Line upon Line

Terryl Givens, researcher and author of “The God Who Weeps” and other excellent writings on the gospel of Christ, recently had a podcast interview with current traditional Christian thinkers and theologians. He stated, “Many are disassociating from Christianity but still want to explore their relationship to God.”

He went on further to say these scholars and theologians tire of the beliefs of Christianity that teach of a God that is, “An angry, retributive God, who is primarily concerned with justice and equity.” New England preacher Jonathan Edwards famously wrote that we are, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God.” The scholars Givens met with are now touting, “a pre-existence, and a generous, capacious plan for those who die without the gospel.”  Stunning.

Across the world I’ve spoken to so many people about business, life, conflicts, and religions. In formal settings such as with a Saudi prince or with Supreme Soviets of the USSR, on their state radio, in Tanzania, China, Peru, New Zealand/Australia or England – wherever – I’ve had the chance to observe what they believe and hope for. An epic journey for me. Let me share with you a brief summary of what they all have in common. There isn’t space enough to list their similarities because people have far more experiences and thoughts that unite us than divide.

As my hair turns whiter, I conclude one simple fact: deep down, past the clutter of cultures and propaganda, at their core, most people are, at their heart, Latter-day Saints. Latter-day Saints in embryo. Wow! What a slanted perspective. But wait. Consider these evidences:

1. Premortal existence. Most have NO formal training or a concept of a premortal existence. But as we just listen to our inner soul, we hear, over and over, that we didn’t just spring out of mud. Maybe the best English poet, William Wordsworth, wrote:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting, And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness, And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

Either people wish to know they had elsewhere a start – preexistence – or already believe it even though in the Christian traditional world, they teach “ex nihilo” – that God made EVERYTHING out of NOTHING. I postulate no one really believes that.

2. Nature of God. Nicene Christian belief made up in 325 AD, that God created all things out of nothing, and thus created Lucifer and thus created Sin. This God is without body, parts, or passions. Somehow, He’s an amalgam of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Worse still, He is focused on destroying most everything He creates. He created a hostile world and put people on it who will NEVER hear one word about this God, who will have a miserable life and their reward is for this “God” to send them to everlasting punishment in Hell.

For those few who do not end up in Hell, their reward is to sing praises to this megalomaniac God forever. Mark Twain in his short story Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven has fun showing Capt. Stormfield finally getting his wings, harp and halo with directions from St. Peter as to the location of the cloud the Captain and another fellow are to go to and play songs of praise forever. After strumming their harps through the songs a few times – and with little if any musical skill, the two ask if the other knew any other songs. Neither did, so they stood up, tossed away their harps and strolled around heaven.

No one really believes such a post-earth life makes any sense, either in heaven or hell. It doesn’t ring true.

My wife’s English grandmother lived in India where her husband taught school. They were about to return to England with their two children where a relative was a preacher who planned to baptize the infant.  The infant contracted polio and died. No preacher for any Christian church would bury their daughter because “she wasn’t baptized so she’s in Limbo.” No immediate salvation. Imagine such a religious belief. Sad.

People deep down want there to be a reason for this earth life, a compassionate and loving God who doesn’t expect perfection but progress, and a loving God who communicates with us.

In other words, they want a logical, passionate, beautiful Plan of Salvation – from preexistence to earthly reasons for existence and something after this life that pulls it all together. Again, the beautiful Plan of Salvation that has been restored by modern prophets God has called because He said, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing except He reveals His secrets to His prophets.”

3. Eternal Progress. This is a chance or opportunity to become like our Father. In the first place, anyone who reads the Bible knows that those who meet the Father’s expectations, “have all my Father hath.” We are His children and heirs to his kingdoms. Who would NOT like to live knowing the eternal plan of the Father of goodness and inheritance?

With that wish and desire embedded deep in our souls, we feel the goodness of the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit – each one making their presence and expectations known to us. YET…we know we may not measure up in this life. We may die before becoming a child, or before becoming an adult, or before receiving the Good Word of God. Is it in anyone’s deep consciousness that this is fair? Godlike? And if not, wouldn’t He have some way of allowing us to prove ourselves – prove our devotion to Him – AFTER this earth life and before the Judgement?

Well, there is. For one thousand years following this earth life and before the Final Judgement, we are in Paradise where we seek to become more like the Father with his angelic tutors helping us toward some kind of perfection. Who wouldn’t want to believe that?

4. Eternal love. How many song lyrics declare one’s love for another that will last forever. Eternal love. Forever yours. In virtually every society, that is in the heart and mind of all lovers.

But modern Christianity drops the ball. They point, erroneously, to one verse that reads “neither marry nor given in marriage.” With glee I’ve had some Christians roundly decry notions of eternal marriage as false. To them they temporarily rejoice that marriage is ONLY an earthly thing and thus, the Christians and other faiths declare marriage is “until death do you part.” NO ONE wants that.

5. Eternal families. Sometimes when our kids are teenagers, we’re not so sure about this one. But no one has children with a short vision. The bonds that bring a man and woman together to have children – either naturally or by adoption – form a family bond that NO ONE wants broken. Ever. We crave to have Eternal families.

Those are just a few core beliefs in humanity that tell me deep down in our core, we are all Latter-day Saints – wishing and hoping that those beliefs of a loving Father, in a pre-earth life knew us and prepared a Plan of Salvation for eternal happiness and joy, who sent us to earth at OUR choice, relying upon Jesus to atone for our errors, find joy on earth serving each other and having a chance – now or in the post-life or Millenium – to fully prepare ourselves for a hoped for, meaningful Eternal Life with our spouse and family. Is that too much to hope for? Not when the Creator has said, “This is MY Work and my Glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”

Who doesn’t believe that at their core? Who would prefer the vision of heaven given by Joseph F. Smith (D&C Sec. 138) over that of Dante Alighieri’s Inferno or vacuous Paradiso.

At every person’s core – they want fairness, the blessings rather than condemnation from a loving Father. Everyone wants to be like their devoted Father.

In summary, the late General Authority, Tad Callister, said something about this that is special:

Suffice it to say, I can live with some human imperfections, even among prophets of God—that is to be expected in mortal beings. I can live with some alleged scientific findings contrary to the Book of Mormon; time will correct those. And I can live with some seeming historical anomalies; they are minor in the total landscape of truth.        

But I cannot live without the doctrinal truths and ordinances restored by Joseph Smith, I cannot live without the priesthood of God to bless my family, and I cannot live without knowing my wife and children are sealed to me for eternity.

That is the choice we face—a few unanswered questions on one hand versus a host of doctrinal certainties and the power of God on the other. And for me, and I hope for you, the choice is an easy one and a rational one.

I certainly agree and believe these Eternal Truths that are consistent and logical are imbedded in everyone in the “Light of Christ” that all receive.