Looking For the Good

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wrote the First Presidency Message in the March edition of the Ensign Magazine. This month, Pres. Uchtdorf's message is focused on being peacemakers, looking on the bright side, and seeing the Good in everything around us. With the increase in evil, and adversity around, this skill will become much needed.

Pres. Uchtdorf says:"Have you ever noticed that people can usually find whatever they are looking for? Look hard enough, and you can discover both good and bad in almost anyone and anything." Pres. Uchtdorf warns members against the temptation to criticize, to hold grudges, gossip and to find fault with others. “for where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (James 3:16).

Instead, Pres Uchtdorf reminds us of the scriptures that teach the followers of Christ to be “pure, … peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” For those who make peace, “the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace” (James 3:17-18). Pres. Uchtdorf concludes: "we have a choice. We can seek for the bad in others. Or we can make peace and work to extend to others the understanding, fairness, and forgiveness we so desperately desire for ourselves. It is our choice; for whatever we seek, that we will certainly find."

This wise Counsel reminds me of the words of Alma to his son Corianton in the Book of Mormon about the Law of the Harvest and the meaning of the word restoration:

For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore, the word restoration more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all. (Alma 41:15)

Free Will, Agency and Calvanism

The following is part of a conversation with regard to Agency and Calvinism: Calvinist say no one is free or has agency but Christ, and you are not free until you accept Christ and therefore you are free in Christ. This then leads to the idea that all men are fallen and sinful and deserve nothing but death and misery and it is only by the goodness of God that He selects and few of His chosen to be elected to Eternal Life. Then these same people do things like change the name of the "free will offering" to the "election collection" etc.

God says in the Bible, Look, man has become as one of us to know Good and Evil. So, yes Adam and Eve were not free in the Garden to choose because they had the minds of little children. It is the Bible itself that says they only learned good and evil after partaking of the fruit. But it wasn't the fall alone that produced agency. Agency is a product of several factors including:1. knowledge of good and evil, 2. enticement by good and bad, 3. the atonement of Jesus Christ, 4. and then an ability to choose Christ (free will). All 4 elements are necessary.

Calvinist use several scriptures as proof text for their belief. Two scriptures in the Bible say that no one cometh unto the Son save the Father draweth him, and another says that none which the Father giveth to Christ will be lost. Calvinist interpret the first to support the idea that if the Father didn't elect us, none of us would escape death and hell. And Calvinist interpret the second to mean that after you have been selected or elected, that is impossible to fall from grace.

However, what is left out in this interpretation is that these two scriptures fail to account for the truth that God is no respecter of persons and he draweth all men to Christ and excludeth no none.

2 Ne. 26: 33 For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.

This interpretation also excludes the possibility that some could reject the Father's drawing. The Bible says none which the Father giveth the Son would be lost, it does not say everyone that the Father draweth would be drawn. The Book of Mormon says that man is not free to choose unless enticed by one side of the other. The drawing of the Father to Christ is the required enticement. And the Book of Mormon says that because of the Fall, if it had not been for the atonement of Christ all mankind would have been doomed to be miserable forever. So, taking the Bible and Book of Mormon together gives a clear understanding that through Christ, all men are free to choose. Whether we choose freedom and to remain free or whether we choose captivity and death. We must be enticed by the Father, but in the end, the decision is ours to make.

Calvinists claim that after you accept Christ that it is impossible to fall from grace. This may be so, if a person is really elected for salvation and is not just a tare among the wheat. Paul would say such was never under grace and that person is really elected to damnation because he is put in a situation where he is making promises and not keeping thus bringing more judgment upon himself had he remained ignorant. Again, agency still applies because a person could refuse to be drawn by the Father. And Satan and the 1/3 part of heaven are an example of individuals turning against the Father. Of course, it is correct that without Christ no one is free. But, as long as you are alive and accepting Christ is an option and the Father is reaching out to rescue and draw you, then you are still free to choose to accept or decline.

Josh. 24: 15 Choose you this day whom ye will serve;. . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Rev. 3: 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Free Will, Quantum Mechanics and Predestination

John Conway and Simon Kochen recently wrote a paper with a mathematical proof showing that particles exhibiting quantum mechanical behavior can be shown to demonstrate free will. John John Conway gave a lecture at Princeton University explaining the significance of their theorem and proof. The basic assertion of the paper is that if we have free will, then all particles must have some level of free will as well.

The idea of quantum mechanics as a proof for free will is not new with Conway and Kochen. This idea has been debated as a product of quantum mechanics since these theories were first discovered. I remember Cleon Skousen talking about this in a controversial talk on the atonement where he mentions quantum mechanics and free will but falsely concludes that God has to appease the intelligences. Nevertheless, this new proof of free will has profound theological and philosophical implications.

"Now if you’re interested in science, this will be very exciting information. Our most advanced research scientists in the pure research area have just proven this to be true. Matter does not function mechanically. It has an element of finite intelligence in it, they say. That’s what Bergsen called it–the French philosopher. It can distinguish, it can choose, it doesn’t always do what the rules say. Some of these little elements are just as ornery as you and me. They go wandering around–and in the aggregate we say that that’s the law of chemistry. In the aggregate, yes, but you look at them individually and they’re fooling around. As a matter of fact, Robert Milligan said that if all the elements were obeying all of the rules of chemistry, you would never die. Through rebellion in the flesh. And they’re called seeds of death–you may have heard of that before. Now at God’s command, element which has received intelligence attached to it, at God’s command it will obey."

Now, what do I think? In a nutshell, this theorem seems to be an explanation of randomness and seems to be attempting, in a way, to explain how God plays dice with the Universe despite Einstein's objections. I think it would be interesting to have a theological conversation with Dr. Conway with respect to his theorem. Free Will is an important concept to LDS. Skousen in his talk states that quantum mechanics suggests that matter is not forced to obey the classical laws of physics and therefore is free to act contrary to it.

The consequences of disobedience results in the universe as we experience it. In fact, this disobedience is counted on and serves God's higher purposes. It seems to go along with Romans 9 where Paul is discussing Foreordination and says that even the wicked Pharaoh ends up serving God's higher purposes. And in the same way, quantum mechanics also serves God's higher purposes. Satan tempting Adam and Eve in the garden to eat the fruit served God's higher purposes. But it is interesting to think about what a universe would be like that was completely obedient to God's laws. We talk about the ideal gas law. What if all matter and people behaved ideally? That would be heaven.

Rom 9: 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

I do wonder what Dr. Conway's religious and philosophical beliefs are. I am not sure he is really trying to make a religious statement other than saying people who believe in instantaneous communication by ESP are kooky. However, I believe that mankind do exhibit freewill. That is why social science is so unpredictable. And this freewill is an inherent aspect of our person and being. And, despite what Evangelicals say, it is this free will that is the only thing that we can possibly contribute and must contribute to our salvation. Calvinists would disagree and say that only Christ is free and that God's decision of who He predestines to salvation and who he predestines to damnation is random. God is not random. Rather, God is constant, unchangeable, and dependable like the speed of light in any reference frame. John in Revelations taught that Christ has come down and knocked on each one of our doors, and it is up to us to decide whether to open up to Him or not. Conversely, it is man who brings the randomness, arbitrariness and disobedience into the universe. God already knows our spin state from the first. He knows whether we love Him or not. But He allows us to prove ourselves to ourselves, so that we learn who we are and what we are made of.

Rev. 3: 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

I try to be cautious when it comes to debates where both sides argue to the exclusion of the other. So, when it comes to the free will vs. determinism debate, I would tend to believe that there is no dichotomy and both exist and co-exist. And I think that this paper finds that both free will and determanism can co-exist.

My other blog on this subject at brainbender.blogspot.com: http://brainbender.blogspot.com/2009/04/free-will-and-quantum-mechanics.html

Empowered By Grace To Choose The Right

According to Mormonism, all of mankind are essentially "gods in embryo." I've never understood this and would love to have a Mormon try and explain this one to me (with reference to John 10:30):

Good Question! A number of Jews were apostate at the time of Christ. They had a counterfeit orthodoxy (correct belief), which led to an errant orthopraxis (correct action) and an mistaken orthocardia(correct heart). One manifestation of incorrect doctrine was their mistaken concept of blasphemy.

In John 10 it says that there were Jews who wanted Jesus to plainly declare His Messiah-ship. When Jesus did, they wanted to stone Him for saying He is the Son of God and one with the Father. They considered equating man with God to be blasphemy.

John 10:30 I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

These Jews had changed the meaning of blasphemy. These Jews believed that considering a man to be like god was blasphemy. Jesus corrected this false definition by reminding them of Ps. 82:6. If God had called the wicked judges and the afflicted and needy "I have said, Ye are gods; and all are children of the Most High," then considering man to be gods is not blasphemy; let alone Christ declaring that He is the Son of God.

So, Here Christ declares His relationship with the Father as the Son of God, and corrects the Jews for their mistaken definition of blasphemy, and verifies that Psalms 82:6 really does refer to the judges and the afflicted and needy as gods. The point of the psalm being that the judges who were chosen in the pre-existence in the Heavenly Council [congregation of the mighty (Elohim = gods)] covenanted to judge righteously and that even the afflicted and needy are considered gods in embryo and are of infinite potential worth just as much as the judges themselves are who must remember that without God they will "die like men."

How can man be considered a "god in embryo" if gods have no beginning and no end? That concept violates all those scriptures in Isaiah that says before God was no God formed neither after. And there is only God who saves.

Joseph Smith answered this question:

"The mind or the intelligence which man possesses is co-equal [co-eternal] with God himself. I know that my testimony is true; hence, when I talk to these mourners, what have they lost? Their relatives and friends are only separated from their bodies for a short season: their spirits which existed with God have left the tabernacle of clay only for a little moment, as it were; and they now exist in a place where they converse together the same as we do on the earth. I am dwelling on the immortality of the spirit of man. Is it logical to say that the intelligence of spirits is immortal, and yet that it has a beginning? The intelligence of spirits had no beginning, neither will it have an end. That is good logic. That which has a beginning may have an end. There never was a time when there were not spirits; for they are co-equal [co-eternal] with our Father in heaven."[The King Follett Sermon By Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805–1844)]

But there is a big difference between being considered God and a god. God the Father will always remain our God and Father. And Christ will always remain our Savior and source of Eternal Life. Men don't become gods. That is our species. Gods are not created; they ARE or ARE NOT. And as the self-existent Christ declares I AM THAT I AM, so men ARE THAT THEY ARE. Christ does not only reveal the relationship of God to man, but also reveals the relationship of man to God. The eternal spirits of men where created children of God (but not created from nothing) and placed in physical bodies and through Christ can be made eternal parents like the Eternal Father. But men were not created gods, men have always been "gods in embryo." A child becoming like a parent is no more blasphemy in heaven then it is on Earth.But God calls Himself the Most High God.

If God had a Father, then doesn't He take orders from His Father?

Remember that God doesn't have a beginning but is co-existent and co-eternal. Yes, Our God loves His Father. But being God and being an Eternal Father is not "King of the Mountain." And while God loves His Father like we should Love Our Eternal Father, Our God doesn't "take orders." That is because God is an agent unto himself. He doesn't need to be told what to do. Like Christ, he sees a need and does it before needing to be asked.

John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

D&C 58:26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. 27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; 28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward. 29 But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned.

How can this scripture say that man can do good? Paul says that no man can do good.

This is the key to the whole grace/works enchilada right here. The power in man to do good was given by the grace of Christ. Without which man could do no good but would have been doomed to become a servant to the devil and suffer death, hell, and eternal damnation. While the spirit of all men possesses will, which is an essential characteristic of existence; what Christ's grace and atonement does is makes us agents, makes us free, and gives us the choice to choose righteously and empowers us to make decisions that will result in our becoming like our Heavenly Father.

All mankind have lost their souls. We have given ourselves away to sin and the devil. But Christ has purchased us with His flesh and blood. He has paid the price of sin and death alone. But now we must give God what He has bought and paid for--us. We are expected to give God our whole souls and keep nothing back unlike Ananias and Sapphira.

So, accepting Christ is only the first of many righteous choices we need to make. God expects us to surrender our wills and sacrifice a broken heart and a contrite spirit to Him. We will be empowered to make these correct choices only by the grace of Christ, who will not make our decisions for us, or coerce us, or force us. Christ has sent the Holy Ghost which will guide us into all truth, and empower us, entice us, and persuade us to repent, receive specific covenants and ordinances and do right. And as we do right (only by Christ's grace), the light, power, spirit, and grace of Christ's love will grow within us until we are fully changed, sanctified, purifies, and perfected. And if not fully achieved now, sanctification may require 1000 more years during the Millennium to complete but we need to get on the straight and narrow now and not procrastinate the day of our repentance.

This is how the grace of Christ has the power to fully save us from our sins and not just in our sins. This is how we are saved by grace 100%. This is how Christ's grace is all-sufficient for our salvation. Christ doesn't sweep our sins under the rug, but will change us and by His grace we are empowered to choose the right.

Matt. 7: 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

God allows us to participate in our salvation by exercizing our will and Christ-given agency so that we might witness the power, grace, spirit and love of Christ in us which empowers every correct and righteous decision. But in no way does man contribute one iota to his own salvation without Christ. We don't meet God half way or even part way. Christ's grace empowers every good work, every act of righteousness, every sanctifying ordinance. But choosing righteousness and obedience in and through Christ is required for exaltation.

Political vs. Spiritual Ideology

How would you describe your social-political ideology vs. your spiritual ideology? Would you describe yourself as a "social liberal" or a "social conservative"? Would you describe yourself as a "spiritual liberal" or a "spiritual conservative?"

In this country there are 2 major political ideologies: Liberalism and Conservatism. Both ideologies can be subdivided into Social, Economic, and Foreign Policy Liberalism vs. Conservatism. Although many people are not 100% Liberal or Conservative, this thread is focused on social political ideology vs. spiritual ideology. Libertarians are generally socially liberal and economically Conservative.

Social Liberalism:
Social liberals tend to support privacy, and personal rights over the good of society. Liberals tend to support sexual freedom, and use of psychoactive drugs, and favor abortion rights. Knowing that such unregulated personal liberty would result in harmful consequences for the poor, they support government taxation and programs to help the poor escape the consequences of bad life decisions as a direct result of unregulated personal liberty. Liberals would not trade personal liberty for security. Liberals consider themselves progressives in the sense that they feel our current culture and society represses personal liberty.

Social Conservatism:
Social Conservatives tend to support personal responsibility, and self-government. However, conservatives encourage legislation which limits personal liberty in exchange for security and the good of society. The speed limit is a good example. I may feel it is my right to drive 100mph on the highway and that I can drive responsibly and am no threat to others. But, a conservative would support limiting His personal liberty and the imposition of a 65 mph speed limit because he knows there are those on the highway who cannot safely operate a vehicle at that speed. Therefore, for the good of the many, a speed limit is appropriate. In that spirit, conservatives would tend to discourage sexual activity before marriage, discourage abortion, and psychoactive drug use. Conservatives consider themselves traditionalists in the sense that they feel the values and ideals of the founding fathers and in the scriptures should represent the ideals of our current society and culture.

Spiritual Liberalism vs. Conservatism
So, with an understanding of social liberalism, and social conservatism; how would you characterize your spiritual ideology. Does your spiritual ideology endorse personal responsibility for actions before God, repentance and sanctification (conservatism) or does your spiritual ideology more reflect the idea that Christ accepts us how we are, and the Christs atonement removes the consequences of sin (liberalism)?

Is your political and spiritual ideology the same? Why or why not? I think LDS tend to be social-politically conservative as well as being more spiritually conservative. We are more Judeo- than most Judeo-Christians with an emphasis on personal responsibility for sin, focus on repentance and sanctification (sanctification is a work of the Holy Ghost within us).

Yes, Christ accepts us for who we are, and can overcome the permenant effects of sin. But at the same time, Christ; who has power to overcome the effects of sin; also has power to overcome our sinful natures in this life. Often, that involves allowing us to face the consequences of sin in this world. Through the process of sactification by the Holy Ghost, The Book of Mormon and the Bible teach that Christ saves us "from our sins" and not "in our sins."

Agency of Man

Agency = ability to choose
Agency is the ability to perform work. Work is not just toil. Work is effort and toil which results in a desired outcome. God tells us to "work out our salvation." Agency then becomes our ability to act or make choices in a way that will bring about our eventual salvation, exaltation and eternal life (Luke 2: 40,52)(D&C 93: 13).

Agents = creation with ability to act
God has two classes of creation. He has that which is acted upon, and that which can act. God is the supreme being with the infininte ability to act in the universe. Man is created in the image of God and given the god-like ability to have dominion, stewardship, and act upon God's other creations.

Choices = right and wrong, good and bad, law and consequence
Agency requires that there is a right and wrong. Lehi teaches that if there is no God then there is no ultimate good or bad, right or wrong, sin or righteousness. But because happiness and misery exist, that proves that there is a God. Lehi teaches that "men are that they might have joy." Or in other words, the purpose of this life is to be happy(posess love). God is the possessor and granter of infinite happiness(pure love). Therefore, if we follow God's will we are promised an increase in love and happiness (charity = pure love of Christ). If we follow Satan then we are told we will be come miserable. The scriptures tell us that Satan "seeketh to make all men miserable like unto himself."

Vailed Memory = no memory of our happiness with God in heaven
It is my opinion that the vail over our memory which prevents us from recalling our former life in heaven with God is what most made coming to Earth most scary. Satan wanted to take away our agency. I suppose he proposed a plan in which no vail was placed over our memory. However, without the vail, we could not be happy on Earth because we would remember what it was like in Heaven with God. Without the vail, we could not choose, because we would never feel happiness. Anything we did or experienced on Earth would be misery in comparison to the love we felt in the presence of God. Satan was cast out of Heaven and has no vail over his memory and consequently miserable.

Enticement = both options are desireable
Lehi says that we are not free to choose and "could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other"(2 Ne. 2: 16). God wants to "prove" us to see if we will sacrifice what feels good now for eternal happiness later. Anyone who endures a college education understands the principle of sacrifice now brings greater dividends later. Also, some parents say, "I'm not going to encourage my kids to go to church, I respect their agency." If they are not enticed to do the right, then they are not free, because they will be left alone to face the enticements of the devil.

Mediums of Enticement:
Holy Ghost = still small voice of God, the spirit of revelation.
Light of Christ = conscience, superego, knowledge of good and evil.
Natural Man = id, physical appetites and tendencies.
Satan = temptations to do evil.

Mediator = brings man back to God to be judged
If it wasn't for the atonement of Jesus Christ, because of the Fall of Adam, man could do nothing to result in his salvation. He would have become forever unclean and be shut out from the presence of God. The sacrifice of Christ overcomes all the effects of the Fall, overcomes physical and spiritual death, and brings us back into the presence of God to be rewarded according to our actions, thoughts, and desires. Had the atonement not been performed, Nephi says we would all be shut out from the presence of God to become angels unto the devil (2 Ne. 9: 9).

Time = learn from our own experience to do good
Lehi says that if Adam and Eve were to have immediately partaken of the tree of life that they would have lived forever in their sins. Therefore an angel of God was placed to guard the tree. Therefore, they were granted a space of time to repent of their mistakes, through the atonement of Christ, they could purify and sanctify themselves and begin to follow and obey the commandments of God, and lay up in store treasure in heaven. Nephi says that we are in a probationary and preparatory state, a state to prepare to meet God. Today is the day to perform our work. We are warned not to "procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late" (Hel. 13: 38).

Judgement = reward for correct choices
The scriptures say that we will receive the reward for our choices. If we choose God then we are promised happiness, love, and an eternal reward. If we harken unto Satan, then we will reap the rewards of death and hell. The scriptures remind us that "he rewardeth you no good thing." We do not have to wait until the final judgement for our reward. King Benjamin says that through our obedience we are immediately rewarded. The scriptures teach that we are justified by faith and become sactified by the reception of the Holy Ghost. We are given the ability to return to and partake of the Tree of Life and grow in light, power, and knowledge in this life. Our light will "grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (D&C 50: 24).

Lehi's sermon on agency in the Book of Mormon: 2 Ne. 2: 13-14, 16, 26