Author: Contributing Author

Whose are We?

The following question was submitted in the question box: Did god make me or did my mum and dad make me?

The answer is yes.

There are two parts to each of us–the spiritual part, and the physical part.

God made the eternal part–our spirits have existed for eons and will continue to exist forever. They are our essential, unique core. I personally believe that they are the basis of our personalities, our talents, our inclinations and our weaknesses. And they have amazing potential. God made our spirits just like our parents made our bodies–thus, we are literally children of our Heavenly Father, and we can become like Him in character, nature and knowledge. More information about this is found here.

The second part of us is the physical body. The one that is imperfect, weak, tired, hungry, and will eventually die. Our parents made that one (well, God still organized all of the elements that we are made of, but lets not get too technical).  These bodies are really important to our salvation as well. As Dave noted in his post below, the spirit AND the body are the soul of man (and woman). We have to figure out this body in order to eventually have a resurrected body (like Jesus and our Heavenly Father). Sort of like how parents give their 16 year old children a beat up car to learn on before they can even touch the Lexus. . .

jalopylexusSo, whose are we? We’re God’s. Thoroughly. Because the most important part of us, the part of us that will continue forever–that part is divine.

One of the best things in life

We have something that you may want. One of the main emphases in the LDS (Latter-day Saint) Church is on the family. The family is the central unit of society, of our church, and of our lives. Therefore, we are encouraged and assisted in creating strong, stable, happy families. The kind of families that want to stay together not only for this life, but for eternity.

family

And the church also offers that option.

It breaks my heart to see couples who have been together for 50+ years, holding hands, taking care of each other, becoming more and more alike everyday; and know that they were married “till death do you part” by the civil/church ordinance that only has authority over what will happen in this life.

But this is not God’s way. He intends for all of us to continue those relationships after we move on from this life to the next. How could heaven be heaven for me without my wonderful husband and my adorable child and a half (I’m sure this one will be adorable too.)? How could any of us be truly happy and fulfilled when we are separated from the ones we love so dearly? I know that being in the presence of God and Jesus Christ will be more fulfilling than anything else we have ever experienced, but I also know that They love us and want us to be happy. They want us to have everything that they have, which includes our families.

Joseph Smith received revelations about this issue that help to clarify it for me. Jesus was talking about this blessing of eternal marriage and He said,

“All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed. . .whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power. . .are of no efficacy, virtue or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead.
Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.
Will I accept of an offering saith the Lord, that is not made in my name?
Or will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed?
And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained unto you, before the world was.” Doctrine and Covenants 132:7-11.

Or in modern terms, the Lord is saying, “Why do you think that I will just acknowledge any old arrangement you come up with when I rule by laws. There is order in my universe, and I expect order when it comes to your lives too. If you want to be married for eternity, you’d better do it under My authority”

And that authority is precisely what makes the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ powerful and amazing.

God has used this “sealing power” as it has been termed in this dispensation of the gospel throughout the ages. Elijah was the last one to have it before Jesus Christ–he sealed the heavens from rain, raised a boy from the dead, called down fire from heaven and, of course, ascended into heaven on a chariot of fire. He also held the authority of God to do things on the earth and they would be accepted in Heaven.

It goes without saying that Jesus Christ, as part of his earthly ministry, also held this authority. He IS the authority. He was persecuted for not only healing and raising from the dead, but for forgiving sins and making eternal pronouncements. What he said on earth was valid in heaven.

ordain

That highest power of the priesthood was restored to Joseph Smith on April 3, 1836. Because God works with laws and order, he sent Elijah (the last holder of this power on earth, besides Jesus Christ) to ordain Joseph Smith to the same order of the priesthood.

elijah

**sidenote: As you learn more about the restoration of the gospel, you will see these ‘cameos’ by past prophets, who held authority in some form or another, that are sent back to restore what they had to Joseph Smith. It is fascinating and unifying**

Today, there are hundreds of worthy, righteous priesthood holders working in LDS temples that also hold this authority to seal on earth and it will be sealed in heaven. This is what the Lord was referring to in the Doctrine and Covenants section cited above. They can seal you to your family FOREVER. God recognizes their authority to act in His name and through your faithfulness, your family will stay together eternally.

nauvoo

It is simply one of the most amazing aspects to being a member of Christ’s church. And it brings me a lot of joy. Talk to your local LDS missionaries if you want to know more about how you can go to a temple and be sealed to your family.

Mormon Women Part II – Division of Labor

“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” states some basic and essential things about the roles of women and men. “By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.”

Women are endowed with the capacity to love, nurture, protect, feel, serve, obey, beautify, and charm. It is in our mitochondria from all the way back to Eve. Men are ordained and set apart to hold the priesthood. This calling and ordination gives them the power to serve, protect, lift, discern, organize, preach, prophesy, bless and heal. Both callings make us humble. Both callings cause us to be selfless. Both callings allow Christ to build his kingdom on the earth through his servants. A division of labors is absolutely necessary in order to build the kingdom within the lives of each member from childhood on (women) and to organize it locally and globally (men).

Heavenly Father has designed the work of women and men to complement each other and to build on each other. It is as though women are in charge of making sure that each building block is strong, whole and dependable, and the men are in charge of overseeing the organization of those blocks into a church and a kingdom. Neither one would get very far without the other, and when men and women work together to build the kingdom in such a way, they succeed.

Women are just as important as men, and men are just as important as women. We are equal in the sight of God, though our roles on earth differ. “[We must be] ready and prepared to function as a full partner in a celestial team–without having to look up because of any feeling of inferiority, or look down because of any feeling of superiority, but look across into the eyes of an equally prepared, equally magnificent eternal mate.” (Ida Smith. “The Lord as a Role Model for Men and Women.” Ensign, August 1980, 4.)

Mormon Women

I love being a woman in the LDS church. I feel totally liberated and understood.

Some sections of society look upon LDS women with pity – they want to come and free us from our “brain-washed bondage.” Not only do I not need any intervention from “those who know better”, I don’t want it.

This is a church that celebrates women. It follows the example of Christ in loving, respecting and honoring women. Jesus first appeared to Mary, after His resurrection; his last instructions on the cross were for the well-being of his mother; He taught women as much as He taught men. His gospel is good news to EVERYONE – men, women and children, from all over the world, and His church plays no favorites. Women are just as much welcome to His love and salvation as men are, and that is one reason why I feel liberated as an LDS woman.

Another reason is that I am allowed and expected to be a woman; to do things that women enjoy doing. Deep down in the hearts of most women, they want to be home, with their children, nurturing and teaching them how to be contributing members of society. Financial obligations and social pressures make this very difficult for the majority of women in the world–but living an ole’ fashioned family life is something that LDS women are encouraged to do. Does this make us slaves in the kitchen? No. It just allows us to become unfettered by the social chains that demand that we “contribute” to society (all the while letting other people raise our children without any investment in their well-being). I’ve worked in an office. I’ve taught school. I’ve planned conferences and made travel arrangements and handled logistics and gone to fancy dinners (that I had to plan) and it does not even compare to being a mother. There is nothing as rewarding as loving and caring for a baby (or two) every day. Sure, I don’t sleep as much as I’d like, and I just got peed on while in the process of writing this blog. My shirt is often covered with baby-fluids, and my life has revolved around a 3-hour schedule for the last year, but I am so happy. I don’t dread anything in my day–no presentations, no ornery co-workers, no long boring meetings, no disrespectful teenagers and no tech malfunctions that put everything on hold. I find so much satisfaction in watching my son learn to walk and talk (and growl, thanks to his Dad), pick up food and feed himself, notice things around him and get excited about his toys. It can’t be explained, but it is wonderful. Trust me.

Not all LDS women stay home with kids, of course, and that is fine too. Many women work and enjoy it, and they are in total compliance with the church as well. Liberating, isn’t it? We can choose what we want to do, but we are encouraged to do what we have been pre-programmed to enjoy. Families are strong, marriages are strong, people are happy–all doing exactly what God put us here to do.

Those who demand that women have a career may think that the only way to have equal respect is to have identical roles. This approach is like putting a thick and juicy steak and a flaky, delicious fresh peach pie in a blender so that one flavor will not dominate over the other – A well-cooked steak is just as satisfying as a well-prepared pie! (From the perspective of one who would prefer a pie to a steak). Grinding up steak and pie together would ruin the meal — the texture would be lost, the flavor combinations, the distinct tastes. These attributes make them unique, but they do not make one superior over the other. Likewise, putting men and women in a societal blender would not only not work, it would ruin the balance that we need.

Liberating.