"By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them"

Elder L. Tom Perry, while speaking at Women’s Conference this past weekend, asked the women gathered there to “dedicate themselves to strengthening the image of the Church.” He stated, "Your personal experiences can be of comfort and a blessing to many."



Elder Perry informed them that the Church had even employed professional firms to help define and project the true image of the Church to the world. He also offered some interesting statistics, "51 percent of people have no awareness of Mormon practices and beliefs," that "47 percent of people do not have a favorable view of Mormons," and "that 31 percent of people believe that Mormons are not Christian."

"These statistics clearly show the imperfect way we have communicated who we are and what we believe," said Elder Perry.

Further, he said, one-word impressions of the Church include: polygamy, family, cult, different, and dedicated. Three wrong impressions out of five "is not a good batting average for us."

He explained that significant misperceptions exist about the church and its members. Although 84 percent of Americans have seen Latter-day Saint ads, been given LDS literature, and/or had missionaries approach them, less than 30 percent can identify the church's main claim — "that we follow Jesus Christ, and are the re-established original Christian church…"

So, he asked the women, "How do we close the gap between how we see ourselves and how the world sees us?"

It is certainly true that the best way to give a positive statement to anyone about the Church is by the way we live our lives personally. What they see us, as members, do and how we conduct ourselves can be a testimony in itself. However, an individual’s view of the Church is also made up of the experiences they may have had by way of outside influences. These influences include the media.

Elder Perry offered suggestions on several things we, as members, can to do help people become more aware of our true beliefs. We can listen, know the doctrine, live our standards, be exemplary citizens, be good neighbors, open our mouths, extend invitations, use technology and be bold but not overbearing.

I believe that the media coverage has really distorted the view of many people when it comes to who we are as Latter Day Saints. In an attempt to add some positive influences the Church has had on the world to the biased media coverage that is out there, I published a Hub on Hubpages called Are Mormons Really Monsters?

Please follow that link and leave comments and add your testimony there if you have a chance. Perhaps working together we can show the world that Mormons really are Christians.

By our fruits you shall know us.

Mormon Messages: Little Children

E. T. Sullivan once wrote these interesting words:

“When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn’t stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother’s heart, and she puts it into the baby’s mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies” (quoted in The Treasure Chest, ed. Charles L. Wallis [1965], 53).



“Behold your little ones. Pray with them. Pray for them and bless them. The world into which they are moving is a complex and difficult world. They will run into heavy seas of adversity. They will need all the strength and all the faith you can give them while they are yet near you. And they also will need a greater strength which comes of a higher power. They must do more than go along with what they find. They must lift the world, and the only levers they will have are the example of their own lives and the powers of persuasion that will come of their testimonies and their knowledge of the things of God. They will need the help of the Lord. While they are young, pray with them that they may come to know that source of strength which shall then always be available in every hour of need.”

Taken from the message, Behold Your Little Ones by Gordon B. Hinckley.

B.H. Roberts: A Tribute To His Mother

As I was searching through the Internet for buried treasure I found the LDS Author Kerry Shirts on YouTube under the name of The Backyard Professor. Among the gems he has to offer, by way of video presentation, he frequently produces videos that are book reviews called Shirtale Reviews.

One I was particularly interested in was a review of a book that merited a five star rating from him. The book was by B.H. Roberts called, Mormon Doctrine of Deity.

After watching the review I retired to my book collection to see if I owned a copy. Unfortunately I did not, but found instead some of B.H. Roberts’ other books that have piqued my interest. Among the books I found I had one titled, Defender of the Faith, The B.H. Roberts Story by Truman G. Madsen. I decided I might as well learn a little more about B.H. Roberts before starting to study his words, so that book is where I started.

This book is filled with inspirational stories and profound doctrinal commentary. I hope you don’t mind, but I would like to share a small snippet that filled my heart. It is a tribute that he wrote in a letter to his mother and follows:

“‘Touch me not’- gently, lovingly, nor harshly. And thus to a woman was it fist given to carry the glad message fashioned first by the angels’ tongues- ‘He is risen!’ Also the message that the Christ’s Father is man’s Father; that the Christ’s God is man’s God; and that as consequence of this, all men are brethren.

...the sum of the law and Gospel, all else commentary. This was where she had last seen him whom she loved- here she must begin her search for Him- and she will search for Him, for it is woman’s nature to hope- O glorious inconsistency! Against hope itself. And she was rewarded for her love that made her linger, though it was by an empty sepulchre; for soon angels said to her, ‘Why seeketh ye the living among the dead?’

...Even the glory of being ‘last at the cross, and earliest at the tomb’ is eclipsed by the honor of being herald of this. Cherish thou this honor. Claim it in all its Christ-given splendor; for it is fitting that thou unto whom it is first given to know human earthlife perennial, should be made herald of life immortal, and its relations...

...Next to her holy office of wifehood and motherhood, the most exalted honor Deity ever conferred on woman was that of making her his first messenger of the resurrection....

I am taught by these high things to honor thee, and here uncovered and holily I reverence pay thee.”

I can’t wait to read more of B.H. Roberts stirring words.

Is Baptism or The Temple The Gate?

I have always loved the scripture passage in 2 Nephi 31 which clearly explains the Doctrine of Christ:

16 And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved.

17 Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.

18 And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.

19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.

20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love 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.

21 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the away; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen.

One thing that has always plagued me with this passage however, is the reference of baptism being the gate. In another place in the scriptures, another prophet Jacob uses the reference of the temple or Bethel, as the “gate of Heaven.”

Genesis 28:17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.

19 And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.

While speaking at the dedication of the Logan Utah Temple site, President Taylor shared with the congregation the feelings he experienced when he visited the St. George Utah Temple, the first temple completed in the Utah Territory:

“When I visited that holy Temple, accompanied by my brethren who were with me, we experienced a sacred thrill of joy and a solemn, reverential sensation. As we entered its sacred portals, we felt that we were standing on holy ground, and experienced, with one of old, ‘Surely this is the house of God, and the gate of heaven.’ [See Genesis 28:17.] That is not simply a metaphorical expression, but a reality, for it is in that House, and it will be in the House to be built on this ground, that the most sacred ordinances of God are to be performed, which are associated with the interest and happiness of the human family, living and dead. I felt to rejoice in my heart that we had been thus far successful in the building of one temple to the name of our Father and God.”

Is this a conflicting doctrine that baptism is the gate, and yet, the Temple is also the gate?

As I was studying in the book of 2 Samuel I came across a passage that described the area that King David waited in while waiting for word concerning his people in battle and the state of his son’s life.

Look at where David sat:

2 Samuel 18:24 And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a man running alone.

That was it! There were two gates in a fortified city. Further research led me to this information:

“As the gate was especially subject to attack (Ezekiel 21:15,22), and as to "possess the gate" was to possess the city (Genesis 22:17; 24:60), it was protected by a tower (2 Samuel 18:24,33; 2 Chronicles 14:7; 26:9), often, doubtless, overhanging and with flanking projections. Sometimes an inner gate was added (2 Samuel 18:24).”

Can’t you just picture this clearly now?

When one enters in at the first gate of baptism, they must proceed forward towards the second gate of the temple. All the while, the watchman is on the tower giving direction and warning of danger.

Such a beautiful picture... don’t you think?

Earth Day Reminder

And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I reveal unto you concerning this heaven, and this earth. . . . I created these things; yea, in the beginning I created the heaven, and the earth upon which thou standest. . . .

And I, God, said: Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, the fruit tree yielding fruit, after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit. . . .

And the earth brought forth grass, every herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit. . . and I, God, saw that all things which I had made were good. . . .

And I, God, said: Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl which may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. . . .

And I, God, created great whales, and every living creature that moveth. . . and I, God, saw that all things which I had created were good. . . .

And I, God, said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind, and it was so. . . and I, God, saw that all these things were good.

And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so. And I, God, said: Let them have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and over the fowl of the air. . . and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. . . .

And I, God, saw everything that I had made, and, behold, all things which I had made were very good. . . .

And I, the Lord God, took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden, to dress it, and to keep it. (Moses 2: 1, 11-12, 20-21, 24-28, 31; 3: 15))

The Lord created this beautiful earth and gave Adam certain charges regarding it.

He told Adam to multiply and replenish the earth, to subdue it, to have dominion over every living thing, to dress it, to keep it, to take good care of it (Moses 2: 28, 3: 15).

What exactly does the direction of dominion mean?

Hugh Nibley, in his book Nibley on the Timely and the Timeless (1978), has said,

"Lordship and dominion are the same thing; the responsibility of the master for the comfort and well- being of his dependents and guests. . . . [H]e is not a predator, a manipulator or an exploiter of other creatures, but one who cooperates with nature as a diligent husbandman.

The ancients taught that Adam's dominion was nothing less than the priesthood. . . with the understanding that 'from this time forth, man must work to improve the earth and preserve and take care of all that is in it, exactly as God had done before.' (88)

Man's call to dominion then is a "call to service," not a call to "exterminate" (Nibley 96)."

Dominion, when seen as a priesthood responsibility, becomes an even greater charge.

As today is Earth Day, I felt inclined to remind myself of this great responsibility.

Doctrine and Covenants Section 30 Mission Calls

Have you ever wondered why different people get “called” to different places to serve missions for the Lord?

Doctrine and Covenants Section 30 is a great example of how the Lord knows each of us so personally and what is best for us in our lives.

Section 30 originally was three different revelations to three brothers, but was combined to form one inclusive revelation. The three brothers were the Whitmer brothers, David, Peter, and John. Each of these three brothers were called by the Lord to serve missions, but each were called to serve in different areas for different reasons.

In a previous revelation, Oliver Cowdery was informed by the Lord through the prophet Joseph Smith that he would be serving a mission to the Lamanites, to preach the gospel to them. If you think about it, having just received the Book of Mormon and understanding that the Lamanites would need to be brought to a knowledge of their fathers, this would have been a very desirable mission call to receive. (You know the old Australia vs. Idaho complex!) In Section 30 the Lord makes it very clear who, out of the three brothers, would get to accompany Oliver and why.

The first mission call or revelation was directed to David, who was one of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon. One of the major responsibilities of the three witnesses was not only to testify of the Book of Mormon itself, but to testify that Joseph Smith received the power to translate it by God. However, David had just been recently involved in an incident involving Hyrum Page, who was his brother-in-law, and a seer stone. Hyrum claimed to be receiving revelation for the Church regarding the future location of the city of Zion which he had received through the stone itself. It is interesting to note that David needed to be reinstructed by the Lord of the position Joseph held as the authorized spokesperson for the Lord because of this incident.

David, who should have known better, was taken in by the false spirit that was revealed through the stone. The Lord explained five great stumbling blocks that David had experienced. Can you find them in the following scripture verse?

Section 30:1 Behold, I say unto you, David, that you have feared man and have not relied on me for strength as you ought.

2 But your mind has been on the things of the earth more than on the things of me, your Maker, and the ministry whereunto you have been called; and you have not given heed unto my Spirit, and to those who were set over you, but have been persuaded by those whom I have not commanded.

3 Wherefore, you are left to inquire for yourself at my hand, and ponder upon the things which you have received.

These stumbling blocks can be seen as a process to impede progression. These are universal and should be a lesson for us all. Because David had been wavering in his convictions, the Lord knew he need to stay close to the Church to be strengthen and perfected in his testimony before he embarked out in the mission field. His mission was to remain at home and minister in the Church and the regions round about. Some may view this as a punishment for disobedience; I simply see it as a Father who knew what is best for His child.

Peter, on the other hand, by keeping the commandments ( we can assume this was the case as the Lord instructs him to be “diligent” in keeping the commandments, this shows that he must continue to keep them...implying he already was) received the opportunity to accompany Oliver on the mission to the Lamanites.

Section 30 outlines very clearly the relationship of Oliver and Peter, as the Lord explained the principle of the “senior companion”.

Seciton 30:5 Behold, I say unto you, Peter, that you shall take your journey with your brother Oliver; for the time has come that it is expedient in me that you shall open your mouth to declare my gospel; therefore, fear not, but give heed unto the words and advice of your brother (meaning Oliver not David at this point), which he shall give you.

6 And be you afflicted in all his afflictions, ever lifting up your heart unto me in prayer and faith, for his and your deliverance; for I have given unto him power to build up my church among the Lamanites;

7 And none have I appointed to be his counselor over him in the church, concerning church matters, except it is his brother, Joseph Smith, Jun.

8 Wherefore, give heed unto these things and be diligent in keeping my commandments, and you shall be blessed unto eternal life. Amen.

The final mission call is given to John. We are not given a lot of information about him personally but are told that he was called to serve in the area around Fayette at a man named Philip Burroughs place. According to Susan Easton Black in her book, Who’s Who in the Doctrine and Covenants, Philip Burroughs was actually John Whitmers neighbor. It seems that John was responsible to preach in his own neighborhood, opening his mouth continually, “not fearing what man can do”. Sometimes it is hardest to do just that, preach to those with whom you associate daily.

Three brothers received three different mission calls. The message one might gather about David’s mission call is the important of perfecting the saints, beginning with himself. Peter was to go forth as one crying from the dust, to bring light to a people who sat in darkness. This rebirth of the gospel could be seen as a mission to redeem the dead. As for John, we are given a great illustration of a mission simply to continually proclaim the gospel. When you combine these three mission calls and the message they might give to us as readers today, we see that the three fold mission of the Church is the priority given by the Lord.

Different missions are given to different people for many reasons, sometimes only known by the Lord alone. Our faith in Him, and the understanding that He is all knowing, gives us the motivation needed to carry on in whatever work He sees fit to assign. Simply stated, it doesn’t matter where you serve, do it to the best of your ability. The Lord needs laborers in his vineyard and He knows best where to put them to gain the most from what they have to offer. So whether you are called to Australia, Idaho, or simply your own backyard, serve with your whole heart, might, mind, and soul.

The blessings will follow.

Having A Prophet, We Have Everything

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we often sing the hymn, “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley expounded on the background of that song in a talk he gave with the same title. He said,

“It was written more than a century ago by a man of humble circumstances who lived in Sheffield, England. He worked in the steel mills and was discharged because he joined the Mormon Church. But there burned in his heart a great and fervent testimony; and out of an overflowing spirit of gratitude, he penned these moving lines. They have become a grateful expression of appreciation for millions over the earth. I have heard them sung in many different languages as a reverent prayer of thanksgiving for divine revelation.

How thankful we ought to be, how thankful we are, for a prophet to counsel us in words of divine wisdom as we walk our paths in these complex and difficult times. The solid assurance we carry in our hearts, the conviction that God will make His will known to His children through His recognized servants, is the real basis of our faith and activity. We either have a prophet or we have nothing; and having a prophet, we have everything.”

I believe that the last line in the quote could use further emphasis. We either have a prophet or we have nothing; and having a prophet, we have everything.”

What is the "everything" we really have?

In Amos 3:7 it is written, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”

The most important blessing we receive by having a prophet of God on the earth today is that of authority.

The Lord gives his prophets, seers, and revelators both the priesthood authority and the keys they need to act in his name. The keys are the right of presidency. President Joseph F. Smith wrote:

“It is necessary that every act performed under this authority shall be done at the proper time and place, in the proper way, and after the proper order. The power of directing these labors constitutes the keys of the Priesthood. In their fullness, the keys are held by only one person at a time, the prophet and president of the Church. He may delegate any portion of this power to another, in which case that person holds the keys of that particular labor.”

Our modern day prophet literally holds ALL the keys necessary for our salvation and exaltation concerning our progress here on earth. He is the key holder of the Aaronic Priesthood which gives him the right to administer in the ordinances of the gospel of repentance and baptism, and allow the ministering of angels. These ordinances then prepare us to receive the Melchizedek ordinances of which he also holds the keys. These Melchizedek Priesthood keys allow us to “know the mysteries of kingdom and the knowledge of God” receiving the higher ordinances of the temple.

His “right to presidency” turns all those keys on our behalf and allows us to choose to return back to the presence of our Father.

He also has been given, through the laying on of hands, the same keys that were given to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple. These keys allow for the gathering of Israel and the restoration of the Ten tribes to commence, given by the original key holder Moses, himself. Also given are the keys to the sealing power, binding in Heaven that which is bound on earth, under the direction of Elijah the prophet. This is literally everything!

As you can see it is evident that without a prophet we have nothing, and with him we have everything, as a people, a nation, and a church.