My 3 Cents

LGBT: Fostering Understanding

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Whiting) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 22:32:00 +0000

As a child, I hardly ever heard anyone talk about homosexuality. Now hardly a day goes by when I don't hear about it. So many issues are now constantly front and center that many of us rarely had to think about years ago. But we can't ignore them. Individuals at opposite ends of gay rights issues cannot afford to go on not understanding--let alone hating--each other.

I've been meaning to talk about my own feelings about homosexuality and LGBT individuals, but haven't been sure where to start. This is by far the hardest topic I've ever tried to write about because of its sensitive nature. I finally decided that there's no way I'll get all my thoughts into one post. There are so many things to talk about. But as usual, the best place to start is on common ground. I will not be delving too deeply into the issue in this post, but wanted to start by setting the tone. Please note that while I've had gay and lesbian friends, I'm not gay myself, so what I say here is according to my best understanding. If I say something that is not right, I hope that you will kindly correct me.

Understanding Terms
LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender. Sometimes there's a Q on the end (LGBTQ) which stands for Questioning, or those who are unsure of or experimenting with their sexuality. However, those of us who are straight do not always understand what these words mean. For example, a man who identifies as gay may not even be sexually active; he may be attracted to other men while choosing not to act on those feelings. The same goes for lesbian and bisexual individuals, and transgender doesn't always mean someone who has undergone a sex-change, but can simply mean someone who identifies as a gender other than his or her biological one. I've heard the terms "practicing gay" or "open and avowed gay" used to describe those who actually participate in homosexual activity, but I've also heard others who disagree with or take offense at these terms. In short, if somebody tells you they're gay, lesbian, etc. it's important to find out what they mean before passing judgement.

Understanding Attitudes
Members or supporters of the LGBT community need to understand that not everyone who is religious or who disagrees with homosexual activity is a homophobe (someone who fears or hates anyone or anything having to do with homosexuality), and saying that they are is just as discriminatory as homophobia is. While homophobes do exist, there are plenty of people (myself included) who try to be accepting of others and their differences, even if we disapprove of the things they do. For example, I disagree with smoking because it is unhealthy and addicting. But that doesn't mean I hate smokers. I'll ask them not to smoke around me and may even try to convince them to stop smoking altogether, but I wouldn't sever a friendship with someone just because they smoked.

What To Talk About Next
In future posts, I'd like to discuss the following:

My beliefs about homosexuality as well as what the LDS Church teaches.
How religious individuals ought to treat members of the LGBT community.
How we can discuss these sensitive issues with others and remain friends even when we disagree.
Some thoughts on specific issues, such as gay marriage, gays in the military and Boy Scouts, etc.

As a brief prelude, I believe that any sexual activity outside of marriage between a man and a woman is wrong and that gender is an essential and eternal characteristic (see The Family: A Proclamation To The World). However, I also strongly disagree with violent or hateful words or actions towards anyone, including LGBT individuals. Christ would never use the poisonous rhetoric towards gays that I hear today, and neither should His disciples.

Faith and/or Works?

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Whiting) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 22:51:00 +0000

Fewer topics have sparked more religious debate among Christians than the age-old "Faith verses Works" question. As I understand it, one side believes that faith in Jesus Christ and accepting Him as our Savior is the only thing that is required for Salvation, while the other side believes that certain works, rights, or ordinances must be followed in order to be saved. This seemingly simple question can get very involved, and there have been many wonderful discussions and talks given on the subject. Instead of answering the question, "Are we saved by our works, or by faith alone?" I will focus specifically on what members of the Church believe.

The question:
"Do Mormons believe we are saved by works or by faith alone?"

The short answer:
We are saved by the Atonement of Christ as we do our best to keep the laws and ordinances of His Gospel. We must both accept Him and obey Him.

The long answer:
Neither extreme makes much sense to me. To claim that we are saved by our works is like saying we're supposed to earn our way into Heaven. But according to Paul, "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). If our good works earn us a place in heaven, then sin undoes our progress and causes us to fall into spiritual debt. King Benjamin further explains why it is impossible for us to get out of this debt by ourselves: "And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?" (Mosiah 2:23-24).

On the other hand, some have claimed that once we accept Jesus as our Savior, nothing more is required of us. But the Savior made it clear that we still have need to keep His commandments. In John 3:5 for example, He makes it clear that baptism is required: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Also, in His parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46), the Savior warned that those who neglected to show kindness and generosity to those around them were not fit for the Kingdom of Heaven. These two scriptures demonstrate the ordinance of baptism and then continued faithfulness necessary to be saved. These could rightfully be considered "good works."

How then do we reconcile these two points of view? We could never do anything to earn our place in Heaven, but we also know there are things we need to do while on this earth. James explained it best: "faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. . . . shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works" (James 2:17-18). In other words, it's not that our works themselves save us, but rather without them, we can't truly claim that we have faith. That makes sense; if we say we believe in Jesus Christ but are not willing to keep His commandments, then do we really believe in Him?

Furthermore, it's not even our faith in Him that saves us. What does save us is His Atonement. The Atonement is what brings us from our current fallen state back into the presence of God. (Note: Atonement = at-one-ment, or to make one.) The details of our Saviors infinite Atonement would merit an entire discussion on its own, so suffice it to say that Jesus paid the debt that all of us owe because of our sins and mistakes; he paid it in full. But that doesn't mean we all get off scott-free. By paying the debt for us, He became our new creditor. But it's okay, because His terms are much easier than those exacted by Justice alone.

By far my favorite analogy is that of the Mediator. I highly recommend you read the entire story here. In summary, a man accrued a great debt, and when it came due, he was unable to pay. If he did not pay, he would be thrown in prison, but it was impossible for him to pay; he did not have the money. His creditor was ready to seize his possessions and take him away, but then the man's Friend stepped in. The Friend offered to pay the man's debt if the man would accept Him as his new creditor. The terms would not be easy, but it would be possible. He wouldn't have to go to prison, and he could keep his possessions.

Let's dissect the parable. The man represents each of us. The debt is our sins, mistakes, and shortcomings that make us unworthy to be in God's presence. The man's first creditor is the law of justice, that demands that all debts be paid or that the consequences be suffered. Being imprisoned would mean being shut out of the presence of God forever. It is obvious then that the man's Friend is Jesus. He is both willing and able to pay the debt, and He has already done so and become our new Creditor. So do we save ourselves from prison by making payments to our Creditor? Not exactly; it would be impossible to be saved if we did not make the payments, but He is the one that made it possible in the first place.

If this parable is an accurate representation of our relationship with the Savior, then all that remains is to determine how we "make payments" to Him. He has asked nothing more or less than our best. Nephi explained that "it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23). And what exactly is "all we can do?" As Jesus taught, we are to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. . . . this do, and thou shalt live." (Luke 10:27-28, emphasis added). We will always fall short of that lofty goal. But thanks to His Atonement, if we accept Him as our Savior and do our best to keep all of His commandments, He will make up the difference.

In or At Jerusalem?

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Whiting) — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 18:20:00 +0000

This is one of those little details that many anti-Mormons still cling to, despite it having been explained many times: the Bible clearly states that Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2, for example). But in the Book of Mormon, Alma prophesies that "he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers" (Alma 7:10). Is this a contradiction? Many claim that it is, but it is not.

The question:
Does the Book of Mormon contradict the Bible concerning the birthplace of Jesus?

The short answer:
No. The Book of Mormon says "at Jerusalem . . . the land of our forefathers," not "in Jerusalem, the city of our forefathers." Bethlehem was close enough to Jerusalem geographically to be considered part of the "land of Jerusalem."

The long answer:
Dr. Kelly Ogden does an excellent job at explaining this subtle difference. I highly recommend anyone concerned about the supposed discrepancy to read what he has to say here (it begins halfway down the page entitled, Why does the Book of Mormon say that Jesus would be born in Jerusalem?), but I will briefly summarize.

First of all, when a city is referred to as a "land," it includes the surrounding areas as well. Dr. Ogden gives several examples of this usage from both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and even one from an ancient letter that refers to Bethlehem as part of the land of Jerusalem. Second, the difference between the word "in" and "at" is small, but significant. The word "at" can mean "close by" or "near" (this is even the case on Webster and Dictionary.com). Bethlehem could certainly be considered near Jerusalem (see any map of New Testament Israel).

The wording used in Alma 7:10 is not only both reasonable and accurate, it is also further evidence that the Book of Mormon was translated from an ancient text rather than written by any man in this era of time. Many more such cases will be revealed to the careful reader who is seeking to learn the truth, rather than trying to find mistakes.

Are Mormons Christian?

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua Whiting) — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 17:52:00 +0000

I've been surprised by the ferocity with which others have attempted to define what I believe in. It just doesn't make sense to me that someone not even acquainted with me would try to tell me what I do or don't believe in. This is how I feel when non-members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints claim that we are not Christian. I think the reason many say this is to attempt to vilify the Church. After all, many Christian denominations believe that it doesn't matter what Church you belong to as long as you believe in Jesus and accept Him as your Savior; so if they can convince themselves and others that Mormons do not, then in their minds they are free to denounce the Church as false.

Often people confuse the question of "Do you consider yourself a Christian?" with "Do you satisfy my definition of what a Christian is?" Isn't a person's Christianity a question of his or her own personal convictions and beliefs? And if that's the case, who really has the right to define those beliefs besides that person and God?

The question:
Are Mormons Christian?

The short answer:
Yes. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. The Church has always taught that. It is, in fact, the foundation of our religion.

The long answer:
The very first Article of Faith states, "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." The third states, "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel." Furthermore, Joseph Smith—the founder of the Church—stated, "The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it" (History of the Church, 3:30).

The Book of Mormon—which, along with the Bible, we believe to be the word of God—has the subtitle "Another Testament of Jesus Christ." Its purpose is "to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations" (Book of Mormon, Title Page). One of the ancient prophets who wrote in the Book of Mormon explained, "we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins" (2 Nephi 25:26).

Leaders of the Church in our day have stated in an official statement entitled The Living Christ, "We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son."

I could go on. Every leader of the Church has testified of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Our scriptures are full of prophecies of his life and ministry as well as His words and teachings. We worship Him through the hymns that we sing in Church every week. Every prayer we pray is closed in his sacred name. I hope that it is abundantly clear that we do believe in Christ and that He is our Savior.

Still, there are those who will insist on arguing semantics and point out reason after reason why Mormons do not fall into their definition of what it means to be Christian. But at the end of the day, I know that I am a Christian, and Jesus knows that I am a Christian. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints—also known as the Mormons—is a Christian church, and Jesus knows that it is a Christian church. And it is His opinion that really matters.

I will close with my own personal testimony, which is that I know that Jesus Christ lives. He is my Savior and Redeemer. He is my Friend. I know that He is the Son of God, and that it is only by living His Gospel that we can achieve true happiness in this life and lasting happiness in the life to come. I know that through His Atonement we can be forgiven of our sins and shortcomings and also be healed of all our hurts, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. I know that He loves us! He loves every person on the planet and only asks that we come unto Him that He may heal and save us. I know these things to be true, and say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.