1980 Apostle Bruce R. McConkie gave an address at BYU entitled ‘The Seven Deadly Heresies’. The text version of this talk was drastically altered from the original audio address. 1

    Below is a comparison of the two versions.

     

    Printed version Audio version
    I have sought and do now seek that guidance and enlightenment which comes from the Holy Spirit of God. I desire to speak by the power Of the Holy Ghost so that my words will be true and wise and proper. When any of us speak by the power of the Spirit, we say what the Lord wants said, or, better, what he would say if he were here in person. I have sought very diligently to be given utterance and have the guidance of the spirit tonight in what I hope I will be able to say to you.
    I shall depart from my normal and usual pattern and read portions of my presentation because I want to state temperately and accurately the doctrinal principles involved and to say them in a way that will not leave room for doubt or question. I shall speak on some matters that some may consider to be controversial, though they ought not to be. They are things on which we ought to be united, and to the extent we are all guided and enlightened from on high we will be. If we are so united-and there will be no disagreement among those who believe and understand the revealed word-we will progress and advance and grow in the things of the Spirit; we will prepare ourselves for a life of peace and happiness and joy here and now, and for an eventual eternal reward in the kingdom of our Father. I am going to depart from a normal and usual pattern and read portions of what is involved because I want to state temperately and accurately the views that I have and say them in a way that will not leave room for doubt or for question. I intend to speak on some matters that some would consider to be controversial, they ought not to be. They are things upon which we ought to be united, and proportionately as we are, we’ll make progress and advance and grow in the things of the Spirit and prepare ourselves for a life of peace and happiness and joy here and for eventual eternal reward in the kingdom of our Father.
    There is a song or a saying or a proverb or a legend or a tradition or something that speaks of seven deadly sins. I know nothing whatever about these and hope you do not. My subject is one about which some few of you, unfortunately, do know a little. It is “‘The Seven Deadly Heresies”-not the great heresies of a lost and fallen Christendom, but some that have crept in among us. There is a song or a saying or a proverb or a legend or a tradition or something, that speaks of seven deadly sins. I know nothing whatever about these and hope you do not.
    My subject is one about which some of you, unfortunately, do know a little. It is “The Seven Deadly Heresies” – not the great heresies of a lost and fallen Christendom, but some which have crept in among us.
    Now I take a text. These words were written by Paul to certain ancient Saints. In principle they apply to us: I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. [1 Cor. 11:18-19] Now I take a text. These words were written by Paul to ancient Saints. In principle they apply to us: “I hear that there be divisions among you,” he said; “and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.” [1 Cor. 11:18-19]
    Now let me list some axioms (I guess in academic circles we call these caveats): Now let me list some axioms. I guess in academic circles we call these caveats:
    There is no salvation in believing a false doctrine. There is no salvation in believing a false doctrine.
    Truth, diamond truth, truth unmixed with error, truth alone leads to salvation. Truth, diamond truth, truth unmixed with error, truth alone leads to salvation.
    What we believe determines what we do. What we believe determines what we do.
    No man can be saved in ignorance of God and his laws. No man can be saved in ignorance of God and his laws.
    Man is saved no faster than he gains knowledge of Jesus Christ and the saving truths of his everlasting gospel. Man is saved no faster than he gains knowledge of Jesus Christ and the saving truths of his everlasting gospel.
    Gospel doctrines belong to the Lord, not to men. They are his. He ordained them, he reveals them, and he expects us to believe them. Gospel doctrines belong to the Lord, not to men. They are His. He ordained them, he reveals them, and he expects us to believe them.
    The doctrines of salvation are not discovered in the laboratory or on a geological field trip or by accompanying Darwin around the world. They come by revelation and in no other way. The doctrines of salvation are not discovered in the laboratory or on a geological field trip or by accompanying Darwin around the world. They come by revelation and in no other way.
    Our sole concern in seeking truth should be to learn and believe what the Lord knows and believes. Providentially he has set forth some of his views in the holy scriptures. Our goal as mortals is to gain the mind of Christ, to believe what he believes, to think what he thinks, to say what he says, to do what he does, and to be as he is. Our sole concern in seeking truth should be to learn and believe what the Lord knows and believes. Providentially he has set forth some of his views in the Holy Scriptures. Our goal as mortals is to gain the mind of Christ, to believe what he believes, to think what he thinks, to say what he says, to do what he does, and to be as he is.
    We are called upon to reject all heresies and cleave unto all truth. Only then can we progress according to the divine plan. As the Lord has said, We are called upon to reject all heresies and cleave unto all truth. Only then can we progress according to the divine plan.
    “Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” [D&C 130:18-19] “Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” [D7C 130:18-19]
    Please note that knowledge is gained by obedience. It comes by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. In the ultimate and full sense it comes only by revelation from the Holy Ghost. There are some things a sinful man does not and cannot know. The Lord’s people are promised: “By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moro. 10:5). But if they do not seek the Spirit, if they do not accept the revelations God has given, if they cannot distinguish between the revealed word and the theories of men, they have no promise of gaining a fulness of truth by the power of the Holy Ghost. Please note that knowledge is gained by obedience. There are some things a sinful man does not and cannot know.
    Now may I suggest the list of heresies. Now may I suggest the list of heresies?

    Heresy one

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    There are those who say that God is progressing in knowledge and is learning new truths. There are those who say that God is progressing in knowledge and is learning new truths.
    This is false-utterly, totally, and completely. There is not one sliver of truth in it. It grows out of a wholly twisted and incorrect view of the King Follett Sermon and of what is meant by eternal progression. This is false-utterly, totally, and completely. There is not one sliver of truth in it. It grows out of a wholly twisted and incorrect view of the King Follett Sermon and of what is meant by eternal progression.
    God progresses in the sense that his kingdoms increase and his dominions multiply-not in the sense that he learn new truths and discovers new laws. God is not a student. He is not a laboratory technician. He is not postulating new theories on the basis of past experiences. He has indeed graduated to that state of exaltation that consists of knowing all things and having all power. God progresses in the sense that his kingdoms increase and his dominions multiply – not in the sense that he learns new truths and discovers new laws. God is not a student. He is not a laboratory technician. He is not postulating new theories on the basis of past experiences. He has indeed graduated to that state of exaltation which consists of knowing all things and having all power.
    The life that God lives is named eternal life. His name, one of them, is “Eternal,” using that word as a noun and not as an adjective, and he uses that name to identify the type of life that he lives. God’s life is eternal life, and eternal life is God’s life. They are one and the same. Eternal life is the reward we shall obtain if we believe and obey and walk uprightly before him. And eternal life consists of two things. It consists of life in the family unit, and also, of inheriting, receiving, and possessing the fulness of the glory of the Father. Anyone who has each of these things is an inheritor and possessor of the greatest of all gifts of God, which is eternal life. Now, the life that God lives is named eternal life. His name, one of them, is “Eternal,” and He applies that name to identify the type of life that He lives. And eternal life is the goal that we are able to obtain if we believe and obey and walk uprightly before Him. And eternal life consists of two things; life in the family unit, and, also, of inheriting, receiving, and possessing the fullness of the glory of the Father. Anyone who has each of those things is an inheritor and possessor of the greatest of all the gifts of God, which is eternal life.
    Eternal progression consists of living the kind of life God lives and of increasing in kingdoms and dominions everlastingly. Why anyone should suppose that an infinite and eternal being who has presided in our universe for almost 2,555,000,000 years, who made the sidereal heavens, whose creations are more numerous than the particles of the earth, and who is aware of the fall of every sparrow-why anyone would suppose that such a being has more to learn and new truths to discover in the laboratories of eternity is totally beyond my- comprehension. And eternal progression consists in living the kind of life that God lives and of increasing in kingdoms and dominions everlastingly. Why anyone should suppose that an infinite and eternal being who has presided in our universe for almost 2,555,000,000 years, who made the sidereal heavens, whose creations are more numerous than the particles of the earth, and who is aware of the fall of every sparrow – why anyone would suppose that such a being has more to learn and new truths to discover in the laboratories of eternity is totally beyond comprehension.
    Will he one day learn something that will destroy the plan of salvation and turn man and the universe into an uncreated nothingness? Will he discover a better plan of salvation than the one he has already given to men in worlds without number? Will He one day learn something that will destroy the plan of salvation and turn man and the universe into an uncreated nothingness? Will He discover a better plan of salvation than the one he has already given to men in worlds without number?
    I have been sorely tempted to say at this point that any who so suppose have the intellect of an ant, and the understanding of a clod of miry clay in a primordial swamp. [laughter] But, of course, I would never say a thing like that! [laughter] I have been sorely tempted to say at this point that any who so suppose have the intellect of an ant and the understanding of a clod of miry clay in a primordial swamp [laughter], but of course I would never say a thing like that. [laughter]
    The saving truth, as revealed to and taught, formally and officially, by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Lectures on Faith is that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He knows all things, he has all power, and he is everywhere present by the power of his Spirit. And unless we know and believe this doctrine we cannot gain faith unto life and salvation. The saving truth, as revealed to and taught, by the Prophet Joseph Smith is that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He knows all things, has all power, and is everywhere present by the power of his Spirit. And unless we know and believe this doctrine we cannot gain faith unto life and salvation.
    Joseph Smith also taught in the Lectures on Faith “that three things are necessary in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation.” These he named as- Joseph Smith taught that “three things are necessary in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation.” These he named as:
    1. The idea that he actually exists; 1. The idea that He actually exists;
    2. A correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes; and 2. A correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes; and
    3. An actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to the divine will. 3. An actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to the divine will.
    The attributes of God are given as knowledge, faith or power, justice, judgment, mercy, and truth. The perfections of God are named as “the perfections which belong to all of the attributes of his nature,” which is to say that God possesses and has all knowledge, all faith or power, all justice, all judgment, all mercy, and all truth. He is indeed the very embodiment and personification and source of all these attributes. Does anyone suppose that God can be more honest than he already is? Neither need any suppose there are truths he does not know or knowledge he does not possess. The attributes of God are given as knowledge, faith or power, justice, judgment, mercy, and truth. The perfections of God are named as “the perfections which belong to all of the attributes of his nature,” which is to say that God possesses and has all knowledge, all faith or power, all justice, all judgment, all mercy, and all truth. He is indeed the very embodiment, personification and source of all these attributes. Does anyone suppose that God can be more honest than he already is? Neither need any suppose there are truths he does not know or knowledge he does not possess.
    Thus Joseph Smith taught, and these are his words: Without the knowledge of all things, God would not be able to save any portion of his creatures; for it is by reason of the knowledge which he has of all things, from the beginning to the end, that enables him to give that understanding to his creatures by which they are made partakers of eternal life; and if it were not for the idea existing in the minds of men that God had all knowledge it would-be impossible for them to exercise faith in him. [As quoted by Bruce R. McConkie in Mormon Doctrine (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft), p. 264] Thus Joseph Smith taught, “Without the knowledge of all things, God would not be able to save any portion of his creatures; for it is by reason of the knowledge which he has of all things, from the beginning to the end, that enables him to give that understanding to his creatures by which they are made partakers of eternal life; and if it were not for the idea existing in the minds of men that God had all knowledge it would be impossible for them to exercise faith in him.” [Citing Lecture Four of the Lectures on Faith]
    If God is just dabbling with a few truths he has already chanced to learn or experimenting with a few facts he has already discovered, we have no idea as to the real end and purpose of creation. If God is just dabbling with a few truths he has already chanced to learn, or experimenting with a few facts he has already discovered, we have no idea as to the real end and purpose of creation.

    Heresy two

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    concerns itself with the relationship between organic evolution and revealed religion and asks the question whether they can be harmonized.
    There are those who believe that the theory of organic evolution runs counter to the plain and explicit principles set forth in the holy scriptures as these have been interpreted and taught by Joseph Smith and his associates. There are others who think that evolution is the system used by the Lord to form plant and animal life and to place man on earth. There are those who say that revealed religion and organic evolution can be harmonized. This is both false and devilish.
    May I say that all truth is in agreement, that true religion and true science bear the same witness, and that in the true and full sense, true science is part of true religion. But may I also raise some questions of a serious nature. Is there any way to harmonize the false religions of the Dark Ages with the truths of science as they have now been discovered? Is there any way to harmonize the revealed religion that has come to us with the theoretical postulates of Darwinism and the diverse speculations descending therefrom? Yes, all truth is in agreement and true religion and true science bear the same witness, indeed in the true and full sense, true science is part of true religion. But there is no way to harmonize the false religions of the Dark Ages with the truths of science as they have now been discovered, and there is no way to harmonize the revealed religion which has come to us with the theoretical postulates of Darwinism and the diverse speculations descending therefrom
    Should we accept the famous document of the First Presidency issued in the days of President Joseph F. Smith and entitled “The Origin of Man” as meaning exactly what it says? Is it the doctrine of the gospel that Adam stood next to Christ in power and might and intelligence before the foundations of the world were laid; that Adam was placed on this earth as an immortal being; that there was no death in the world for him or for any form of life until after the Fall; that the fall of Adam brought temporal and spiritual death into the world; that this temporal death passed upon all forms of life, upon man and animal and fish and fowl and plant life; that Christ came to ransom man and all forms of life from the effects of the temporal death brought into the world through the Fall, and in the case of man from a spiritual death also; and that this ransom includes a resurrection for man and for all forms of life? Can you harmonize these things with the evolutionary postulate that death has always existed and that the various forms of life have evolved from preceding forms over astronomically long periods of time? Do not be deceived and led to believe that the famous document of the First Presidency issued in the days of President Joseph F. Smith and entitled The Origin of Man means anything except exactly what it says. The saving doctrine is that Adam stood next to Christ in power and mind and intelligence before the foundations of the world were laid; that Adam was placed on this earth as an immortal being; that there was no death in the world for him or for any form of life until after the Fall; that the fall of Adam brought temporal and spiritual death into the world; that this temporal death passed upon all forms of life, upon man and animal and fish and fowl and plant life; that Christ came to ransom man and all forms of life from the effects of the temporal death brought into the world through the Fall, and in the case of man from a spiritual death also; and that this ransom includes a resurrection for man and for all forms of life. Try as you may you cannot harmonize these things with the evolutionary postulate that death always existed and that the various forms of life have evolved from preceding forms over astronomically long periods of time.
    Can you harmonize the theories of men with the inspired words that say: And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. Try as you may you cannot harmonize the theories of men with the inspired word that says:
    And they [meaning Adam and Eve] would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. [2 Ne. 2:22-26] “And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they [meaning Adam and Eve] would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall.” [2 Nephi 2:22-26]
    These are questions to which all of us should find answers. Every person must choose for himself what he will believe. I recommend that all of you study and ponder and pray and seek light and knowledge in these and in all fields.
    I believe that the atonement of Christ is the great and eternal foundation upon which revealed religion rests. I believe that no man can be saved unless he believes that our Lord’s atoning sacrifice brings immortality to all and eternal life to those who believe and obey, and no man can believe in the atonement unless he accepts both the divine sonship of Christ and the fall of Adam. The atonement of Christ is the great and eternal foundation upon which revealed religion rests. No man can be saved unless he believes that our Lord’s atoning sacrifice brings immortality to all and eternal life to those who believe and obey, and no man can believe in the atonement unless he accepts both the divine Sonship of Christ and the Fall of Adam.
    My reasoning causes me to conclude that if death has always prevailed in the world, then there was no fall of Adam that brought death to all forms of life; that if Adam did not fall, there is no need for an atonement; that if there was no atonement, there is no salvation, no resurrection, and no eternal life; and that if there was no atonement, there is nothing in all of the glorious promises that the Lord has given us. I believe that the Fall affects man, all forms of life, and the earth itself. If death has always prevailed in the world, there was no fall of Adam which brought death to all forms of life; if Adam did not fall, there is no need for an atonement; if there was no atonement, there is no salvation, no resurrection, no eternal life; nothing in all of the glorious promises that the Lord has given us. If there is no salvation, there is no God. The fall affects man, all forms of life and the earth itself. The Atonement affects man, all forms of life and the earth itself.

    Heresy three

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    There are those who say that temple marriage assures us of an eventual exaltation. Some have supposed that couples married in the temple who commit all manner of sin, and who then pay the penalty, will gain their exaltation eventually. There are those who say that temple marriage assures us of an eventual exaltation. Some have supposed that couples married in the temple who commit all manner of sin, and who then pay the penalty, will gain their exaltation eventually.
    This notion is contrary to the whole system and plan that the Lord has ordained, a system under which we are privileged to work out our salvation with fear and trembling before him. If we believe and obey, if we enter the waters of baptism and make solemn covenants with the Lord to keep his commandments, we thereby get on a strait and narrow path that leads from the gate of repentance and baptism to a reward that is called eternal life. And if we traverse the length of the path going upward and forward and onward, keeping the commandments, loving the Lord, and doing all that we ought to do, eventually we will be inheritors of that reward. This is contrary to the whole system and plan that the Lord has ordained, under which we are privileged to work out our salvation with fear and trembling before him. If we believe and obey, and enter the waters of baptism and make solemn covenants with the Lord to keep his commandments, we thereby get on a strait and narrow path which leads from the gate of repentance and baptism, a very great distance, to a reward that is called eternal life. And if we traverse the length of the path going upward and forward and onward, keeping the commandments, loving the Lord, and doing all that we ought to do, eventually we will be inheritors of that reward.
    And in exactly and precisely the same sense, celestial marriage is a gate that puts us on a path leading to exaltation in the highest heaven of the celestial world. It is in that highest realm of glory and dignity and honor hereafter that the family unit continues. Those who inherit a place in the highest heaven receive the reward that is named eternal life. Baptism is a gate; celestial marriage is a gate. When we get on the paths of which I speak, we are then obligated to keep the commandments. My suggestion in this field is that you go to the temple and listen to a ceremony of celestial marriage, paying particular and especial attention to the words, and learn what the promises are that are given. And you will learn that all of the promises given are conditioned upon subsequent compliance with all of the terms and conditions of that order of matrimony. And in exactly and precisely the same sense, celestial marriage is a gate that puts us on a path leading to exaltation in the highest heaven of the celestial world. And it is in that highest realm of glory and dignity and honor hereafter that the family unit continues, and that those who so inherit receive the reward that is named eternal life. Baptism is a gate; celestial marriage is a gate. When we get on the path we are obligated to keep the commandments. And my suggestion in this field is that you go to the temple and listen to a ceremony of celestial marriage, paying particular and especial attention to the words, and learn what the promises are that are given, particularly learning that all of the promises given are conditioned upon the subsequent compliance with all of the terms and conditions of that order of matrimony.

    Heresy four

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    There are those who believe that the doctrine of salvation for the dead offers men a second chance for salvation. There are those who believe that the doctrine of salvation for the dead offers men a second chance for salvation. This is false, false, false.
    I knew a man, now deceased, not a member of the Church, who was a degenerate old reprobate who found pleasure, as he supposed, in living after the manner of the world. A cigarette dangled from his lips, alcohol stretched his breath, mind profane and bawdy stories defiled his lips. His moral status left much to be desired. I know a man, now deceased, a non- member of the Church, who was a degenerate old reprobate who found pleasure, as he supposed, in living after the manner of the world. A cigarette dangled from his lips, alcohol stenched his breath, and profane and bawdy stories defiled his lips. His moral status left much to be desired.
    His wife was a member of the Church, as faithful as she could be under the circumstances. One day she said to him, “You know the Church is true; why won’t you be baptized?” He replied,
    “Of course I know the Church is true, but I have no intention of changing my habits in order to join it. I prefer to live the way I do. But that doesn’t worry me in the slightest. I know that as soon as I die, you will have someone go to the temple and do the work for me and everything will come out all right in the end anyway.”
    His wife was a member of the Church, as faithful as she could be under the circumstances. One day she said to him, “You know the Church is true; why don’t you be baptized?” He replied, “Of course I know the Church is true, but I have no intention of changing my habits in order to join it. I prefer to live the way I do. But that doesn’t worry me in the slightest. I know that as soon as I die, you will have someone go to the temple and do the work for me and everything will come out all right in the end anyway.”
    He died and she had the work done in the temple. We do not sit in judgment and deny vicarious ordinances to people. But what will it profit him? He died and she did and it was a total and complete waste of time.
    There is no such thing as a second chance to gain salvation. This life is the time and the day of our probation. After this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. For those who do not have an opportunity to believe and obey the holy word in this life, the first chance to gain salvation will come in the spirit world. If those who hear the word for the first time in the realms ahead are the kind of people who would have accepted the gospel here, had the opportunity been afforded them, they will accept it there. Salvation for the dead is for those whose first chance to gain salvation is in the spirit world. In the revelation recently added to our canon of holy writ these words are found: There is no such thing as a second chance to gain salvation. This life is the time and the day of our probation. “After this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed” [Citing Alma 34:33]. For those who do not have an opportunity to believe and obey the holy word in this life, the first chance to gain salvation will come in the spirit world. If those who hear the word for the first time in the realms ahead are the kind of people who would have accepted the gospel here, had the opportunity been afforded, they will accept it there. Salvation for the dead is for those whose first chance to gain salvation is in the spirit world. Now in the new revelation recently added to our canon of holy writ these words come:
    Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God; Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom; For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts. [D&C 137:7-9] “Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God; Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom; For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.” [D&C 137:7-9]
    There is no other promise of salvation than the one recited in that revelation. Those who reject the gospel in this life and then receive it in the spirit world go not to the celestial, but to the terrestrial kingdom. There is no other promise of salvation than the one recited in that revelation. Those who reject the gospel in this life and then receive it in the spirit world, go not to the celestial, but to the terrestrial kingdom.

    Heresy five

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    There are those who say that there is progression from one kingdom to another in the eternal worlds or that lower kingdoms eventually progress to where higher kingdoms once were.

    This belief lulls men into a state of carnal security. It causes them to say,

    “God is so merciful; surely he will save us all eventually; if we do not gain the celestial kingdom now, eventually we will; so why worry?” It lets people live a life of sin here and now with the hope that they will be saved eventually.

    There are those who say that there is progression from one kingdom to another in the eternal worlds or if not that, lower kingdoms eventually progress to where higher kingdoms once were. This is worse than false. It is an evil and pernicious doctrine. It lulls men into a state of carnal security. It causes them to say, “God is so merciful; surely he will save us all eventually; if we do not gain the celestial kingdom now, eventually we will; so why worry?” It lets people live a life of sin here and now with the hope that they will be saved eventually.
    The true doctrine is that all men will be resurrected, but they will come forth in the resurrection with different kinds of bodies-some celestial, others terrestrial, others telestial, and some with bodies incapable of standing any degree of glory. The body we receive in the resurrection determines the glory we receive in the kingdoms that are prepared. The true doctrine is that all men will be resurrected, but they will come forth in the resurrection with different kinds of bodies-some celestial, others terrestrial, others telestial, and some with bodies incapable of standing any degree of glory. The body we receive in the resurrection determines the glory we receive in the kingdoms that are prepared.
    Of those in the telestial world it is written:
    “And they shall be servants of the Most High, but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end” (D&C 76:112).
    Of those in the telestial world it is written: “And they shall be servants of the Most High, but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end” [D&C 76:112]
    Of those who had the opportunity to enter into the new and everlasting covenant of marriage in this life and who did not do it the revelation says:
    Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven; which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.
    Of those who remain unmarried in eternity, the revelation says: “Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven; which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.” [D&C 1 40:16]
    For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever. [D&C 1 40:16-17] Let me amend that, amend what I said, that is referring to people who had opportunity to be married right in this life and who were not. Of them, the revelation continues: “For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.” [D&C 1 40:17]
    They neither progress from one kingdom to another, nor does a lower kingdom ever get where a higher kingdom once was. Whatever eternal progression there is, it is within a sphere. They neither progress from one kingdom to another, nor does a lower kingdom ever get where a higher kingdom once was. Whatever eternal progression there is, is in a sphere.

    Heresy six

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    There are those who believe or say they believe that Adam is our father and our god, that he is the father of our spirits and our bodies, and that he is the one we worship. There are those who believe, or say they believe that Adam is our father and our god. That he is the father of our spirits and our bodies, and that he is the one we worship.
    The devil keeps this heresy alive as a means of obtaining converts to cultism. It is contrary to the whole plan of salvation set forth in the scriptures, and anyone who has read the Book of Moses, and anyone who has received the temple endowment, has no excuse whatever for being led astray by it. Those who are so ensnared reject the living prophet and close their ears to the apostles of their day. “We will follow those who went before,” they say. And having so determined, they soon are ready to enter polygamous relationships that destroy their souls. The devil keeps this heresy alive as a means of obtaining converts to cultism. It is contrary to the whole plan of salvation set forth in the scriptures. Anyone who has read the Book of Moses, and anyone who has received the temple endowment and who yet believes the Adam-God theory, does not deserve to be saved. Those ensnared by it reject the living prophet and close their ears to the apostles of their day. “We will follow those who went before,” they say. And having so determined they soon are ready to enter polygamous relationships that destroy their souls.
    We worship the Father, in the name of the Son, by the power of the Holy Ghost; and Adam is their foremost servant, by whom the peopling of our planet was commenced. We worship the Father, in the name of the Son, by the power of the Holy Ghost; and Adam is their foremost servant, by whom the peopling of our planet commenced.

    Heresy seven

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    There are those who believe we must be perfect to gain salvation. There are those who believe we must be perfect to gain salvation.
    This is not really a great heresy, only a doctrinal misunderstanding that I mention here in order to help round out our discussion and to turn our attention from negative to positive things. If we keep two principles in mind we will thereby know that good and faithful members of the Church will be saved even though they are far from perfect in this life. This is not really a great heresy, only a doctrinal misunderstanding which I mention here in order to help round out our discussion and to turn our attention from negative to positive things. If we keep two principles in mind we will thereby know that good and faithful members of the Church will be saved even though they are far from perfect in this life.
    These two principles are These two principles are:
    (1) that this life is the appointed time for men to prepare to meet God-this life is the day of our probation; and (1) That this life is the appointed time for men to prepare to meet God-this life is the day of our probation; and
    (2) that the same spirit which possesses our bodies at the time we go out of this mortal life shall have power to possess our bodies in that eternal world. (2) That same spirit which possesses our bodies at the time we go out of this mortal life shall have power to possess our bodies in that eternal world.
    What we are doing as members of the Church is charting a course leading to eternal life. There was only one perfect being, the Lord Jesus. If men had to be perfect and live all of the law -strictly, wholly, and completely, there would be only one saved person in eternity. The prophet taught that there are many things to be done, even beyond the grave, in working out our salvation. What we are doing as members of the Church is charting a course leading to eternal life. There was only one perfect being, the Lord Jesus. If men had to be perfect and live all of the law-strictly, wholly, and completely, there would be one saved person only in eternity. The prophet said that there are many things to be done, even beyond the grave, in working out our salvation.
    And so what we do in this life is chart a course leading to eternal life. That course begins here and now and continues in the realms ahead. We must determine in our hearts and in our souls, with all the power and ability we have, that from this time forward we will press on in righteousness; by so doing we can go where God and Christ are. If we make that firm determination, and are in the course of our duty when this life is over, we will continue in that course in eternity. That same spirit that possesses our bodies at the time we depart from this mortal life will have power to possess our bodies in the eternal world. If we go out of this life loving the Lord, desiring righteousness, and seeking to acquire the attributes of godliness, we will have that same spirit in the eternal world, and we will then continue to advance and progress until an ultimate, destined day when we will possess, receive, and inherit all things. And so what we do in this life is chart a course leading to eternal life. We determine in our heart and in our soul, with all the power and ability we have, that from this time forward we will press on in righteousness; so that we can go where God and Christ are. If we make that determination, and were in the course of our duty when this life is over, we will continue in that course in eternity. Because that same spirit that possesses our bodies at the time we depart from this mortal life will have power to possess our bodies in the eternal world. If we go out of this life loving the Lord, and desiring righteousness, and seeking to acquire the attributes of godliness, we will have that same spirit in the eternal world, and we will continue to advance and progress until an ultimate, destined day when we’ll possess, receive, and inherit all things.
    Now I do not say these are the only great heresies that prevail among us. There are others that might be mentioned. My suggestion, relative to all doctrines and all principles, is that we become students of holy writ, and that we conform our thinking and our beliefs to what is found in the standard works. We need to be less concerned about the views and opinions that others have expressed and drink directly from the fountain the Lord has given us. Then we shall come to a true understanding of the points of his doctrine. And if we pursue such a course, we will soon find that it proceeds in a different direction than the one that the world pursues. We will not be troubled with the intellectual views and expressions of uninspired people. We will soon obtain for ourselves the witness of the Spirit that we are pursuing a course that is pleasing to the Lord, and this knowledge will have a cleansing and sanctifying and edifying influence upon us. Now I do not say these are the greatest heresies that prevail among us. It seems to me that quite likely there are other things also that could be added. But my suggestion is that we become students of the holy writ, that we conform our thinking and our beliefs to what is found in the standard works. That we have less concern about the views and opinions that others have expressed and that we drink direct from the fountain that the Lord has given us, and that we come to an understanding on the points of his doctrine. And if we pursue such a course, we will find that it is in a different direction than the one that the world goes in. But we will not be concerned with the intellectual expressions of other people. We’ll soon obtain for ourselves the witness of the Spirit that we’re pursuing a course that is seeking righteousness, and this will have a cleansing and sanctifying and edifying influence upon us.
    Now, in order to have things in perspective, let me identify the three greatest heresies in all Christendom. They do not prevail among us, fortunately, but they are part of the gross and universal darkness that covers the earth and blots out from the minds of men those truths upon which salvation rests. Now, just to have things in perspective, let me mention the three greatest heresies that prevail in all Christendom. They do not prevail among us, fortunately.
    The greatest truth known to man is that there is a God in heaven who is infinite and eternal; that he is the creator, upholder, and preserver of all things; that he created us and the sidereal heavens and ordained and established a plan of salvation whereby we might advance and progress and become like him. The truth pertaining to him is that he is our Father in heaven, that he has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s, that he is a literal person, and that if we believe and obey his laws we can gain the exaltation that he possesses. Now that is the greatest truth and the most glorious concept known to the human mind, and the reverse of it is the greatest heresy in all Christendom. < Christendom. all in heresy greatest the is>
    The Christian heresy, where God is concerned, is that Deity is a spirit essence that fills the immensity of space; that he is three beings in one; that he is uncreated, incorporeal, and incomprehensible; that he is without body, parts, or passions; that he is a spirit nothingness that is everywhere and nowhere in particular present. These are concepts written in the creeds had in the churches of the world. The reverse is, that God is a spirit essence, three beings in one, a spirit nothingness that fills the immensity of space, the reverse of it is the heresy that is written in the creeds that are had in the churches of the world.
    The second greatest truth in all eternity pertains to the divine sonship of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It includes the eternal verity that he was foreordained in the councils of eternity to come to earth and be the redeemer of men, to come and ransom men from the temporal and spiritual death brought upon them by the fall of Adam. This second greatest truth is that Christ worked out the infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice because of which all men are raised in immortality and those who believe and obey are raised also unto eternal life. Now the second greatest truth in all eternity is that which pertains to the divine Sonship of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It is that he was foreordained in the councils of eternity to come to down here and be the redeemer of men, to come and ransom men from the indicated temporal and spiritual death brought upon them by the fall of Adam. This second greatest truth is that Christ worked out this infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice so that all men are raised in immortality and those who believe and obey are raised also unto eternal life.
    Now the second greatest heresy in all Christendom is designed to destroy the glories and wonders of the infinite and eternal atonement. It is that men are saved by some kind of lip service, by the grace of God, without work and without effort on their part. Now the opposite of that is the second greatest heresy in all Christendom, and the opposite is that men are saved by some kind of lip service, by the grace of God supposedly, without work and without effort on their part.
    The third greatest truth known to mankind is that the Holy Spirit of God is a revelator and a sanctifier, that he is a personage of spirit that his assigned ministry and work in the eternal Godhead is to bear record of the Father and of the Son, to reveal them and their truths to men. His work is to cleanse and perfect human souls, to burn dross and evil out of human souls as though by fire. We call that the baptism of fire. The third greatest truth known to mankind, the third greatest truth in all eternity is that the Holy Spirit of God is a revelator and a sanctifier, that he is a personage of spirit that his assigned ministry and work in the eternal Godhead is to bear record of the Father and of the Son, to reveal them and their truths to men. And that his work is to be a sanctifier to cleanse and perfect human souls, to burn dross and evil out of human souls as though by fire. We call that the baptism of fire.
    Now the opposite of that is the third greatest heresy in all Christendom. It is that revelation has ceased, that God’s mouth is closed, that the Holy Ghost no longer inspires men, that the gifts of the Spirit were done away with after the death of the ancient apostles, and that we no longer need to follow the course they charted. Now the opposite of that is the third greatest heresy in all Christendom, which is that revelation has ceased, that God’s mouth is closed, that the Holy Ghost no longer inspires men, that the gifts of the Spirit were done away with the ancient apostles, and that we no longer follow the course that they charted.
    I simply name these things; I think you will want to weigh and evaluate what is involved. I think you will want to ponder and wonder and search the scriptures. After Jesus had been teaching the Nephites as a resurrected person, giving them as much truth as in his wisdom he felt they could absorb at one time, he counseled them to go to their homes, and to ponder in their hearts the things he had said, and to pray to the Father in his name to find out if they were true, and then to come again on the morrow and he would teach them -more. Well, I have named these things; I think you will want to weigh and evaluate. I think you will want to ponder and wonder and search the scriptures. After Jesus had been teaching, as a resurrected person, the Nephites, giving them as much truth as in his wisdom they felt they could absorb at one time, he counseled them to go to their homes, and to ponder in their hearts the things he had said, and to pray to the Father in his name to find out if they were true, and then to come again on the morrow and he would teach them more.
    Now that gives us the pattern by which we should operate in the Church. We come together in congregations, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, studying the revelations, reading the scriptures, and hearing expressions of doctrine and counsel given by those who are appointed. These teachings ought to be delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit. They ought to be received by the same power. And if they are, then the speaker and the hearer will be mutually edified, and we will have true and proper worship.
    Then when the meeting is over, the “amen” should not end it. We should go to our homes and to our families and to our circles, and we should search out the revelations and find out what the Lord has said on the subjects involved. We should seek to get in tune with the Holy Spirit and to gain a witness, not solely of the truth and divinity of the work in which we are engaged but also of the doctrines that are taught by those who preach to us. We come into these congregations, and sometimes a speaker brings a jug of living water that has in it many gallons. And when he pours it out on the congregation, all the members have brought is a single cup and so that’s all they take away. Or maybe they have their hands over the cups, and they don’t get anything to speak of. Then when the meeting is over, the “amen” should not end it. We should go to our homes and to our families and in our circles, and we should search out the revelations and find what the Lord has said on the subjects involved. And we should seek to get in tune with the Holy Spirit and gain a witness, not alone of the truth and divinity of the work in which we are engaged, but of the doctrines that are taught by those who preach to us. We come into these congregations, and sometimes a speaker brings a jug of living water that has in it many gallons. And he pours it out on the congregation, and all that the members have brought is a single cup and that’s all that they took away. Or maybe they have their hands over the cups, and they don’t get anything to speak of.
    On other occasions we have meetings where the speaker comes and all he brings is a little cup of eternal truth, and the members of the congregation come with a large jug and all they get in their jugs is the little dribble that came from a man who should have known better and who should have prepared himself and talked from the revelations and spoken by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are obligated in the Church to speak by the power of the Spirit. We are commanded to treasure up the words of light and truth and then give forth the portion that is appropriate and needful on every occasion. Now in other instances, we have meetings where the speaker comes and all he brings is a little cup of eternal truth, and the members of the congregation come with a large jug and all they get in their jug is the little dribble that came from a man who should have known better and who should have prepared himself and talked from the revelations and spoken by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are obligated in the Church to speak by the power of the Spirit. We are commanded to treasure up the words of light and truth and then give forth the portion that is appropriate and needful on every occasion.
    Now I have deliberately read portions of my talk tonight because I wanted the words to be the way you heard them, so that I would be on record on the matters that are involved and so that as far as I am concerned the word would have been said in the plainness that I have given it. And those who hear would then be accountable themselves for their reaction to it.
    I do not think that the heresies I have named are common in the Church. I think that the great majority of the members of the Church believe and understand true doctrines and seek to apply true principles in their lives. Unfortunately, there are a few people who agitate and stir these matters up, who have some personal ax to grind, and who desire to spread philosophies of their own, philosophies that, as near as the judges in Israel can discern, are not in harmony with the mind and will and purpose of the Lord. It is incumbent upon us to believe the truth. We have the obligation to find out what is truth, and then we have the obligation to walk in the light and to apply the truths that we have learned to ourselves and to influence others to do likewise. I do not think that heresies as I have named them are common in the Church. I think that the great generality of the members of the Church believe and understand the doctrines and seek to apply the principles to their lives. Unfortunately, there are a few people who agitate and stir these matters up, and have some personal ax to grind, or desire to spread philosophies of their own, that as near as the judges in Israel can discern, are not in harmony with the mind and will and purpose of the Lord. It is incumbent upon us to believe the truth. We have the obligation to find out what is true, and then we have the obligation to walk in the light and to apply the truths that we have learned to ourselves and to influence others to do likewise.
    Now the glorious and wondrous thing about this whole system of revealed religion that the Lord, our God, has given us is the fact that it is true. There isn’t a grander, a more glorious, a more wondrous concept than the simple one that the work in which we are engaged is true. And because it is true it will triumph and prevail, and the knowledge of God and his truths will roll forth until it covers the whole earth as the waters cover the sea. We do not expect to have a perfect society among us until the millennial day dawns. But that is not far-distant. And when that day comes, we will all, as the scriptures say, see eye to eye and speak with one voice, and the Lord himself will dwell among us. He could not dwell among us now because we are divided and we are not living in that perfect harmony and unity and with that devotion that prevailed among the Saints in the city of Enoch. Now the glorious and wondrous thing about this whole system of revealed religion that the Lord, our God, has given us is the fact that it’s true. There isn’t a grander, a more glorious, a more wondrous concept than the simple one that the work in which we are engaged is true. And because it’s true it will triumph and prevail, and the knowledge of God and his truths will roll forth until they cover the whole earth as the waters cover the sea. We do not expect to have a perfect society among us until the millennial day dawns. But that is not far-distant. And when that day comes, we will all, as the scriptures say, see eye to eye and speak with one voice, and the Lord himself will dwell among us. He could not dwell among us now because we are divided and we are not living in that perfect harmony and unity and with that devotion that prevailed among the Saints in days of the city of Enoch.
    God grant that we may be wise in what we do, that we may seek truth, that we may live in harmony with the truth, that we may bear testimony of the truth, and that we may, as a consequence, have joy and peace and happiness here and now and be inheritors, in due course, of eternal reward in our Father’s kingdom. This is my prayer for myself and for all of you, and for all of the members of the Church, and for honest truthseekers everywhere, and I offer it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. God grant that we may be wise in what we do, that we may seek truth, that we may live truth, that we may bear testimony of the truth, that we may, as a consequence, have the joy and peace and happiness that comes to people who so do have it here and now and thus be inheritors, in due course, and eventually of eternal reward in our Father’s kingdom. This is my prayer for myself and for all of you, and for all of the members of the Church, and for honest truthseekers everywhere, and I offer it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

    References

  • 19th Century

    19th Century

    Excerpt from a Mormon Discussions podcast episode with LDS Historian Richard L. Bushman: 1

    “I think right now the Book of Mormon is a puzzle for us, even people who believe it hardily in every detail, it’s a puzzle.

    To begin with we have the puzzle of translation: translating the book without the plates even in sight and wrapped up in a cloth on the table. So, it’s not something that comes right off the pages, the characters on the plates. So we don’t know how that works.

    And then there is the fact that there is phrasing everywhere–long phrases that if you google them you will find them in 19th century writings. The theology of the Book of Mormon is very much 19th century theology, and it reads like a 19th century understanding of the Hebrew Bible as an Old Testament. That is, it has Christ in it the way Protestants saw Christ everywhere in the Old Testament. That’s why we now call it “Hebrew Bible” because the Jews never saw it quite that way. So, these are all problems we have to deal with.”

    References

    References
    1 Book Of Mormon Historicity, Mormon Discussions Podcast, ~8:28 m.m. – https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2017/05/premium-book-mormon-historicity/
  • Nephi

    Nephi

    2 Maccabees 1, Apocrypha, King James Bible: 1

    34 Then the king, inclosing the place, made it holy, after he had tried the matter.

    35 And the king took many gifts, and bestowed thereof on those whom he would gratify.

    36 And Neemias called this thing Naphthar, which is as much as to say, a cleansing: but many men call it Nephi.

    2 Nephi 5:8, The Book of Mormon: 2

    8 And my people would that we should call the name of the place Nephi; wherefore, we did call it Nephi.

  • Judith

    Judith

    The Book of Judith, Apocrypha, King James Bible: 1

    Chapter 8

    26 Remember what things he did to Abraham, and how he tried Isaac, and what happened to Jacob in Mesopotamia of Syria, when he kept the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother.

    Chapter 13

    2 And Judith was left alone in the tent, and Holofernes lying alone upon his bed: for he was filled with wine.

    3 Now Judith had commanded her maid to stand without her bedchamber, and to wait for her. coming forth, as she did daily: for she said she would go forth to her prayers, and she spake to Bagoas according to the same purpose.

    4 So all went forth and none was left in the bedchamber, neither little nor great. Then Judith, standing by his bed, said in her heart, O Lord God of all power, look at this present upon the works of mine hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem.

    5 For now is the time to help thine inheritance, and to execute thine enterprizes to the destruction of the enemies which are risen against us.

    6 Then she came to the pillar of the bed, which was at Holofernes’ head, and took down his fauchion from thence,

    7 And approached to his bed, and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day.

    8 And she smote twice upon his neck with all her might, and she took away his head from him.

    Nephi 4, The Book of Mormon 2

    7 Nevertheless I went forth, and as I came near unto the house of Laban I beheld a man, and he had fallen to the earth before me, for he was drunken with wine.

    8 And when I came to him I found that it was Laban.

    9 And I beheld his sword, and I drew it forth from the sheath thereof; and the hilt thereof was of pure gold, and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine, and I saw that the blade thereof was of the most precious steel.

    10 And it came to pass that I was constrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban; but I said in my heart: Never at any time have I shed the blood of man. And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him.

    11 And the Spirit said unto me again: Behold the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands. Yea, and I also knew that he had sought to take away mine own life; yea, and he would not hearken unto the commandments of the Lord; and he also had taken away our property.

    12 And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me again: Slay him, for the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands;

    13 Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.

    14 And now, when I, Nephi, had heard these words, I remembered the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in the wilderness, saying that: Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise.

    15 Yea, and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law.

    16 And I also knew that the law was engraven upon the plates of brass.

    17 And again, I knew that the Lord had delivered Laban into my hands for this cause—that I might obtain the records according to his commandments.

    18 Therefore I did obey the voice of the Spirit, and took Laban by the hair of the head, and I smote off his head with his own sword.

    References

  • Dance

    Dance

    Ether 8:8-12, the Book of Mormon: 1

    8 Now the daughter of Jared being exceedingly expert, and seeing the sorrows of her father, thought to devise a plan whereby she could redeem the kingdom unto her father.

    9 Now the daughter of Jared was exceedingly fair. And it came to pass that she did talk with her father, and said unto him: Whereby hath my father so much sorrow? Hath he not read the record which our fathers brought across the great deep? Behold, is there not an account concerning them of old, that they by their secret plans did obtain kingdoms and great glory?

    10 And now, therefore, let my father send for Akish, the son of Kimnor; and behold, I am fair, and I will dance before him, and I will please him, that he will desire me to wife; wherefore if he shall desire of thee that ye shall give unto him me to wife, then shall ye say: I will give her if ye will bring unto me the head of my father, the king.

    11 And now Omer was a friend to Akish; wherefore, when Jared had sent for Akish, the daughter of Jared danced before him that she pleased him, insomuch that he desired her to wife. And it came to pass that he said unto Jared: Give her unto me to wife.

    12 And Jared said unto him: I will give her unto you, if ye will bring unto me the head of my father, the king.

    Matthew 14:6-11, King James Version Bible: 2

    6 But when Herod’s birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.

    7 Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.

    8 So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, ‘Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.’

    9 And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.

    10 So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.

    11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.

    References

    References
    1 Ether 8:8-12, the Book of Mormon – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/8?lang=eng
    2 Matthew 14, King James Version Bible – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/14
  • King James Bible

    King James Bible

    King James Bible passages in the Book of Mormon: 1

    Note: Isaiah chapters 40+2, Malachi, and the verses from the New Testament were written after Lehi left Jerusalem in the Book of Mormon narrative.

    When entire verses are verbatim or near verbatim copies (as is often the case), only the references to the corresponding scriptures are provided.

    1 Nephi (600-570 BC)
    1 Nephi 1:14 
    “…Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty!”
    Revelation 15:3
    “Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty”
    1 Nephi 2:16 “…the mysteries of God…” 1 Cor. 4:1 “…the mysteries of God…”
    1 Nephi 2:24 “…to stir them up in the ways of remembrance.” 2 Peter 1:13 “…to stir you up by putting you in remembrance…”
    1 Nephi 3:2 “…Behold I have dreamed a dream…” Judges 7:13 “Behold, I dreamed a dream…”
    1 Nephi 3:20 “…spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets… since the world began…” Acts 3:21 “…spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”
    1 Nephi 4:13 “…It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.” John 11:50 “…it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.”
    1 Nephi 5:8 “…Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath…” Acts 12:11 “…Now I know of a surety, that the LORD hath…”
    1 Nephi 5:18, 11:36, 14:11, 19:17, 22:28 “…all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people…” Revelation 14:6 “…to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people…”
    1 Nephi 6:5 “…those who are not of the world.” John 17:14 “…they are not of the world…”
    1 Nephi 7:8, 15:4 “…being grieved for the hardness of their hearts…” Mark 3:5 “…being grieved for the hardness of their hearts…”
    1 Nephi 10:8 “…go forth and cry in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight…” John 1:23 “…I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord…”
    1 Nephi 10:8 “…there standeth one among you whom ye know not; and he is mightier than I, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.” John 1:26-27 “…there standeth one among you, whom ye know not…whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.”
    1 Nephi 10:9 “…in Bethabara, beyond Jordan…” John 1:28 “…in Bethabara beyond Jordan…”
    1 Nephi 10:10 “…the Lamb of God, who should take away the sins of the world.” John 1:29 “…Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
    1 Nephi 10:18 “…he is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever…” Hebrews 13:8 “…Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
    1 Nephi 10:18 “…the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world…” Matthew 25:34 “…the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…”
    1 Nephi 11:7 “…bear record that it is the Son of God.” John 1:34 “…bare record that this is the Son of God.”
    1 Nephi 11:22 “…it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts…” Romans 5:5 “…the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts…”
    1 Nephi 11:35, 12:9, 13:41, 14:20, 24, 25, 27 “…the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Revelation 21:14 “…the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
    1 Nephi 12:2, 12:21, 14:15 “…wars, and rumors of wars…” Matthew 24:6 “…wars and rumours of wars…”
    1 Nephi 12:10 “…their garments are made white in his blood.” Revelation 7:14 “…their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
    1 Nephi 13:27 “…pervert the right ways of the Lord…” Acts 13:10 “…pervert the right ways of the Lord?”
    1 Nephi 13:42 “…the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.” Matthew 19:30 “…first shall be last; and the last shall be first.”
    1 Nephi 14:10 “…the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.” Revelation 17:5 “…THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
    1 Nephi 14:11 “…the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters…” Revelation 17:1 “…the great whore that sitteth upon many waters…”
    1 Nephi 15:15 “…the true vine…” John 15:1 “…I am the true vine…”
    1 Nephi 15:24 “…the fiery darts of the adversary…” Ephesians 6:16 “…the fiery darts of the wicked.”
    1 Nephi 15:30 “…ascendeth up unto God forever and ever…” Revelation 14:11 “…the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever…”
    1 Nephi 16:2 “…lifted up at the last day…” John 6:40 “…I will raise him up at the last day.”
    1 Nephi 17:39 “He ruleth high in the heavens, for it is his throne, and this earth is his footstool.” Isaiah 66:1 “Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool…”
    1 Nephi 17:55 “…honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee.” Exodus 20:12 “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”
    1 Nephi 20:20, 21 Isaiah 48:20, 21
    1 Nephi 22:15 “For behold…the day soon cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly shall be as stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned.” Malachi 4:1 “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up…”
    1 Nephi 22:17 “…they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:15 “…but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
    1 Nephi 22:18 “…blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke…” Acts 2:19 “…blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke…”
    1 Nephi 22:20 “…A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that all those who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people.” Acts 3:22-23 “…A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.”
    1 Nephi 22:25 “…there shall be one fold and one shepherd…” John 10:16 “…there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”
    1 Nephi 22:31 “…endure to the end, ye shall be saved…” Matthew 24:13 “…endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
    2 Nephi (588-545 BC)
    2 Nephi 2:4 “…the same, yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 “…the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
    2 Nephi 2:6 “…full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 “…full of grace and truth.”
    2 Nephi 2:9 “…the first-fruits unto God…” Revelation 14:4 “…the firstfruits unto God…”
    2 Nephi 4:17 “…O wretched man that I am!” Romans 7:24 “O wretched man that I am!”
    2 Nephi 4:18 “I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.” Hebrews 12:1 “…seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us…”
    2 Nephi 5:25 “…to stir them up in remembrance of me…” 2 Peter 1:13 “…to stir you up by putting you in remembrance…”
    2 Nephi 6:6, 16-18 Isaiah 49:22, 24-26
    2 Nephi 6:9 “…manifest himself unto them in the flesh…” 1 Timothy 3:16 “…God was manifest in the flesh…”
    2 Nephi 7 Isaiah 50
    2 Nephi 8 Isaiah 51-52
    2 Nephi 9:6 “…death hath passed upon all men…” Romans 5:12 “…death passed upon all men…”
    2 Nephi 9:7 “…this corruption could not put on incorruption.” 1 Corinthians 15:53 “…this corruptible must put on incorruption…”
    2 Nephi 9:12 “…death and hell must deliver up their dead…” Revelation 20:13“…death and hell delivered up the dead…”
    2 Nephi 9:15 “…must appear before the judgment-seat of the Holy One of Israel…” 2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…”
    2 Nephi 9:16 “…they who are righteous shall be righteous still, and they who are filthy shall be filthy still…” Revelation 22:11 “…he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still…”
    2 Nephi 9:18 “…endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame…” Hebrews 12:2 “…endured the cross, despising the shame…”
    2 Nephi 9:18 “…inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world…” Matthew 25:34 “…inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…”
    2 Nephi 9:18 “…their joy shall be full…” John 15:11 “…that your joy might be full.”
    2 Nephi 9:30 “But wo unto the rich…” Luke 6:24 “But woe unto you that are rich!”
    2 Nephi 9:33 “Wo unto the uncircumcised of heart…” Acts 7:51 “…uncircumcised in heart…”
    2 Nephi 9:34, 36 “…shall be thrust down to hell.” Luke 10:15 “…shalt be thrust down to hell.”
    2 Nephi 9:39 “…to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life…” Romans 8:6 “…to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life…”
    2 Nephi 9:42 “…whoso knocketh, to him will he open…” Matthew 7:8 “…to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
    2 Nephi 9:50, 51 Isaiah 55:1, 2
    2 Nephi 10:9 Isaiah 49:23
    2 Nephi 10:16 “…both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female…” Galatians 3:28 “…neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female…”
    2 Nephi 10:16 “…they who are not for me are against me…” Matthew 12:30 “He that is not with me is against me…”
    2 Nephi 12 Isaiah 2
    2 Nephi 13 Isaiah 3
    2 Nephi 14 Isaiah 4
    2 Nephi 15 Isaiah 5
    2 Nephi 16 Isaiah 6
    2 Nephi 17 Isaiah 7
    2 Nephi 18 Isaiah 8
    2 Nephi 19 Isaiah 9
    2 Nephi 20 Isaiah 10
    2 Nephi 21 Isaiah 11
    2 Nephi 22 Isaiah 12
    2 Nephi 23 Isaiah 13
    2 Nephi 24 Isaiah 14
    2 Nephi 25:12 “…wars, and rumors of wars…” Matthew 24:6 “…wars and rumours of wars…”
    2 Nephi 25:12 “…the Only Begotten of the Father…” John 1:14 “…the only begotten of the Father…”
    2 Nephi 25:13 “…rise from the dead, with healing in his wings…” Malachi 4:2 “…arise with healing in his wings…”
    2 Nephi 25:20 “…there is none other name given under heaven…whereby man can be saved.” Acts 4:12 “…there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
    2 Nephi 25:29 “..shall in nowise be cast out.” John 6:37 “…I will in no wise cast out.”
    2 Nephi 26:9 “…the Son of righteousness shall appear…” Malachi 4:2 “…shall the Sun of righteousness arise…”
    2 Nephi 26:11 “…the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man.” Genesis 6:3 “…My spirit shall not always strive with man…”
    2 Nephi 26:12 “…Jesus is the very Christ…” John 7:26 “…that this is the very Christ?”
    2 Nephi 26:13, 30:8 “…every nation, kindred, tongue, and people…” Revelation 14:6 “…to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people…”
    2 Nephi 26:16 “…shall speak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit…that he may whisper concerning them, even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust.” Isaiah 29:4 “And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.”
    2 Nephi 26:25 “…buy milk and honey, without money and without price.” Isaiah 55:1 “…buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
    2 Nephi 26:30 “…except they should have charity they were nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2 “…and have not charity, I am nothing.”
    2 Nephi 26:33 “…bond and free, male and female…both Jew and Gentile.” Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female…”
    2 Nephi 27:2 “…they shall be visited of the Lord of Hosts, with thunder and with earthquake, and with a great noise, and with storm, and with tempest, and with the flame of devouring fire.” Isaiah 29:6 “Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.”
    2 Nephi 27:4 “…stay yourselves and wonder, for ye shall cry out, and cry; yea, ye shall be drunken but not with wine, ye shall stagger but not with strong drink.” Isaiah 29:9 “Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.”
    2 Nephi 27:5 “For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the prophets; and your rulers, and the seers hath he covered…” Isaiah 29:10 “For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.”
    2 Nephi 27:15, 17 “…Read this, I pray thee…And the man shall say: I cannot bring the book, for it is sealed.” Isaiah 29:11 “…Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed…”
    2 Nephi 27:19 “…deliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned; and the man that is not learned shall say: I am not learned.” Isaiah 29:12 “And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.”
    2 Nephi 27:23 “…the same yesterday, today, and forever…” Hebrews 13:8 “…the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
    2 Nephi 27:25-34  Isaiah 29:13-23
    2 Nephi 28:15 “…pervert the right way of the Lord…” Acts 13:10 “…wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?”
    2 Nephi 28:15 “…they shall be thrust down to hell!” Luke 10:15 “And thou…shalt be thrust down to hell.”
    2 Nephi 28:23 “…even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.” Revelation 20:10 “…into the lake of fire and brimstone…tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
    2 Nephi 28:30 “…line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little…” Isaiah 28:10 “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”
    2 Nephi 28:30 “…unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.” Matthew 13:12For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.”
    2 Nephi 29:9 “…the same yesterday, today, and forever…” Hebrews 13:8 “…the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
    2 Nephi 29:11 “…out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works…” Revelation 20:12 “…the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
    2 Nephi 30:9 Isaiah 11:4
    2 Nephi 30:11-15 Isaiah 11:5-9
    2 Nephi 31:4 “…the Lamb of God, which should take away the sins of the world.” John 1:29 “…the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
    2 Nephi 31:5 “…to fulfil all righteousness…” Matthew 3:15 “…to fulfil all righteousness…”
    2 Nephi 31:9 “…the straightness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate…” Matthew 7:14 “…strait is the gate, and narrow is the way…”
    2 Nephi 31:10 “…Follow thou me.” John 21:22 “…follow thou me.”
    2 Nephi 31:11 “…repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.” Acts 2:38 “…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ…”
    2 Nephi 31:13 “…speak with the tongue of angels…” 1 Corinthians 13:1 “…I speak with the tongues of men and of angels…”
    2 Nephi 31:14 “…can speak with a new tongue…” Mark 16:17 “…they shall speak with new tongues…”
    2 Nephi 31:15 “…He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.” Matthew 24:13 “…he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
    2 Nephi 31:18 “…strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life…” Matthew 7:14 “…strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life…”
    2 Nephi 31:21 “…there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved…” Acts 4:12 “…for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
    2 Nephi 32:2 “…speak with the tongue of angels…” 1 Corinthians 13:1 “…speak with the tongues of men and of angels…”
    2 Nephi 32:9 “…pray always, and not faint…” Luke 18:1 “…always to pray, and not to faint…”
    2 Nephi 33:9 “…enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life…” Matthew 7:13, 14 “Enter ye in at the strait gate…Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life…”
    Jacob (544-421 BC)
    Jacob 3:11 “…that lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8 “…in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
    Jacob 5:42 “…these which have once brought forth good fruit…are good for nothing save it be to be hewn down and cast into the fire.” Matthew 3:10 “…every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
    Jacob 5:47 “…what could I have done more in my vineyard?” Isaiah 5:4 “What could have been done more to my vineyard…”
    Jacob 5:47 “…I have digged about it… and I have dunged it…” Luke 13:8 “…I shall dig about it, and dung it:”
    Jacob 5:49 “…they shall not cumber the ground…” Luke 13:7 “…why cumbereth it the ground?”
    Jacob 5:63 “…the last that they may be first, and that the first may be last…” Matthew 19:30 “…first shall be last; and the last shall be first.”
    Jacob 6:4 “…he stretches forth his hands unto them all the day long; and they are a stiffnecked and a gainsaying people;” Romans 10:21 “…All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.”
    Jacob 6:6 “…today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts…” Hebrews 3:7, 8 “…To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts…”
    Jacob 6:10 “…whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever…endless torment.” Revelation 14:11 “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever…”
    Jacob 6:11 “…enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life.” Matthew 7:13, 14 “Enter ye in at the strait gate…narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life…”
    Enos (544-420 BC)
    Enos 1:1 “…in the nurture and admonition of the Lord…” Ephesians 6:4 “…in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
    Enos 1:8 “…thy faith hath made thee whole.” Matthew 9:22 “…thy faith hath made thee whole.”
    Enos 1:15 “…Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it.” Matthew 21:22 “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
    Enos 1:27 “…my mortal shall put on immortality…” 1 Corinthians 15:53 “…this mortal must put on immortality.”
    Enos 1:27 “…Come unto me, ye blessed…of my Father.” Matthew 25:34 “…Come, ye blessed of my Father…”
    Enos 1:27 “…there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father.” John 14:2 “In my Father’s house are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you.”
    Omni (361-130 BC)
    Omni 1:26 “…endure to the end…ye will be saved.” Matthew 24:13 “…endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
    Mosiah (130-91 BC)
    Mosiah 1:12 “…name that never shall be blotted out…” Revelation 3:5 “…I will not blot out his name out of the book of life…”
    Mosiah 1:17 “…to stir them up in remembrance…” 2 Peter 1:13 “…to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;”
    Mosiah 3:5 “…the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth…” Revelation 19:6 “…the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”
    Mosiah 3:13 “…to every kindred, nation, and tongue…” Revelation 14:6 “…to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people…”
    Mosiah 3:17 “…there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come…” Acts 4:12 “…salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
    Mosiah 3:18 “…become as little children…” Matthew 18:3 “…become as little children…”
    Mosiah 3:27 “…their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever.” Revelation 14:10, 11 “…he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels…And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever…”
    Mosiah 4:6 “…prepared from the foundation of the world…” Matthew 25:34 “…prepared for you from the foundation of the world…”
    Mosiah 4:9 “…believe that he is…” Hebrews 11:6 “…believe that he is…”
    Mosiah 5:8 “…There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh;” Acts 4:12 “…there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
    Mosiah 5:13 “…the thoughts and intents of his heart…” Hebrews 4:12 “…the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
    Mosiah 5:15 “…ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works…” 1 Corinthians 15:58 “…be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord…”
    Mosiah 5:15 “…the Lord God Omnipotent…” Revelation 19:6 “…the Lord God omnipotent…”
    Mosiah 6:3 “…to stir them up in remembrance…” 2 Peter 1:13 “…to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;”
    Mosiah 7:30 “…they shall reap the chaff thereof in the whirlwind…” Hosea 8:7 “…they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind…”
    Mosiah 10:8 “…a leathern girdle about their loins.” Matthew 3:4 “…a leathern girdle about his loins…”
    Mosiah 12:21-24 Isaiah 52:7-10
    Mosiah 12:34-36 Exodus 20:2-4
    Mosiah 13:12-24 Exodus 20:4-17
    Mosiah 14:1-12 Isaiah 53:1-12
    Mosiah 15:14 “…who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation; and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!” Isaiah 52:7 “…him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”
    Mosiah 15:29-31 Isaiah 52:8-10
    Mosiah 16:2 “…the wicked be cast out…and weep, and wail, and gnash their teeth…” Matthew 22:13 “…cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
    Mosiah 16:3 “…that old serpent…” Revelation 20:2 “…that old serpent…”
    Mosiah 16:3 “…serpent that did beguile our first parents…” 2 Corinthians 11:3 “…the serpent beguiled Eve…”
    Mosiah 16:3 “…carnal, sensual, devilish…” James 3:15 “…earthly, sensual, devilish.”
    Mosiah 16:7 “…that death should have no sting…” 1 Corinthians 15:55 “O death, where is thy sting?”
    Mosiah 16:8 “…death is swallowed up in Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:54 “…Death is swallowed up in victory.”
    Mosiah 16:9 “He is the light and the life of the world…” John 8:12 “…I am the light of the world…”
    Mosiah 16:10 “…this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption…” 1 Corinthians 15:53 “…this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
    Mosiah 16:11 “If they be good, to the resurrection of endless life and happiness; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of endless damnation…” John 5:29 “And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
    Mosiah 16:14 “…it is a shadow of those things which are to come…” Colossians 2:17 “Which are a shadow of things to come…”
    Mosiah 18:13 “…prepared from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34 “…the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:”
    Mosiah 18:21 “…one faith and one baptism…” Ephesians 4:5 “…one faith, one baptism,”
    Mosiah 18:21 “…their hearts knit together in unity and in love…” Colossians 2:2 “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love…”
    Mosiah 23:13 “…stand fast in this liberty wherewith ye have been made free…” Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free…”
    Mosiah 26:27 “And then I will confess unto them that I never knew them…” Matthew 7:23 “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you…”
    Mosiah 26:27 “…depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41 “…Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”
    Mosiah 26:37 “…walking circumspectly…” Ephesians 5:15 “…walk circumspectly…”
    Mosiah 26:39 “…pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all things.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 18 “Pray without ceasing.  In every thing give thanks…”
    Mosiah 27:29 “…the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity.” Acts 8:23 “…in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.”
    Mosiah 27:31 “…every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess…” Philippians 2:10, 11 “…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…And that every tongue should confess…”
    Alma (91-53 BC)
    Alma 1:25 “…stand fast in the faith…” 1 Corinthians 16:13 “…stand fast in the faith…”
    Alma 1:25 “…they were steadfast and immovable…” 1 Corinthians 15:58 “…be ye stedfast, unmoveable…”
    Alma 4:19 “…to stir them up in remembrance…” 2 Peter 1:13 “…to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;”
    Alma 5:15 “…this corruption raised in incorruption…” 1 Corinthians 15:42 “It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:”
    Alma 5:24 “…sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob…” Matthew 8:11 “…sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.”
    Alma 5:27 “…garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ…” Revelation 7:14 “…have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
    Alma 5:50 “…Repent…for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand…” Matthew 3:2 “…Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
    Alma 5:35 “…hewn down and cast into the fire…” Matthew 3:10 “…hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
    Alma 5:48 “…the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth.” John 1:14 “…the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
    Alma 9:26 “…the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity, and truth…” John 1:14 “…the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
    Alma 5:48 “…it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world…” John 1:29 “…the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
    Alma 5:48 “…believeth on his name.” John 1:12 “…believe on his name:”
    Alma 5:54 “…bring forth works which are meet for repentance—“ Matthew 3:8 “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:”
    Alma 12:15 “…bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance.” Matthew 3:8 “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:”
    Alma 5:57 “…come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things…” 2 Corinthians 6:17 “…come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”
    Alma 7:9 “…Repent ye…the kingdom of heaven is at hand…” Matthew 3:2 “…Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
    Alma 7:14 “…if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven…” John 3:3 “…Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
    Alma 7:14 “…the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world…” John 1:29 “…the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
    Alma 7:14 “…to cleanse from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 “…to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
    Alma 7:15 “…lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you…” Hebrews 12:1 “…let us lay aside…the sin which doth so easily beset us…”
    Alma 7:20 “…neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning…” James 1:17 “…the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
    Alma 7:21 “…he who is filthy shall remain in his filthiness.” Revelation 22:11 “…he which is filthy, let him be filthy still…”
    Alma 7:24 “…see that ye have faith, hope, and charity…” 1 Corinthians 13:13 “…now abideth faith, hope, charity…”
    Alma 7:24 “…ye will always abound in good works.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 “…ye… may abound to every good work:”
    Alma 7:25 “…sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…in the kingdom of heaven…” Matthew 8:11 “…sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.”
    Alma 9:20 “…every other nation, kindred, tongue, or people…” Revelation 14:6 “…every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,”
    Alma 37:4 “…every nation, kindred, tongue, and people…” Revelation 14:6 “…every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,”
    Alma 9:25 “…Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is nigh at hand;” Matthew 4:17 “…Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
    Alma 10:20 “…repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 “…Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
    Alma 9:26 “…his glory; and his glory shall be the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity, and truth…” John 1:14 “…(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
    Alma 10:17 “…O ye wicked and perverse generation…” Matthew 17:17 “…O faithless and perverse generation…”
    Alma 11:39 “…he is the beginning and the end, the first and the last;” Revelation 22:13 “…the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
    Alma 12:8 “…resurrection of the dead…both the just and the unjust…” Acts 24:15 “…resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.”
    Alma 12:16 “…a second death…” Revelation 20:14 “…the second death.”
    Alma 12:17 “…their torments shall be as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever…” Revelation 14:10, 11 “…he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone…And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever…”
    Alma 12:27 “…it was appointed unto men that they must die; and after death, they must come to judgment…” Hebrews 9:27 “…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
    Alma 12:35 “…I swear in my wrath that he shall not enter into my rest.” Hebrews 3:11 “So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)”
    Alma 13:9 “…priests forever, after the order of the Son…” Hebrews 5:6 “…Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”
    Alma 13:9 “…full of grace, equity, and truth…” John 1:14 “…full of grace and truth.”
    Alma 13:13 “…bring forth fruit meet for repentance…” Matthew 3:8 “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:”
    Alma 13:15 “…this same Melchizedek to whom Abraham paid tithes…” Hebrews 7:1, 2 “…this Melchisedec…To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all…”
    Alma 13:20 “…the scriptures are before you; if ye will wrest them it shall be to your own destruction.” 2 Peter 3:16 “…they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.”
    Alma 13:22 “…glad tidings of great joy…among all his people…” Luke 2:10 “…good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”
    Alma 13:28 “…watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted…” Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation…”
    Alma 13:28 “…tempted above that which ye can bear…” 1 Corinthians 10:13 “…tempted above that ye are able…to bear…”
    Alma 18:13 “…said unto him, Rabbanah, which is, being interpreted, powerful or great king…” John 1:38 “…said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master…”
    Alma 18:32 “…the thoughts and intents of the heart…” Hebrews 4:12 “…the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
    Alma 19:9 “…Believest thou this?…” John 11:26 “…Believest thou this?”
    Alma 19:10 “…there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites.” Luke 7:9 “…I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”
    Alma 21:6 “…except we repent we shall perish…” Luke 13:3 “…except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
    Alma 25:6 “…to be stirred up in remembrance…” 2 Peter 1:13 “…to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;”
    Alma 26:5 “…thrust in the sickle, and did reap…” Revelation 14:15 “…Thrust in thy sickle, and reap…”
    Alma 26:7 “…he will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:40 “…I will raise him up at the last day.”
    Alma 30:46 “…grieved because of the hardness of your heart…” Mark 3:5 “…being grieved for the hardness of their hearts…”
    Alma 31:11 “…they did pervert the ways of the Lord…” Acts 13:10 “…cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?”
    Alma 31:17 “…the same yesterday, today, and forever…” Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
    Alma 31:37 “…taking no thought for themselves what they should eat, or what they should drink, or what they should put on.” Matthew 6:25 “…Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on…”
    Alma 32:13 “…he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved.” Matthew 24:13 “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
    Alma 32:21 “…if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen…” Hebrews 11:1 “…faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
    Alma 32:38 “…and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away…” Matthew 13:6 “And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.”
    Alma 32:41 “…springing up unto everlasting life.” John 4:14 “…springing up into everlasting life.”
    Alma 34:13 “…yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle…” Matthew 5:18 “…one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
    Alma 34:29 “…cast out, (it being of no worth) and is trodden under foot of men.” Matthew 5:13 “…good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”
    Alma 34:38 “…worship God…in spirit and in truth…” John 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
    Alma 36:18 “…who am in the gall of bitterness…” Acts 8:23 “…thou art in the gall of bitterness…”
    Alma 37:15 “…delivered up unto Satan, that he may sift you as chaff before the wind.” Luke 22:31 “…Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:”
    Alma 37:34 “…be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls.” Matthew 11:29 “…I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
    Alma 38:9 “…he is the life and the light of the world…” John 1:4 “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
    Alma 39:9 “…the lusts of your eyes…” 1 John 2:16 “…the lust of the eyes…”
    Alma 40:2 “…this mortal does not put on immortality, this corruption does not put on incorruption…” 1 Corinthians 15:53 “…this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
    Alma 41:4 “…mortality raised to immortality, corruption to incorruption…” 1 Corinthians 15:53 “…this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
    Alma 40:13 “…cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth…” Matthew 22:13 “…cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
    Alma 40:14 “…fearful looking for the fiery indignation…” Hebrews 10:27 “…fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation…”
    Alma 40:25 “…then shall the righteous shine forth…” Matthew 13:43 “Then shall the righteous shine forth…”
    Alma 41:11 “…are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity…” Acts 8:23 “…art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.”
    Alma 41:11 “…without God in the world…” Ephesians 2:12 “…without God in the world:”
    Alma 42:2 Genesis 3:23, 24
    Alma 42:27 “…whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely…” Revelation 22:17 “…whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
    Alma 43:10 “…worship God in spirit and in truth…” John 4:24 “…worship him in spirit and in truth.”
    Alma 58:40 “…stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free…” Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free…”
    Helaman (52-1 BC)
    Helaman 3:29 “…the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder…” Hebrews 4:12 “…the word of God is quick, and powerful…even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit…”
    Helaman 3:30 “…at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob…” Matthew 8:11 “…shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.”
    Helaman 5:8 “…lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven…” Matthew 6:20 “…lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…”
    Helaman 5:32 “…Repent ye, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand…” Matthew 3:2 “…Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
    Helaman 5:44 “…that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory.” 1 Peter 1:8 “…with joy unspeakable and full of glory:”
    Helaman 7:28 “…except ye repent ye shall perish…” Luke 13:3 “…except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
    Helaman 8:14 “…as he lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come.” John 3:14 “…as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:”
    Helaman 8:25 “…laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where nothing doth corrupt…” Matthew 6:20 “…lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt…”
    Helaman 9:21 “…ye uncircumcised of heart, ye blind, and ye stiffnecked people…” Acts 7:51 “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears…”
    Helaman 10:7 “…whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven…” Matthew 16:19 “…whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
    Helaman 10:8 “…say unto this temple it shall be rent in twain…” Matthew 27:51 “…the veil of the temple was rent in twain…”
    Helaman 10:9 “…ye shall say unto this mountain…” Matthew 17:20 “…ye shall say unto this mountain…”
    Helaman 11:4 “…to stir them up in remembrance…” 2 Peter 1:13 “…to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;”
    Helaman 12:26 “…They that have done good shall have everlasting life; and they that have done evil shall have everlasting damnation…” John 5:29 “…they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
    Helaman 13:25 “…If our days had been in the days of our fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets…” Matthew 23:30 “…If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.”
    Helaman 13:29 “O ye wicked and ye perverse generation…” Matthew 17:17 “…O faithless and perverse generation…”
    Helaman 13:29 “…foolish and blind guides…” Matthew 23:16 “…ye blind guides…”
    Helaman 13:29 “…ye choose darkness rather than light?” John 3:19 “…men loved darkness rather than light…”
    Helaman 14:25 “And many graves shall be opened, and shall yield up many of their dead; and many saints shall appear unto many.” Matthew 27:52, 53 “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”
    Helaman 15:1 “…your houses shall be left unto you desolate.” Matthew 23:38 “…your house is left unto you desolate.”
    Helaman 15:2 “…wo unto them which are with child…” Matthew 24:19 “…woe unto them that are with child…”
    Helaman 15:5 “…and they do walk circumspectly…” Ephesians 5:15 “See then that ye walk circumspectly…”
    Helaman 16:14 “And angels did appear unto men, wise men, and did declare unto them glad tidings of great joy…” Luke 2:10 “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy…”
    3 Nephi (1-35 AD)
    3 Nephi 1:13 “…the time is at hand…” Revelation 22:10 “…the time is at hand.”
    3 Nephi 1:25 “…that one jot or tittle should not pass away till it should all be fulfilled…” Matthew 5:18 “…one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
    3 Nephi 6:14 “…and steadfast, and immovable…” 1 Corinthians 15:58 “…be ye stedfast, unmoveable…”
    3 Nephi 7:8 “…like the dog to his vomit, or like the sow to her wallowing in the mire.” 2 Peter 2:22 “…The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”
    3 Nephi 9:13 “…be converted, that I may heal you?” John 12:40 “…be converted, and I should heal them.”
    3 Nephi 9:15 “…I am in the Father, and the Father in me…” John 14:11 “…I am in the Father, and the Father in me…”
    3 Nephi 9:16 “I came unto my own, and my own received me not…” John 1:11 “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.”
    3 Nephi 9:17 “And as many as have received me, to them have I given to become the sons of God; and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name…” John 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
    3 Nephi 9:18 “I am the light and the life of the world…” John 8:12 “…I am the light of the world…”
    3 Nephi 9:18 “…I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” Revelation 22:13 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
    3 Nephi 10:4 “…how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings…” Matthew 23:37 “…how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings…”
    3 Nephi 10:5 “…how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings…how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens…” Matthew 23:37 “…how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings…”
    3 Nephi 11:7 “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased…hear ye him.” Matthew 17:5 “…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”
    3 Nephi 11:11 “…I am the light and the life of the world…” John 8:12 “…I am the light of the world…”
    3 Nephi 11:25 “…baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost…” Matthew 28:19 “…baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”
    3 Nephi 11:27 “…the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one…” 1 John 5:7 “…the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.:”
    3 Nephi 11:27 “…I am in the Father, and the Father in me…” John 14:11 “…I am in the Father, and the Father in me…”
    3 Nephi 11:27 “…the Father and I are one.” John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.”
    3 Nephi 11:32 “…the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent…” Acts 17:30 “…God…commandeth all men every where to repent:”
    3 Nephi 11:33 “…whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved…” Mark 16:16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved…”
    3 Nephi 11:34 “…whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned.” Mark 16:16 “…but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
    3 Nephi 11:36 “…the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.” 1 John 5:7 “…the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.:”
    3 Nephi 11:39 “…whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.” Matthew 16:18 “…upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
    3 Nephi 12:1 “…baptize you with water…baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost…” Matthew 3:11 “…baptize you with water…baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”
    3 Nephi 12:3-45 Matthew 5:3-45
    3 Nephi 12:47 “Old things are done away, and all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 “…old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
    3 Nephi 12:48 Matthew 5:48
    3 Nephi 13:1-34 Matthew 6:1-34
    3 Nephi 14:1-27 Matthew 7:1-27
    3 Nephi 15:1 “…him will I raise up at the last day.” John 6:44 “…I will raise him up at the last day.”
    3 Nephi 15:2 “…old things had passed away, and that all things had become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 “…old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
    3 Nephi 15:9 “…endure to the end, and ye shall live…” Matthew 24:13 “…endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
    3 Nephi 15:17 “That other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” John 10:16 “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”
    3 Nephi 16:15 “…salt that hath lost its savor, which is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot…” Matthew 5:13 “…the salt have lost his savour…it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”
    3 Nephi 16:18-20 Isaiah 52:8-10
    3 Nephi 18:13 “…built upon a sandy foundation; and when the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon them, they shall fall…” Matthew 7:27 “…built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell…”
    3 Nephi 18:15 “…watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted…” Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation…”
    3 Nephi 18:18 “…watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation…” Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation…”
    3 Nephi 18:18 “…Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” Luke 22:31 “…Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:”
    3 Nephi 18:29 “…whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul…” 1 Corinthians 11:29 “…he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself…”
    3 Nephi 18:35 “…it is expedient that I should go…” John 16:7 “…It is expedient for you that I go…”
    3 Nephi 19:23 “…I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one.” John 17:20-21 “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us…”
    3 Nephi 19:29 “…I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me…that I may be glorified in them.” John 17:9, 10 “…I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me…and I am glorified in them.”
    3 Nephi 20:16, 17 Micah 5:8, 9
    3 Nephi 20:18, 19 Micah 4:12
    3 Nephi 20:23-26 Acts 3:22-26
    3 Nephi 21:8 “…kings shall shut their mouths; for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.” Isaiah 52:15 “…kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.”
    3 Nephi 21:9 “…the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them…” Isaiah 29:14 “…I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder…”
    3 Nephi 21:12-18 Micah 5:8-14
    3 Nephi 21:29 “…they  shall not go out in haste, nor go by flight, for I will go before them, saith the Father, and I will be their rearward.” Isaiah 52:12 “…ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.”
    3 Nephi 22:1-17 Isaiah 54:1-17
    3 Nephi 24:1-18 Malachi 3:1-18
    3 Nephi 25:1-6 Malachi 4:1-6
    3 Nephi 26:3 “…the elements should melt with fervent heat…” 2 Peter 3:12 “…the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”
    3 Nephi 26:3 “…and the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll…” Revelation 6:14 “…the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together…”
    3 Nephi 26:3 “…the heavens and the earth should pass away;” Revelation 21:1 “…the first heaven and the first earth were passed away…”
    3 Nephi 26:4 “…all people, and all kindreds, and all nations and tongues…” Revelation 11:9 “…the people and kindreds and tongues and nations…”
    3 Nephi 26:4 “…stand before God, to be judged of their works…” Revelation 20:12 “…stand before God…judged…according to their works.”
    3 Nephi 26:5 “If they be good, to the resurrection of everlasting life; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of damnation…” John 5:29 “…they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
    3 Nephi 26:18 “…and heard unspeakable things, which are not lawful to be written.” 2 Corinthians 12:4 “…and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”
    3 Nephi 26:19 “…they had all things common…” Acts 4:32 “…they had all things common.”
    3 Nephi 27:6 “…whoso…endureth to the end, the same shall be saved…” Matthew 24:13 “…he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
    3 Nephi 27:14 “…I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me…” John 12:32 “…I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
    3 Nephi 27:29 “…ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
    3 Nephi 27:33 “…Enter ye in at the strait gate; for strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it; but wide is the gate, and broad the way which leads to death, and many there be that travel therein…” Matthew 7:13, 14 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
    3 Nephi 27:33 “…the night cometh, wherein no man can work.” John 9:4 “…the night cometh, when no man can work.”
    3 Nephi 28:8 “…ye shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye from mortality to immortality…” 1 Corinthians 15:52-53 “…in the twinkling of an eye…we shall be changed…this mortal must put on immortality.”
    3 Nephi 28:10 “…the Father and I are one;” John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.”
    3 Nephi 28:13 “…caught up into heaven, and saw and heard unspeakable things.” 2 Corinthians 12:2,4 “…caught up to the third heaven…and heard unspeakable words…”
    3 Nephi 28:15 “…whether they were in the body or out of the body, they could not tell…” 2 Corinthians 12:3 “…whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell…”
    3 Nephi 28:29 “…all nations, kindreds, tongues and people…” Revelation 14:6 “…every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,”
    3 Nephi 28:31 “…all people must surely stand before the judgment-seat of Christ;” 2 Corinthians 5:10 “…we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ;”
    4 Nephi (36-321 AD)
    4 Nephi 1:3 “…they had all things common…” Acts 2:44 “…and had all things common;”
    4 Nephi 1:3 “…bond and free…” Galatians 3:28 “…neither bond nor free…”
    4 Nephi 1:3 “…partakers of the heavenly gift.” Hebrews 6:4 “…tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers…”
    4 Nephi 1:30 “…were rent in twain…” Matthew 27:51 “…was rent in twain…”
    Mormon (322-421 AD)
    Mormon 3:15 “Vengeance is mine, and I will repay…” Romans 12:19 “…Vengeance is mine; I will repay…”
    Mormon 3:20 “…ye must all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ…and ye must stand to be judged of your works, whether they be good or evil;” 2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
    Mormon 6:21 “…mortal must put on immortality, and these bodies which are now moldering in corruption must soon become incorruptible…” 1 Corinthians 15:53 “…this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
    Mormon 6:21 “…ye must stand before the judgment-seat of Christ…” 2 Corinthians 5:10 “…we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…”
    Mormon 7:5 “…gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up.” 1 Corinthians 15:54, 55 “…Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting?”
    Mormon 7:8 “…repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus…” Acts 2:38 “…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ…”
    Mormon 7:9 “…this is written for the intent that ye may believe that…” John 20:31 “…these are written, that ye might believe…”
    Mormon 8:20 “…saith the Lord, and vengeance is mine also, and I will repay.” Romans 12:19 “…Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
    Mormon 8:30 “And there shall also be heard of wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes in divers places.” Matthew 24:6,7 “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars… in divers places.”
    Mormon 8:31 “…in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity.” Acts 8:23 “…in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.”
    Mormon 9:2 “…the elements shall melt with fervent heat…” 2 Peter 3:10 “…the elements shall melt with fervent heat…”
    Mormon 9:9 “…God is the same yesterday, today, and forever…” Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
    Mormon 9:9 “…in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?” James 1:17 “…with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
    Mormon 9:14 “…he that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still…” Revelation 22:11 “…he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still…”
    Mormon 9:22-24 Mark 16:15-18
    Mormon 9:27 “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling…” Philippians 2:12 “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
    Mormon 9:29 “…endure to the end…” Matthew 24:13 “…endure unto the end…”
    Mormon 9:29 “…will in nowise be cast out.” John 6:37 “…will in no wise cast out.
    Ether (2200-600 BC)
    Ether 4:11 “…the manifestations of my Spirit…” 1 Corinthians 12:7 “…the manifestation of the Spirit…”
    Ether 4:18 “…he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned…” Mark 16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
    Ether 4:18 “…and signs shall follow them that believe in my name.” Mark 16:17 “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name…”
    Ether 4:19 “…the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34 “…the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…”
    Ether 12:4 “…an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast…” Hebrews 6:19 “…an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast…”
    Ether 12:6 “…faith is things which are hoped for and not seen…” Hebrews 11:1 “…faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
    Ether 12:8 “…partakers of the heavenly gift…” Hebrews 6:4 “…tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers…”
    Ether 12:11 “…God prepared a more excellent way…” 1 Corinthians 12:31 “…yet show I unto you a more excellent way.”
    Ether 12:35 “…and take away their talent…” Matthew 25:28 “Take therefore the talent from him…”
    Moroni (400-421 AD)
    Moroni 6:1 “…brought forth fruit meet that they were worthy…” Matthew 3:8 “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance…”
    Moroni 6:2 “…a broken heart and a contrite spirit…” Psalms 51:17 “…a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart…”
    Moroni 6:4 “…Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.” Hebrews 12:2 “…Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…”
    Moroni 6:7 “…their names were blotted out…” Revelation 3:5 “…I will not blot out his name…”
    Moroni 7:1 “…faith, hope, and charity…” 1 Corinthians 13:13 “…faith, hope, charity…”
    Moroni 7:6 “…it profiteth him nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:3 “…it profiteth me nothing.”
    Moroni 7:7 “…it is not counted unto him for righteousness.” Romans 4:3 “…it was counted unto him for righteousness.”
    Moroni 7:16 “…the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil…” 1 Corinthians 12:7 “…the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”
    Moroni 7:17 “…no man to do good, no, not one…” Romans 3:12 “…none that doeth good, no, not one.”
    Moroni 7:18 “…with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.” Matthew 7:2 “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged…”
    Moroni 7:26 “…Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name…it shall be done unto you.” John 16:23 “…Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.”
    Moroni 7:26 “…Whatsoever thing ye shall ask…believing that ye shall receive…” Matthew 21:22 “…all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
    Moroni 7:34 “…Repent…and be baptized in my name…” Acts 2:38 “…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ…”
    Moroni 7:39 “…I judge better things of you…” Hebrews 6:9 “…we are persuaded better things of you…”
    Moroni 7:43 “…he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.” Matthew 11:29 “…I am meek and lowly in heart…”
    Moroni 7:44 “…if he have not charity he is nothing…” 1 Corinthians 13:2 “…and have not charity, I am nothing.”
    Moroni 7:45 “And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;”
    Moroni 7:46 “…if ye have not charity, ye are nothing…” 1 Corinthians 13:2 “…and have not charity, I am nothing.”
    Moroni 7:46 “…charity never faileth…” 1 Corinthians 13:8 “Charity never faileth…”
    Moroni 7:46 “…charity, which is the greatest of all…” 1 Corinthians 13:13 “…the greatest of these is charity.”
    Moroni 7:48 “…love, which he hath bestowed upon all… that ye may become the sons of God…”” 1 John 3:1 “…what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us… that we should be called the sons of God…”
    Moroni 7:48 “…when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is…” 1 John 3:2 “…when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
    Moroni 7:48 “…that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:3 “…every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”
    Moroni 8:3 “…the name of his Holy Child, Jesus…” Acts 4:30 “…the name of thy holy child Jesus.”
    Moroni 8:8 “…the whole need no physician, but they that are sick…” Matthew 9:12 “…They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick…”
    Moroni 8:14 “…in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity…” Acts 8:23 “…in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.”
    Moroni 8:16 “…them that shall 1pervert the ways of the Lord…” Acts 13:10 “…wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?”
    Moroni 8:16 “…for they shall perish except they repent…” Luke 13:3 “…except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
    Moroni 8:16 “…perfect love casteth out all fear.” 1 John 4:18 “…but perfect love casteth out fear…”
    Moroni 9:6 “…the enemy of all righteousness…” Acts 13:10 “…thou enemy of all righteousness…”
    Moroni 9:22 “…they must perish except they repent…” Luke 13:3 “…except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
    Moroni 10:8 “…deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God…” 1 Corinthians 12:4 “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.”
    Moroni 10:8 “…And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them.” 1 Corinthians 12:5-7 “And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”
    Moroni 10:9 “…to one is given by the Spirit of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom;” 1 Corinthians 12:8 “…to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom…”
    Moroni 10:10 “…to another, that he may teach the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;” 1 Corinthians 12:8 “…to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;”
    Moroni 10:11 “…to another, exceedingly great faith; and to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;” 1 Corinthians 12:9 “To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;”
    Moroni 10:12 “…to another, that he may work mighty miracles;” 1 Corinthians 12:10 “To another the working of miracles…”
    Moroni 10:13 “…to another, that he may prophesy…” 1 Corinthians 12:10 “…to another prophecy…”
    Moroni 10:14 “…to another, the beholding of angels and ministering spirits;” 1 Corinthians 12:10 “…to another discerning of spirits…”
    Moroni 10:15 “…to another, all kinds of tongues;” 1 Corinthians 12:10 “…to another divers kinds of tongues…”
    Moroni 10:16 “…to another, the interpretation of languages and of divers kinds of tongues.” 1 Corinthians 12:10 “…to another the interpretation of tongues.”
    Moroni 10:17 “…all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he will.” 1 Corinthians 12:11 “…all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”
    Moroni 10:19 “…he is the same yesterday, today, and forever…” Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
    Moroni 10:20 “…there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three…”
    Moroni 10:25 “…there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one…” Romans 3:12 “…there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
    Moroni 10:31 “…awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion…” Isaiah 52:1 “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem…”
    Moroni 10:32 “…then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect…” 2 Corinthians 12:9 “…My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect…”
    Moroni 10:34 “…the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead…” Acts 10:42 “…the Judge of quick and dead.”

    Further Study

    Book of Mormon Origins – https://www.bookofmormonorigins.com/

    References

    References
    1 KJV in the Book of Mormon — Case closed – https://kmabom.wordpress.com/kjv-in-the-book-of-mormon-case-closed/
    2 Book of Isaiah – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Isaiah
  • No other gift

    No other gift

    Excerpt from ‘An Address To All Believers In Christ’, 1887, by David Whitmer: 1

    “After the translation of the Book of Mormon was finished, early in the spring of 1830, before April 6th, Joseph gave the stone to Oliver Cowdery and told me as well as the rest that he was through with it, and he did not use the stone any more. He said he was through the work that God had given him the gift to perform, except to preach the gospel. He told us that we would all have to depend on the Holy Ghost hereafter to be guided into truth and obtain the will of the Lord.”

    A revelation given to Joseph Smith, March 1829, Book of Commandments 4:2: 2

    “…and he has a gift to translate the book, and I have commanded him that he shall pretend to no other gift, for I will grant him no other gift.”

    Doctrine and Covenants 5:4: 3

    “And you have a gift to translate the plates; and this is the first gift that I bestowed upon you; and I have commanded that you should pretend to no other gift until my purpose is fulfilled in this; for I will grant unto you no other gift until it is finished.”

     

    Further Study

    Compare versions of the Doctrine and Covenants (Book of Commandments) – https://comparedandc.com/

    References

    References
    1 An Address To All Believers In Christ, Richmond, Missouri, 1887, page 32 – http://archive.org/stream/addresstoallbeli00whit#page/32/mode/1up
    2 Revelation, March 1829, Joseph Smith Papers – http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/revelation-march-1829-dc-5/1#source-note
    3 Doctrine and Covenants 5:4 – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/5.10
  • We Preach Tithing

    We Preach Tithing

    From an article published in the Deseret News, April 16, 2018: 1

    “They received a message tailored for eastern Africa, where many tribes continue to insist that grooms or their families provide a dowry or pay a price for a bride.

    “That’s not the Lord’s way,” President Russell M. Nelson told about 2,000 Kenyans and other Africans Monday night inside a large, oval, wooden event center styled after traditional huts in Nairobi, Kenya. “The Lord’s way is to be married in the temple, for time and all eternity, with your children sealed to you.”

    He added that if he’d had to pay for his wife, “I would have missed five children, because only with my last five was I out of debt.”

    They received a message tailored for eastern Africa, where many tribes continue to insist that grooms or their families provide a dowry or pay a price for a bride.

    “That’s not the Lord’s way,” President Russell M. Nelson told about 2,000 Kenyans and other Africans Monday night inside a large, oval, wooden event center styled after traditional huts in Nairobi, Kenya. “The Lord’s way is to be married in the temple, for time and all eternity, with your children sealed to you.”

    He added that if he’d had to pay for his wife, “I would have missed five children, because only with my last five was I out of debt.”
    President Nelson also said tithing can break cycles of poverty in poor nations and families.

    We preach tithing to the poor people of the world because the poor people of the world have had cycles of poverty, generation after generation,” he said. “That same poverty continues from one generation to another, until people pay their tithing.”

    The law of the tithe was followed by ancient peoples as taught by Old Testament prophets. LDS faithful believe God restored the law and its blessings for those who follow it by giving one-tenth of their income to the church.”

    From a 2012 article published in Bloomberg, ‘How The Mormons Make Money’: 2

    “According to U.S. law, religions have no obligation to open their books to the public, and the LDS Church officially stopped reporting any finances in the early 1960s. In 1997 an investigation by Time used cross-religious comparisons and internal information to estimate the church’s total value at $30 billion. The magazine also produced an estimate that $5 billion worth of tithing flows into the church annually, and that it owned at least $6 billion in stocks and bonds. The Mormon Church at the time said the estimates were grossly exaggerated, but a recent investigation by Reuters in collaboration with sociology professor Cragun estimates that the LDS Church is likely worth $40 billion today and collects up to $8 billion in tithing each year.”

    References

    References
    1 ‘Dowry is not the Lord’s way’ In Kenya, LDS President Nelson says tithing breaks poverty cycle’, Deseret News – https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900016023/dowry-is-not-the-lords-way-in-kenya-lds-president-nelson-says-tithing-breaks-poverty-cycle.html
    2 ‘How The Mormons Make Money’, Bloomberg – https://archive.org/details/HowTheMormonsMakeMoney and https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-07-18/how-the-mormons-make-money
  • A Prophet

    A Prophet

    Excerpt from an April 2018 General Conference address by Neil L. Andersen:1

    A prophet does not stand between you and the Savior. Rather, he stands beside you and points the way to the Savior. A prophet’s greatest responsibility and most precious gift to us is his sure witness, his certain knowledge, that Jesus is the Christ.”

    Excerpt from an address by President Brigham Young, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, October 9, 1859:2

    Reprinted in the June 1994, Ensign – https://www.lds.org/ensign/1994/06/joseph-smith-among-the-prophets?lang=eng

    “Joseph Smith holds the keys of this last dispensation, and is now engaged behind the veil in the great work of the last days. I can tell our beloved brother Christians who have slain the Prophets and butchered and otherwise caused the death of thousands of Latter-day Saints, the priests who have thanked God in their prayers and thanksgiving from the pulpit that we have been plundered, driven, and slain, and the deacons under the pulpit, and their brethren and sisters in their closets, who have thanked God, thinking that the Latter-day Saints were wasted away, something that no doubt will mortify them—something that, to say the least, is a matter of deep regret to them—namely, that no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith. From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding-up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are—I with you and you with me. I cannot go there without his consent. He holds the keys of that kingdom for the last dispensation—the keys to rule in the spirit world; and he rules there triumphantly, for he gained full power and a glorious victory over the power of Satan while he was yet in the flesh, and was a martyr to his religion and to the name of Christ, which gives him a most perfect victory in the spirit world. He reigns there as supreme a being in his sphere, capacity, and calling, as God does in heaven. Many will exclaim—“Oh, that is very disagreeable! It is preposterous! We cannot bear the thought!” But it is true.”

    References

    References
    1 The Prophet of God, By Elder Neil L. Andersen – https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/the-prophet-of-god?lang=eng
    2 Brigham Young, October 1859, JOD 7:289 – http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/JournalOfDiscourses3/id/9603
  • Inferior Reward

    Inferior Reward

    Excerpt from ‘The Seer’ by LDS Apostle Orson Pratt, March 1853, Pg. 43: 1

    “Why do the Saints marry for all eternity as well as for time? Because both male and female expect to have a resurrection from the dead, and wish to enjoy each others society in the capacity of husbands and wives in the eternal worlds. Do the saints believe that all those who have been husbands and wives in this life will enjoy that relationship after the resurrection ? No ; they do not believe that any will enjoy that privilege excepting those who have been married by the word of the Lord, and by his authority for eternity. When a man and woman enter into matrimonial contracts and covenant to be each others companion until death, they have claim upon each other for this life only; when death comes, their marriage contracts and covenants expire ; and in the resurrection, however much they may desire to enjoy themselves in all the endearing relationships of husband and wife, they will find that their contracts and covenants which were made for time only, give them no title to each other in eternity. Therefore, they will not be permitted under any conditions whatever to live together as husband and wife. But can they not renew their contracts and be married again in that life ? No ; for Jesus says, “In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” (Matthew 22 : 30.) Those who have not secured their marriage for eternity in this life, can never have it attended to hereafter ; therefore, if they should through faithfulness even be saved, yet they would be no higher than the angels, and would be compelled to live separately and singly, and consequently without posterity, and would become servants to all eternity, for those who are counted worthy to become kings and priests, and who will receive thrones and kingdoms, and an endless increase of posterity, and inherit a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Such will need myriads of servants as their kingdoms and dominions increase ; and the numbers requisite will be found among those who kept not the higher law, but still rendered themselves worthy of an inferior reward.”

    References

    References
    1 The Seer edited by Orson Pratt – https://archive.org/details/seereditedbyorso01unse
  • Cleanse the Land

    Cleanse the Land

    Excerpt from ‘The Seer’ by LDS Apostle Orson Pratt, March 1853, Pg. 43: 1

    “Let this nation put these evils from their midst; let them enact strict laws to protect the virtue of the country; let the heaviest penalties be inflicted upon all public prostitutes, and upon all those who encourage the same, either by precept or example ; let the priests and the people, the rulers and the ruled, clothe themselves in sackcloth and weep before the Lord for the sins of the nation, which have reached unto the heavens and cry aloud for vengeance ; let them cleanse the land and wipe out of existence these soul-destroying abominations : then let them teach Utah virtue, and their precepts will be heard and their admonitions received; then will the valiant-hearted sons and daughters of the Mountain Territory believe that there is virtue still left in the land ; and then shall the nation find favor in the sight of heaven, and rise up in strength, in power, in glorious majesty, and extend their dominions east, west, north, and south, and shall rule in triumph and everlasting honor unto the ends of the earth. But until then let them hide their faces in shame and blush in deep silence at the floodgates of iniquity which pour forth their torrents of corruption and death in all parts of the land.”

    References

    References
    1 The Seer edited by Orson Pratt – https://archive.org/details/seereditedbyorso01unse
  • Joseph Smith Translation

    Joseph Smith Translation

    Excerpt from the article ‘Prophecies in the Bible about Joseph Smith’, published in the Ensign, January 1989: 1

    Critics might argue that the Joseph Smith Translation contains references to Joseph Smith because he himself translated it.

     

    From the Joseph Smith Inspired translation of the bible. Italicized words were added to the King James Version of the bible by Joseph Smith: 2

    Genesis 50:24–38

    24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die, and go unto my fathers; and I go down to my grave with joy. The God of my father Jacob be with you, to deliver you out of affliction in the days of your bondage; for the Lord hath visited me, and I have obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of my loins, the Lord God will raise up a righteous branch out of my loins; and unto thee, whom my father Jacob hath named Israel, a prophet; (not the Messiah who is called Shilo;) and this prophet shall deliver my people out of Egypt in the days of thy bondage.

    25 And it shall come to pass that they shall be scattered again; and a branch shall be broken off, and shall be carried into a far country; nevertheless they shall be remembered in the covenants of the Lord, when the Messiah cometh; for he shall be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the Spirit of power; and shall bring them out of darkness into light; out of hidden darkness, and out of captivity unto freedom.

    26 A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins.

    27 Thus saith the Lord God of my fathers unto me, A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins, and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren.

    28 And he shall bring them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers; and he shall do whatsoever work I shall command him.

    29 And I will make him great in mine eyes, for he shall do my work; and he shall be great like unto him whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house of Israel, out of the land of Egypt; for a seer will I raise up to deliver my people out of the land of Egypt; and he shall be called Moses. And by this name he shall know that he is of thy house; for he shall be nursed by the king’s daughter, and shall be called her son.

    30 And again, a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins, and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins; and not to the bringing forth of my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them in the last days;

    31 Wherefore the fruit of thy loins shall write, and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together unto the confounding of false doctrines, and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to a knowledge of their fathers in the latter days; and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.

    32 And out of weakness shall he be made strong, in that day when my work shall go forth among all my people, which shall restore them, who are of the house of Israel, in the last days.

    33 And that seer will I bless, and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise I give unto you; for I will remember you from generation to generation; and his name shall be called Joseph, and it shall be after the name of his father; and he shall be like unto you; for the thing which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand shall bring my people unto salvation.

    34 And the Lord sware unto Joseph that he would preserve his seed forever, saying, I will raise up Moses, and a rod shall be in his hand, and he shall gather together my people, and he shall lead them as a flock, and he shall smite the waters of the Red Sea with his rod.

    35 And he shall have judgment, and shall write the word of the Lord. And he shall not speak many words, for I will write unto him my law by the finger of mine own hand. And I will make a spokesman for him, and his name shall be called Aaron.

    36 And it shall be done unto thee in the last days also, even as I have sworn. Therefore, Joseph said unto his brethren, God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land, unto the land which he sware unto Abraham, and unto Isaac, and to Jacob.

    37 And Joseph confirmed many other things unto his brethren, and took an oath of the children of Israel, saying unto them, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.

    38 So Joseph died when he was an hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and they put him in a coffin in Egypt; and he was kept from burial by the children of Israel, that he might be carried up and laid in the sepulchre with his father. And thus they remembered the oath which they sware unto him.

    We find another prophecy of Joseph Smith contained in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 3:4–22: 3

    4 For behold, thou art the fruit of my loins; and I am a descendant of Joseph who was carried captive into Egypt. And great were the covenants of the Lord which he made unto Joseph.

    5 Wherefore, Joseph truly saw our day. And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord that the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom.

    6 For Joseph truly testified, saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins.

    7 Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. And unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers.

    8 And I will give unto him a commandment that he shall do none other work, save the work which I shall command him. And I will make him great in mine eyes; for he shall do my work.

    9 And he shall be great like unto Moses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house of Israel.

    10 And Moses will I raise up, to deliver thy people out of the land of Egypt.

    11 But a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins—and not to the bringing forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them.

    12 Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.

    13 And out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.

    14 And thus prophesied Joseph, saying: Behold, that seer will the Lord bless; and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my loins, shall be fulfilled. Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise;

    15 And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation.

    16 Yea, thus prophesied Joseph: I am sure of this thing, even as I am sure of the promise of Moses; for the Lord hath said unto me, I will preserve thy seed forever.

    17 And the Lord hath said: I will raise up a Moses; and I will give power unto him in a rod; and I will give judgment unto him in writing. Yet I will not loose his tongue, that he shall speak much, for I will not make him mighty in speaking. But I will write unto him my law, by the finger of mine own hand; and I will make a spokesman for him.

    18 And the Lord said unto me also: I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins; and I will make for him a spokesman. And I, behold, I will give unto him that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins, unto the fruit of thy loins; and the spokesman of thy loins shall declare it.

    19 And the words which he shall write shall be the words which are expedient in my wisdom should go forth unto the fruit of thy loins. And it shall be as if the fruit of thy loins had cried unto them from the dust; for I know their faith.

    20 And they shall cry from the dust; yea, even repentance unto their brethren, even after many generations have gone by them. And it shall come to pass that their cry shall go, even according to the simpleness of their words.

    21 Because of their faith their words shall proceed forth out of my mouth unto their brethren who are the fruit of thy loins; and the weakness of their words will I make strong in their faith, unto the remembering of my covenant which I made unto thy fathers.

    22 And now, behold, my son Joseph, after this manner did my father of old prophesy.

    Further Study

    Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet, Dan Vogel – http://signaturebookslibrary.org/26233/#mormon35

    References

  • Intermarriage

    Intermarriage

    Address by J. Reuben Clark, reprinted in the August, 1946 LDS Improvement Era, ‘Plain Talk to Girls’: 1

    Address given to the Executives of the Young Women’s Mutual Improvement Association, in June Conference, Saturday afternoon, June 8, 1946, in Barratt Hall

    When I was in Mexico in the Embassy, there were with me Sister Clark and my youngest daughter, then in her middle teens. Because she was the daughter of an ambassador, she was invited out a great deal, and every time she went out, as she was ready to go, I called her in and said: “Now, Luacine, I want you to remember this evening two things; first, you are a Mormon with certain standards to observe; second, you are the daughter of the American ambassador, and that brings to you certain responsibilities with reference to your conduct. I do not want you to forget that, wherever you go tonight.”
    Well, I had done this a number of times. Finally she said to me one evening: “Daddy, you do not trust me, do you?”
    I said, “No, Daughter. I do not trust myself.”
    And until we are in the grave, we are not beyond the reach of Satan. None of us is safe, and he or she is most unsafe who thinks he or she is beyond the reach of the evil one.
    You young people have been told so often that you are the greatest group that the world ever produced, that you are entitled to believe it, and I think perhaps some of you do. You are the greatest group that the world has ever produced in opportunity. No group of youth in the whole history of the world ever had the advantages that you have in the development of science and of arts. There come into your homes from day to day more of culture and uplift than ever came to us who lived three quarters of a century ago. But there also come into your homes, and by the same route, more of filth, more of moronic alleged entertainment, more influences to break down your morals than we dreamed of, and you must take in this life of yours with all of its opportunities, the bur- den along with the blessing, and you will be perfectly safe in this duality which is yours if all the time you will remember to pray to the Lord and to live righteously.
    You know we are just the same sort of beings today that we started out to be at the very beginning. In one sense —and I hesitate to use this because there is a false doctrine predicated upon the statement that I am going to make—but in one sense we are all Adams and Eves. We all have before us the power to choose the good or to choose the evil, and we can make a mistake at the beginning which will bring to us tears and sorrows and all that go with sin forever afterwards. But we are Adams and Eves in another sense. We have all of the elemental passions which they had, and our modern veneer is very, very thin. Biological man does today whatever he thinks will preserve him biologically, preserve him as a human, mortal being. There have come into our minds and into our very beings, feelings of hate and contempt for human life, revenge and that whole sordid, terrible group of vices. There was a time when I was a boy, and perhaps when you were in school, that you held up your hands in horror, when you read of the terrible massacres in the frontier settlements of this country by the Indians, when men, women, and children were murdered and scalped and the women outraged. Yet today we look complacently upon the fact that our soldiers have destroyed, under orders, hundreds and thousands of women and children, the aged, the infirm, the decrepit, blotted them out in the fraction of a second. Does that spell very much real love for humanity? Let us put those things out of our minds and out of our hearts, and instead of talking glibly about the brotherhood of men, let us actually have it and live it.
    We should hate nobody, and having said that, I wish to urge a word of caution, particularly to you young girls. It is sought today in certain quarters to break down all race prejudice, and at the end of the road, which they who urge this see, is intermarriage. That is what it finally comes to. Now, you should hate nobody; you should give to every man and every woman, no matter what the color of his and her skin may be, full civil rights. You should treat them as brothers and sisters, but do not ever let that wicked virus get into your systems that brotherhood either permits or entitles you to mix races which are inconsistent. Biologically, it is wrong; spiritually, it is wrong.
    The Lord said: “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Never go any place where you may not ask the Lord to be with you. So soon as you do, you rob yourselves of the strength and the power of the Spirit of the Lord, and in large measure you cease to be entitled to the protection which you ask. Stay in the places where you may go before the Lord and say, “Lord, help me and bless me,” and where you may do it unblushingly.
    As to companions, you women had better not trifle with men, and particularly with those whom you know only casually. There is a new spirit that has come into the world with this war. The reports you have read of the universality of the immorality among our soldiers in Europe and elsewhere are too largely borne out by the reports which come to us. Too frequently men have ceased to be chivalrous, respectful of womanhood, and have come to regard you as the legitimate prey of their passions—as a prey to be seized either by flattery or by force, and it makes little difference to them which. Please, sisters, you Mutual officers, carry this back to your wards and your stakes and try to warn—and I urge this with all of the energy that I have—try to warn your young girls against this terrible sin of unchastity. This is where you can exercise your love and your patience. This is where you can use all of the Spirit of the Lord that you can get in warning those who are not here of the dangers which beset them on every hand.
    And then I should like to say this: You may remember that after the resurrection of the Lord, he saw the members of his apostles’ quorum on two different occasions, one on the night of his resurrection, when all were present except Thomas, and he called later when all were present, including Thomas. Then, while he was seen here and there by individuals, and on one occasion by over five hundred at one time, he did not appear again to his apostles for some time. Then Peter, he who had been first attracted by the fact that the Lord had told him—he having fished all night without any success —to cast his net on the other side of the boat, which he did and found it filled with fish,—Peter said to some of his associates, Thomas Didymus, James, and John, the two sons of Zebedee, two other apostles, and Nathaniel: “I go fishing.” They said, “We will go with you.” The record states that immediately they went and got into their boat on the Sea of Tiberias, that is, the Lake of Galilee, around which so many of the stirring incidents and miracles performed by the Master had taken place. They fished all night, so when the morning came they were about a hundred yards away from the shore. They had caught no fish. A man stood on the shore and said to them: “Have ye any meat? “When they said, “No,” he said, “Cast the net on the right side of the ship.” And they cast their net, and it was filled. John said to Peter: “It is the Lord,” and Peter, with that impetuosity which marked him through his whole life, girded his coat about him, for he was naked, and then plunged into the sea, and walked to the shore to meet his Master.
    He was naked. The Lord is not pleased with nakedness. I am sure you girls do not appreciate, you young people, and it may be not the older ones, that the nudity which your fashions now sanction and indeed call for, has its origin in those minds which seek so to clothe you that you may appeal to the baser passions of men, and if so clothed you shall be assaulted, take at least part of the blame to yourselves. I know the arguments that are made that go through your minds. “I cannot be a freak. Everybody else dresses this way. I must dress this way. I will be shunned; I will not be attractive; I will not be popular.” And so on down the whole list of alleged reasons, but really excuses. I know all that, and unfortunately there is too much truth in it, but when the man comes who wants honorably to make you his wife, then, many chances to one, he will not wish you to display your person to others. That is the way we men feel about it, and about those whom we love. When you come to us, we wish you to be ours in every whit. We do not wish to share you even by sight with others.
    Sisters, you yourselves, those whom you associate with and guide and direct, for the sake of your posterity and the youth of tomorrow, please resume the modesty that your mothers and your grandmothers had, and if you want to know what that was, talk to them somewhat about what you are doing now, and they will tell you. I say to you that unless we do get modesty back among the Latter-day Saints particularly, and in the world, that we are headed for a catastrophe.
    Now I hope, sisters, that you will pardon my blunt speaking. I have no desire but to help you to help yourselves and to help your posterity, for if they go as far beyond place where their parents and their grandparents were, many will fall below the standards of the beasts who have one mate and cling to it.
    This is a great organization. The Lord loves you. He will help you,—that I promise you with as much certainty as I can promise anything that I can actually hand to you. If you live righteously, he will do whatever you want him to do, that is for your good, and you never ought to ask the Lord for anything that you do not say: “Father, give this to me if it would be for my best good and in accordance with thy will.” Then keep your minds open so that if you do not get what you ask for, you can understand the failure was because the Lord knew better than you. Go back to your work, you officers, filled with the enthusiasm which you are getting in this conference, with the spirit which comes to you from this conference, and go back to it with a determination that you will do your part, each of you, to stem this tide of immorality which threatens to engulf the world. You women can do it. We men will not.
    May the Lord bless you. Again I ask you to be good enough to excuse my blunt speech, but I feel there come times when things must be said even as Jacob of old declared. And I would like you to read when you go home the second chapter, I think it is, of Jacob, in the Book of Mormon, because you stand just where Jacob stood, even as do I, where your duty is to warn the world, and particularly your own sisters of the evils that threaten them. The Lord said on one occasion when he was preaching: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8: 36, 37.) And remember the philosophy of Paul when he spoke to the Romans and said: “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.” (Romans 7:21.) You can overcome that evil so present by living the commandments of the Lord, and that you may be able to do so, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
    Amen.

     

     

    References

    References
    1 1946 LDS Improvement Era, ‘Plain Talk to Girls’ – https://archive.org/stream/improvementera4908unse#page/n14/mode/1up/search/assaulted
  • Modesty

    Modesty

    Address by J. Reuben Clark, reprinted in the August, 1946 LDS Improvement Era, ‘Plain Talk to Girls’: 1

    Address given to the Executives of the Young Women’s Mutual Improvement Association, in June Conference, Saturday afternoon, June 8, 1946, in Barratt Hall

    When I was in Mexico in the Embassy, there were with me Sister Clark and my youngest daughter, then in her middle teens. Because she was the daughter of an ambassador, she was invited out a great deal, and every time she went out, as she was ready to go, I called her in and said: “Now, Luacine, I want you to remember this evening two things; first, you are a Mormon with certain standards to observe; second, you are the daughter of the American ambassador, and that brings to you certain responsibilities with reference to your conduct. I do not want you to forget that, wherever you go tonight.”
    Well, I had done this a number of times. Finally she said to me one evening: “Daddy, you do not trust me, do you?”
    I said, “No, Daughter. I do not trust myself.”
    And until we are in the grave, we are not beyond the reach of Satan. None of us is safe, and he or she is most unsafe who thinks he or she is beyond the reach of the evil one.
    You young people have been told so often that you are the greatest group that the world ever produced, that you are entitled to believe it, and I think perhaps some of you do. You are the greatest group that the world has ever produced in opportunity. No group of youth in the whole history of the world ever had the advantages that you have in the development of science and of arts. There come into your homes from day to day more of culture and uplift than ever came to us who lived three quarters of a century ago. But there also come into your homes, and by the same route, more of filth, more of moronic alleged entertainment, more influences to break down your morals than we dreamed of, and you must take in this life of yours with all of its opportunities, the bur- den along with the blessing, and you will be perfectly safe in this duality which is yours if all the time you will remember to pray to the Lord and to live righteously.
    You know we are just the same sort of beings today that we started out to be at the very beginning. In one sense —and I hesitate to use this because there is a false doctrine predicated upon the statement that I am going to make—but in one sense we are all Adams and Eves. We all have before us the power to choose the good or to choose the evil, and we can make a mistake at the beginning which will bring to us tears and sorrows and all that go with sin forever afterwards. But we are Adams and Eves in another sense. We have all of the elemental passions which they had, and our modern veneer is very, very thin. Biological man does today whatever he thinks will preserve him biologically, preserve him as a human, mortal being. There have come into our minds and into our very beings, feelings of hate and contempt for human life, revenge and that whole sordid, terrible group of vices. There was a time when I was a boy, and perhaps when you were in school, that you held up your hands in horror, when you read of the terrible massacres in the frontier settlements of this country by the Indians, when men, women, and children were murdered and scalped and the women outraged. Yet today we look complacently upon the fact that our soldiers have destroyed, under orders, hundreds and thousands of women and children, the aged, the infirm, the decrepit, blotted them out in the fraction of a second. Does that spell very much real love for humanity? Let us put those things out of our minds and out of our hearts, and instead of talking glibly about the brotherhood of men, let us actually have it and live it.
    We should hate nobody, and having said that, I wish to urge a word of caution, particularly to you young girls. It is sought today in certain quarters to break down all race prejudice, and at the end of the road, which they who urge this see, is intermarriage. That is what it finally comes to. Now, you should hate nobody; you should give to every man and every woman, no matter what the color of his and her skin may be, full civil rights. You should treat them as brothers and sisters, but do not ever let that wicked virus get into your systems that brotherhood either permits or entitles you to mix races which are inconsistent. Biologically, it is wrong; spiritually, it is wrong.
    The Lord said: “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Never go any place where you may not ask the Lord to be with you. So soon as you do, you rob yourselves of the strength and the power of the Spirit of the Lord, and in large measure you cease to be entitled to the protection which you ask. Stay in the places where you may go before the Lord and say, “Lord, help me and bless me,” and where you may do it unblushingly.
    As to companions, you women had better not trifle with men, and particularly with those whom you know only casually. There is a new spirit that has come into the world with this war. The reports you have read of the universality of the immorality among our soldiers in Europe and elsewhere are too largely borne out by the reports which come to us. Too frequently men have ceased to be chivalrous, respectful of womanhood, and have come to regard you as the legitimate prey of their passions—as a prey to be seized either by flattery or by force, and it makes little difference to them which. Please, sisters, you Mutual officers, carry this back to your wards and your stakes and try to warn—and I urge this with all of the energy that I have—try to warn your young girls against this terrible sin of unchastity. This is where you can exercise your love and your patience. This is where you can use all of the Spirit of the Lord that you can get in warning those who are not here of the dangers which beset them on every hand.
    And then I should like to say this: You may remember that after the resurrection of the Lord, he saw the members of his apostles’ quorum on two different occasions, one on the night of his resurrection, when all were present except Thomas, and he called later when all were present, including Thomas. Then, while he was seen here and there by individuals, and on one occasion by over five hundred at one time, he did not appear again to his apostles for some time. Then Peter, he who had been first attracted by the fact that the Lord had told him—he having fished all night without any success —to cast his net on the other side of the boat, which he did and found it filled with fish,—Peter said to some of his associates, Thomas Didymus, James, and John, the two sons of Zebedee, two other apostles, and Nathaniel: “I go fishing.” They said, “We will go with you.” The record states that immediately they went and got into their boat on the Sea of Tiberias, that is, the Lake of Galilee, around which so many of the stirring incidents and miracles performed by the Master had taken place. They fished all night, so when the morning came they were about a hundred yards away from the shore. They had caught no fish. A man stood on the shore and said to them: “Have ye any meat? “When they said, “No,” he said, “Cast the net on the right side of the ship.” And they cast their net, and it was filled. John said to Peter: “It is the Lord,” and Peter, with that impetuosity which marked him through his whole life, girded his coat about him, for he was naked, and then plunged into the sea, and walked to the shore to meet his Master.
    He was naked. The Lord is not pleased with nakedness. I am sure you girls do not appreciate, you young people, and it may be not the older ones, that the nudity which your fashions now sanction and indeed call for, has its origin in those minds which seek so to clothe you that you may appeal to the baser passions of men, and if so clothed you shall be assaulted, take at least part of the blame to yourselves. I know the arguments that are made that go through your minds. “I cannot be a freak. Everybody else dresses this way. I must dress this way. I will be shunned; I will not be attractive; I will not be popular.” And so on down the whole list of alleged reasons, but really excuses. I know all that, and unfortunately there is too much truth in it, but when the man comes who wants honorably to make you his wife, then, many chances to one, he will not wish you to display your person to others. That is the way we men feel about it, and about those whom we love. When you come to us, we wish you to be ours in every whit. We do not wish to share you even by sight with others.
    Sisters, you yourselves, those whom you associate with and guide and direct, for the sake of your posterity and the youth of tomorrow, please resume the modesty that your mothers and your grandmothers had, and if you want to know what that was, talk to them somewhat about what you are doing now, and they will tell you. I say to you that unless we do get modesty back among the Latter-day Saints particularly, and in the world, that we are headed for a catastrophe.
    Now I hope, sisters, that you will pardon my blunt speaking. I have no desire but to help you to help yourselves and to help your posterity, for if they go as far beyond place where their parents and their grandparents were, many will fall below the standards of the beasts who have one mate and cling to it.
    This is a great organization. The Lord loves you. He will help you,—that I promise you with as much certainty as I can promise anything that I can actually hand to you. If you live righteously, he will do whatever you want him to do, that is for your good, and you never ought to ask the Lord for anything that you do not say: “Father, give this to me if it would be for my best good and in accordance with thy will.” Then keep your minds open so that if you do not get what you ask for, you can understand the failure was because the Lord knew better than you. Go back to your work, you officers, filled with the enthusiasm which you are getting in this conference, with the spirit which comes to you from this conference, and go back to it with a determination that you will do your part, each of you, to stem this tide of immorality which threatens to engulf the world. You women can do it. We men will not.
    May the Lord bless you. Again I ask you to be good enough to excuse my blunt speech, but I feel there come times when things must be said even as Jacob of old declared. And I would like you to read when you go home the second chapter, I think it is, of Jacob, in the Book of Mormon, because you stand just where Jacob stood, even as do I, where your duty is to warn the world, and particularly your own sisters of the evils that threaten them. The Lord said on one occasion when he was preaching: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8: 36, 37.) And remember the philosophy of Paul when he spoke to the Romans and said: “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.” (Romans 7:21.) You can overcome that evil so present by living the commandments of the Lord, and that you may be able to do so, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
    Amen.

     

     

    References

    References
    1 1946 LDS Improvement Era, ‘Plain Talk to Girls’ – https://archive.org/stream/improvementera4908unse#page/n14/mode/1up/search/assaulted
  • Civil War

    Civil War

    The Nulification Crisis, Wikipedia: 1

    The Nullification Crisis was a United States sectional political crisis in 1832-33, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, which involved a confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government. It ensued after South Carolina declared that the federal Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 were unconstitutional and therefore null and void within the sovereign boundaries of the state.

    Doctrine and Covenants, 87:1-5, the ‘Civil War prophecy’: 2

    1 Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls;

    2 And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place.

    3 For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations.

    4 And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war.

    5 And it shall come to pass also that the remnants who are left of the land will marshal themselves, and shall become exceedingly angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation.

    A later addition the preface to the revelation as published in History of the Church: 3

    “Appearances of troubles among the nations, became more visible, this season, than they had previously done, since the church began her journey out of the wilderness. The ravages of the cholera were frightful in almost all the large cities on the globe. The plague broke out in India, while the United States, amid all her pomp and greatness, was threatened with immediate dissolution. The people of South Carolina, in convention assembled (in November), passed ordinances, declaring their state a free and independent nation; and appointed Thursday, the 31st day of January, 1833, as a day of humiliation and prayer, to implore Almighty God to vouchsafe His blessings, and restore liberty and happiness within their borders. President Jackson issued his proclamation against this rebellion, called out a force sufficient to quell it, and implored the blessings of God to assist the nation to extricate itself from the horrors of the approaching and solemn crisis.”

    Historical Introduction from the Joseph Smith Papers to the revelation: 4

    “The Painesville Telegraph of 21 December 1832 [issued just days before the revelation] highlighted some of these problems. It contained an article titled “Revenge and Magnanimity. A Tale of the Cholera” about the worldwide cholera epidemic, as well as information about a plague in India that was killing 150 to 200 people a day.

    The newspaper also included extensive coverage of the passage of a resolution by a Nullification Convention held in November in South Carolina. This resolution declared the federal tariff acts of 1828 and 1832, which levied high duties against imports, “null and void” in the state. Many South Carolina residents believed the acts were passed solely to protect northern manufacturing at the expense of the South. Not only did South Carolinians claim the right to nullify the law, they also stated their willingness to “organize a separate Government” should the federal government try to enforce the tariffs in the state. The governor called for two thousand men to form a militia “for the defence of Charleston and its dependencies.”

    President Andrew Jackson responded quickly to this resolution, stating, according to the Telegraph, “that the laws and the Union must be maintained, at all events.”

    Because Painesville, Ohio, was only about ten miles from Kirtland, Ohio, it is probable that JS saw or heard about the articles in the 21 December Telegraph within a day or so. These developments troubled JS, who saw in them the threat of the “immediate dissolution” of the United States

    Indeed, the 25 December revelation predicted that rebellion on the part of South Carolina would lead not only to civil war and war among nations but also to slave rebellions and an uprising of remnants of the house of Israel. This violence, combined with plague and other natural disasters, would ultimately lead to the “full end of all Nations.” Using millenarian language, the revelation cast such events as portents of the return of Jesus Christ to the earth.”

    Excerpt from the Painesville Telegraph, December 21, 1832: 5

    The President has issued his proclamation to South Carolina, making known to the people thereof his views of the Constitution, the tariff laws, and the course which he shall deem it his duty to pursue, in regard to nullification. He tells them plainly that the laws and the Union must be maintained, at all events, and warns them of the consequences of resistance.

    Washington Correspond’e of the New York Tour. & Enq’r.
    Washington, Dec. 4, 1832
    Sir:—I have seen your paper of last Saturday, containing my first letter. Agreeably to my anticipations, a quorum of members attended yesterday; and Speaker Stevenson took the chair. The alarm, therefore, which produced a “beating to quarters,” among the opposition, was without cause.

    The President, this day, transmitted his message to both houses. It will reach you y express, before this letter; and as I do not intend to criticise or review it, I will only call your attention to the remarks of the Executive, on the tariff laws, as connected with Southern excitement, and you will perceive they are perfect accordance with the view heretofore taken by me. They established the face, that the President feels himself authorized, by the existing laws to coerce South Carolina into submission. Will he make the experiment, with the military force at his command! I think not. Procrastination, will be the order of the day.

    You are aware that in the commencement of the session, but little is done in either house. We seldom discuss, and more seldom decide any important question, until after the Christmas holidays. There is, however, a deep interest evidenced in this city, in relation to the measures that Congress or the President may adopt, at this crisis; a crisis calculated to ‘try men’s souls.’

    I regret to say, that many of the members are, apparently, indifferent, as to the continuance or dissolution of the Union : while others, from whom moderation was expected, express themselves in virulent terms against the South. Within a few hours, Senator Holmes, of Maine, has given vent to feelings that in my opinion, it would be better policy, and much more kind to smother, if not subdue. If he speaks the sentiments of the party, then, indeed, is there great danger of bloodshed, and we may be destined to witness the ‘outpourings of the bitter waters’ of affliction, upon this late peaceful, prosperous and happy land.

    The South and South west complain as with one voice, against what they consider, unconstitutional tariff laws. South Carolina has evinced more open and bold, but not more determined opposition to these laws, than is known to exist in several other States. If coercion is attempted against her, I repeat, she will not be found standing alone. These are not the times for mincing matters. The curtain should be drawn aside. The tariff is a subject of complaint in the South, because it has an existence, and is tangible; because, as she contends, its enactment, is an assumption of power not delegation. But is there not another subject, the agitation of which she constantly apprehends; and in relation to which she is extremely sensative? The mixed population of the Southern States is to them, a source of continual anxiety; but for that reason, if no other, they are united in bands that seem almost indissoluble. In comparison with it, every other question sinks into nothingness. The great principle which governs mankind, (self-interest) must govern them; and it may, by possibility, become self-preservation.

     

    Further Study

    The Civil War Prophecy – http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/changech14.htm#424

    Tariff of 1832, Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariff_of_1832

     

  • Tree of Life

    Tree of Life

    Excerpt from ‘History of Joseph Smith by his mother’, Lucy Mack Smith, Pub. 1853. Pg. 58, 59: 1

    In 1811, we moved from Royalton Vermont, to the town of Lebanon New Hampshire. Soon after arriving here, my husband [Joseph Smith Sr.] received another very singular vision, which I will relate:

    “I thought,” said he, “I was travelling in an open, desolate field, which appeared to be very barren. As I was thus travelling, the thought suddenly came into my mind that I had better stop and reflect upon what I was doing, before I went any further. So I asked myself, ‘What motive can I have in travelling here, and what place can this be?’ My guide, who was by my side, as before, said, ‘This is the desolate world; but travel on.’ The road was so broad and barren that I wondered why I should travel in it; for, said I to myself, ‘Broad is the road, and wide is the gate that leads to death, and many there be that walk therein; but narrow is the way, and straight is the gate that leads to everlasting life, and few there be that go in thereat.’ Travelling a short distance further, I came to a narrow path. This path I entered, and, when I had travelled a little way in it, I beheld a beautiful stream of water, which ran from the east to the west. Of this stream I could see neither the source nor yet the termination; but as far as my eyes could extend I could see a rope, running along the bank of it, about as high as a man could reach, and beyond me was a low, but very pleasant valley, in which stood a tree such as I, had never seen before. It was exceedingly handsome, insomuch that I looked upon it with wonder and admiration. Its beautiful branches spread themselves somewhat like an umbrella, and it bore a kind of fruit, in shape much like a chestnut bur, and as white as snow, or, if possible, whiter. I gazed upon the same with considerable interest, and as I was doing so, the burs or shells commenced opening and shedding their particles, or the fruit which they contained, which was of dazzling whiteness. I drew near, and began to eat of it, and I found it delicious beyond description. As I was eating, I said in my heart, ‘I cannot eat this alone, I must bring my wife and children, that they may partake with me.’ Accordingly, I went and brought my family, which consisted of a wife and seven children, and we all commenced eating, and praising God for this blessing. We were exceedingly happy, insomuch that our joy could not easily be expressed. While thus engaged, I beheld a spacious building standing opposite the valley which we were in, and it appeared to reach to the very heavens. It was full of doors and windows, and they were all filled with people, who were very finely dressed. When these people observed us in the low valley, under the tree, they pointed the finger of scorn at us, and treated us with all manner of disrespect and contempt. But their contumely we utterly disregarded. I presently turned to my guide, and inquired of him the meaning of the fruit that was so delicious. He told me it was the pure love of God, shed abroad in the hearts of all those who love him, and keep his commandments. He then commanded me to go and bring the rest of my children. I told him that we were all there. ‘No,’ he replied, ‘look yonder, you have two more, and you must bring them also.’ Upon raising my eyes, I saw two small children, standing some distance off. I immediately went to them, and brought them to the tree; upon which they commenced eating with the rest, and we all rejoiced together. The more we eat, the more we seemed to desire, until we even got down upon our knees, and scooped it up, eating it by double handfulls. After feasting in this manner a short time, I asked my guide what was the meaning of the spacious building which I saw. He replied, ‘It is Babylon, it is Babylon, and it must fall. The people in the doors and windows are the inhabitants thereof, who scorn and despise the Saints of God, because of their humility.’ I soon awoke, clapping my hands together for joy.”

    Lehi’s vision of the Tree of Life in the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 8, 11,12: 2

    Chapter 8
    25 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.

    26 And the angel said unto me again: Look and behold the condescension of God!

    27 And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken; and I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him. And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him; and after he was baptized, I beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost come down out of heaven and abide upon him in the form of a dove.

    28 And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people, in power and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear him; and I beheld that they cast him out from among them.

    29 And I also beheld twelve others following him. And it came to pass that they were carried away in the Spirit from before my face, and I saw them not.

    30 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the heavens open again, and I saw angels descending upon the children of men; and they did minister unto them.

    31 And he spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the children of men. And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits; and the angel spake and showed all these things unto me. And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.

    32 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.

    33 And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.

    34 And after he was slain I saw the multitudes of the earth, that they were gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb; for thus were the twelve called by the angel of the Lord.

    35 And the multitude of the earth was gathered together; and I beheld that they were in a large and spacious building, like unto the building which my father saw. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; yea, behold the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

    36 And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

    Chapter 11
    8 And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow.

    9 And it came to pass after I had seen the tree, I said unto the Spirit: I behold thou hast shown unto me the tree which is precious above all.

    21 And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?

    22 And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.

    23 And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.

    25 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.

    Chapter 12
    17 And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.

    18 And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever.

    Excerpt from a 2007 BYU Devotional, ‘Lehi’s Dream and You’, by Boyd Packer: 3

    “Who wrote this incredible vision? There is nothing like it in the Bible. Did Joseph Smith compose it? Did he write the Book of Mormon? That is harder to believe than the account of angels and golden plates. Joseph Smith was only 24 years old when the Book of Mormon was published”

    See also:

    References

    References
    1 ‘History of Joseph Smith by his mother’ – http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/NCMP1820-1846/id/17401
    2 1 Nephi, the Book of Mormon – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne?lang=eng
    3 Lehi’s Dream and You, Boyd K. Packer – https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/boyd-k-packer_lehis-dream/
  • Reverence to Her Husband

    Reverence to Her Husband

    Address by LDS Apostle Erastus Snow, delivered October 4, 1857 – ‘Preparation of Heart for Divine Blessings—Responsibility—Family Government.’: 1

    ‘I feel like offering a few of my reflections in connection with those remarks we have heard this morning from Elder Hyde. I feel that they are timely and good for the congregation of the Saints to reflect upon and treasure up. I would not say anything to draw the minds and reflections of the people from those sentiments which have been presented by Elder Hyde this morning, but rather to enforce and impress them upon the minds of the congregation, that every person capable of understanding may be able to treasure them up, that these principles may abide in our hearts; for, says the Savior, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, they shall be in you as living water, and ye shall bear much fruit.”

    Now, this people are not perishing for lack of knowledge: they have not a lack of the words of the Lord. But if this people perish for lack of knowledge at all, it is because they do not retain the word of the Lord which is delivered to them: it is not because it is not planted in our hearts, but because our ground is not properly broken up. The ground of our hearts is not prepared, that the word that is sown may bring forth fruit. This is the trouble and the reason why we do not advance and bring forth more fruit, and grow more thrifty in the work of the Lord our God, and increase in faith, in power with God, in unison with him and with those whom he has set over us, and with one another.

    The trouble is not in our God, neither is it in our fellowservants—those whom he has set to be our leaders, our teachers; for God is with them, and he would be with them much more abundantly, if we as a people were more ready to listen to them, and there was place found in us for their words, and their words take effect in our hearts. Then his Spirit and power would increase upon us, and there would be no lack. The lack is in us—in the people, and always has been, and is not in our God. He is waiting and anxious to pour out blessings, and glory, and honor, and exaltation upon his people, far more than we have ever received, and far more than we are capable of receiving; and the only reason we have not received it long ago is because there was no place found for it.

    The great labor of the Lord and of all his servants is to prepare the hearts of the people, to concentrate the feeling of the people, to concentrate their faith, and to make them one, and to prepare their hearts to bring forth the fruits of the kingdom of God. This is the labor of preaching and praying, of exhorting, inviting, and beseeching all the time—to move upon the hearts of the people and convince them of the necessity of union—to impress it upon them, that they may remember all those principles which alone can exalt them. And, as was said by Elder Hyde, the responsibility of our conduct rests upon ourselves, and not upon our leaders. The responsibility that is resting upon our leaders is alone the responsibility of doing what the Lord wants them to.

    The responsibility of what befalls this people is no more upon brother Brigham than it is upon me, and no more upon me than it is upon you; and every individual soul in all Israel has his own responsibility to bear, and he cannot throw it off. Whether it be good or evil—whether it be joy or sorrow—whether it be affliction or blessings, the responsibility thereof rests upon us individually.

    Brothers Brigham, Heber, and Daniel, who are they but our fellowservants—those that the Lord has given us to be our leaders and the mouthpieces of the Lord unto this people—the legitimate channel through which to lead, govern, and control this people? But are they responsible any more than you or I? No, not one whit. When they have discharged their duties, they are as free from responsibility as you or I. When they have done what lies in their power to do, they are exonerated before their God, although they feel as no other men on earth can feel, because there are no others placed in their condition; and it is impossible for any others to feel as they feel and have the same interest they have for the welfare of this people.

    It is God who rules and leads; it is God who controls the destinies of all men. Every man is in his hands, to be used as he will. Whithersoever this people are led, they will be led through that channel he has intended; and whether they go to the east, west, north, or south—whether they burn their dwellings and flee to the mountains, or remain here—whether they fight the Gentiles, or turn their backs upon them—whatsoever they have to do, it will be the Lord Almighty that does it; but he will do it through the channel he has appointed.

    But will the responsibility of thousands be upon those men that are set over us to lead us? No, it will not. I am well aware that there are a great many people who in their childish simplicity feel that any act that they do is nothing to them.

    So far as taking thought or having trouble in our spirits about what is to come or what will be the result of things, it is well that we should set our hearts at rest and be at ease and feel quiet, and our spirits calm as a summer’s morning and resigned, and our feelings prayerful and peaceful. But as far as feeling indifferent and like throwing off the responsibility from our shoulders upon our leaders, this should not be; neither should we claim exemption from the responsibility of anything in Israel. Everyone should have a share of that responsibility, and they cannot throw that responsibility off; for upon my head devolves the responsibility of directing my hands and my feet and other members of my body in their exercises. It is equally the duty of every other member of the body to administer to the head. The hands have to feel the head, and the head has to be properly guarded and shielded, that it may be active and the brain vigorous, that every movement may be wisely directed and every energy of the body directed in proper channels.

    Our God deals with us as a people. He does not deal with brother Brigham, brother Heber, or brother Daniel separately and distinctly from this people, or the people distinct from them. We cannot be separated; we are one. We are the Twelve Apostles, the High Priests, the Seventies, the Elders, the Priests, the Teachers, the Deacons, the Bishops. Every quorum of the Priesthood, every man in Israel, and every woman in Israel are members of the same body—branches of the same vine, and partake of the same spirit, unless they are branches that are withered and dried up. God will deal with us as a whole all the time.

    How was it with Israel of old, as has been referred to by Elder Hyde? They were led by the hand of God all through the wilderness. God led Moses. Sometimes they were led in one direction, and sometimes in another. They were brought up against the Red Sea; and did not they, in their blindness, chide with Moses because he had led them thus? Looking at things naturally, they could say, “You might have gone round and avoided this snare: we might have taken another road, instead of running right into this canyon, between these two mountains, and against the Red Sea, where there is no chance to dodge; and so we are to perish by the armies of Egypt close in our rear and the sea before us.” These were the feelings of a great many weak in faith and ignorant people among them; and they were ready to pick up stones to stone Moses because he had done it.

    There are a great many instances of the same kind during their forty years’ sojourning in the wilderness. Sometimes they were led into the wilderness when they might have followed some streams of water, had the Lord have led them in that channel. And when they were led into different circumstances there were always some who complained and threw the responsibility upon Moses, exonerating themselves.

    Some wished to turn back unto Egypt, and a great many plans were in view to extricate themselves from difficulties; except fleeing to the Almighty, who had led them into those difficulties; and time and again the Lord rebuked them and manifested his power to deliver them. But who led them? Did Moses lead them?

    No. The Almighty led them. Moses was his servant, and led them as the Almighty directed him.

    Why did not the Almighty direct him to lead them round the Red Sea instead of through it? And why did he not lead them to follow the streams, instead of taking them across the desert? Why did he not lead them a straight course from Egypt to Canaan, instead of keeping them forty years in the wilderness? Who was most to blame for it? Was the responsibility upon him, or was it upon the people? Why was it upon the people? Because they were a stiffnecked people, a hardhearted people, and an ignorant people.

    We read in the Scriptures that they were so stiffnecked as to provoke the Lord, and he came out upon them in his wrath and consumed them from his presence—sometimes by fire that came forth from his presence, at other times by causing the earth to open and swallow them up by thousands, at other times by pestilence, and at other times by fiery flying serpents which came among them and bit them that they died.

    Why was the anger of the Lord kindled against them? Because of the hardness of their hearts and the stiffness of their necks. It was not because of Moses. Only in one instance did Moses offend. That was not in any of his movements in leading and controlling Israel, but because he did not sanctify the Lord God of Israel before their eyes when he smote the rock of Horeb. This was the only instance in which the Lord condemned Moses; but he directed Moses how to lead Israel, and Moses led them in the way he was directed; and they were tried forty years in the wilderness, until most of them were worn out and perished.

    Were they a wicked people above all other people, that their carcasses should thus fall in the wilderness?

    What think you, brethren and sisters—ye that are called Latter-day Saints, were they, as a people, more wicked than the rest of mankind, that God should have dealt with them thus? I answer, No. But of a truth they were the best people upon the face of the earth, and the only people that had the Priesthood of God among them.

    They were the people whom God had delivered from Egyptian bondage with an outstretched arm; and by his power, they were the only people God could make use of. They had faith sufficient that he could govern and control them; and so far from being the worst, they were the best people upon the earth; but upon them rested the responsibility, and they did not improve upon their privileges and appreciate their blessings as they ought to have done; and for this reason were they set forth as examples to all who should live after; and the responsibility of their carcasses falling in the wilderness, the responsibility of their being led into the desert, the responsibility of all their trials and troubles was not upon Moses and their leaders, nor upon their God, but upon themselves; for, had they been pliable, submissive, willing, and obedient, and had their spirits been pliable before the Lord, willing to be molded and fashioned, they could have been led forth conquering and to conquer, and been planted in Canaan just as well in two years as in forty. And if this people were capable of receiving it, the Lord could as well give them the kingdom today as forty years hence. And if the people of the United States would have hearkened to the voice of the Lord, given through the Prophet Joseph, they might have been a more prosperous and powerful nation today.

    The history of all religious generations and dispensations is similar, and shows this fact to us, that human nature is the same in every age of the country, and among every country, and among every people—that all men are subject to like weaknesses and have to be taught gradually.

    Children grow from infancy to manhood; and whether God leads our footsteps in correct paths or not, he is only leading us to school: he is only directing our course in a round of experience by which he trains us, and makes us one, cements our hearts together, and rids our spirits of iniquity and abomination. He wants to teach men and women how to walk together in union and be great—to teach this people how to be bound to him and to those that he sets over them, and to teach his Saints how to reign in the house of Israel as his servants.

    I do feel conscious that if the men of Israel do their duty and live their religion, reformation will go forth from them through their families, and it cannot be stayed; and every branch of every family in Israel will feel the effects of that reformation: every woman and all her children will feel it.

    If a man of God lives his religion and is controlled only by the Spirit of Zion in his family, and if he has a turbulent, disobedient spirit in his family, that spirit will be subject or that individual will be separated from his family, upon the same principle that turbulent persons that repent not are severed from this Church by the vote of this people; and when that turbulent person is severed, he will dry up and wither, and will be gathered and burned with the ungodly.

    It may be that heretofore the fanning-mill has blown out more of the men than it has of the women; but if it has done this, it is because the sieve is not quite fine enough. But as the work of reformation goes forward, it will sift to the very bottom; and every member of every family in Israel will feel the effects of the driving element that will sanctify them for the Lord Almighty or separate them from this people.

    Every man in Israel is responsible in a certain degree for the conduct of his wives and children. He has covenanted that he will assume that responsibility; that is, he will assume the responsibility of the sins of his wives, if he fails to discharge his duties towards them in teaching and leading them in the ways of life and salvation.

    I assume the responsibility of the acts of my wives and children so far as they are obedient to me; and when I discharge my duties to them, reprove them in their transgression, set a godly example before them, live my religion, and show forth the spirit thereof in my course with my family, and they will not drink into the same spirit and receive good at my hands, those consequences shall roll from me upon them; and it becomes my duty to separate myself from those sins and from the rebellious members of my family, that we may not all be cursed because of the transgression of one or two individuals.

    But if I do not discharge my duties towards them, admonish them when they are out of the way, instruct them in their duties, and walk as a man of God before them, the consequences and responsibility of every individual’s transgressions, even those of every wife and every child I have, and of every evil that is done in my house, shall rest upon me. God has laid it upon me.

    Sometimes we may err by being remiss in duty—too lenient in our families, and some of us may be under condemnation by being too careless about transgressors in our families; for if we hold fellowship with transgressors and spirits that are in rebellion against God and that will not repent and humble themselves—if we close our ears to it and go to sleep while wickedness is stalking unrebuked through our habitations, we become partakers in that transgression, and the consequences thereof will stick to us.

    But if the head of a family reproves iniquity and seeks to purge it from his presence—from his family, then his hands are free from stain of guilt; he is not a partaker in the transgression, and by his doings he says he will no longer hug to his bosom that individual—he will no longer eat and drink with him or her as a member of the body of Christ—he will no longer be held responsible for their sins.

    So should every man and every family rid themselves of evil and transgressors in their midst; for God deals with every family as a whole, as he deals with this people as a whole; and every man in Israel is responsible, and that responsibility he assumes when he assumes the responsibility of a family.

    If there is no sieve fine enough yet to separate the dross from the wheat of the female portion of this community, I tell you, in the name of Israel’s God, there is a fine one preparing, and it will separate the chaff from the wheat from every family in Israel, as sure as there is a God in Israel, until the families of Israel shall be sanctified before the Lord—until they shall be one, even all the families in Israel, that the Lord God shall accept and not be ashamed of them.

    There are many ways by which this may be accomplished; but the Lord in his own due time will bring it to pass. We naturally cling to our families, loving and cherishing them; so does every man that feels the weight of his responsibility—that is set over this people to administer in any department thereof: he feels his heart full of compassion, and he desires the salvation of every member thereof. So does our Father desire the salvation of every member of his family.

    Many among us, in their ignorance, manifest a weakness of soul in training up their offspring. Their weakness is such that they cannot administer chastisement unto their children; but they love them with a foolish, blind, ignorant love, that gratifies every desire and allows them to have their own way and pursue the channel of their own inclinations unrebuked, unchastened, until they grow up wild, as it were, without any proper impulse being given to their minds. If I feel satisfied in thus allowing my offspring to follow the bent of their own inclinations, God will hold me responsible for their evil acts.

    If any man have members in his family whom he cannot control by the principles of the Gospel, far better were it for him, if they want to go to the States or to any other country, to give them a good outfit and send them off, get them out of the way, and let them go their own way: far better this than to harbor them where they were like a viper in his bosom, corrupting and corroding in the midst of his family.

    The female portion of this community have to bear their share of this responsibility; and we know they are the best set of women that exist upon the earth; and that all the world will bear witness to, when they talk about plurality.

    Men of some discretion in the Gentile world ask questions about the operations of the plurality of wives among us. “How many wives live in each house? How do they get along in their associations? Are they all the time quarrelling and fighting?” A man said to me once, “My wife would not stand it five minutes, if I should bring a woman into my house to have a share of my company and my affections: I should have a hell upon earth, and no house that I could build would be big enough to hold my wife. It is marvelous to me how you can live, and how it is you are not killed.”

    They cannot understand it, because they are governed by their passions, and not by principles; and it is the hardest thing in the world for them to be convinced that this people are governed by principle. This is the doctrine we have been preaching abroad, and it is the very thing the Gentiles will not receive; and they marvel and wonder that we do not tear each other’s eyes out. They say this would be the case with them: in a little while they would be bald and blind and full of wounds, bruises, and putrifying sores; or, like the Kilkenny cats, use each other up all but the tails, and then the tails would jump at each other. So it would be among them indeed; for there is no law of the Lord that would keep the people together a minute in the peace and order that exist here.

    Existence among this people is of itself one of the greatest privileges. The world of mankind may soon know that God is with us, and that he is at the helm, that he is the founder of this work, and that the women as well as the men are the best upon the earth, and that we are determined to live and be governed by principle and not passion.

    Have we all learned to be altogether thus governed? No, we have not. But we are learning it: the men and women of Israel are learning it; but some of them are very dull scholars, and would a great deal rather go off and play than take a lesson; and they whine and cry over it, and sit on the dunce block rather than study and learn their lessons; and they will be dunces, because nothing but foolishness is bound up in their hearts. But many of us are learning to be governed by principle, not passion, and learning that we must become one—that there is somebody else that has feelings besides them—that there is somebody else worthy of respect and love besides them—that there are some good qualifications in some other being—and some other woman’s children have some claims as well as mine; they are learning to let principle rule them.

    Well, go on: let the good work continue. This is my prayer all the time. Are all the families of Israel and every woman striving herself to play well her part and reverence her husband as her lord; for he is her lord. Will she ever have another? No, never; and if she ever expects to have another, she has not learned “Mormonism” aright. She may tear herself loose from him and attach another, but she may have a worse one: she ought to have a worse one. If she cannot learn to honor him, the next one she gets, if she is permitted to have another, ought to be a worse one. How shall women honor their husbands? Just as we honor brother Brigham in his place, and the authorities of the Wards in their places; because upon him is laid the responsibility of that family, and he cannot get rid of it. He is in duty bound to purge them of their follies, and they are in duty bound to listen to his reproofs and honor him and pray for him, that he may be led aright.

    Do the women, when they pray, remember their husbands? Do you pray for brother Brigham? Yes, you should always pray for him. But when you pray for him, do you pray also for your own husband, that he may have the inspiration of the Almighty to lead and govern his family as the lord? Do you uphold your husband before God as your lord? “What! My husband to be my lord?” I ask, Can you get into the celestial kingdom without him? Have any of you been there? You will remember that you never got into the celestial kingdom without the aid of your husband. If you did, it was because your husband was away, and someone had to act proxy for him. No woman will get into the celestial kingdom, except her husband receives her, if she is worthy to have a husband; and if not, somebody will receive her as a servant.

    We have one God, the Father of us all, who is graciously kind to us; and those who call upon his name receive his Spirit; but the spirit we have got to be in is for every woman to be one with her husband, and every man to be one with those that are set over him in the Lord. Thus we become as branches of one vine, partaking of the same spirit.

    Does every woman pray for her children and with her children? Does she teach them to reverence their father and honor him ? If she does not teach them thus to honor him in her own words and examples, her children learn disobedience from her. Show me disobedient children, and I will show you disobedient parents, the world over.

    Where there are disobedient and rebellious children in the midst of Israel, tell me who their father and mother are, and I will point out to you disobedient, rebellious, disaffected parents; and if there is a woman in any family whose children dishonor their father, I will show you a woman that dishonors her husband and shows him disrespect, from which the children take their example.

    We do not want such women in Israel: we do not want their offspring, nor anything that pertains to them, except they repent. If they will have their children learn righteousness, let them seek it themselves, and pray to God in their apartments for their little ones. It is the mothers in Israel that have the charge of children; the men of Israel are abroad among the nations of the earth to preach the Gospel and fight the battles of Zion, to go abroad and return once in a few years, perhaps, to visit their family and become acquainted with their children. God wishes the mothers in Israel to assume that responsibility, and assume it by the Holy Ghost, that there may be a generation raised up that shall be fit for the Lord to use.

    Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, ye mothers in Israel, and fast, and hunger and thirst after righteousness. Pray for and with your little children in your apartments. Is it enough for a father to gather together his wives and children when he is at home, and pray with them? That is his duty; and every mother should take pattern by his example, and with their own offspring follow his example and call down the blessings of heaven upon them, and they will learn from her. While they listen to her prayers, they will learn to lisp from her mouth the words of prayer and thanksgiving to God; and faith will rest upon them, and the Holy Ghost will rest upon them, and they will be inspired with faith and power, and draw down blessings upon her and upon their father; and the blessings of God will rest upon them from their mother’s womb, if they pursue this course.

    May the God of heaven help us to pursue this course, one and all, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

    References

    References
    1 Journal of Discourses Vol. 5, Pg. 285-292 – http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/JournalOfDiscourses3/id/2091
  • Given to Another

    Given to Another

    Excerpt from Joseph Fielding Smith’s ‘Answers to Gospel Questions’, Vol. 3, Pg. 23, 24. Pub. 1957: 1

    “Here we have a case where there is a faithful mother who has by her integrity kept her children in the faith, but who is married to an unbelieving husband. Naturally she is worried and wonders how she may retain her family in the eternity to come. The Lord has made this matter perfectly clear, and in answer to this sister’s question we can say to her, and to the many others in like circumstances: If you remain faithful and true, the Lord will take your faith and devotion into account and reward you according to your works.

    It is a deplorable matter when a husband and wife are married for time only which according to the covenant they have taken must end at death, and then to have the wife wish and long for the blessings of husband and children in eternity. The laws of the Christian world, all denominations, except the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, proclaim the edict that all marriages must end at death, thus they include a bill of divorcement with every marriage. This naturally brings sorrow to a woman who loves both husband and children and who has received the truth. Naturally she wonders what her condition and relationship to her family will be hereafter. However there is some comfort to women in this status, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, in answer to his prayer in the following words, his justice and mercy to all such unhappy souls:

    “All who have died without a knowledge of this Gospel, who would have received it if they had been; permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God; also all that shall die henceforth without; a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom, for I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.”

    When the wife is faithful and desires to obey the divine law and the husband is rebellious, or unwilling to obey the will of the Lord, if she maintains her integrity to the best of her ability, she will be given to another husband in eternity and will receive all the blessings of the celestial kingdom.“

  • Role

    Role

    Excerpt from an address by M. Russell Ballard in an Europe Area Sisters’ Meeting, September 9 2014: 1

    “That you will let your voices be heard, we cannot, we cannot meet our destiny as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in preparing this world for the 2nd coming of the Savior of the world without the support and the faith and the strength of the women of this church. We need you. We need your voices. They need to be heard. They need to be heard in your community, in your neighborhoods, they need to be heard within the ward council or the branch council. Now don’t talk too much in those council meetings, just straighten the brethren out quickly and move the work on. We are building the kingdom of God.”

    Excerpt from a September 2014 Ensign article by M. Russell Ballard, ‘Men and Women and Priesthood Power’: 2

    “Now, sisters, while your input is significant and welcome in effective councils, you need to be careful not to assume a role that is not yours. The most successful ward and stake councils are those in which priesthood leaders trust their sister leaders and encourage them to contribute to the discussions and in which sister leaders fully respect and sustain the decisions of the council made under the direction of priesthood leaders who hold keys.”

    References

    References
    1 Europe Area Sisters’ Meeting – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSWPrzICnlQ
    2 Men and Women and Priesthood Power, September 2014 Ensign – https://www.lds.org/ensign/2014/09/men-and-women-and-priesthood-power?lang=eng
  • Love of Money

    Love of Money

    LDS General Conference, April 2018 –  https://www.lds.org/general-conference?cid=HP15GC&lang=eng

    Mormon 8: 37-39, The Book of Mormon: 1

    37 For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.

    38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world?

    39 Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?

     

  • 2018 General Conference

    2018 General Conference

    April 2018 LDS General Conference speaking time (Excluding the Solemn Assembly, Sustaining and Auditing Report): 1

    Saturday Morning Session

    M. Russell Ballard — 14:29
    Brian K. Taylor — 10:24
    Larry J. Echo Hawk — 11:11
    Gary E. Stevenson — 15:07
    Lynn G. Robbins — 10:16
    Neil L. Andersen — 16:05

    Saturday Afternoon Session

    David A. Bednar — 16:01
    Taylor G. Godoy — 10:43
    Bonnie L. Oscarson — 10:07
    Taniela B. Wakolo — 10:34
    Devin G. Durrant — 10:26
    Dale G. Renlund — 14:43

    Priesthood Session

    Douglas D. Holmes — 11:24
    Russell M. Nelson — 3:39
    D. Todd Christofferson — 13:19
    Ronald A. Rasband — 13:25
    Henry B. Eyring — 15:53
    Dallin H. Oaks — 16:01
    Russell M. Nelson — 14:28

    Sunday Morning Session

    Larry Y. Wilson — 11:10
    Reyna Isabel Aburto — 10:19
    Massimo De Feo — 10:15
    Claudio D. Zivic — 10:35
    Henry B. Eyring — 17:02
    Dallin H. Oaks — 17:35
    Russell M. Nelson — 20:27

    Sunday Afternoon Session

    Gerrit W. Gong — 4:56
    Ulisses Soares — 5:24
    Russell M. Nelson — 2:15
    Jeffrey R. Holland — 15:29
    Jean B. Bingham — 13:04
    Dieter F. Uchtdorf — 17:40
    Gérald Caussé — 11:59
    Quentin L. Cook — 15:04

    References

  • Question Marks

    Question Marks

    Excerpt from a March 2018 General Conference address by apostle Neil L. Andersen: 1

    While my wife Cathy has known President Nelson for three decades and has no question about his divine mantle, upon his setting apart she began reading all his general conference talks of the past 34 years, praying for an even deeper assurance of his prophetic role.

    I promise you that this greater witness will come to you as you humbly and worthily seek it. Why are we so willing to follow the voice of the prophet? For those diligently seeking eternal life, the prophets voice brings spiritual safety in very turbulent times.

    We live on a planet clamoring with a million voices. The internet, our smart phones, our bloated boxes of entertainment all plead for our attention and thrust their influence upon us. Hoping we will buy their products and adopt their standards. The seemingly endless array of information and opinion remind us of the scriptural warnings of being tossed to and fro, driven by the wind, and overcome by the cunning craftiness of those who lie in wait to deceive. Anchoring our souls to the Lord Jesus Christ requires listening to those he sends. Following the prophet in a world of commotion is like being wrapped in a soothing warm blanket on a freezing cold day.

    We live in a world of reason, debate, argument, logic and explanation. Questioning ‘why’ is so positive in many aspects of our lives, allowing the power of our intellect to guide a multitude of choices and decisions we face each day. But the Lords voice often comes without explanation. Long before academic study of the impact of infidelity among trusting spouses and children, the Lord declared, though shalt not commit adultery. Beyond the intellect alone, we treasure the gift of the Holy Ghost.

    The prophets voice, while spoken kindly, will often be a voice asking us to change and repent and return to the lord. When correction is needed, lets not delay and don’t be alarmed when the prophets warning voice counters popular opinions of the day. The mocking fireballs of annoyed disbelievers are always hurled the moment the prophet begins to speak.

    As you are humble in following the council of the Lords prophet I promise you an added blessing of safety and peace. And don’t be surprised if at times your personal views are not initially in harmony with the teachings of the Lords prophet. These are moments of learning of humility when we go to our knees in prayer. We walk forward in faith trusting in God. Knowing that with time we will receive more spiritual clarity from our Heavenly Father.

    One prophet described the incomparable gift of the Savior as the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father. The surrender of our will to God’s will is in fact not surrender at all but the beginning of a glorious victory.

    Some will try and overly dissect the prophets words, struggling to determine what is his prophetic voice and what is his personal opinion. In 1982, two years before being called as a general authority, brother Russell M. Nelson said “I never ask myself when does the prophet speak as a prophet and when does he not. My interest has been, how can I be more like him.” And he added, “my philosophy is to stop putting question marks behind the prophets statements and put exclamation points instead.”

    References

    References
    1 Neil L. Andersen, General Conference, March 2018 – https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/media/session_1_talk_12/5761508934001?lang=eng
  • Throw it Away

    Throw it Away

    Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol. 5:112-117, ‘Organic Evolution and the Age of Man’:

    Question: “Since reading your book, Man: His Origin, and Destiny, I have been troubled by your difference in view of organic evolution and the age of man and the teachings of some of our most outstanding scientists who maintain that scientific evidence prove the earth and man to be much older than you claim. Your statements are contrary to what I have been taught and believe.”

    Answer: If what I have written is in criticism of the present theories in relation to organic evolution and the age of man upon the earth, in which you believe, then I can readily see why you disagree with what I have taught.

    I will state frankly and positively that I am opposed to the present biological theories and the doctrine that man has been on the earth for millions of years. I am opposed to the present teachings in relation to the age of the earth which declare that the earth is millions of years old. Some modern scientists even claim that it is a billion years old. Naturally, since I believe in modern revelation, I cannot accept these so-called scientific teachings, for I believe them to be in conflict with the simple and direct word of the Lord that has come to us by divine revelation.

    MANY CAPABLE SCIENTISTS DO NOT AGREE

    If you have the idea that all capable and intelligent professors and scientists hold to these evolutionary doctrines, let me tell you that there are many who do not do so, and they are just as renowned and capable in their fields. I hold membership in the Victoria Institute, or Philosophical Society of Great Britain. This society is largely composed of members who are opposed to the theories so prevalent in the educational world today. I have the official proceedings of this organization covering many years in which these theories are not approved. This, however, is not the matter for present consideration. I merely mention this in defense of the truth that not all the great thinkers and men of science are evolutionists and not all of them believe in these fantastic ages of the mortal earth.

    I regret that modern education in this country and largely in other countries, is dominated today by men holding these views. Having said this, permit me to say that I am not going to engage in a controversy over these so-called scientific views. I think it must be admitted, after all is said, that they are only theories. It is my purpose merely to call your attention to some of the revelations from the Lord and ask you to carefully consider them, to give me your explanation and show me how you can harmonize them with your evolutionary theories. I will quote a few passages that have been accepted as doctrine by the body of the Church.

    And I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also; nevertheless, all things were before created; but spiritually were they created, and made according to my word. (Moses 3:7)
    HISTORICAL EVIDENCE OF ADAM’S TIME

    We have historical evidence that Adam lived and that our method of reckoning the story of man on the earth begins with him. We read that Christ came in the meridian of time, or about 4,000 years after the fall of Adam when modern time began, and that time will continue until after the millennium and a little season, when the earth will be celestialized. If Jesus came in the meridian of time, then the end of time must be somewhere near 4,000 years since his time. We have passed through nearly 2,000 years of the second period, or from the time of our Lord. We have the millennium to come and then a season which is rather indefinite when Satan will be loosed and will gather his forces to fight the great last battle, then the end will come. If Adam was the first man, how could there be men before him?

    Will you kindly explain, according to your theories, what is meant by verse six in Section 77, Doctrine and Covenants, which is as follows:
    6. Q. What are we to understand by the book which John saw, which was sealed on the back with seven seals.

    A. We are to understand that it contains the revealed will, mysteries, and works of God; the hidden things of his economy concerning this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal existence. (D. & C. 77:6, Question and Answer.)
    If the earth is to have only seven thousand years of temporal existence how do you account for the existence for millions of years of death and mortal change on the earth? Then kindly explain the meaning of the seven seals, each representing a day (i.e.) one thousand years each in verse 12, wherein the Lord, who made the world in six days, will finish his work?

    STATEMENT IN THE BOOK OF ABRAHAM

    Let me call your attention also to the statement in the Book of Abraham 5:13, which tells us that until the time of Adam this earth was on celestial time, and Adam had not received his time of reckoning until the fall. Before that this earth was governed by celestial time. What are we told is celestial time? Kindly read Abraham, Chapter 3:4. Compare verse 9. Then turn to the explanation on the preceding page and read Fig. 1, and Fig. 2. There we are informed in relation to celestial time, which is God’s reckoning.

    We are also informed that the fall of Adam brought death into the world; that there was no death before his time, but everything was pronounced good and could have existed in the same state in which they were, without death, forever. Kindly read 2 Nephi 2:22-25. I think I will save you the time to look it up by quoting it.
    And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.

    And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

    But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

    Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. (2 Nephi 2:22-25.)
    APPROVED BY THE LORD

    According to this—and it must have been approved by the Lord or it would not be in the Book of Mormon—there was no death of any living creature before the fall of Adam! Adam’s mission was to bring to pass the fall and it came upon the earth and living things throughout all nature. Anything contrary to this doctrine is diametrically opposed to the doctrines revealed to the Church! IF there was any creature increasing by propagation before the fall, then throw away the Book of Mormon, deny your faith, the Book of Abraham and the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants! Our scriptures most emphatically tell us that death came through the fall, and has passed upon all creatures including the earth itself. For this earth of ours was pronounced good when the Lord finished it. It became fallen and subject to death as did all things upon its face, through the transgression of Adam.

    Here is another thing for you to ponder over. We read in the Pearl of Great Price, in the Book of Moses and in the Book of Abraham, that there was a great council held in heaven where the plan of earth-life and redemption was discussed, and a Redeemer chosen to come to restore the earth and man from the fall. Now in your calmer and more serious judgment do you think we were called in this council and then required to wait for millions of years before the earth was prepared? Evidently, we discover from the reading of these scriptures, this council was held before the earth was formed, for the Lord said the intelligences were organized “before the world was.” It will take a wonderful stretch of the imagination for one to think that after the council was held the spirits who were organized had to wait millions of years, according to our time, before they were permitted to come here to partake of their mortal existence.
    Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones. (Abraham 3:22.)
    Perhaps time will tell us many things that will correct the foolishness of men. Just one more quotation and I will close.
    Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

    And on the seventh day I, God, ended my work, and all things which I had made; and I rested on the seventh day from all my work, and all things which I had made were finished, and I, God, saw that they were good. (Moses 3:1-2.)

  • Staggering Growth

    Staggering Growth

    Excerpt from an April 24, 2016 Young Single Adult address by Jeffrey R. Holland in Dallas, Texas: 1

    “We’re in the midst of incredible growth, staggering growth in the church. It’s the single biggest problem we have. It’s the best problem we have, but it’s the biggest. We are reeling under the implications of the growth we have in this church. Last Thursday, I’ve been out here this Thursday, I’ve been with Elder and Sister Holland and I’ve been with Elder and Sister Robbins, this week, so I missed the temple meeting this Thursday, but a week ago Thursday we created 15 stakes, and we are doing that más o menos every week, more or less. It might not be 15, but its… the week before it was 12, sometimes it’s 8 or whatever and it’ll be a little uneven, but the point is we are talking double digit stakes every week. Every week of our lives.”

    New Stakes and Stake Presidencies Announced in March 2016: 2

    New Stakes and Stake Presidencies Announced in April 2016: 3

    New Stakes and Stake Presidencies Announced in May 2016: 4

    New Stakes and Stake Presidencies Announced in June 2016: 5

    New Stakes and Stake Presidencies Announced in July 2016: 6

     

    Further Study

    LDS Church Growth – http://ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com/

    Radio Free Mormon: 27: Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics Pt 3 – https://radiofreemormon.org/2018/03/radio-free-mormon-27-lies-damn-lies-statistics-pt-3/

  • Money Diggers

    Money Diggers

    Affidavit of Isaac Hale, father-in-law of Joseph Smith, Jr., given at Harmony Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania on 20 March 1834:  1

    I first became acquainted with Joseph Smith, Jr. in November 1825. He was at that time in the employ of a set of men who were called “money-diggers;” and his occupation was that of seeing, or pretending to see by means of a stone placed in a hat, and his hat closed over his face. In this way he pretended to discover minerals and hidden treasure. His appearance at this time, was that of a careless young man—not very well educated, and very saucy nad insolent to his father. Smith, and his father, with several other ‘money-diggers’ boarded at my house while they were employed in digging for a mine that they supposed had been opened and worked by the Spainards, many years since. Young Smith gave the ‘money-diggers’ great encouragement, at first, but when they had arrived in digging, to near the place where he had stated an immense treasure would be found—he said the enchantment was so powerful that he could not see. They then became discouraged, and soon after dispersed. This took place about the 17th of November, 1825; and one of the company gave me his note for $12.68 for his board, which is still unpaid.

    After these occurrences, young Smith made several visits at my house, and at length asked my consent to his marrying my daughter Emma. This I refused, and gave him my reasons for so doing; some of which were, that he was a stranger, and followed a business that I could not approve: he then left the place. Not long after this, he returned, and while I was absent from home, carried off my daughter, into the state of New York, where they were married without my approbation or consent. After they had arrived at Palmyra N.Y., Emma wrote to me inquiring whether she could have her property, consisting of clothing, furniture, cows, &c. I replied that her property was safe, and at her disposal. In a short time, they returned, bringing with them Peter Ingersol, and subsequently came to the conclusion that they would move out, and reside upon a place near my residence.
    Smith stated to me that he had given up what he called “glass-looking,” and that he expected to work hard for a living, and was willing to do so. He also made arrangements with my son Alva Hale, to go up to Palmyra and move his (Smith’s) furniture &c. to this place. He then returned to Palmyra, and soon after, Alva, agreeable to the arrangement, went up and returned with Smith and his family. Soon after this, I was informed they had brought a wonderful Book of plates down with them. I was shown a box in which it is said they were contained, which had, to all appearances, been used as a glass box of the common sized window-glass. I was allowed to feel the weight of this box, and they gave me to understand that the book of plates was then in the box—into which, however, I was not allowed to look.

    I inquired of Joseph Smith Jr., who was to be the first who would be allowed to see the Book of Plates? He said it was a young child. After this, I became dissatisfied, and informed him that if there was any thing in my house of that description, which I could not be allowed to see, he must take it away; if he did not, I was determined to see it. After that, the plates were said to be hid in the woods.

    About this time, Martin Harris made his appearance upon the stage; and Smith began to interpret the characters or hieroglyphics which he said were engraven upon the plates, while Harris wrote down the interpretation. It was said, that Harris wrote down one hundred and sixteen pages, and lost them. Soon after this happened, Martin Harris informed me that he must have a greater witness, and said that he had talked with Joseph about it—Joseph informed him that he could not, or durst not show him the plates, but that he (Joseph) would go into the woods where the Book of Plates was, and that after he came back, Harris should follow his track in the snow, and find the Book, and examine it for himself. Harris informed me afterwards, that he followed Smith’s directions, and could not find the plates, and was still dissatisfied.

    The next day after this happened, I went to the house where Joseph Smith Jr. lived and where he and Harris were engaged in the translation of the Book. Each of them had a written piece of paper which they were comparing, and some of the words were “my servant seeketh a greater witness, but no greater witness can be given him.” There was also something about “three that were to see the thing—meaning I supposed, the Book of Plates, and that “if the three did not go exactly according to orders, the thing would be taken from them.” I inquired whose words they were, and was informed by Joseph or Emma, (I rather think it was the former) that they were the words of Jesus Christ. I told them then, that I considered the whole of it a delusion, and advised them to abandon it. The manner in which he pretended to read and interpret, was the same as when he looked for the money-diggers, with the stone in his hat, and his hat over his face, while the Book of Plates were at the same time hid in the woods!

    After this, Martin Harris went away and Oliver Cowdrey came and wrote for Smith, while he interpreted as above described. This is the same Oliver Cowdrey whose name may be found in the Book of Mormon: Cowdrey continued as a scribe for Smith until the Book of Mormon was completed as I supposed, and understood.
    Joseph Smith Jr. resided near me for some time after this, and I had a good opportunity of becoming acquainted with him, and somewhat acquainted with his associates, and I conscientiously believe from the facts I have detailed, and from many other circumstances, which I do not deem it necessary to relate, that the “Book of Mormon” (so called) is a silly fabrication of of falsehood and wickedness, got up for speculation, and with a design to dupe the credulous and unwary—and in order that its fabricators might live upon the spoils of those who swallowed the deception.

    Affirmed to and subscribed before me, March 20th, 1834.
    CHARLES DIMON, J[ustice]. [of the] Peace.

    References

    References
    1 “Mormonism,” Susquehanna Register, and Northern Pennsylvanian 9 (1 May 1834) –  http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/BOMP/id/869
  • Locked Door

    Locked Door

    Affidavit by seventeen year old Martha Brotherton published in the newspaper, ‘Quincy Whig’ August 06 1842, Pg 2: 1

    Martha H. Brotherton’s Sworn Testimony

    ST. LOUIS, July 13th, A. D. 1842. Gen. John C. Bennett.

    DEAR SIR: — I left Warsaw a short time since for this city, and having been called upon by you, through the “Sangamo Journal,” to come out and disclose to the world the facts of the case in relation to certain propositions made to me at Nauvoo, by some of the Mormon leaders, I now proceed to respond to the call, and discharge what I consider to be a duty devolving upon me as an innocent, but insulted and abused female.

    I had been at Nauvoo near three weeks, during which time my father’s family received frequent visits from elders Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, two of the Mormon apostles; when early one morning they both came to my brother-in-law’s (John McIlwrick’s) house, at which place I then was on a visit, and particularly requested me to go and spend a few days with them. I told them I could not at that time, as my brother-in-law was not at home; however, they urged me to go the next day, and spend one day with them — the day being fine I accordingly went. When I arrived at the foot of the hill Young and Kimball were standing conversing together. They both came to me, and, after several flattering compliments, Kimball wished me to go to his house first. I said it was immaterial to me, and accordingly went…Young suddenly stopped, and said he would go to that brother’s…Kimball turned to me and said, “Martha, I want you to say to my wife, when you go to my house, that you want to buy some things at Joseph’s store, (Joseph Smith’s) and I will say, I am going with you to show you the way. You know you want to see the Prophet, and you will then have an opportunity.” I made no reply…

    I remained at Kimball’s near an hour, when Kimball seeing that I would not tell the lies he wished me to, told them to his wife himself. He then went and whispered in her ear, and asked if that would please her. “Yes,” said she, “or I can go along with you and Martha.” “No,’ said he, “I have some business to do, and I will call for you afterwards to go with me to the debate,” meaning the debate between yourself and Joseph. To this she consented. So Kimball and I went to the store together.
    As we were going along, he said, “Sister Martha, are you willing to do all that the Prophet requires you to do?” I said I believed I was, thinking of course he would require nothing wrong. “Then,” said he, “are you ready to take counsel?” I answered in the affirmative, thinking of the great and glorious blessings that had been pronounced upon my head, if I adhered to the counsel of those placed over me in the Lord. “Well,” said he, “there are many things revealed in these last days that the world would laugh and scoff at; but unto us is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom.” He further observed, “Martha, you must learn to hold your tongue, and it will be well with you. – You will see Joseph, and very likely have some conversation with him, and he will tell you what you shall do.” When we reached the building he led me up some stairs to a small room, the door of which was locked, and on it the following inscription: – “Positively no admittance.” He observed, “Ah! brother Joseph must be sick, for, strange to say, he is not here. Come down into the tithing-office, Martha.” He then left me in the tithing-office and went out, I know not where. In this office were two men writing, one of whom, William Clayton, I had seen in England; the other I did not know.

    Young came in and seated himself before me, and asked where Kimball was. I said he had gone out. He said it was all right. Soon after Joseph came in and spoke to one of the clerks, and then went up stairs followed by Young. Immediately after Kimball came in. “Now, Martha,” said he, “the Prophet has come; come up stairs.” I went, and we found Young and the Prophet alone. I was introduced to the Prophet by Young. Joseph offered me his seat, and, to my astonishment, the moment I was seated Joseph and Kimball walked out of the room, and left me with Young, who arose, locked the door, closed the window, and drew the curtain. He then came and sat before me and said, “This is our private room, Martha.” “Indeed, sir,” said I, “I must be highly honored to be permitted to enter it.” He smiled, and then proceeded – “Sister Martha, I want to ask you a few questions; will you answer them?” “Yes, sir,” said I. “And will you promise not to mention them to any one?” “If it is your desire, sir,” said I, “I will not.” “And you will not think any the worse of me for it, will you, Martha?” said he. “No sir,” I replied.

    “Well,” said he, “what are your feelings towards me?” I replied, “My feelings are just the same towards you that they ever were, sir..” “But, to come to the point more closely,” said he, “have not you an affection for me, that, were it lawful and right, you could accept of me for your husband and companion?”

    My feelings at that moment were indescribable. God only knows them. What, thought I, are these men that I thought almost perfection itself, deceivers. and is all my fancied happiness but a dream? ‘Twas even so; but my next thought was, which is the best way for me to act at this time? If I say no, they may do as they think proper; and to say yes, I never would. So I considered it best to ask for time to think and pray about it. I therefore said, “If it was lawful and right perhaps I might; but you know, sir, it is not.”

    “Well, but,” said he, “brother Joseph has had a revelation from God that it is lawful and right for a man to have two wives; for as it was in the days of Abraham, so it shall be in these last days and whoever is the first that is willing to take up the cross will receive the greatest blessings; and if you will accept of me I will take you straight to the celestial kingdom; and if you will have me in this world, I will have you in that which is to come, and brother Joseph will marry us here to-day, and you can go home this evening, and your parents will not know any thing about it.” “Sir,” said I, “I should not like to do any thing of the kind without the permission of my parents.” “Well, but,” said he, “you are of age, are you not?” “No, sir,” said I, “I shall not be until the 24th of May.” “Well,” said he, “that does not make any difference. You will be of age before they know, and you need not fear. If you will take my counsel it will be well with you, for I know it to be right before God, and if there is any sin in it, I will answer for it. But brother Joseph wishes to have some talk with you on the subject – he will explain things — will you hear him?” “I do not mind,” said I. “Well, but I want you to say something,” said he. “I want time to think about it,” said I. “Well,” said he, “I will have a kiss, any how,” and then rose and said he would bring Joseph. – He then unlocked the door, and took the key and locked me up alone.

    He was absent about ten minutes and then returned with Joseph. “Well,” said Young, “sister Martha would be willing if she knew if was lawful and right before God.” “Well, Martha,” said Joseph, “it is lawful and right before God – I know it is. Look here, sis; don’t you believe in me?” I did not answer. – “Well Martha,” said Joseph, “just go ahead, and do as Brigham wants you to – he is the best man in the world except me.” “Oh!” said Brigham, “then you are as good.” “Yes,” said Joseph. “Well,” said Young, “we believe Joseph to be a Prophet. – I have known him near eight years, and always found him the same.” “Yes,” said Joseph, “and I know that this is lawful and right before God, and if there is any sin in it, I will answer for it before God; and I have the keys of the kingdom, and whatever I bind on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever I loose on earth is loosed in heaven; and if you will accept of Brigham, you shall be blessed – God shall bless you, and my blessing shall rest upon you, and if you will be led by him, you will do well; for I know Brigham will take care of you, and if he don’t do his duty to you, come to me and I will make him; and if you do not like it in a month or two, come to me, and I will make you free again; and if he turns you off, I will take you on.”

    “Sir,” said I, rather warmly, “it will be too late to think in a month or two after. I want time to think first.” “Well, but,” said he, “the old proverb is, ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained;’ and it would be the greatest blessing that was ever bestowed upon you.” – “Yes,” said Young, “and you will never have reason to repent it – that is, if I do not turn from righteousness, and that I trust I never shall, for I believe God, who has kept me so long, will continue to keep me faithful. Did you ever see me act in any way wrong in England, Martha?” “No, sir,” said I. “No,” said he; “neither can any one else lay any thing to my charge.” “Well, then,” said Joseph, “what are you afraid of, sis? – come, let me do the business for you.” “Sir,” said I, “do let me have a little time to think about it, and I will promise not to mention it to any one.” “Well, but look here,” said he, “you know a fellow will never be damned for doing the best he knows how.”

    “Well, then,” said I, “the best way I know of, is to go home and think and pray about it.” – “Well,” said Young, “I shall leave it with brother Joseph, whether it would be best for you to have time or not.” “Well,” said Joseph, “I see no harm in her having time to think, if she will not fall into temptation.” “O, sir,” said I, “there is no fear of my falling into temptation.” “Well, but,” said Brigham, “you must promise me you will never mention it to any one.” “I do promise it,” said I. “Well,” said Joseph, “you must promise me the same.” I promised him the same. “Upon your honor,” said he, “you will not tell.” “No, sir, I will lose my life first,” said I. “Well, that will do,” said he; “that is the principle we go upon. I think I can trust you, Martha,” said he. – “Yes,” said I, “I think you ought.” Joseph said, “she looks as if she could keep a secret.”

    I then rose to go, when Joseph commenced to beg of me again – he said it was the best opportunity they might have for months, for the room was often engaged. I, however, had determined what to do. – “Well,” said Young, “I will see you to-morrow. I am going to preach at the school-house, opposite your house. I have never preached there yet; you will be there, I suppose.” “Yes,” said I. The next day being Sunday, I sat down, instead of going to meeting, and wrote the conversation, and gave it to my sister, who was not a little surprised, but she said it would be best to go to meeting in the afternoon. We went, and Young administered the sacrament. After it was over, I was passing out, and Young stopped me, saying, “Wait, Martha, I am coming.” I said, “I cannot; my sister is waiting for me.” He then threw his coat over his shoulders, and followed me out, and whispered, “have you made up your mind, Martha?” “Not exactly, sir,” said I; and we parted. I shall proceed to a justice of the peace, and make oath to the truth of these statements, and you are at liberty to make what use of them you may think best.

    Yours, respectfully,
    MARTHA H. BROTHERTON.

    Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 13th day of July, A. D. 1842.

    Du. BOUFFAY FREMON,
    Justice of the Peace for St. Louis county.”

     

    Additional Study

    Episode 94: Polygamy Controversies: Women Who Said No – https://www.yearofpolygamy.com/tag/martha-brotherton/

    References

    References
    1 ‘Quincy Whig’ August 06 1842 – https://archive.org/details/QuincyWhig06August1842
  • Of Age

    Of Age

    Affidavit by seventeen year old Martha Brotherton published in the newspaper, ‘Quincy Whig’ August 06 1842, Pg 2: 1

    Martha H. Brotherton’s Sworn Testimony

    ST. LOUIS, July 13th, A. D. 1842. Gen. John C. Bennett.

    DEAR SIR: — I left Warsaw a short time since for this city, and having been called upon by you, through the “Sangamo Journal,” to come out and disclose to the world the facts of the case in relation to certain propositions made to me at Nauvoo, by some of the Mormon leaders, I now proceed to respond to the call, and discharge what I consider to be a duty devolving upon me as an innocent, but insulted and abused female.

    I had been at Nauvoo near three weeks, during which time my father’s family received frequent visits from elders Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, two of the Mormon apostles; when early one morning they both came to my brother-in-law’s (John McIlwrick’s) house, at which place I then was on a visit, and particularly requested me to go and spend a few days with them. I told them I could not at that time, as my brother-in-law was not at home; however, they urged me to go the next day, and spend one day with them — the day being fine I accordingly went. When I arrived at the foot of the hill Young and Kimball were standing conversing together. They both came to me, and, after several flattering compliments, Kimball wished me to go to his house first. I said it was immaterial to me, and accordingly went…Young suddenly stopped, and said he would go to that brother’s…Kimball turned to me and said, “Martha, I want you to say to my wife, when you go to my house, that you want to buy some things at Joseph’s store, (Joseph Smith’s) and I will say, I am going with you to show you the way. You know you want to see the Prophet, and you will then have an opportunity.” I made no reply…

    I remained at Kimball’s near an hour, when Kimball seeing that I would not tell the lies he wished me to, told them to his wife himself. He then went and whispered in her ear, and asked if that would please her. “Yes,” said she, “or I can go along with you and Martha.” “No,’ said he, “I have some business to do, and I will call for you afterwards to go with me to the debate,” meaning the debate between yourself and Joseph. To this she consented. So Kimball and I went to the store together.
    As we were going along, he said, “Sister Martha, are you willing to do all that the Prophet requires you to do?” I said I believed I was, thinking of course he would require nothing wrong. “Then,” said he, “are you ready to take counsel?” I answered in the affirmative, thinking of the great and glorious blessings that had been pronounced upon my head, if I adhered to the counsel of those placed over me in the Lord. “Well,” said he, “there are many things revealed in these last days that the world would laugh and scoff at; but unto us is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom.” He further observed, “Martha, you must learn to hold your tongue, and it will be well with you. – You will see Joseph, and very likely have some conversation with him, and he will tell you what you shall do.” When we reached the building he led me up some stairs to a small room, the door of which was locked, and on it the following inscription: – “Positively no admittance.” He observed, “Ah! brother Joseph must be sick, for, strange to say, he is not here. Come down into the tithing-office, Martha.” He then left me in the tithing-office and went out, I know not where. In this office were two men writing, one of whom, William Clayton, I had seen in England; the other I did not know.

    Young came in and seated himself before me, and asked where Kimball was. I said he had gone out. He said it was all right. Soon after Joseph came in and spoke to one of the clerks, and then went up stairs followed by Young. Immediately after Kimball came in. “Now, Martha,” said he, “the Prophet has come; come up stairs.” I went, and we found Young and the Prophet alone. I was introduced to the Prophet by Young. Joseph offered me his seat, and, to my astonishment, the moment I was seated Joseph and Kimball walked out of the room, and left me with Young, who arose, locked the door, closed the window, and drew the curtain. He then came and sat before me and said, “This is our private room, Martha.” “Indeed, sir,” said I, “I must be highly honored to be permitted to enter it.” He smiled, and then proceeded – “Sister Martha, I want to ask you a few questions; will you answer them?” “Yes, sir,” said I. “And will you promise not to mention them to any one?” “If it is your desire, sir,” said I, “I will not.” “And you will not think any the worse of me for it, will you, Martha?” said he. “No sir,” I replied.

    “Well,” said he, “what are your feelings towards me?” I replied, “My feelings are just the same towards you that they ever were, sir..” “But, to come to the point more closely,” said he, “have not you an affection for me, that, were it lawful and right, you could accept of me for your husband and companion?”

    My feelings at that moment were indescribable. God only knows them. What, thought I, are these men that I thought almost perfection itself, deceivers. and is all my fancied happiness but a dream? ‘Twas even so; but my next thought was, which is the best way for me to act at this time? If I say no, they may do as they think proper; and to say yes, I never would. So I considered it best to ask for time to think and pray about it. I therefore said, “If it was lawful and right perhaps I might; but you know, sir, it is not.”

    “Well, but,” said he, “brother Joseph has had a revelation from God that it is lawful and right for a man to have two wives; for as it was in the days of Abraham, so it shall be in these last days and whoever is the first that is willing to take up the cross will receive the greatest blessings; and if you will accept of me I will take you straight to the celestial kingdom; and if you will have me in this world, I will have you in that which is to come, and brother Joseph will marry us here to-day, and you can go home this evening, and your parents will not know any thing about it.” “Sir,” said I, “I should not like to do any thing of the kind without the permission of my parents.” “Well, but,” said he, “you are of age, are you not?” “No, sir,” said I, “I shall not be until the 24th of May.” “Well,” said he, “that does not make any difference. You will be of age before they know, and you need not fear. If you will take my counsel it will be well with you, for I know it to be right before God, and if there is any sin in it, I will answer for it. But brother Joseph wishes to have some talk with you on the subject – he will explain things — will you hear him?” “I do not mind,” said I. “Well, but I want you to say something,” said he. “I want time to think about it,” said I. “Well,” said he, “I will have a kiss, any how,” and then rose and said he would bring Joseph. – He then unlocked the door, and took the key and locked me up alone.

    He was absent about ten minutes and then returned with Joseph. “Well,” said Young, “sister Martha would be willing if she knew if was lawful and right before God.” “Well, Martha,” said Joseph, “it is lawful and right before God – I know it is. Look here, sis; don’t you believe in me?” I did not answer. – “Well Martha,” said Joseph, “just go ahead, and do as Brigham wants you to – he is the best man in the world except me.” “Oh!” said Brigham, “then you are as good.” “Yes,” said Joseph. “Well,” said Young, “we believe Joseph to be a Prophet. – I have known him near eight years, and always found him the same.” “Yes,” said Joseph, “and I know that this is lawful and right before God, and if there is any sin in it, I will answer for it before God; and I have the keys of the kingdom, and whatever I bind on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever I loose on earth is loosed in heaven; and if you will accept of Brigham, you shall be blessed – God shall bless you, and my blessing shall rest upon you, and if you will be led by him, you will do well; for I know Brigham will take care of you, and if he don’t do his duty to you, come to me and I will make him; and if you do not like it in a month or two, come to me, and I will make you free again; and if he turns you off, I will take you on.”

    “Sir,” said I, rather warmly, “it will be too late to think in a month or two after. I want time to think first.” “Well, but,” said he, “the old proverb is, ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained;’ and it would be the greatest blessing that was ever bestowed upon you.” – “Yes,” said Young, “and you will never have reason to repent it – that is, if I do not turn from righteousness, and that I trust I never shall, for I believe God, who has kept me so long, will continue to keep me faithful. Did you ever see me act in any way wrong in England, Martha?” “No, sir,” said I. “No,” said he; “neither can any one else lay any thing to my charge.” “Well, then,” said Joseph, “what are you afraid of, sis? – come, let me do the business for you.” “Sir,” said I, “do let me have a little time to think about it, and I will promise not to mention it to any one.” “Well, but look here,” said he, “you know a fellow will never be damned for doing the best he knows how.”

    “Well, then,” said I, “the best way I know of, is to go home and think and pray about it.” – “Well,” said Young, “I shall leave it with brother Joseph, whether it would be best for you to have time or not.” “Well,” said Joseph, “I see no harm in her having time to think, if she will not fall into temptation.” “O, sir,” said I, “there is no fear of my falling into temptation.” “Well, but,” said Brigham, “you must promise me you will never mention it to any one.” “I do promise it,” said I. “Well,” said Joseph, “you must promise me the same.” I promised him the same. “Upon your honor,” said he, “you will not tell.” “No, sir, I will lose my life first,” said I. “Well, that will do,” said he; “that is the principle we go upon. I think I can trust you, Martha,” said he. – “Yes,” said I, “I think you ought.” Joseph said, “she looks as if she could keep a secret.”

    I then rose to go, when Joseph commenced to beg of me again – he said it was the best opportunity they might have for months, for the room was often engaged. I, however, had determined what to do. – “Well,” said Young, “I will see you to-morrow. I am going to preach at the school-house, opposite your house. I have never preached there yet; you will be there, I suppose.” “Yes,” said I. The next day being Sunday, I sat down, instead of going to meeting, and wrote the conversation, and gave it to my sister, who was not a little surprised, but she said it would be best to go to meeting in the afternoon. We went, and Young administered the sacrament. After it was over, I was passing out, and Young stopped me, saying, “Wait, Martha, I am coming.” I said, “I cannot; my sister is waiting for me.” He then threw his coat over his shoulders, and followed me out, and whispered, “have you made up your mind, Martha?” “Not exactly, sir,” said I; and we parted. I shall proceed to a justice of the peace, and make oath to the truth of these statements, and you are at liberty to make what use of them you may think best.

    Yours, respectfully,
    MARTHA H. BROTHERTON.

    Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 13th day of July, A. D. 1842.

    Du. BOUFFAY FREMON,
    Justice of the Peace for St. Louis county.”

     

    Additional Study

    Episode 94: Polygamy Controversies: Women Who Said No – https://www.yearofpolygamy.com/tag/martha-brotherton/

    References

    References
    1 ‘Quincy Whig’ August 06 1842 – https://archive.org/details/QuincyWhig06August1842
  • No Apologies

    No Apologies

    Excerpt from a January 30, 2015 interview with Dallin H. Oaks and the Salt Lake Tribune, ‘We all can be more civil on LGBT issues, Mormon leader says’:1

    I know that the history of the church is not to seek apologies or to give them,” Oaks said in an interview. “We sometimes look back on issues and say, ‘Maybe that was counterproductive for what we wish to achieve,’ but we look forward and not backward.”

    The church doesn’t “seek apologies,” he said, “and we don’t give them.”

    In a response clarifying the original statement Oaks says in a followup interview: 2

    “I’m not aware that the word ‘apology’ appears anywhere in the scriptures — Bible or BOM. The word ‘apology’ contains a lot of connotations in it, and a lot of significance. We do not seek apologies. When our temple was desecrated in CA, when people were fired and intimidated, when a lot of other coercive measures were used, we sought no apology. That’s what I meant by saying ‘we don’t seek apology.’ We think that the best way to solve these problems is not a formal statement of words that a [sic] apology consists of, but talking about principles and good will among contending viewpoints.”

    References

    References
    1 We all can be more civil on LGBT issues, Mormon leader says – http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2108746&itype=CMSID
    2 Trib Talk: LDS leaders Oaks, Christofferson will appear on Trib Talk to discuss religious freedom – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIJ6gL_xc-M