Once Upon a Precept

Studying Matthew chapter 13, I thought that the following parable relates to suffering:  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. (Matthew 24-30) Why does the steward not rem...

What is a disciple? a follower of Jesus Christ Jesus comes first before friends and family. Serve others before yourself. Humble & Modest    Seek no glory. Glory be to God.    Why? To get to heaven.    Obedience: Habits or rituals? Live the commandments with purpose.    What are the reasons that you are obedient to each commandment?    Bonus: Life is streamed live before the Heavens, and God can only edit it by your repentance & faith. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. (D&C 128)

Marriage    The marvel is eternity.  Man can be married for time and all eternity. The congregation called Shakers reject marriage. Parley Pratt was sent to preach to them. We teach the following about marriage: Marriage is ordained of God, a partnership with God to raise his children. A student shared that his parents changed their habits of competing ideas, which may have contributed to his troubled nature; however, they united by practicing the following pattern: discuss, decide, & a confirm by revelation and prayer. Eternal progression is a sole blessing of exaltation. All other glories have a limit to their progress, a damnation of sorts. Earth is created to be full, enlarging the human family.

This talk on suffering by Francine R. Bennion is longer than expected. She questions general assumptions, making the following statement. "If we believe suffering shouldn’t exist, but it does; or suffering is God’s way of testing and teaching, but what can a wailing infant be proving or learning; or prayer should cure the problem, but it hasn’t—then it is not only the suffering that troubles us but also the great cracks in a universe that should make sense but doesn’t." (A Latter-day Saint Theology of Suffering: Francine R. Bennion) Is suffering only an aspect of mortality? When I read this, I made the following simple note: Don't ignore consequences. There are consequences to all decisions. Some have good results, and some have bad results. Most people would think enduring negative consequences is suffering. Negative consequences rarely affect one person; even, personal issues affect others. If this is the case, how can existence in Telestial, Terrestrial, or Celestial ...

Continuing my study of suffering, I have learned that a universal answer to suffering is important because it reflects on our understanding of and relationship with God. Some perceptions of Him that are brought up in the talk are depressing and false. The following are examples: - Thirty-five years ago, one of my schoolteachers would not take medical help for a lump in her thigh because “God had given it to her.”  - In Relief Society one Sunday last year, a class member told us we shouldn’t concern ourselves with events in the newspaper because God is planning destruction before the Millennium anyway, and all we should concern ourselves with is our own righteousness and that of our children, and then we’ll be all right.  - A few years ago, one young woman’s confusion about God and suffering was central to her anguish and paralysis in the face of repeated violence: “I don’t know what it is God’s trying to teach me with my husband’s temper.” (A Latter-day Saint Theology of Suffe...

Last night I started to read the chapters for "Come, follow me," and I realized that one of Christ's original disciples was a Canaanite.  "In the case of Matt. 10:4 and Mark 3:18, which refer to Simon, one of the Twelve, the word should be Cananean rather than Canaanite; it has reference to his political attachments rather than his lineage or geographical point of origin. Simon is also called a Zelote in Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13, Zelote probably having reference to the Zealots founded by Judas of Gamala, which sect was called the Cananeans, and who openly opposed the census of Cyrenius. In other instances, Canaanite refers to land of origin or lineage through Canaan, son of Ham, as in Gen. 10:6–19; 12:5–6; and Abr. 1:21." (Bible Dictionary, Canaanite) Nevermind, Simon's lineage is not of the Cananeans; however, Christ's apostles come from very diverse backgrounds. Jesus Christ ordaining of these people should help them feel embraced. People of many differ...

7 March 2019 Today I studied more about suffering. Francine R. Bennion, the professor, taught that a quality of theology and religion is that it needs to answer questions universally. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints still doesn't have an official doctrinal answer to suffering; although, this speech was given one hundred years ago. "There is no single theology of suffering in our church, one framework uniform in all respects in the minds of all leaders and all other members. Though we may share the same scripture, the same revelation, prophets, and belief that God and Christ are real, we have various frameworks for putting them together and for seeing suffering, either our own or someone else’s. One person thinks God sends suffering to teach us or to test us. Another thinks God or Satan can affect only our response to the suffering, and some think it is Satan who is causing the suffering. Others think there should be no suffering at all if we are righteous and ...