Mormon Life - Baptism tag

In Her Own Words: Muriel Olive Mason Cuthbert, 1958

Wed, 23 May 2012 08:59:00 -0600

source: keepapitchinin.org

Mormon Life says: A sweet conversion story from a member in England. 1950 was a memorable year for my husband and me, for then our second daughter was born, my husband graduated from Nottingham University and started on a career and we had just moved into our first home of our own. The previous year two American second cousins of mine had visited England; they were Mormons and we learned that one had a son on a mission in England. We said that if he could come and explain his religion to us, we would be interested to hear what it was all about, but that we would never consider changing from the Church of England.

I was disappointed when it was not possible for my cousin to visit us, but one day I got really excited to see three obviously American young men walking round our new estate. About a week later they called on me – and I do not believe any missionaries any time could have had such a reception. They had hardly managed to say, “We are missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of …” when I enquired “Mormons?” When they said they were, I flung open the door and invited them in, babbling about my cousin and asking if he was one of them.

Book of Mormon Lesson 19: "None Could Deliver Them But the Lord"

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:05:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: The middle chapters of Mosiah are full of examples that God is perfectly reliable. We must know this for ourselves and trust in the promises of the Lord.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

Few men on earth, either in or out of the Church, have caught the vision of what the Book of Mormon is all about. Few are they among men who know the part it has played and will yet play in preparing the way for the coming of Him of whom it is a new witness. Few are they who believe its truths and abide by its precepts to such a degree that they would qualify to read the sealed portion of the plates and learn the full account of what the Lord has in store for the people of the world (Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah, p.159).

INTRODUCTION:

One of the overarching messages of these accounts from the end of the book of Mosiah is that God keeps his promises. Over and over again as these dramas unfold, we see evidence—powerful evidence—of the truthfulness of the Lord's declaration in D&C 1:38:

What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

As you study and ponder and teach these chapters, watch for the fulfillment of the Lord's promises made to the people of Nephi in the Land of Nephi, and to all men.

1. ALMA TEACHES THE BAPTISMAL COVENANT AND BAPTIZES MANY PEOPLE (Mosiah 18)

Alma, converted by the words of Abinadi and the Spirit of the Lord, “repented of his sins and iniquities, and went about privately among the people and began to teach the words of Abinadi . . ." (Mosiah 18:1, emphasis added). He went privately rather than openly like Abinadi. I am fully confident that he did not give many first discussions to Noah or his priests during this time. He had narrowly escaped martyrdom himself and he seems to have had a different purpose than Abinadi. Alma's mission was to convert. Abinadi's was to warn. Alma's message was also the message of the atonement—“the power, and sufferings, and death of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven" (Mosiah 18:2). Alma was another person who had “beautiful feet." And he taught anyone who would listen. “And as many as would hear his word he did teach" (Mosiah 18:3).

This brings to mind Paul's counsel to Timothy: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (2 Tim. 4:2). All of us serve under the same obligation as Timothy and Alma. When an opportunity to preach presents itself, we must preach. The “season"---the practicality, the preparation, our personal fears---cannot be considerations.

Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men; For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say (D&C 100:5,6).

We will say a bit more about this later in the lesson.

Note that Alma taught them privately. The threat of discovery and destruction by Noah was a dark shadow over every meeting, every sermon, every action associated with this tiny group of believers. Still they met and preached and acted, for their love of the work and the word surpassed their fear of the king. So, in spite of the danger—the searches (Mosiah 18:5)—they met and worshiped. Their gathering place was in a grove of trees near a body of pure water in a place called Mormon.

Finally, “After many days," when a significant crowd had gathered, Alma preached about repentance and redemption and faith and then offered this people the opportunity to enter into the covenant of baptism.

A careful analysis of these verses of covenant and promise teach wonderful lessons about the obligations we assume by entering into the water, and the obligations God assumes if we abide by our promises (Mosiah 18:8-10).

OUR PART

1. A desire to come into the fold of God

2. A desire to be called his people

3. A willingness to bear one another's burdens

4. A willingness to mourn with those that mourn

5. A willingness to comfort those that stand in need of comfort

6. A commitment to stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places

7. A determination to serve him

8. A determination to keep his commandments

GOD'S PART

1. He will redeem us

2. We will be numbered with those of the first resurrection

3. We will have eternal life

4. He will pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon us

I read a story the other day on the Internet. I love the net, but I get crazy when I find wonderful stories and striking insights and important information without any sources cited. However, I'd like to share this story here because it teaches a great lesson about our part of the baptismal covenant, whether the story is true or not. We'll call it a parable—“The Parable of the Brick and the Jaguar."

A young executive was driving his brand new Jaguar in an area where there were usually several children playing in the street. He thought he saw something darting our from between parked cars and slowed down. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. He jumped out of the car, grabbed some kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting . . . “Just what the heck are you doing? . . . That's a new car and the damage that brick you threw is going to cost me a lot of money. Why did you do it?"

“Please mister, please. I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do!" pleaded the youngster. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop . . ." Tears were dripping down the boy's cheeks as he pointed around the parked car. “It's my brother," he said. “He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, “Would you please help me get him back in his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the driver . . . lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK.

“Thank you and God bless you," the grateful child said to him. The man then watched the little boy push his brother down the street toward their home. It was a long walk back to his Jaguar: a long, slow walk. He never did repair the side door. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone had to throw a brick at you to get your attention.

God whispers in your soul and speaks to your heart. Sometimes when you don't have time to listen, he has to throw a “brick” at you (Author unknown).

The sacramental prayers remind us of our baptismal obligations to take the name of the Lord and to keep his commandments and to always remember him. I have wished on occasion that we had a regular reminder of the other part of the baptismal covenant. We have promised to bear one another's burdens, and to mourn and to comfort. But so often it takes a brick to get our attention.

We exert our forces and offer our resources when hurricanes devastate the poor in Central America, or when floods leave thousands homeless in Africa, or when tsunami’s devastate Indonesia or Japan. I believe that the baptismal covenant requires us to be just as willing to act in behalf of those who suffer silently in our own neighborhood—the widow, the orphan, the blind, the halt, the lonely, the poor.

Elie Weisel writes:

If there is one word that described all the woes and threats that exist today, it's indifference. You see tragedy on televison for three minutes and them comes something else and something else. Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil. The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference (From the Citation for an Honorary Doctoral Degree, awarded to Elie Weisel at the 114th Summer Commencement Exercises at BYU, August 17, 1989).

We are prohibited by the covenant we made at baptism from being indifferent to the suffering around us. In Matthew 25, the Lord made our duties crystal clear in his parable of the sheep and the goats. There we are taught this:

If we ignore misery when we encounter it and could reduce it, we are not disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. If, when we have the opportunity and capacity we fail to minister to those who hunger or thirst, to those who are sick or lonely or incarcerated, then it is as though we had abandoned the Savior himself in his hour of need, and without repentance, we may Ago away into everlasting punishment." [Matthew 25:46 (34-36)] Our prayers and professions are hypocritical. In practice, our indifference is a denial of our faith (Misery and Joy, by Ted Gibbons, p. 95).

The people of Alma “clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: this is the desire of our hearts" (Mosiah 18:11). Then Alma baptized them, and organized a church. (Mosiah 18:17) This is the first mention of a church in America in the Book of Mormon.

Mosiah 18 gives a sweet view of the articles and covenants of Alma's church: the provisions made for the teaching and meeting of the people, that which the priests were to receive for their labor (18:26), the doctrine that was to be preached, etc.

He also organized the people to assist in the application of their baptismal covenants.

And again Alma commanded that the people of the church should impart of their substance, every one according to that which he had; if he have more abundantly he should impart more abundantly; and of him that had but little, but little should be required; and to him that had not should be given. And thus they should impart of their substance of their own free will and good desires towards God, and to those priests that stood in need, yea, and to every needy, naked soul. And this he said unto them, having been commanded of God; and they did walk uprightly before God, imparting to one another both temporally and spiritually according to their needs and their wants (Mosiah 18:27-29).

Our part of the baptismal covenant contains one other provision worth a brief mention here. We are under covenant to stand as witnesses of God always and everywhere. There are a multitude of wonderful examples of disciples who have done this very thing under the most difficult and dangerous of circumstances. Abinadi and Alma come to mind at once. But in my study of the Old Testament this year, I found an example that I have often overlooked.

In 2 Kings 5, we read the story of Naaman, the captain of the host of Syria, a great an honorable man, and a mighty man of valor, who happened to be a leper (2K5:1).

Serving in the home of this man was an Israelite slave, a little maid “brought away captive out of the land Israel" (2K5:2). Consider her circumstances. She is an innocent victim of a war waged by men she probably does not know over issues she may not understand. She has been torn from her family and her religious community. But when she learns that her master has leprosy, she stands as a witness. The God in whom she has trusted has allowed her life to go in directions she could never have imagined. Every hope she had seemed to have been destroyed. All of her faith and obedience had not kept her safe, home, happy. And yet, when the opportunity presents itself, she stands as a witness.

And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy (2K5:3).

She is a wonderful example for those of us who are under covenant to stand as witnesses at all times and in all things and in all places.

Noah learned of a movement among his people, sent spies to watch Alma and his people, and then an army to destroy them (Mosiah 18:32,33). Alma received a warning of the coming of the king's army, and he and his people departed into the wilderness.

2. KING NOAH BETRAYS HIS PEOPLE AND SUFFERS DEATH BY FIRE (Mosiah 19)

A certain amount of political intrigue followed the escape of Alma and his people. Part of the people began to oppose the king and contentions followed. Finally the people of Noah seem to have begun to see their king for what he really was. Gideon would have sent the king to his eternal reward except for the timely attack of the Lamanites (Mosiah 19:6-8).

As the people fled, Noah commanded his followers to abandon their families and follow him, for “he himself did flee before them . . ." (Mosiah 19:9).

Many would not do this thing, but “the rest left their wives and children and fled" (Mosiah 19:12). We know from the records that the wicked priests were among those who abandoned their families in favor of their own lives. And we know the name of at least one child who was left behind by a fleeing father: Limhi. He may have had a family of his own by then. The record refers to him as a “just man" (Mosiah 19:17), and it may be that he refused to leave his own family. Either way, Ahe was not ignorant of the iniquities of his father.”

The Lamanites captured those who remained behind, and they conferred the kingdom on Limhi, who made an oath to give to the Lamanites one half of all they possessed (see Mosiah 19:26).

Those who fled soon had a change of heart, however. We learn that

they had sworn in their hearts that they would return to the land of Nephi, and if their wives and their children were slain, and also those that had tarried with them, that they would seek revenge, and also perish with them. And the king commanded them that they should not return; and they were angry with the king, and caused that he should suffer, even unto death by fire (Mosiah 19:19,20).

You may remember that I suggested that one of the messages of these chapters is that the Lord keeps his promises. All of them. Without excuse. The death of Noah by fire fulfilled one such promise, a promise mentioned in Mosiah 12:3; 13:10; and 17:18. Abinadi had predicted that those who followed Noah with such devotion during his spiral into iniquity would one day value his life “as a garment in a hot furnace." We see here that they did.

But there was another promise—another prophecy—made by Abinadi to the people of Noah. That promise, found in Mosiah 12:1-8, was that these rebellious Nephites would be brought into bondage (12:2) and would be smitten and slain (12:2) because of their refusal to repent. That bondage began, as we have seen, in Mosiah 19. The fulfillment of the rest of the prophecy, with regard to the people of Limhi, we will see in Mosiah 21 and 22.

3. LIMHI'S PEOPLE ARE CHASTENED AND EVENTUALLY DELIVERED BY THE LORD (Mosiah 20-22)

The wicked priests ought to be in the Guinness Book of World Records under misery. Their drunkenness and immorality, their support of king Noah, their abandonment of their wives and children, their flight into the wilderness . . . and if that were not enough, they were able to initiate through their iniquity and lack of self control to initiate a war between the Nephites and the Lamanites, following two years of relative peace (see Mosiah 20:29), by kidnaping 24 Lamanite daughters. And there is more.

One of Limhi's great desires was that these men should be captured. They were thieves.

And he caused that his people should watch the land round about, that by some means they might take those priests that fled into the wilderness, who had stolen the daughters of the Lamanites, and that had caused such a great destruction to come upon them. For they were desirous to take them that they might punish them; for they had come into the land of Nephi by night, and carried off their grain and many of their precious things; therefore they laid wait for them (Mosiah 21:20,21).

The misery the Nephites experienced at the hands of the Lamanites was in fulfillment of the prophecies of Abinadi.

And it came to pass that after many days the Lamanites began again to be stirred up in anger against the Nephites, and they began to come into the borders of the land round about. Now they durst not slay them, because of the oath which their king had made unto Limhi; but they would smite them on their cheeks, and exercise authority over them; and began to put heavy burdens upon their backs, and drive them as they would a dumb ass Yea, all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled (Mosiah 21:2-4).

The people were in agony and “did afflict the king sorely" (21:6) with their desires to go to battle. They went, three times, and were defeated each time. Then, finally, it happened.

And they did humble themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the yoke of bondage, submitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened, according to the desires of their enemies. And they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions (Mosiah 21:13,14).

Their humility and their cries did not go unnoticed, but . . .

the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord did hear their cries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they began to ease their burdens; yet the Lord did not see fit to deliver them out of bondage. And it came to pass that they began to prosper by degrees in the land, and began to raise grain more abundantly, and flocks, and herds, that they did not suffer with hunger (Mosiah 21:15,16).

In the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord said this:

They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; therefore, the Lord their God is slow to hearken unto their prayers, to answer them in the day of their trouble. In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me (D&C 101:7,8).

We have seen too many TV shows. We are not accustomed to problems than cannot be solved quickly. But the Lord is working on the composition of the human soul, where eternal changes are almost always prolonged.

We should remember that people don't get in serious trouble in one step. I don't think anyone steps off a precipice into the depths of immorality and apostasy. They slide down the slippery sides of the chasm. When they hit bottom, it's interesting that usually they want to take one step out. There's not one step out any more than there was one step in. It's a long, hard climb. Mostly they have to crawl to get outCon their knees. The best way out is to get into the organized activity pattern of the Church, to stay in it and resist the temptation to be drawn out of it. When people get out of this pattern, penalties come. They find themselves unhappy . . . and no one wants to be unhappy (Elder Boyd K. Packer, Improvement Era, May 1970, p. 7).

Chapter 21 explains the arrest of Ammon and some of his men from Zarahemla. Limhi thought perhaps they were some of the wicked priests of Noah (see 21:23.24). We also learn in this chapter the of the manner in which the plates of the Book of Ether were discovered (see 21:25-27).

In Mosiah 22, the Nephites escape from the Lamanites and return to the land of Zarahemla where they join the people of Nephi. This escape is fulfillment of another promise of the Lord to his children.

Verily I say unto you, notwithstanding their sins, my bowels are filled with compassion towards them. I will not utterly cast them off; and in the day of wrath I will remember mercy (D&C 101:9).

4. THE LORD DELIVERS ALMA'S PEOPLE FROM BONDAGE (Mosiah 23,24)

The righteousness of Alma's people did not prevent the prophecies of Abinadi from being fulfilled. But their experience with their enemies and with bondage was a much different one from the experience of the people of Noah and Limhi.

When his people asked Alma to be king, he deferred. He had seen (so had they for that matter!) how much damage a wicked king could do to a righteous people. Nephi (see 2 Nephi 5:18) and the brother of Jared (see Ether 6:22,23) had similar concerns. Alma defined the issue clearly when he warned:

And also trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments (Mosiah 23:14)

This is a lesson worth exploring. We cannot be too careful about those to whom we give our allegiance.

I had a friend in high school. He came from a broken home and lived with a father who beat him frequently and made life miserable for him, his younger brother, and his mother. But I liked him. He was bold and creative and resourceful. From time to time he would confide in me that one day he and his brother were going away . . . far away. When the time was right, and the opportunity appeared, they would find a way to leave their father behind forever. Usually following such a sharing of confidence, J.M. would ask me if I would come with them.

I was always flattered that he would ask, and I always said Yes. The truth is that I had no need or desire to go. My family was great! Mom and Dad were warm and loving and I was safe. But I wanted to be accepted, to appear adventurous. After a couple of years, the family moved to a nearby state. Months later we got a newspaper clipping in the mail from the mother of the two boys. J.M. had learned enough by reading and observation to convince himself and his brother that he could fly a plane. One night they went to the airport, stole and Piper Cub, and took off. At 5000 feet J.M. apparently lost control of the aircraft. It crashed and they were both killed.

I remember sitting at the kitchen table reading the article with my mother. What if they had attempted the flight while they lived in my ward? What if I had been invited to come along? I might have trusted J.M. enough to go. It could have cost me everything.

And also trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments (Mosiah 23:14)

We cannot be too careful about whom we decide to trust.

The Lamanite army that had followed Limhi and his people into the wilderness became lost. In their wanderings they had found the people of the wicked priests in a place they called Amulon (23:31). Then they stumbled upon the people of Alma in Helam.

In the book of Mosiah we see four different groups of people react to the coming of a Lamanite army. Their reactions are diverse and most enlightening.

ZENIFF (see Mosiah 10:9,10). “And it came to pass that I caused that the women and children of my people should be hid in the wilderness; and I also caused that all my old men that could bear arms, and also all my young men that were able to bear arms, should gather themselves together to go to battle against the Lamanites; and I did place them in their ranks, every man according to his age. And it came to pass that we did go up to battle against the Lamanites; and I, even I, in my old age, did go up to battle against the Lamanites. And it came to pass that we did go up in the strength of the Lord to battle."

NOAH (see Mosiah 19:9). “And the king commanded the people that they should flee before the Lamanites, and he himself did go before them, and they did flee into the wilderness, with their women and their children."

LIMHI (see Mosiah 20:7-9). “Therefore they sent their armies forth; yea, even the king himself went before his people; and they went up to the land of Nephi to destroy the people of Limhi. And now Limhi had discovered them from the tower, even all their preparations for war did he discover; therefore he gathered his people together, and laid wait for them in the fields and in the forests. And it came to pass that when the Lamanites had come up, that the people of Limhi began to fall upon them from their waiting places, and began to slay them."

ALMA (see Mosiah 23:27-29). “Alma went forth and stood among them, and exhorted them that they should not be frightened, but that they should remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them. Therefore they hushed their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord that he would soften the hearts of the Lamanites, that they would spare them, and their wives, and their children. And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the hearts of the Lamanites. And Alma and his brethren went forth and delivered themselves up into their hands; and the Lamanites took possession of the land of Helam."

There is a lesson here, and it is the lesson of Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

When the Lamanite king gave Amulon permission to rule Helam and the people of Alma, things became nearly unbearable. But from that experience came a wonderful lesson. I wrote the following several years ago.

The Nephites who had joined the church at the Waters of Mormon and who had settled at Helam were placed in bondage by the Lamanites. (See Mosiah 18, 23, and 24.) Amulon, Alma's former colleague and present enemy, was made king over the people of Alma, and he undertook to make their lives miserable. He "exercised authority over them, and put tasks upon them, and put taskmasters over them." (Mosiah 24:9.)
And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God.
And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death. (Mosiah 24:10, 11.)
In the bitterness of his apostasy, Amulon could not bear the shame generated by the worship of his subjects. To end his discomfort, he installed the death penalty for prayer:
And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts. (Mosiah 24: 25.)
The Lord responded, “Lift up your heads and be of good comfort . . . I will deliver [you] out of bondage. And I will ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders." (Mosiah 24:13, 14.)

An account of a similar incident comes from the Massacre at Haun's Mill in 1838. Almost twenty men or boys were killed in the attack on a small Mormon settlement by a mob of Missouri settlers. Fifteen others were wounded. The mob, before leaving, "pillaged the village and robbed the dead of their boots, clothing, and valuables." When they left the mill "they dragged with them horses, wagons, cows, and property of nearly every description belonging to the settlement." (Joseph Smith and the Restoration, Ivan J. Barrett, 1968, p. 330.)
A few days following the attack, a number of the mob returned. According to members of this group of rabble, they "lived fat, too," feasting on the remaining cattle and hogs that should have sustained the surviving widows and orphans, as well as the wounded. (Ibid.)
Like the people of Alma, these unfortunate victims found their only solace in prayer, and the widows vented their feelings in heartfelt appeals to their Heavenly Father. (Assorted Gems of Priceless Value, N.B. Lundwall, p. 97.) And, like Amulon, two thousand years earlier, the mobbers could not endure the guilt engendered by these prayers.
One of the mobbers delivered the warning, "The captain [Captain Comstock] says if you women don't stop your damn praying, he will send down a posse and kill every damn one of you!" Even the solutions were the same. Prayers and cries were hushed as women, fearful for their lives, spoke to their Creator in the silence of their hearts and minds.
But for at least one, this terrified silence was a shame and humiliation. Amanda Smith longed to hear her own voice raised in prayer. One morning, as the day began, she slipped into a nearby cornfield, crawled into a shock of corn, and raised her "voice high that it reached the heavens." (Enos 1:4.)
As she left her sanctuary a voice spoke to her, repeating the following words from the hymn "How Firm a Foundation":

That soul who on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I cannot, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell shall endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake!

From that moment on, she was at peace. (Ibid.) [From Rending the Veil of Heaven, Ted Gibbons, pp. 51,52)

Alma's people paint a powerful portrait of true disciples in a time of trouble. We learn from them what we ought to do (see Mosiah 24:15,16)

-They did submit cheerfully and with patience to the will of the Lord

-They had great faith

We also learn what God is able to do for us in such situations:

-The Lord softened the hearts of their enemies (23:29)

-The Lord eased the burdens upon their shoulders (24:14)

-The Lord did strengthen them (24:15)

-He promised to go with them and deliver them out of bondage (24:16,17)

-He caused a deep sleep to come upon their enemies (24:19)

-He promised to stop their pursuers in the valley of Alma (24:23)

-They reached Zarahemla in only twelve days (24:25) The people of Limhi were many days in the wilderness (see 22:13)

CONCLUSION:

Enos and the Brother of Jared knew that God cannot lie (Enos 1:6; Ether 3:12). We must know it too. We must put our trust in the promises of the Lord. We have seen in these chapters that he is perfectly reliable. It is that quality that enables us to have faith in him.

I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round. (Alma 7:20)

In Our Lovely Deseret: Where does our journey take us after baptism?

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:16:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

What things have you found yourself doing, year after year, on your baptism day?

Brigham Young was baptized on April 14, 1832. On the same date, 15 years later, he began a journey to gather the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the West. This journey of 1847 was to impact hundreds of thousands of lives for generations to come — it was to change the face of the country and the face of the kingdom of God for all time.

May 2012 Sharing Time: Path to Baptism

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:05:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: This sharing time will engage the children in a game that teaches them about baptism and the Holy Ghost.

Preparation: Create a poster of a path leading up to a gate by enlarging the sample below (or clicking here for a PDF), or drawing a simple version of your own. Create a game marker using a magnet or paper shape with tape on the back. Place the poster at the front of the room. Obtain and post pictures of Christ’s baptism, a child being baptized, and a child being confirmed.

Prepare strips of paper with the questions and songs listed below. Put the individual strips into a box or basket.

• What does someone being baptized wear? (white clothing)

• How old must someone be to be baptized? (at least eight years old)

• Sing “When I Am Baptized,” Children’s Songbook, 103.

• Who can perform a baptism? (a Priest in the Aaronic priesthood or someone who holds the Melchizedek priesthood)

• Before being baptized, a person needs to be interviewed by someone. Who? (bishop or branch president)

• What does immersion mean? (to be completely covered by water)

• Is baptism scary? (no, the person baptizing you will hold onto you the whole time)

• Who baptized Jesus? (John the Baptist)

• What is a covenant? (a promise between you and Heavenly Father)

• After we are baptized we are confirmed a member of the Church and given what gift? (the Holy Ghost)

• Sing “Baptism,” Children’s Songbook, 100.

• When do we renew our baptismal covenants? (when we take the Sacrament)

• The Holy Ghost is sometimes known by other names. Can you tell us one? (comforter, still, small voice, Spirit of God)

• Where are people baptized? (usually in a font of water in a church building, but sometimes in a river, lake, or pool)

Presentation: Show the children the poster. Explain that baptism is the gate to the strait and narrow path that leads to eternal life (see 2 Nephi 31). Tell them they are going to play a game and try to get the game piece through the gate.

Ask a child to come forward and choose a strip of paper from the basket. Read the question to them. They can get help from the rest of the Primary if they want. When they answer the question, they can move the marker up one step on the path. Clarify the concept, if needed. If the paper has a song on it, have the child help lead the song then move the marker up. Repeat with additional children until the marker reaches the top of the path.

Testify that you know the children are choosing the right when they get baptized. Jesus gave them the example of what to do and Heavenly Father is very happy when they take this important step.

Book of Mormon Lesson 16: "Ye Shall Be Called the Children of Christ"

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:05:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Every organization requires certain standards of its members, and in the conclusion of King Benjamin's sermon, he teaches us the requirements for becoming part of the family of Christ.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

Suppose that in this community there are ten beggars who beg from door to door for something to eat, and that nine of them are impostors who beg to escape work, and with an evil heart practice imposition upon the generous and sympathetic, and that only one of the ten who visit your doors is worthy of your bounty; which is best, to give food to the ten, to make sure of helping the truly needy one, or to repulse the ten because you do not know which is the worthy one? You will all say, Administer charitable gifts to the ten, rather than turn away the only truly worthy and truly needy person among them. If you do this, it will make no difference in your blessings, whether you administer to worthy or unworthy persons, inasmuch as you give alms with a single eye to assist the truly needy. (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol.8, p.12, March 5, 1860)

INTRODUCTION:

Consider the word qualifications. There seem to be qualifications or requirements for membership in every organization. In order to belong to the Kiwanis, I must meet certain standards. To be a student at any school, I must meet the admission requirements and abide by the established rules. To be a doctor or a lawyer or a real estate agent, I must demonstrate a proficiency and knowledge about the profession in order to obtain a license to practice.

Gaining membership to some organizations is much simpler than others, of course. Joining the student body at Harvard requires a level of expertise and preparation different from the admission requirements at Canyon View Junior High. Brain surgeons and rocket scientists must abide by more rigorous standards of preparation and performance than lumberjacks and street vendors. Even membership in a family requires admittance by birth or adoption. I cannot pick the loveliest home in Orem, walk in off the street with a suitcase, pick a bedroom as my own, and expect to be invited to dinner and to help dispose of the family fortune.

The conclusion of King Benjamin's sermon teaches us that there are qualifications for membership in the family of Christ. That sermon, and the events and explanations which follow it, teach us how to become “the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters . . .” (Mosiah 5:7)

1. KING BENJAMIN'S PEOPLE SEEK AND RECEIVE A REMISSION OF THEIR SINS (Mosiah 4:1-12)

When Benjamin finished delivering the words he received from an angel, “he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth" (Mosiah 4:1). Think back over the most powerful moments of your church experience. You have heard sermons that have moved you deeply. You have felt the burning power of the Spirit bearing witness to you of the truthfulness of things you are hearing and feeling. But have you ever reacted to a sermon like these people reacted? Has the recognition of your “own carnal state" and the realization that you are “even less than the dust of the earth" caused you to lose the ability to stand or sit upright.

I remember a similar moment at the Missionary Home in Salt Lake City. In ancient times (1965), all missionaries spent a week in Salt Lake City at the Missionary Home, in a spot more recently occupied by Deseret Gym, and most recently by the new Conference Center. A parade of general authorities came to speak to us. Day after incredible day they taught us and bore witness to us. In between these moments we sang and prayed and studied and attended the temple. I experienced wonderful moments with the Holy Spirit, but I also remember still the agony I felt from time to time as I confronted my own weaknesses and my lack of preparation for missionary service. I was overwhelmed by the recognition of a mountain of tiny transgressions that had distanced me from the Spirit and added to the suffering of the Savior. Some moments I felt weak and unworthy and even, at times, hopeless. I frequently felt inclined to fall on my face before Him and beg for His forgiveness. The heaviness of my weaknesses seemed of such a magnitude that I could hardly remain upright under the burden. And generally speaking I had been good. I was not guilty of great or malignant sins. Rather, I was rendered almost powerless by a hoard of tiny, suffocating iniquities, and the scope of my procrastination.

I think the people of Zarahemla must have felt like that. They fell to the earth and cried,

O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men. (Mosiah 4:2)

The imagery here is taken from the story of the first Passover, when Israel, aware of the impending arrival of the angel of death, literally applied the blood of a lamb, that they might be saved from death. These wonderful, repentant people of Zarahemla, transformed by the Spirit and by the power of Benjamin's sermon, asked that the Blood of the Lamb might be applied to the door posts and lintels of their own lives. Perhaps you will excuse the repetition here of a quote I think I used earlier in this course of study.

The Passover is a type of deliverance . . . It is a deliverance from the doom we deserve for our sins; from the spiritual death that awaits the wicked; from the outer darkness of Egypt and Sodom and Sheol––because the blood of Christ has been applied to us by faith. By sprinkling our Lord's blood upon the doorposts of our hearts and upon the lintels of our souls, we set our dwellings apart from the world: we make open and visible confession of our allegiance to Him whose blood has eternal saving power; we set ourselves apart from the Egyptians, the Sodomites, and the seekers after Sheol; and we place ourselves with the believing portion of mankind. (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah, Vol.1, p.165 p.166)

And it happened. The 'atoning blood" was applied and they were cleansed and lifted.

And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them. (Mosiah 4:3).

Most members are familiar with these verses. But there are some elements of this experience that we often miss. For example, Benjamin explains that what caused them to see themselves as they really were. “was the knowledge of the goodness of God [which has] at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state . . ." (Mosiah 4:5) Benjamin spent some time in Mosiah 2 (see lesson #15) explaining all that God has done for his children, and how little he requires of them in return. This message has penetrated the hearts of the those who have heard or read the words of their King. Benjamin continues:

I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his longsuffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal bodyI say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world. (Mosiah 4:6,7)

This is the beginning and end of the reality of salvation. For

this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you. (Mosiah 4:8)

Those conditions are precisely the qualifications that will make it possible to become a member of the family of Christ. They involve believing and doing.

Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them. (Mosiah 4:9,10)

You will have noticed that these people received a remission of their sins (see 4:3). I used to spend my summers working on a pig farm in Arizona. I spent long, sweaty days in an environment saturated by the smell of tens of thousands of pigs. How I loved to go home and shower at the end of a work-day. It felt so good to be clean! These people, cleansed and filled with joy must have had an experience a hundred times more grand. But my experience with filth had not ended with a single shower. I had to go back to the pigs day after day. And Benjamin knew that his listeners would again confront temptation and sin in an infinite variety of costumes. Having been cleansed once was not sufficient to guarantee a permanent place in the family of Christ. Benjamin wanted them to understand that certain things would be required of them if they wanted to stay clean.

I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and longsuffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel. And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true. (Mosiah 4:11,12, emphasis added)

2. KING BENJAMIN TEACHES HIS PEOPLE HOW TO LIVE CHRISTLIKE LIVES (Mosiah 4:13-30)

Benjamin continues to give the prescription for admission into the family of Christ. Here is a list of additional requirements:

-“Ye will not have a mind to injure one another" (4:13)

-You will “live peaceably" (4:13)

-You will “render to every man according to that which is his due" (4:13)

-“Ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked" (4:14)

-“Neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil" (4:14)

-“Ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness" (4:15)

-“Ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another" (4:15)

-“Ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor" (4:16)

This matter of helping those in need of our succor occupies most of the remainder of the chapter. What is it that Benjamin is saying a member of Christ's family will do when confronted with someone who is naked or hungry? Benjamin seems to be saying that there is only one acceptable excuse for not imparting of our substance to another in need. That excuse is that we do not have any to give (see 4:24). Any other rationalization constitutes sin.

Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just. (Mosiah 4:17)

In this context, re-read the Quote of the Week at the beginning of this lesson. We have all had this experience, or we will have. Someone will stop us and ask us to give a little or a lot to assist in a temporary or continuous time of need and want.

When I was stationed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, I lived in the small farming community of Pomerene. Much of the labor in the fields was performed by young and middle-aged men who had crossed the border from Mexico and come north looking for work. By the time they reached the farmlands of Pomerene, they had generally been walking in the desert for at least 30 miles. They arrived hungry and thirsty. Pomerene was located astride Interstate 10, about 40-50 miles east of Tucson. Actually, only two houses were located on the south of the freeway. The others were all on the north.

One day in a Sunday School class we discussed these chapters from Mosiah and Benjamin's counsel about dealing with the poor. After a few moments a lady raised her hand. She and her husband lived in one of the houses south of the highway. She spoke of the plight of these illegal aliens, of their poverty and of their hunger. “But," she concluded, “I don't feed any of them. If I do they will mark my house in some way, and then they will all stop. If I feed one, I will have to feed them all."

The discussion continued for a few moments, and then the wife of the bishop raised her hand. She and her family lived in the other house south of I-10. She seemed almost reluctant to speak, but finally she said something like this. “I do not mean to find fault, and I am not being critical, but I want you to know how my husband and I feel about this matter. No one leaves our house hungry. And if my husband and I are not home, the children know. Anyone who comes to our door hungry will be fed."

Like the bishop's wife, I do not intend to judge or be critical. It may be that the first lady who spoke refused these visitors because she did not have enough for them and for her own family. Benjamin spoke to people like that:

And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give. And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received. (Mosiah 4:24,25)

But I also know what I felt as I listened to the bishop's wife. I understood quite clearly what is expected of the members of the family of Christ. I have a wife who understands also. She could no more ignore someone in such desperate circumstances than she could ignore the need to breathe. It is a part of her being to serve and succor.

Benjamin explains how inconsistent it would be for someone in his audience at Zarahemla or reading the pages of the Book of Mormon to turn away a beggar.

For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind? And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy. (Mosiah 4:19,20)

This is wonderful doctrine.

And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another. (Mosiah 4:21)

If we, who are always unprofitable servants, receive such undeserved bounty from the Father, we ought to impart to our brothers and sisters in need with that same liberality.

And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done. (Mosiah 4:22)

Remember the purpose behind these teachings of Benjamin.

And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto youthat is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before GodI would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants. (Mosiah 4:26, emphasis added)

KING BENJAMIN'S PEOPLE EXPERIENCE A AMIGHTY CHANGE" OF HEART AND COVENANT TO DO GOD'S WILL IN ALL THINGS (Mosiah 5,6)

One day about three years ago I was teaching a lesson in Family Home Evening about the experience of the people of Zarahemla. I read the first two verses of Mosiah 5, emphasizing the fact that these people had no more disposition to do evil. They just wanted to do good. I expressed the conviction I felt that this was a description of spiritual rebirth––of being born again. My son, who will be home exactly one month from today from a wonderful mission experience in California, asked, “Is that what that means, Dad?"

“I think so," I told him.

“That's just how I feel," he replied. We shared a quiet moment of wonder and joy. We knew it was true. He was a member of our family, be he belonged to another family as well. In Moses 6:59, we are taught this:

. . . inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;

Birth and spiritual rebirth both involve at least four steps, three of which are outlined here. We are born into the world “by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul." One of the first signs of the arrival of a baby is the breaking of the water. Following the birth there is a cleansing of the blood––that protective substance that surrounds and insulates the baby in the womb. And sometime between conception and birth, a spirit enters that body, which thereby becomes a living soul. Our rebirth follows that same process.

. . . even so [we] must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten.

There is one other thing that happens following the birth process. The one born is given a name––a family name. In my case it was Gibbons, a name to give some indication of belonging. This baby is ours, the name proclaimed. He belongs to this family. The same thing happens to those who are born again. Benjamin explains it in this way:

And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters. (Mosiah 5:7)

Benjamin instructed his son Mosiah to call the conference at which he announced that Mosiah would take his place. Note that Benjamin lived three additional years after leaving government service (see Mosiah 6:5). During that time––during the final three years of his life––Benjamin, like his father before him, worked the land, Athat thereby he might not become burdensome to his people" (Mosiah 6:7)

At that conference, Benjamin had promised to give unto the people a name (see Mosiah 1:11). We have seen here that he did precisely that. Mosiah 5 gives us some interesting insights into the significance of taking the name of Christ. Read the chapter and answer these questions:

-How do you get the name? (5:7)

-Why is the name important? (5:9,10)

-Where is the name written? (5:12)

-How do we lose the name? (5:11)

-What must we know besides the name? (5:12)

-How do we come to know about the man whose name we have taken? (5:13)

-What is the name? (5:9,10)

Those who have taken the name of Christ are called by that name––they are called Christians. But as these questions and Benjamin's teachings show, it is much more than a title, more than a family name, more than a badge or stamp of approval. It is a way of life. Those who belong to this family must follow the head of the family. “Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold upthat which ye have seen me do" (3 Nephi 18:24).

CONCLUSION:

While I was suffocating under the weight of my sins at the Missionary Home, I prayed constantly for forgiveness. I wanted to be clean and to feel free. During a meeting late in the week, our Mission President spoke to us. An assigned speaker had encountered a conflict and our President had chosen to fill in at a moment's notice. He spoke by the Spirit. The words were not of his creation nor choosing. My heart burned and I wept and wept as I was taught from on high. Then a miracle happened. Somewhere in his talk he paused for a moment and made this comment: “I know that many of you have been pleading with the Lord for a remission of you sins, and I want you to know that the Lord has forgiven each and every one of you in the spirit of your repentance."

I do not know what happened to anyone else at that moment, but I know what happened to me. I was clean. Suddenly, undeniably, utterly clean. If I had been standing when that revelation came, the weakness of my physical frame would have forced into a seat or onto the floor. As Enos said, “My guilt was swept away." (Enos 1:6) I wish I could say that I have retained that remission. I wish I could feel always as I felt then. But the memory has remained with me. I have remembered how good it feels to belong to his family, and to be clean.

Helpings Hands Program Opens Way for Missionary Work, New Stake in Amapa, Brazil

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:06:00 -0600

source: news.lds.org

On Saturday, March 10, 2012, 21 people—including both families and individuals—entered the waters of baptism. This is the largest number of people in recent years in the Brazilian states of Para and Amapá, both part of the Brazil Belém Mission, to receive the ordinance of baptism on the same day and to become “fellowcitizens” with the Saints (Ephesians 2:19), and walk “in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

FHE: Church Membership

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:05:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: When we join Christ's church, we become His sons and daughters and are strengthened by our devotion to Him.

Conference Talk:

For more information on this topic read “The Importance of a Name,” by M. Russell Ballard, Ensign, Nov 2011, 79.

Thoughts:

We must be willing to let others know whom we follow and to whose Church we belong: the Church of Jesus Christ.

(M. Russell Ballard, “The Importance of a Name,” Ensign, Nov 2011, 79.)

Song:

“The Church of Jesus Christ,” Children’s Songbook, p. 77.

Scripture:

I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives. . . . And I would that ye should remember also, that this is the name that I said I should give unto you that never should be blotted out, except it be through transgression; therefore, take heed that ye do not transgress, that the name be not blotted out of your hearts.

(Mosiah 5:8,11)

Lesson:

Invite the strongest and smallest members of your family to stand. Ask the person to imagine that the strongest family member represents Christ while the smallest represents each of us. Using a rope, handcuffs, or other material, tie the hands of these two people together. Ask them how the weaker person would be helped by uniting with the strongest. How is a covenant with Christ similar to being tied to or bound to Him?

Show your family this picture of a yoke and ask someone to read Matthew 11:29. Discuss the following questions:

• What is a yoke used for? (A yoke harnesses two animals together so that they can pull a heavier load than either could carry alone.)

• How is the covenant that binds us to the Savior more like a yoke than ropes or handcuffs?

• What would be the value of being bound to or yoked to Jesus Christ?

• What kinds of burdens does Christ help us carry that are too much for us to bear alone?

• What advantages might this covenant relationship bring, if we began to stray away from Christ?

• According to Mosiah 5:15, what is the ultimate blessing to those who choose to be bound to Jesus Christ?

(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Book of Mormon, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003], p. 121.)

Story:

The morning I left for Ha’apai [Tonga] the [mission] president said, “We have one hundred membership cards of lost and unknown people from Ha’apai that have been in the office for a long time, so we are going to send them to Salt Lake City.”

I asked, “What do you mean lost and unknown? There isn’t anyone lost and unknown in Ha’apai.”

He replied, “Well, here are one hundred membership cards that no one seems to know about. Do you know any of them?”

I looked and could identify no one. I asked if, before sending them to Salt Lake City, he could give me a couple of months to see if I could find them. He agreed.

I returned to Ha’apai. Even though my back was still hurting some, I was feeling much better, especially knowing there wasn’t anything seriously wrong.

Over the next few months we asked everyone we could about the people whose names were on the “lost and unknown” cards. One of the problems at that time with records in Tonga was that people often changed their names. I used to get after them for changing their names, and they would always come back to me and say, “Do you palangis die with the same name you are born with?”

“Yes,” I said. Then I explained how for the records of the Church that is the best thing. They looked at me in disbelief and said, “Then you don’t progress at all through life?”

At first I did not understand, but they explained that in their culture, when they changed their attitude or position or proved themselves in life, they changed their name as a sign of their new situation. They would quote from the Old Testament and show how Abram’s name was changed to Abraham, Sariah to Sarah, and Jacob to Israel. They used many examples in the Old Testament and explained that when you do something, proving yourself in a certain way, then you change your name accordingly. They seemed to feel that was the pattern God followed.

They pointed out that our wives take on them the family name of their husbands and that all the faithful will take on them the name of Christ. I couldn’t answer much. They continued explaining that according to their custom, if you die with the same name you were given at birth, it is a sign of failure in life. Their arguments reinforced my feeling that to understand Tonga, you must understand the Old Testament.

Most of their examples came from the Old Testament, but they also used examples from the New Testament and the Book of Mormon, such as Saul becoming Paul, the Lamanites becoming Anti- Nephi-Lehis, and King Benjamin giving his people a new name when they changed their hearts.

They used other more obscure references that I had never heard of before, but that to them were significant. This may be one of the reasons Tongans take to temple work so naturally. Their kings are given new names when they become king (as is often done with English and other kings). There is so much similarity between the Old Testament, the temple, and the Tongan culture that I am convinced they are of the blood of Israel, their forefathers had the truth and had temples, and at one time they understood correct gospel principles. An outsider may not think so, but I have no question.

We continued searching and asking questions about the “lost and unknown people” everywhere we went. Even though there were more than fifteen thousand people in Ha’apai, everyone knew everyone or at least could make a connection very quickly. When there are not a lot of material things to take your time and attention, you tend to concentrate more on what you do have, such as families, friends, and relationships. All we had to do was talk to enough people and before long we found, or accounted for, ninety-nine out of those one hundred. Most of them were still in Ha’apai. Several had died or had moved, and many had changed names, but they were all real people and they were there. It was one of the most fascinating detective adventures I had ever had.

We found many people to teach as we contacted them asking about these cards. We finally got down to the last membership card, which seemed to be the biggest puzzle of all. We thought ninety- nine out of one hundred was pretty good, but still felt like trying to make it a perfect job and find all one hundred.

One day we were on a boat that we seldom used to go to another island. Most of the time we used our own sailboat, but often it was in such bad shape that we could not use it and had to take passage on other boats. As we traveled, we talked about the person on that last card. The membership cards at that time gave a lot of information, such as who baptized them, who their father and mother were, and the like. When I mentioned the name of the Elder who had baptized this “missing” person, I noticed out of the corner of my eye the captain sort of ducking his head. I went back by the rudder and talked to him- sure enough, he was the man. He had been baptized long ago, which was the last he had to do with the Church. But when the Elder’s name who baptized him was mentioned, it brought back a distant memory of that baptism and he responded. The captain had changed his name since then, and no one had any idea he was a member.

Things are gradually changing in Tonga now, as they realize the need to consistently use the same name in issuing birth certificates and passports for international travel, among other reasons. I’m sure this is more convenient, but I’m not sure that it indicates progress.

Most of the people we located came back into activity, but some did not. I was convinced then, and still am now, that there is no such thing as a lost and unknown person in the Church, especially in Tonga. There are only “unidentified people,” and with effort they can all be found.

(John H. Groberg, The Other Side of Heaven, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1993].)

Activity:

Fold a paper into thirds, with the folds running horizontally across the paper. The first player draws a head and neck in the first section without permitting the others to see what he has drawn.

He then folds the paper and passes it to the next person. They draw the body and trunk. The paper is again folded and passed for the next player to draw the legs and feet. After the “work of art” has been completed, the paper is unfolded and the creation is put on display.

Explain that when the church is not organized properly it might “go all to pieces.”

(Alma Heaton, The LDS Game Book, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1968], p.52.)

Refreshment

Popcorn Nut Crunch

Makes 12 servings

3 quarts popped corn

1 1⁄3 cups pecan halves

2⁄3 cup whole almonds (blanched or raw)

1⁄2 cup light corn syrup

1 1⁄3 cups sugar

1 cup butter

1⁄2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups miniature marshmallows, frozen

Butter 2 cookie sheets.

Mix popcorn, pecans, and almonds in a large bowl or pan; set aside. Combine corn syrup, sugar, butter, and cream of tartar in a heavy saucepan. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and maintain a steady boil for 10 minutes, until mixture reaches hard-ball stage, 260 degrees F (when dropped in cold water, mixture forms a hard ball that is difficult to mold when removed from water); remove from heat.

Stir in vanilla and baking soda. Pour over popcorn and nuts, stirring to coat evenly. Add frozen marshmallows and continue stirring until mixture is evenly coated with syrup. Spread on buttered cookie sheets to cool. Break into chunks and store in an airtight container.

(Lion House Cookies and Sweets, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011], p. 122.)

To acces the PDF version of this lesson, click here.

Many hands help with not-so-typical baptism

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 10:23:00 -0600

source: deseretnews.com

Mormon Life says: I absolutely love this. It took nine priesthood holders, each dressed in white, as well as several others on the side, to help a man who uses a wheelchair enter a special pool on Sunday to baptize his disabled roommate.

Clifton Russell Jr., 57, is an elder in the Lincoln Ward, Washington Tacoma Stake, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who used to work in the Bremerton, Wash., naval shipyard. He progressively lost both legs below the knees to diabetes during the past 15 years, started dialysis in 2006. Six months ago, he also lost his eyesight.

Though he spends most of his waking hours in a wheelchair, his disabilities have not prevented him from helping spread his broad smile and loving spirit to everyone he meets.

LDS Church responds to 'ironic' proxy baptism charges

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:40:00 -0700

source: MormonTimes.com

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is "doing exactly what we have been asked to do and what we said we would do" in implementing technological barriers to prevent unauthorized name submissions for proxy baptism, according to LDS Church spokesman Michael Purdy.

Purdy was addressing media reports Thursday that Helen Radkey, the researcher behind the recent spate of announcements that the names of Holocaust victims and others were being inappropriately submitted for the LDS practice of baptism for the dead, believes the new technological measures are primarily aimed at thwarting her work.

Mormon Parenting: The wonderful age of accountability

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:32:00 -0700

source: deseretnews.com

We had a wonderful trip last month as we went to attend the baptisms of two of our grandchildren who had just reached the marvelous “age of accountability.”

We love that phrase ... and we love that age!

What could be more wonderful than an 8-year-old? Kids at this remarkable age are still young enough to be sweet and pure and naive, yet old enough to be very conceptual and to “get things” and to be responsible. For the most part, they have not yet learned cynicism and sarcasm, and perhaps most amazing of all, they still think their parents know something.

LDS Church blocks abuse of proxy name submissions

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:37:00 -0700

source: deseretnews.com

In a letter read in LDS Church worship services last Sunday, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reiterated "the policies first stated in 1995 concerning the submission of names for proxy temple ordinances" and urged "faithful adherence to these policies by all members of the church."

This week, the church has introduced a "technological barrier to prevent abuse of the New FamilySearch system," according to LDS Church spokesman Michael Purdy.

Mormon church blocks whistle-blower’s access to proxy baptism data

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:02:00 -0700

source: sltrib.com

Mormon Life says: The LDS woman who has been searching for controversial baptisms and informing the media talks to the Tribune. Gutsy lady. A technological crackdown, telegraphed by Mormon leaders, has effectively blocked the pre-eminent whistle-blower of controversial proxy baptisms from accessing the LDS Church’s database that chronicles so-called baptisms for the dead.

LDS officials defend the move, saying it helps prevent overzealous Mormons and mischief-makers from violating church policy by submitting the names of prominent Jewish figures, such as Anne Frank and Daniel Pearl, both discovered on the baptism rolls in recent weeks.

Generational Translation and Work for the Dead

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:26:00 -0700

source: bycommonconsent.com

Near the end of his magnum opus on Christian love, Works of Love, Soren Kierkegaard includes a curious little meditation on loving those who are dead. Entitled “The Work of Love in Recollecting One Who Is Dead,” Kierkegaard considers how our love for the deceased may reveal more about our own ability to love than anything else. This is because those I love in life “cover over” certain parts of me, influencing me so profoundly that I cannot fully see myself as I really am. Even more significantly, in my love for those I prefer to love, I cannot see how I truly love and constantly deceive myself that my love is authentic and sufficient. This is because in the presence of the Other I am almost always tempted to not disclose everything, to hold something back, not be fully honest and sincere. But when I try to relate to one who is dead, there is really only one person in such a relationship: me. Only the one who is living is fully disclosed. The dead person cannot speak, change, disclose herself to me, or reciprocate my love.

If Romney was not running for president, would LDS baptisms for the dead be an issue?

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:19:00 -0700

source: huffingtonpost.com

Mormon Life says: Good question. This LDS author explains his thoughts and own family story on the topic. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints has come under fire once again for its practice of baptisms for the dead.

It seems that a member of the church has not followed the guidance of church leaders that members not baptize Holocaust victims or others associated with The Holocaust. Members instead are to seek out their own ancestors for such baptisms.

Romney and the Mormons

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:16:00 -0700

source: huffingtonpost.com

Last week, there were more stories about posthumous Mormon baptisms -- this time it was Daniel Pearl. Pearl's parents sent an email to the Boston Globe, in which they responded to the LDS:

We appreciate your good intentions but rest assured that Danny's soul was redeemed through the life that he lived and the values that he upheld. He lived as a proud Jew, died as a proud Jew and is currently facing his creator as a Jew, blessed, accepted and redeemed.

Mormon Media Observer: What the media often misses in LDS baptism stories

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:28:00 -0700

source: deseretnews.com

I feel fairly certain that Dornan Willett would have been shocked to learn that his years of devotion were newsworthy.

I thought of gentle Willett this week as news media once again made a story out of the practice of baptisms for the dead. His example showed me some of what I think the media coverage — as fair-minded as some of the coverage has tried to be — has missed.

Jewish columnist calls LDS proxy baptism 'eccentric, not offensive'

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 21:25:00 -0700

source: MormonTimes.com

Mormon Life says: Even Gandhi's grandson, Arun, said "during his visit this week to Salt Lake City that he found the strident reaction of some Hindus to news of Gandhi's proxy baptism 'ironic' because of Mahatma Gandhi's life-long legacy of religious tolerance and inclusiveness." Calling proxy baptism in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "eccentric, not offensive," Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby wrote recently that "Mormons undergoing peaceful rituals in their own temples aren't on the list" of the "very real, very dangerous enemies" to Judaism.

"In Judaism, conversion after death is a concept without meaning," wrote Jacoby, who is Jewish. "No after-the-fact rites in this world can possibly change the Jewishness of the men, women, children and babies whom the Nazis, in their obsessive hatred, singled out for extermination.

"By my lights, (Mormon) efforts to make salvation available to millions of deceased strangers were ineffectual," he continued. "But plainly they were sincere, and intended as a kindness."

First Presidency letter: Names submitted for temple ordinances

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:38:00 -0700

source: ldschurchnews.com

The following letter from the First Presidency was mailed to priesthood leaders Feb. 29, 2012, with directions that it is to be read to members during sacrament meeting.

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

We would like to reiterate the policies first stated in 1995 concerning the submission of names for proxy temple ordinances:

The 19th Century Origins of Mormon Posthumous Celebrity Baptism

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:09:00 -0700

source: juvenileinstructor.org

Given the ongoing public discussion of the Mormon practice of baptism for the dead, and particularly how this ritual been conducted by Latter-day Saints in behalf of notable public, “celebrity” figures, it seemed appropriate to post a piece of my ongoing research into this singular religious concept. Specifically, here I note the emergence of the doctrine and practice of baptism for the dead and how it initially came to be performed on behalf of celebrity figures. Of course, the development of baptism for the dead fits into a number of larger contexts, including currents of developing Mormon theology in Nauvoo (as Sam Brown’s new book shows), and into a broader culture where Christian baptism was a common but diversely understood and valued practice.

Recalling the Mormon who tried to save Anne Frank

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:51:00 -0700

source: deseretnews.com

Mormon Life says: This story is worth retelling. In the wake of last week's international media furor over the a reported recent proxy baptism of famed Jewish Holocaust victim Anne Frank in an LDS temple, a noted Jewish scholar is reminding his Jewish readers of a time when the man he called most politically powerful Mormon in America from 1939-41 made a strident effort to save people like the Frank family.

Writing in JTA, which bills itself "the global news service of the Jewish people," Rafael Medoff recounts in detail the efforts of U.S. Sen. William H. King, D-Utah, to pass legislation that would have admitted 20,000 German Jewish refugee children to the United States who were outside the regular immigration quota system.