Sharing the Gospel and New Media

I graduated BYU in 2005. That was about the time that church leaders learned of an internet evil called Myspace. Bishops of singles ward warned their congregants to abstain from participation on Myspace and the site was blocked from access in the BYU library system. At the time, I rolled my eyes and thought "many things in life can be used for either good or evil and people have the freedom to choose how they will use them. I can choose to do what is good and avoid doing what is wrong. So I'm going to participate in Myspace." And I did, and still do.

(I will avoid testifying of the good aspects of Myspace.)

Then in 2007, I heard that an apostle has given a talk at a BYU devotional stating that church members are encouraged to use "new media" (i.e. blogs and social networking sites) to share the gospel with others. In fact, this month's cover story in the Ensign may have been adapted from that talk. The Apostle M. Russel Ballard discusses member's opportunities to share the gospel using the internet. He shares what members can do, as well as provides words of caution to members of thing they should avoid.

I felt vindicated.

I also wondered if any of those bishops at BYU were still presiding over wards and felt they had to rescind their words about the "evils of Myspace." I wonder what their reactions to the apostles words were and how they responded to being wrong. And, have any statements been issued in BYU wards on the topic?

When Bad Things Happen to Good People

Last month, I was lucky to spend 3 weeks in Hawaii with my best friend from elementary school. She and I have remained friends through a number of hardships that both of us have experienced. Our friendship weathered my conversion to the LDS church, as she became more and more nonreligious.

During our trip together, we discussed some of the theological issues that we have considered. My friend's biggest question and concern about religion and theology was the question, "If God loves us so much, why does he let bad things happen to good people?" I sensed it wasn't the right time to launch into a discussion of the LDS answer to that question, but I offered to share an answer at a later time if she was interested.

After returning from our trip, I ran across a copy of the book "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" written by Harold S. Kushner, a Jewish Rabbi. He shares his personal theology on why there is suffering in this world and God's responses to it. A summary of his main points follows:

1) God is obligated and required to respect the moral freedom of man to choose. Therefore some people make bad choices which hurt and causes others to suffer. God cannot stop this suffering.

2)In the creation, God made order out of chaos but some chaos remains in this life. Therefore some human suffering happens as a result of chance--mere randomness. Maybe in time, the Spirit of God will bring order out of the chaos. Chaos is not the will of God but an aspect of reality that stands independent of His will.

3) Laws of nature are ordained by God and cause problems that lead to human suffering. Gravity makes people fall and get hurt. God does not cause these problem to happen and does not have the power to stop it.

According to Kushner, basically good people's suffering is not caused by God. It is not punishment for sins in this life (yours or your relatives). It is not to teach people to be better followers of God and it is not a test to see if his followers will be faithful. And ultimately, death is not intended in God's plan to liberate us from the suffering of this life.

Kushner's main point in the midst of his discussion is that no matter the cause of our suffering, it is God who offers us the help we need to deal with our suffering. The author testifies of that help that God gives.

While I agree that Heavenly Father has the power to comfort and help us in times of suffering and grief (and I have been the recipient of that succor many times), my understandings of the doctrines of Latter-day Saint theology does not let me accept his explanations for the causes of human suffering.

Modern-day scripture reveals: "saints to learn obedience by the things they suffer (D&C 105:6)", "saints to reap eternal joy for all their suffering (D&C 109:76)", "know thy son that these things [afflictions] shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good (D&C 122:7)", "all things shall work together for your good (D&C 90:24, 98:3,100:15 and 105:40)", "God shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain (2 Nephi 2:2)", and "many are softened because of their affliction (D&C 62:41). These indicate that God indeed does intend that people will learn and be rewarded for their suffering.

I know that it has been through suffering that I have learned some of the most important lessons in life and I have benefited from them (my conversion story is evidence of that). But when in the midst of affliction and trial, I am not comforted by that knowledge of God's will and often I am very resentful. It comes "after the rain" that I can see the purpose of the suffering and reap the benefits of the lessons learned.

The Latter-day Saint scriptures also substantiate Kushner's claim others claims but those will have to be saved for another blog, another night.

This is a topic that I will continue to study and pray about seeking understanding to Heavenly Father's plan and purpose for suffering in this life. It is such a large topic that a book in response to Kushner's from the LDS perspective could be written, and I will be searching LDS publications to find one that fully discusses the topic, of which I'm sure there are quite a few.

10 Favorite Scriptures

1. Rev. 21: 4-5

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there share be no more death, neither sorrow neither crying neither shall their be any more pain: for the former things are past away. And he that sat upon his throne said unto me: I make all things new. And he said unto me: Write for these words are true and faithful."

2. Moses 7:63

"And the Lord said unto Enoch: Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other;"

3.2 Nephi 32:3 and 5

"Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will dtell you all things what ye should do.

For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do. "

4. 2 Nephi 31:20

" Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a cove of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. "

5.Doctrine and Covenants 128:15

"Let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation as Paul says concerning the fathers- that they without us cannot be made perfect- neither can we without our dead be made perfect."

6.Doctrine and Covenants 121: 41-46

"No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by dlong-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;

That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.

Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy cconfidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever."

7.Doctrine and Covenants 121: 7-8

"My son, peace be unto your soul, thine adversity and thine affliction and shall be but a small moment;

And then, if thou endure it well, God will exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all they foes."

8. Doctrine and Covenants 90:24

"Search diligently, pray always and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another."

9. Doctrine and Covenants 88:118

"And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye our of the best books, words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith."

10. Moroni 9:6

"And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness and rest our souls in the kingdom of God."

Healing from Abuse Through the Atonement

During this afternoon's session of General Conference, Elder Richard G. Scott spoke on the the power of the atonement to heal abuse victims, as well as those who are guilty of perpetrating the abuse.

His opening words immediately brought to my mind the thoughts I've had recently about the church's responsibility to address some social ills. To be honest, his words got my hopes up that he would be specifically addressing the social ill that has been most salient to me in the last year. I was overwhelmed with emotion when I heard that he would be speaking to abuse victims, because he was speaking directly to me.

Elder Scott went on to describe the process of healing after abuse, which included counseling with priesthood authorities (bishop, stake president) praying for healing and forgiveness from the Lord, and sometimes meeting with trained professionals who are specialized in helping people overcome abuse.

He also explained the responsibility of priesthood holders when they hear of abuse. I was surprised to hear the Elder Hales recommended that bishops, in addition to assisting the victims, are to report the perpetrators to civil and ecclesiastical authorities. In the case of childhood sexual abuse, I understand that bishops are to act as mandated reporters, just as I would as a preschool teacher; however, I didn't know it would apply to other situations of abuse as well. In mine, I don't expect that my bishop will make any type of report, but I can't help but wish that he would.

In regards to those who perpetrate abuse, Elder Scott spoke strongly and truthfully to them, saying that they need to repent and can have hope in Christ through their willingness to be changed and forgiven, by both God and their victims.

The Apostle's words were comforting to me in that I was able to see that I have been succesful of employing his counsel for healing. I almost feel bad for Elder Scott because he was careful to say that he didn't want his words to bring up any past hurts or memories of abuse, and in my case, he has, even though I have been given greater hope and peace from his words.

13 million members!

My favorite part of General Conference has always been the Church Statistical Report presented at each Saturday afternoon session of April General Conference. So unfortunately, I'm also a little let down in October when there is no Statistical Report.

Here is the report for this year (as of Dec 31, 2007):
stakes in the church: 2,790
missions: 348
districts: 618
wards/branches: 27,827

membership: 13,193,999
children of record born in 2007: 93,698*
convert baptisms: 279,218

missionaries: 52,686
dedicated temples: 124
One temple was rededicated in the year of 2007. No new temples were dedicated.

When I joined the church in 2001, there were 11 million members and I was so excited at the 2002 April Conference to know that I was counted in the number of convert baptisms and also the membership of the church. In 6 years, there have been over 2 million new members. I was also excited to hear in 2004 that another million had been added to the rolls, as this means that there have been many others who have come to have a testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ like I did.

*Willem is included in this number as he was born in 2007. He and the other 29 babies born into my ward in the last year.

And once again, I'll report that Wikipedia was updated before the end of the conference session where the report was given.

New Apostle Called

In today's morning session of General Conference, Elder D. Todd Christofferson was called as the newest Apostle in the Quorum the the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I find this amusing...the wikipedia entry on him was already updated within a hour of the end of the session stating his call as an Apostle.

Here is the link to the wikipedia entry for a biography of Elder Christofferson.

In trying to learn more about him, I looked at this interview from a reporter at Reuters.

The reporter made sure to ask some of the hardest questions about the LDS Church, including will women receive the priesthood, are LDS men able to be sealed to more than one woman, what is the church's relationship to politics, and his personal beliefs on evolution.

I'm proud to say that I think Elder Christofferson answered unequivocally and honestly in all cases. Some answers would better than others, but they all addressed the question directed and answered it with either a Yes, No or I don't know.

Here are some highlights from the interview:

Reuter's reporter: Do you believe in Evolution?

Elder Christofferson: I don't know. That's a very intriguing question. I can't think of a doctrinal statement by the church on evolution. We do believe certainly in a divine hand in creation. And one of our scriptures says there is a lot yet to be revealed.There's not much that's frankly been revealed on the religious side regarding it. You've got a basic account of creation over different periods - we're not talking necessarily about 24 hour days but periods in which God directed creation. The hows, the details, I don't know, to be honest with you. We don't claim to know.

REUTERS: Are there documents about the church's history that are purposely being concealed from the public, hidden in archives or vaults, as some historians assert? If so, what are these?

Elder Christofferson:I don't know if every document ever produced that's not private and confidential has ever been published, I'm not sure. There is no particular effort to hide things that could legitimately be public just because that never works. Somehow it always comes out, so what's the point? So there's not a hidden secret vault of things that contradict what we teach as far as the church's history is concerned or other things that we are afraid of seeing the light of day. That's not true. But there are confidential records, that sort of thing. Some of them are deemed confidential for the rights of individuals. We have disciplinary councils of the church

I am confident to say there is no secret document that would blow the church out of the water that's been held at a secret vault.

REUTERS: Does the LDS church believe that the second coming of Christ is imminent? Is that an accurate characterization?

CHRISTOFFERSON: Probably not in the way most people understand imminent. One of the prophesies that you find in the New Testament, Matthew, is that the Gospel has to be preached in all the world before that happens. We're making every effort to do that but we're far from accomplishing it. There are places where you can't go, period. There are other places where we are in an infant stage, so to speak, in that process. So we don't pretend to know but we think it's some years away.

REUTERS: The Woodruff Manifesto, which banned polygamy in 1890, never revoked section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants - Joseph Smith's 1843 revelation on plural marriage - why?

CHRISTOFFERSON: It's consistent with biblical teaching, with Book of Mormon teaching, and that is to say, to use computer language, the default mode is monogamy. That was divinely established at the beginning of time with Adam and Eve and it continues unless God for His own purposes, for whatever reason, permits, or authorizes or directs in this case the practice of plural marriage, and there have been times when He has, if you look at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the old patriarchs of the Old Testament. And this instance here in the early (LDS) church history.

As I said earlier, we believe in this continuing flow of revelation and it's His right to authorize or de-authorize - to turn it on or turn it off. But unless God were to specifically reveal to the Prophet this must be done at this time, it's not, it's wrong without his direction.

I have also found one Conference talk of his given at the Oct 2000 conference where he addresses the question, "What is the destiny of the countless billions who have lived and died with no knowledge of Jesus?" Its a hard one, and one that had kept me from joining other Christian churches because I wasn't satisfied with their answers. It was the LDS Church with its doctrines of baptism and salvation for the dead that allowed me to believe in the necessity for all people to be baptised to enter into the Kingdom of God.

In that talk he also describes a doctrinal question that had puzzled my husband for a few years: How was the Savior able to take upon our sins and redeem us while simultaneously meeting the demands of justice? Elder Christofferson states, '"The principle of vicarious service should not seem strange to any Christian. In the baptism of a living person, the officiator acts, by proxy, in place of the Savior. And is it not the central tenet of our faith that Christ's sacrifice atones for our sins by vicariously satisfying the demands of justice for us? As President Gordon B. Hinckley has expressed: "I think that vicarious work for the dead more nearly approaches the vicarious sacrifice of the Savior Himself than any other work of which I know. It is given with love, without hope of compensation, or repayment or anything of the kind. What a glorious principle."'

From this much that I have read of his words, I see the Elder Christofferson is a man of everyday language but a deep and abiding understanding of the gospel, doctrines and history of the Church. I'm pleased that he is the newest apostle and I look forward to hearing his words and counsel at future church meetings.

Top 10 Favorite LDS Hymns

These do not necessarily appear in the order that I like them most. Even picking 10 of the over 300 hymsn in the LDS hymn book is hard for me to do, but I've selected 10 of my favorites and shared them here.

1. I Know that My Redeemer Lives (Hymn 136)

I frequently sing this song as a lullaby to my baby. Its refrain, as a result, is constantly in my mind and I hear the lyrics of "He lives to wipe away my tears, he lives to calm my troubled heart" and I'm given comfort that it was my Savior who did just that for me when I was converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And now, as a mother, I am given the strength and faith to do just that for my child, while I also teach the other precious truths in this hymn.

2. How Great Thou Art (Hymn 86)

One of the parts of my testimony that is most sacred to me is my appreciation for God's creation and the earth I live on. This hymn captures my gratitude and love for my life, and my God who gave me life. I frequently sing this when I am struck by the beauty for the earth around me, while all the while feeling the pang oh homesickness knowing that this earth, however beautiful it is, is still subject to death, disease and destruction. This hymn presents this dicotomy of appreciate for the wonder of life with the hope of eternal life and the joy of being back in the presence of God.

3. For the Beauty of the Earth (Hymn 92)

This hymn was a welcome sight to me when I first sang it after my baptism. I was raised in the Unitarian Universalist religion and this hymn is also found in their hymnal. I was glad to recognize it as it was my favorite hymn from that hymn book. It like How Great Thou Art describes the wonder and appreciation for the earth on which we live, as well as underscores the importance of human and family relationships. It was for these reasons that I fondly remember singing this hymn at my grandmother's funeral at the Unitarian church she attended 4 years after my baptism into the LDS church.

4. I Need Thee Every Hour (Hymn 98)

In the six years since I became a member of the LDS Church, I have sang out (as well as inwardly) the lyrics to this hymn a number of times when I'm in need of the comfort of the Spirit of God. It remains a favorite of mine for that reason.

5. Be Still My Soul (Hymn 124)

This is another hymn that I sing when I'm in need of comfort and a reminder of the purpose of trials in life. But its not just the words of this song that make it a favorite, but its also the characteristics of the melody. To me, it is haunting with sweet cresendos of hope and light. When I sing it, I think of sunlight breaking through the dark clouds in my spirit.

6. In Our Lovely Deseret (Hymn 307)

Within the first year after my baptism, I heard this hymn sung for the first time at an Institute class. The melody is upbeat and happy. As a preschool teacher, it appeals to me because of the description of young children in the lyrics. When I hear it, I think of primary aged children all around and it makes me smile at the joy of the sight. But what got me about this hymn was the second verse, "That the children may live long and be beautiful and strong, tea and cofee and tabacoo they despise, Drink no liquor and the eat but a very little meat. They are seeking to be great and good and wise." I could not help myself but laugh at these lyrics. I was surprised (and impressed) to see such a clever rhyme about the Word of Wisdom. I still laugh when I sing it.

7. Lead, Kindly Light (Hymn 97)

As a convert to the LDS Church, I identify with the lyrics of this hymn because I know from experience the change from walking through life merely on my own direction as opposed to walking with the guidance and direction of God. I knew the darkness and gloom, and the sense of being far from home without a refuge in the world. And thn I learned where to find the light I was searching for and found the hope and peace of the gospel. I also love the description of faith in this hymn, "Keep thou my feet, I do not ask to see the distance scene- one step enough for me." I've learned to walk in faith and face the unknown to find that my way is lit before me after I take the step into the darkness. I can have faith when encountering the bumps of life- the not knowing how or where or what to go and do next.

8. If You Could Hie to Kolob (Hymn 284)

Apart from the beautiful melody that this song has, I love it for the speculation into the creation of the earth, its part in the universe, the immensity of space and existence, as well as the infinity of eternity. These are the aspects of the gospel that make my mind hurt if I think about them too long, but they are what I yearn to understand when I am capable of it. It is this that drives my interest in astronomy and wanting to understand as much as I can about life and God while I'm alive. The hymn reminds me again of my desire to in some ways be done with this life so I can be with God again and get all the answers to my questions that cannot be answered by man on earth and which have not and will not be revealed.

9. Oh My Father (Hymn 292)

A theme is emerging through this list of my favorite hymns, and that is the desire of my heart to return to live with God after this life is over. I truly do want "to regain thy presence and again behold they face." I must remember however that I will not be able to do so until I've "completed all you sent me forth to do" so that "with your mutual approbation, Let me come and dwell with you." I also love this hymn because it mentions the LDS belief of Heavenly Mother by stating, "In the heav'ns are parents single? No the thought makes reason stare. Truth is reason, truth eternal tells me I've a mother there." That's another burning question (or series of) that I desire to learn more about.

10.There is Sunshine in My Soul Today (Hymn 227)

As I stated previously, I felt that my conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ rescued me from figurative darkness and gloom. So while Lead, Kindly Light may be a reminder of that, the hymn There is Sunshine in My Soul Today is my feelings of coming out on the other side of that change in my life. When I sing this song it is with joy in finding the gospel and gratitude for the happy, joyfilled moments of living of the gospel. Whenever I sing it, however, I make one slight change in the words. The refrain ends, "When Jesus shows his smiling face, there is sunshine in the soul," but I sing it "there in sunshine in MY soul."