LeGrand L. Baker

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  • The Ultimate Bridegroom — Jesus Christ

    The following is a spiritual thought I delivered on April 19, 2026 in the Heritage Ward of the Eagle Mountain Utah Eagle Valley Stake:

    Spiritual Thought

    The ancient Hebrew wedding ceremony consisted of three distinct phases.

    1. Matchmaking & Proposal
    2. Formal Betrothal & Separation
    3. The Midnight Procession, Feast, & Consummation
      These phases serve as a metaphor for the Plan of Salvation, the temple endowment, and our covenantal relationship with Jesus Christ (the Bridegroom). We learn through Section 109 that the Church, meaning us, is the bride.

    As was custom, the Father chose the bride for the bridegroom. However, despite being arranged, the bride was not forced into the marriage, and using agency, had the right to accept or reject the proposal.

    Once accepted, the families signed a contract where the Bridegroom promised to do everything (build a house/mansion, provide food & clothing, promised to redeem the bride from slavery) and the bride promised to remain faithful & true. The Bridegroom then separated for a year to go and prepare a place for the bride, with the Father being the only one who knew the Day or the Hour of when the Bridegroom would return (the Father had to make sure the Son prepared all of the things properly). Before they separated, the Bridegroom would also give the bride a Dowry (think gift, like endowment), and give a Matan, which means tokens and symbols, so the Bride could remember Him while they were separated.

    Once all the preparations were complete, the Father gave the word, and the groom would gather his friends and set out in the dark of night to retrieve his bride. The best man would run ahead (around midnight) blowing a trumpet announcing the groom was coming. The bride had approximately 30 minutes to get her oil lamps lit and go out to meet him. The bride was lifted up on a platform and carried to the Father’s house. At that point the door was bolted shut and anyone who was late would not be allowed inside. A massive 7-day feast commenced to celebrate the wedding. During the feast the bride and groom retired to a private room to consummate the marriage. Anciently, the bride had to bring an embroidered white cloth to prove her virginity; if there was no blood on the cloth, the penalty was death by stoning.

    How does this entire Hebrew wedding ceremony relate to us & Christ? There are so many symbols of the wedding as it relates to the His 2nd Coming and His Covenants with us. To name just a few:

    • We take upon us His name
    • He drank the bitter cup
    • His Father knows the Day & the Hour of His Return
    • He knocks at our door to propose
    • He provides food, clothing, Mansions in Heaven, Everything for us, and we only have to stay faithful & true

    This brings me to the most special connection of the wedding ceremony wherein we consummate the marriage with Him. We go into that sacred private room, but we have all fallen short. We are not pure, we have sinned, and we face the penalty of death. Christ sheds His own blood and puts His blood on the white cloth for us and proclaims us innocent & faithful. In fact, when he comes again, he will be wearing a red robe and we will be allowed to meet Him in a pure white robe. Jesus Christ — the Ultimate Bridegroom. This is my Testimony, in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

    Sources

    -LeGrand Baker – my Mentor ❤️

    Additional Thoughts

    Core Premise: The ancient Hebrew wedding ceremony consisted of three distinct phases. These phases serve as the ultimate prophetic model and metaphor for the Plan of Salvation, the temple endowment, and our covenantal relationship with Jesus Christ (the Bridegroom).

    p.s. Each of the bullet points below deserves its own article which I will write later.

    Phase 1

    Unlike modern weddings, ancient Hebrew marriages were arranged to bind families and kinship groups together.

    • The Father Chooses: The father of the groom was responsible for selecting the bride for his son. Just as the father’s servant chose Rebecca for Isaac, God the Father chose Eve for Adam, and ultimately, God the Father chose the bride (the Church/humanity) for Jesus Christ.
    • The Bride’s Agency: Despite being arranged, the bride was not forced into the marriage. She retained her agency and had the right to accept or reject the proposal.
    • The Knock at the Door: The father and the groom would come to the door of the bride’s house and knock. If she opened the door, it meant she accepted the proposal—adding deep covenantal meaning to Christ’s statement, “I stand at the door and knock”.

    Phase 2

    Once the bride accepted, the couple entered the Erusin phase. This was a legally binding betrothal; they were considered married, even though the wedding ceremony had not yet occurred (as seen with Mary and Joseph).

    • The Ketubah: They signed a written wedding contract called a Ketubah in triplicate. It was often written inside a “Jerusalem window” (an arch) and outlined what the groom promised to provide for the bride, such as food, clothing (sermon on the mount imagery), and redemption from slavery. The bride’s only requirement was to remain loyal and true.
    • The Dowry and Gifts: The groom’s family provided a Mohar (a dowry or endowment), acting as a financial fail-safe for the bride. This endowment often included an alabaster box of ointment to eventually anoint the groom for his burial. The groom also gave personal tokens called the Matan, such as coins sewn onto her veil, to remind her of him.
    • Bread and Wine: To formally accept the covenant, the couple shared a meal of bread and a cup of wine.
    • The Year of Separation: After this meal, the groom left for a full year to build a house (or “mansions”) for his bride on his father’s estate.
    • Only the Father Knows: During this year, the bride prepared her wedding garments, including an embroidered sash used to “tie the knot” and later swaddle her covenant children. Neither the bride nor the groom knew the exact day or hour the wedding would occur; they had to wait until the Father determined the groom’s preparations were perfectly ready and gave the command to “go get your bride”.

    Phase 3

    When the Father gave the word, the groom would gather his friends and set out in the dark of night to retrieve his bride.

    • The Midnight Procession: A “friend of the groom” (the best man) ran ahead blowing a trumpet to warn the bride that the groom was coming. She had approximately 30 minutes to get her oil lamps lit and go out to meet him.
    • The Bolted Door: The bride was lifted up on a platform (the appirion) and carried to the father’s house. Once the wedding party went inside, the door was bolted shut. Because it was dark outside, anyone arriving late (like the five unwise virgins) had to be recognized by their voice to gain entry. Those cast out into “outer darkness” were simply those left outside the lit wedding feast in the dark night.
    • The 7-Day Feast: Inside, a massive, joyous seven-day feast commenced. During this feast, the groom drank a fourth cup of wine known as the “Cup of Wrath” or “Cup of Bitterness” so his bride would not have to.
    • The Consummation and the Blood: The bride and groom retired to consummate the marriage. Anciently, the bride had to bring an embroidered white cloth to prove her virginity; if there was no blood on the cloth, the penalty was death. Because the bride of Christ (humanity) is not pure and has sinned, she faces the penalty of death. However, Jesus Christ, the ultimate Bridegroom, shed His own blood to put on the cloth, saving His bride and coming forth in a red robe to cover her sins.

  • Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ

    The following is a talk I delivered on March 8, 2026 in the Heritage Ward of the Eagle Mountain Utah Eagle Valley Stake:

    Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ

    Good afternoon brothers & sisters. My name is brother Floyd and I am excited to share a message today about living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I earnestly pray for the help of the Holy Ghost as we consider the importance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

    The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the “good news” of how to be saved. It is simple to understand. But living it is not as simple and many become frustrated and fail to live it because they do not know the techniques of living it.

    First we need to lay the foundation for understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are the literal children of Heavenly Father, born as spirit children to Him long ago. Our Father in Heaven sent one of His sons to organize this earth, for His children to live on and enjoy. Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, put plants, animals, and people on this earth. Satan, who is also on the earth, tempted the first people on earth, Adam and Eve, to disobey our Heavenly Father, and thus fall and become mortal. Because we humans are now mortal, we do wrong things and we will die. Heavenly Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to become a mortal also. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, doing no wrong, and was able to suffer the pains of justice for all the wrongs the rest of us have done or will do, and to die for us that He might have the power to resurrect each of us from the grave. By living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we can be saved through Jesus Christ and become like him. To become like Christ and be forgiven of our sins, we must do five things:

    1. Do faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
    2. Repent of all the wrongs we have done.
    3. Be baptized by immersion to declare that we will live a life of faith in Jesus Christ.
    4. Receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands of those who have power to give it.
    5. Endure to the end, our eternal goal, which is to become like Christ.

    I will now provide gems of the gospel and help define it:

    The Gem of Faith: Faith in Jesus Christ is the priceless gift to us which enables us to become like Jesus Christ. It is the deliberate acceptance of divine power to replace evil with good in our lives done through Jesus Christ.

    In modern-day English, “Faith” has become diluted with a thousand different meanings & definitions. Often Faith is used as a synonym for Belief. However, that is not so in the scriptures. The New Testament word for Faith is translated from the Greek word “Pistis” (Pis-tis). The nearest definition today would be equivalent to a covenant or contract. Thus we can understand, Faith does not mean wishing hard, but to act with integrity to accept and fulfill the terms of the covenant.

    To “do” faith in Jesus Christ is to trust Him so much that we firmly believe in Him and to do all He asks us to do. We can believe in Him because the Holy Ghost assures us that Jesus Christ is real and wants to save us from doing wrong things. But just believing is not faith in Christ.

    Faith in Jesus Christ is willing and immediate obedience to some message received from Jesus Christ. The message may come through another person, from the scriptures, from your conscience, as well as from the Savior Himself. What all these messages will have in common is that they will be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.

    I must obey, for faith is a principle of action. As we read in James: Faith without such works is dead. It must be willing obedience. It must be immediate. To have true faith in Christ one must have learned about the Savior, enjoy what they are learning, be instructed to do something, and respond with an action as directed by the Holy Ghost. Faith in Christ is something one does, not something one sort of has.

    If one will pray with real intent, then you will come to know by the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith was his prophet to restore the gospel in this latter-day dispensation, the Book of Mormon is true, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church on the earth. As you follow the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, then you are now exercising true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. (James 2:14–17). This faith enables you to replace the evil in your own spiritual hearts with good, until you come to have pure hearts. (Mosiah 3:19) As you continue in the path of faith, nothing wavering, your faith becomes stronger and stronger until you can do all things in Christ. (D&C 50:23–24) The end of the path of faith is to come to the point where you can love with a pure love and bless others even as Christ himself does. (Eph 4:11–13)

    Christ is able to help us, stop doing wrong things, and do only good things for others, through the pure love that He gives to all who really believe in Him. This brings me to the next gem – repentance.

    (The Gem of repentance): Repentance is the engine which makes possible the perfecting of a human soul. It is Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that powers this engine.

    Repentance is to replace every act of your life, which is not an act of faith in Jesus Christ, with an act of faith in Jesus Christ. To replace one act is to begin to repent. This is the crux of living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

    To repent of all the wrongs we have done is to study our own lives and actions and to compare what we do with what Christ would have us do. Where we find differences, we repent by changing what we do to match the pattern of Christ, which is to begin to act just as He did. The goal of repentance is two-fold: to repair damage done to others and to gain a new character, remade in the image of Christ. Repentance is the first-fruit of true faith in Christ.

    To the Greek, mind is what is important. Their word for repentance is metanoeia (met-a-noi-a), which means to change the mind.

    The Romans, were people of action. Their word for repentance, pentere (pent-er-e), is the ancestor of our English word repentance, and means to act differently, to turn away.

    The Hebrew emphasis is on the heart. When the heart changes, that is real repentance. But the mind and actions must also change with the heart. If the mind or actions change without the heart, repentance is shallow and ultimately ineffective.

    The first fruit of true faith in Jesus Christ is repentance, and the first fruit of true repentance is baptism in the New and Everlasting Covenant.

    The Gem of Baptism & receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost: To be born again of water and of the Holy Spirit is the unique access to a fullness of life as a son or daughter of Jesus Christ and an heir to all He is and has (John 10:10, Romans 8:16–17).

    To be baptized by immersion by one having true authority from Christ is to publicly make the promise that we will take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, will always remember Him, and will obey all the commandments He gives to us. To be born again is to be changed, to become a new creature in Christ, with a different heart, might, mind, and strength (2 Cor 5:17). This change is wrought by power, and can only be accomplished when one is baptized by Priesthood authority and makes the changes offered (D&C 20:73). Baptism by water is for the later remission of sins. It is a necessary prerequisite for remission, but does not wash away any sins. The baptism of the Spirit is what remits sins. We learn this truth in 2 Nephi 31:17 (emphasis mine): “Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.”

    Baptism is a New and Everlasting Covenant. It is new because it replaces the original covenant given to Adam and Eve when they were placed in the Garden of Eden. It is everlasting because it is made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ (Abraham 3:22–25, Moses 6:56–60).

    To receive the Holy Ghost we must have the laying on of hands by one who has authority, then pray and seek earnestly to have the Holy Spirit be our constant companion and guide. The Holy Ghost is willing to be our constant companion and guide if we do, and say, and feel, the things He tells us to do, and say, and feel. To receive the Holy Ghost is the baptism of the spirit.

    The Gem of Enduring to the End: Faith, repentance, and being born again of the water and of the spirit are means, not ends. These principles, while enduring to the end, teach us to become like Christ and inherit Eternal Life with Him.

    To endure to the end is to obey the Holy Ghost until we become a new person, remade in the image of Christ Himself, then to maintain that faithfulness until we die. Enduring to the end is to become pure in heart, which means to be given a new heart by our Savior. This new heart enables us to love with the pure love of Christ. (The entire chapter of Moroni 7 teaches us this truth).

    The most difficult step of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to endure to the end. To do so takes all of our attention until we deliver all of our heart, might, mind and strength unto Christ to do only His will and to bless all those around us through the pure love that comes only from Him.

    (Check talk time, continue with the clues below if you are under the time)

    When people fail to keep their covenant of baptism and fail to endure to the end, it is often because they do not know how to do it. The following are clues from the scriptures as to how to endure to the end.

    Clue one: Be humble. Our Savior said to the Nephites: “And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.” (3 Nephi 11:37–38) The opposite of being as a little child and humble is to be proud. The proud think they have things figured out and they don’t need to be saved. But those who are humble know they need all the help they can get, and are willing to receive the Holy Ghost and to learn to be obedient to Christ through the whisperings of the Holy Ghost.

    Clue two: Let your heart guide. Our hearts, not minds, should be the controlling factor in our decisions. Of course we need to use our minds, but the most important thing we can ever gain in mortality is a pure heart. This pure heart is attained as a gift from God. A pure heart is one that has learned to be selfless, thinking only of others and how to further their welfare. God is most interested in helping His children to love each other. Love is not a rationally achieved thing. It is the gift of God to all who learn to love God and to obey Him in the works of righteousness with all of their hearts. The works of righteousness are doing good deeds for our neighbors under God’s direction. The first two great commandments to love God and neighbor comes only by purifying our desires, our hearts, then obeying God in all the works of righteousness. Laman and Lemuel could not serve God because they were trying to do it rationally. Nephi said to them: “Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder.” (1 Nephi 17:45) We feel with our hearts, not with our minds.

    Clue three: Always pray first. Nephi taught: “But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.” (2 Nephi 32:9) It is so easy not to begin each task with prayer because we think we know already what to do. That is a form of pride. We need to remember that we are nothing without Christ. (John 15:5)

    I have attempted to summarize basic elements of the most important and “good news” any person anywhere in the world can ever receive–the message that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is restored & true and that living the Gospel will bring you everlasting joy!

    I testify that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. Heavenly Father has created a plan for us to return to live with Him again. Jesus Christ is central to that plan. Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ is how we can become unified and create Zion among us. I testify that the Book of Mormon is true! We have prophets on the earth to guide us today! Jesus Christ leads this Church. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

    (If I need more time)

    We are blessed to have the Book of Mormon which contains the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gem of the Book of Mormon is that: The Book of Mormon is the most important book in the world.

    The Book of Mormon will bring a person closer to God than any other book if they will follow its teachings. Its purpose is to enable us (every human being) to come to Christ and be perfected in him (Moroni 10:30–33). It gives the plainest insights into the struggle in this world between good and evil of any book. It is a solid piece of physical evidence to the truthfulness of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, to the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and to the fact that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church upon the earth today.

    I know the Book of Mormon is true!

  • Tokens or Symbols Help Me Remember My Covenants with the Lord

    This was my own outline for a talk that my wife was giving. I wanted to provide some insight for her to help her figure out what she wanted to say. This talk outline is not entirely complete as I would need to add at least two more sections to fit into a 10 minute talk. Enjoy!

    Tokens or Symbols Help Me Remember My Covenants with the Lord (Gen 9:8-17)

    God doesn’t forget his covenants, but how often do we forget?

    How do we always remember the Lord? We just took the sacrament where we renewed that covenant:

    We can remember the Lord by recognizing the symbols in our life with the understanding that all things Physical can remind us of all things Spiritual into the Eternities.

    • Sacrifices from Adam -> Moses and Moses -> Jesus = Sacrifice of the Son of God
    • The ark which saved 8 souls from the water = saving power of the everlasting covenant
    • Rainbow = God’s forbearance and will not be removed until He is again ready to destroy the world
    • Tower of Babel = Men attempt to find God without Jesus (finding another way)
    • Light = guidance and goodness
    • Darkness = Stumbling around in evil
    • Abraham Sacrificing Issac (attempt) = Father’s sacrifice of His Only Begotten
    • Moses holding the brazen serpent = Look, have faith on the Savior, be saved
    • Rituals of Law of Moses = Types & Shadows of the Atonement
    • Cross whereon the Savior was crucified = Evil of this world that would kill a God
    • Parables taught by the Savior = Likeness of things physical to things spiritual
    • Liahona = Guidance of the Spirit
    • Urim and Thummim = Power of seership
    • Destructions of the people in the Book of Mormon leading up to the Savior’s coming = Events accompanying the 2nd Coming of the Savior
    • Temples = Mountains where you commune with God (and vice versa)

    We can remember the Lord by participating in the ordinances of the Gospel. The ordinances, which are all symbolic, are designed to point us to the Savior.

    • Sacrament – Atonement (Resurrection & Salvation i.e. overcome death, physical and spiritual); Us reaching out to partake voluntarily of the promise to obey God in all things
    • Baptism – Born Again (John 3) as a child of God, this is how Jesus is both the Father and the Son; Washed clean through the blood of the lamb;
    • Holy Ghost – Anointing us; Giving a gift; Receiving God’s blessings
    • Temple Endowment – which is full of symbols where you receive gifts from the Father to teach you the plan of salvation and bring you into His Presence; Trust taught for everyday living & for Eternity living
    • Temple Sealing – united, bound, linked, tied, welded, sealed, married;

    Professor Riddle of BYU taught:

    The Lord employs every opportunity to use physical things to teach us things spiritual. As we receive this teaching under the influence of the Holy Ghost, we are given an understanding of the truth sufficient for our salvation. If, after all this, we will not accept the ways of the Lord, it is to our own account. After these many witnesses we cannot stand blameless.

    Suffice it to say that symbols are at once the key to our exaltation and the lock that damns us. Only as we are honest in heart and hunger and thirst after righteousness do they become the means for our blessing which our Lord intends.

    We can remember the Lord by learning to Love God, then Love our neighbor (1st & 2nd great commandments). What does it mean to Love God? …………

    To conclude, I would like to share a great quote from President Holland when he was President of BYU. He helped me understand the connection God wants to make with me when he said:

    A sacrament could be any one of a number of gestures or acts or ordinances that unite us with God and his limitless powers. We are imperfect and mortal; he is ­perfect and immortal. But from time to time—indeed, as often as is possible and ­appropriate—we find ways and go to places and create circumstances where we can unite symbolically with him, and in so doing gain access to his power. Those special moments of union with God are sacramental moments—such as kneeling at a marriage altar, or blessing a newborn baby, or partaking of the emblems of the Lord’s supper. This latter ordinance is the one we in the Church have come to associate most traditionally with the word sacrament, though it is technically only one of many such moments when we formally take the hand of God and feel his divine power.

    These are moments when we quite literally unite our will with God’s will, our spirit with his spirit, where communion through the veil becomes very real. At such moments we not only acknowledge his divinity, but we quite ­literally take something of that divinity to ­ourselves. Such are the holy sacraments.

    As I have studied the subject of this talk, I have come to realize that tokens can be defined as the “evidence” of the covenant. They are how we make, receive, and remember the covenants we make. Without these tokens, think “evidences”, we truly unite our purpose with God’s purpose. I have come to learn that symbols are used to teach us continually throughout life. When I was baptized, I didn’t realize all of the deep meanings that were portrayed, I just knew that I was following the example of Jesus. Now, I have a greater understanding of that covenant based on my further understanding of the symbols portrayed. I encourage you all to research the symbols of every ordinance and continue to seek revelation so that you may always remember the covenants are to direct us to Christ.

    Testimony

  • Man

    God (Father and Mother) begat spirit children

                Who loved with and served under Father and Mother

                            And learned obedience unto righteousness

                                        That they might be proved in heart and clothed in flesh

                                                    In a fallen and mortal existence.

                                                    So Adam fell that men might be

                                        Able to choose good and evil and overcome the flesh

                            By denying selfishness and learning to love

                Yearning to return to be again with Father and Mother

    To claim the inheritance due their noble birth.

  • The Atonement of Jesus Christ–Handout

    Atonement: At-one-ment. To become one with Father.

    The Great Commandment: Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all of thy heart, might, mind and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ shalt thou serve him. (D&C 59:5)

    One mission of Christ is to bring about the great at-one-ment.

    •             He teaches us how to stop sinning (faith and repentance).
    •             He suffered so he could forgive us if we stop sinning.
    •             He sacrificed his life so that all men would live again.

    Only through faith in Jesus Christ is it possible to fulfill the great commandment, which is to become perfect, even as Christ is perfect. Then we can be one with Father, even as Christ is.

    SatanSatan promotesManFaith in ChristChrist’s merits
    LiesFalsehoodMindTruth (D&C 93:28)All truth
    SelfishEvil desiresHeartPurity (Moroni 7:48)Wholly good
    No bodyWeakness, deathStrengthHealth, resurrects (Alma 11:42)Died for us
    Evil deedsSinMightRighteousness (Ether 12:28)Suffered for our sins

    Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and the Holy Ghost. And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the father and the son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.

    And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ, with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.

    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 31:17–20, emphasis added)

  • Individual Freedom vs. Social Constraint

    Individual Freedom vs. Social Constraint

    Only individuals exist. Societies are conveniences of mind for understanding the relationships of individuals to one another.

    “A society” is not a sufficiently precise term to use in any definitive way. “Society” is a collective term for groups. Groups are collections of people who influence one another.

    Benefits from group membership: The functions of the ideal group are essentially summed in the idea of supplying the needs of the individual. (Cell and body example). A first-approximation list of such needs might be:

    1. Existence: being born
    2. Nurture: being supplied with the physical necessities of life
    3. Culture: being supplied with the products of the arts of communication.
    4. Education: assistance in forming mental constructs, attitudes, and skills to be able to adapt actively to one’s environment.
    5. Opportunity: the chance to produce benefits for other members of the group, to find fulfillment through contribution.

    In the ideal group, the opportunity to contribute to it is its greatest benefit.

    Problems to the ideal group are principally two:

    1. Inefficiency inherent in the human situation.
    2. Exploitation by other individuals.

    1.   Inefficiency inherent in the situation in necessitated by three factors:

    • a.   Presence of non-productive members of the group.
    • b.   Law of entropy; loss of benefit in transmitting benefits from the producer to the consumer.
    • c.   Lack of knowledge and power to solve certain problems.

    2.   Exploitation by other individuals is the tendency of some men deliberately to take more from the group than they are willing to give and could give.

    Because of the factors of the human situation that create inefficiency, the benefits of society that men are able to imagine usually are greater than what the society can produce for everyone. This gives rise to exploitation.

    Exploitation occurs when some individuals of the group contribute less than what they could, thus producing further inefficiency, or forcibly constrain members of the group so that they benefit from group production more than their needs justify relative to the needs of other members of the group. These tendencies are variously known as laziness, feather-bedding, gold-bricking when one produces less, and as tyranny, graft, excess profit when one forcibly takes more than his share.

    Individual freedom may now be defined as the opportunity to participate willingly in a group that suffers from no inefficiency or exploitation. This indeed would be fulfillment.

    How has history treated human beings? We note an interesting relationship between efficiency and exploitation.

    1. The Australian aborigine, remarkably free from exploitation, is cursed with extreme inefficiency.
    2. Groups inhabiting fertile lands of the earth where efficiency is relatively high have traditionally been the most exploited peoples.
    3. Islanders in tropical climes where nature is benevolent have until recently been little exploited, but have suffered from lack of cultural progress due to their isolation.

    In sum, few individuals in recorded history have enjoyed any marked degree of individual freedom, and most of that has been freedom from material want by exploitation of others. Our own national experiment is one of the greatest achievements known to the world. But most men in this or any other age have suffered terribly from inefficiency and exploitation.

    What are the possible solutions to overcome inefficiency and exploitation?

    The Worldly Solution

    1. Science as the cure for inefficiency
    2. Balance exploitation through law

    Why the worldly solution won’t work.

    1.   While it is true that science is doing wonders to subdue the earth, it is inherently incapable of solving value problems or of assuring us of just how we ought to solve an individual problem.
    Examples.
    Science is the god of the modern world. But it is a god that knows only the past and that only partly, whose stony face turns only to material, to animal problems, and whose high priests are continually rationalizing its failures to hear and answer prayers. But this is not fault of science. Science is a wonderful and exciting way to approach the unknown aspects of the material universe. But it is not God.

    2.   The attempt to balance exploitation through re-exploitation by law suffers similar difficulties. It supposes now that men are omniscient and can pass equitable laws to redistribute the benefits of society equably. But history again gives the lie to this arrogance. Human law never can catch up with exploitation; it would take an infinity of laws to do so. Historically judged, most lawmakers themselves have suffered from the disease they try to cure: exploitation.

    The Lord’s Solution

    The mission of Jesus Christ is to make men free so that they might live more abundantly. How does He achieve this?

    He overcomes inefficiency through divine omniscience, and through omnipotent power over the laws of nature. Whatever the problems of men, He has the solutions and dispenses aid as fast as men can stand it. The principal reason men can’t stand more is that they put their trust in false Gods.

    He overcomes exploitation by freeing men who wish to be free from the power of Satan, from avarice, greed, cruelty, and laziness. He helps them to realize that to give is more blessed than to receive, and that true happiness comes only in helping others to have real benefits.

    We must belong to a group. There are two essential choices; join Mammon to exploit and be exploited, or to serve the Lord who exploits no one and blesses all far more than we can possibly repay. May we choose this day to have freedom and eternal life before the curtains of time consign us forever with the exploiters.

  • The Two Visions of Heaven on Earth


    Vision 1    		Vision 2
    GoalProvide for the wants and needs of every human being. Make the world safe for each person. Save everyone.Assist all who so desire to attain the character of Christ. Make each person safe for the world. Save those who want to be saved.
    MeansConcentrate power in the intelligencia (smartest humans) so they can create heaven on earth.Give each person the knowledge and power to become like Christ. Then establish Zion.
    StrategyControl education, media and governments to impose an “enlightened” mind-set on each person.Empower every person to become like Christ through the laws and ordinances of the Restored Gospel.
    TacticsUse propaganda and force to control everything centrally and spoil the rich.Preach the Restored Gospel to every human creature so that all can become unselfish.
    OppositionAll theistic religions with their beliefs, traditions and scruples.Selfishness of persons, temptations of Satan.
    ReligionGlorify the human mind and treat human leaders as if they were gods.Glorify the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost and their righteousness.
    TheologyOnly physical matter exists and all nature is governed by chance. Man evolved from primates, ceases to exist at death.All things physical are controlled by an unseen spiritual universe controlled by the Gods. Humans are children of the Gods.
    MoralityObey your political leaders, break traditional moral scruples, there is no sin.Be honest, true to your covenants, chaste and benevolent, do good to all men.
    RitualsWorship science, government leaders.Pray to God, repent, partake of ordinances.
    ChurchUniversities, public schools, the legal system.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
    VestmentsCap and gown.Garments, temple robes.
    ResultsThis system has never fully succeeded but its adherents will keep trying to implement Satan’s plan that was rejected in the war in heaven.This system has often succeeded but not yet in this dispensation.

    The bottom line: We are nearly to the point where there will be only two churches. Then the end will come. The engine for producing full righteousness and preparing the world for the Second Coming is the Holy Temple. We need to do all we can to promote the Cause of Christ in the earth. The greatest thing we can do to promote the Cause of Christ is to establish Zion. The greatest help to establish Zion is the Holy Temples of Christ.

    “Force and compulsion can never establish peace on earth. Men’s hearts must be changed.”
    — President David O. McKay

  • Metaphysics, n.d.

    The problem: We deal with many worlds.

    • World 1: The construct universe in our minds.
    • World 2: The world we see (sense). (Appearances)
    • World 3: The reality of the world we see (sense). (Reality)
    • World 4: The unseen world which is back of the seen world.
    • World 5: The world(s) other persons believe in.
    • World 6: The world(s) of the past.
    • World 7: The world(s) of the future.
    • World 8: The true world as seen by God and the prophets.

    The challenge: To reduce the number of worlds by making some of them identical.

    • Worldly solution: On the authority of some small group of people (ignoring other persons) make worlds 1, 3, 4, 5 (past) 6, and 7 the same, tolerating 2 and ignoring 8.
    • Gospel solution: Bring 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7 into unity with 8, by discounting world 5 and using world 2 as a test.

    Historic devices to unify and simplify these worlds:

    • Apostate religion (take the word of the priest).
    • Scholarship (dig it out of the records, then imagine it).
    • Philosophy (invent it out of whole cloth)
    • Science (invent it under strict rules)
    • True religion (come to know God, then ask and have Him reveal the truth to you).
    • Art has wavered between trying to capture one of these worlds to make it real, and inventing another world to escape the problems and the challenges (temporarily, at least).
    • Metaphysics: Philosophic inquiry into the possible general features of the unseen world.

    Basic questions:

    1.   Is the universe made of matter or ideas?

    • Materialism: Belief that the real universe is matter in motion.
    • Idealism: Belief that the real world is ideas (matter non-existent or secondary).

    2.   Is the universe made of one, two, or more basic substances?           

    • Monism: Belief that the universe is made of one kind of substance. (mind or matter, for example.)
    • Dualism: Belief that the universe is made of two kinds of things (e.g., mind and matter; or, spirit and matter.)
    • Pluralism: Belief that the universe is made of three or more basic kinds of things.

    3.   Is the universe made of classes or of individuals?

    • Nominalism: Belief that reality in the universe is all individual, that all classes are just more or less convenient fictions of man’s mind.
    • Realism: Belief that the reality of the universe is in universals (classes), that all individuals have any reality only in relation to those universals.

    4.   Is the universe regular, orderly, or is everything a matter of chance?

    • Determinism: Belief that the universe is orderly, subject to law.
    • Causation: Things believed to be regular, law-like, which impart regularity and order to the universe.
    • Tychism: Belief that all things are uncaused, fortuitous, that apparent order and regularity is either accident or appearance.

    5.   Is the universe natural or does it also have a supernatural component?

    • Naturalism: Belief that the universe is all the same and that this “same” includes no spirits, demons, gods, but (usually) only matter in motion.
    • Supernaturalism: Belief that the universe has in it, besides the natural realm, another realm which is not part of nor subject to the natural realm.

    6.   What are space and time?

    • Space: The possibility of existence.
    • Personal space: the place where I am changing values from my body outward.
    • Mathematical space:
                  Euclidean: One Cartesian coordinate for the whole universe.
                  Non-Euclidean: Space of positive or negative curvature.
    • Time: The possibility of change.
    • Psychological time: Finite present, directional.
    • Mathematical time: Infinitesimal present, bi-directional.

    7.   Is the universe Being or Becoming or both?

    • Being: The essence of something which characterizes something at a given time. E.g. a seed.
    • Becoming: The change process which characterizes some cycle of nature. E.g. life cycle of a seed.

    8.   Is the reality of the universe its permanence or its change?

    • Permanence: The eternal verities.
    • Change: The only thing constant is change.

    What is the nature of man?

    1.   Is man a free agent or is freedom only an illusion?

    • Freedom: Relative to some goal or attainment, man is free to attain it if he so chooses, but need not do so.
    • Illusion of freedom: Man’s actions are pre-determined by the initial conditions and by the laws of the universe. Freedom is the illusion of making a choice. The reality is           that the choice is already made.

    2.   Which is more important or prior, man’s essence or his existence?

    • Essence: Man is a type. Individuality is all accidental. It is the type which should be fostered, not the accidents.
    • Existence: Each man’s existence precedes his essence: what he is as a unique person is more important than whatever he has in common with other persons. Therefore, each person should find (create) his own best way of life.

    3.   Is man’s knowledge all a posterini or is some of it a priori? (which enables him to solve metaphysical problems).

    • A posterini view: All of man’s knowledge arises out of and after the beginning of his empirical experience. Therefore man cannot solve metaphysical questions.
    • A priori view: Man knows some things prior to experience. These are the metaphysical categories he needs to understand his experience of the world.

    4.   Is man’s knowledge objective or solipsistic?

    • Objective: Man’s ways of knowing can and do give him true knowledge of the real world.
    • Solipsism: Each individual “knows” only his own thoughts. Everything else, the universe, including all other people, are only figments of each individual’s imagination.

    5.   What is man’s reality? Is he natural or divine? Is he a body only, or is he body plus mind, or body plus spirit? Did man’s body evolve from some lower form of life or was it transplanted or was it created?

    • Natural: Man is an animal among animals, like them in every respect, but more intelligent.
    • Divine: Man is a child of God, of the race of the gods, and each person may become a god.
    • Body only: Man is only a complicated machine.
    • Mind only: Man is only the ideas he is conscious of having.
    • Mind and body: Man is a body plus a mind which is made of different “stuff.”
    • Spirit and body: Man has a spirit body which is the pattern after which his physical body was formed.
    • Evolved: Mankind was created by chance in an entirely natural way.
    • Transplanted: Mankind was brought to this earth from some other planet.
    • Created: Mankind was created on this earth by a superior intelligent power.

    6.   What is the nature of God? Is God natural or divine? Corporal or spiritual? Personal or impersonal?

    • Natural: God is the law and order in the universe.
    • Divine: God is supernatural, the power which governs the natural universe.
    • Corporeal: God is a physical, tangible being limited to one place in time and space for a given moment.
    • Spiritual: God is a spiritual essence which is in, around, and through all material things.
    • Personal: God is a real person, a father, with emotions, likes, dislikes, etc.
    • Impersonal: God is a being that takes no notice of humans as persons, but deals with them categorically.

    7.   Arguments for the existence of God:

    • Authoritarian: The prophets say he exists.
    • Rational:
    • Ontological: He is the greatest idea, He must exist.
    • Cosmological: Only God could cause the universe.
    • Teleological: Only God could cause the order in the universe.
    • Moral: God must exist to punish the wicked and reward the righteous.
    • Empirical: I see Him.
    • Statistical: Percentage of people claiming to have seen him is statistically significant.
    • Critical: God is a useful idea in any case.
    • Skeptical:
    • Mystic: God is pure feeling.
    • Revelatory: One comes to know God first by knowing and obeying the Holy Ghost, then by seeing, knowing and obeying Jesus Christ.

    8.   Arguments against the existence of God.

    • Authoritarian: The more educated people deny His existence.
    • Rational:
    • Parsimony: Nature can be accounted for without God.
    • Naturalism: All that exists is natural.
    • Monism: Only the universe exists. To call it God is foolish.
    • Empirical: I don’t see Him.
    • Statistical: So few claim to have seen him, so that the claim is negligible.
    • Critical: God is not a useful idea.
    • Skeptical: All accounts are mythological.
    • Mystic:
    • Revelatory: A demonic messenger says there is no God.

  • The Two Covenants

    The Original CovenantThe New and Everlasting Covenant
    And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them. (Abraham 3:25)And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good. And it is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves, and I have given unto you another law and commandment. Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there. … For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified; (Moses 6:55–60)
    End Goal To be perfect in keeping the commandments of God under the pressure of fallen mortality.End Goal To become perfect in keeping the commandments of God under the pressure of fallen mortality.
    Means to the end: Never to sin during mortality by always obeying God.Means to the end: 1. After sinning by following Satan, accept Jesus Christ as one’s Savior in baptism. 2. Receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, then follow the commandments of God. 3. Completely repent of ever following Satan by hungering and thirsting after righteousness unto complete obedience to God. 4. Receive forgiveness of past sins through the Atonement of Christ. 5. Never again sin during mortality by always obeying God.
    Result: A perfect person who can be exalted.Result: A perfected person who can be exalted.

  • Technology and Good and Evil

    Problem: Is technology more helpful to good or to evil (LDS frame)?

    (Hypo) Thesis: Technology fosters evil more than good.

    Definitions:

    • Good: The work of righteousness through Jesus Christ.
    • Righteousness: Ministering to the needs of others.
    • Evil: Anything not as good as it should and could be.
    • Power: The ability to accomplish what one needs (desires) to accomplish.
    • Technology: Power to cause change in (on) matter by the application of physical force.
    • Priesthood: Power to cause change in (on) matter by the application of spiritual force.

    Argument:

    1. Jesus Christ gives men technology and priesthood.
    2. Jesus Christ wants men to be able to use both technology and priesthood in solving problems, and to act according to His instructions at the time in using each. To act in faith (obedience to His instructions at the time) is the only way to please Him.
    3. The use of priesthood depends upon faith (righteousness).
    4. Not everyone knows Jesus Christ well enough to enjoy having the priesthood power.
    5. Most men are ignorant of Jesus Christ, or are unrighteous, or both, so must depend upon technology to solve their problems.
    6. Technology is always limited so that men will see the need for more power.
    7. Men inclined to righteousness will welcome the opportunity to gain additional power through the priesthood.
    8. As technical power grows, most men feel less need for priesthood power (carnal security).
    9. A person who has priesthood power can survive and prosper at any level of technology (stone age to the future) because he can fully accomplish his mission by using the combination of the two authorized by Jesus Christ.
    10. An increase of technical power increases the power of unrighteous and ignorant persons to fulfill their desires, but does not always increase the opportunity for righteous persons to fill their missions.

    Therefore: An increase of technical power is more helpful to evil than to righteousness in many cases.

    (Is this why technical power has been allowed to flourish only just before the world is about to be destroyed?)