Doctrinal Essays

As I have awoken to the power of the scriptures and the doctrines they contain over the last few years, I've come to recognize some Taboo Doctrines among casual members of the church. These subjects are avoided in lessons, sacrament meeting addresses, and conversation because they are either controversial or have a tendency to invoke fear. There is one doctrine in particular that I have come to think of as the Elephant in the Room . We all know it's there, and no one talks about it. Ever. As I have tried to bring it up at different family or social gatherings over the last few years, I've observed some interesting and telling behaviors that indicate this doctrine is widely misunderstood, consequently leaving us in fear, and putting us squarely on the advesaries' turf. It's like what Hermione Granger said " fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself ". I write about this feared 'taboo doctrine' hoping that we can begin to acknowled...

Sometimes we feel the truth of certain principles and hesitate to share them because they may not be popular or may even be seen as false, or considered heresy. I'm afraid this post fits in that category, but I will go ahead and post it anyway. I love the story of William Tyndale . He bravely fulfilled his mission to translate the scriptures into English, and make the bible available to every plow boy, and he did it at a time when it conflicted the incorrect though seemingly correct dogmas that existed in the church in those days. He did it knowing it was a heretical endeavor. That is why I admire him, and believe the spirit of God lit a fire deep in his bones that made his fear of God greater than his fear of men. Now days it would seem foolish to anyone that someone should be excommunicated (let alone, executed) for translating holy writ into another language. There were men in Joseph Smith Jr's day who sought his blood and were eventually victorious. Two wonderful martyr...

Several months ago, Elder Nelson, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke at a BYU Hawaii devotional. In his talk he declared "…my first recommendation is to learn for yourselves who you really are . Ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, how He feels about you and your mission here on earth. If you ask with real intent, over time the Spirit will whisper the life-changing truth to you. Record those impressions and review them often, and follow through with exactness. I promise you that when you begin to catch even a glimpse of how your Heavenly Father sees you and what He is counting on you to do for Him , your life will never be the same! (Russell M. Nelson. Becoming True Millenials ; January 2016). That 'glimpse' he spoke of really struck me as something I wanted - desperately. So I took his challenge seriously and have been seeking those answers ever since. I'm happy to say the answers have been coming. But the process of receiving ...

Dear Brothers and Sisters, For years I have believed a day of division in our church was coming, but I have always supposed it would be over some controversial political issue, like some of those we have seen in the recent past. Perhaps those issues have caused some division, but I believe there is another division taking place that is closer to the heart of the gospel than those issues. It tugs at the heart and soul of the latter-day church, and the experience of a young boy who knew he could receive divine guidance if he asked for it. Following his miraculous vision, he told his experience to his minister and got the following reaction: "he treated my communication not only lightly, but with great contempt, saying it was all of the devil, that there were no such things as visions or revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the apostles, and that there would never be any more of them." ( Joseph Smith - History 1:21 ) I believe in a ch...

The teaching of Jesus concerning False Prophets in Matthew chapter 7 is intriguing. I have often wondered why he taught this peculiar doctrine. The dissenting votes of several of the past General Conferences shed some light on why. Clearly the movement to challenge the legitimacy of the Lord's ordained servants is increasing. But it isn't just dissenting votes of church leaders that compels me. In the last few years I've noticed a number of other warning voices. Many of these voices claim divine manifestations through dreams and visions, and the spirit of prophecy. Unfortunately, the vast majority of church members disregard these 'warners' as false prophets , even though their messages are consistent with core gospel doctrines. The disregard of these warners is an indication to me of a lack of basic doctrinal understanding in the minds and hearts of members, and particularly the doctrine of Prophets and Revelation  (see  9 Basic Doctrines of the Church ). I be...

When a government building or edifice is so important that it requires military protection, there is often a ceremonious changing of the guard that takes place. This procedure, like the one at Arlington National Cemetery, or Buckingham Palace, provides relief to the first crew as the next crew comes on duty.  The scriptures tell a story of a similar changing of the guard [i] . The full story is best realized by studying at least three books of scripture, which include Nephi's vision, the Savior's ministry among the Ancient Americans, and a sermon Joseph Smith gave to the early saints, now known as Section 45 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Applying the metaphor of the military guard to the scriptural example, the special edifice that requires protection is the gospel, or God's kingdom on the earth. The most ceremonious and formal guard to care for her was called to duty about the time of Moses. The manner of guardianship in the kingdom was given by him and others of...