Julie B. Beck shares her thoughts about priesthood quorums

This week's Church News reports that according to Julie B. Beck, "What the Lord envisioned regarding quorums and Relief Society has not yet been fully utilized." The Church's Relief Society general president also said, "Many quorums and Relief Societies are at present much like sleeping giants waiting for you to breathe new life into them."

Click here to read the entire article.

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George Albert Smith (Ch.1): Living by God's Every Word

I think the following statement gives guidance to me as a blogger. It's from Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith, Chapter 1:

"If our peculiarity went to the extent that we lived by every word that proceeds from the mouth of our Heavenly Father [see D&C 84:44], then we would indeed be a blessed people."

I noticed D&C 84:44 is referenced in connection with the statement.

So I asked myself, Where do I find "every word" that proceeds from the mouth of our Heavenly Father? And I found an answer in the words of the Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah.

I found a similar answer in God's words given through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Both of these verses refer to "my servants." But who are these "servants?" Who are these "prophets?" I find answers to these questions in the Lord's preface to the Doctrine and Covenants.

In our day, we sustain Thomas S. Monson as "prophet, seer, and revelator and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

We also sustain his counselors in the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles as "prophets, seers, and revelators."

God speaks in our day by the mouth of his servants the prophets. Those servants are the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. Regarding their words, God has said:

God calls prophets to represent Him on earth. God's prophets teach His truth and help us understand the words of earlier prophets. When prophets speak for God, it is as if God himself were speaking. In that sense, they become God's mouth to us.

New revelation for the whole Church comes only through the Church President. He is "the prophet." However, he is not the only prophet on earth today. His two counselors are prophets. And the Twelve Apostles also have the calling of prophet.

I believe a Latter-day Saint who feels discouraged when apostles and prophets speak against that person's personal opinion should consider carefully the advice of a Pharisee named Gamaliel. He counseled moderation when criticizing the Apostles, "lest haply ye be found even to fight against God." (Acts 5:38-39.)

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A prophet only when acting as such, part 3: Official versus unofficial actions

[Note: The following is excerpted from the book Evidences and Reconciliations by John A. Widtsoe (arr. G. Homer Durham, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1960, 236-239). Elder Widtsoe was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1921 until his death in 1952. He was a distinguished university president and a world renowned scientist and scholar.]

When does a prophet speak as a prophet?

This is an old question. It was asked of the Prophet Joseph Smith and answered by him. He writes in his journal, "This morning ... I visited with a brother and sister from Michigan, who thought that 'a prophet is always a prophet'; but I told them that a prophet is a prophet only when he was acting as such" (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 5:265).

That statement makes a clear distinction between official and unofficial actions and utterances of officers of the Church. In this recorded statement the Prophet Joseph Smith recognizes his special right and duty, as the President and Prophet of the Church, under the inspiration of the Lord, to speak authoritatively and officially for the enlightenment and guidance of the Church. But he claims also the right, as other men, to labor and rest, to work and play, to visit and discuss, to present his opinions and hear the opinion of others, to counsel and bless as a member of the Church.

Whenever moved upon by the Spirit of the Lord, the man called to the Prophet's office assumes the prophetic mantle and speaks as a mouthpiece of the Lord. He may then interpret the word of God, apply it to the conditions of the day, governmental, social, or economic, warn against impending evil, point out the better way, bring to light new truth, or bless the righteous in their endeavors. Such inspired deliverances are binding upon all who believe that the latter-day work came and is directed by revelation. There is no appeal from them; no need for debate concerning their validity. They must either be accepted or be subjected to the dangers of private interpretation. This has been made plain in modern revelation: "Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his (Joseph's) words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;

"For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith" (D. & C. 21:4, 5). In this commandment there is no limitation upon the prophet, as to subject, time, or place.

Such official prophetic utterances to the Church are usually made in the great general conferences of the Church, or in signed statements circulated among the people. The phrase "Thus sayeth the Lord" may at times be used; but is not necessary. When the prophet speaks to the people in an official gathering or over his signature, he speaks as the Lord directs him. If a new doctrine or practice be involved in the revelation, it is presented to the people for acceptance, in recognition of the free agency of the Church itself, but once accepted, it is thereafter binding upon every member.

Though the prophet may step out of his official role in dealing with the daily affairs of life, he can never divest himself of the spirit and influence which belong to the sacred office which the Lord has placed upon him. The faith and readiness to do the work of the Lord which fitted him for his high office, shape his life in harmony with the eternal principles and purposes of the gospel. Though often humble by the world's measure, in gifts and ability, he lives under inspired guidance, which makes him great among men, and therefore, his unofficial expressions carry greater weight than the opinions of other men of equal or greater gifts and experience but without the power of the prophetic office. It would be wisdom on all occasions and with respect to all subjects in any field of human activity, to hearken to the prophet's voice. There is safety and ultimate happiness in following the counsel that may be received from the prophet.

Men are called to the prophetic office because of their humility and their willingness to be in the hands of the Lord as clay in the hands of the potter. Yet a man called to the prophetic office is almost without exception of high native endowment, often with large experience in life, and possessed of wisdom and sound judgment. That is, the prophet, though but a man, is an able man, rising in ability above the multitude. An examination of sacred history from Adam to the present will show that able men, in the words of Jethro, men "such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness" (Exodus 18:21), have been called to the prophetic office. The unofficial views and expressions of such a man with respect to any vital subject, should command respectful attention. Wise men seek the counsel of those wiser or abler than themselves.

Every member of the Church, and all men for that matter, would do well to give heed, and indeed should do so, to any public utterance or to the unofficial counsel of the man who has been called to the office of prophet. One cannot limit him by saying that on some subjects pertaining to human welfare he may not speak. The spiritual and the temporal have ever been blended in the Church of Christ. Obedience to the counsels of the prophet brings individual and collective power and joy. Of all men, the prophet of the Lord should, at all times, have most influence with the Latter-day Saints. No other cause can be greater than that of the Church of Christ.

How may the rank and file of the Church recognize the prophetic voice, whether official or unofficial, when it speaks? The answer is simple enough. A person who is in harmony in his life, in thought and practice, with the gospel and its requirements, who loves truth so well that he is willing to surrender to it, will recognize a message from the Lord. My sheep know my voice, said the Savior in the Meridian of Time. In this day, the Lord has given the key for our guidance.

Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?

And if it be by some other way it is not of God.

And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?

If it be some other way it is not of God.

Therefore, why is it that you cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?

Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together. And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness. (D. & C. 50:17-23)

Thus the burden of proof is upon the hearer, not alone upon the speaker. Whoever quibbles about the validity of a message of the prophet would do well to engage in a serious self-examination. Is the trouble with him? Perhaps he is not "in tune" with truth. Perhaps he does not live the law of the gospel in such manner as to respond to the message of truth. President Joseph F. Smith declared that those who honor their own Priesthood first, will honor it in those who preside over them (President Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 207). That doctrine may be applied when the prophet speaks to the Church or to the world.

Acceptance of the teachings of the prophet does not violate the right of free agency; but rather enhances it. The Lord expects every man to solve, as far as possible, his own problems with the knowledge and power given him. Yet, divine help is often offered to mortal man who labors under the severe limitations of earth life. Every revelation from the Lord is for the increasing welfare of mankind. Always, however, men retain the right to accept or reject the offered gift. Membership in the Church itself is voluntary; is never forced upon a person. Nevertheless, such membership includes the acceptance of a series of principles and ordinances, among them the presence of a prophet to stand as the Lord's spokesman to the Church. When therefore, a Latter-day Saint yields adherence to the Prophet's advice, he merely uses the free agency which led him to membership in the Church. He does not thereby renounce his free agency; instead he reinforces his claim upon it. He follows the prophet because he chooses to do so in view of the doctrine and constitution of the Church in which he voluntarily claims membership. When he fails to give his consent to the prophet's teachings, he limits, reduces, and removes the free agency which brought him into the Church.

In the daily lives of Latter-day Saints it is best to listen carefully to the counsel of the prophet concerning any subject upon which he speaks, whether technically official or unofficial. Note the words of Brigham Young:

The Lord Almighty leads this Church, and He will not suffer you to be led astray if you are found doing your duty. You may go home and sleep as sweetly as a babe in its mother's arms, as to any danger of your leaders leading you astray, for if they should try to do so the Lord would quickly sweep them from the earth. Your leaders are trying to live their religion as far as they are capable of doing so. (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 212)

That is as true today as in the days of President Young.

[Note: The above is excerpted from the book Evidences and Reconciliations by John A. Widtsoe (arr. G. Homer Durham, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1960, 236-239). Elder Widtsoe was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1921 until his death in 1952. He was a distinguished university president and a world renowned scientist and scholar.]

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Evolution vs The Millennium

"The secrets of evolution are death and time," said Carl Sagan, and explained, "the deaths of enormous numbers of lifeforms that were imperfectly adapted to the environment; and [aeons of] time." (Cosmos.) But death and time aren't just secrets of evolution, they are two of its essential ingredients.

In the not too distant future, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will usher in the Millennium, after which on this earth "there will be no death as we know it." (Gospel Principles, Chapter 45, "The Millennium.")

Evolution repudiates the Millennium.

Evolution requires death and, beginning with the Millennium, there will be no death anywhere on earth. Science can't explain that, but the Millennium will come.

Click the diagram below to view a collection of LDS teachings about the Millennium.

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Joe Spencer speculates about Chapter 45: The Millennium

Joe Spencer claimed yesterday, in a discussion titled "RS/MP Lesson 45: The Millennium (Gospel Principles Manual)," that the previous version of Gospel Principles Chapter 45 contained a lot of speculation. Joe says:

"A good bit of such speculation has been purged. Much, in my opinion, remains to be purged."

Joe names six "substantial elements of the previous version of this lesson" that were purged, allegedly as speculation.

The millennium is a big subject. Just consider the size of Joe's post (5451 words) as compared to the 1978 edition of the chapter (1271 words), or the 2009 version of the chapter (1080 words). There is much more material available than can be covered in four pages of the Gospel Principles manual. Clearly, the focus in 1978 versus 2009 was different, resulting in a different selection of material.

But let's be clear about one thing: Chapter 45 does NOT suggest that any Church published teachings of the apostles and prophets are speculative. The manual warns teachers to avoid ideas "not found in the scriptures or the teachings of latter-day prophets." And all six of the ideas Joe names are in fact found in scripture and Church published teachings of the apostles and prophets.

It is utterly without merit, therefore, for Joe to suggest that ideas found in the 1978 version of Chapter 45 but not the 2009 version should therefore be seen as speculative or even "wildly speculative."

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The Millennial Renewal of Earth

Gospel Principles, Chapter 45, "The Millennium" (Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society lesson): Supplemental Readings.

      Click diagram to enlarge

Tenth Article of Faith: "We believe ... that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory."

Bible Dictionary, Restitution; restoration: "These terms denote a return of something once present, but which has been taken away or lost. It involves, for example, the renewal of the earth to its paradisiacal glory as it was before the fall of Adam."

Russell M. Nelson: “The creation of a paradisiacal planet came from God. Mortality and death came into the world through the Fall of Adam. Immortality and the possibility of eternal life were provided by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement were planned long before the actual work of the Creation began....

“Eventually, ‘the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.’ At the Second Coming of the Lord, the earth will be changed once again. It will be returned to its paradisiacal state and be made new. There will be a new heaven and a new earth.” (Ensign, May 2000.)

Bruce R. McConkie: “In Eden we will see all things created in a paradisiacal state—without death.... Such a creation ... was the only way to provide for the Fall. We will then see Adam and Eve, the first man and the first woman, step down from their state of immortal and paradisiacal glory to become the first mortal flesh on earth.” (Ensign, April 2011.)

English Dictionary, Renewed:

Bruce R. McConkie: Described the stages of earth's existence:

“Edenic earth. Following its physical creation, the earth was pronounced good. It was a terrestrial or paradisiacal state. There was no death either for man or for any form of life, and ‘all the vast creation of animated beings breathed naught but health, and peace, and joy.’

“Telestial earth. When Adam fell, the earth fell also and became a mortal sphere, one upon which worldly and carnal people can live. This condition was destined to continue for a period of 6,000 years, and it was while in this state that the earth was baptized in water.

“Terrestrial earth. ‘We believe ... that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory .’ Thus, the earth is to go back to the primeval, paradisiacal, or terrestrial state that prevailed in the days of the Garden of Eden. Accompanying this transition to its millennial status the earth is to be burned, that is, receive its baptism of fire. It will then be a new heaven and a new earth, and again health, peace, and joy will prevail upon its face.

“Celestial earth. Following the millennium plus ‘a little season’, the earth will die, be resurrected, and becoming like a ‘sea of glass’, attain unto ‘its sanctified, immortal, and eternal state.’ Then the poor and the meek—that is, the godfearing and the righteous—shall inherit the earth; it will become an abiding place for the Father and the Son, and celestial beings will possess it forever and ever.” (Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, 2001, 77.)

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee: "Besides the Fall having had to do with Adam and Eve, causing a change to come over them, that change affected all human nature, all of the natural creations, all of the creation of animals, plants—all kinds of life were changed. The earth itself became subject to death. … How it took place no one can explain, and anyone who would attempt to make an explanation would be going far beyond anything the Lord has told us. But a change was wrought over the whole face of the creation, which up to that time had not been subject to death. From that time henceforth all in nature was in a state of gradual dissolution until mortal death was to come, after which there would be required a restoration in a resurrected state."

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff: "We acknowledge that through Adam all have died, that death through the fall must pass upon the whole human family, also upon the beasts of the field, the fishes of the sea and the fowls of the air and all the works of God, as far as this earth is concerned."

Bible Dictionary, Fall of Adam: "Before the fall, Adam and Eve had physical bodies but no blood. There was no sin, no death, and no children among any of the earthly creations. With the eating of the ' forbidden fruit,' Adam and Eve became mortal, sin entered, blood formed in their bodies, and death became a part of life. Adam became the ' first flesh ' upon the earth (Moses 3:7), meaning that he and Eve were the first to become mortal. After Adam fell, the whole creation fell and became mortal."

Bible Dictionary, Death: "Latter-day revelation teaches that there was no death on this earth for any forms of life before the fall of Adam. Indeed, death entered the world as a direct result of the fall (2 Ne. 2:22; Moses 6:48)."

Joseph Fielding Smith: "D&C 77:12: At the close of the sixth thousand years and at the opening of the seventh, since the fall, the earth and all that remain upon its face will be changed from the telestial condition of wickedness to the terrestrial condition of peace and order. This is the day when the earth "will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory," as declared in the tenth Article of Faith. We are now in the great day of restoration of all things, and the renewal of the earth is the bringing of it back to a comparable condition to that which existed before the fall." (Church History and Modern Revelation, 2:64.)

Bruce R. McConkie: "This earth was created in a new or paradisiacal state; then, incident to Adam's transgression, it fell to its present telestial state. At the Second Coming of our Lord, it will be renewed, regenerated, refreshed, transfigured, become again a new earth, a paradisiacal earth. Its millennial status will be a return to its pristine state of beauty and glory, the state that existed before the fall." (Seminary Student Study Guide, Doctrine and Covenants and Church History, 2001, 74.)

James E. Talmage: “It is decreed that this earth shall become a celestialized, glorified sphere; such is the revealed word. Science has nothing to say on the matter; it can neither refute nor prove. But the Lord, even God, hath spoken it—and so shall it be! Amen.” (“The Earth and Man,” 1931.)

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