Being "Born Again" - Alma's Teachings

I was once seated many years ago next to our stake patriarch outside the bishop's office while we waited to be interviewed for our temple recommends. He was a wonderful man in his mid-eighties still going strong. In a whimsical mood, I dared to ask him, "Brother Nelson, do you ever lose the desire to sin?" To which he responded with a wink, "Never the desire, only the ability." I've thought a lot about that response. To be truly born again is to submit willingly, not kicking and screaming when old age overtakes us.

And that is the process of true born again conversion. It is not a one time event. I have spoken to people who can give me a date and a time when they were born again. However, what is more accurate is to say we gradually grow into a powerful testimony obtained from the Holy Spirit when that member of the Godhead tells us that the work of God on this earth and in the spirit world and in the resurrection is true, and his great function in that field is to bear testimony of the truth.

For example, at seven weeks old when our youngest child, Adrienne, died unexpectedly in the night, there was burned into my soul by the power of the Holy Ghost a firm and unshakable conviction that the literal resurrection of her body (and by extension all of ours) would allow her to come forth from the grave someday, and that death could claim no permanent victory. When other much-beloved family members have died, similar droplets of testimony were vouched safe to us -- we knew then, and the witness grows stronger with each passing year we will someday see them and be reunited beyond the grave. The Holy Ghost is the source of those powerful assurances as the Testator bears witness to our souls.

Beyond the witness, we are cleansed from sin and are born again and become converted to the truth when we receive the constant companionship of that member of the Godhead. Remember, it is an invitation to accept a gift from our Father in Heaven of the Holy Ghost, not an automatic berth in which we repose without effort on our part to comply to the terms of the covenant. Each week in the sacramental prayers on the bread and water symbols we covenant to remember Christ's atonement for us so that we may always have the Spirit of the Holy Ghost to be with us. (D&C 20:77; 79).

It goes without saying that nobody actually has that companionship of the Holy Ghost all the time, because no one is perfect and no one lives in the ideal and perfect state consistently. But we are admonished by the Spirit continually to do the very best we can, and to get enough of the companionship of the Holy Ghost to have our sins burned out of us as though by fire. And that is what we mean when we say "the baptism of fire," meaning the baptism of the Holy Ghost. That is symbolism that means dross and evil are being burned out of us as thoroughly as if a fire were set ablaze within us. It is the only way to become a new creature, as Alma explained.

So you become "born again." You become something new -- a new creature. There has been a discernible if not a complete change. There has been a true conversion. In the past you walked after the manner of the world, but now you walk as becomes a saint of God. 

The question is often asked, and sometimes we become discouraged, and sometimes we wonder, "How do I know that this change is happening?" My answer is that there are token payments made in spiritual confirmation that may not seem like much as they happen, but the fact that they are happening routinely in your life means you are becoming a partaker of the divine nature (see 2 Peter 1:4), even though you may not be in the Spirit every waking moment of your life -- the tokens you receive -- the "still, small voice" experiences along your journey -- are ample evidence that you are on the strait and narrow path leading toward eternal life despite your remaining imperfections.

We are a testimony-bearing people. Everywhere and always in our meetings somebody is saying, "I know that the gospel is true, or I know the Church is true, or I know the plan of salvation is true." The ultimate expression of knowledge is to get the witness that we are true. This is sound and this is good; Joseph Smith even went so far as to say, "This is good doctrine. It tastes good. I can taste the principles of eternal life, and so can you." (TPJS, 355). I love that way of expressing it! This is the way things ought to be. We ought to bear testimony nearly all the time, because when we bear testimony it strengthens the testimonies of other people. We are then partaking of a delicious meal together, feasting at the ample banquet table of the Lord. We get to dispense the tokens of eternal life to one another by the power of the Holy Ghost!

Sometimes it is more important to bear testimony than it is to teach doctrine. We have each had experience with that. Some do not have a strong doctrinal or scriptural foundation, but they are pillars of power in testimony. Don't ever excuse yourself from an expression of testimony because you may fear your lack in doctrinal horsepower. Bear testimony of the things the Holy Ghost has revealed to you. Remember what Joseph Smith said: "It is one thing to see the kingdom of God, and another thing to enter into it. We must have a change of heart to see the kingdom of God, and subscribe the articles of adoption to enter therein. No man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations. The Holy Ghost is a revelator." (TPJS, 328). The doctrines can be accumulated in due course.

I'm always intrigued with Alma's sudden and miraculous 180 degree turnaround. His testimony was acquired suddenly, instantly. It is not always thus. We may have testimonies without being converted. But all of us ought to be in the process of getting converted — and it is a process.

A person may get converted in a moment, miraculously. That is what happened to Alma the younger. He had been baptized in his youth, he had been promised the Holy Ghost, invited to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, but he had never received it. He thought himself superior in some way -- too knowledgeable, too sophisticated. He went off with the sons of Mosiah to destroy the Church and to do away with the teachings of his father, who in effect was President of the Church. He was fighting in opposition to the truth. He was like the college freshman who thinks he knows more than the Lord because he has learned a little science, and he may think the theory of evolution is more fact than the mere testimony of his parents. Alma was immersed in his rebellious state when this miraculous new light came into his soul. He was changed in an instant from his fallen and carnal state to a state of righteousness. His conversion is what the parents of wayward children dream about and hope for their own.

However, do not be deceived. This is not the way it happens with most people. With most of us true conversion, being born again, is a process. We go timid and furtive step by step by step, degree by degree, level by level, from a lower state to a higher, from grace to grace (see D&C 93:12-20 that describes this beautifully), until the time we can recognize within ourselves that we are wholly turned and passionately more interested in righteousness than wickedness. This means we gradually overcome -- one sin today, another sin tomorrow.

We perfect our lives by the power of the Holy Ghost building our altars of sacrifice brick by brick. I always liked the way Elder Neal A. Maxwell expressed it: "Real, personal sacrifice never was placing an animal on the altar. Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal in us upon the altar and letting it be consumed!" (Ensign, May 1995, 68). We daily sacrifice our tendency to do wickedly. We do it by offering up our moral agency, the only really unique gift we can give back to God, since He has imbued us with everything else already. The conversion process goes on until it is completed, until we become, literally, as King Benjamin admonishes, saints of God instead of natural men (Mosiah 3:19).

We overuse a word in the Church: striving. It's useful only if we recognize that striving is not arriving. What we are striving to do is to be converted. It is not enough to have a testimony. We read in D&C 76:71-80 about the terrestrial kingdom. And it says that those who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus, do not obtain the kingdom of our God. If people who are not valiant in testimony go to the terrestrial kingdom, who is it that goes to the celestial, which is the kingdom of God? Obviously, the way you go to the celestial kingdom is to be valiant in testimony. I think it means we are working at it. Too often we see those who assent with their lips that the Church is a good idea, that it's a good way of life in which to raise a good family. We engage in a wishful "going along to get along" lack of commitment kind of fuzzy thinking. Instead, we need to make of our religion a working, living thing in our lives. The way we measure our performance in whether we are truly striving or just thinking we have arrived is embodied in three expressions: "Strengthen thy brethren," "Feed my sheep," and "Keep my commandments." (See John 15:7-14; 21:15-17; D&C 76:5-10).

Here's a self-correcting test proposed by Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

Try a little test on yourself. You know you have a testimony; that is not open to question. You already know the work is true. Are you converted? Have you been born again? Read the fifth chapter of Alma for the recitation of the tests [Alma poses 42 questions for your consideration] that tell a person whether he has been born again and how he knows. You know if you have been born again, or you know the degree to which you have been born again; it is the measure to which you keep the commandments and feed the Lord's sheep and strengthen your brethren. In other words, it is the measure of your involvement in the things of the Spirit, in the things of the Church.

Religion is not just a theological matter. It is not just a matter of analyzing some passages of scripture and coming up with some conclusions. Religion is a matter of doing something.

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27). That is two things. It is involvement and service, which means righteous living. It is visiting the fatherless and the widows; it is strengthening your brethren; it is keeping the commandments, being thereby unspotted from the world.

Religion is a thing that has to live in the lives of people, and hence all these expressions to the effect that we show our faith by our works (James 2:18), and that we are not hearers only, but doers (James 1:22), or should be. You can be a hearer if all that is involved in religion is this matter of theology, of studying and analyzing passages of scripture. But you are a doer if you get religion into operation in your life. You are a hearer, in part at least, if all that you have is testimony. But you become a doer when you add to a testimony this pure conversion of which we are speaking. Peter is the classical example, as long as we understand that in the experiences of his life he was as he was because the Holy Ghost had not yet been given in full.

The Holy Ghost has been given in full in our day in the sense that the companionship of that member of the Godhead is available to us.

We want to be involved in the things of the Spirit. We do not want to sit on the sidelines and look in at some people who are converted. We want to be converted and participate in religion; we want to feel the promptings of the Spirit; we want to work miracles. We want to heal our sick; we want the gifts and graces that God gives the faithful. And they come when we get involved in the religion that he has so graciously and beneficently given us in this day. ("Be Ye Converted," BYU First Stake Conference, 11 February 1968).

Converting Power of The Book of Mormon

As is his custom, my father continues to write his "Heart Lines" message to his former missionaries in the California Arcadia Mission at General Conference time. Dad is now in his 95th year and continues to function well even with his physical limitations. I am happy to publish his latest missive on this page, believing it might be helpful and insightful to a wider audience:

April, 2016

At this season, Dear Friends –

- When all Mormondom is unitedly and simultaneously studying The Book of Mormon, I have some persistent observations. One pearl is that when properly approached, this amazing book has enormous powers of conversion. Without any embellishments or consultant commentary, the book’s powerful truths shine forth and are plainly evident.

Parley P. Pratt

This has always been true. In the earliest days of the restored Church, a young itinerant preacher, Parley P. Pratt, left his home for good to embark on a self-appointed mission to share the light he had received from his own personal search of the Biblical scriptures. It was the beginning of a marvelous ministerial career for him.

Amid his journeyings he paid full passage for his wife and him to travel by boat to Albany, New York. Midway, at Rochester, however, Parley had a spiritual nudge which changed his direction and his life. He wrote:

I informed my wife that, notwithstanding our passage being paid through the whole distance, yet I must leave the boat. . . Why, I did not know; but so it was plainly manifest by the Spirit to me. I said to her: “we part for a season; go and visit our friends in our native place; I will come soon, but how soon I know not; for I have a work to do in this region of country, and what it is, or how long it will take to perform it, I know not, but I will come when it is performed.” (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, pp. 18 – 20).

Parley went ashore and walked from village to village successfully imparting his convictions as he understood them from the scriptures. One day in his travels, a Baptist deacon introduced to him a strange and unusual book, The Book of Mormon, which made claims that were stunning and appealing to Parley. He wrote:
     
I opened it with eagerness, and read its title page. I then read the testimony of several witnesses in relation to the manner of its being found and translated. After this I commenced its contents by course. I read all day; eating was a burden, I had no desire for food; sleep was a burden when the night came, for I preferred reading to sleep.

As I read, the spirit of the Lord was upon me, and I knew and comprehended that the book was true, as plainly and manifestly as a man comprehends and knows that he exists. My joy was now full, as it were, and I rejoiced sufficiently to more than pay me for all the sorrows, sacrifices and toils of my life. I soon determined to see the young man who had been the instrument of its discovery and translation. (Ibid.)

We were assimilated into this fabric-truth during our missionary days in California, 40 years ago. The identical story-theme we found true was represented by the conversion stories we were telling in those days. I repeat it now to demonstrate that the power is still in that awesome book, which when approached with humble sincerity and desire to love and live its truths still has its capacity to convert.

On a Thursday night, far across the world from here and many years ago, another conversion story materialized, as related by Elder J. Thomas Fyans, First Council of the Seventy, at a stake conference of the LaPuente Stake on May 28, 1978.

A chance encounter on a bus between a Mormon elder and a Methodist minister unfolded. The young elder spoke of a strange book, The Book of Mormon, and the minister, a graduate of Northwestern University, went home with the book determined to prove it false. The words, “prove it false, prove it false” were riveted in his mind, challenged to do so by his seat companion on the bus.

At home that night, he said to his wife, Betty, “I’m on a special project. I want complete solitude and no food. I’ll be fasting.” He pleaded with the Lord on Friday, and he listened to the town hall clock peel off hours of the day until it struck 6 p.m. Then he returned to the elder’s apartment and boldly stated: “I want to talk about baptism, and don’t get out your flannel board. I want to be baptized now!”

Amazed, the elders phoned their mission president and said, “He’s back! What shall we do with him?” President J. Thomas Fyans, president of the Uruguay Montevideo Mission, answered, “Baptize him privately, then bring him to the mission home to see me.” Ninety minutes later the font was full and the elder baptized him.

On Saturday night, the minister phoned his wife, Betty, and announced, “I’m a member of the Mormon Church!” She laughed, unbelievingly. “It’s true,” said her husband. “I was baptized last night.” She asked so many questions and cried and cried. It was 3 a.m. before she settled down to seriously listen. It was agreed that he shouldn’t tell anyone until he reported to his superiors. So when he arose the next morning, Rev. Whitlock read in John 3:5 about Nicodemus’s visit with Jesus. He quoted that passage to his church leaders, saying, “Please study this passage, and next week I will come back and I’ll tell you the truth of this verse.”

The troubled couple then came to the mission home. Betty said, “I just can’t face our friends from our church.” They went as husband and wife into the President’s study to talk out their problems. Lunch intervened, and President Fyans opened the door and said, “I’ll not mention anything about the Mormon Church if that will make you feel better. But first, Brother Whitlock, would you like to hear the missionaries teach the gospel in the organized fashion we regularly do?” His wife, Betty, quickly answered, “You bet I would,” with her jaw defiantly set.

So the Whitlocks had one lesson taught to them every day. The plan of salvation brought happy resonance to Brother Whitlock all week. When the elders quoted 1 Corinthians 15:29, Brother Whitlock exclaimed, “Betty, I’ve wondered all my life about baptism for the dead, and they know the explanation!”

At the traditional Saturday night farewell for departing missionaries, this inspired elder tried to testify for the last time in the mission field, but he was overcome by his tears. In the presence of his converts, Brother and Sister Whitlock, he was without words. He couldn’t speak because of his joy. This was the elder, who on the bus had challenged Rev. Whitlock to prove The Book of Mormon false.

And so we say – The Book of Mormon is true! It will stand up to any scrutiny, even from those who are learned and think themselves wise, who want to disprove it.

Powerful witness also comes from Christ, himself, that the book is true (D&C 19:26), and that those who receive, read and believe the book shall receive eternal life (D&C 20:14).

Faithfully, your friend,

President L. Brent Goates

How to Get Converted and Stay Converted

It has been a few weeks since my last post. My lapse in writing can be attributed to a definite malaise that has settled in on my mind. I am reminded this morning that I have been fulfilling the prophecy in D&C 84:54. I had allowed my mind to become darkened because of unbelief and because I had been treating lightly the things I have received.

It started with the memories of Patsy's mother's passing a year ago, then continued as I have observed my own father's slow but steady deterioration as he comes up against his 94th birthday. It's hard to stay positive about the future when you see a visual example of the overall entropy that settles in on the aged ones among us. There is a fatalistic sense of the inevitability of the death of everyone and everything you love that sometimes grips your heart and you forget that life is eternal in those moments of doubt and despair.

Added to that is what's been happening in the world around us - the Paris attacks, and just last week the tragic mass murder in San Bernardino. The latter-day Gadiantons are truly glorying in their bloodbaths around the world, unabated it seems by any who would dare to molest or make afraid. News of death is always in the headlines. It's depressing, isn't it?

We were in the bishop's office last week for tithing settlement. Sadly, the bishop mentioned that some in the Woodland Ward had asked for their names to be removed from the records of the Church because of the Church's recent clarification about the policies for handling cases where same sex couples are raising children in their homes and how those children will be dealt with administratively. His observations were that often members who advocate the "politically correct" social positions are perhaps not (and maybe they were never) truly converted. If they understood true doctrine, he asserted, they would not be caught up in the controversial political winds that swirl around us daily. Politics, it has always seemed to me, is a poor substitute for true doctrine.

Our extended family is not unlike everyone else's we know. There are few families in the Church who will not be touched by the same sex attraction realities that infiltrate the lives of those we love. I have said before, and reiterate here once again that this assault strikes at the very core of the eternal plan for families as laid out specifically and with little or no confusion in the inspired document The Family: A Proclamation To The World. While we continue to nurture, love and patiently teach those we love most who are saddened and confused about the Church position on these matters, we must never weaken our own resolve that God is in His heaven and is the author of the plan of salvation because He loves His children unconditionally. Offering empathy and love to all His children, as He does, is the essence of our attempts to become more like Him.

I know a man who has struggled with all the issues over same sex attraction for a lifetime. He was full of hate. He hated his parents, he hated his wife, he hated practically everyone he knew. I'm certain he must have hated me too at times. His countenance was dark and foreboding. Happiness eluded him. I know all the intimate details of his life because he shared them with me. I have stood by as he has sunk to the depths of despair over this issue, been the subject of Church disciplinary councils through the years, been divorced and remarried, acted out his fantasies and in short "done it all" over the course of his life. In search for happiness outside his temple marriage, however, he never found what he was seeking.

Now retired, he has been reborn after the manner of Alma the younger in answer to the pleas and persistent petitions of his father and those who loved him. I believe him when he tells me based upon his lifetime of "gayness" that homosexuality is a choice. As tortured as he has been, he knows that to be true. I do not know it the way he knows it. I know that is true from a doctrinal perspective. I can only take him at his word as a witness who has lived it. And I love him deeply and honestly for his choice to return, Alma-like, cleansed, purified and wholly committed to living out his remaining days in the bonds of his marriage covenant with his wife and with his God. His countenance has changed. He is full of light and truth. He is reaching for more light every day.

I will not multiply words in this post (as tempting as that is for me), because I have laid out the doctrine repeatedly in these pages.

However, as I thought about my visit with the bishop at tithing settlement and as I have pondered "true conversion" since, I can say without reservation that the antidote for throwing off the malaise of the effects of the things that tend to dampen my enthusiasm for living is the "magic" of daily scripture study.

When I am asked how I came to love the scriptures so much the answer is simple - it was my substitute for pornography. As a young married man, I had to find a "replacement therapy" and for me it was immersing myself in the scriptures on a daily basis.

It began with a fascination about the broad topic of the signs of the times and the prophecies of the last days. The eschatology of other religions also came to bear on my studies. After a trip to the Holy Land many years ago I immersed myself in all things Muslim. I am still deeply saddened over how the radicals of Islam have altered forever what was once a religion of peace, one that valued "the people of the book" (meaning the Bible - Christians and Jews alike), and treated them with respect and tolerance.

Then it shifted to reading the New Testament and the Old Testament in depth as I taught the four-year series in gospel doctrine. I fell in love with the principal author of the New Testament, the Apostle Paul. He became a true hero to me. He helped me understand my Mormonism so much better than any other commentaries I had previously read. And conversely, Joseph Smith's writings helped me understand Paul better too. I have always found a marvelous harmony in Joseph and Paul.

Throughout all my explorations in the scriptures and amassing a library I have now mostly given away except for the treasured volumes I simply had to retain, The Book of Mormon continues to light my path. It is my considered belief that those who struggle most with the Church and with doctrine are not immersing themselves daily in the word of God as found in the standard works published by the Church.

Whatever your challenges may be, try this simple experiment. Take down that dusty volume, The Book of Mormon, from your bookshelf, or ask the Church to send you one for free (scroll down to the bottom of this blog and you will find the link). Then do this: For thirty days set aside a half hour and open the book to any page anywhere inside the covers and read at random. You can always go back later and read it from start to finish, but for the purpose of this exercise just thumb through the pages at random every day for thirty minutes. Don't miss a day. At the end of the thirty days see if your life hasn't been improved in some small way. See if ingesting God's word from those pages doesn't help you with whatever it is that is causing your malaise of spirit.

As I am His witness, I testify that The Book of Mormon is the word of God. It is truly a Second Witness of Jesus Christ. Almost any page will seal that testimony in your heart if you seek to know it in the sincerity of your search for truth. Your conversion will be in direct proportion to the degree of diligence you apply to this simple test. No one I know ever left this Church who was reading The Book of Mormon daily. It's such a simple spiritual antidote.

Dare to get converted, truly converted, and then stay converted. And continue in patience to reach out and love those around you who aren't so sure about that.

A Lifetime of Being "Truly Converted"

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we talk a lot about being "truly converted." There seems to be a silent gradation of testimony among the members. Being converted is not the same as being "truly" converted. Being converted once upon a time is not sufficient to carry one throughout life in mortality. The quality of one's conversion is a lifetime pursuit, one never to be taken for granted or guaranteed for even a moment.

President Lorenzo Snow

Tomorrow's Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society lesson throughout the Church will come from the teachings of President Lorenzo Snow, who tells a moving story about how he initially acquired his testimony. He was baptized and confirmed in June 1836 at the age of 22. Later, he wrote: “I believed they [the Latter-day Saints] had the true religion, and I joined the Church. So far my conversion was merely a matter of reason.” He remembered, “I was perfectly satisfied that I had done what was wisdom for me to do under the circumstances.” Although he was content for a time with this understanding, he soon yearned for a special manifestation of the Holy Ghost. He said, “I had had no manifestation, but I expected one.”

The key element of his story that leaped from the page for me was "I expected one." Do we expect to have spiritual gifts in our lives today? Do we expect answers to our prayers when we offer up our petitions to a loving Father in Heaven? Do we expect to receive eternal life through our faithfulness? It is a common expression among prophets I have known personally to expect miracles when they lay their hands on someone's head. I include in my definition of "prophets" both those who are set apart specifically to lead the Church and those who are not leading anyone but their family members.

Lorenzo Snow continues: “This manifestation did not immediately follow my baptism, as I expected,” he recalled. “But, although the time was deferred, when I did receive it, its realization was more perfect, tangible and miraculous than even my strongest hopes had led me to anticipate. One day while engaged in my studies, some two or three weeks after I was baptized, I began to reflect upon the fact that I had not obtained a knowledge of the truth of the work — that I had not realized the fulfillment of the promise: ‘He that doeth my will shall know of the doctrine;’ [see John 7:17] and I began to feel very uneasy.

“I laid aside my books, left the house and wandered around through the fields under the oppressive influence of a gloomy, disconsolate spirit, while an indescribable cloud of darkness seemed to envelop me. I had been accustomed, at the close of the day, to retire for secret prayer to a grove, a short distance from my lodgings, but at this time I felt no inclination to do so.

“The spirit of prayer had departed, and the heavens seemed like brass over my head. At length, realizing that the usual time had come for secret prayer, I concluded I would not forego my evening service, and, as a matter of formality, knelt as I was in the habit of doing, and in my accustomed retired place, but not feeling as I was wont to feel."

Have you experienced the "indescribable cloud of darkness," doubt and even fear in your pursuit of the truth about God? Have you felt discouraged in that pursuit? Have you ignored the promptings you've felt to seek a higher path in spirituality, regardless of which of the many paths leading to religious endeavor you have pursued? This experience of Lorenzo Snow seems all too typical in the mortal realm. It is certainly reminiscent of what happened to Joseph Smith in another grove of trees in upper state New York on a spring morning in 1830. It seems consistent with everyone I have ever known who has confronted and overcome the powers of evil so prevalent in our lives today. That Satan would do all in his power to dismantle one's faith in the pursuit of the knowledge God has promised us should not come as a big surprise.

Then in that moment of despair, Lorenzo continues: “I had no sooner opened my lips in an effort to pray, than I heard a sound, just above my head, like the rustling of silken robes, and immediately the Spirit of God descended upon me, completely enveloping my whole person, filling me from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, and O, the joy and happiness I felt! No language can describe the instantaneous transition from a dense cloud of mental and spiritual darkness into a refulgence of light and knowledge, as it was at that time imparted to my understanding. I then received a perfect knowledge that God lives, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and of the restoration of the Holy Priesthood, and the fulness of the gospel.

“It was a complete baptism — a tangible immersion in the heavenly principle or element, the Holy Ghost; and even more real and physical in its effects upon every part of my system than the immersion by water; dispelling forever, so long as reason and memory last, all possibility of doubt or fear in relation to the fact handed down to us historically, that the ‘Babe of Bethlehem’ is truly the Son of God; also the fact that He is now being revealed to the children of men, and communicating knowledge, the same as in the apostolic times. I was perfectly satisfied, as well I might be, for my expectations were more than realized, I think I may safely say, in an infinite degree.

“I cannot tell how long I remained in the full flow of this blissful enjoyment and divine enlightenment, but it was several minutes before the celestial element, which filled and surrounded me, began gradually to withdraw. On arising from my kneeling posture, with my heart swelling with gratitude to God beyond the power of expression, I felt — I knew that he had conferred on me what only an Omnipotent Being can confer — that which is of greater value than all the wealth and honors worlds can bestow.” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow, Chapter 3).

Unlike the "born-again" Christians, many of whom can point to a once-in-a-lifetime moment where they opened their heart to God and received a witness, Lorenzo Snow went forward growing in faith and light and truth from that moment on, never wavering in his formative experience with the witness he received from the Holy Ghost.

And so it is and must be with each of us. We do not believe in a "once and done" kind of conversion. True conversion is a lifetime pursuit. Our initial introduction to the power of the Holy Ghost is only a good beginning.

Later in his life, reflecting upon this early experience, President Snow said: "The foundation upon which we have placed our faith is grand and glorious. I know this for myself. I had been in this Church but a short time when I succeeded in securing the most perfect knowledge that there was a God, that there was a Son, Jesus Christ, and that Joseph Smith was acknowledged of God as His prophet. It was a knowledge that no man could communicate. It came through a revelation from the Almighty. That is a very good starting point for a Latter-day Saint, and it is something that every person, who has any ambition at all to advance in this path, will need at some time or other. He will come into circumstances of such a nature that he will need strength, and that strength will come from a knowledge of the fact that the path in which he is traveling will lead him to the possession of his highest and best desires." (Ibid., emphasis mine).

All who seek truth independently and sincerely are offered this promise at the end of The Book of Mormon:

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

"And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:3-5).

What person living on the earth today would not want to know and understand "the truth of all things?" In a world filled with contradictory voices seeking to influence others in so many disparate paths, who would not welcome the gift of the Holy Ghost to guide them unerringly back into God's presence? Who would not welcome the gift of discernment to be enabled to sift and distill truth from the chaff that blows in the wind of public opinion indiscriminately?

Lorenzo Snow believed spiritually what he came to know at first only intellectually. He believed the pursuit of light and truth was an ongoing endeavor. Said he, so long ago: "I feel that the Latter-day Saints are advancing; that they are receiving an education. We are getting up higher and higher. We are advancing to a higher condition and sphere and to a higher plane, and we are receiving such an education that the wisdom of the world with all its attainments and false doctrines and principles, will have no effect upon the Latter-day Saints, for they are rising above the theories and hypothesis of human inventions and soaring in things of truth that raise the mind, exalt the understanding, and establishing them[selves] more and more fully in the true principles of life and glory. We are filled in our hearts with these truths and we cannot tell the day or the hour in which our faith has been increased, but we feel, when we look back over the last week, month or year, that we have increased in faith and in the knowledge of faith and power of God; we know that we have got nearer our God and we feel that we are in fellowship with God our Father." (Ibid.).

So my question to all of us is this: How is it we can constantly "be soaring in things of truth" day by day? By what instrumentality is it possible? What is required on our part to make this a reality as we pursue our goals here in mortality? How is it our spiritual progress can be ongoing when our "mortality" constantly impedes our innate desires for spiritual growth?

President Snow has an answer: "Every man has got to learn to stand upon his own knowledge; he cannot depend upon his neighbor; every man must be independent; he must depend upon his God for himself entirely. It depends upon himself to see if he will stem the tide of trouble and overcome the impediments that are strewn in the pathway of life to prevent his progress. A man can get information by the operations of the Holy Spirit, and he approaches to God and increases in his faith in proportion as he is diligent." (Ibid.).

So what is required on our part is diligence. I believe it is inherent in our quest for truth that we become more consistent, more earnest, more inclined to be involved in spiritual pursuits. That includes our reading materials, our proximity to spiritual things, and the choice of our companions in life. Like singing, it is much easier to carry a tune when standing next to an accomplished singer in a choir. Our choice of what we permit into our lives to influence us is in direct proportion to the degree we rise in light and truth. If you want to know whether Joseph Smith saw what he said he saw, don't ask your local Catholic priest what he thinks about it. You can go to God personally in prayer and ask a simple question: "Heavenly Father, did you really call Joseph Smith as a latter-day prophet to restore the ancient church, and did you appear to him in a grove of trees in Palmyra, New York?" That might be followed by a sincere question, "Is The Book of Mormon really true?"

Too many times in life, I believe we do not really want to know the answers to difficult questions for fear we might learn the truth then have to actually do something about the knowledge we receive. And that involves change, something we humans seem loathe to undertake. As I grow older some things tend to go up with little or no effort required by me - my blood pressure, my cholesterol and my weight. Ignoring these vital risk factors with my family history is something I cannot afford to do. Not knowing those numbers actually CAN hurt me, just as not knowing the truth about God and our relationship to Him can hurt us when we are not diligent in seeking Him. Once we are on task, diligently involved in our own individual struggles with the aid of the Holy Ghost to guide us, we begin to accelerate in our spiritual quest. As with my charting my health risk factors which I desire to watch go down, down, down, the inverse relationship with spiritual matters must ideally look like a graph line going up, up, up. These are all individual matters and must be pursued diligently, as President Lorenzo Snow suggests.

In 1882, he would observe, "There are men among us upon whom the Spirit of the Almighty once rested mightily, whose intentions were once as good and pure as those of angels, and who made covenants with God that they would serve Him and keep His commandments under every and all circumstances. . . But how is it now with some of those Elders? They do not feel so to-day. Their affections are set upon the things of this world which the Lord has enabled them to acquire, that they wait now until they are called, and in many instances when called, they obey more out of a desire to retain their standing and position, than a real heart-felt love of the labor to which they may have been called.

"This is the condition of all men, no matter how well they start out, who allow their thoughts and affections to run after the world and its ways, and it is a plain and indisputable proof that when this is the case with men they love the world more than they love the Lord and His work upon the earth. Having received the light of the everlasting Gospel, and partaken of the good things of the kingdom, and being of the seed of Israel and heirs to great and glorious promises, we should labor with fidelity and diligence to accomplish what God has designed to do through us; we should be men and women of faith and power as well as good works, and when we discover ourselves careless or indifferent in the least, it should be sufficient for us to know it in order to mend our ways and return to the path of duty." (Ibid.).

True conversion, lasting lifetime conversion, consists not in making merely a good beginning. There were dozens of men who were close to the Prophet Joseph Smith and had many visions, manifestations, and visitations from heavenly messengers. How, one would ask, could such men then lose their way spiritually? Ask yourselves, if an angel were to appear to me, show me the gold plates from which Joseph translated The Book of Mormon, and then bear a solemn witness to me that God lives and Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, would I ever depart from that sure knowledge? Yet many did, even some in the upper room of the Whitney Store in Kirtland who were eyewitnesses of a visitation from the Father and the Son. Some rebelled against Joseph's leadership, as President Snow attests. There truly is a witness more powerful than sight.

It behooves each of us to wake up if we are currently asleep spiritually. When all that we hold dear in this mortality is stripped away, what will we still possess? It will be the priceless witness of who we are as spiritually begotten sons and daughters of God, redeemed from our fallen condition by the Lord Jesus Christ. We must come to understand that absolute truth by the power of the Holy Ghost and know that Joseph Smith restored these precious truths in our day, that we are led by true prophets today, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church upon the earth today that is infinitely and eternally sanctioned by God. (D&C 1:30).

Concludes President Snow: "And if there is any man or woman that is not fairly awake, may the time soon come that the Spirit and power of the Holy Ghost may be upon them, that it may teach them things past, present and to come, and by the assistance of the Lord, plant righteousness and the principle of truth in their systems, that they may be prepared for the storms that are coming." (Ibid.).

The storms will surely come. They will be more intense as time unfolds. Many of the storms of life have already battered us. We wonder how it could be worse than it has already been. But many more will follow. We can find our anchor in Jesus Christ. Said Nephi: "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen." (2 Nephi 31:20-21).

Elder John A. Widtsoe

Let me offer one final word to those who are troubled by all the political upheaval we are witnessing in America and around the world today. In the midst of the World War II, an almost unimaginable international conflagration the modern world had seldom known, Elder John A. Widtsoe of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles counseled people who were worried back then. Nazism was on the march, there was war in the Pacific, and nation after nation seemed to be drawn into war. This is what Brother Widtsoe said in 1942:

"Above the roar of cannon and airplane, the maneuvers and plans of men, the Lord always determines the tide of battle. So far and no farther does He permit the evil one to go in his career to create human misery. The Lord is ever victorious; He is the Master to whose will Satan is subject. Though all hell may rage, and men may follow evil, the purposes of the Lord will not fail." (Conference Report, April 1942, 34).

We are reminded: "The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught. For God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round. Remember, remember that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men." (D&C 3:1-3).

No matter what happens to America in the second term of President Barack Obama, the future is known in advance by God our Heavenly Father, and you may rest assured He has made ample provision for all the contingencies. Let your testimony of God's existence and His reality grow and flourish in the meantime, for He will never leave you comfortless if you are truly converted.

Five Steps to True Conversion

To be fully and truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ is to change.  People fear and try to avoid change, typically, because it represents having to move beyond something feeling quite comfortable into something new and strange sometimes.  We are constantly rubbing shoulders with people in the world and within the Church who are converted and those who are not.  You can attempt to tell them apart if you will, but it's hard to tell the difference from the outside.  Some contend Mormons are not well versed in this doctrine of being born again, but The Book of Mormon is full of it.  True conversion depends upon it.  We must change from our carnal and fallen condition into a sanctified son or daughter of God to be truly converted.  Since it is Sunday, as part of your scriptural study today, consider reading all the scriptural passages you can find about the necessity of being born again.

Step One:  All Mankind Must be Born Again

I'll give you a headstart on your reading assignment.  Nicodemus came seeking Jesus at night to clarify this teaching he had heard.  (See John 3:1-21).  But begin your reading in Mosiah 27.  There you will find the account of Alma the younger.  He was visited by an angel in answer to his father's prayer for his welfare and he was smitten and went into a trance.  He was in that condition a couple of days while his father, Alma the high priest, and the members of the Church fasted and prayed for his recovery.  Alma the younger, who had obviously been baptized in his youth, came out of the trance and said, "I have been born again."  This is significant because it appears he did nothing to merit such an outcome.  He explains to everyone that the Lord says that all mankind — men, women, children — have to be born again or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.  He's very specific about what is involved here.  He says men must be changed from their carnal and fallen state to a state of righteousness, being born again, becoming the Lord's sons and his daughters.  This is a perfect description of what it means to be truly converted.

Every single person who has ever been born into this world, who arrives at the years of accountability without being baptized, dies spiritually.  Universally, since the Fall of Adam, according to our revelations, all accountable men, women and children have become carnal, sensual, and devilish by nature.  It is in our fallen nature, imprinted in our very DNA, we inherit the tendency to commit sin.  King Benjamin referred to this condition in Mosiah 3:19 as "the natural man."  To be truly converted is to put off the natural man and to become a Saint by the power of the atoning sacrifice of Christ.  That's an axiom we should hear coming out of the mouths of every Primary child -- "I can become a Saint by the power of the atonement."  It is the definition of being "born again."  We are changed from a carnal and fallen state to a state of righteousness.  I love how the Apostle Paul describes it.  We crucify the old man (Romans 6:6).  We die as to the things of the world and we become alive as to the things of righteousness.  It cannot happen unless and until we receive the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost.

Step Two:  Receive the Holy Ghost

Only in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can one receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.  It is a supernal gift from Heavenly Father.  He does two things in our lives:  He is a witness to truth and he bears the testimony of the truth.  That is how we get a testimony.  We receive revelation from the Holy Ghost.  Secondly, the Holy Ghost is the sanctifier.  He has power to cleanse and perfect the human soul, to wash evil and iniquity out, and to replace it with righteousness.  As we are sanctified by degrees week by week as we partake of the emblems of the sacrament, we are truly converted.  When we receive the Holy Ghost, we get a testimony.  That member of the Godhead tells us the work of salvation and exaltation is true.  He testifies of the truth to our souls and we grow in light and truth thereafter.

When we receive the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, we are cleansed from sin and are born again and become converted to the truth.  It's rather a glib statement to assert we always have the constant and unerring companionship of the Holy Ghost, since no one is perfect in this life, but we do the best we can and we have from time to time the unmistakable assurance our walk in life is approved despite our imperfections.  That is what the Comforter is all about.  Though we remain imperfect, we are in that strait and narrow path doing all we can to stay on it.  Our sins are gradually burned out of us, as though by fire.  We often hear the expression "the baptism of fire," meaning the baptism of the Holy Ghost.  That is rich symbolism meaning dross and evil are burned out of human souls as if by fire.  The consequence of this process is the individual becomes a new creature of the Holy Ghost, as Alma explained. So you become a new creature.  There has been a change.  There has been a conversion.  In the past you walked after the manner of the world, but now you walk as becometh a saint of God.

We bear our testimonies to one another routinely in the Church.  We don't do it often enough, however.  We hear people saying all the time, "I know the gospel is true, etc."  In every ward it should be this way.  We strengthen one another when we bear testimony of what we know to be true.  When we have the Spirit of the Holy Ghost burning in our heart and soul like a fire and we bear testimony the work is true, then everybody who hears us who is in tune with the same Spirit also knows and can bear witness of the same things we know.  The speaker and the hearer are edified and strengthened alike.

Step Three:  Testimony

Often times when I was teaching years ago I was more anxious to get the information out than to bear my testimony.  In more recent years things have changed.  I have come to the conclusion there may be only one person in my class or audience who is seeking an answer to a perplexing or difficult problem.  I am trying to so live that I can be the conduit to that answer for perhaps only that one person.  While the doctrine is important to dispense, and all we do in teaching must be founded in true doctrine, the application to our individual lives through the bearing of our testimony is often more critical.  Sharing testimony will help lift up the sagging hands and arms and take the weight off the drooping shoulders.  This is especially true when it comes after a true doctrine has been taught.  The connection between doctrine and testimony is a close one, and the Spirit will bear witness that what has been taught is not only true, but true in that moment of searching and hoping for a much-needed answer.

Step Four:  Conversion is a Process

We often hear about miraculous conversions -- Alma and Paul are examples -- but for most true conversion is a lifetime process.  President Kimball reminded us that oil in our lamps cannot be gathered at the last minute at midnight.  (See Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, 255–56).
Rather, we must be adding oil to our lamps daily to have sufficient light when darkness engulfs us.
 
With most people, true conversion is a process.  We go step by step along the strait and narrow path.  We learn a little here, a little there, we move degree by degree, grace to grace, receiving grace for grace.  And one day, a great distance from where we began, the day finally comes when we can discern in ourselves that the disposition to do evil has for the most part been extinguished within us.  We overcome one sin today and another sin tomorrow.  We gradually perfect our lives a little bit here, then a little bit there.  We patiently await the harvest of good things to come, rather than being self-indulgent in our fallen state.  We overcome in the undertaking.  One day we become, literally, as King Benjamin instructs, saints of God instead of natural men (Mosiah 3:19).

We need to remember and to be patient.  It is not enough to say we have a testimony.  Prisons are full of people who have a testimony, who believe in Jesus as their Savior.  Being truly converted, however, requires an added measure of faithfulness.  We read in the vision of the degrees of glory (D&C 76:71-80) about those who inherit the terrestrial kingdom.  These have a testimony.  But we learn they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus, obtain not the crown in the kingdom of our God.  That could mean even some members of the Church who are lukewarm.  Enduring in righteousness in valiant testimony to the end of our mortal probation is required to be truly converted.

There are many in the Church today who know this work is true, but they don't do much about it.  If you railed against the Church in their presence, they would stand up in righteous indignation and defend the kingdom, but they would still have a lot to say about this or that Apostle who ought to keep his mouth shut on this or that topic.  If effect, they put out the "gone fishing" sign on their testimonies and they are persuaded more by the things people say in their pursuit of the things of this world instead of putting first in their lives the things of God's kingdom, the things of righteousness.  They are good people, but not valiant.

The way to be in the celestial kingdom is to be valiant in testimony.  We must work at it.  It must be more than a Sunday exercise.  The whole purpose of the gospel is that it is to become our lives in every particular.  It isn't an important part of our life, it is life.  We are to become involved based upon the guidance we receive from the scriptures.  (See John 15:7-14; D&C 76:5-6).

Step Five:  Self-Examination

Here's a test.  Alma delivered a "test" to his people -- it consists of forty-two questions in the fifth chapter of Alma.  It was designed by Alma to help you know if you have been born again and if you are truly converted.  If you answer those forty-two questions honestly, you will know if you have been truly converted.  You will know if the things of the spirit are as rich and as valuable to you in your life as they were to Alma in his.  Count all the question marks -- there should be forty-two.  Ask yourself the questions.  Take the test.  I've issued this challenge before.

Religion is not just theological or philosophical gas.  It is not just a matter of analyzing and debating a few passages of scripture in high priests group every Sunday.  True religion is a matter of doing something and becoming something.  We often say the things we can see and discern with our five senses are the things in the "real world."  However, the things that are real are out of sight and are only known and understood by applying the gifts of the Spirit to discern them.

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27).  That's two things:  It is to be doing something by involving ourselves in the lives of others for their betterment and blessing, and it is becoming something -- pure and holy in the doing -- "without spot."

We can thank James for these expressions that we show our faith by our works (James 2:18), and that we are not hearers only, but doers (James 1:22), or should be.  If all that is involved in religion is this matter of theology, of studying and analyzing passages of scripture, then you can be content to be a hearer and a believer.  But if you are a doer, you are up and doing something every day to bless the lives of those around you.  You are a hearer, if all you have is testimony.  Doers, however, add to their testimony a true conversion that includes doing something about what you profess with your lips. 

The Holy Ghost has been given in full abundance in our day.  We have the companionship of that member of the Godhead available to us in all places and in all things to the degree we seek it.

True conversion, then, is being involved in the things of the Spirit.  We participate; we serve; we bless; we feel the promptings of the Spirit; we work miracles; we heal our sick; we receive the gifts and fruits God showers upon His children who seek them.

And thus, we are truly converted.

The "Disconnect"

Last night Patsy and I enjoyed a spontaneous and unscheduled visit from two dear friends at our home.  Two middle-aged women with growing families were lamenting their experiences with peers who have left the Church for a variety of reasons, and they asked us what they could do if anything to reclaim them. 

I was reminded of a letter I was invited to write to a member of the Seventy several years ago in answer to his question, "What can the Church do to help the youth?" What follows was my answer then, and to our friends last night.  The names have been changed for obvious reasons.

What would the rest of you say? I'd love your feedback. . .

September 20, 2003

Dear Elder Nameless:

Thanks so much for a delightful lunch hour (or two) the other day. It was a great treat for me, and particularly to be with you and to discuss the things we did. Your generous invitation to give some thought to the question, “What can the Church do to help the youth?” only seems simple on its face. There are many facets to the face, and I will touch on only five or six in what follows. It’s always a little disconcerting for the foot to counsel the head, but I will attempt it at your invitation. If I had more time, other possibilities might suggest themselves but I’ll take a swing at some things I’ve thought a lot about in recent years.

In truth, this is a “fabulomundo” Church, the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth with which the Lord is pleased. (D&C 1:30). It’s hard to improve on what I see as near perfection in terms of organization and inspiration from top to bottom. We are a well-governed people, and we sustain the servants whom we believe God has raised up to lead us. The Church is true, that’s the best part of the story (and it just gets truer every year). Does the Church have any rivals that can match its growth, its vitality, its awesome power among even the simplest member whose devotion and dedication is hard for an outsider to fathom? Sometimes with the onslaught of negative press (like the Main Street Plaza conundrum for example), we hunker down and forget to remember just how magnificent and supernal this marvelous thing we call “the Church” really is. There are so many moving parts, how does it continue to hum along with such intricate precision? I submit the answer is because this is God’s Church, not ours. So what will follow are relatively minor alternations – a nip or a tuck here and there. Don’t mistake some rather direct story telling as criticism. For the most part, as I told you at lunch, what’s not to like?

“What Can the Church Do to Help the Youth?”

I have to assume by “the Church” you mean “the Brethren” and the local leaders and teachers.

“Help the youth do what?” is where I started. What would we wish for the youth of the Church as their leaders? Wouldn’t the “gold standard” goal be the preparation of another generation (or two or three or more) for the Second Coming of the Savior? Wouldn’t we collectively wish all the youth in the Church would accept the promise of eternal life? Wouldn’t that be the unerring test against which all suggestions for improvement might be pitted?

One could argue that’s simply too lofty, too ethereal, or too grandiose to attempt. If we accept the premise, however, that ZION can ultimately accept no compromise with the world and its ways as we move inexorably closer to our inevitable date with destiny as a Church, why shrink from lofty thoughts now?

I take my cue directly from the Prophet. President Gordon B. Hinckley will go down in the history of the Church as having presided at and dedicated more temples than any of his predecessors (perhaps more than all of them combined). That’s the strongest indicator I can point to that the direction of the Church from here on in to the final wrapping up scenes before the Savior’s coming will be focused as never before on making the ordinances of eternal life available to as many of God’s children as the outreach of the Church can sustain worldwide.

That much said, all of which I believe with all my heart, some years ago when I was serving as a bishop our stake conference visitor was Elder William R. Bradford. He drew a graph on the board.  Elder Bradford was willing to accept the assumption that since the Restoration the Church has generally been on higher moral ground than the world, but he warned we too were slipping, in effect mirroring the world’s steady decline. He challenged us as local leadership to reverse the disturbing downward trend in moral relativity. That was 1988, fifteen [now twenty-two] years ago.

In the years since that presentation, I have observed a discernable acquiescence (dare I say indifference?) by local Church leaders, generally speaking, to Elder Bradford’s warning. Recently my sixteen-year-old daughter sadly offered this comment in reference to a friend, “Cindy (not her real name) went to her bishop for an interview to confess some things she had done with her boyfriend and her bishop told her if they weren’t having sex he didn’t want to hear about it – she only needed to talk to him if they were having sex.” Further, my daughter repeated the popular catch phrase in current vogue among her peers, “If it’s oral it’s moral.” And we parents wonder if the escapades of the previous occupant of the Oval Office have had any residual impact? The loss of outrage seems to thrive even in the Church.

I strongly believe this is not a problem unique to my microcosm, but is at least widespread in the Salt Lake Valley where I have several contacts with local leaders too. A friend who recently completed five-and-a-half years as a bishop lamented, “As I looked at the pictures of the youth on the wall of my bishop’s office, I realized two-thirds of my young women had experienced pre-marital sex and half my young men were deeply involved in pornography.” I suspect similar stories are legion in number, and I have only cited a few.

Closing the Gap on “The Disconnect”

At lunch we spoke about what I called “the disconnect” between the moral standards outlined in the “For the Strength of Youth” pamphlet and the actual behavior we are witnessing in the trenches among the youth in the Church. I realize this might come off as sounding near heretical, but bear with me.

Elder M. Russell Ballard is at the forefront of a new initiative – “raising the bar” for missionary service. Rather than something “new,” it has the feel to me of yet another “retrenchment” into what the Lord has required all along. The exercise of our free will and the accountability for our individual choices is at least as old as the pre-existence.

Some examples of the “disconnect:” 1) When my son who now serves as a missionary in Brazil recounted with his friends on graduation night how many in their high school senior class population of nearly 120 had not had sexual intercourse during high school, they counted less than ten girls and less than twenty boys – and that statistic in a predominantly homogenous LDS community! 2) We routinely have young men return early from missions to clear up pre-mission moral transgressions. 3) Just yesterday I talked to the mother of a young man not in our stake. He is preparing to leave again after a year’s wait, when “some things he didn’t clear up before he left” were disclosed after three weeks in the MTC. 4) Returned missionaries who were once faithful and faith-filled leaders in their missions come home and completely leave the Church (four in our stake in the last year that I know about).

How does the Church close this “disconnect” gap? Do the leaders at the local level understand WHY this disconnect exists? I believe too much reliance on “For the Strength of Youth” is merely a modern reincarnation of the ancient law of Moses with little power to inspire the youth of the Church today. If my informal non-scientific “polls” among my acquaintances are any indicator, the current approach is failing to achieve the desired outcomes.

I’m guessing here (I can only make assumptions until someone confirms to me how it actually happened), but maybe local leaders in the Church indirectly produced “For the Strength of Youth.” In observing the youth in their wards and stakes falling off the strait and narrow path, local leaders must have been crying out for help. I would guess the phone banks and in boxes at Church headquarters were lit up with calls and letters from local leaders demanding that the General Authorities “give us some guidance so we can tell the youth what to do.” In other words, it was a complete capitulation that as modern Israel we couldn’t handle the consequences of more freedom, so we reverted to having someone else (the General Authorities) tell us what to do in every circumstance the local leaders could imagine.

I wonder if the creative genius behind “For the Strength of Youth” wasn’t something like a modern replay of what happened anciently when Israel demanded that the prophet Samuel appoint a king to rule them:

Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. . .
[Samuel then spells out in detail what a king would actually do to them, all of which sounds like descriptions of slavery, and still they were not dissuaded]
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.
And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. . . (1 Samuel 8:4-22, emphasis mine).

So maybe (I can only surmise) the modern Church took steps to “hedge up the way” by outlining acceptable behavioral standards, because the people demanded it. Perhaps the General Authorities simply responded out of love to the demands of local leaders who assumed an “encyclical” from 47 East South Temple would solve everything. There is so much more comfort, it would seem, in being told what to do than having to accept individual accountability that leaves no one to blame but ourselves. In 1990, it would appear we took a big step backward.

In 1980, twenty-three years ago [now thirty!] when the consolidated meeting schedule was first introduced, the possibility of failure was raised. I believed at the time this was a monumental address portending the very conditions we observe in the Church today. It was delivered at General Conference by Elder Dean L. Larsen, then serving in the Presidency of the Seventy. In part he said:

. . . The existence of laws, regulations, and procedures has never been sufficient to compel men to obedience. Productive obedience comes through the exercise of free will. Elder Albert E. Bowen of the Quorum of the Twelve once said:

“It is a truism that no law is any better than the people who administer it. Howsoever well framed a law may be or however worthy its purpose, it can degenerate into utter futility unless wisely administered by those sympathetic with its purposes” (The Church Welfare Plan, Sunday School manual, 1946, p. 115).

. . . Today we are being encouraged to accept greater responsibility for the allocation of our time, for our spiritual development through personal and family study of the gospel, and for giving loving Christian service. We must be willing to respond to this new challenge. Our willingness to accept this added accountability will exert an influence that will reach far beyond our Sunday worship service and religious life.

Unless we retain a vibrant desire to be free, and unless we understand and practice the principles that give life to essential freedoms, we have little reason to hope they will endure. If we allow ourselves to accept dependency and regulation and to cease valuing independence and self-accountability, then we are vulnerable to the forces that destroy freedom. If righteousness is judged primarily by the degree to which one responds to programmed activity, then a condition develops within which opportunities for progress decline. The resulting tragedy affects the mortal potential of man and has a profound effect on his eternal possibilities as well. [HOW PROPHETIC!!]

Programmed behavior cannot produce the level of spiritual development required to qualify one for eternal life. A necessary range of freedom and self-determination is essential to one’s spiritual development. With an understanding of correct principles and an intrinsic desire to apply them, one must be motivated within himself to do many good things of his own free will; for, as the revelation says, the power is in him wherein he is an agent unto himself (see D&C 58:27-28).

. . . In his concluding remarks at the April 1979 general conference, President Kimball said:

“The basic decisions needed for us to move forward, as a people, must be made by the individual members of the Church. The major strides which must be made by the Church will follow upon the major strides to be made by us as individuals. …

“… Our individual spiritual growth is the key to major numerical growth in the kingdom” (Ensign, May 1979, p. 82).

I rejoice in the spirit and intent of this instruction from a living prophet. I see in it the purposeful effort to preserve our individual accountability in the context of our Church membership and religious life.

When members of the Church exercise self-determination in their application of gospel principles they need not relax in their compliance with these principles. In fact, optimum progress can only occur when conditions are ideal for it, and these conditions must include the necessary degree of freedom and self-accountability. Anything less will guarantee stunted spiritual growth.

We must understand that as freedom for unrestricted development is enhanced, the possibilities for failure are also increased. The risk factor is great. The ideal cannot be achieved otherwise. Celestial attainment can be reached in no other environment.

We have inspired leaders today who are reconfirming the fact that there is no ultimate safety in programmed security where others assume accountability for our direction and performance. [I believe this sentence strikes at the heart of the entire matter.]

Those who insist that a Church program exist for every contingency and need are as much in error as their counterparts who demand that government intervene in every aspect of our lives. In both instances the ideal balance is destroyed with a resultant detriment to human progress.

These are essential truths which our leaders are reinforcing for us today. These are challenging truths. They demand much of us. They press us to make our lives better by our own initiative and by our own efforts. They make no unconditional promises. . . (Dean L. Larsen, “Self-Accountability and Human Progress,” Ensign, May 1980, 76, emphasis mine).

Elder Larsen warned us about relying on “the law,” but as a Church we ignored the message. Rather than risk failure in behavior among our youth we reverted to “tell us what to do, give us behavioral standards, we welcome the bondage of the law because we worry the youth are not ready to live in the Spirit.” Once I even had an earnest young woman blurt out in a question/answer session in a fifth-Sunday combined presentation, “So tell us, can we drink Coke or not?” What a sad self-imposed indictment on ourselves, and how tragic in light of Elder Larsen’s prophetic warning.

Even as late as this month’s Ensign, there is a profound First Presidency Message from President Faust, who reminded us again:

The challenge Jesus issued was for people to replace the rigid, technical “thou shalt not” of the law of Moses — needed by the spiritually immature ancient children of Israel — with the spirit of the “better testament. . .” The New Testament is “a better testament” because so much is left to the intent of the heart and of the mind and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. This refinement of the soul is part of the reinforcing steel of a personal testimony of Jesus Christ. If there is no witness in the heart and in the mind by the power of the Holy Ghost, there can be no testimony. (James E. Faust, “The Surety of a Better Testament,” Ensign, Sept. 2003, 3, emphasis mine).

Despite these specific invitations to live the higher law, sacrament meeting after sacrament meeting in recent years since 1990, has lauded the merits of the pamphlet, as though measurable and observable improved behavior were the end goal we were seeking. The youth in the Church are symbolically whipped week after week with “shoulds” from the pamphlet. We shifted responsibility from ourselves as teachers and leaders at the local level, and defaulted to “this inspired pamphlet.” Except from a select few local women leaders, rarely do I hear true doctrine, however. The underlying “WHY” doctrine is always conspicuously absent in these uninspired sermons. President Packer has observed that teaching true “. . .doctrine can change behavior quicker than talking about behavior will.” (See Boyd K. Packer, “Washed Clean,” Ensign, May 1997, 9). I believe the proper indictment rests not with the General Authorities, but with the members – so few of whom understand and can teach true doctrine.

When the respective presidents of the Young Men and Young Women’s organizations were interviewed by an Ensign staff writer following the introduction of the new pamphlet, I invite you to look for even one underlying true doctrinal principle that buttresses their endorsement. (See “The Lord’s Standards Haven’t Changed,” Ensign, Sept. 1991, 7). Both mention how welcomed boundaries are by the youth, but the minute you go down the path of defining acceptable behavioral standards the unintended consequence is that some imaginative young people will begin to parse meanings and immediately move to the outer markers.

I always thought what I’m now going to share with you was nothing more than an urban legend, until I received a phone call from a young married woman in my ward one Sunday afternoon. Enough time and distance has passed that no one would guess her true identity, and I have long ago forgotten her name and face (the blessing of diminished memory).  She asked if she could come to my office for an interview. I had spoken in sacrament meeting the week before about the principle of repentance, and when she arrived she poured out a story through sobbing and exquisite pain that stunned me. While a student at BYU, she along with two of her single friends and three other single young men had gone to Las Vegas for a long weekend. When they arrived they paired off and went to a marriage chapel on the Strip and each couple was “legally and lawfully wedded.” They engaged in unrequited and unrestrained sexual activity for four days and nights, then as they were leaving Las Vegas went back to the same marriage chapel and had all three marriages annulled. They took an oath of silence – they agreed never to discuss the matter again. They convinced each other it was all perfectly legal in every way.

Five years later and after the birth of her second child, the agony of her secret was too heavy to carry any longer. She had gone right to the edge of the “legal definitions” of her covenants, had peered into the abyss, then had slipped over the edge. Something I had said in my talk the week before had finally helped her muster the courage to come forward and begin again. So that’s the danger, I believe, of even making the attempt to establish comprehensive behavioral standards – why not teach that the Holy Ghost may truly govern people’s spiritual lives instead?

Why do I know how much power this approach of living by the Spirit can have in people’s lives? Because I have witnessed its power to change and influence for better the lives of those who are closest to me. What follows is merely the latest in a long list of examples that could be cited. I told you about a dear family member’s current incarceration in a federal prison. He is excommunicated presently, but cannot wait for the day of his rebaptism. For my birthday he sent along a letter that included these hopeful lines:

". . . I feel like I'm truly seeing the gospel again with new eyes, and in answer to the blessing I was given the Spirit has not been withheld. In fact, I believe that the Spirit flows more deeply now that my vessel has been cleansed. I can't wait for a renewed life and membership in the Church. I'm not done yet, Dave. I know that the Lord still has more for me to accomplish, and perhaps that work will require the lessons I've learned in order to fulfill it properly. . ."

It is my belief his lessons in the Spirit came relatively late in life in part (he is ultimately accountable) because of his perception he was subjected to a heavy-handed behavioral emphasis in his home growing up.  That might explain my obvious prejudice and passion for this topic.

When outward appearance matters more than inward purity, you can bet the cleansing of the vessel when it finally comes will be attended with unimaginable firepower!

May I paraphrase what Paul taught? (See the JST):

O foolish [Mormons], who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the [“For the Strength of Youth” pamphlet], or by the hearing of faith?
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by [teaching from some modern-day reincarnation of the law of Moses]?
[Paul then teaches that Abraham’s hopes and dreams of having posterity were fulfilled because of his faith, not the observance of the law of Moses that came 430 years later.]
. . . Is the [pamphlet] then against the promises of God? God forbid [it was conceived with the best intentions in the world to help guide the youth]; for if there had been a [pamphlet] given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by [the pamphlet without the need for anyone’s faith being exercised].
But the scripture hath concluded all under sin [because the pamphlet cannot possibly begin to list every single bad human behavior into which fallen mortal people will display, and none can live the demands of the pamphlet perfectly which is why we have a Savior], that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
But before faith came, we were kept under the [standards as set forth in the pamphlet], shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed [we relied on the pamphlet to guide our youth, and we forgot it’s really the Holy Ghost that must guide them].
Wherefore the [pamphlet] was our schoolmaster until Christ, that we might be justified by faith [so isn’t it about time to move on and truly “raise the bar” by teaching Christ’s perfection, not our own failed attempts at the perfect observance of behavioral standards?].
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster [let’s burn the silly pamphlet and teach Christ and the need for our faith in his perfection instead].
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ [and as such are heirs to the promises made to Abraham through faith].
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if ye are Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (JST Galatians 3:1-29, emphasis mine).

What is the true doctrine? Nephi said it best: “. . . if ye will enter in by the way [baptism], and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do. Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given. . .” (2 Nephi 32:5-6, emphasis mine). I believe ALL THINGS really means ALL THINGS. A “should” from the quiet whisperings of the Holy Ghost is very different than getting “should on” by an uninspired youth leader on Sunday armed with a pamphlet.

We can only close the gap in the disconnect, I believe, by teaching and emphasizing the true doctrine of Christ. At the highest priesthood echelons in the Church there is marvelous encouragement and instruction along these lines, and I wouldn’t change a thing. But the danger now is that spiritually lazy and unconverted local leaders and members of the Church (if my premise is correct) have insisted upon the creation of a pamphlet that closely resembles “more than” the doctrine of Christ. It seems “a sandy foundation.” In this next passage, the Savior has just finished speaking to the Nephites during his first appearance among them. He has spoken about doing away with contentions over the points of his doctrine, carefully enunciating what he calls “my doctrine” in these words:

And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.
And whoso believeth in me and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.
And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost.
. . . And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them.
Therefore, go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth. (3 Nephi 11:32-41, emphasis mine).

Then in our dispensation the Lord again reiterated this simple idea to the Prophet Joseph:

And this I do that I may establish my gospel, that there may not be so much contention; yea, Satan doth stir up the hearts of the people to contention concerning the points of my doctrine; and in these things they do err, for they do wrest the scriptures and do not understand them.
Therefore, I will unfold unto them this great mystery;
For, behold, I will gather them as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if they will not harden their hearts;
Yea, if they will come, they may, and partake of the waters of life freely.
Behold, this is my doctrine — whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church.
Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church.
And now, behold, whosoever is of my church, and endureth of my church to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.
And now, remember the words of him who is the life and light of the world, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Amen. (D&C 10:63-70, emphasis mine).

Sometimes it seems the very gates of hell are opened wide and are prevailing against our youth. Perhaps like Alma we need to try the merits of the word of God (see Alma 31:5). President Benson, as we observed over lunch, certainly challenged the members of the Church to embrace The Book of Mormon. It isn’t like we haven’t already heard how to help the youth at least a gazillion times.

Conversion to the true doctrine producing real conversion power among the youth centers on the doctrine of Christ. The Book of Mormon prophets describe the doctrine of Christ in many places, perhaps best summarized by Moroni at the end in these words:

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. (Moroni 10:32-33, emphasis mine).

True spiritual conversion among our youth depends not upon the behavioral standards of the pamphlet, rather upon the “iffy” statements where we must act upon our faith in Christ’s perfection. It suddenly strikes me as odd that I am even writing all this down. It reminds me of exactly what we agreed over lunch – that President Packer is already attempting to teach this to local Church leaders. So what do we need to do to close the gap on the “disconnect?” Simply implement what our inspired leaders whom we sustain as Prophets, Seers and Revelators are already teaching. There is no need for something new – we already have everything we need.

Priesthood Interviews

One of the great privileges granted by God to the natural patriarchs (fathers) in the Church is the authority and power (based upon our worthiness) of the priesthood to be used in our homes. Fathers may interview and bless their posterity routinely as called upon or as inspired to exercise those priesthood powers. Indeed, in the days of Moses the prophet lamented, “. . . would God that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!” (Numbers 11:29). Rather than look to the leaders of the Church for guidance in everything, the Restoration assures all may share the power of the priesthood with the only restriction being faithfulness.

However, not every home has a priesthood holder, so the Church makes ample provision for surrogate “fathers” in the form of priesthood leaders for the widows and orphans. The Church at the general level can help the youth by teaching local priesthood leaders how to interview and bless those whom they serve. Sexual abuse and other forms of abuse are routinely overlooked or ignored, and I discovered as a bishop of young married students that when marriages were failing those failures could often be traced to sexual abuse suffered by the wives in their teenaged years. Sexual promiscuity among young people is often the outgrowth of the sexual abuse they have suffered at the hands of trusted men in the Church. Young men who are immersed in pornography are routinely pronounced worthy by bishops who have no clue about how to be helpful. The bishops can be encouraged to become better watchmen on the towers, I believe, and thus help their youthful parishioners more.

Open-ended essay type questions are useful in priesthood interviews, such as, “Emily, how would you describe your testimony?” or, “John, how’s your girlfriend?” or, “Susie, what do you think is the biggest problem your friends face at school?” or, “Sam, describe the circumstances when pornography last touched your life.” It is no longer enough to ask simple “yes” or “no” questions like, “Are you morally clean?” or, “Do you say your prayers at night?” or, “Do you read your scriptures?” or, “Do you have a testimony?”

Asking open-ended questions, then listening carefully by the Spirit is the key to effective and meaningful progress in the testimony building of our youth. It’s in these sacred settings that local leaders can do so much more to teach and encourage the youth in their discipleship, but the leaders need far more training than what they are apparently getting in order to facilitate an increase in true spiritual conversions among today’s youth.

Bishops for the most part understand their authority, but some have not come to embrace the power associated with their calling by employing the gifts and the fruits of the Spirit in their work. The Church can help the youth by teaching the bishops and stake presidents how to interview by encouraging these leaders to immerse themselves in the scriptures where they will discover the doctrine, and the Spirit of the Lord will serve them well in spiritually discerning the needs of their youthful members.

A bishop recently told me he had handed missionary papers to a young woman in the hallway at the ward building. He said she “was worthy in every way.” She was processed as a prospective missionary and her call received without so much as even a quick “hello” inside the bishop’s office. Imagine what an impact that bishop could have had in that young sister’s life if he had taken some time to teach her about the endowment, and had actually prepared her spiritually for her missionary service. Even if he assumed she were worthy, what if she were one of the many victims of undisclosed abuse I had to deal with as a bishop later on? What if careful interviewing and gentle teaching could have resolved whatever hidden and underlying stresses or strains she might have disclosed if given the chance with a trusted and sensitive priesthood leader? I’ve just described how another dear family member received her mission call. She left for her mission last Monday morning. She said as she recounted how it had happened, “It’s okay, I had you,” but in my heart I wondered, “What if?”

When she arrived at the MTC, she was assigned to a roommate who had been to the temple for her endowment only three days before entering the MTC, and whose bishop had given her no clues about what she would encounter there. She confided she was confused and negatively impacted by her first temple experience. She was a lost soul as she began her mission. If this is “raising the bar,” there is still work to do among the bishops!

Scouting

If the Church wants to help the young men of the Church “raise the bar” and achieve greater spiritual preparation for their future lives, I wonder if the time hasn’t come for Scouting to be de-emphasized if not eliminated. As I told you over lunch, I am absolutely convinced the Young Women are head and shoulders above the Young Men in the direction of their program. It should surprise no one this is true. As a casual observer, the spiritual leadership of the women’s organizations in recent years seems light years beyond the priesthood. The Young Women are not fettered with the Girls Scouts, why should the Young Men be fettered with the Boy Scouts? I wonder if Scouting may actually be retarding rather than enhancing the development of young men. That said, Scouting may be a “sacred cow” that won’t get gored. President Hinckley hinted that everything (including Scouting) gets looked at:

". . . we know that the administrative load is very heavy on our bishops and stake presidents, as well as some others. An awareness of that fact has led the Presidency and the Twelve to hold a number of meetings, some of them long and interesting, in which in effect we have taken the Church apart and then put it together again. Our objective has been to see whether there might be some programs we could do away with. But as we have analyzed these, we have not seen much that could be dropped. To drop one is like giving away one of your children. You haven’t the heart to do it." (Gordon B. Hinckley, “To Men of the Priesthood,” Ensign, Nov. 2002, 56).

So for the moment it may be a settled question. Even this weekend as I was writing this letter to you, more assurances of its health came out in print:

"I think there’s no question that at this period of time the relationship between the Church and Scouting is on solid ground. We have had a great relationship with Scouting. . .
"There are rumors that the Church is planning to part ways with the Scouting program. Can you address that? It’s a pure rumor. . ." (See Elder F. Melvin Hammond, LDS Church News, September 20, 2003, 5).

I realize it is our Church almost single-handedly that supports and sustains the Boy Scouts of America. Could we really give it up as the globalization of the Church continues? What if the moral issues attacking Scouting (like gay issues and “Duty to God”) become an impasse in the years ahead? They seem to be settled for the moment, but the moral onslaught will continue.

Elder Bradford explained to me that when the Church finally has the missionary manpower to enter mainland China, we will do so armed only with the basic elements of the gospel, not the full-blown Church menu of programs. What he said in essence was that Lord Baden Powell simply wouldn’t fit into the overseas suitcase in the years ahead. Aren’t we already moving in the direction of eliminating Scouting in parts of the world where its introduction is impractical?

Perhaps in future years Scouting will join Church basketball as more jetsam and flotsam from the ship of ZION is tossed overboard as it sails on into the darker nights and stormy seas ahead. The key, I believe is to develop an approach inspiring young men to catch the vision of what the scriptures offer BEFORE they reach the MTC, modeled more closely after what the young women are doing. Cooking, camping and hiking merit badges are often touted as ample justification for mission preparation, so I guess Scouting is tantamount to the only true gospel among its adherents. But after all isn’t it just “another gospel” like Sigma Chi or Pi Kappa Alpha? (Too harsh? Paul didn’t think so – see Galatians 1:6-12). I realize this is something of a paradigm shift, and I suspect it will not occur overnight, but we might someday view it as eliminating a desirable but unnecessary option. Until then, I will pray for more enlightenment on its relevance with the gold standard goal of paving the way toward eternal life.

Curriculum

That leads me to the next obvious area where the Church could help the young men. The curriculum in Aaronic Priesthood quorum meetings and Sunday School needs a more specific targeted approach to mission preparation (and I don’t mean “fluff lessons” on grooming, dating, dressing, etc). I’ll never forget a son sending me a quick desperate e-mail after one week in the CTM in Sao Paulo with this question: “Dad, what does the ‘Apostasy and Restoration’ mean?” ZING! I felt I had failed utterly in my duty as his father to teach him.

I absolutely LOVE that manuals are getting smaller every year. The instruction must include more familiarization with the scriptures if we expect the youth to be prepared to outline their own missionary lessons when they reach the MTC, and to truly teach by the Spirit. Two missionaries were in our home just last night (one out a year, the other fourteen months). I’ve done many splits with missionaries over the years and know how to compare those who are prepared with those who are not. It was obvious how sincere they were, but their teaching skills and familiarity with the scriptures were sadly lacking. I’ll just leave it at that. 

[It had nothing to do with me, but I note Preach My Gospel and True to the Faith were introduced within a year of this letter -- purely "coincidental," but it was nice to think I was on the same wavelength as those receiving the revelation for their introduction].

Such focus and directional positioning is lacking currently. This, of course, presupposes we have enough teachers within the ranks of the Church to fill the positions and effect the changes. Raising the bar for our sons and daughters who desire to serve as missionaries is one thing, but it must begin with inspired and converted adults who can teach and lead the way. It will be essential in the years ahead to raise the bar for instructional materials and teachers, if we as a Church are to meet Elder Ballard’s mandate. Having taught the Teacher Development course, Patsy and I have used Elder Gene R. Cook’s Teaching by the Spirit with great success among our students – every teacher in the Church would do well to study and embrace its contents. I know these things do not happen overnight, but make no mistake the Church is on the right path – these are relatively minor mid-course adjustments and improvements I’m suggesting, not a “throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater” approach.

Reverse Engineering

Years ago when I was traveling and consulting among multi-national manufacturing companies, I was surprised how widespread industrial espionage was. A company would often buy a competitor’s product, then take it apart piece by piece to figure out how to improve their own offering. They called it “reverse engineering.” The end product could be observed and declared desirable, then by working backward to today these companies would improve dramatically and in a short time what otherwise would have taken years to discover through trial and error.

Wasn’t it Stephen Covey who suggested that it was a good idea to start setting goals by starting with your funeral? The idea was to ask yourself what you wanted people to say at your funeral, then work backward to today. Then you simply live your life from that point to fulfill your hopes for how people will remember you. I can’t help wondering if we couldn’t do the same thing in the Church as we focus on what the Church could do to “help the youth.” If the end goal is to produce true disciples of Christ who are spiritually converted in the days of their impressionable youth, could we find ways to reverse engineer our collective efforts today in such a way that we could ensure better spiritual outcomes in true conversions? Could we frame the vision, perhaps, by doing a better job in describing what ZION might look like someday, then asking ourselves as a Church how we might get from here to there spiritually?

When I posed this question about what the Church could do to help the youth to a respected stake leader of young women, her response was how appalled she has become over the lack of true spiritual conversion among women in the Church who are her peers. Her “disconnect” observations included women in her circle who were having abortions, women who were sexually deviant because of lifelong patterns of sexual abuse, and women who had “opened the door to sin” again and again until they had eventually succumbed.

When asked what made the difference in her own life and the life of her husband, her comment was, “We decided early on in our marriage what was acceptable and what was not by the guidance of the Holy Ghost, then we have tried to follow the counsel we received prayerfully and sometimes at great sacrifice.” That’s true conversion, I believe.

When I asked her to then “reverse engineer” her current adult perspective into the lives of her young women, her answer was simple – “We need to help our youth leaders understand that the criteria for conversion is more than who shows up for activity night on Tuesday night.” She smiled and then said, “I’ve been accused in my own ward of being a ‘lax mother’ because my daughter isn’t at Mutual every activity night. I’ve had to help our leaders try to understand there’s more to it than the attendance rolls.” Of her daughter, she said, “Amber (not her real name) doesn’t need the Church to entertain her – she already has enough of that in her life – we need to support her spiritual desires to be faithful.” I believe it was Elder Neal A. Maxwell who said, “Instead of feeding the sheep, we have become adept at merely counting them.” How sad that among her best friends in high school she is not always able to find peer commitment for shared beliefs.

Summary

1. Teach and involve the youth in undiluted true doctrine from the scriptures.
2. Train for more effective interviewing at the local level.
3. Continue to think about what we could accomplish as a Church without Scouting.
4. Continue “tweeking” instructional curriculum with a focus on scriptures (less is more).
5. Reverse engineering with the end goal of eternal life in mind – then work backward to today.

The Church at the local level can and must fix it if it’s broken. When I think of “the Church” in the question, “What can the Church do to help the youth?” it seems to me the leadership of the Church at the highest levels is right on target. I completely sustain President Packer’s efforts. I love that we are finally becoming The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints, and we can be assured that the Church was never truer than it is right now. What I have outlined above is only a way to continue the vast improvement that is building – truly the momentum is all on our side right now. Hundreds of temples dot the globe today. Who would’ve thunk it even five years ago? Clearly, the Prophet is thinking long-term into fulfilling the future goal of eternal life I outlined up front. The failure to implement in the Church at the local level is where the “disconnect” is occurring. Maybe it’s always been the same problem since the Garden – God keeps sending true prophets among His children who ignore them. He is soooooooo patient!

Thanks for the invitation to ruminate some. As a letter this is way too long, and I apologize for that. What’s the old expression? “I could write a book.” Sorry, I nearly did! Feel free to use this in any way that might be useful to you or scrap it.

Best wishes,

David B. Goates