A couple of days ago I had lunch with a good friend of mine and at some point the discussion turned toward religion, God, and most specifically in this case, the scriptures. He doesn’t see how scriptures are any different than any other book. They are, after all at their very essence, a historical record of God’s dealings with man. ¹ Both he and I agree that there are great principles to be learned from all sorts of literature.² So what is it that makes scriptures different?

Principles

One of my points was the principles that can be learned. Scriptures are packed full of great principles for us to learn from. And that is true, even in the oft-neglected Old Testament. This morning I was reading in 2 Chronicles and came across a great story about the importance of priesthood authority.³ I have read the OT several times, but it has been 7 or 8 years since the last time and I am finding all sorts of little nuggets again. But time inbetween readings doesn’t make the difference. Circumstances and experiences are the real indicator of the scriptures in our lives. I imagine if I read the same passages tomorrow that I read today I would learn something different. Scriptures are like Ogre’s… they have layers. ⁴

Pattern for our Lives

As I read today I also saw something else that leads to the efficacy of the scriptures. There is a very quick record of what happens when we forget God in our lives. It is a constant pattern that we talk about a lot in the church called the pride cycle. Since I am writing I will just do a small vertical representation of it.

1. Man is Righteous
2. God Blesses Man
3. Man Becomes Prideful
4. Man Begins to Sin
5. Man Forgets God
6. God Humbles Man
1. Man is Righteous

This pattern repeats itself again and again in human history and is documented in all sorts of places.⁵ The scriptures are great for this too!

Bringing Men unto Christ

This morning I did a quick search on LDS.org and came across the Gospel Topic Library Entry for ‘Scriptures.’⁶ There are a ton of resources to go from there, but there was a perfect one line sentence summing it all up:

The principal purpose of scriptures is to testify of Christ and to guide the children of God so they can come unto Him and receive eternal life.⁷

Awesome. Yes, of course. Really the things above are just appendages to this. The central purpose of the scriptures, the one that makes them different than all other books is their purpose. Scriptures are written as a tool to help people understand Christ and his atonement, and apply it in their lives so they can return to live with God again. The Book of Mormon’s subtitle is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” That implies that the first is the Bible, and the Book of Mormon stands as a complimentary tool.

When I think about myself and my conversion to the gospel they have played, and continue to play a daily role in my growth. They provide not only knowledge, but more importantly strength to do what is right. When I read them in the morning I have a greater desire to go and make my life more like the righteous examples in the book, and less like the unrightous examples. Because so many of those good examples ‘talk of Christ, rejoice in Christ,’ and ‘preach of Christ’⁸ I have the same desire. As I act on those desires I am blessed.

How grateful I am for the scriptures in my life.

What about you? What do the scriptures mean to you? What other reasons are there for the scriptures? I know I probably missed some big ones.

1. 1 Nephi 1:1-3, 17; 3 Nephi 5:11, 14, 16-18; 1 Nephi 19:1-4[↩]
2. That is why I studied literature for so long! We used the example of Goethe’s Faust. Faust searches his whole life for something that will bring him joy and never finds it in all the worldly things. He finally finds that joy that he wants while serving others. Also in th end he is supposed to be damned to hell, but he is redeemed through the love of another, love the he didn’t deserve.[↩]
3. 2 Chronicles 26:16-21[↩]
4. 2 Gold stars to the first one to tell me what that reference is from…[↩]
5. People in our church often point to the Book of Mormon, but it is in all books. This morning I was reading in 2 Chronicles 23-28. It seems that almost every other chapter you see an example of a person who is either righteous and prospers, or is wicked and destroyed. Because the time frame that the chapters cover is so great it is easy to see the results of unrightous actions.[↩]
6. Website[↩]
7. see John 5:39; 20:31; 1 Nephi 6:4; Mosiah 13:33–35[↩]
8. 2 Nephi 25:26[↩]

Last week I was having lunch with some of my colleagues and one of the brought up a new movie coming out later this year about the Mountain Meadow Massacre. I knew that this year was the 150th anniversary of the Massacre and had recently read the Ensign article about it, but I didn’t know about the movie.

Today I came across an article in my reads and took the chance to watch the movie trailer. Normally I mostly just sit back and listen when it comes to religion, but I feel like this time I should defend my faith.

I guess I shouldn’t be shocked that Hollywood would take a story and twist it under the guise of “Based on True Events.” Yes, what the men in Cedar City did was wrong. Yes, they were part of the local leadership of the church.¹ But Brigham Young, the leader and prophet of the church at that time, was not the instigator or cause of what happened. What happened was the result of the circumstances², two misguided men, and as is so typical in history, others that were unwilling to speak up against them, and against what they knew was right.

The movie itself portrays an very unfortunate event in history, especially Mormon history. But the movie is not portraying a total truth. I encourage you to read the articles above, should you have the desire for more information. The first from the USA Today focuses on the things that the movie twists. The second is from the church history department and paints a full picture, especially in regard to Brigham Young’s role in the Mountain Meadow Massecre. Both are quite long, but explain in better detail what really happened.

There is a great scripture in our church that says that the “Lord is well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually.”³ We often interpret this to mean that the Lord is pleased with the way the church is as a whole, but members often do things that are wrong. Just because one person does something bad, does not mean that the church is not good.

1. Both were later excommunicated from the church[↩]
2. I do NOT bring up the Mormon history as justification for what happened, but perhaps one day Hollywood will make a movie about how the early Mormons were unlawfully driven from Kirkland, Nauvoo, and ultimately forced to go west to practice their religion in peace. There would be no need to stretch the truth about the people beaten, raped and killed under the direction of government leaders.[↩]
3. D&C 1:30[↩]

Album: EFY 1997 - Living the Legacy
Song Title: Knockin’ on the Door

His journal¹ on his back and the shoes on his feet
Not a penny to his name, not a single thing to eat²
But the bread of life³ in his right hand is all he’ll ever need
‘Cause he get’s his fill, working the will, feeding sheep⁴

Standin’ in the middle of the endless field of wheat⁵
Lookin’ down he finds a sickle on the ground beneath his feet
Wraps his hands around the handle well used and worn
While wisdom is wispering ‘You gotta beat the storm!’⁶

CHORUS:
Keep knockin’ on the door
Like thousands who have been there before
Come labor in the vineyard
Come Fish in the sea
Come join in the harvest
Come set them free
Even though your hands are worn
Keep knockin’ on the door

Nets filled with nothin’ to show for the day
Out from the shoreline you can hear someone say
Cast your net to the other side, try once again⁷
A catching of a vision, fishers of men.

Chorus

Keep knockin’, knockin’ knockin on the door
Keep knockin’, knockin’ knockin on the door
Keep knockin’, knockin’ knockin on the door
Keep knockin’, knockin’ knockin on the door
Keep knockin’, knockin’ knockin on the door
Keep knockin’, knockin’ knockin on the door⁸
…

1. I’m not sure about this word… anyone have another idea?[↩]
2. D&C 84:86[↩]
3. John 6:33, 35, 48, 51[↩]
4. John 21:15-17[↩]
5. D&C 4:4 On a side note, my whole life I always thought that ‘already to harvest’ was ‘ALL READY to harvest.’ It doesn’t make a big difference, but was a great revelation this past Sunday when I realized my mistake.[↩]
6. D&C 33:3, 7, Jacob 5:61-62[↩]
7. John 21:6[↩]
8. I think that sometimes we really just need to keep inviting people. Yesterday we had several lessons about missionary work and somebody, sometime said something to the effect of “Just because somebody has rejected your invitations in the past doesn’t mean that in 6 months, 1 year, 5 years from now something in their life won’t have changed. We just need to keep inviting. That is our job. We leave the rest up to the Lord and preparing the people to accept those invitations. If we try to do more than that we are following Satan’s plan. [↩]

Artist: Michael McLean
Album: Arise and Shine Forth
Song Title: Arise and Shine Forth (Pop)

He did not come in glory when He first came to earth
And most the world ignored His humble birth.
But the heavens were singing in celestial harmonies,
And a star guided some souls to their knees;
Those with ears to hear and eyes to see.

And the miracles followed, but the skeptics believed
They were lies spread by those who’d been deceived.
With their appetite for power, they mocked every word He said,
While the ones truly hungering He fed;
Those who hungered after righteousness were fed.

And the light that He gave was to lift and to save
And the burdens that He came to bear are the ones we can’t carry and need to share

I give thanks for His sweetness; I have faith in His power,
And I know He’ll strive with me every hour.
For He suffered in darkness, kneeling in Gethsemane,
So the light of His love could shine on me;
So the light of His love could shine through me.

Arise! Sisters, arise!

Arise and shine forth, let us add to the flame
That burns brightly in hearts that bear His name.
And the torch that’s a standard for the nations all to see
Is the light of the world shining through me.

We are standing for something, prayerful in all things, comforting those that mourn.
We are gathering Zion, we can rely on this refuge from the storm
We are strengthened on every side in the light we cannot hide
Sisters united, spirits ignited, feeling the fire inside.

Arise and shine forth, and we’ll add to the flame
That burns brightly in hearts that bear His name.
And this torch that’s a standard for the nations all to see
Is the light of the world that shines through you and me;
It’s the light of the world shining through me!