I Cannot Support Planned Parenthood

One thing is very clear from many of the posts and comments I read on Facebook and other internet sites: we are a divided nation. I'm always amazed and the dichotomy of opinions expressed on the internet. One article extols an idea, organization or individual while another vilifies the same subject. Most resort to name calling and emotional responses not backed by any thought, facts or research. Most comment threads associated with one side of the argument are unanimous in their support or disparagement, leading to only one possible conclusion: most people only read things with which they agree and avoid the contrary point of view.

So, with all of this polarization of opinions, how can anyone decipher what is correct? Which side is right? Which is wrong? As opposed as the views are, it is impossible that both are correct; but someone must be, right? I believe, in most situation, both sides have some validity but at the same time, both sides are amiss.

The approach of the day is to say, write, produce something that plays on the emotions of the left or the right. The most well received vilify the other side of the aisle with half truths or out-right lies. I don't care which side of the political aisle you are on, your side is just as guilty as the other. However, because everything your side says makes you feel good, your tendency is to just accept it and believe it. But, here's the problem. When you rely on half truths or lies, the other side will uncover them and expose you, severely weakening your argument. Once a lie or falsehood is uncovered, it doesn't matter how valid the rest of your treatise is, that one mistake destroys your credibility and any chance of persuading the other side to your point of view. As often as this is done, I'm left to wonder if the purpose is to persuade anyone to think as you do or is it just to stir up the animosity between the right and left with more emotional drivel.

I make a call to all would be bloggers, posters and anyone writing about a politically charged subject: use integrity in your writing. Make sure that there are no falsehoods or made-up facts in your thesis. Support you claims and address the opposite view. Use critical thinking and consider the other side before you demean their opinion. If you do, you will have much more credibility and be much more persuasive. I'm pretty sure this will fall of deaf ears, because this type of writing doesn't get attention. It doesn't feel good to consider an opposing view. We don't experience the same emotional response in reposting something that is kind to those with whom we disagree. But, there's so much more to be gained if you will.

Case it point, and the real reason I wanted to right this blog entry: the recent videos about Planned Parenthood. Because a picture was misrepresented and the videos may have been questionably edited, the effect of the videos has just served to further divide our country on abortion and Planned Parenthood. One side is vilifying the creator of the videos and standing by Planned Parenthood because of the good they do. The other holds fast to the disturbing images of babies being torn apart after abortions. Some good could have come from the videos if the producers would had used complete integrity in their production and release. The point does not need to be made that Planned Parenthood is breaking the law, it is enough to make public the actual images and results or abortions so that those of us who live in ignorance are enlightened by what is actually happening in the world. Whether within the law or not, you have to come to terms with either supporting or not supporting this wretched activity.

I have friends and family on both sides of the Planned Parenthood debate. I have read emotional posts by many on both sides as well. Most who support Planned Parenthood praise the good they do for women's health aside from abortions (and some support abortion as well). While, I know many of the services they provide are beneficial, I cannot support Planned Parenthood. I want to make my position known that I do not believe that abortion should ever be used for birth control. I will not claim that I can empathize with any woman who has been raped or experienced incest and will therefore not judge any who seeks an abortion in this case. As for situations where the mother's life is in danger, again I will not judge. But, I firmly believe that abortion should never, ever be used for birth control. I believe that a woman that consents to sexual intercourse has made her "choice" and should be willing to accept the consequence that she may become pregnant, even if using birth control. No birth control is 100% effective and so any sexual activity including intercourse may lead to pregnancy. If you make that "choice", be ready to accept the consequence.

For this reason, I cannot support an organization that, although within the law, performs so many abortions for the sole purpose of birth control. I would hope that the "good" services they provide can be provided by other organizations with, what I would consider, a more appropriate moral compass.

Journal Entry from October 2006

This is a journal entry of mine from October of 2006. I thought it was interesting considering the events of today with terrorism continuing to grow and the formation of ISIS. The later part is also interesting considering the testimony I bore in Sacrament today.

I also wanted to write about some of the other things I’ve been pondering about. I have been thinking about our country’s response to the attacks on 9-11-2001 and wondering if there might have been a better response. As a “Christian” nation, with a devoted “Christian” president, I have been wondering if we should have been more Christian in our response. Christ taught that although it had been taught of old “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” now we should turn the other cheek. We should not hate our enemies, but we should pray for them and do everything we can to recover them. I know this would be a very difficult thing to do as a nation, but what would happen if this were our response?

There are a couple of examples in the Book of Mormon that could lead to either a “turn the other cheek” response, or a “defend ourselves” response. The Nephites were taught that as long as they were not guilty of the first offense, that they should defend themselves, and not let themselves, nor their privileges to worship God be destroyed. Then we see the converted Lamanites refuse to talk up arms against their brethren, and this was counted to them as great righteousness. There is a verse also, I believe it is during Christ’s visit that says they are not to go to war anymore unless the Lord commands it.

With all these examples and the teaching of Christ, I wonder where the right balance is in our current situation to “turn the other cheek”, yet preserve our rights and freedoms.

I also strongly believe that the only way to truly achieve peace and win this war with terrorism is through the preaching of the Gospel in the Middle East. The Gospel was the only effective means of turning around the hatred of the Lamanites for the Nephites. Ammon and his brethren were the means of bringing many Lamanites to the light of the Gospel. Once they were converted, they buried their weapons of war and sought to repair all the damage they had done. Nephi and Lehi also were the means of converting many Lamanites and Nephite dissenter to the Gospel, after which they returned lands to the Nephites and also sought to repair all the damage they had done to the Nephites.

It took great courage and faith on the part of Ammon, Aaron, Omner, Himni and their brethren and Nephi and Lehi to go amongst the Lamanites. The Lamanites hated the Nephites and would not hesitate to kill any of them when given the chance. That hatred cannot be much different than the hatred of the current Islamic fanatics’ hatred for all western culture. I look forward to when we will call men of great faith to go to the Middle East to share the Gospel. I think it has to be done. The Gospel must be preached to every nation and this Earth must be prepared for the Second Coming. I don’t believe that will come until we have used the Gospel to spread peace in every nation. I don’t know how the Middle East will be opened to missionary work; I had thought that democracy in Iraq could be a starting point. But, I am wondering why we have to wait for the political climate to be right. Ammon and Nephi didn’t when they went among the Lamanites. Would the Lord and the Leaders of the Church be willing to send worthy Priesthood holders, men of great faith, into the Middle East to try the word of God among them? I suppose if it’s the right thing to do, they would. I know it seems foolish and far too dangerous, but that’s the same thing Ammon and his brethren were told. If it is the right thing to do and is the Lord’s will, I know these missionaries would be protected and allowed to fill their mission. Is there enough faith among us to do it? Is the Lord just waiting for us to be willing? Or is the time still not right? Interesting thoughts.

Another thing I am slowing beginning to understand is the love our Father in Heaven has for all of his children, and I mean everyone. I know I don’t fully comprehend it, but I’m beginning to get a small sense of it. It is one of the reasons I wonder if a better approach could have been taken in our response to terrorist attacks. And why I think the Gospel is the answer to defeating terrorism. Even these evil men seeking our destruction are children of God and He mourns their wickedness. What sorrow it must cause Him to see their wickedness and know they may be lost. I am sure He weeps for them as much has he weeps for any his “chosen” who fall away. Even as I type, I can feel a portion of His love and concern for them. I am confident that he would want them to have the opportunity to repent and accept the Gospel. Not only to stop their senseless violence, but to save their souls as well.

This small understanding of His love for all of us also makes me hope for the people of China; that their country will soon be open to the Gospel.

And, above all, it helps me know how much He wants me to teach my children. He loves them very much and has entrusted me with their upbringing. He wants them to be happy and to know His Gospel so that they can return to Him.

I hope understanding of His love continues to grow within me and that I can also develop some of that love myself. I feel some times that I am just apathetic to those around me. If I can develop a portion of our Father in Heaven’s love in me, then I will want to help and serve everyone I meet. I think this is one of the biggest things I am lacking.

I love Science

I love science. There are some who believe that scientific discoveries are explaining away God. I believe quite the opposite. I believe our discoveries through science are revealing the true wonder and majesty of God. Let me share an example that will help illustrate my point. As humans, we have used the rising and setting of the sun as well as its position in the sky to determine days, months, seasons and years. The movement of the moon has also been used for similar purposes. For centuries, we did not understand why the sun and moon moved in the sky. There were theories or beliefs, many of which have been proven wrong with more learning and understanding of astronomy. 

Today, with our understanding of astronomy, we know that the Earth circles the sun and that the moon circles the Earth. With our knowledge of gravity and the laws of motion, we can explain in scientific and mathematical terms how and why this happens. We know that the Earth travels at just the right speed and at just the right distance from the sun that it continues to orbit the sun indefinitely. It all comes down to gravity and centrifugal force being in just the right balance. If the Earth moved too fast, it would leave its orbit and travel off into space. If it were to slow down, it would spiral into the sun. Either case would be a disaster for all life on the Earth. But, it has been in this perfect equilibrium for billions of years.  

If we believe that this just happened by chance from all the matter flying around the universe, that the rock that we now call Earth just happened to be speeding by the sun at just the right speed to get caught in a perfect orbit around it, we'd have to consider the statistical probability of such an event. In order for all the conditions to be met, the probability would be very, very small, such that this would probably be the only planet, or at least one of a few, to have accomplished such a feat. But, remember, we don't just have the Earth orbiting the sun, we have the moon also orbiting the Earth. The probability of this happening twice in the same location would be exponentially smaller. But that's not all either. We have nine planets circling our sun (yes, I considered Pluto a planet). If this all still happened by chance, the probabilities are infinitesimally small. The fact that we have nine planets with all of their moons in perfect equilibrium in our universe and that they have been in this state for billions of years is incomprehensible from a pure chance, probabilistic point of view. But, we still aren't done. Our solar system is one of millions in the Milky Way and the Milky Way is one in millions in the Universe. And throughout the universe, there are other solar systems with planets in the same state as ours. All of this has been discovered by science and it is amazing. 

With all of these systems that have met all of these necessary conditions to be in equilibrium for billions of years, chance just can't be the explanation. As I wrote at the beginning, I believe that science is helping us discover the wonders and majesty of God. God does not work by magic. He works by natural laws. His understanding of those laws is perfect, whereas our understanding is still in its infancy. But the more we learn, the more we should be wonder at His works and His creations. He put all of this in motions. He is the reason that despite the impossible statistics for the galaxies, suns, planets and moons to all have reached their current state, they have. The moon continues to circle the Earth as it is has for billions of years and the Earth continues to circle the sun as it has for billions of years. All so that conditions would be just right for us to have our short stay here on planet Earth. I think understanding the Science behind it makes me marvel even more at the grandeur of our God.

Discouragement

Discouragement. Discouragement is a powerful, negative force. Discouragement can kill motivation and prevent a person from acting. Discouragement is a dark, unyielding state of mind. Discouragement is a tool Satan uses to keep us from reaching our full potential.

In a recent family home evening, I cautioned my family against discouragement. I counseled them to not let discouragement prevent them from working towards their goals. Sometimes we miss an assignment, fail a test, get a bad grade on a project. Sometimes it may seem that these failures will ruin all of our plans. Sometimes they make the future look bleak. These are the times we must pick ourselves up and not let discouragement prevent us from continuing our journey.

Even after relating this to my family, I have found myself discouraged recently. You see, I have very high expectations of myself. For years, I have been somewhat complacent in sharing my testimony of Jesus Chris with others. But, recently, a fire has ignited in my soul.

I began pondering on who I want to be and what Heavenly Father would expect of me. That quickly changed to what would I expect of myself. I realized that I probably have higher expectations of myself that He has of me. I realized that my expectations are that I would work as hard as anyone else in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I began to think of the spiritual giants who accomplished so much during their life here on earth. Enoch preached the gospel at a time of great wickedness in the world and was able to build a city so righteous that the Lord eventually took it up unto Himself. Melchizedek helped turn the entire city of Salem from wickedness to righteousness and was referred to as the Prince of Peace. There are many other such examples in the Scriptures. How could I ever measure up to these individuals?

The desire to do something burned within me. I may not be able to accomplish what they did, but I can do something. However, I had no idea what to do. Where could I start? My sphere of influence is so small. Would it be possible to increase that sphere of influence? I decided that I could at least share my testimony and thoughts on the internet. I already had a blog that I have neglected. I also have a Facebook account and can make posts there. That's where I decided to start.

It felt good to have an outlet for the things that have been swelling in my heart. I don't write all that well, it's too difficult to find the right words, but it was still a way to share what I have come to know. I was actually quite pleased with some of the thoughts I shared. But then, the discouragement came. There are so many others already doing the same thing. They have many more followers that I do. They have a much larger sphere of influence. What can I offer that is any different that what others already do? It is even worth it? Such have been my thoughts in recent days.

In that state of discouragement, I was reading an article in the January 2015 Ensign this morning. The article is titled "The Road to a Forever Family" and written by Garth and Sandy Hamblin. In the article, Liu 'Akau'ola is quoted as saying,

“I learned that the more we try to get closer to the Lord’s house the more Satan tries to get us to give up before we get the blessing.”

She was referring to taking her family to the Temple, but it was just what I needed this morning. I realized that the discouragement I was feeling was just Satan's attempt to get me to give up, to keep me from doing the Lord's work and from realizing the blessings that come from it. Discouragement. Isn't that what I warned my family about? It seems that lesson may have been for me.

I may have to be content with my small circle of influence, and nothing grand may ever come from my efforts. But, I believe I need to press forward and not let discouragement prevent me from at least trying.

This time, Discouragement, you lose. I prayer such will be the case the next time we meet as well.

Source of Hate and Evil

This is a difficult topic, but it has been on my mind for a while. Events of this week have amplified the need to address this topic. I don't know how to express what is in my mind and my heart, but I hope I can put something meaningful into words. And, I hope in some way, my words can impact others to help spur a change in the world. Our world is currently filled with hate. We see the effects of it everywhere. As I mentioned, events of this week have shown to a degree how much hate is out there. On the other side of the world, there was a group that murdered many children in a school. Just tonight I read that 2 police officers were murdered in New York and people are celebrating their execution.

I don't know about you, but I have been very blessed in my life such that I have not had to deal with the hate that exists in this world. I have a great family, live in a nice community and have great co-workers. I have been greatly blessed that I have been isolated (or protected) from the evils that come from all of this hate. I believe I have been oblivious to it for a long time. Unfortunately, I think too many of us are either ignorant of it or are in denial of it. Well, if recent events have not convinced us of the growing hatred in the world, perhaps we will never see it. But it is there. And it is growing.

As I was driving this evening after having read about the execution of the police officers, I was pondering on how awful this was. It was bad enough that they were killed, but for Americans to celebrate the murder and congratulate the killers was beyond my belief. As I was thinking on this and the hate behind it, the Christmas Carol, O Holy Night, began to play on the radio. I was immediately caught up in the contrast between the hate exhibited in these murders and the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ. My heart ached as I remembered that He had suffered for all sins and considered the anguish He must have suffered because of the hate that is in the world today. I can't express in words how I felt as I considered it, but it was powerful. I am pleading with you, with all the energy and feeling of my soul to please take a few moments and reflect on your life as well as the state of the world. Please take some time to consider what I write here and give these words a chance to grow within your heart and mind. I ask this because I fear for all of us. If this hatred continues to grow, it will spread everywhere and will destroy the lives of many. The only way we can stop all of this hate is to recognize it, identify its source and fight back to replace it with love.

There is an enemy behind all of this hate. First, we must accept that there is evil in the world. I know that for years, popular opinion and moral relativism have been preaching that there is no absolute evil. Well, there is and we must come to accept it before we can begin to combat it. I am going to explain the origin of this evil and who this enemy is. Many may say that this is just my belief or what my religion teaches me. But I am telling you that I know what I am about to write is true. I have personal witness that it is true and I know that if you will take the time to consider it, something inside of you will recognize this as truth as well.

Our existence did not begin with our birth on earth. We all lived before, but we did not have physical bodies in our life before birth. We existed as spirits. In this existence, we were limited in our potential for growth. We had (and still have) a loving Father who had progressed much farther than any of us. As our Father, He desired that we would be able to progress, even as he had, and to have all of the joy that He has. However, in our state as spirits, this was not possible. So, He presented a plan that would allow us to progress. This plan included birth on earth. In order for us to grow and progress, we would need the ability to make our own choices. We would need to be able to make mistakes and learn from them. It is a good plan and I am sure we were all very excited to participate in it.

However, there was an alternative plan proposed. This alternative plan would take away the ability to make our own choices. Instead, we would be forced to make the right choices so that we did not make mistakes. This plan threatened to take away our agency, or the right to choose for ourselves. This alternative plan was rejected by our Father, which should have been the end of it. But, the author of this other plan, did not accept that decision and he rebelled. In his rebellion, he convinced many to follow him and he commenced a war against all those who did not agree with him. This war, that was started before any human lived on earth, was waged to destroy our souls.

In the first phase of the war, Satan, the author of the alternative plan, lost and was cast out. Again, that should  have been the end of it, but it was not. He continues to fight that war and he is raging it now harder than ever. He is the source of evil and all the hatred in the world today. His goal is to make us as miserable as possible. I am sure he still hates everyone who rejected him previously and wants nothing more than destroy as many as he can. Satan uses many tactics in this war. The key for us to defeat him again is to recognize those tactics and fight back. It should be very clear that one of his most successful tactics today is to instill hatred in the hearts of men and women.

Some of you who read this already know this. Others may not believe it or even question why it matters. I believe it is extremely important that we remember who the enemy is. Often, when I read of the heinous acts being performed these days, I wonder why would someone do that? What could possibly be the motivation for doing something so awful? If we want to turn the tide of evil and hatred in the world, we have to get to the root of the problem. We cannot just keep treating the symptoms. It should be obvious to us now that treating the symptoms is not working. The world continues to tail-spin into more and more hate and evil acts. This is why I believe it matters to identify where the evil and hate stems from and why it is important that we know that it is a continuation of a war that started long ago.

I often feel like we are like frogs in a pot of water. The temperature continues to rise, but we don't notice it because it changes gradually. This hate and evil did not come upon us all at once. But, it's here now and if we don't recognize it, we'll be cooked soon. I am trying to raise the voice of warning: the pot is just about to boil, let's get out.

So, how did Satan wage this war and get us to this state of danger? I'm not going to go into that in detail now, but suffice to say that I'm confident he has been waging the way on multiple fronts. One is to remove God from our lives. Another is to create counterfeit religions so that he can use belief in false gods to lead people into evil acts. Which then helps take the true God out of our lives because if we see that some religions are bad, then maybe we'll believe that they all are. There are many ways he is conducting this war and I believe if you take some time to think about it, you will recognize many of them yourself. One key you can use as you try to discern his tactics is to remember his original intent: to take away our ability to choose for ourselves.

Once we recognize that Satan is the enemy and the source of evil and hate, the answer on how to fight back and turn the tide of hate in the world falls into place. We must bring God back into our lives. Satan was originally defeated and cast out because we accepted our Father's plan and decided to follow Him. We need to make that decision again. He knew that Satan would continue to wage this war on earth, so He provided a means for us to overcome Satan here as well. God sent His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ to show us an example of how we should live and to provide an Atonement for us so that we could overcome evil and sin. The only way to combat Satan and begin to rid the world of all the hate that fills it today, is to live the teachings of Jesus Christ. He summed up His teachings by saying that we must love God with all our hearts and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Love for God and for one another can change the world.  But it means we all must act.

I don't know if you and I can change the world, but I think we need to try. I know that we defeated Satan before by standing together and I know that he will be defeated again. But, I fear that his defeat this time will only come after he has destroyed many more lives here on earth. If we begin to act together to push back, to share the knowledge of our Father in Heaven and His plan for us, to expose Satan and his evil designs, to spread the love of God and our fellow man (and woman), perhaps we can make a difference and slow the spread of hate in the world.

I don't know how well I did in expressing my thoughts. I hope that the meaning and message I have felt in the deepest places of my heart can find at least a small place in yours. Please think on these things; consider them. I, for one, am deeply saddened by the hate I see in our country and the world and want to do something to fight back. If I can do nothing more than help expose the source and convince a few of the solution, then at least that is something.

Is there a God?

I heard that someone recently said that faith is the belief in something for which there is no evidence. I don't believe that is correct. Belief in something with no evidence is just wishful thinking. Faith requires that there is evidence. I've heard people say that they do not believe in God because they cannot see him. Or, they say there is no evidence of a God. These are weak arguments because, I can assure you that my faith in God is based on evidence.

I find it interesting that many of these same people who do not believe in God have a lot of trust in the scientific method. Don't get me wrong, I also believe in the scientific method. In fact, I think a parallel to the scientific method can be used by every individual to also come to the knowledge that there is a God. Before I get into that, let's consider some recent science. The scientific method usually begins with someone making a hypothesis about how things may be. Then, the scientist forms experiments to find evidence that the hypothesis is correct. If the experiments give the expected results, the scientist concludes that the hypothesis was correct. Let's consider the Higg's particle. This is a tiny particle that scientists believe exists because it fits their current models. No one has ever seen such a particle, nor will anyone ever see such a particle. However, we have built very expensive, very large equipment to conduct experiments that will give evidence that such a particle exists. In fact, a group of scientists believe they have done just that. Here is a particle that cannot be seen, cannot be touched and yet most of the scientific community is convinced that it exists. Now they believe they even have evidence of it. At least a small group of scientists who conducted the experiments have the evidence. Everyone else just trusts that the information was obtained correctly and is accurate.

So, how does this relate to being able to know there is a God? We can follow a similar process. There are experiments that everyone can perform. In this case, it is even better than the experiments to find evidence of the Higg's particle because everyone has access to the tools needed to conduct these experiments rather than just a select few. Of course it takes effort and work on our part to get this evidence, just like it takes work to apply the scientific method for any other reason. If a scientist is not diligent in conducting the experiments and he fails to get results, that does not mean the hypothesis was wrong, just that the proper work was not done to verify it. 

Here are some simple steps to know that there is a God. First, learn about him. Read his words. This can best be done by reading scriptures. I highly recommend the New Testament or The Book of Mormon. Second, ponder on the scriptures that you read. Think about them and try to understand them. Third, try to live some of the principles you learn from reading the scriptures such as treating others as you would like to be treated. Fourth, prayer and ask God if he is there and ask Him to make Himself know to you. If you sincerely follow these steps, you will receive your own personal evidence that there is a God, that He love you and that you have a purpose here on earth. I have received this evidence for myself. My faith is not just wishful thinking, it is based on the evidence that I have received in my life that I cannot deny. 

One more parallel I think we can gain from the search for the Higg's particle. As I mentioned, only a few have access to the equipment to actually run the experiments. Everyone else relies on their word that the results are as they say. If so many are willing to rely on the word of a few on scientific matters, why can we not do the same when it pertains to God. In this case, unlike a particle no one has ever seen, there have been men that have seen God. Moses records in his writings that he spoke with God face-to face. In modern times, Joseph Smith testified that he saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Many others have seen angels and have testified of it. We have witnesses that there is a God. They have seen Him and heard His voice. That is much better than experimental evidence of a tiny particle of matter. But, don't take my word for it. As I mentioned early, the great thing about this experiment is that it is available to everyone, not just the few who have access to a super-collider.

Pride Preceedeth the Fall

I’ve been thinking a lot and pondering on how I feel and what I think of all the controversy that’s been discussed recently regarding certain positions of the church. I’ve read many posts and comments and seen many different points of view and have considered each one that I’ve read. I believe that all this controversy can be boiled down to one thing; pride.

Let me explain why I believe pride is the reason behind all this contention. I’ll start with an experience I had while on my mission. While I was serving in Bilbao we would often come across Jehovah Witnesses or as we came to call them TJ’s (for Testigos de Jehovah). We would frequently get into discussions with them with each of us sharing our points of view. We even had some regular TJ’s that we would speak to and we would quite often frustrate them such that they always wanted to bring their leaders to our discussions. My companion and I even went to attend one of their baptisms ceremonies. After having a few of these discussions in which they would often bring up some very valid points I found myself one day questioning if perhaps they were right and we were wrong. So I went to my Father in Heaven in prayer for answers to know if the gospel I was teaching was correct. I had always had a testimony before of the gospel but because of these encounters I found myself questioning that testimony. Because I took the matter to my Father in Heaven in prayer, I received reassurance through the Holy Ghost that the gospel we were teaching was correct and it dispelled any doubts I had been having. I mention this experience because it illustrates an important process that each of us should go through anytime we question our faith. We should make it a matter of prayer and involve our Father in Heaven and ask Him to help us find the answers. But, we need to go in an attitude in which we would be willing to accept whatever that answer will be. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a personal matter and is something that we must each discover for ourselves.

Recently I found myself again questioning aspects of my understanding of the gospel. These questions ate at me for days and once again culminated in me questioning some basic tenets of my faith. Once again I took the matter to my Father in Heaven in prayer and once again I received answers that helped reassure me. The current controversies helped solidify the answers that I had been receiving and strengthened my testimony and faith in my Father in Heaven.

Let me explain the answers that I received. We have a tendency as human beings to want to be able to understand the reason for everything. We want answers, we want to know why. When we don’t understand something or why something is the way it is, we try to find a justification. For example, in the early days of the church blacks were not allowed to hold the priesthood. Without understanding a true purpose for why this may have been, people tried to make up reasons to try to explain it. Such as, they were decedents of Cain. Currently, with the feminist movement people try to come up with reasons why women aren’t ordained to the Priesthood. The fallacy in all this is that sometimes we may not know why the Lord institutes certain policies. There are times when the Lord asks his servants to do things that to us just do not make sense. They may contradict our best reasoning. They may contradict previous commandments he has given.

For example, consider Abraham when he was commanded to sacrifice his son, Isaac. This went beyond all reasoning and made no sense. Abraham could have easily reasoned, “I just don’t understand this, it makes no sense. I don’t agree with it and I’m not going to do it.” But Abraham trusted in the Lord and was obedient and humbly did as he was asked. Another example; when the Israelites entered the Promised Land they were commanded to slay all that inhabited that land, including the women and children. This contradicts the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” One more example; Nephi, contrary to that same commandment was constrained by the Spirit to kill Laban. Each of these commands was given for a specific purpose known to the Lord but not known to those to whom they were given. I believe that each of us, if we are to receive the same blessings that Abraham will receive will have to go through our own trial of faith and obedience, just as Abraham did. The point in each of these examples is that sometimes we don’t understand why the Lord gives certain commandments and sometimes we just have to put our trust in Him and obey.

Just as King Benjamin taught we must “put off the natural man … and be willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon (us), even as a child does submit to his father.” Which brings us to where we started: pride is the cause of the current controversies. If someone disagrees with current policy or doctrine of the Church and voices that disagreement and receives an answer from the leaders of the Church that is contrary to his or her position and the person then continues to advocate and push that position, it is due to pride. As members of the Church we sustain the Prophet and the Apostles as Prophets, Seers and Revelators. By doing so we agree to accept and support their decisions as the will of the Lord. If we continue to push an agenda or a position which is contrary to the direction of the leaders of the church then we are not submitting ourselves to the will of the Lord. We don’t have to know why they have taken the position they have taken, we may not even agree with it but just as Abraham, we need to be obedient and accept it. If we cannot, then it is due to our own pride.

As my thoughts were turned towards pride I also began to discern that these factions in the church are following the same cycle that we read about so clearly in the Book of Mormon. As the Nephites prospered and enjoyed peace they began to grow proud and then contentions would arise. I can imagine that these contentions weren’t much different than what we are experiencing today where the members of the church would contend with their leaders, and because they did not agree with everything their leaders, disputations would arise. Rather than humble themselves and accept the will of the Lord, many would fall away. This would then be followed by a time of great trial in which they would be compelled to be humble once again. If we cannot learn from the many examples we have been given then we are no better than these people of old who would stone their prophets while claiming that they would have followed the prophets before.

What saddens me the most is being able to recognize that all of this is just another tool used by Satan to wage his war against our Father in Heaven’s children. There are many tactics that he uses today to destroy our souls and to keep people away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is very disheartening to see him leading away those who have already found it. As I said before this was my answer that I have received over the last few days through the influence of the Holy Ghost. I testify that the Holy Ghost will help bring light to the darkness that many will face. As I’ve pondered on these things and thought upon the things I have described here, I could feel that light. But as I would direct my thoughts to trying to understand the contrary positions of the church, all I would find is darkness. I testify that if you will go to our Father in Heaven in prayer, humbly seeking for answers and willing to accept whatever those answers will be, the Holy Ghost will help you find the truth and the answers that you need. Once again, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is personal. I’ve shared with you the answer I’ve received. I hope in some way I can help others but ultimately, it’s up to each individual to find his own answers.

“O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things so ever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.” Mormon 9:27