MISSING THE POINT (ARTICLES OF FAITH 4)

The less one knows about the LDS faith, the more likely they are to ask about polygamy, our prohibition on smoking and drinking, the missionaries, or blacks and the priesthood. Often, the first questions have to do with subjects that are not core doctrine. Sometimes innocently, sometimes maliciously, these questions miss the point.

We often make the mistake of thinking we have to give an answer. We don't. Instead, we should answer what they should have asked. For example, you can say, "There was a time in our history when polygamy was practiced, but that was a long time ago. Actually, the focus of our religion is Jesus Christ-that we must have faith in him, repent of our sins, and be baptized as He was." Paul said we should avoid "foolish and unlearned questions" because they only lead to contention and strife (2 Timothy 2:23)

When someone asks about the Mountain Meadows Massacre, or polygamy, or the Blacks and the Priesthood, it usually stems from ignorance, bias, or prejudice. Discussing these topics will never change their minds. Like the wicked and adulterous generations of previous dispensations, they are looking for proof not truth. They are looking to berate not to believe. We should not make the mistake of walking down the path they want us to walk.

Even the topics of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and modern prophets take second stage to the doctrine of faith, repentance, and baptism. Before we start building the house, we must lay the foundation. If we are painting the picture of Mormon beliefs, we must start with faith in Jesus Christ. The great and spacious building may lack a foundation, but Lord's Church does not (1 Nephi 8:26). We must lay the cornerstone of Christ; then lay the bricks of faith, repentance, baptism, and the Gift of the Holy Ghost to hold the cornerstone in place.

As early as 1836, the Prophet Joseph Smith counseled missionaries to "preach Christ and Him crucified; not to contend with others on account of their faith or systems of religion, but pursue a steady course." (History of the Church, 2:431)

This is particularly important when responding to questions about the Church. An important principle we often forget is Articles of Faith 4 and that is:

"We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost." 

The Power of the Word

As we face the great challenges of our time, we need to hold fast to the word of God.

by Ezra Taft Benson

My dear brethren, what a thrilling sight it is to look out over this body of priesthood leadership and to know how many thousands of Saints you serve and how much dedication and faithfulness you collectively represent! There is no other body anywhere in the world today that meets for the same righteous purpose as does this group, nor is there any other group—political, religious or military—that holds the power that you do here tonight.

We live in a day of great challenge. We live in that time of which the Lord spoke when he said, “Peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion.” (D&C 1:35.) We live in that day which John the Revelator foresaw when “the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Rev. 12:17.) The dragon is Satan; the woman represents the Church of Jesus Christ. Satan is waging war against the members of the Church who have testimonies and are trying to keep the commandments. And while many of our members are remaining faithful and strong, some are wavering. Some are falling. Some are fulfilling John’s prophecy that in the war with Satan, some Saints would be overcome. (See Rev. 13:7.)

The prophet Lehi also saw our day in his great visionary dream of the tree of life. He saw that many people would wander blindly in the mists of darkness, which symbolized the temptations of the devil. (See 1 Ne. 12:17.) He saw some fall away “in forbidden paths,” others drown in rivers of filthiness, and still others wander in “strange roads.” (1 Ne. 8:28, 32.) When we read of the spreading curse of drugs, or read of the pernicious flood of pornography and immorality, do any of us doubt that these are the forbidden paths and rivers of filthiness Lehi described?

Not all of those Lehi saw perishing were of the world. Some had come to the tree and partaken of the fruit. In other words, some members of the Church today are among those souls Lehi saw which were lost.

The Apostle Paul also saw our day. He described it as a time when such things as blasphemy, dishonesty, cruelty, unnatural affection, pride, and pleasure seeking would abound. (See 2 Tim. 3:1–7.) He also warned that “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” (2 Tim. 3:13.)

Such grim predictions by prophets of old would be cause for great fear and discouragement if those same prophets had not, at the same time, offered the solution. In their inspired counsel we can find the answer to the spiritual crises of our age.

In his dream, Lehi saw an iron rod which led through the mists of darkness. He saw that if people would hold fast to that rod, they could avoid the rivers of filthiness, stay away from the forbidden paths, stop from wandering in the strange roads that lead to destruction. Later his son Nephi clearly explained the symbolism of the iron rod. When Laman and Lemuel asked, “What meaneth the rod of iron?” Nephi answered, “It was the word of God; and [note this promise] whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.” (1 Ne. 15:23–24.) Not only will the word of God lead us to the fruit which is desirable above all others, but in the word of God and through it we can find the power to resist temptation, the power to thwart the work of Satan and his emissaries.

Paul’s message is the same as Lehi’s. After portraying the terrible wickedness of future times—future to him, but present to us!—he said this to Timothy: “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned. …

“From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation.” (2 Tim. 3:14–15.)

My dear brethren, this is an answer to the great challenge of our time. The word of God, as found in the scriptures, in the words of living prophets, and in personal revelation, has the power to fortify the Saints and arm them with the Spirit so they can resist evil, hold fast to the good, and find joy in this life.

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson, (2014), 114–24

LINE UPON LINE, PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT, HERE A LITTLE AND THERE A LITTLE (2 NEPHI 28:30)

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him thatreceiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have. (2 Nephi 28:30)

Some might wonder why we must read the Book of Mormon over and over again. Some might wonder why the temple teachings are repeated again and again. Those members of the church who have said to themselves, we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough (v.29), will receive no more. They will not learn anything new if they read the Book of Mormon a hundred more times. The Lord has said that our learning stops when we stop receiving the word of God. In contrast, if we understand that new things can be learned with every reading of the Book of Mormon and every visit to the House of the Lord, then the Lord says, unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

The plan of the Lord is to teach us in a piecemeal fashion, line upon line. He must feed us a bite at a time because we are not capable of swallowing an entire meal in one bite. He gives us time to taste the spiritual food, savor it, and digest it before the next delicious morsel is dispensed. The Lord has promised us that we need not stop eating at his hand-indeed, the feast is never over. Rather, we can continue to partake of his goodness as long as we are willing to receive it, and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom.

Many of us desire to know certain information before we are either prepared or able to act upon that knowledge. Elder Boyd K. Packer has eloquently addressed such concerns as follows:

"You cannot force spiritual things. Such words as compel, coerce, constrain, pressure, demand do not describe our privileges with the Spirit. You can no more force the Spirit to respond than you can force a bean to sprout, or an egg to hatch before its time. You can create a climate to foster growth; you can nourish, and protect; but you cannot force or compel: You must await the growth. Do not be impatient to gain great spiritual knowledge. Let it grow, help it grow; but do not force it, or you will open the way to be misled. ... Should we stand in need of revealed instruction to alter our course, it will be waiting along the way as we arrive at the point of need. (In Perfect Balance, p. 252-3)

Having Great Desires to Know of the Mysteries of God

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers. (1 Nephi 2:16)

The importance of Nephi's desires cannot be underestimated. Nephi was successful in his petitions to the Lord because of his great faith (verse 19) and desire. For the Lord, granteth unto men according to their desire (Alma 29:4). The other important lesson from this verse is that Nephi did not follow his father with blind faith. He asked the Lord for help and it was necessary that his heart was softened. Thus, he had obtained a witness for himself which helped him not to rebel like unto his brothers. In our moments of rebellion, we should follow Nephi's example and ask the Lord to soften our hearts.

A Solemn Plea (Part 1)

By Brother Uluakiola

I have a big concern about many of the topics in most LDS 'last days' themed groups.

I believe their focus is fantastically misplaced.

(Even, at times, idolatrous – to one degree or another)

I believe their focus should be more fully on the Gospel of Jesus Christ – rather than on speculative commentaries and other personal accounts (2 Nephi 26:29)

But they are clearly NOT (based on the 'fruits' of conversation in those groups):

(3 Nephi 14:20)

20 Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them.

------------------------

Pres. Ezra Taft Benson once said, in a General Conference talk, that the Book of Mormon should become the, 'keystone of our lives'.

I have tried to do that. And I am still trying to make that sacred book my personal 'keystone'. But I will readily admit that I have much to improve on in that prophetically counseled goal.

------------------------

In regards to preparing for these last days (D&C 38:13, 28-30), one commandment, given directly by the Savior, in the Book of Mormon, has made all the difference for me...

Once I started to understand the Isaiah scriptures, in the Book of Mormon, the rest of that sacred book opened up to me in ways that I never could have imagined were possible:

(3 Nephi 23:1-5)

1 And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.

2 For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles.

3 And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake.

4 Therefore give heed to my words; write the things which I have told you; and according to the time and the will of the Father they shall go forth unto the Gentiles.

5 And whosoever will hearken unto my words and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be saved. Search the prophets, for many there be that testify of these things.

------------------------

I suddenly realized why Nephi said the devil was the author of 'All is well in Zion'. Zenos parable of the 'vineyard', recorded by Jacob, was opened up to me in ways that were deeply sobering. Moroni's chastisement of the latter-day 'holy church of God', and his beckon plea to 'awake to a sense of [our] awful situation', suddenly took on deep difficult new meanings for me. (Especially when the 'Pace Memo' and [D&C 64:34-43], expounding on [3 Nephi 14:15-27], were factored in). The enticement of the 'High Priests' into the 'secret combination', in the Books of Helaman and 3rd Nephi, have had applications that I hardly want to consider:

“The ravening wolves are amongst us, from our own membership, and they, more than any others, are clothed in sheep's clothing because they wear the habiliments of the priesthood. …We should be careful of them.”

– J. Reuben Clark,

(Conference Report, April 1949, p. 163)

And the countless rebukes and warnings to the latter day 'Gentiles' has become more unsettling than I can often bear to consider:

(D&C 109:60)

60 Now these words, O Lord, we have spoken before thee, concerning the revelations and commandments which thou hast given unto us, who are identified with the Gentiles.

------------------------

Furthermore, while this Gospel Dispensation will never end (in time or in apostasy), as the Keys of the Priesthood will never again be removed from the earth, the 'fulfillment' of the 'fulness of the times of the Gentiles' will be calamitous, epic and trying – to say the very least:

(D&C 45:19-35)

19 But, verily I say unto you, that desolation shall come upon this generation as a thief in the night, and this people shall be destroyed and scattered among all nations.

20 And this temple which ye now see shall be thrown down that there shall not be left one stone upon another.

21 And it shall come to pass, that this generation of Jews shall not pass away until every desolation which I have told you concerning them shall come to pass.

22 Ye say that ye know that the end of the world cometh; ye say also that ye know that the heavens and the earth shall pass away;

23 And in this ye say truly, for so it is; but these things which I have told you shall not pass away until all shall be fulfilled.

24 And this I have told you concerning Jerusalem; and when that day shall come, shall a remnant be scattered among all nations;

25 But they shall be gathered again; but they shall remain until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

26 And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth.

27 And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound.

28 And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my gospel;

29 But they receive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men.

30 And in that generation shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

31 And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land.

32 But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die.

33 And there shall be earthquakes also in divers places, and many desolations; yet men will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the sword, one against another, and they will kill one another.

34 And now, when I the Lord had spoken these words unto my disciples, they were troubled.

35 And I said unto them: Be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled.

------------------------

Those prophesied tests and trials will come upon the earth, and more specifically upon the Saints, for a reason...

God will sift and sort out His Zion people:

(D&C 136:31-33)

31 My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.

32 Let him that is ignorant learn wisdom by humbling himself and calling upon the Lord his God, that his eyes may be opened that he may see, and his ears opened that he may hear;

33 For my Spirit is sent forth into the world to enlighten the humble and contrite, and to the condemnation of the ungodly.

------------------------

As a background to help you understand what is motivating this note...

More than two decades ago, near the close of Ezra Taft Benson's ministry, I had a deeply sacred experience that I will not discuss here.

(Though I will say it was NOT a Near Death Experience or a mere 'spiritual experience')

In this last short period, a number of things have caused me to more fully reflect on that sacred experience.

As I faithfully read the scriptures, and search the words of the latter-day prophets and apostles, there are things that deeply resonate within me. Things that are sobering. Things that are prompting this pleading to more fully turn to the Holy Scriptures – as our foundation and guiding light through the dark days ahead.

Lately, since September of last year, with a heightened sense of awareness these past few weeks and days, I have been emotionally remembering more and more of why I pled with the Savior not to send me back to this ever darkening dreary world. (To please let me stay in the place that I was taken up into)

I know I am not alone in that heightened feeling. For an increase of the Spirit of God has been poured out onto all flesh – according to the prophetic words of Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley ('Living in the Fulness of Times'; Gen. Conf., Oct. 2001):

(Joel 2:28-32)

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

------------------------

In short, there are fantastically difficult days ahead.

The 'Book of Mormon and the former commandments', which we are asked to read like the 'morning newspaper', give us detailed explanations for President Gordon B. Hinckley's prophesied 'portent of stormy weather' ('To the Men and to the Boys'; Gen. Conf., Oct. 1998.) and Elder Robert D. Hales portending 'persecutions' of the Saints ('General Conference: Strengthening Faith & Testimony'; Gen. Conf., Oct. 2013)

But so few of the Latter Day Saints are giving them any heed that Isaiah's prophecy, that only a 'tenth' of the Saints will 'return' (2 Nephi 16:13) to the Savior (His Gospel and Church), seems ever more plausible if not probable:

(2 Nephi 16:8-13)

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: Here am I; send me.

9 And he said: Go and tell this people--Hear ye indeed, but they understood not; and see ye indeed, but they perceived not.

10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes--lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted and be healed.

11 Then said I: Lord, how long? And he said: Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate;

12 And the Lord have removed men far away, for there shall be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

13 But yet there shall be a tenth, and they shall return, and shall be eaten, as a teil tree, and as an oak whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves; so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

------------------------

On a personal note...

The third time I heard the devil, in the Temple Endowment, say that the endowed Saints were absorbing the 'philosophies of men – mingled with scripture' 'very well', I actually laughed out loud. At that time, the idea of that seemed so utterly absurd.

...I'm not laughing about that anymore...

The confirmed Gospel of Jesus Christ MUST become our 'rock' solid 'foundation' (3 Nephi 14) – on which we MUST build our lives and our testimony.

In that vein, there are things that appear 'good' (Moroni 7) that are really a distracting 'sandy foundation' (3 Nephi 14). Which will cause many who have made those things their foundation to crumble amidst this pending 'portent of stormy weather'.

------------------------

In even more pressing and stark terms, as the Lord and at least two of His latter-day prophets (Joseph Smith & Ezra Taft Benson) have taught, the Saints will NEVER become a Zion people until we are out from under the Lord's 'condemnation':

(D&C 84:54-59)

54 And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received--

55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.

56 And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.

57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written--

58 That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion.

59 For shall the children of the kingdom pollute my holy land? Verily, I say unto you, Nay.

------------------------

The Savior promised the Saints further records (or scriptures) – which are necessary for the Saints to be endowed with 'power' (1 Nephi 14; D&C 103) to become a redeemed Zion people.

And, to be quite frank, if this covenant people were right with the Lord, we would already have those records (1 Nephi 5; 3 Nephi 26; Ether 4; D&C 93; D&C 107):

(3 Nephi 26:8-10)

8 And these things have I written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people; and I have written them to the intent that they may be brought again unto this people, from the Gentiles, according to the words which Jesus hath spoken.

9 And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them.

10 And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation.

(Ether 4:13-19)

13 Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief.

14 Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world; and it hath not come unto you, because of unbelief.

15 Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you--yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel.

16 And then shall my revelations which I have caused to be written by my servant John be unfolded in the eyes of all the people. Remember, when ye see these things, ye shall know that the time is at hand that they shall be made manifest in very deed.

17 Therefore, when ye shall receive this record ye may know that the work of the Father has commenced upon all the face of the land.

18 Therefore, repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and believe in my gospel, and be baptized in my name; for he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned; and signs shall follow them that believe in my name.

19 And blessed is he that is found faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. And behold it is I that hath spoken it. Amen.

------------------------

And, again, the Lord, and at least two of His latter-day prophets, Joseph Smith & Ezra Taft Benson, have repetitively warned and pled with the Saints to faithfully remove His 'condemnation' – by making the Book of Mormon the 'keystone of our lives':

“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

– Joseph Smith

(Book of Mormon – Introduction)

------------------------

The more seemingly good distractions that carry away our attention from that divine prophetic call (rather than engaging in what is better or best), the closer we draw to the stark fulfillment of those prophecies from the 'Book of Mormon and the former commandments' (D&C 84:57) – which 'few' (D&C 63:31) will prophetically endure.

All May Be Saved

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel (Articles of Faith 3.)

That's our happy message, that all men and women can be saved.  Mormons do not wish, as others accuse us, to be the only ones in heaven.  We want everyone to be there.  We strive for all men to be worthy of the greatest reward that divine justice will allow.

The Lord... inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God both Jew and Gentile (2 Nephi 26:33.)

"For any people to believe that it is the only people in whom God is interested, or helps, or that we have special merit because of our color, race, country or beliefs, that is, that we are inherently superior and loved by God without regard to the lives we live is one of the great fallacies and barriers to peace. This is a fallacy whether in an exploded myth of an Aryan race of supermen, or disguised in more subtle form in our own consciousness. We must not be guilty of such a fallacy." (Harris, Franklin S. Jr., The Book of Mormon: Messages and Evidences, p. 20)

Men Are, That They Might Have Joy

Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy (2 Nephi 2:25)

ADAM FELL THAT MEN MIGHT BE

The fall of Adam initiates a cascade of events-events predicted and planned for in the pre-mortal sphere.  The Plan of Redemption goes into effect after the Fall.  Without the Fall, there is no mortality. Without mortality, there is no need for a Resurrection.  Without the Fall, there is no spiritual death.  Without spiritual death, there is no need for Redemption. Without the Fall, there is no need for a Savior. In other words:

Adam fell that men might be; Christ ascended that men might be made perfect.

Adam fell that men might be; Christ ascended that men might be in God's presence.

MEN ARE, THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE JOY

Contrary to some notions, God actually wants us to be happy. He wants us to have joy, to experience the beauty of his creations, to know the love of parenthood and family, to feel of His love for us, and to live according to His Spirit. He only wants us to experience the negative so that we can appreciate the beautiful things He has in store for us. The concept of religion which teaches that one must deprive oneself of all pleasure in some sort of austere self-deprivation of mind, body, and spirit is false.

We are only to deprive ourselves of those worldly pleasures which enslave the human mind, body, and spirit. Satan mimics the plan of the Lord. He says, "men are that they might have fleeting pleasure." God's plan is that we have lasting joy in this world and eternal joy in the world to come. This sort of joy can only come when the body and spirit are joined together, the elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fullness of joy; And when separated , man cannot receive a fullness of joy (D&C 93:33-34).

The Lord has provided many ways for us to experience this divine joy while here on the earth. He has given us the privilege of parenthood, that we may "have joy and rejoicing" in our posterity. The scriptures also teach us that the Spirit will bring us joy, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy (D&C 11:13). The Israelites knew that newlyweds were to have joy in their marriage, When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife (Deut 24:5). Of this earthly joy, Brigham Young taught:

"'Mormonism' has done everything for me that ever has been done for me on the earth; it has made me happy; it has made me wealthy and comfortable; it has filled me with good feelings, with joy and rejoicing. Whereas, before I possessed the spirit of the Gospel I was troubled with that which I hear others complain of, that is, with, at times, feeling cast down, gloomy, and despondent; with everything wearing to me, at times, a dreary aspect." (Discourses of Brigham Young, compiled by John A. Widstoe, p. 452)

The Lord also has provided for those who are worthy to experience eternal joy, If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable (1 Cor 15:19) This is the reason for our creation, for God's work is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39). The eternal joy of God's love is likened to the fruit of the tree of life, for it is the final reward of the righteous. What greater joy could one possibly experience than to hear the Savior say, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord (Matt 25:21)?

Joseph Fielding Smith also said:

"Adam's transgression was banishment from the presence of God and bringing the physical death into the world. The majority in the religious world maintain that every child born into this world is tainted with 'original sin,' or partakes of Adam's transgression in his birth. The second Article of Faith contradicts this foolish and erroneous doctrine." (Answers to Gospel Questions, vol. 1, p. 82)

Articles of Faith 2 vs The Original Sin Doctrine (Watch Video)

Request a free copy of the 

Book of Mormon: 

Another Testament of Jesus Christ 

is a record of God's dealings with the 

inhabitants of ancient America