The Path and the Tree.

January 1, 2012

                        I recently finished reading the Book of Mormon.  I plan to do so again this year for purposes of our Gospel Doctrine class study.  I have a testimony that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and has come to us exactly as Joseph Smith testified. By assignment, I would like to talk about some things I find very important in the scriptures, including the Book of Mormon.

We have wonderful symbolism in the scriptures.   Symbolism uses familiar ideas to help us learn concepts that are less familiar but very important.  Symbolism often makes it easier for us to understand and implement gospel principles in our lives.  In ancient scriptures it is sometimes hard to distinguish symbolic representations from historical accounts.  This uncertainty shouldn’t matter because the lessons are the same either way – the lessons we are intended to learn from ancient scriptures generally don’t depend on whether something ‘really happened.’  Using symbols is a loving way to present difficult but important lessons to someone (such as us) who might not understand the lessons any other way.  We can move toward actually knowing the truth of all things as we learn the lessons of the scriptures with the help of symbolism.

 
The Strait and Narrow Path.

  In one repeating symbol, the scriptures describe a path that we should follow - a strait and narrow path leading eventually to the Celestial Kingdom.  To get to the Celestial Kingdom we must get on this path and stay on it until our mortal journey is finished.  Sometimes the path is referred to as the ‘way.’  In geometry, a straight line is the shortest distance between two points.   So it is with scriptural paths - the straighter the path, the shorter the distance to the Gospel goal. 

At the beginning of the strait and narrow path is a gate through which we must pass to get on the path.  We understand this gate to be repentance and baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  There is no other way to get onto the path except by going through this gate, which means becoming worthily associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through conversion, repentance, and baptism.   After learning the gospel, we must freely choose to enter the gate by repenting and being baptized.  Only an authorized ordinance, performed by an authorized priesthood holder, will do the job. 

Going through the gate by baptism puts us on the path that we must then travel.  Being baptized gets us into the Church, but getting into the Celestial Kingdom requires a life of striving to keep the commandments and repenting, as needed.  We have been commanded to ‘endure to the end.’  An important part of enduring to the end is being a lifelong, faithful, loyal member of the true Church we joined to get on the path.  We don’t have to be perfect (something impossible for us in this life), but we should be striving towards this goal, knowing the Savior’s atonement will make up what we lack.  We can’t choose to go nowhere; there is no ‘time out’ permitted.  We are either on the strait and narrow path or on some other path.

At the far end of the strait and narrow path there is another gate; this second gate is an entrance to where we will be after this life – eventually the Celestial Kingdom if we are faithful.  We understand the Savior himself guards this gate, and he employs no servant there.  In order to get through this gate, we must be able to satisfy the Lord that we deserve to be in the Celestial Kingdom.  Because of his attribute of justice, the Lord will not let us into the Celestial Kingdom unless, with the help of the atonement, we are worthy to be there; as part of his attribute of mercy, the Lord will not let us in unless our conscience is such that we would feel comfortable being there – that is, unless our confidence would be strong in the presence of God and those worthy to be with him.  Appropriate humility won’t prevent us from seeing ourselves as we really are, entering paradise, and feeling comfortable with our spiritual peers as we complete our eternal journey. 

The Prophet Joseph Smith instructed that there is much for the righteous to learn and do following this life.  We could characterize this post-mortal process as another path.  Just as we must be baptized to get on the mortal path, so we must qualify, through choices and actions, to continue along the post-mortal path to the Celestial Kingdom.  Those who are admitted through the Savior’s gate at the end of life will have demonstrated they can be trusted to learn and implement the principles of godliness and to have a productive eternity.  However, following this life we will still be ourselves, so the more good characteristics and habits we acquire in this life, the better.

Since there is only one path leading to the Celestial Kingdom, we need to be sure we are not on the wrong path.  There are many other paths, but only one strait and narrow path.  Someone has said: ‘If you don't change direction, you will arrive where you are headed.’  If we are on a path that leads somewhere other than to the Celestial Kingdom, then we will reach some other destination unless we change our path and direction.  Over time, a slightly wrong heading will lead to a destination far from our goal.  Even if we start on the right path, we will veer off in the wrong direction unless we pay close attention and make necessary course corrections as we go through continuous, conscious attention to the journey.

The temporal length of the strait and narrow path is determined by the length of our lives after we are baptized.  Following the scripture’s admonition to endure to the end will keep us on the path and lead us to the gate the Savior guards, when we die.  Plus, the sooner we get on the path the better, because the spiritual progress we make along the path will benefit us in the life to come. 

 The Tree of Life.

                       In the Book of Mormon, Lehi's dream of the tree of life and the path leading to that tree provides wonderful symbolism that can strengthen our understanding of the strait and narrow path.  Also, Nephi had a vision about his father’s dream which helps illuminate these symbols and the intended lessons.

Lehi’s path led to a tree of life which we are told represents the love of God.   When Nephi was shown his father’s dream, his version included instruction on the birth, baptism, ministry, example, and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ as an integral part of the lesson.  The Savior’s life and atonement are also integral and foundational to our understanding of the tree of life and the path we must follow to reach it.  The Savior’s life and atonement make the path to eternal life possible, setting its course, and establishing its standards.  Under the direction of the Savior, with the covenants and saving ordinances of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the process of faithful Church activity defines for each member the path we must be devotedly traveling.

We learn from Lehi and Nephi that after we get on the path, there is an ‘iron rod’ we can grasp parallel to the path, like a banister next to a stairway.  The iron rod guides the way to the tree of life.  We are told the iron rod symbolizes the word of God and his love.  For us, the word of God is found in the scriptures, in the Church magazines, and in the general conference addresses of our leaders.  God’s word can also come to us through the quiet voice of the Holy Ghost.  We can stay on the path by holding onto the word of God, or in other words, by keeping the commandments, heeding the counsel of the brethren, saying our prayers, and staying active in the Church.  

As we travel the path, the love of God becomes increasingly manifest in our lives as we qualify ourselves to receive it and sensitize ourselves to feel it.  A ‘law of increasing returns’ applies – the better we do, the more divine help we receive to help us do even better.  We are told if we don’t keep the commandments, we will lose the right to receive spiritual help.  This isn’t unfair; it implements the eternal law of the harvest – you are rewarded for the good you do and you lose blessings when you do what you shouldn’t do.

Lehi's dream teaches us a number of things about the journey along the strait and narrow path.  In his dream, Lehi first followed a man in a white robe who led him through a dark and dreary wasteland.  At times, our path may be covered with symbolic, or even real, thorns and sharp rocks.  From the Prophet Joseph Smith we learn that those who come to us from the Father to help us along the strait and narrow path are dressed in white, as are our church leaders when they dedicate the Lord’s temples.  These are examples of those who will help us stay on our path, just as the man in white guided Lehi through the wasteland.  Also, if we are worthily on the path, we can follow another leader, the pure and reliable Holy Ghost.

In addition to the image of the tree of life in Lehi’s and Nephi’s visions, we know there was also a tree of life in the description of the Garden of Eden occurring in several places in our scriptures.  Adam and Eve were given the fruit of their tree of life to help sustain them in the Garden.  There was also a tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Adam and Eve were told they would be subject to mortality and death if they ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and that is exactly what happened to them; they were cast out of the Garden after they ate the forbidden fruit.  There was a clear commandment with a stated consequence, which was enforced when Adam and Eve disobeyed.  But Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden actually was a very merciful thing, since they needed the opportunity to repent before they again partook of the fruit of the tree of life.  

All of what happened in the Garden of Eden was an important part of the Father’s plan put into effect by the Savior.  We sometimes have trouble understanding why God gave Adam and Eve a commandment he knew needed to be disobeyed in order to get the Plan of Salvation under way.   We know that every mortal process in the Plan of Salvation needed to take place outside the Garden of Eden.   Apparently, opposition in all things included opposition in the Garden of Eden.  Adam and Eve’s decision-making in the Garden, no doubt aided by the Light of Christ, was apparently something important for them to do in order to prepare for the gift of knowledge of good and evil, and for the shock of mortality, after they left the garden.  Adam and Eve and their children needed to learn to walk the strait and narrow path by faith, outside the presence of deity.   Adam and Eve and their children needed to learn there are serious consequences to sin and transgression.

The Father knows that, over time and through mortality, all his children (except the Savior) will disobey his commandments from time to time; this is not a defect in the plan but a part of it.  Thus, setting a process in which Adam and Eve transgressed in the Garden of Eden was not a defect or oversight in the Father’s plan, but a key part of the plan, leading to the need for, and role of, the Savior and his atonement. 

The Lord’s atonement, along with His birth and resurrection, were the greatest events that ever happened.  Adam and Eve were required to make a consequential choice which they made as best they could, using the spiritual tools they then possessed.  The Father’s plan allowed them to repent of their transgression, repent and become entirely clean through the atonement, and then get on with their mortal lives.  They were not somehow short-changed by a divine dilemma. 

Before they could get back to the tree of life, Adam and Eve were required to learn to distinguish good from evil based on their choices and experiences.  Partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil didn’t give them perfect knowledge; rather, the consequence of their transgression enabled them to progressively learn from their own experience in a place where there is opposition in all things.  As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of the original days, Adam and Eve were baptized and aided by the precious Gift of the Holy Ghost.  As it does for us, the Savior’s atonement enabled our first parents to repent of their sins when they chose poorly.  So, like us, Adam and Eve were required to get on the strait and narrow path (repent and be baptized), grasp the iron rod (follow the word of God), and then work their way along the path, making choices with the help of the Spirit, relying upon the Savior, in order to get back to the tree of life.  It was a difficult process for them, just as it is a difficult process for us.  The same Plan of Happiness in effect for us was in effect for them.  Adam and Eve succeeded and so can we.    

Mansions vs. Buildings.

In his dream, Lehi saw a large and spacious building representing the pride of the world.  It was on the far side of a great and terrible gulf separating the righteous from the wicked.  Having no foundation, this building floated in the air.  This awful building is symbolic of the destination of all the wrong paths, the place where the wicked go.  People who refused to get on the strait and narrow path ended up in the large and spacious building, as did people who started out on the strait and narrow path but failed to hold onto the iron rod and thus strayed.  When the mists of darkness inevitably came, as they surely will in our lives, those who were not holding on to the rod of iron lost their way.  Sadly, even some of those who successfully arrived at the tree of life later went astray, giving up the riches of eternity for nothing but fleeting gratification in return.  This is why enduring to the end is so important; we’ve never ‘arrived’ to the point where we don’t need to keep striving – no such point exists.  The tree of life isn’t the same as the gate to the Celestial Kingdom, but a welcome, strengthening, way-station on the path.

The people in the large and spacious building made fun of the people traveling along the strait and narrow path.  Some who were traveling along the path cared what the wicked thought about them, while those who stayed true at the tree of life ignored the taunting.  So can we ignore the worldly.  Plus, we can more easily avoid giving heed to those who point and jeer at our righteousness when we travel together with friends and family along the path, listening to the Word.  Once we get used to being church members, we realize there is nothing to be embarrassed about in being a good person and keeping the commandments. 

                        It is important to distinguish the large and spacious building in Lehi’s dream from the Father’s many mansions in the Celestial Kingdom, prepared for the righteous.  The rewards in the Celestial Kingdom’s mansions, to be enjoyed after attaining the tree of life and after entering the gate guarded by the Savior himself, are more exquisitely good than we can imagine.  All the Father has can be ours if we successfully negotiate the path to the mansions above; Father gladly shares it all with us and we will gladly share it all with all the righteous souls who join us there.  We are only asked to do things that will make us happy; the only things we are asked to avoid are things that will make us unhappy.  The promise is that we will gain all that the Father has by keeping the commandments.

There is no floating around in the Father’s mansions - instead we will enjoy stability, peace, and happiness with our eternal families, lasting forever.  The Father’s mansions have a foundation in the gospel of Jesus Christ, with an earthly structure of prophets, apostles, leaders, and faithful Church members who help us along the path, with Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone. 

The scriptures are very clear describing the devil's building as a place of heartbreak, for he seeks to make all souls miserable like he is.  This is what all the shouting and confusion are about in the bad building.  The destination of all paths except the strait and narrow path is misery.  Just as the beauties of life testify there is a God, so do the evil things of life testify there is a devil who, pursuant to the Plan of Happiness, is allowed to provide opposition in all things.  We can learn from our own experiences that bad conduct leads to bad results.  You can’t have opposition in all things without having the effects and consequences of the opposition.

The spacious building is not a place of peace or freedom, but the opposite .  It is a place where the consequences and bondage of sin are immediately manifest and forever confining.  If you think keeping the commandments is hard, think how hard it will be to everlastingly realize the happiness you have lost by taking some other, more expedient, ‘easier’ path.

Stumbling.

If we are not on the right path at the end of our mortal journey, it doesn’t make much difference how much time we have spent on the path prior to the end.  Latter-day Saints who fall off the path face very serious consequences.  In the physical world, the farther we fall off a ladder, the more damaging the impact.  On the path to eternal life, we make covenants that bind us to the Lord and require faithful obedience.  A fall from church activity and the breaking of covenants by a Church member is a serious sin against the light illuminating the path, and takes the sinner far from the path, unless and until completely remedied.  Any time you are crossways with the Church, its leaders, teachings, or commandments you are headed off the path.

It is possible for a church member who has strayed to return to the strait and narrow path and the tree of life.  To do so, one must sincerely repent, put off everything having to do with the evil paths, and then get on the strait and narrow path, hold onto the rod of iron, and continue through the mists of darkness to the tree of life and beyond.  There are no shortcuts back across the terrible gulf for those who have strayed from the path.  The process of repentance may be difficult, but drinking the living water refreshes us as we travel back to the path.

                        Many of us got on the path by being baptized when we were children.  The repentant person who joins the Church as an adult must become like a little child to be worthy to receive baptism.   When a person who is already a member of the church needs to repent, he or she doesn’t get to be baptized again but can become as clean as a newly baptized child, through application of the Savior’s atonement, after repenting.   This is one of the many beauties of the Gospel. The familiar steps of repentance lead up to the path, but those steps must be individually climbed.  Happily, there are loving bishops and other Church members on the path to help lift and encourage those who have sinned and are working to return.  Some of our greatest scriptural leaders were once ‘sinners’ who got back on the path (e.g., Alma the Younger), so the positive prospects of repenting and getting back on the path should be very encouraging. 

                        As fallible humans, our progress may have some zigs and zags. If we get onto a different, forbidden path we need to take immediate remedial action.  The longer we head in the wrong direction towards the wrong place, the more we will have to do to change, once we decide to get back on the right path.   In life, if we want to get home, but have started driving the wrong direction, then the sooner we turn around and start driving towards home the better.  The longer we drive in the wrong direction, the longer it will take us to get home, after we turn around.  The sooner we repent the better because, as President Monson has recently reminded us, we never know how soon will be too late.  This life is the time to repent.

We also risk falling off the path if we choose to walk near the edge.  The idea or feeling to do something wrong is what a temptation is; we need to recognize that temptations come from the devil and must be avoided, not sampled.  We have the precious Gift of the Holy Ghost to help us do all good things, to learn all truth, and stay on the path.  If we stumble, we can call on the Savior’s atonement to help us back through sincere repentance.  Those persons who are on the path, who are helping us, are in every sense far greater than those who would lead us off the path. 

The narrowness of the path suggests, in one sense at least, there is little room for variation from its center.  We risk being lost in the mists of darkness if we let go of the rod of iron for even a moment.  There are no little detours off the path, since any willful sin is a serious thing.  Any Church member who thinks they can zigzag back and forth across the strait and narrow path demonstrates they have already started down some other path, a strange road to an unhappy destination.   The only safe course along the strait and narrow path is right down the middle.  The middle of the path is where the iron rod is located, and it should be firmly grasped at all times.

The Journey.

 Nephi gives us the marching orders for the path in unambiguous terms: “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.” 2 Nephi 31:20.

Once Lehi was on the path, he wanted his family to join with him.  So did Adam and Eve, and so do we.  Lehi beckoned to his family members; he used a loud voice to get their attention, so they could travel together and enjoy the blessings of the tree of life as a family.  Some of Lehi’s family members responded and, sadly, some did not.  So it was with Adam and Eve’s children.  This may also be our experience, but we should try to make it a family experience as we travel the path.  We should invite our friends and neighbors to travel the path with us.  Hopefully, if they don’t join at first, our family members and friends will later change their minds and joins us on the path; this will be more likely to happen if we can show them the path is a good place to be and the journey is joyful.  Traveling along the strait and narrow path doesn’t need to be a lonely journey, but it may be at times if others dear to us don’t respond.  Happily, members of the Church, in the millions, are on the strait and narrow path to the tree of life and they will fellowship, help, and encourage us along.

Ironically to some, those who choose to travel along the strait and narrow path find there is plenty of room for the righteous exercise of moral agency.  Great freedom comes from exercising moral agency to keep the commandments.  By staying on the strait and narrow path, we are freed from the need to re-decide our moral path and re-choose our eternal destination every day.  We are thereby also free from the confusion, destruction, loss, unhappiness, and bondage that are the natural consequences of sin.  When we are righteous, we are free to do everything that will make us happy.   We can focus on eternity and not become bogged down in frivolity.  Because he loves us, the Lord won't force us along the path back to his presence; Satan’s plan was rejected.  The Lord does offer to help us along the way and then welcomes us with open arms when we get back to him. 

We do know, as a matter of faith, that the good we do in this life will be rewarded in the life to come at the end of the path.  Our difficulties in time are just a speck within eternity.  Happily, some of the good we do will be rewarded before then, in this life.  While there is no guarantee good people will not suffer great hardships, we are clear in understanding that good people will be rewarded in the life to come for every good thing they do.  Given this principle of justice, the Lord will rectify every wrong and compensate for every injustice endured well by the righteous.

We cannot afford to be open-minded about sin.  We must avoid the paths and buildings where sin is found; we must avoid people who loudly or subtly try to get us to do what we know is not right.  There is nothing intellectually weak in exercising our moral agency to choose what is right and stay on the path.  There is nothing enlightened about sampling the opposition we know must be present in all situations.  As members of the Church, we must be the force for good in opposition to the evil so rampant in this world.  If Latter-day Saints don't stand up for good, then there is little hope good can prevail.  The scorners can only try to tempt others off the path; if we are on the path, we can both be exemplary and can reach down and help to lift others up to be with us and the happy group we travel with.  Such lifting is known as service, a key indicator of discipleship.

Conclusion.

However hard things get, it is always possible to do the right thing and stay on the right path.  The guiding rod is iron, not tissue paper.  If we hold to it, it will bear the load.  The Lord has promised us we will not be tempted beyond what we are able to resist.  It is possible for every person to obey every commandment the Lord gives.  When we slip we are not lost because the Savior has made it possible to completely remedy such problems.  

The Lord wants us to succeed.  He has told us it is his work and his glory to help us achieve immortality and eternal life in the Celestial Kingdom.  He has given us this great Church with its Bishops, Relief Society Presidents, home and visiting teachers, leaders, and members to help us.  We have the gift of the Holy Ghost to help us know the truth and identify evil.  The Savior has made it possible for us to repent. We can pray for answers and for support.  There is no better support system we could have; ours is the best team we could be on.  We are saved by the Savior’s grace, but we need to be doing what we can.  We need to refine ourselves so the blessings of eternity really seem like blessings; we need to believe the people in the Father’s mansions are the people we want to be with forever.

                        There is no downside risk to keeping the commandments.  Let us decide now and forever more to worship the Savior, keep the commandments, follow the Prophet, stay on the strait and narrow path, hold to the iron rod, and look forward to greeting the Father and the Savior after this life as we enter the Celestial Kingdom.  There is no question: if we do our part, they will do their part.  The journey along the straight and narrow path is not necessarily easy, but it is worth the effort. 

                        Let me close by reading another great Book of Mormon scripture:

Mosiah 2:41:  "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God.  For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.  O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."

The Faith of Scientists
 
Latter-day Saints are accused of believing bizarre things on the basis of no evidence.  People think that science stands apart from religion in this regard, but science is not so different. 
 
Scientists accept many things based upon their faith in mathematics and their belief that anything that can be put into a mathematical equation must somehow relate to truth about the real world.  No one knows why mathematics works so well.  Quantum mechanics, for example, is a very successful scientific theory used in many modern inventions, yet much about the theory is contrary to common sense.  No reputable scientist would claim to understand how it works.  Its results are bizarre in any real sense of that word, such as particles not existing until they are observed while seeming to be in two places at once.  Quantum theory's results are accepted because they work, not because they are understood or comply with everyday experience.
 
Latter-day Saints also believe in things they do not understand, such as the Savior's atonement.  They do it on the basis of faith, a system of proof that yields results that are are as well-proven for religion as quantum theory is for science.  A witness of the spirit is as reliable a proof for religious matters as a successful equation is for scientific matters.  It is a different system of proof, but thoroughly reliable within its sphere of operation.  The results of true religion are as demonstrable to the faithful as the results of scientific experiments are to scientists.
 
No one should be surprised that faith doesn't solve scientific issues, and no one should be surprised that the scientific method doesn't relate to religious matters.   Science is important and has its place, but it has nothing to say about religious truth.
 
Scott C. Pugsley ​
 
 
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Exemplars: Jesus v. Jehovah
 
​The admonition to be like Jesus is sometimes confusing since Mormons believe that Jesus Christ of the New Testament is the same person as Jehovah of the Old Testament.  Jesus and Jehovah seem so different that it is hard to know who to emulate.  For example, the mortal Jesus counseled his disciples to love their enemies, while the Old Testament Jehovah sometimes commanded that his people slay their enemies - men, women, children, cattle, and sheep.  
 
​One way of thinking about this is to (1) follow the example and teachings of the mortal Jesus Christ, while (2) keeping the commandments, but not following the example, of Jehovah.  We are not expected to emulate Jehovah by giving commandments and judging “our people.”  Rather, we are to be the servants of all and forgive those who despitefully use us. Jesus humbly kept his Father’s commandments and prayed to his Father, and so should we.  He taught and re-taught, and he lived, the Sermon on the Mount.  Parents should teach their children to be disciples like Jesus, and not try to exercise dominion over their families, such as by giving harsh commandments, as Jehovah might do.
 
​Sometime hereafter, if we are worthy, we may get the chance to learn to be like Jehovah and follow his example as deity.  Perhaps we will have occasion to give commandments and directions to “our people.” We then will understand why some of the seemingly harsh things of deity needed to be done, both before and after Jesus’ mortal life.  Until then, we should be satisfied following Jesus’ mortal teachings and example, namely what he did when he was like us, while keeping all of God’s commandments.  We are not expected to be like the Old Testament Jehovah, at least not in this life.
 
Scott C. Pugsley   ​

More Sayings 3

Offer prayer when you are worried or depressed.

Be like your children when they are being like the Savior; lovingly correct them when they are not.

Life is a necessary detour on the road to heaven.

The formalities of religion help both to provide a structure for the meek and to teach humility to the strong.

Sometimes you have to wait for things to get good; you can do something else good while you are waiting.

You can't hide from God or yourself.

Don't wait for your neighbor to be robbed before being a Good Samaritan.

The power of acting on behalf of others extends all the way from the Savior's redemption to the Primary nursery.

Try to learn the tough lessons of life on your own without having to learn the hard way.

Help your neighbor look for what is lost, then rejoice with them when it is found.

Follow a good example to become a good example.

Most people are neither wicked nor disobedient; they just don't know any better.

Stand up against that which is wrong.

Any authority that can be delegated should be delegated, accompanied by appropriate accountability.

The God of this earth is Jesus Christ, not Satan.

Properly delegated authority is just as good as the original authority.

Responsibilities come and go, but testimony should continue to increase.

In the Church, do what you are asked, regardless of what you have done before.

If you are relying on a technicality, you have probably missed the point.

Rest in heaven may consist of working hard but not getting tired.

View the big picture, but work in your neighborhood.

If time is getting short, focus on what is most important; in fact, always focus on what is most important.

Get organized; it will be a good skill to have in the hereafter.

Good advice can come from anywhere; keep an open mind.

The punishment for sin probably won't be to just hang around with people who enjoy the same sins you do.

If you want to avoid being punished for your sins, repent and don't do them again.

If you need something to be grateful for, be grateful you didn't live just about any time before now.

Don't be surprised if kids act their age; that is their job.

If you want to be listened to, make sure you know what you are talking about.

Sometimes it is very hard not to be discouraged; pray for help and then do the best you can until you feel better.

There is a fine line between living a robust life and being a darn fool.

Give everyone the benefit of the doubt since we have no idea what burdens each person carries and what good they do.

We must be the leaven of righteousness that leavens the whole lump of the world to keep the earth from receiving the punishments most of it deserves for the rampant evils all about.

The great majority of people on earth know nothing of the Church or the Savior, and are neither wicked nor rebellious; merciful provision is made in the plan of happiness to save and redeem these people, either in this life or in the life to come.

The truth of the gospel does not depend on what happens to you or your family, and you should not link them.

The Savior suffers with us when we suffer and will comfort us if we are faithful to him.

We pray to align ourselves with God, not to instruct him of our needs.

Righteous living is its own reward, but we all have to die sometime, of something.

The Lord has the big picture because all things past, present, and future are continually known to him.

Try to appreciate and understand the Father's plan instead of suggesting changes.

Your personal plan should include all parts of the Father's plan for you; resolve any differences in favor of the Father's plan.

Life seems to speed up because each successive day is a smaller part of your total life.

You might as well get comfortable with yourself because you have a long eternity to be who you are.

If you think keeping the commandments is hard, think how hard eternal punishment for sin will be.

Keeping God's commandments leads to a happy life; you have nothing to lose.

Petty disobediences reveal lack of real commitment.

As with baptism, we need to immerse ourselves in gospel living to get the benefit.

We can't change our identity, but we can improve the type of person we are.

Jesus' life is our example; his commandments and instructions are examples of how deity operates, not an example to follow.

We need to be careful not to confuse Jehovah's actions and reactions with Jesus' example for us to follow.

Pay attention to your prayers to discover your priorities, your desires, and the real you.

Knock off your own rough edges.

Anticipate the lessons you need to be taught, then learn them on your own.

Give yourself a good talking to whenever you need it.


Many more sayings follow.

More Sayings 2

Obey Jehovah's commandments, but follow Jesus' example. 

The Savior should be both our example and our hero. 

Study what Jesus did so you can know what he would do if he were you. 

Many righteous people have successfully followed the Savior's example and you can learn from them. 

One way we can be more like Jesus is to act righteously on behalf of others. 

"Agency" implies acting on behalf of another; proper exercise of our agency requires that we choose to faithfully serve the Lord by helping his children. 

While we can't match Jesus, we can do much good for many people. 

Endure to the end so you can retain a remission of your sins. 

The Lord's church will triumph in the end; you need to be a survivor, not a casualty, of that struggle.  

Cultural Mormonism is a bit of an acquired taste. 

In the eternities, no good deed goes unrewarded. 

Places and things can be holy if the people around them try their best to be holy. 

Show respect for all God's creatures and creations. 

Life is an integrated whole; there can be no secret, dark places in a righteous life. 

For an adult, maintaining child-like faith requires a big-person effort and the help of the Holy Ghost. 

A righteous person and his money are soon tithed. 

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you; perhaps do even better. 

When you see something nice, say so.

Live to serve.

Repentance doesn't necessarily remove the temporal consequences of sin.  

The poor may always be with us, but we must take the opportunity to help them while we can.    

There doesn't have to be a first time for everything, such as something you shouldn't do even once.  

Being active in the Church is totally worth it.

Don't seek to revise the Fathers plan; instead seek to understand and help implement that plan.

Keeping the commandments is not a negotiation, but rather a process of learning God's will and then striving to do it.

We should err on the side of generosity to others and of discipline of ourselves.

Hold off on the mysteries until you have completely mastered faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, as well as faith, hope, charity, and love.

Get ready to welcome the Savior; quit nit-picking the brethren and leave Church history alone.

"Never" and "always" are good standards for our own conduct but poor standards for judging others.

Look for the good in others instead of in your own conduct.

People's name are important to them; treat them with respect.

Gravity - an important physical law but a poor attitude for life.

It is hard to view eternity from the vantage point of modernity.

Rejoice that the heavens are open and we have a prophet.

We need to be careful not to treat our church contributions as if they were medieval indulgences; when we sin, we still need to repent, no matter how much we have contributed.

Church history - a good place to get faith-promoting stories, but not a good place to hang your testimony.

Make good church history now.

"Virtuous, lovely, and of good report" is still the right standard for judging contemporary culture.

We need to become as comfortable with the idea of eternal progression as we are with mortal progression.

True religion doesn't conflict with any truth, be it science, politics, economics, ethics, or religion.

Religion is more important than politics; salvation is more important than situations.

The positions taken by the Church are not automatically binding on Church members, but they should be very persuasive; lets not forget who is behind those positions.

There is nothing inflexible or intolerant about keeping the commandments of God, or with teaching and exemplifying them in our lives.

You can't afford to be a bad example to anyone; everyone is important.

The Savior ministered to the less-fortunate, and so should we.

The Savior taught the learned and unrighteous, and so should we.

The Savior blessed his friends, and so should we.

As to guile, we should follow our children's example; as to obedience and integrity, we should set the example for them to follow.

We must not support irreligion with either our money or our social influence or our indifference.


More proverbs and sayings follow the LDS Overview, below.

Overview of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

          The official name of the church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; it is sometimes called the Mormon Church. The word Mormon comes from the Book of Mormon which, along with the Bible, is one of the sacred scripture books of the church. The church is named after Jesus Christ because we believe he established the church, approves of the church, and is its ultimate leader, through a prophet who lives in our day. The prophet communicates with God in the same ways as the prophets did in the Bible, such as Moses and Abraham. The church has the same organization that Jesus established in his church when he was alive, including prophets and apostles, and it has the priesthood of God.

          If you want to learn about the church, do not look to the enemies of the church. Instead look to the church itself. The church is not a cult, does not practice or believe in polygamy, and contains no bizarre practices or doctrines. We are a Christian church even though our understanding of Christ is somewhat different from other Christian churches. We base our understanding of Christ on the scriptures, including the Bible, which we accept as coming from God. We respect that others may disagree with us and feel that they should respect that we do not agree with them.

          We believe that there are three separate members of the godhead, God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. They are "one" in purpose but are separate individuals who work together to do the work of God in our lives. God the Father is the originator of all things and the father of all spirits. Jesus Christ is his son, both spiritually and physically, and the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit who testifies of the Father and the Son, and leads people to the truth. We have access to God through sincere prayer and personal inspiration, aided by the Holy Ghost.

          God the Father and Jesus Christ have individual resurrected bodies, while the Holy Ghost has a spiritual body. The work of the Holy Ghost is to testify to us about the Father and the Son, and to spiritually reveal gospel truth to those who seek it. The members of the godhead seek the happiness of all mankind through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. The "gospel" is the good news that Jesus came to earth to save all people. Gospel truths and essential ordinances are revealed to the church through prophets of God chosen for that purpose. Joseph Smith was the prophet who restored the church in our day.

          We believe that, after this life, all people will be saved in the sense that they will be resurrected. Resurrection means that the spirit and the body will be reunited in a life after this life. While all will be resurrected, not all will be able to live with the God in an exalted condition. Following this life, exaltation will only be available to worthy individuals who have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ, received the ordinances available through his approved church, and kept the Lord's commandments.

          We believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the implementation by Jesus Christ of the Father's plan of happiness for his children. That plan was developed in the life before this life, in which we all existed as spirit children with our Heavenly parents. Lucifer, or Satan, opposed the Father's plan and wanted to impose his own plan that would force people to return to God but not give glory to God. Jesus proposed to implement the Father's plan that would give people the freedom to choose their own compliance with the Father's plan and to determine their own eternal destiny. Jesus was chosen to be the Savior under the Father's plan. Satan's plan was rejected, and he and those who chose to follow him were cast out and denied a mortal existence.

          Faith is belief in things of God that are not seen with mortal eyes, and is a fundamental principle of the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is based upon faith that Jesus Christ is the savior of all mankind and has made available a system of exaltation for all people who qualify. We believe that we are saved by Jesus' grace, but that our situation in the hereafter depends upon our willingness to keep God's commandments and do the things upon which spiritual progress and exaltation are based. We do not save ourselves, but we do qualify ourselves for other blessings after we are saved by Jesus. Forgiveness of sins through repentance is one of the great blessings of the Savior's atonement.

          As anticipated in the Father's plan, mortal life consists of hardships and challenges that give people the opportunity to grow and develop both physically and spiritually. The suffering that people experience in this life is not evidence that there is no god or of his cruelty; rather, it is evidence that this life is intended as a time of testing that will help determine each individual's situation in the eternity that follows. Either in this life or the life to come, individuals who would be comfortable living with God in the hereafter will have the opportunity to qualify themselves for eternal blessings. No one is forced to qualify, but those who don't qualify will not receive the same blessings as those who do. Such a plan is both just and merciful to all - those who qualify are blessed for their obedience, and those who don't qualify receive other blessings they are willing to receive.   

          As savior in the Father's plan, Jesus Christ agreed to make it possible for everyone to be resurrected. Jesus Christ's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and his suffering and death on the cross brought to pass the atonement, which enables both the resurrection of all people and the exaltation of those who qualify. For those who choose to do so, the atonement makes it possible to repent of their disobedience to God’s commandments (sins) and to be cleansed from the effects of their sins. Through such repentance and cleansing, people can qualify themselves to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the life after this life. Such qualification requires being worthily and devotedly associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this life.

          Mercifully, the Lord also makes the blessings of salvation available to deceased individuals who had no opportunity to join the church in this life. This is done through ordinances for the dead performed in the temples of the church. Also, all little children who die before they become accountable for their actions are saved with God, as are all those whose handicaps prevent them from being accountable.

          Families are very important to the church. Salvation for families, both living persons and deceased ancestors, is a primary focus of the work of the church. This work is carried on in homes, through missionary work, and in the temples of the church. The church sends missionaries throughout the world because it believes that the gospel offers peace, truth, and salvation to all people who will accept its message and follow God's commandments. The church respects the beliefs of other people and believes there is much good in the world.

          Thus, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the just and fair implementation of the plan of a God who loves all his children. Each person will receive the blessings they qualify for, without discrimination or coercion. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is composed of good people striving to keep the commandments of God, who have great love for everyone, whether in the church, or in some other church, or in no church at all. No one in the church is perfect, but church members strive to do what is right and follow the example of the Savior.

          If you have any question, go to LDS.org.

More LDS sayings.

Times change but the Gospel is forever.

Leave the mysteries of godliness to God. 

Let the brethren set the agenda for the Church.

Confine your pet theories to your pets.

Hearken back to first principles; simplify your faith.

Compromise your opinions not your principles.

Choosing to follow a good example is an act of free agency.

You can control what you consider, and you can choose what you believe.

Instead of fretting over the details of church history, find a neighbor to help.

You can understand what the atonement does for you, and requires of you, without needing to understand how it was done by the Savior.

Don't expect heavenly support if you take a position contrary to the leaders of the Lord's church.

There are no mysteries about what you should do; you should keep the commandments.

Moral agency isn't free but was won at great cost following an epic battle.

Yielding to temptation is weak and easy; keeping the commandments takes strength and is hard.

Now that you know better, any sins you commit add to the Savior's burden in the atonement.

The continued goodness and vitality of the modern LDS Church evidences that it is still approved of the Lord.

When it comes to sin, don't have experiences to learn from.

Try to avoid having strong opinions about things that don't really matter.

Don't judge the Church on the basis of what you would do if you were in charge; be thankful the Lord is in charge and rest assured that he does have all the facts.

When the Church publishes the principles of the gospel, there is no need to look anywhere else; anything new will come from the prophet.

The Holy Ghost will help us divide the light from the darkness in our lives.

The doctrines, principles, covenants, and ordinances of the Church are not the place to show your individualism.

There is great power and safety in sticking with what the church publishes; there is no need to look elsewhere for anything religious.

Great power will arise in the Church as we strive to achieve a unity of faith based on a common understanding of the doctrines of the Gospel, as set forth by the prophet.

We wouldn't need a prophet if all we needed to hear is what we already thought.

Important things don't have to be the same to be equal.

The rewards of heaven must be earned by effort; don't expect a reward if you have been indifferent to the commandments.

A child can't be expected to rationally choose a religion unless he or she has been taught and has experienced religion.

If you agree to teach a lesson, don't teach something else, such as what you think the lesson should have been.

If you don't want to keep the commandments, don't expect the blessings that come from obedience.

It is a privilege to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; treat everything about it with respect.

You shouldn't have your own "take" on the gospel; you should wholeheartedly embrace all that the current prophet teaches.

Do more than you say, and say less than you think.

Never pass up a chance to keep quiet about something that doesn't really matter.

Take a stand against sin and temptation and anyone who promotes such things. 
 
 

Common Sense Obedience for Mormons

COMMON SENSE OBEDIENCE
168 Modern Proverbs
By Scott Pugsley

BASICS

• With God's help, every good thing is possible.

• Heavenly Father is real and wants you to be happy.

• Jesus is your Savior and the one who helps Heavenly Father help you.
 
• The birth, resurrection, and atonement of the Savior are the most important things that ever happened.

• Spirit is real.

• The gift of the Holy Ghost helps you know the truth and identify evil.

• The Holy Ghost also helps us know the truth and do what is right.

• The plan of salvation is for all people everywhere, at all times.

• You only receive the blessings that you are willing and worthy to receive.

• Your family members are the most important people in your life; other people are also important.

• If you want to get to the Celestial Kingdom you must work to develop a celestial personality and attitude.

• Power in the priesthood comes from righteousness and spiritual strength.

• The Gospel is true; people are fallible.

• We must be the force for good that is in opposition to the evil that is so rampant in this world.

• You should always give the Church and its leaders the benefit of the doubt when issues arise.

• You are responsible to protect yourself and your family from bad influences.

• You are responsible for your own happiness; release everyone else with a vote of thanks.

• The safest thing to do is to follow the Prophet; he will never tell you to do something that is wrong.

• When you don’t know what to do you can pray to Heavenly Father, listen for an answer, and try to do what you think Jesus would do.

• You don’t have to be perfect; only Jesus was perfect.

• The Lord wants you to be as happy as he is.

• Don’t be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

• Life is short, eternity is forever.

• When you are helping another you are helping the Lord.

• How and why you do things are as important as what you do.

• You need to stand up and speak up for what is right.

• There are an unlimited number of ways that you can do good and work righteousness.

• Love your enemies until they are no longer your enemies.

• The Lord will answer the righteous prayers of the saints who pray for what they ought to pray for.

• Act righteously, react mercifully.

• People sometimes do things you won’t like or that are wrong; you can love the people but not like the things they do.

• Never let another person’s actions undermine your testimony.

ACTIVITY IN THE CHURCH

• Happiness and salvation are found in the Church.

• In this life, the Church is not on trial, you are.

• There is strength in uniting with the Saints.

• Service to others is a privilege, not a chore.

• The Lord delights to bless those of his children who will use the bounty of his earth to bless others of his children who may be less fortunate.

• There is nothing embarrassing, degrading, or inappropriate about the Church, its leaders, or its teachings.

• The best way to improve your own situation is to forget about yourself and do all you can to serve others.

• Death is not a tragedy for those who are righteous; it is usually sad.

• We are expected to search out ways to help others.

• The united, fervent prayers of many righteous people avail much.

• If you make yourself available, Heavenly Father will use you to answer someone’s prayer.

• How you look reflects who you are trying to be.

• The Lord’s plan is the best possible plan, even if you don’t understand all of it.

• You need to work to become comfortable with the Church and its doctrines and people.

• The Church has stood the test of time; the questions detractors raise do not prove anything about the Church.

• Everyone has weaknesses; people with weaknesses can do the work of the Lord.

• The scriptures aren’t just good stories, they tell you how to live.

• Church members sometimes do things that are unkind or not right, but you can still believe in the truth of the Gospel and love the Church members.

• Nothing that is worth having can be gained by leaving the church.

• Church members sometimes make mistakes and do dumb things; the Gospel is still true.

• You need to be active in the Church for your whole life; if you ever slip, come back, and the sooner the better.

• Never be afraid to come to Church; you are always welcome.

CHALLENGES

• Bad things often happen to good Mormons.

• Bad things happen to all people even though Heavenly Father loves all people; this is part of the plan, not a defect in the plan.

• You will be happy if you keep the commandments even when it is hard or if bad things happen.

• Jesus, the sinless one, suffered the most.

• Heavenly Father doesn’t stop bad things from happening; he helps us be strong when bad things happen.

• However hard things get, it is always possible to do the right thing.

• There is no downside risk to keeping the commandments.

• Keeping the commandments is sometimes hard, but it is worth it.

• Don’t give up; don’t give in.

• Just as the beauties of life testify there is a God, so the evil things of life testify there is a devil who, pursuant to the Plan of Happiness, is allowed to provide opposition to all good things.

OBEDIENCE, REPENTANCE AND FORGIVENESS

• Obedience is fully rewarded in the hereafter; unrepented sins will be punished in the hereafter.

• God's judgment will mete out mercy, salvation, peace, and happiness to the righteous.

• The sooner you repent, the better because you never know how soon will be too late.

• Obedience leads to happiness; disobedience leads to unhappiness.

• Stay away from places where there is sin; avoid even the appearance of sin.

• Never experiment with sin; one try can ruin your life.

• If you keep trying to do your best, that is good enough.

• If you make a mistake, correct it and then try not to make it again.

• Jesus will forgive you if you repent, no matter what you have done.

• The reward for righteousness is all that the Father has, which is everything.

• It is the devil who wants you to be miserable like he is.

• You have not failed as long as you have not given up.

• It is important for both adults and children to make moral decisions in advance.

• Run, don’t walk, away from temptation and evil.

• Don’t judge other people but do judge for yourself between good and evil.

• You are most tempted by the things you need to be most careful to resist.

• Entertainment value is not a substitute for moral value.

• Anything that you would not feel good about doing if the Lord himself were present is probably something that you should consider as a subject for repentance.

• If you go down the wrong path you will reach the wrong destination.

• The things that we most need to learn to resist and avoid are precisely the things by which we are most tempted.

• The devil concentrates his efforts in trying to undermine the things that are most important to our salvation.

• Let Heavenly Father do any needed punishing; your job is to forgive.

• Don’t break yourself on the commandments.

KNOWING THINGS

• Inspiration is usually a quiet, peaceful thing.

• Knowing the Gospel is true is more important than any secular thing you can learn.

• You don’t have to know everything to have a testimony.

• Skepticism is not a reasonable substitute for faith.

• There is no safety in doubt; there is no peace in rebellion.

• You shouldn’t allow what you don’t know to interfere with what you do know and believe.

• Never make an important decision on the basis of something you don’t understand.

• Never make an important decision when you are upset.

• Just because you don’t have a quick answer to a skeptical question doesn’t mean the question contains any truth.

• Partial truths are not truths.

• Heavenly Father wants you to believe everything that is true.

• You can know that the gospel is true without knowing about everything else.

• Some things will only become clear after this life; you need to have faith in the meantime.

• The Holy Ghost helps you know what is true, but you need to work hard to learn as much as you can on your own.

• You can have faith and know things that haven’t been proven by the standards of the world.

• You can choose to believe things even though other people don’t believe those things.

• You can know Gospel truths; until you do, choose to believe.

• You should respect that other people may disagree with you, and they should respect that you may not agree with them.

• You should respect and be nice to everyone since we are all Heavenly Father’s children.

• Loving sinners is not the same as tolerating sin; you absolutely cannot afford to have an open mind about sin.

AGENCY AND CHOICES

• Agency has to do with your choices, not your circumstances.

• You can choose to always be active in the church; you don’t need to decide again every day.

• Every choice to obey the commandments leads to greater freedom to choose.

• We all chose to come live the kind of life that this has turned out to be.

• The decision to keep the commandments is an act of free agency.

• Good and evil are opposites, not variations of the same thing.

• As we learn to distinguish good from evil, we need to decide to choose the good and reject the evil.

• Do what is right; don’t do what is wrong.

• The Lord wants you to succeed but will not force you to succeed.

• The road to heaven is paved with good choices and service to others.

• If you want a particular blessing, find out the law on which it is predicated.

• However hard things get, it is always possible for you to do the right thing.

• Being active in the Church does not diminish free agency.

• Nothing that is forbidden will lead to happiness.

• Evil exists and is real, and you should not pretend otherwise.

• Bad things are often tempting; that is what a temptation is.

• Bad things are often entertaining and attractive, but they are still bad and must be avoided.

• People who do bad things are often popular and friendly, but you must resist and reject their example.

• There is nothing impolite about getting away from something that is not right.

• You can be polite about your obedience, but you need to be very firm.

• If you keep the commandments you will be free from the results of sin; if you break the commandments you will be burdened by the results of sin.

• There is no freedom or happiness in disobedience.

• Be careful what you say; everything you say adds to or detracts from your spiritual progress.

• Be careful what you do; you are responsible for everything you do.

• Heavenly Father gives you the blessings you need, not always the blessings you want.

• You need to set a good example and ignore other people’s bad examples.

• Pay attention to your first impressions.

• If something doesn’t feel right, stop.

• Always put off until tomorrow what you shouldn’t do today.

• You achieve perfection in the world to come by making incremental improvements over a long time, starting in this life.

• Avoid seeing or doing anything you wouldn’t want your child to see or do.

• Develop yourself while you can.

• In the life to come you will still be yourself and not someone else.

• Any progress you make will count in the hereafter; every good thing you learn in this life will rise with you and be to your advantage in the resurrection.

• The more celestial attributes you can learn in this life, the easier it will be for you to find, enter, and feel comfortable in the celestial kingdom once you depart this life.

BEING GOOD.

• The most important time to give service may be after your offer to help is declined.

• Accept thanks gracefully.

• Humbly take credit for the good things you do.

• How good we are is more important than how many we are.

• Rejoice in the good fortune of others.

• Follow good examples.

• Support good causes.

• The world secretly admires the righteous.

• Time expands to accommodate the good works needing to be done.

• A gentle touch may help most of all.

• Never hit anyone.

• Allow other people to provide you with service you need; accept help when you need help.

• If you make a mistake, correct it.

• Look for the best; overlook the worst.

• Don’t ever joke about sacred things.

• Don’t ever make fun of anyone.

• Be nice to yourself.

• Be nice to everyone, especially your family members.

• Respect other religions and the good things they teach. 

SCIENCE.

• Science is important and has its place, but it has nothing to say about the truths of the Gospel.

• Nothing comes from nothing.

• Whatever its age, the earth is one of God's glorious creations.

• In history and science, just because something is possible doesn't mean it happened.

• Science requires as much faith as religion, but it is usually carefully disguised.

• Modern science asks that we believe what even scientists can’t understand; religion asks that we believe what no scientist can prove.