Line upon Line

A big question: What is the “Great and Abominable Church” spoken of in 1 Nephi 13 and 14? And was it Communism or Catholicism or some other “ism?”

I learned some lessons about this subject when the microphone was thrust to me to answer their most pressing question. In that Premier Gorbachev’s Ministry of Higher Education had invited me to teach leaders about the free market, I assumed the reporters would ask questions about capitalism vs. communism or some U.S. vs. USSR question. No. It was the last thing on their minds. Instead, I would hear and feel some of their innermost thoughts that had long been stifled. Keep in mind, at that time this was the ONLY licensed radio station in the USSR so, in theory, this was being broadcast from Leningrad to Vladivostok and all points between.

“Mr. Stoddard, tell us about your belief in God. How has it influenced you in your business and personal life?”

I stated what you might say that there is no conflict and my religion teaches me the morals essential for treating all humanity as God’s children and how to have a truly happy life. They were stunned. They asked me why I believed and how it affects my life for the better.

The next evening, my wife, Elizabeth, was asked to speak to the business and political leaders and their spouses on “Life in America.”  After she described our American life and religious freedom – the same freedom Gorbachev was seeking to apply to Russians, a brisk Q&A ensued. Liz was up to the task. The first question wanted to know the name of our religion. They wanted to know what she believed and why, and she told them. She doesn’t know how to hold back or be politically correct…thank goodness.

We were front row to see what happened when people who grew up without any religion suddenly found people who expressed in public their hopes and faith. The empty space in their hearts for faith was enormous, and they didn’t mind letting us know. But it was the light in their eyes as they asked probing questions that charged our batteries. They were longing to speak this way, and the overflow of hope and faith was palpable.

Indeed, something about Communism had led to people having the emptiness that comes with a loss of faith. But it wasn’t the central tenet of Communism – that the State owns the means of production. Yes, that is a hopelessly flawed political philosophy, but the Great and Abominable Church had started long before Marx produced his flawed Das Kapital. Long before Lenin’s Communist Manifesto.

In the late fifties among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints it was believed that the Catholic Church was the “great and abominable church.”  However, in Elder Bruce R. McConkie’s 1966 edition of Mormon Doctrine, he broadly defined the “great and abominable church” as any organization or philosophy—religious, political, or social—that leads people away from God.

Having lived in many U.S. states and many nations (USA, Germany, England, France, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Russia (quasi), I’ve found people who profess faith have the Light of Christ burning within – even when they don’t know it. Any religion with faith at its center helps people be prepared to eventually find true religion because of the Light of Christ or that hopeful light burning from within.

These religions are NOT companions of the Church of the Devil because faith in a God is central to all of these religions and Nephi said, in 1Nephi 14: “Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil…”

If these religions are not the Church of the Devil, what is? I have a theory. I’m not a church leader so you should lightly, at best, consider what I propose.

The latest incantation of the Church of the Devil emerged in the 1800’s. Great timing that “coincided” with a young boy’s question on which church to join. Not coincidental.

Frustration with the ill-logic of organized religions gave birth to the concept of Nihilism which is the “rejecting all religious and moral principles in the belief that life is meaningless.” A host of other similar philosophies were adopted by Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche and dozens more philosophers and so-called intellectuals who basically said, “humans were nothing before we came here so we should have no expectations.”

This devolved into the philosophy of Existentialism. Existentialism goes on to say:

• We are always in the process of making or creating who we are as our life unfolds.
• “It’s MY truth.” Whatever you come up with is truth because no real truth exists.
• We have no pre-given nature or “essence.”
• Develop your own Code of Conduct.
• Follow your heart.
• You do you.
• Find your true self.

As one Existentialist said, “We are contingently thrown into existence and are burdened with the task of creating ourselves through our choices and actions.”

In the early 1900’s, communists adopted this with a caveat – the Supreme Soviet decided what was the truth.

Atheism and Agnosticism jumped on this as their central belief. Because Atheism offers, literally, nothing, Existentialism fits perfectly. No God. No pre-existence. No post existence. Just do the best you can to create a Personal Code of Conduct that only YOU can determine if it is right.

Wow…this is getting heavy and I have trouble taking these nihilistic groups seriously. So as an aside, did you hear about the Agnostic with dyslexia who developed insomnia and lay awake at night wondering if there really was a DOG?

Onward.

All of these “isms” throw out the lessons learned from parents, grandparents, history or whatever. Sure, it worked for them, but I’m me, not them. Truth is not handed down.

Where does this leave us. Namely, consider one of literature’s greatest allegories – The Tree of Life as described by Lehi and Nephi. As struggling humans, we might grasp for the delicious fruit of the Tree of Life only to see the iron rod as restrictive and “cramping our style” so we might wander off into the mist and be swallowed up in the dark river. Or perhaps join those in the wide and spacious building and ridicule those daring to hold on to the iron rod.

Existentialism justifies our fallibility and rationalizes our behavior. We are not only NOT responsible for anything outside of our personally created Code, but we can reject anyone else’s code.

Ironically, this leads to an inner weakness where we crave the approval of others – a desperate conformity. We see this in fashion, speech, entertainment and almost all areas of life.

As a teen in the 60’s I met so many kids my age who sought to conform to the norms of the day – the essence of Existentialism. One girl who just moved into our Scottsdale, Arizona ward asked me – almost pleaded with me – to tell her who the popular kids were at school so she could be with the “in crowd.” After I told her I didn’t know and didn’t care who the popular kids were, I rarely saw her. But alcohol, poor behavior, and the like soon became her popular identity. Sad.

It also leads to the total rejection of the lessons learned by ancestors and a total disregard for those who came before. It leads to little interest in our posterity because we are NOT important in them “finding their own truth.” In fact, we are a hindrance.

Finally, Existentialism matters because it has become the dominant philosophy in the world. Because they admit it can’t be proven because you can’t prove something exists when you say NOTHING came with any essence and when it leaves, poof it’s forever gone.

Thus, it takes a bit of faith to believe in Existentialism and that belief is just enough to let this destructive religion permeate the arts, politics, business, and education to name a few. Existentialism is the Church of the Devil. The antipathy of the Divine.

We find the solvent for Existentialism in the Book of Alma: seek and get a mighty change of heart.

Yes. Let’s ignore the impossible nihilism of Existentialism and gain a “mighty change of heart” as Alma described.

When we happened upon the reporters and leaders in the USSR who came to hear us speak., the chasm in their heart created by Existentialism was longing to be filled with the Light of Christ. And when you ask for the Spirit, it can be manifested to you even if generations of this empty philosophy have demanded you reject your primal urge to believe in a higher power, even our Heavenly Father. Those reporters weren’t just seeking a story, they were seeking the Light, stimulated by the unquenchable Light of Christ. In even the most desperately depraved soul, that Light is still there, awaiting action.

May I close with a personal story. As a teenager living in London, England due to my father’s assignment in the USAF, I seemed to suddenly get a raft of anti-Mormon literature delivered to our door by well-meaning preachers trying to save my soul. One gave me a pink paper that said, “18 Scriptures that Prove Mormonism is a Devil-Cult.” Stunned, I took it to my father and asked him to explain. He smiled, handed me the 4 in 1 Standard Works (Bible, The Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine and Covenants). “Here,” he said, “Read them for yourself. If you have questions, let’s discuss them.” I took the book and paper and began reading through the scriptures the tract provided. The first quote was from D&C 135:3. Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, INCLUDING Jesus, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it…”

Right off they had inserted their word INCLUDING JESUS for “save Jesus” meaning “except Jesus.” Not an honest start.

And in the next two scriptures they slaughtered those as well. I went to my father and said, “If they lied about the first three verses, I’m sure they lied about the rest.” He smiled and nodded.

But I knew I had to have more than an intellectual understanding. So, I started earnestly reading the Book of Mormon. When I got to Enos it struck me that if Enos could pray and ask God if He was real, I could as well. I did. I knelt down and poured out my heart which for a 16-year-old wasn’t much. I waited. Nothing came. I went to bed.

The next night I tried again. Nothing. All that week, nightly prayers for some witness that this was all true. I specifically prayed, “Father, are you real? Do you care? Do I have the right to receive a witness like Enos and Alma?” Nothing. The rest of that year I continued my quest, all to no avail. I continued reading the Book of Mormon, and other scriptures, attended church and family prayer. But…nothing. Fully 18 months transpired and I kept it up. Then one night I knelt and with the same fervor and briefly said, “Father, are you real and do you care?” I won’t go into detail. Everyone has different ways the Spirit reaches them. Let it be enough for me to say that as soon as I finished my prayer that night, the heavens opened and I had my answer. I knew He was real and He cared about me. That was a long time ago, but it is as fresh in my mind as it was when I was 17.

Existentialism is a dead end. The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the light. Just as those Russians asked about my religion in 1990 because the desire for faith was so desperately sought for, if the world would follow the example of those Russians who we met in 1990, and seek to fill the void in their hearts for faith and hope that leads to testimonies of the Gospel, we will become one, and usher in the 2^nd Coming.