A Thoughtful Gospel Principles. Chapter 46: Final Judgement

(Personal note... sometimes when I have a first reading through the GP chapter I struggle. It's taught with an absolute certainty that I struggle with. On the other hand... I've accepted a calling to teach the LDS Gospel Principles class. I'm aware that I need to include excerpts from the lesson but won't always follow the exact structure of the manual. I include other quotes/scriptures, but only content that is either found on the church website or linked to from the church website).

https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-46-the-final-judgment?lang=eng

The Good News of the Nativity

Today’s lesson is on God’s Final Judgement. On the Sunday before Christmas we can celebrate the good news of the nativity and gift of the atonement that free us from the fear of judgement.

The Shepherds were encouraged to celebrate the birth of Saviour (Luke 2:8-14):

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,  14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

The first and third verses of a beautiful carol, O Holy Night, teach us why the Nativity is such good news:

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!… 

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

The word “pining” means suffering from pain. A large effect of sinning and making mistakes is seeing the negative effects they have on us and on others. The pain of sin is experiencing and realising the distance our mistakes place between others and between us and God. The gift of Jesus Christ is to “break the chains” of this pain and help us to love one another and find peace.

Faith in Jesus Christ helps us be prepared for the Final Judgment. Through faithful discipleship to Him and repentance of all our sins, we can be forgiven for our sins and become pure and holy so that we can dwell in the presence of God. As we repent of our sins, giving up every impure thought and act, the Holy Ghost will change our hearts so we no longer have even the desire to sin (see Mosiah 5:2). Then when we are judged, we will be found ready to enter into God’s presence. (Gospel Principles, p270)

God’s judgement is just and balanced

We are often told in the scriptures that the day will come when we will stand before God and be judged. We need to understand how judgment takes place so we can be better prepared for this important event.The scriptures teach that all of us will be judged according to our works: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:12; see also D&C 76:111; 1 Nephi 15:32; Abraham 3:25–28). We will also be judged “according to the desire of [our] hearts” (D&C 137:9; see also Alma 41:3). (Gospel Principles, p269) 

The Prophet Joseph Smith said that the dead will be judged out of records kept on earth. We will also be judged out of the “book of life,” which is kept in heaven (GP, p270)

Joseph Smith also said:

“God judges men according to the use they make of the light which He gives them.” 

“Men will be held accountable for the things which they have and not for the things they have not. … All the light and intelligence communicated to them from their beneficent creator, whether it is much or little, by the same they in justice will be judged, and … they are required to yield obedience and improve upon that and that only which is given, for man is not to live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." 

“He holds the reins of judgment in His hands; He is a wise Lawgiver, and will judge all men, not according to the narrow, contracted notions of men, but, ‘according to the deeds done in the body whether they be good or evil,’ or whether these deeds were done in England, America, Spain, Turkey, or India. He will judge them, ‘not according to what they have not, but according to what they have’; those who have lived without law, will be judged without law, and those who have a law, will be judged by that law. We need not doubt the wisdom and intelligence of the Great Jehovah; He will award judgment or mercy to all nations according to their several deserts, their means of obtaining intelligence, the laws by which they are governed, the facilities afforded them of obtaining correct information, and His inscrutable designs in relation to the human family; and when the designs of God shall be made manifest, and the curtain of futurity be withdrawn, we shall all of us eventually have to confess that the Judge of all the earth has done right [see Genesis 18:25].”

We inherit a glory reflecting who we have become, not simply what we have done.

There is another record that will be used to judge us. The Apostle Paul taught that we ourselves are a record of our life… At the Final Judgment we will inherit a place in the kingdom for which we are prepared. The scriptures teach of three kingdoms of glory—the celestial kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom, and the telestial kingdom. (GP, p271)
In reality, every day is a day of judgment. We speak, think, and act according to celestial, terrestrial, or telestial law. Our faith in Jesus Christ, as shown by our daily actions, determines which kingdom we will inherit. (GP, p273)

Elder Richard G. Scott spoke of the impact of 'small things' in General Conference of April 2013:

Remember: little things lead to big things. Seemingly insignificant indiscretions or neglect can lead to big problems. More importantly, simple, consistent, good habits lead to a life full of bountiful blessings.

One of President David O. McKay's favourite sayings illustrated how habits and small choices around the little things lead to what our true character is:

“We sow our thoughts, and we reap our actions; we sow our actions, and we reap our habits; we sow our habits, and we reap our characters; we sow our characters, and we reap our destiny.” (C. A. Hall, The Home Book of Quotations, New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1935, p. 845.)

Elder Delbert Stapely, speaking in General Conference in 1974, repeated this quote and then taught that life is an opportunity to make choices that help to develop the best habits:

We are not born into this world with fixed habits. Neither do we inherit a noble character. Instead, as children of God, we are given the privilege and opportunity of choosing which way of life we will follow—which habits we will form.Confucius said that the nature of men is always the same. It is their habits that separate them.

All of the covenants we make and the commandments we keep are opportunities to develop the best possible habits. For example, obedience to the covenants made at baptism develops good character through the habits of service, supporting others and showing compassion (Mosiah 18:8-10). This is the deep value and gift of commandments and covenants. They provide a framework and motivation to establish character forming habits. We will be judged based on what we have done because what we do will define what we become.

Judge others generously today and show the mercy you hope to receive tomorrow

Joseph Smith encouraged us to avoid judging each other when he said:

“While one portion of the human race is judging and condemning the other without mercy, the Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard; He views them as His offspring, and without any of those contracted feelings that influence the children of men, causes ‘His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.’”

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matt. 5:7)

Commenting on this verse, Elder Uchtdorf gave one of the most powerful talks on mercy and avoiding being judgmental in April 2011 General Conference:

Of course, these words seem perfectly reasonable—when applied to someone else. We can so clearly and easily see the harmful results that come when others judge and hold grudges. And we certainly don’t like it when people judge us. 

But when it comes to our own prejudices and grievances, we too often justify our anger as righteous and our judgment as reliable and only appropriate. Though we cannot look into another’s heart, we assume that we know a bad motive or even a bad person when we see one. We make exceptions when it comes to our own bitterness because we feel that, in our case, we have all the information we need to hold someone else in contempt. 

This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: 

Stop it! It’s that simple. 

We simply have to stop judging others and replace judgmental thoughts and feelings with a heart full of love for God and His children. God is our Father. We are His children. We are all brothers and sisters. 

I don’t know exactly how to articulate this point of not judging others with sufficient eloquence, passion, and persuasion to make it stick. I can quote scripture, I can try to expound doctrine, and I will even quote a bumper sticker I recently saw. It was attached to the back of a car whose driver appeared to be a little rough around the edges, but the words on the sticker taught an insightful lesson. It read, “Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.”

Celebrating the message of the Nativity

And so we return to the reason for celebrating this season.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come;Let earth receive her King!Let ev'ry heart prepare him room,And Saints and angels sing (Hymns 201) 

In a Sep 2013 Ensign article, Brad Wilcox taught that in the face of Judgement, Christ’s Grace is sufficient:

The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can live after we die but that we can live more abundantly (see John 10:10). The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can be cleansed and consoled but that we can be transformed (see Romans 8). Scriptures make it clear that no unclean thing can dwell with God (see Alma 40:26), but no unchanged thing will even want to. 

The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can go home but that—miraculously—we can feel at home there. If Heavenly Father and His Son did not require faith and repentance, then there would be no desire to change.
Grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted. Rather, it is our constant energy source. It is not the light at the end of the tunnel but the light that moves us through the tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received right here and right now. 

Jesus’s grace is sufficient. It is enough. It is all we need. Don’t quit. Keep trying. Don’t look for escapes and excuses. Look for the Lord and His perfect strength. Don’t search for someone to blame. Search for someone to help you. Seek Christ, and, as you do, you will feel the enabling power and divine help we call His amazing grace.

And so we join the heavenly throng in celebrating the gift of a Saviour:

Sing, choirs of angels,Sing in exultation;Sing, all ye citizens of heav'n above!Glory to God,Glory in the highest; 

Oh, come, let us adore him;Oh, come, let us adore him;Oh, come, let us adore him,Christ, the Lord. (Hymns 202)

A Thoughtful Gospel Principles. Chapter 45: The Millennium

http://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-45-the-millennium

GP: A thousand years of peace, love, and joy will begin on the earth at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This thousand-year period is called the Millennium. The scriptures and the prophets help us understand what it will be like to live on the earth during the Millennium.

We have little detailed information on the Millenium. Many of the scriptures use metaphor to describe what will happen. I personally spend very little time thinking about the Millennium as a time or experience.

I think I will probably not be alive when the second coming happens so instead today I want to try to focus on learning the principles taught in scriptures about the Millenium and apply them to my life today.

In the October 1971 Ensign, Elder Legrand Richards said:

Today I thought I would like to say a few words about the kind of a foundation we have for our faith, and what we live for, and what our aims and our ambitions really are. I think of the time the beautiful temple here on this block was erected, over a hundred years ago. When the foundation was being laid, we are told that it was sixteen feet wide, and at one time President Brigham Young came and saw the workmen throwing in chipped granite. He made them take it out and put in those great granite blocks with this explanation: “We are building this temple to stand through the millennium.” Isn’t that a good thought? Each one of us ought to want to build our lives and help our families to build their lives so that we can stand through the millennium.

Principle One: It won’t only be Mormons living on the earth.

GP: Because of the destruction of the wicked at the Savior’s Second Coming, only righteous people will live on the earth at the beginning of the Millennium. They will be those who have lived virtuous and honest lives. These people will inherit either the terrestrial or celestial kingdom.

The “principle for today” is a reminder that there are many good people across many faiths and life-philosophies who, although not of our faith, are still disciples of Jesus Christ or followers of God’s will for them.

In October 2001 Conference (explain General Conference), Elder M. Russell Ballard said:

“We must understand however that not everyone is going to accept our doctrine of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For the most part, our neighbors not of our faith are good, honorable people-every bit as good and honorable as we strive to be. They care about their families, just like we do. They want to make the world a better place, just like we do. They are kind and loving and generous and faithful, just like we seek to be.”

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/10/doctrine-of-inclusion?lang=eng

In April 1995, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said:

"We believe that most religious leaders and followers are sincere believers who love God and understand and serve him to the best of their abilities. We are indebted to the men and women who kept the light of faith and learning alive through the centuries to the present day... We honor them as servants of God."

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1995/04/apostasy-and-restoration?lang=eng

Joseph Smith said:

The inquiry is frequently made of me. 'Wherein do you differ from others in your religious views?' In reality an essence we do not differ so far in our religious views, but that we could all drink into one principle of love. One of the grand fundamental principles of 'Mormonism' is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may.

Principle 2: The Work of the Church during the Millennium teaches us about God's love for all his children

GP: There will be two great works for members of the Church during the Millennium: temple work and missionary work. Temple work involves the ordinances that are necessary for exaltation. These include baptism, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the temple ordinances—the endowment, temple marriage, and the sealing together of family units.

Many people have died without receiving these ordinances. People on the earth must perform these ordinances for them. This work is now being done in the temples of the Lord. There is too much work to finish before the Millennium begins, so it will be completed during that time.

The other great work during the Millennium will be missionary work. The gospel will be taught with great power to all people. Eventually there will be no need to teach others the first principles of the gospel because “they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:34).

I love the principle that we are taught in this. God loves all of his children and will never give up.

In the General Conference of April 1924, Elder Orson F. Whitney said:

"Our Heavenly Father is far more merciful, infinitely more charitable than even the best of his servants. And the Everlasting Gospel is mightier in power to save than our narrow finite minds can comprehend."

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/print/1987/10/a-champion-of-youth?lang=eng

Elder Boyd K. Packer told of the following experience in a talk given in October 1995:

"Some years ago I was in Washington, D.C., with President Harold B. Lee. Early one morning he called me to come into his hotel room. He was sitting in his robe reading Gospel Doctrine, by President Joseph F. Smith, and he said, “Listen to this!”

“Jesus had not finished his work when his body was slain, neither did he finish it after his resurrection from the dead; although he had accomplished the purpose for which he then came to the earth, he had not fulfilled all his work. And when will he? Not until he has redeemed and saved every son and daughter of our father Adam that have been or ever will be born upon this earth to the end of time, except the sons of perdition. That is his mission. We will not finish our work until we have saved ourselves, and then not until we shall have saved all depending upon us; for we are to become saviors upon Mount Zion, as well as Christ. We are called to this mission.”

“There is never a time,” the Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “when the spirit is too old to approach God. All are within the reach of pardoning mercy, who have not committed the unpardonable sin.”

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1995/10/the-brilliant-morning-of-forgiveness?lang=eng

Principle Three: Binding Satan through righteousness.

GP: During the Millennium, Satan will be bound. This means he will not have power to tempt those who are living at that time.

D&C 43:

30 For the great Millennium, of which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants, shall come.

 31 For Satan shall be bound, and when he is loosed again he shall only reign for a little season, and then cometh the end of the earth.

1 Nep 22:

25 And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth; and he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture.

 26 And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth.

Principle for today: How can we effectively start to bind Satan today?

Mosiah 5:1-2

4 Nephi 1:1-3, 15-18

Principle 4: Jesus to Reign on the Earth

GP: During the Millennium, Jesus will “reign personally upon the earth” (Articles of Faith 1:10). Joseph Smith explained that Jesus will “reign over the Saints and come down and instruct”… The Lord will be king over all the earth, and all mankind literally under his sovereignty, and every nation under the heavens will have to acknowledge his authority, and bow to his scepter. Those who serve him in righteousness will have communications with God, and with Jesus

Principle for today: How can we make Jesus Christ our personal king and sovereign today?

In November 2011, President Thomas S. Monson said:

“When you choose to follow Christ, you choose to be changed… The world will shape human nature, but Christ can change human nature, and changed men and women can change the world.”

1 Peter 2:21

John 13:15

2 Nephi 31:10, 16-17

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you John 13:34

The priesthood ban cuts deep

The priesthood ban may be what finally does me in. The recent attention on the Dr Nelson 1947 letter exchange with the first presidency coupled with the recent LDS.org racism article was bad timing for my spiritual welfare.

The new article disavows things that the 1947 first presidency stated as doctrine in their letter to Dr Nelson. These were not said by some first generation Mormon hundreds of years ago, but said in living memory. My Dad was alive at the time that letter was written. He was also alive for the race relations speech given by Mark E. Petersen and the letter written by Delbert Stapley in which he recommend the 1960 book justifying the black priesthood ban. At the beginning of the year I was born there were still black families being denied entry to the temple. Simply because of their skin colour.

I'm not sure I want to raise my kids in a culture and group that is predominantly lead by ultra-conservatives whose interests seem to be focused on preserving the status quo that they were raised in. I don't like the paradigm that they are convinced is absolute and non-negotiable truth. Having today's leaders simply shrug off the priesthood ban and say "we don't know" simply compounds their apparent lack of divine guidance.

I'm very grateful for the work and words of people like Elder Uchtdorf. I want to heed is invite to stay and show myself and other people that a middle way is viable.

I worry that leaving could hurt others trying to walk the middle way. It's discouraging for me when I see people I know who have tried to be moderate Mormons but can't sustain it. I'd hate to cause that same pain to others. I worry too about the negative impact on people of the opposite view; those who are strongly orthodox and currently avoid any questioning and exploration of origins. I fear that if I leave it will only back them further into the corner of defensive fundamentalism. Don't question, don't explore, don't study... look what it did to Mackay...

Conflicted.

Why did it take until 1978?

I should probably first say that I don't think it really needed a revelation to overturn it because no revelation introduced it. The leadership could have ended it ages earlier if needed. Reason for further delay include, in my opinion:

 

First:

It was never a "burning platform." The brethren of the past had the following attitude: 

Quote

“From the days of the Prophet Joseph even until now, it has been the doctrine of the Church, never questioned by any of the Church leaders, that the Negroes are not entitled to the full blessings of the Gospel.”

 

https://archive.org/...age/n4/mode/1up

 

There was no urgent need to change it and so there was no pressing desire to "question" it. This accounted for the first 100 years.

 

Second:

After initial movement towards a resolution under Pres. McKay and Elder Brown, the subsequent prophets didn't maintain the momentum. There was little progress under Pres Smith and Lee. 

 

Quote

Despite the now-official, public “we don’t know” position, most leaders still privately stood by the traditional twentieth-century explanation that a spirit’s premortal conduct justified priesthood restriction in mortality. Joseph Fielding Smith, who succeeded President McKay, was among those most consistently supporting the traditional views, as was Harold B. Lee, who became his First Counselor.

https://byustudies.b...efec584dcd9.pdf

 

In 1972 Pres. Lee was not chasing the change. Instead he was waiting for it. In 1972 he said:

Quote

"For those who don’t believe in modern revelation there is no adequate explanation. Those who do understand revelation stand by and wait until the Lord speaks."

 

ibid

 

This echoes the sentiment of the 1947 FP letter: "It's always been this way, don't ask questions, it will be sorted when it's the Lord comes and tells us."

 

According to his son's article (linked in to from the recent LDS.org article), President Kimball, succeeding in 1973 had seen the division the topic caused in the 1960s and was committed to unanimity.

 

Third:

The new lds.org article includes the information on the church needing an urgent solution in 1976 to the question of the Brazil temple being funded and built by mixed race members. This was perhaps finally the burning platform that provided the impetus to get a solution.

 

Fouth:

There were two apostles still in the 15 that are known to have racist views: Delbert Stapley and Mark E. Petersen. Elder Stapley's 1964 letter makes for extremely uncomfortable reading. He even goes as far as warning that USA presidents and others who had tried to campaign for black rights had ended up dead. Anyone with that belief is an unlikely advocate for blacks to have more rights in the church - for fear of his life. He emphasizes that "it was the Lord's responsibility--not man's--to change His decision." He goes on to oppose the "public accomodations; the taking from the Whites their wishes to satisfy the Negroes." He continues that "the Negro" should not be entitled to "full social benefits nor inter-marriage rights with Whites, nor should Whites be forced to accept them into restricted White areas." He warns of"punishment for our acts" if people agitate for change for black people.

http://www.boston.co...ert_stapley.pdf

 

I find this letter both disturbing and very telling. When you add Mark E. Petersen's racist attitudes there were clearly two potential blockers to making the change if we're looking solely at personal opinions. For example Petersen said:

 

Quote

From this, and other interviews I have read, it appears that the negro seeks absorbtion with the white race. He will not be satisfied until he achieves it by intermarriage. That is his objective and we must face it. We must not allow our feeling to carry us away, nor must we feel so sorry for negroes that we will open our arms and embrace them with everything we have. Remember the little statement that we used to say about sin, " First we pity, then endure, then embrace."

http://content.lib.u.../UU_EAD/id/1918

 

When President Kimball lead the initiative in 1978 he spent several days getting each of the apostles to bring their own typed up opinions to him, followed by a long group discussion. They reached the unanimous conclusion that it could happen and then prayed for confirmation. Even before the prayer, President Kimball got every member of the group to say they were in favour of the change. This was before any revelation was sought and received. They had studied it out in their mind and unanimously agreed that they were in favour of all men holding the priesthood, regardless of race.

 

Quote

Elder Packer said, a few weeks later, “One objection would have deterred him, would have made him put it off, so careful was he . . . that it had to be right.”

https://byustudies.b...efec584dcd9.pdf

 

Two Apostles were absent for both the individual presentations and group discussions (see page 55 of the Kimball document linked above): Elder Stapley (in hospital) and Elder Petersen (sent on assignment to South America). Only after the deliberations were completed, the discussions over and the prayer of confirmation given, answer received and the statement of change in policy written up were these two Elders consulted. It had already had the stamp of approval of the other 13 and these two were contacted to be told that the revelation had been received and would they sustain it? 

 

Quote

The significance President Kimball attributed to unanimity can be seen in how President Tanner presented the matter to the Church at the next general conference:

 

President Kimball has asked that I advise the conference that after he had received this revelation, which came to him after extended meditation and prayer in the sacred rooms of the holy temple, he presented it to his counselors, who accepted it and approved it. It was then presented to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who unanimously approved it, and was subsequently presented to all other General Authorities, who likewise approved it unanimously.He then proposed acceptance as “the word and will of the Lord.”

 

Two of the Twelve had not attended either meeting. Elder Mark E. Petersen was on assignment in South America, and Elder Delbert L. Stapley was seriously ill in the LDS Hospital. Later in the day of June 8, Spencer telephoned Elder Petersen in Quito, Ecuador, informed him what had happened, had Francis Gibbons read him the announcement about to be published, and received his approval. Elder Petersen later recalled, “I was delighted to know that a new revelation had come from the Lord. I felt the fact of the revelation’s coming was more striking than the decision itself. On the telephone I told President Kimball that I fully sustained both the revelation and him one hundred percent.” All three of the First Presidency visited Elder Stapley. He responded, “I’ll stay with the Brethren on this.” Thus, support from the Twelve was unanimous.

 

(Ibid)

 

It is possible that if the two absent apostles had been involved in the "study it out in your mind" they might not have reached unanimity before praying - enough to scupper the prayer ever even happening.