Over the years attending this Church, I have seen and heard some people volley strange ideas and precepts. Some I recognized were created by what the world calls “New Age” and others are simply a wild idea that got out of hand. I wondered why these people, who attend this Church which provides the doctrine of God, having prophets write and speak on many subjects, still run off with some wild ideas?
I saw that this is not an unusual thing. When this Church began with the prophet Joseph Smith, the same thing happened. People began to expound all sorts of unusual beliefs and doctrines that did not come from the Lord. Some, who did not have the authority from God, believed that they can receive revelation for the Church. This occurred in the early Christian Church as well, so this phenomenon is something that is expected.
When a person shares a true inspiration from the Lord, what he/she says carries the spirit of truth in it. Those that are open to this spirit will receive it with feelings and thoughts of, “Umm, never thought of it that way”, spurring contemplation or deeper thought. These pearls seem to be infrequent, but what is more prevalent are ideas and precepts that are way out of line.
What makes these members, who have the same books of scriptures as any of us, slide?
Many reasons, but most of all these persons who step (fall) onto this slide believe to some extent that seeking things of “good report” means to choose things that appease, irrespective if that it is in line with God’s word or not. There are a lot of “favorites” happening. Favourites are Ok, when it comes to talks from the General Authority or scriptures, etc, but favourites can get out of hand when they are things from the world that do not fit into the doctrine of the Lord. Unfortunately, some members create a grab bag of concepts and ideas and have not examined them closely enough to determine if they are truly appropriate or useful in conjunction with the precepts from the Lord as given in his scriptures. In other cases, some ideas and precepts are born of issues, to overcome what they have issue with so they can feel better about carrying that issue. It is a sort of self-justification. Such a mixture is spiritually volatile, both to them, their family, relationships and others in the Church because these perpetuate the same issue when there was none in the first place.
One of the major problems with these wayward ideas is that they create a confusion between right and wrong, blurring the line between good and evil and cause a person to call evil as good and good as evil. Such examples of these ideas that blur the line are, “there is no such thing as wrong, just choices” or “do not contend with evil, even if it is present”, or “let evil have it’s way, it is better that way” or “agree with what he says (even if it is evil), else he will attack you or you will suffer his/her wrath”. Other false ideas relate to relationships, such that a spouse thinks it is better to allow evil acts and beliefs take root in the marriage or family rather than “upset” peace. This gives way for evil to filter in under the false idea that peace is maintained if that person does nothing to block it, stop it or take action against it. I have seen the latter happen in relationships and in truth, there is a great loss of peace, joy, happiness and stability. Please keep in mind that peace cannot exist with evil. Only in the righteousness of truth and true good can peace reside.
I realize that some people seem to have good intentions when they promote the idea of complacency toward evil or wrong things, but this is not what the doctrines of God teach us. The doctrines of God do not teach us to become aggressive (verbally or physically) with others who present evil. God teaches us to stand strong in faith and proper decorum at all times. There are ways to deal with all circumstances, if that person has a connection to the Lord through his Spirit. If he/she does not, that just makes things that much harder to deal with.
When a person adopts ideas that seem “Ok” at first appearance or they seem to appease the moment, he/she will soon find that putting these ideas (and others like them) into practice will make it very difficult for them to protect themselves from evil. They will find themselves subject to evil, controlled by evil, manipulated by evil and their own spiritual self-worth and faith diminishes. The reason for this is because these wayward precepts and ideas hold no substance and no truth. They are either selfish and self-serving (evil) or flaky. They are weak in and of themselves and no matter how much “goodness” you inject into the situation while expressing these precepts and ideas, you shall find that you will also be weak. Strength is gained and achieved with the proper precepts of God, not from personal ideas that satisfy the ego or pride. There is good reason for God to tell us to put his word into practice, to endure and be humble.
Another aspect of false precepts and ideas are those that affect free will and choice, such that a person cannot exercise the free will to choose, or cannot exercise free will because that precept or idea prevents it. This person will find that the idea of precept binds them instead of giving them freedom and stability to express free will. An example of this is in the precept of “love one another” when used incorrectly. The twist occurs when this statement from God is injected with the belief that to love another is to say nothing about the evil they do, or you cannot take action against what they do because that may be offensive and unloving. This one I can relate to very well because years ago I suffered this twist. Where I was accepting and allowing the injection of evil by others into my life, under the belief that this was loving and accepting them for that they are. Can you see the subtle twist in that?
I realized, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that to be loving to others is to stand in truth and righteous principles. A loving hand can be a firm one, gentle in direction but solid in stance. When I learned this, my life changed and found that true love is never at the expense of one’s own faith and virtue – never. That is why Jesus stood as a solid corner stone and pillar to the wails of evil and foolishness in the world, yet was very loving. That was not the only thing I learned from it.
I also learned that all truth provides true freedom, strength, balance and stability because it is the word of God and it is the “rod” and rock for our lives. Since it is God’s,. being good for us it is also good for others.
What of the trouble exercising a doctrine of the Church? Such as feeling restricted with paying tithe, for example?
A person who has trouble with the doctrine of the Church and does nothing about his/her trouble, is a person that has “issue” with the doctrine. The source of the trouble stems from his/her issue, not from the doctrine. Adverse feelings are caused by carrying the issue which in turn inhibits the person from being able to understand and exercise that doctrine rightly. This is something that the person needs to take to his home teacher, to the Bishop or someone they know can help them overcome the issue. Most of all, take the issue to the Lord and ask for his help. This is a great mark of faith when a person takes his/her issue to the Lord. This person shows the Lord that he/she truly wants to overcome the issue to learn to accept his (God’s) doctrine. Such sincerity, if done humbly, will receive help from the Lord.
Follow the doctrines of the Church as they are taught until you understand them in principle and in life. Be patient with this process of learning, as it can take time. It did with me and when I reflect back on the troubles, or issues I had with some of the doctrines in the Church, the problem was within me, not with the doctrine. I prayed, got help, God showed “me”, my shortcomings were resolved or overcome and viola, I understood the doctrine. I also realized that when we have the basics within us, then the Lord can teach deeper aspects of that same doctrine and show the connection between it and his other doctrines. Without the basics, a person cannot sustain right doctrine within them.
Once you taste the real truth, you’ll never want to go back to….”Whatever it was that misled you”.
Avoid falling into the idea of the world that we are to accept varied or diverse practices of worships and spirituality under the guise of “being loving and open minded” or under a misapplication of the eighth Article of Faith of this Church. For example, some native Indian beliefs require that a person give a small pouch of tobacco (offering) to the spirits of their grandfathers to give thanks. If you remember the Old Testament, the practice of giving “offerings” has become obsolete because of the Atonement of Christ, making the “diverse” practice as idol worship. In addition, the spirits of their “grandfathers” has no bearing on their salvation, neither is it a right practice with God. Yet there are some who think that accepting these other practices under the category of “diverse” as a right worship to God, will find themselves fall into false doctrines and practices. Of course, “let them”, who are outside the Church have what they choose. It is up to each of us with the Church to be the right example to them.
Be wary of new outside doctrines, beliefs or precepts that people claim are true or right with God. Be aware that you may not always see these tempting ideas as false and may easily appease you. Be cautious and discerning, always pray to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ for understanding and help for things you have difficulty with. Never rely on the world to overcome spiritual issues, rely on the Spirit. For worldly things, the world has answers, for spiritual things, seek the Spirit, the scriptures, the Church and talks from the rightful authorities of the Church. In that ye shall be good.
Amen
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