Basic Beliefs of Mormons

We have so many examples of miracles in the Holy Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. Miracle after miracle, such as:

• The healing of a leper. (Luke 5:12-13)
• The healing of a man with palsy. (Luke 5:18-25)
• The raising of a dead man. (John 11:1-2,5,11,14,43)
• The healing of a blind man. (John 9:1-12)

Just to name a few. But many have said that miracles ended with the Bible. Many say Jesus Christ is not God. They denigrate the great and crowning glory of mankind, the Atonement, as a falsehood. They deny the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ: Jehovah of the Old Testament and the Messiah of the New Testament. They say that God no longer speaks to man.

I challenge all that and I say miracles do exist to this very day. I say that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and a member of the Godhead, our Savior and Redeemer. I say the Atonement did happen, that Jesus was crucified, died and broke the bands of death with His Resurrection. All this is truth. God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

President Thomas S. Monson, the 16th called prophet in these modern times, spoke of miracles in 2004:

In my library is a personally inscribed, leather-bound copy of this classic treatment of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. As I have perused its pages, I have paused at the section entitled “The Miracles of Jesus.” I remember as though it were yesterday President [J. Reuben] Clark asking me to read to him several of these accounts while he sat back in his large leather chair and listened. That was a day in my life never to be forgotten.

President Clark asked me to read aloud the account found in Luke concerning the man filled with leprosy. I proceeded to read . . .

When I had read these scriptural stories aloud, President Clark removed from his pocket a handkerchief and wiped the tears from his eyes. He commented, “As we grow older, tears come more frequently.” After a few words of good-bye, I departed from his office, leaving him alone with his thoughts and his tears.

As I reflect on this experience with President Clark, my heart fills with gratitude to the Lord for His divine intervention to relieve the suffering, heal the sick, and raise the dead. I grieve, however, for the many, similarly afflicted, who knew not how to find the Master, to learn of His teachings, and to become the beneficiaries of His power. I remember that President Clark himself suffered heartache and pain in the tragic death at Pearl Harbor of his son-in-law Mervyn S. Bennion, captain of the battleship West Virginia. That day there had been no ram in the thicket, no steel to stop the shrapnel, no miracle to heal the wounds of war. But faith never wavered, and answered prayers provided the courage to carry on. (Thomas S. Monson, “Miracles of Faith,” Ensign, Jul 2004, 2–7)

May I briefly share a recent experience in my life which testifies of a loving, giving Father in Heaven?

As I have mentioned before, in previous posts, my husband will be receiving a kidney transplant next Tuesday, April 15, 2008. He was diagnosed with renal failure seven years ago when he weighed 425 pounds. He has worked out, when he was strong enough, enough to have lost 130 pounds. A miracle in and of itself because he did not use drugs, appetite suppressants or have a gastric bypass. He just paid attention to what he ate and drank and exercised when he was strong enough.

The last two years have been particularly hard on him, multiple hospital stays and ICU stints with every single one of them. He's grown weaker and weaker as the 7 years of dialysis began to take a huge toll on him. But he could not get a kidney transplant until he'd lost all the weight.

The week Mitt Romney dropped out of the presidential race we found out the donor we'd counted on had also been disqualified. For the first time in my life my unshakable faith was shaken. No, not because of Mitt Romney, but because suddenly, there was no longer a donor and my husband was in the hospital one more time, having gone septic again, and I feared he would not live long enough to find another donor.

My heart was broken and I cried out to my God in pain, sorrow and fear. I couldn't understand how this had happened and I didn't know where to go from there. I had believe all along, with a deep and abiding faith, that this woman would save Alvin's life. But a familial disease she'd never mentioned before suddenly took her out of the running.

Three days after Alvin was admitted to the hospital a young woman came to visit. She learned of the loss of the donor and immediately stepped up to the plate. Three weeks after that the phone call came and she was a match.

A modern-day miracle.

As the process moved forward, rather quickly, we learned that Alvin had to lose a drastic amount of weight in a relatively short amount of time. We tightened our diet more, began working out four times a week and redoubled our efforts. He lost 22 pounds, but it was not enough. There were 50 stubborn remaining pounds, all centered around his belly, that were not coming off. He'd gone from a 58" waist to a 44" waist, and it still wasn't enough. But we kept working out and praying hard. Family and friends joined us in the fasting and praying, weight continued to come off. Still not enough.

I received a phone call from our transplant coordinator and she said Alvin would need to have a tummy tuck before the transplant, or rather, tummy tuck and while Alvin was still open, the kidney would then be placed inside. The catch? Although the $250,000 surgery and post care were completely covered by insurance, the tummy tuck was not. We had a week-and-a-half to raise the $2,500 in cash.

Upon further questioning, I learned that any fat around the abdomen could damage the newly implanted kidney which would be placed right behind the abdominal wall. To insure the protection of that kidney, that remaining fat had to be removed.

We'd just concluded a medical bankruptcy and had nothing left. Nothing at all. Again, my faith was shaken. It should not have been, but it was. How on earth would we raise $2,500 in a short amount of time. We'd sold everything that could be sold. The bankruptcy court took our tax return and everything in our bank accounts. We literally had nothing left.

Again, I knelt in anguished prayer and when the answer came to me it was something we did not want to do. Alvin and I are hard workers and prefer to work for what we get than ask for help. It's simply how we were raised and who we are. But the answer came to send an email to family and friends and explain the situation asking for help.

It took me four days of begging for any other solution, any pay off for the incredible amount of work I'd put in on numerous projects, any pay off for the thousands of dollars owed to me . . . but nothing happened. This past Saturday I knelt once again and the same answer came to me once again. I reluctantly walked down to my home office and composed an email. I set up a Paypal account for the purpose of collecting the donations and a bank account to download them into. And then I hit send.

My heart heavy, I went upstairs to our bedroom, curled up on our bed and cried. This may have meant to be a humbling experience, but instead it was so humiliating to us that we could scarcely hold our heads up.

Within fifteen minutes money began to pour in. Over the course of the next 48 hours more funds began to accumulate until we have almost reached the required monies.

A modern-day miracle.

I have been the recipient of miracle after miracle in my 44 plus years of life. And yet, this day in this week in this month, more miracles have poured in than we can possibly count.

Yes, sometimes faith is shaken. But if you keep believing, more so, if you simply trust in the Lord then, if it is His will, the miracles will come. If they don't come, there is a specific reason and purpose and it gives us the opportunity to ask what we are to learn.

I testify with my entire heart and soul that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father. I testify that His Son, Jesus Christ, descended from His heavenly throne to fulfill His mission of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39) Through Him, and only through Him, is the path to eternal exaltation. We were never meant to walk this path alone. The development of faith, which precedes the miracle, is sometimes a slow process, but it is a journey and a gift. But I promise you that great happiness await when we reach out to the Savior and give Him our burdens.

I testify to you of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored in its entirety. We were meant to be happy, even in the toughest and most tragic set of circumstances. That peace, which brings happiness, comes from the Holy Ghost, the Comforter and the Testifier of Truth.

Believe, for God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Miracles still exist and they always will.

Jesus Christ said,

Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. (3 Nephi 27:13)

Paraphrasing that scripture, I heard a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormons, paraphrase the Savior, saying,

I came into the world, because my Father asked it of Me.

This struck me hard. Jesus Christ, knowing what He was facing and His ultimate end, came into the world that He might pay for all the sins, sorrows and illnesses of every one of Heavenly Father's children (the Atonement), suffering unimaginable pain and grief in the Garden of Gethsemane, as well as break the bands of death (Resurrection) after being cruelly and inhumanely crucified, freeing all mankind from the grave. He knew, in theory, what He was facing.

And yet, when He was chosen by the Father in that Grand Council in heaven, He accepted this mission because of His deep and abiding love for Heavenly Father, and for each of us.

And so can we look over our lives, knowing the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been fully restored in these modern time through the Prophet of the Restoration. We were sent to live here in mortality, learn, grow and return in glory to our Father in Heaven. We are here, because He asked it of us.

While Jesus Christ is our Savior, Lord and Redeemer, we are foot soldiers in the army of the Lord. We have been asked to stand tall, bearing witness to the truthfulness of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Jehovah of the Old Testament and Messiah of the New Testament. We have been asked to bear witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, a history of Lehi and his family and their journey to the world, Jesus Christ's subsequent visit to a decimated America and the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We've been asked to bear witness of the fact that the Book of Mormon is a second witness of Jesus Christ. We have been asked to live our lives according to the practices, principles and precepts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And why have we been asked and proceeded to do this?

Because our Lord asked this of us, as did His Father.

As the trials and tribulations of life grow heavier, I have paused amongst the chaos of preparing for my husband's kidney transplant on the 15th of April, to remember . . . I am here, because He asked it of me.

Our great Exemplar, Jesus Christ, has shown by every step He made, every word He spoke and every life He touched how we are to behave in every aspect of our lives. And this is another such example . . . we will do, because He asked it of us.

It's a common question asked amongst the good people of the world, no matter your religion, race or creed: "Why does God let bad things happen?"

No one, and I mean no one, escapes suffering in this phase of our eternal existence we call mortality or life. It's just the way it is. We came from heaven, known as premortality, determined to do our best, to prove to our Heavenly Father that we could be more like Him and His Son, Jesus Christ.

In heaven we were given the opportunity to make a choice. We could follow Heavenly Father's plan or we could follow Satan's. By virtue of your physical existence, you chose Heavenly Father's. The sticking point between the two plans? Free Agency.

Satan wanted to force us to live righteously and return every single one of us to Heavenly Father with no growth whatsoever, simply subjugated, dominated and uneducated.

Heavenly Father's plan included allowing us to choose for ourselves if we wanted to follow Him or turn our backs on Him and walk away. But He refused to force us. He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior and Redeemer, to insure we would have a way to return home, whom President Thomas S. Monson, the living prophet of God, calls the Master Bridge Builder. Jesus Christ provided us bridges of obedience, service and prayer. In utilizing these bridges in mortality we are brought ever closer to our heavenly home.

In following Heavenly Father's plan we have been given the freedom to become more like Him or the freedom to choose to follow Satan to his fiery eternal destination.

Satan and his minions were cast out of heaven for rebellion against God the Eternal Father. (Revelations 12) He holds a grudge unlike anyone you have ever met since you were born on this earth. He wants every single one of us to fail. You have something he does not, a physical body and a chance at eternal life. He has nothing but his bitterness, anger and everlasting greed and bitterness to bring us all down.

So, there are several reasons why bad things happen:

1. Choices. If you choose to become addicted to drugs and involve yourself in the continual feeding of the habit you WILL eventually rob, permanently maim or murder another human being in order feed that habit. This can often spill over to innocent human beings who had nothing to do with your choices. But your choices never effect only you. They always, always effect at least one other person if not more.

2. Bad things that happen can be turned around if we seek help from our Heavenly Father. Indeed, our Father in Heaven will never rob us of our free agency on this earth. But He cannot, nor will He, protect us from the consequences of our actions. But if we turn to Him, He will strengthen us to survive, possibly overcome, if we are willing turn to Him permanently and remember who we are.

3. Sometimes trials are given to us to make us stronger. Indeed, if we lose the "woe is me" attitude along with the "why me, why me" questions and simply ask "what would You have me learn," then these trials become something which refine us into stronger, purer servants of God, much as gold is refined through the fires of forge, so too are we through the fires of our trials.

We have proof of a loving God, because if we turn to Him in times of unspeakable pain and horror we are given strength, comfort and peace to come this horrible time, even if it was caused by another's actions.

Jesus, the Bridge Builder, spanned that vast chasm we call death. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22) He did for us what we could not do for ourselves; hence, humankind can cross the bridges He built—into life eternal.

I close by paraphrasing the poem “The Bridge Builder”:

“You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide—
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?”
“There followeth after me today
A vast throng whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that great throng may a pitfall be.
They too must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for them.”

(Thomas S. Monson, “The Master Bridge Builder,” Ensign, Jan 2008, 4–9)

Indeed, regardless of our circumstances in life or the horrible things which occur around the world, we are children of a loving Heavenly Father who allows each of us the freedom to be a savior or murderer of His children, you and me. The consequences of each are great . . . I'll leave it to you to figure out which set of consequences is preferable.

When we fully come unto Jesus Christ, are we born again?

Conversion is a process, not an event. Conversion comes as a result of righteous efforts to follow the Savior. These efforts include exercising faith in Jesus Christ, repenting of sin, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end in faith.

Although conversion is miraculous and life changing, it is a quiet miracle. Angelic visitations and other spectacular occurrences do not bring conversion. Even Alma, who saw an angel, became converted only after he "fasted and prayed many days" for a witness of the truth (Alma 5:46). And Paul, who saw the resurrected Savior, taught that "no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." (1 Corinthians 12:3) - (Gospel Topics: Conversion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, www.lds.org)

Lets examine these one by one . . . in order to be fully converted we must:

Exercise faith in Jesus Christ: Faith in Jesus Christ begins in one place. Is He your God, Redeemer and Savior? Do you accept Him as the Son of God, one chosen and foreordained from before the foundations of the world to save and redeem the children of God that we might continue forward in our eternal progression?

Once you have truly accepted those facts into your heart, a mighty change comes over you. You wish to be a better person. You wish to help others seeking, find Him. You change your thoughts and actions to be in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ. (Alma 13:12)

So no, you are not literally born again, but you are born anew as a son or daughter of God. In thus believing, you recognize that this mortal probation is about more than simply existing in the world, but is about growing, developing and triumphing over the world. That is faith in Jesus Christ.

Repent of our sins: We must cast off our sins and glory in being clean and new. The Atonement of Jesus Christ has given us the gift of being able to repent of our sins.

The full scope of the Atonement is something rarely understood, even by Mormons across the globe. If the weight of all the children of God's burdens caused Jesus Christ, even the Son of God, to bleed from every pore, how enormous was that burden? We, as mortals, will never be able to understand the depth and breadth of that price, but I invite you to understand a little more about what you've been given. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said,

"Nothing in the entire plan of salvation compares in any way in importance with that most transcendent of all events, the atoning sacrifice of our Lord. It is the most important single thing that has ever occurred in the entire history of created things; it is the rock foundation upon which the gospel and all other things rest." (Elder Bruce R. McConkie as quoted by Tad Callister in The Infinite Atonement, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 2000 4) - (Candace E. Salima, At-one-ment: Mormon Understanding of the Atonement, 2007, http://ldsblogs.com)

In so paying this enormous and incomprehensible price, Jesus Christ ransomed us, paying for our sins, sorrows and illnesses, that we might shake off the natural man, have the capacity to repent of our sins and walk with Him into eternity.

A greater gift I cannot imagine, and all we must do is repent of and forsake our sins.

Be baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost: The waters of baptism are an amazing thing. I was baptized when I was eight-years-old and while I don't remember the specifics of the occasion, I do remember coming up from those waters, held safe by my father's strong hands, and feeling clean.

Now I hadn't sinned much in the first eight years of my life, not many children do, but neither had I been perfect. For that brief shining moment I was clean of all my sins and it was the most powerful feeling. The burdens of mortality were lifted and I was given a gift, the gift of beginning again, when I was old enough to make decisions, to live this mortal life as I had intended to when I was looking down from heaven.

and,

After baptism, those with priesthood authority laid their hands on my head and bestowed the gift of the Holy Ghost to be my constant companion as long as I remained worthy of his presence in my life. What an incredible blessing that has been. In times of great danger I have felt the soft whisper of warning in my heart, altered my course of action and been preserved. In times of questioning and seeking for knowledge I have felt the confirmation of truth and the Holy Ghost testifying of divinity of Jesus Christ that I might know with my whole heart and soul that He lives and Has paid that price that we might live also.

Elder Henry B. Eyring tells us,

First, receiving the Holy Ghost takes faith in our Heavenly Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ. The memory of a great spiritual experience in which that truth was confirmed to you won’t be sufficient. You will need to be sure of your faith in the moment of crisis, which may come at any time, day or night, when you plead for the influence of the Spirit. You must then be unshaken in your confidence that God lives, that He hears your cry for help, and that the resurrected Savior will do for you what He promised to do for His servants in His mortal ministry:

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.” (John 15:26) - (Henry B. Eyring, “Gifts of the Spirit for Hard Times,” Ensign, Jun 2007, 18–24)

Endure to the end in faith: And finally, enduring to the end. That seems to be the hardest part for everyone. Mormon history is filled with story upon story of individuals who endured to the end, despite all odds. Many of us face obstacles that seem insurmountable at times, but that is merely an illusion. There is nothing given us that cannot be overcome and done so with great eternal glory.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf told of difficult times in his own life:

We all go through different life experiences. Some are filled with joy, and others with sorrow and uncertainty.

I remember a time when things didn’t look good for our family when I was a child. It was in the winter of 1944, one of the coldest during World War II. The war front was approaching our town, and my mother had to take us four children, leave all our possessions behind, and join the millions of fleeing refugees in a desperate search for a place to survive. Our father was still in the military, but he and Mother had agreed that if they were ever separated during the war, they would try to reunite at the hometown of my grandparents. They felt this place offered the greatest hope for shelter and safety.

With bombing raids during the night and air attacks during the day, it took us many days to reach my grandparents. My memories of those days are of darkness and coldness.

My father returned to us unharmed, but our future looked extremely bleak. We were living in the rubble of postwar Germany with a devastating feeling of hopelessness and darkness about our future.

In the middle of this despair, my family learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the healing message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. This message made all the difference; it lifted us above our daily misery. Life was still thorny and the circumstances still horrible, but the gospel brought light, hope, and joy into our lives. The plain and simple truths of the gospel warmed our hearts and enlightened our minds. They helped us look at ourselves and the world around us with different eyes and from an elevated viewpoint.

My dear brothers and sisters, aren’t the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and our membership in His Church great reasons to rejoice?

Wherever you live on this earth and whatever your life’s situation may be, I testify to you that the gospel of Jesus Christ has the divine power to lift you to great heights from what appears at times to be an unbearable burden or weakness. The Lord knows your circumstances and your challenges. He said to Paul and to all of us, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” And like Paul we can answer: “My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) - (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Have We Not Reason to Rejoice?,” Ensign, Nov 2007, 18–21)

I testify to you that Jesus Christ meant every word when He said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) In this life we were never intended to carry our burdens alone. Therefore enduring to the end was never meant to be attempted with the aid, comfort and support of our Savior Jesus Christ.

And so, in living these principles in our lives we are fully converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to Him as our Lord, Savior and Redeemer. The Son of God who paid the ultimate sacrifice that we might be born anew, able to fully rejoice in the light and love of the one who ransomed Himself for us.

Each of us comes into this world with gifts, talents and skills. Society holds the actress/actor, singer, writer, athlete or politician high as a standard of talent which has been groomed and perfected. But there are other talents, not as evident, which are of greater value in the world.

God gave all His children talents that, if developed and utilized properly, will aid Him in bringing all the children of God back home . . . where He anxiously awaits our return.

In the book of Matthew we read of a group of men who were given the same number of talents and then we learn what each did. Some grew their talents, others buried them in the earth to protect them. Guess which ones the Master was happiest with? Oh yes, the one who grew his talents. Equate those with the talents you have been given.

Have you the gift of listening? Caring? Loving? Learning? Teaching? Preaching the word of God? There are untold and unheralded numbers of talents in the world. Perhaps you may have the gift of looking out at the world and seeing her majestic mountains, her jungles teeming with life, her desert sands with rock formations rising high above, all the earth with her many beauties. It is possible you have the gift of seeing beyond the wars, rumors of wars, crime, poverty, illness and sorrow to the eternities which we are reminded of in the smile of a baby. The more overt gifts were mentioned at the beginning. But these subtler gifts are the glue that holds society together.

If you pull them into your heart, never sharing these marvelous gifts, you will be as the one who buried his talent. Elder Ronald A. Rasband, of the Seventy, said:

Every person comes to earth as a unique individual. Similar threads may run in families, but each of us has a tapestry all our own. Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote: "Each person in this life is endowed with those talents and capacities which his pre-earth life entitle him to receive. Some by obedience to law acquired one talent and some another.” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. (1966–73), 1:688)

The Lord made it clear that it is not good enough for us simply to return to Him the talents He has given us. We are to improve upon and add to our talents. He has promised that if we multiply our talents we will receive eternal joy.

In modern revelation the Lord affirmed the principles in this parable: “But with some I am not well pleased, for … they hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of man. … Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known.” (D&C 60:2, 13) - (Ronald A. Rasband, “Parables of Jesus: The Parable of the Talents,” Ensign, Aug 2003, 32–35)

We, as the children of God, were sent to earth to grow. We grow by developing the skills and talents given us by God in order that we might help others to develop their talents and remember who they are.

Learn what yours are, develop them until you have become the master of those talents and then use them to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. Above all, acknowledge Jesus Christ in your successes, for all our talents and abilities come from God. As you do so, the day will arrive where you too will hear, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

One of the most precious things given to us, I believe, is the knowledge of who we were before we came to this earth.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie, an apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ, tell us:

"Being subject to law, and having their agency, all the spirits of men, while yet in the Eternal Presence, developed aptitudes, talents, capacities, and abilities of every sort, kind and degree . . . As the ages rolled, no two spirits remained alike. Mozart became a musician; Einstein centered his interest in mathematics; Michelangelo turned his attention to painting. Cain was a liar, a schemer, a rebel who maintained a close affinity to Lucifer. Abraham and Moses and all of the prophets sought and obtained the talent for spirituality. Mary and Eve were two of the greatest of all the spirit daughters of the Father . . . and so it went through all the hosts of heaven, each individual developing talents and abilities as his soul desired." (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book 1979 1:23 497)

"Eternal Presence" is the presence of our Heavenly Father. We are His spirit sons and daughters, which gives me such a sense of completeness. I know who I am:

I know that I am a child of God.

I know that I lived before. And my personality now, was my personality then. It is clear that I loved knowledge, of all types. It is clear I had a gift and talent for the written word and that I probably spent a good portion of my heavenly time curled up in a comfy chair in the library to end all libraries, the library of God. It is clear I loved music, art, life, mountains, rivers and lakes. It is clear I loved sunrises and sunsets, flowers, animals and I clearly craved wide open spaces similar to the western part of the United States of America.

There is no question in my heart that I knew and associated with my friends and family in my heavenly home. The moment of instant recognition and "Where have you been?" when meeting these people in mortality assures me of this. My family here on earth is my strength, my joy and my testimony of a loving Heavenly Father. Is my family perfect? No, definitely not. We have our skeletons, our failures, our black sheep . . . but we also have our successes, our support, our strength.

Without question I adored and worshiped my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Without hesitation I defended Jesus Christ, along with the other hosts of heaven (and yes, that would be you too) against the uprising of Lucifer and the one third of the hosts of heaven who followed him.

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. (Revelations 12:7-10)

My love and fierce defense of Jesus Christ here on earth, confirms to my heart that I did indeed stand for Him there too.

So let's step away from me and look at you. According to Elder McConkie, who we are here is who we were there. But the point of mortality is to take what we accomplished in our heavenly home and to continue to grow here.

If you have an affinity for light . . . you know Jesus Christ.

If you have an affinity for love . . . you know Jesus Christ.

If you have an affinity for hope . . . you know Jesus Christ.

If you have an affinity for joy . . . you know Jesus Christ.

If you have an affinity for life . . . you know Jesus Christ.

If you are enveloped in sorrow . . . you have forgotten Jesus Christ, remember Him.

If you are enveloped in hate . . . you have forgotten Jesus Christ and our heavenly home.

If you are enveloped in sin and degradation . . . you have forgotten who you are, remember.

Awake, my brothers and sisters. Stand and shake off all that keeps you from Him. Remember that He paid the ransom for your soul. You are free to walk the path you choose, although you cannot choose the consequences.

Your Father in Heaven did not abandon you to this world to struggle through on your own. He provided a Savior to show you the way and pay for your sins. He cast a veil over your mind so you would not remember your heavenly home, but you kept your personality, your hopes and dreams, and you kept your accomplishments.

You are not judged just on this mortal span alone. When we stand before God on Judgment Day He will take into account all that you have been, before your birth and after. All that you accomplished in heaven. All that you did to defend Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father's plan against Satan and his minions. All your growth, accomplishments, as well as your friendships and familial ties, were honored here on earth. And they will tip the good side of the heavenly scale of justice.

So you see, you've already triumphed in the first phase of your life, premortality. Now you are in the second phase, mortality.

There is hope, Jesus Christ. There is light, Jesus Christ. There is joy, Jesus Christ. It all stems from He who walked the dusty roads of the Middle East spreading His father's word. He descended to earth from His heavenly throne and gave His heart and soul to the redemption of mankind. He made sure there was a written record of His gospel from Adam and Eve forward, a map, as it were, which would lead us home. He lived His mortal life in such a way that we could follow Him, becoming more like Him and therefore, more like our Father.

I testify at this time that we did not begin with our mortal birth, nor will we end with our mortal death. We are eternal beings caught in a physical experience, which we begged our Father in Heaven for . . . the chance to be more like Him.

This is truth. This is hope. This is life. Please turn to Jesus Christ and know that in following His path the windows of heaven will open and blessings will pour out upon you. Your burdens will be lighter. Your accomplishments will be brighter. Your love will deeper and more abiding . . . the world has only cheap, shiny things to offer . . . Jesus Christ has your eternity.

Andrew C. Skinner, noted theologian and history, said:

A broken heart and a contrite spirit are a perfect likeness or similitude of Jesus' atoning experience, and He undoubtedly wants us to comprehend the nature of that atoning experience. The word contrite comes directly from a Latin root meaning "to grind." To be contrite is to be crushed in spirit. (Andrew Skinner, Prophets, Priests and Kings, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book 2005 13)

Indeed, when one has committed a sin then the repentance process begins, and only begins, when one recognizes that action as sin.

Having been one who has not lived a perfect life, I recall specific times when I have undergone the recognition of a broken heart and contrite spirit as the consequence of my actions. Indeed, the burden which weighs upon a broken and battered heart is great, although nothing in comparison to what the Savior suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane that night.

At this particular time in life recognize that Satan will do all he can to keep you burdened with your sins. He will whisper in your ear:

"You aren't worthy. You're a loser. You've lost the love of the Father. There is no turning back. There is no hope."

These are lies, lies, lies!

President Ezra Taft Benson, the 13th called prophet is these modern times, admonishes us to remember:

One of Satan’s most frequently used deceptions is the notion that the commandments of God are meant to restrict freedom and limit happiness. Young people especially sometimes feel that the standards of the Lord are like fences and chains, blocking them from those activities that seem most enjoyable in life. But exactly the opposite is true. The gospel plan is the plan by which men are brought to a fulness of joy. This is the first concept I wish to stress: The gospel principles are the steps and guidelines that will help us find true happiness and joy. (Ezra Taft Benson, “A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, Oct 1989, 2)

President Benson speaks of every aspect of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for indeed, following in His path does allow for everlasting joy.

What does the world have to offer?

Drugs? Drugs trigger addiction which trigger crime which trigger the utter destruction of your physical health and the loss of freedom. It is a vicious cycle which does not end until you, the abuser, suffer great pain and agony from withdrawals. You then fight that craving for the rest of your life.

What is the Lord's solution? Stay away from drugs in the first place and you never enter this downward, spinning out of control, cycle which ends in certain death.

Alcohol? Alcohol follows the exact same path as drugs. Coming from a home where my biological father was an alcoholic, I have the beauty of damaged genes due to his excesses. Eventually he left his wife and children so that he could devote his life fully to women and booze without the restrictions of family. He died alone in his apartment with two young men frantically trying to revive him. It didn't work. The alcohol he turned to in his youth cost him everything, including his mortality and his eternities, because he could not walk away from it.

Again, what is the Lord's solution? Don't drink alcohol and strong spirits . . . that way lies only madness.

All that the world has to offer in the way of excess leads the partaker down this destructive and potentially deadly path.

But there is a way to return to our Savior, even Jesus Christ, who committed the greatest act of love ever known to this earth. He has paid for that addiction. He has paid for that pain. He has paid for that loss of self-respect, self-control and a hopeless future. All that is required of you? A broken heart and contrite spirit.

Indeed, as one is going through the repentance process it can be one filled with great emotional and spiritual pain, and certainly physically painful depending on the sin. But know this, in fact, burn it into your memory:

You are loved. The gospel plan of salvation is the plan of happiness. Freed from addiction, pain and sorrow of sin you will be astounded at how you can begin to soar above the mundane and filth filled streets of what the world has to offer.

Our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ have already made great sacrifices in order to assure you immortality and the possibility of eternal life (Moses 1:39.)

Stop and consider this for a moment. The amount of love which must exist in the heart of our Father in Heaven must be beyond comprehension that He stepped back and allowed the Atonement to continue and the Crucifixion to go forward. His only begotten Son in the Flesh was pleading with Him to remove the cup, and it could not be done without costing every single one of us our immortality and eternal salvation.

Imagine, if you can, a small portion of the amount of love your Father in Heaven has for you that He allowed this to move forward. And then stop and consider the incomprehensible level of love Jesus Christ feels for you that He willingly suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane that night, even bleeding from every pore the pain was so great that it caused even God to tremble. Even more, consider as He underwent the sham of a trial, the whippings, the mocking, the torture to finally be cruelly nailed to a cross on Calvary, the nails tearing through His flesh, and remaining in that excruciating agony until every last sin, sorrow, grief, illness . . . all that brings us pain, addiction and sorrow, was paid for, every last iota . . . and then He gave up the ghost. (Matthew 26:36-75 and Matthew 27) How deep was the love Jesus Christ had for you that He willing suffered through all of that . . . deeper than you can ever imagine or know.

Is it too late for you? No.

Are you worthy? Yes.

Is there hope for you? Yes.

Does Satan have you firmly in his grasp? No.

All you have to do is reach out to Jesus Christ and offer a broken heart and contrite spirit. Is that so much to ask? No, it isn't. You simply follow in His footsteps, walking the path He walked, living your life as He lived His and realize you are free from the bondages of pain, sin, sorrow and grief . . . there is so much hope awaiting you and all you have to do is take that first step.

Fall on your knees, and from deep within the recesses of your broken and torn heart, beg for forgiveness. Continue to plead until peace overcomes your body and then reach for the scriptures and find the answers and peace that await you. Then it's time to go back to church. You can find a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel at going to the Worship With Us section of www.mormon.org. Then you simply ask anyone you run into to direct you to the missionaries. They'll take it from there. Or you can simply call 888-537-7700.

Either way, you have turned a corner to a brighter and more peaceful life.

A candidate for the Presidency of the United States of America posed a question to a New York Times reporter, "Don't Mormons believe Jesus and the devil are brothers?" He said the reporter was a bright young man . . . but he wasn't Mormon. So why he would ask a point of doctrine to someone who would have no idea . . . I haven't a clue.

But I'd like to answer that question now.

On December 12th of 2007, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) issued a press release as an official response to this question:

Like other Christians, we believe Jesus is the divine Son of God. Satan is a fallen angel.

As the Apostle Paul wrote, God is the Father of all. (1 Thessalonians 1:1; Hebrews 12:9; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 8:6) That means that all beings were created by God and are His spirit children. Christ, however, was the only begotten in the flesh, and we worship Him as the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. (Answering Media Questions About Jesus and Satan, LDS News Room, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dec 2007)

So, let's start at the beginning. In Revelations, Chapter 12, we learn of a war that was in heaven. What was this war about? Who was involved?

We are all spirit children of our Heavenly Father, every single one of us, regardless of our levels of righteousness or wickedness, it is an inescapable fact. Looking around the world today, we see wickedness abounding and the righteous fighting to hold back the tide. We see really good people and we see really bad people. It was similar to that in heaven, where we all lived before we came to this earth, minus the really, really wicked people.

I do not know, nor has it been written by ancient or modern prophets, how long we lived as spirit children of God before it was decided we had progressed as far as we could. Nevertheless, that time arrived. There was a great council in heaven where Heavenly Father presented a plan so that we could continue in our eternal growth:

According to the plan, you could not continue to progress continually without the opportunity to enter mortality and receive a physical body. Here on earth you would have experiences that would help you learn and grow, and you would be proven to see if [you would] do all things whatsoever the Lord would command. (Abraham 3:25) The purpose of the plan is to help you become more like your Heavenly Father. The fact that you are living on Earth means that you accepted Heavenly Father’s plan and came here wanting to do all you could to receive all He has to offer. (Plan of Salvation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dec 2007, www.mormon.org)

The only way this plan would work is if a Savior were provided to redeem the world, all of Heavenly Father's children. There were two who stepped forward to offer themselves as Savior. One in utmost humility and love for His father and all created by Him, and another, with pride and arrogance.

The first was willing to follow the Father's plan of agency and consequence, being that Savior, providing prophets and apostles to the children of God (Romans 8:16-17,21) and willing to play a key part in the plan of salvation. We would grow, we would reach toward the heavens or we would turn away. The choice would be up to us.

The second, assured the Father he would force every one of us to return. There would be no agency, no growth and certainly no eternal reward if we had not grown since leaving our heavenly home. All glory and honor would go to him, not the Father.

In Isaiah 14:13-15 we read of Lucifer:

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Heavenly Father chose Jesus Christ, the best and brightest, the most righteous, the most humble, the most loving of us all. Lucifer, once a son of the morning, threw it all away striving for glory and trying to impose his will on God the Father. This is where Revelations, Chapter 12, picks up.

Lucifer, now known as Satan, raged against God, Jesus and all who would follow him. A great war ensued, and rages on to this day, one of which a living prophet of God, Gordon B. Hinckley, has spoken:

That war [in heaven], so bitter, so intense, has never ceased. It is the war between truth and error, between agency and compulsion, between the followers of Christ and those who have denied Him. His enemies have used every stratagem in that conflict. They’ve indulged in lying and deceit. They’ve employed money and wealth. They’ve tricked the minds of men. They’ve murdered and destroyed and engaged in every kind of evil practice to thwart the work of Christ. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “An Unending Conflict, a Victory Assured,” Ensign, Jun 2007, 4–9)

This war in heaven was fought between the followers of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the followers of Satan. The followers of Satan lost, as they will today.

The Book of Revelations tells us that Satan and a full one third of the hosts of heaven, one third of our brothers and sisters, were cast out of heaven never to participate in the plan of salvation.

Those of us here on earth followed Jesus Christ. And approximately 2007 years ago, a child was born in a lowly stable, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a clean manger, hastily prepared by Joseph. A new star, born that night, shone high in the sky and angels appeared, declaring the birth of the Messiah of all mankind. Shepherds and wisemen sought the newborn King, as many seek Him today.

Jesus Christ descended from His heavenly throne and now would take on the mantle He'd promised the Father, that of Savior and Redeemer. He would be revered. He would be mocked. He was beloved. He was hated and through it all, Jesus Christ remained perfect in all things, in all times and in all places. At the age of thirty He began His proselyting mission and traveled from city to city across the Middle East preaching of His Father, our Heavenly Father, and the His plan of salvation.

At the age of thirty-three, His mortal mission complete, on the night before the betrayal of the Son of God, Jesus Christ entered the Garden of Gethsemane and suffered for all the sins, sorrows, illnesses and grief of the world. We had chosen Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, and now Jesus delivered on His promise and covenant made in that grand council in heaven.

We chose Jesus Christ and He chose us. As Abel was Cain's brother, so too was Jesus Christ Satan's brother. He is our brother too. He is a fallen angel, one who turned his back on God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ, and is determined to destroy us in every possible way. A creature of misery and rage, he is the very antithesis of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Why would Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want us to know about this war in heaven and its players? President Marion G. Romney of the First Presidency under the prophet, Spencer W. Kimball, said of Satan:

I know that there are some in the world who deny the existence of a personal satan. This denial is false, being sponsored by the father of lies himself, but there is nothing new about it. The anti-Christs, at his bidding, have denied the existence of Satan from ancient times. The fact is, however, that Lucifer is a personage of spirit, just the same as Jesus and you and I were personages of spirit before we were born. In the spirit world, he was a personage of great ability. Isaiah refers to him as a son of the morning. “O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground,” he laments. (Isaiah 14:1)

Yet Lucifer rejected the Father’s plan for the salvation of the human race and sought to substitute his own plan. Not prevailing, he, with one third of the hosts of heaven, was “cast down, and … became Satan … the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will,” that is, those who will “not hearken unto my voice.” (Moses 4:3–4) (Marion G. Romney, “The Price of Peace,” Ensign, Oct 1983, 3)

If a "son of the morning" could deceive himself into thinking he could win against God, capture all the glory and honor and get away with it, how easy is it for us to fall? Have you heard the phrase, "How the mighty have fallen? Satan is the prime example of that.

Every human being, from Adam and Eve on down, face the same choice we faced in heaven. Do we follow Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ or do we follow a fallen angel?

I chose Jesus Christ in heaven and I choose Him now. He is the Prince of Peace, the promise Messiah, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Lord, our God . . . oh yes, I choose Jesus Christ once again.

The word Atonement, literally, can break down as At-one-ment . . . pause and reflect on that a moment.

Mormons believe in the full scope and power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Modern day prophets and apostles have given us great insight into this sacred gift given to us by our Lord, Savior and Redeemer.

Elder Richard G. Scott, a living apostle, tells us:

Each of us makes mistakes in life. They result in broken eternal laws. Justice is that part of Father in Heaven's plan of happiness that maintains order. It is like gravity to a rock climber, ever present. It is a friend if eternal laws are observed. It responds to your detriment if they are ignored. Justice guarantees that you will receive the blessings you earn for obeying the laws of God. Justice also requires that every broken law be satisfied. When you obey the laws of God, you are blessed, but there is no additional credit earned that can be saved to satisfy the laws that you break. If not resolved, broken laws can cause your life to be miserable and would keep you from returning to God. Only the life, teachings, and particularly the Atonement of Jesus Christ can release you from this otherwise impossible predicament.

The demands of justice for broken law can be satisfied through mercy, earned by your continual repentance and obedience to the laws of God. Such repentance and obedience are absolutely essential for the Atonement to work its complete miracle in your life. The Redeemer can settle your individual account with justice and grant forgiveness through the merciful path of your repentance. Through the Atonement you can live in a world where justice assures that you will retain what you earn by obedience. Through His mercy you can resolve the consequences of broken laws. (Richard G. Scott, “The Atonement Can Secure Your Peace and Happiness,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 40–42)

John 17:11 tells us specifically what the Savior is talking about with At-one-ment: "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

Every purpose for Jehovah to descend from His heavenly throne, take on the mantle of mortality and give Himself up for payment to satisfy the demands of eternal justice and law was to this end . . . to make us one with Them, in heart, mind and purpose.

The full scope of the Atonement is something rarely understood, even by Mormons across the globe. If the weight of all the children of God's burdens caused Jesus Christ, even the Son of God, to bleed from every pore, how enormous was that burden? We, as mortals, will never be able to understand the depth and breadth of that price, but I invite you to understand a little more about what you've been given.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie, an apostle of the Lord, helps us to understand the importance of the Atonement in mortality:

Nothing in the entire plan of salvation compares in any way in importance with that most transcendent of all events, the atoning sacrifice of our Lord. It is the most important single thing that has ever occurred in the entire history of created things; it is the rock foundation upon which the gospel and all other things rest. (Elder Bruce R. McConkie as quoted by Tad Callister in The Infinite Atonement, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 2000 4)

And Brigham Young, the second called prophet, seer and revelator in this modern age, tell us:

The moment the Atonement of the Savior is done away, that moment, at one sweep, the hopes of salvation entertained by the Christian world are destroyed, the foundation of their faith is taken away, and there is nothing left for them to stand upon. (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 14:41)

Our eternal salvation and happiness is based on that loving and, words fail me here, incredibly giving act of the Atonement paid by Jesus Christ.

You cannot descend below where the Son of God descended on that night in Gethsemane. There is no sin, save sinning against the Holy Ghost, that Jesus Christ will not forgive. You may wallow in sin for a time, eschewing all you have been taught, and still Jesus Christ descended below even that so every man, woman and child, from the expulsion from the Garden of Eden forward, could, if they so chose, step on that path, once again, which leads us back to our heavenly home and the presence of our Father in Heaven and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Men have stood at pulpits and elsewhere--great men--and have testified that their knees have never buckled, that as one said of another, "He had nothing to hide." We have had monumental men who did not need redemption as much as they needed power, and who never fell very far from the communing light of which I have spoken. I cannot bear that kind of testimony. But if there are some of you who have been tricked into the conviction that you have gone too far, that you have been weighed down with doubts on which you alone have a monopoly, that you have had the poison of sin which made it impossible ever again to be what you could have been--then hear me.

I bear testimony that you cannot sink farther than the light and sweeping intelligence of Jesus Christ can reach. I bear testimony that as long as there is one spark of the will to repent and to reach, He is there. He did not just descend to your condition; he descended below it, that 'He might be in all and through all things, the light of truth.' (D&C 88:6) -- Truman Madsen as quoted by Tad Callister, The Infinite Atonement, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book 2000 81)

But there is more to the Atonement than that. Many trials and tribulations wrack our lives. Some are given to us to refine us, burning out the dross and leaving the refined spirit behind, completely dedicated to God. Other trials come our way, just because. And yet others come specifically because of choices we've made. For example, you decided to try drugs and now your addicted. Your trial? Fighting and overcoming the addiction and then continuing to fight it and the physical outcome for the rest of your natural life. That's a trial you brought on yourself.

Nevertheless, all sin, sorrow, illness, pain, whether of your own choosing or not, everything that enables you to rise above or fall below has been paid for by the Savior through His Atonement. There is no load or burden we are asked to carry alone. He loves us that much. There is nothing that He will not take on to His shoulders and help us carry, we have only to ask.

In and through His Atonement, He has asked us to become one in mind, heart and purpose with Them, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. At one with God. He suffered, He bled, He died so that you might live, forever. And you will. Upon His resurrection, He broke the bands of death, enabling all of us, after a period of separation, to be reunited with our perfected, and immortal, physical bodies . . . but from there, it's up to us. The Atonement allows us to achieve spiritual perfection, if we so desire.

Will you avail yourself of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, living your mortal life accordingly to the magnitude of the Gift you have received or will you walk away?

When Eve was placed in the Garden of Eden, many have used the fact that she was created of Adam and last because she was of the least importance in God's eyes. Gordon B. Hinckley, our living prophet of God, said of this moment in history:

"Woman is God’s supreme creation. Only after the earth had been formed, after the day had been separated from the night, after the waters had been divided from the land, after vegetation and animal life had been created, and after man had been placed on the earth, was woman created; and only then was the work pronounced complete and good.

“Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth. ... “God will hold us accountable if we neglect His daughters.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Our Responsibility to Our Young Women,” Ensign, Sept. 1988, 11)

There are those who say, with great vehemence and ferocity, that women are subjugated, dominated and uneducated in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mormon women are encouraged to be anything but that.

We are of the highest value in our Heavenly Father's kingdom. From our youth we are taught to recite, believe and remember the following:

These values are instilled in our hearts, minds and spirits. We do not simply believe these qualities of women are so, we know we are daughters of God and we know these values exist within each of us. We are encouraged to develop them, nourishing and strengthening these divine qualities until they recognized by all in each of us. We are encouraged to get an education, to continue learning at the completion of that education and growing throughout our lives. We are told to honor, love and respect our fathers and husbands as they honor, love and respect us. To men who abuse their wives and daughters, the Lord has said, and echoed by President Hinckley, "amen to their priesthood." (D&C 121:37)

May I just offer my experience as a Mormon woman. My father, Fritz Sluyter, was the greatest example of a son of God. He loved, honored and respected my mother with a fierce loyalty that was a thing of beauty for his children to behold. He loved, honored and respected his children, tenderly loved his daughters and encouraged us to become the very best we could become.

From my family home I attended, first, Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) and Brigham Young University. There my experience as a daughter of God and a woman in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was further developed. At all times, I was able to recognize those who honored their priesthood and tried, at all times, to only associate myself with them. Sometimes I made mistakes and miscalculated the worthiness of a young man, but quickly separated myself from them when full realization hit.

My priesthood leaders always honored and respected me. There was never a time when I felt less than valued and the daughter of God that I am.

In 1995 I married my sweetheart in a temple of the Lord and have found myself married to the most loving, astounding, honorable and worthy priesthood holder any woman could ever ask for. He loves me more every day as I love him more every day. I have been very blessed by the men that have surrounded me in my life.

I realize that there are women in this church and in this world who have not shared the experiences I have.

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said:

"So many of our sisters are disheartened, even discouraged, and disillusioned. Others are in serious trouble because of the choices they make. Satan has unleashed a seductive campaign to undermine the sanctity of womanhood, to deceive the daughters of God and divert them from their divine destiny. He well knows women are the compassionate, self-sacrificing, loving power that binds together the human family. He would focus their interests solely on their physical attributes and rob them of their exalting roles as wives and mothers. He has convinced many of the lie that they are third-class citizens in the kingdom of God. That falsehood has led some to trade their divinely given femininity for male coarseness." (Richard G. Scott, “The Sanctity of Womanhood,” Ensign, May 2000, 36)

Of those men who abuse their families, as mentioned above, the Lord has written and it has been reiterated by his modern day prophets and apostles: "That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.

That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man. (D&C 121:36-37)

"If His daughters are abused, those abusers will one day stand before the Lord and have to explain their behavior. He will not take kindly, for He has said of those that offend my little ones "it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:6) I believe the consequences of abusing His daughters will be equal in severity.

Above all else, remember this: You are valued in the eyes of God and His righteous servants.

Yesterday, I received an email asking me a number of questions regarding the plan of salvation. I'd run across a question on Amazon.com: "Why did God create the world?"

I answered that question for this person and she emailed me with more. I did respond to her, but I thought I would post her questions and then my answers.

Question: I looked at the verses you recommended. Tell me if I'm just not interpreting them correctly.

(I have changed the wording of the scriptures she sent me to the King James version of the Bible.)

Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."

Ephesians 1:4-5, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will."

2 Timothy 1:9, "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.."

Initially when I read these and at the start of my email, I didn't see how they were relevant to immortality. But as I reread them so that I could type them, it makes more sense. As far as scriptures that aren't in the bible, why aren't they? And who chose which scriptures would be included? And where were they discovered?

Answer: The scriptures you mentioned all speak of life before we came to earth. Revelations 12 also speaks of the war in heaven which was fought to insure that we would have the freedom on earth to choose our own paths. Heavenly Father, of course, prefers we choose to return to Him, but He will not force us for that was Satan's plan, to force everyone of us into returning. The freedom to choose right from wrong or vice versa is an eternal law that Satan tried to circumvent and Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father would not let him.

Yes, you are interpreting those scriptures properly. We did not begin when we were born and we will not end when we die. I've written several articles on this subject, which can be found here. It does put a whole new spin on things doesn't it? For me, it makes it easier to deal with the trials and tragedies of life knowing that I have a loving Savior watching over me. Our Father in Heaven did not put us on this earth without a road map. Everything we need to know to return to Him has been revealed, first to the prophets and apostles of old, and now to the prophets and apostles of this day and age. It is called the plan of salvation. Simply click on each link on the left, in succession, and it is explained in its entirety.

As to scriptures which are not in the Bible, the Council of Nicea, in 325 A.D., is who sat down and decided what would be in the Bible and what would not. As the Bible was translated, over and over, misinterpretation caused inaccuracies as did the wickedness of different individuals through history. Interestingly, Martin Luther, didn't like the books of Hebrews, James and Revelations. And yet within those books we find wonderful explanations of the doctrine that Jesus Christ taught before He was crucified. In Revelations, as I just mentioned, there is written knowledge of premortality, the life we lived before we came here. How precious these truths are that he dismissed out of hand. Martin Luther and the other Reformers performed a wonderful service in preparing the world for the full restoration of Christ's Church, but they were not infallible.

In John 20:30 we find: "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book."

In the next chapter, John 21:15: "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen."

In Ezekial 37:16-19 it reads: "Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick and write upon it, For Judah and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephriam, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand."

The stick of Judah, obviously, is the Bible. The stick of Joseph is a record of Jesus Christ's visit to North America after His crucifixion. There were other books written testifying of Jesus Christ, His teachings and His visits to other lands. The entire gospel of Jesus Christ, in its purest form, is revealed within the pages of the Book of Mormon, and is the stick of Joseph. When it was translated and printed in 1830, it was spread across the land until it is now translated. A full explanation of how the Book of Mormon came into being can be found here.

Question: In reference to Elder Neal A. Maxwell, how do we know he was a true apostle? Not just him, but anyone in modern day times claiming to be delivering the word of god?

Answer: Now, as to your question as to how to know if Neal A. Maxwell is an apostle of God, or how anyone in this day and age can make such a claim.

At the very end of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Moroni tell us: "And I seal up these records, after I have spoken a few words by way of exhortation unto you. 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 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."

This request and promise is given to readers of the Book of Mormon. But it applies in all facets of attempting to discern truth from error. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored Church of Jesus Christ, in its entirety, as it was set up by Jesus Christ in the meridian of time (0 A.D. to 33 A.D.) The authority bestowed upon the 12 Apostles by Jesus Christ is completely restored, the structure of which is described in Ephesians, a prophet and apostles are those that administer Christ's Church.

Ephesians 1:10 - "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times (now) He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him." (Restoration)

In Ephesians 2:20 - "And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone."

With any knowledge that comes your way, it's important that you study and research it and then kneel before you Father in Heaven and sort out the truth. He will provide that for you. He has given us scripture describing how to recognize His answers:

D&C 9:7-9 - "Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. But behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me."

Really, what it boils down to is "by their fruits, ye shall know them." If hate and vitriol are the watchcry, that is not of Jesus Christ. If emulation of the Savior in all things is the watchcry, that is of Jesus Christ.

I can certainly testify to you that Jesus Christ's Church has been restored and that Gordon B. Hinckley, the living prophet today, is a prophet of God. The Book of Mormon holds within its pages the plain and precious truths removed from the Bible. As a companion book of scripture to the Bible, life as we were intended to understand it, will open up and you will begin to look at your daily life with new eyes and understanding of: Who am I? Why I am I here? and Where am I going? You will have the answers to those questions. I testify of the divinity of Jesus Christ, for He is God and He lives.

Just remember, turn to God for confirmation of your answers. Listen with your heart and know that He will answer you.

There are so many ideas about heaven, including the "it doesn't exist" theory. Some picture us floating on a cloud, others picture it all ending in a cold, dark grave.

Let me shed some light on the subject, literally.

Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke to the general membership of the Church in the spring of 1992 about this very topic.

Life does not begin with birth, nor does it end with death. Prior to our birth, we dwelled as spirit children with our Father in Heaven. There we eagerly anticipated the possibility of coming to earth and obtaining a physical body. Knowingly we wanted the risks of mortality, which would allow the exercise of agency and accountability. “This life [was to become] a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God.” (Alma 12:24.) But we regarded the returning home as the best part of that long-awaited trip, just as we do now. Before embarking on any journey, we like to have some assurance of a round-trip ticket. Returning from earth to life in our heavenly home requires passage through—and not around—the doors of death. We were born to die, and we die to live. (See 2 Corinthians 6:9.) As seedlings of God, we barely blossom on earth; we fully flower in heaven. (Russell M. Nelson, “Doors of Death,” Ensign, May 1992, 72)

"We fully flower in heaven." Isn't that a beautiful thought? In previous posts we've discussed premortality and mortality, and the natural progression, as Elder Nelson states, is postmortality.

Phase 1: Paradise

Right after we have shuffled off this mortal coil we go to a place called Paradise, which Alma described as

11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow. (Alma 40:11–12.)

Paradise is pretty much a weigh station. Remember when the Savior was hanging on the cross?

39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:39-43)

Did you ever wonder why a thief would be in Paradise with our Lord God, Jesus Christ? This is why. Paradise is not heaven, but it is that place where we shall be between our mortal death and the resurrection.

Phase 2: Resurrection

Some facetiously state that nothing is as permanent as death. Not so! The grip of physical death is temporary. It began with the fall of Adam; it ended with the atonement of Jesus the Christ. The waiting period in paradise is temporary, too. It ends with the resurrection. From the Book of Mormon we learn that the “paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls.” (2 Nephi 9:13.) (Russell M. Nelson, “Doors of Death,” Ensign, May 1992, 72)

Ezra Taft Benson, the prophet from 1985 to 1994, stated the following about the resurrection:

There is the ever-present expectancy of death, but in reality there is no death—no permanent parting. The resurrection is a reality. The scriptures are replete with evidence. Almost immediately after the glorious resurrection of the Lord, Matthew records: “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” (Matthew 27:52–53.) (Ezra Taft Benson, “Life Is Eternal,” Ensign, Aug 1991, 2)

Jesus Christ, the first to be resurrected, broke the bands of death caused by Adam's Fall. Upon His resurrection, others were resurrected and seen in the city of Jerusalem. This promise was given to us as well. At our appointed time our spirits and bodies will be reunited in perfect harmony, our bodies "shall be restored to [their] proper and perfect frame." (Alma 40:23; see also Alma 11:42–45.) Proper and perfect frame . . . oh, I cannot wait for that day!

Phase 3: Judgment

This is the phase of life, and yes premortality - mortalitly - postmortality consist of one life, is the one everyone seems to hold some dread in their heart.

Elder Nelson went on to say,

Our resurrection will not be an end but a new beginning. It will prepare us for judgment by the Lord, who said, “As I have been lifted up [upon the cross] by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works.” (3 Nephi 27:14.)

Even before we approach that threshold of the eternal court of justice, we know who will personally preside: “The keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

“And whoso knocketh, to him will he open.” (2 Nephi 9:41–42.)

Now is the time to prepare for the day of our judgment. Taking stock of your life right now, what must you do to attain the highest level in the three degrees of glory? It may not be as complicated as you think. Elder Nelson was once in plane plummeting toward the earth and these are the thoughts that went through his head,

One of its engines suddenly burst open and caught on fire. The propeller of the flaming engine was starkly stilled. As we plummeted in a steep spiral dive toward the earth, I expected to die. Some of the passengers screamed in hysterical panic. Miraculously, the precipitous dive extinguished the flames. Then, by starting up the other engine, the pilot was able to stabilize the plane and bring us down safely.

Throughout that ordeal, though I “knew” death was coming, my paramount feeling was that I was not afraid to die. I remember a sense of returning home to meet ancestors for whom I had done temple work. I remember my deep sense of gratitude that my sweetheart and I had been sealed eternally to each other and to our children, born and reared in the covenant. I realized that our marriage in the temple was my most important accomplishment. Honors bestowed upon me by men could not approach the inner peace provided by sealings performed in the house of the Lord.

That harrowing experience consumed but a few minutes, yet my entire life flashed before my mind. Having had such rapid recall when facing death, I do not doubt the scriptural promise of “perfect remembrance” when facing judgment. (Alma 5:18; see also Alma 11:43.)

Are you living your life in such a way that you could look the Savior in the face and say, "I have served Thee and loved Thee. I have done the very best I could. I have done the work for my ancestors in the temples. We were sealed in the temple and all of our children were born in the covenant. I have raised my family up unto Thee. I wasn't perfect, but every day I tried to follow in Thy footsteps. Every day I tried to serve my fellowman. Every day I loved Thee and I am ever thy faithful servant."

I know I have done all that, but am I done? No. I'm not perfect and so every day I get up and think to myself, what does my Savior need me to do today. Following President Thomas S. Monson's suggestion to take care of the Lord's tasks first, I have found I accomplish much, much more in any given day.

I am determined to return to the presence of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. That means I do what I set out to do when I left heaven. I work. I learn. I study. I pray. I grow.

We've talked about Premortality (Where Did I Come From?) So lets examine the next phase in our eternal existence is mortality, our Second Estate.

From Teachings of the Presidents: Spencer W. Kimball, we read:

We understood well before we came to this vale of tears that there would be sorrows, disappointments, hard work, blood, sweat, and tears; but in spite of all, we looked down and saw this earth being made ready for us, and we said, in effect, "Yes, Father, in spite of all those things I can see great blessings that could come to me as one of thy sons or daughters; in taking a body I can see that I will eventually become immortal like thee, that I might over the effects of sin and be perfected, and so I am anxious to go to the earth at the first opportunity." And so we came. (To Live With Him Some Day, Teachings of the Presidents: Spencer W. Kimball, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint, 2006 3)

Premortality was our First Estate and having successfully completed that First Estate; having sided with Jesus Christ in the war in heaven where a full third of the hosts of heaven followed Satan; and understanding that mortality was the next phase in our eternal progression, we were born. We obtained bodies of flesh, bone and blood which have been denied to Satan and his minions. This alone gives him great reason to seek our ultimate and eternal downfall. We can't let him.

Mortality is school and our Second Estate. We had progressed as far as we could go in heaven and now we are at college. We were not sent to earth in order to live lives rife with pleasure, sin and self-gratification. We were sent to learn to master the passions of the natural man and become as close to perfect as we could come.

This does not mean we become inhuman. We simply learn to control our passions. For example, the sanctity of marriage is an eternal principle. Family is an eternal unit. Yet the world would have us believe that faithfulness to a marriage partner isn't really necessary. We hear constantly how irresponsible it is to have children. We learn that family units do not need to be complete.

Satan has succeeded in corrupting the Father's eternal plan which "brings to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Again, we cannot