Religion

I. Religion is the most pervasive aspect of human life.

• Religion is the life-pattern of each human being.
• Whatever a human being says or does is a reflection of his personal religion.
• A person’s philosophy is his articulation of his religion.
• A person’s social relations are his exemplification of his religion and give rise to his political views.
• Every normal person has a religion.

II. Personal religion is the character (the habit patterns) of each individual.

People have strong character (religion) in two senses:

1. Strong in their influence on other people.
2. Strong in being internally rather than externally controlled.

To have strong internal control is the essence both of being free and of being religious.

A person is said to be “very religious” when he is strongly controlled internally and conforms to some institutional or culture standard of religion. But it is noteworthy that a person can be just as “religious” in maintaining a personal set of habits as in maintaining a set which has been culturally engendered.

III. There are four main factors in personal religion:

1. Habits of feeling: Optimism/pessimism, cheerfulness/dourness, self-centered/other centered, humble/haughty, courageous/fearful, exploratory/traditional, hunger for excellence/slovenliness, etc.
2. Habits of thinking: Beliefs about “reality,” what the universe is all about; battery of concepts (large or small battery, refined concepts or not); systems concepts; worldviews; beliefs about the past, the future, the possible, about the natural and the supernatural (if any); etc.
3. Habits of acting: The way one walks, talks, sleeps, eats, works, plays, worships, resolves confrontations, etc.
4. Habits of speaking: truthful/prevaricating; realistic/romantic; cynical/reverential; effusive/reserved; garrulous/laconic; poetic/imaginative; jargonistic/down to earth, etc.

IV. Change of personal religion (conversion) is change of habit patterns.

Habit patterns are changed only by choice. Choices consistently made become new habits. An individual changes his religion by making new habits.

It is usual to speak of an individual being “converted” when he changes how he speaks about his beliefs. But it is plain that all habits must change for a genuine conversion to take place. If a person’s expression of beliefs change, but his feelings, thoughts, actions, and other expressions do not, the conversion is apparent, not real.

The most important area that must change in conversion is the feelings, for the feelings are the independent variable in the human system.

The Restored Gospel name for change of religion is repentance. Only a long faithful series of correct choices will convert one’s heart, might, mind and strength into the image of the Savior. It is obvious why there is not such thing as death-bed repentance (even though there may be death-bed confession).

The key to Restored Gospel repentance is to be severe (unswerving) with ourselves in our own making of correct choices (this is discipline or discipleship) and at the same time to be completely forgiving of others (merciful), all because of our love for the true and living God, and all done in the name of Jesus Christ.

V. Institutional Religion is manifest in social organization as in a church or a culture.

Every culture is a religion, a set of habit patterns for meeting the contingencies of life.

Every culture has a philosophy, a political stance, an economic program, a system for settling disputes (a justice system), art forms, and an educational program.

VI. There are always at least three aspects to institutional religion:

1. Theology: The official or normal beliefs of a religion.
2. Moral code: The official or normal “dos and don’ts” of a religion.
3. Ritual: The typical means of initiation and intensification of the religion.

The moral code is the “heart” of every religion. Every institutional form of religion exists because some persons try to affect the actions of other people.

Theology is the “mind” of every religion. Theology exists to give support (rational and/or historical) to the moral code.

Ritual is the “strength” of every religion. Without ritual the young would not be acculturated nor the initiated reinforced in their feeling, thinking, acting and speaking.

Do institutional religions have “might?” If they are churches, the formal organization of the church usually has money, property, news media, etc., thus having “might.” Cultural religions usually do not have might apart from the individual might of the participants unless some of those participants band together to form a church or a nation (e.g., Israel).

Question: What are the counterparts in philosophy to theology, moral code, and ritual?

VII. Apostasy is conversion of individuals away from one religion to another.

Individuals apostatize from institutional religion by changing their personal religion: by making choices which do not accord with the institution which they are leaving.

Institutions never “apostatize.” The moral code, the theology, and the ritual of a church may change, but that is because individuals having power (leadership) in the church change their personal religion and take others with them.

When individuals change religion, either as individuals or as groups, the first thing they change is the moral code. Apostasy and conversion take place so that a different way of life may be maintained.

Theology follows change of moral code, to “justify” the change.

The element of religion most resistive to change is ritual. (That is why one can find elements of the Restored Gospel temple ceremony in cultures scattered over the whole earth, even though small or no resemblance in moral code or theology is found. Everyone on earth is descended from parents who knew and lived the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the Restored Gospel in every dispensation after the first one.)

An individual cannot apostatize from his own personal religion, nor can he escape his own personal religion. Whatever choices he makes, that is his religion.

The one thing we take with us through death is our religion, our character.

We continue into the eternity with the habits of this mortal probation if we have heard and accepted the Restored Gospel here. If we have not heard it, we receive an opportunity to repent in the spirit world.

VIII. The failure of an institutional religion (loss of adherents) may be traced to two basic causes:

1. Failure of the institution to promote an effective ritual.
2. Competition from another moral code which the adherents find more attractive.

Example:        The basic ritual of the Restored Gospel is prayer. If parents do not teach their children to pray and to rely upon the consequent promptings of the Holy Spirit, those children are not properly initiated into the religion of Jesus Christ. Then worldly competition has little competition.

Example:        Some adult members of the Church of Jesus Christ simply decide they want another moral code: Knowledge (theology) made no difference to Cain, Jeroboam, Korihor, and Sidney Rigdon.

Questions:

1. What factors are causing the dissolution of the Medieval and Protestant religions today?
2. What factors give great strength to Humanist religion today?
3. Wherein (on what fronts) lies the showdown between the Humanist religion and the Restored Gospel which is going on today?

IX. How does one live the Restored Gospel?

The answer is obvious and well-known. One lives the Restored Gospel by loving the Lord with all of one’s heart, might, mind and strength. When one’s habits of feeling, thinking, acting and speaking are so set in Godly patterns that one will not yield to pressure from Satan, man or nature to disobey Jesus Christ, then one is keeping the first and great commandment. Then one can love one’s neighbor as oneself. The means to keeping these two great commandments is to obey the law upon which all blessings are predicated: to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The issue: When and how does faith become sufficient that it makes a significant difference in one’s life (saves one)?

Possible answers:

Answer 1: Faith is obedience to the commandments of God. Whatever degree of obedience one attains to during one’s probation, that determines the degree of glory one will attain to in the next life.

Answer 2: Faith in Jesus Christ is to find Him personally and to love and obey Him in all that He tells us to do. We do not have complete faith in Him until we do obey Him in all that He tells us to do. When we have that faith, salvation begins immediately (in this life).

There are at least three significant differences between these two answers:

1. Answer 1 is concerned with what we do (to obey the commandments).
   Answer 2 is concerned with why we do what we do as well as what we do (to obey the commandments because we love the Lord.)
2. Answer 1 assumes that any obedience is faith.
   Answer 2 assumes that obedience is not full faith until it is complete.
3. Answer 1 looks for the reward of faith in the next life.
   Answer 2 looks for the reward of faith in this life.

The most significant difference is the second. The issues come down to this: When we obey only part of what the Lord has instructed us to do, is that either obedience or faith? Part obedience may be construed as saying to the Lord: “Part of what you tell me to do is good, and I will do it. But the rest of what you tell me to do is too much: in those matters I am better off doing my own will.” It would seem that such an attitude does not elevate the Lord to the status of God in our lives but rather makes Him a convenience at our disposal. We become His judge and do what He says when we deem compliance to be somewhat beneficial to us. There is difficulty in being the judge of God and at the same time being faithful to Him.

It is conceivable that a person would not be able to obey God if they are as yet unsure that they have found Him. But their actions surely would not be faith in Jesus Christ if they have not found Him. It is also conceivable that though they have found Him, they simply cannot yet deliver total obedience. If indeed one does not have the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit as yet, then truly one cannot obey in all things. But when one is authorized to have the constant companionship and yields to the flesh, to other people, to the world, to Satan, or to one’s own mind, surely that is not faith in the Lord.

The scriptures link the blessings of the Lord with faith. It seems possible that the abundance of spiritual blessings promised by the Lord comes to but few in this world because but few attain to real faith in this world. Is that why the many look for the reward for their obedience in the next world?

X. How does one proselyte another person to the Restored Gospel?

This question is like asking how does Person 1 get Person 2 to love Person 3. The answer is simple: Person 1 cannot do it. Yet Person 1 can help in two principal ways:

1. Person 1 can tell Person 2 about Person 3.
2. Person 1 can introduce Person 2 to Person 3.

The issue:        How does one most effectively help another person to know and to love the Lord?

Answer:           Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only answer. That is the only answer because each Person 1 is different and each Person 2 is different. Each person 1 must use his own ability and adapt it to the needs of each Person 2. There are many rational formulas for helping to convert people to the Lord, and though some rational formulas do better than others in actual practice, no rational formula can enable us to do our best.

The challenge of missionary work is:

1. To attract the attention of each person.
2. To explain the gospel to each person in his own tongue.
3. To introduce each person to the Lord by getting each to pray.
4. To encourage each person until each is converted enough to stand alone.

It is obvious that the differing circumstances of life, culture, and personality make it so that there is no single best approach that will help every different human being. Only the power that comes through real faith in Jesus Christ is sufficient to the task of knowing and doing what each individual person needs in order to receive a valid witness of the truth of the Restored Gospel.

XI. How does one contribute to the establishment of Zion?

Zion is the pure in heart. A people know when they have become pure in heart when:

1. They have but one heart.
2. They have but one mind.
3. They dwell in righteousness.
4. There is not one poor person among them.
5. The Lord Himself dwells with them.
6. The earth is subdued, beautiful, and made more productive.

Each of these characteristics of Zion is the result of faith. The best thing any person can do to assist in the establishment of Zion is to perfect his own personal faith.