Speculations About Mormonism: 2013

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Welcome to Speculation(s) About Mormonism!

Information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon church) can be put into two categories: doctrine and folklore or myths. Elder John Taylor, before he became president of the LDS church, said the church can not be held accountable for statements made by Elders of the church. The church can only be held accountable for the Standard Works of the church. Four books comprise the Standard Works: the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.

Since scriptural statements are open to interpretation, the President of the Church is accepted by LDS as the prophet of the church, and as such he is the only person who can give official interpretations of scripture and the issuance of new doctrine. Statements made by other persons, including General and local authorities, must be considered their personal viewpoints, and the church is not responsible for their statements.

The Mormon church has several websites that give positions adopted by the church. The two basic websites are http://mormon.org and http://lds.org In addition, several websites exist under the domain of lds.org. However, there are many websites created by members of the church. I have created several sites about the church. My Mormon blog gives my understanding of the basic doctrine of the church. My Gateway blog gives links to Mormon and other websites and can be used as ones home page. This blog gives some of my speculations about topics not clearly explained in the scriptures. A knowledge of these topics is not essential to ones salvation, and visitors to this blog must realize that this blog deals with speculations and not with church doctrine.

All visitors to this blog are invited to leave comments on appropriate pages giving their views of the topics being discussed. I reserve the right, however, to delete comments that are contentious.

Many of the posts in this blog were copied from my science and Mormonism blog. That blog now contains links to scientific articles, and this blog contains topics that are open to speculation.

A few of the posts contain introductory information from Wikipedia. Links given in the Wikipedia information have been deleted to simplify the reading of this blog. Links to the Wikipedia articles, however, are given so visitors can access the Wikipedia articles and links.

This blog gives my personal views on the topics discussed, and it is not approved by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and does not represent the church.

Welcome to this blog. I hope you will find information here that will broaden your views of the "mysteries" of Mormonism

Mormon,Mormonism Position of the LDS Church

A few years ago, the LDS church changed the Introduction to the Book of Mormon to state that the Nephites and Lamonites are among the ancestors of the American Indians. Before that change, the Introduction stated the Nephites were the principal ancestors. It's important to note that the Introduction is not part of the Book of Mormon, per se, but is an overview written by church leaders to help people not familiar with the book have a brief overview before they read the book.

The church recently published a page called Book of Mormon and DNA Studies that discusses DNA and the Book of Mormon in quite a lot of depth. It's important to note that this information was written by humans and may contain mistakes. As as been discussed in other posts in this blog, the church leaders (and employees of the church) are not infallible and may make mistakes.

Mormon,Mormonism Steel

The Book of Mormon has been criticized because of its claims that Nephi, who lived in 600 BC, used a bow made of steel.

And it came to pass that as I, Nephi, went forth to slay food, behold, I did break my bow, which was made of fine steel; and after I did break my bow, behold, my brethren were angry with me because of the loss of my bow, for we did obtain no food. (1 Nephi 16:18)

Critics claim that smelting of iron into steel didn't happen until later. However, according to Wikipedia, the smelting of iron occurred prior to 600 BC, and the making of steel was common by 650 BC.

Steel was known in antiquity, and may have been produced by managing bloomeries, or iron-smelting facilities, in which the bloom contained carbon.
The earliest known production of steel is a piece of ironware excavated from an archaeological site in Anatolia (Kaman-Kalehoyuk) and is about 4,000 years old. Other ancient steel comes from East Africa, dating back to 1400 BC. In the 4th century BC steel weapons like the Falcata were produced in the Iberian Peninsula, while Noric steel was used by the Roman military.
Steel was produced in large quantities in Sparta around 650BC.
The Chinese of the Warring States (403–221 BC) had quench-hardened steel, while Chinese of the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) created steel by melting together wrought iron with cast iron, gaining an ultimate product of a carbon-intermediate steel by the 1st century AD. The Haya people of East Africa invented a type of furnace they used to make carbon steel at 1,802 °C (3,276 °F) nearly 2,000 years ago.

A recent science article about the use of meteorite iron in the making of jewelery mentioned that iron smelting was introduced around 2000 BC. Thus, we see that the information given above shows that the addition of carbon to iron was used by ancient peoples prior to the time Lehi left Jerusalem and immigrated to the Americas.

As a result metalworkers had already nearly two millennia of experience of working with meteoritic iron when iron smelting was introduced in the mid-second millennium BC. This knowledge was essential for the development of iron smelting and the production of iron from iron ore, enabling iron to replace copper and bronze as the main metals used.

When Joseph Smith used the word "steel" in his translation that led to the Book of Mormon, he wasn't necessarily referring to the word "steel" as used today. The 1828 Webster's Dictionary gives the following definition of the word "steel".

1. Iron combined with a small portion of carbon; iron refined and hardened, used in making instruments, and particularly useful as the material of edged tools. It is called in chemistry, carburet of iron; but this is more usually the denomination of plumbago.

This definition of the word "steel" is important, because it is likely that it describes the word "steel" as used by Joseph Smith, since the Book of Mormon was published in 1830. The definition indicates, in a general way, that the word "steel" refers to iron containing a small amount of carbon, with nothing implied about the process used to impregnate the iron with carbon. Today, the word "steel" refers to iron containing carbon and other elements impregnated by a particular process. Wikipedia gives the following about steel made in recent times.

Though steel had been produced in a bloomery furnace for thousands of years, its use became more extensive after more efficient production methods were devised in the 17th century. With the invention of the Bessemer process in the mid-19th century, steel became an inexpensive mass-produced material. Further refinements in the process, such as basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS), lowered the cost of production while increasing the quality of the metal. Today, steel is one of the most common materials in the world, with more than 1.3 billion tons produced annually. It is a major component in buildings, infrastructure, tools, ships, automobiles, machines, appliances, and weapons. Modern steel is generally identified by various grades defined by assorted standards organizations.

Articles About the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is accepted by Latter-day Saints as scripture, and there is a lot of speculation about the people and cultures in the Book of Mormon. This page gives links to some of this speculation.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

What's New in this Blog

Recent additions to this blog. Most recent additions are listed first.

Added a page on ancient steel and the Book of Mormon
Renamed the Migrations tab to the Book of Mormon tab

Mormon,Mormonism One World Follows Another

As described in the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price, the Lord told Moses that he has created many worlds. And then the Lord said,

And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words. (Moses 1:38)

That is, the Lord is creating world after world, and as one world passes away (leaves its mortal state and becomes a celestial, terrestial, or telestial world) another world is created.

Scientists are learning that the cosmos has billions upon billions of stars and that many of the stars apparently have planets orbiting them. Not all of these planets will have life, but many of them will. This means there are probably billions upon billions of planets having life. So far we've detected a few hundred exoplanets. The future will be very exciting!

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Exercise

The Word of Wisdom teaches us to take care of our bodies through eating healthy foods and avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and "hot drinks". The Lord didn't discuss exercise in the Word of Wisdom, likely because Joseph Smith prayed about other matters. It's likely that Joseph wasn't concerned about exercise, because the life-style on the frontier of the United States involved a lot of physical activity, and most people didn't need to do separate activities for exercise. The situation is different today, however. Many, if not most, people sit all day in front of a desk, computer, or TV and don't get much physical exercise. People preparing meals and taking care of a house don't get much exercise either, because of the labor-saving technology used in the home. It is important that we do other activities to get the exercise that our body needs.

The "spirit" of the Word of Wisdom teaches us to take care our bodies. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encourages its members to exercise. Volley ball and basketball programs are included in the programs of the church. In addition, some stakes sponsor road races. The church has adopted Scouting as part of its program for LDS boys, and scouting places a big emphasis on health through sports programs and hiking. It is common for groups of LDS to use church buildings for aerobic workouts; these workouts aren't official church programs, but the use of church buildings implies that local leaders think the aerobic workouts are important.

During the 17 years my wife and I lived in New England, we burned wood for heat, because that was less expensive than burning oil. For several weeks each year, we were busy cutting dead trees and splitting the logs, and that activity helped us keep healthy. During the winter, shoveling snow from our 300 foot driveway helped keep us in shape. Also, I was a runner (I still am) and ran 5 days per week, getting good exercise during my runs.

My running gave me a fit body that saved my life when I had an auto accident a few years ago. I went into the hospital as a code-blue and was in an induced coma for three weeks while the doctors struggled to keep me alive. Twice my family was called to the hospital because the doctors didn't think I would make it through the night. After leaving the ICU, I went to another hospital for 10 days of therapy, and each time a new nurse came into my room she would say, "So you're the runner". My wife was also in the accident, and she spent 2 1/2 weeks in the ICU. She had a ruptured colon and a damaged back. She recovered because of her strong body that came from years of tending her flower and vegetable gardens. She spends over 10 hours each week taking care of her gardens. Both of us appreciate the importance of exercise in our lives!

Monday, June 24, 2013

Galaxies

Thousands of years ago, people thought the earth was the center of everything and that the sun revolved around the earth. Then, in the 16th and 17th centuries, scientists realized the sun was the center of our solar system and that the earth and other planets orbited the sun.

As larger and more sensitive telescopes were created, scientists were able to see the planets in our solar system in greater detail, and they began to see beyond our solar system and to see other galaxies. They realized that our solar system was but one star out of billions of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. Today, with the advent of powerful rockets, space probes, and satellites, we are looking back in time at the Cosmos, and we are beginning to understand how the Cosmos was created. The large telescopes and satellite images allow us to see back in time, because the stars and galaxies being observed are so far away that it takes billions of years for light particles to reach the earth, and the light particles give images that existed billions of years ago. In contrast, light particles from our sun only take about 8 minutes to reach the earth.

From the LDS viewpoint, the Cosmos is part of the worlds without number that have been and are being created by Jesus Christ under the direction of his Father in Heaven.

Mormon,Mormonism Seek Learning

The Lord said we should seek learning by both study and faith.

And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom, seek learning even by study and also by faith; (D&C 109:7)

Scientific research is one way we learn by study, and scripture study and prayer are one way we learn by faith. Both are important to our growth as individuals and societies.

Latter-day Saints have traditionally done well in school. As a group we have exceptionally high rates of completion of secondary and higher education. We have our share of prominent scholars. These achievements are, I believe, because LDS take the Lord seriously and literally when he said to seek learning by study and by faith.

Mormon,Mormonism Moderation in All Things

In Section 89 of The Doctrine and Covenants, commonly known as the Word of Wisdom, the Lord tells us to have prudence (verse 11) in our choice of food. The 1828 edition of The Webster Dictionary says the following about the word prudence.

Prudence implies caution in deliberating and consulting on the most suitable means to accomplish valuable purposes, and the exercise of sagacity in discerning and selecting them. Prudence differs from wisdom in this, that prudence implies more caution and reserve than wisdom, or is exercised more in foreseeing and avoiding evil, than in devising and executing that which is good. It is sometimes mere caution or circumspection.

Prudence, that is caution, is a form of moderation. In addition, in verses 12 and 13 of Section 89, the Lord said we should consume meat sparingly and to use meat primarily in the winter or in famine, a clear statement about the need for moderation in our use of meat.

Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints counsel that we avoid excesses in our lives and exercise moderation in our decisions and activities. President Joseph F. Smith said this of moderation.

The Saints should not be unwise, but rather understand what the will of the Lord is, and practice moderation in all things. They should avoid excesses and cease from sin, putting far from them ‘the lusts of men’; and in their amusements and pastimes adopt a course that looks to the spirit as well as the letter, the intention and not the act alone, the whole and not the part, which is the meaning of moderation. In this way their conduct will be reasonable and becoming, and they shall find no trouble in understanding the will of the Lord. (Gospel Doctrine, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, p. 239.)

President James E. Faust said the following about moderation.

Part of the spirit of the Word of Wisdom is moderation in all things, except those things specifically forbidden by the Lord. It is well to avoid extremes in dress, hairstyles, makeup, conduct, speech, and music. Extremes may attract the attention of some, but they are more likely to turn off those you really want to impress.

When I was a young man, my friends and I went to an amusement park, where we rode the flying saucer. It was shaped something like an upside-down plate that went round and round. Most of us tried to get to the middle so we wouldn’t be thrown off by the centrifugal force as the saucer picked up speed. Sometimes those on the edge would grab a friend who was closer to the middle, but that would pull them both completely off the saucer. I soon recognized that the centrifugal force was far less powerful in the middle. I was quite safe in the center even though the saucer was still spinning. But it was risky when someone on the fringe latched on to me. I learned that safety comes from staying close to the center. (April 2003 General Conference)

Elder Richard L. Evans said the following in one of his essays on The Spoken Word.

To whom, professionally, for example, would we turn or entrust ourselves—to one grubby, unkempt, an extremist who follows frivolous fashion, or to one clean, well groomed, attired in good taste? Clothes don’t make the man, but they may suggest some symptom of something inside. As a certain king once said: “I can make a lord, but only the Almighty can make a gentleman.” It isn’t the label or the ostentation that makes the man. And that which is merely for show, merely for attracting attention to itself, may, by its very nature, be somewhat suspect. And so we need some guidelines on such a variable subject, some basis of what would seem acceptable. And among these are moderation, modesty, morality; reasonableness, self-respect; shunning extremes, along with some latitude for personal taste, but without exploitation or compulsion for profit—the kind of pressures that seem to compel so many people to follow the tyranny of fashion. Of course there is the counsel of Alexander Pope: “Be not the first by whom the new are tried, nor yet the last to lay the old aside”—which is good as far as it goes—but, old or new, there are some things that should never be tried or turned to. Remember cleanliness, decency, wholesomeness, health; moderation, modesty, morality. Beyond these, nothing should ever induce us to follow the tyranny of fashion. (March 14, 1971)

There are temptations for us to focus on one aspect of a decision or activity and not see other aspects that might be important. For example, we have to decide the time we will retire at night and the time we will awake the next morning. These decisions could be difficult since some people in a family might have a natural tendency to stay up late at night while others might want to retire early and arise early. Some families might have a rigid rule about always going to bed at a certain time, regardless of circumstances that might need a more liberal policy about the time. This type of rigid rule might be considered by some people as an excess in establishing family policies and enforcing such policies. On the other hand, some families might have no policy about time so going to bed and getting up from bed, thus allowing each member of the family to decide about these decisions; these families seem to be excessive in their granting of freedom to family members, regardless of age.

The counsel to avoid excesses and to exercise moderation implies that our decisions will be flexible and reasonable and will take into account situations that might require decisions and activities different than those normally used. In the example of sleep that was mentioned above, a family might have a policy that older family members will go to bed by such and such time and that younger members will go to bed at such and such a time. The family will, however, recognize that situations will occasionally occur that involve different times for retiring and getting up, and the family will vary their policy to fit the needs of the family members who are in peculiar situations.

Excesses, and thus the need for moderation, can occur in almost all aspects of our lives. We eat meals that are nutritionally unbalanced. We consume too many calories. We don't get enough sleep to maintain our health. Our teenagers go to extremes in the clothing they wear, the color and styles of their hair, the number and type of rings and other ornamentation they wear, and the music they listen to. Many of us spend inordinate amounts of time and money on our hobbies. We incur expensive debts because we buy houses, automobiles, and clothes that are beyond our needs and that serve, mainly, to increase our stature in the social world of our minds. The counsel of our church leaders to have balance and moderation is wise, and we would do well to heed that counsel.

Mormon,Mormonism Stress

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as other religions and doctors in general, encourages its members to solve conflicts with love and unselfishness and to forgive selfish acts committed by the others, such that the lives of the people have less anger and are less stressful. For example, the LDS church provides a class on Marriage and Family Relations that teaches positive ways to respond to challenges in marriage. LDS marriages, especially those performed in LDS temples, are three-way covenants between the bride, the groom, and God, and members are encouraged to behave in their marriage as they would if God were personally with them. In addition to changing their lives to be more like that of Jesus Christ, members are encouraged to have positive and honest communication between themselves and with God. All members of the church are encouraged to take the class.

I am presenting a positive image of the church, but in addition to helping us reduce the stress in our lives, membership in the church causes stress. On the local and regional level, the LDS church has a non-paid ministry. The pastor of a LDS congregation is a Bishop, and the Bishop serves with his two counselors to provide leadership and guidance to the congregation. These three men serve without pay on a part-time basis. In addition to his leadership role in the congregation, the Bishop, even though he probably has not had professional training as a counselor, counsels with members of the congregation about their personal problems. I've never been a Bishop, but I have been counselors to Bishops, and the three men (known as the Bishopric) do experience an awfully lot of stress. Because the Bishopric serve on a part-time basis without pay, other men and women are called to perform various duties in their congregations or wards (or on a regional level in their stakes). Some of these people are leaders of various subdivisions of their wards or stakes. Others teach classes, help the youth and adults with their activities, and do cleaning and maintenance of church buildings. All members are expected to give prayers in the meetings in their wards and stakes and to give talks in the worship services of their wards and stakes. Thus, we can see that LDS are busy with their church callings.

Activity within the church is stressful, and this stress is different for each person. Some people enjoy being with others, and these close associations are strengthening to them. Others, though, do not enjoy being in groups of people, and close relationships are difficult, even terrifying, for them. In my case, I enjoy teaching adult classes and speaking in worship meetings. I enjoy camping and hiking with scouts (scout activity is one of the programs of the church). These activities are relatively easy for me, and I do them with a minimum of stress. I enjoy one-on-one social relationships, but I do not like to be with groups of people, and I find that social groups give me a lot of stress. I recognize that church activities are good for me, because they help me become a more well-rounded person, but there is still a lot of stress due to my membership in the church.

I'm retired now, but my 40+ years working as an engineer were stressful for me, even though I really enjoyed my work. That enjoyment, though, brought stress into my marriage and family life due to my wanting to be absorbed in my work. In fact, life in general is stressful. The story of Adam and Eve teaches us that mortal life is one of stress.

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. (Genesis 3:17-19)

The scriptures teach that opposites are necessary. We must have both good and evil if we are to exercise our agency to choose between them and thus grow as persons. The prophet Lehi taught this to his son Jacob.

For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. (2 Nephi 2:11)

The stress of mortal life is opposite to the joy that Jesus Christ brings through his atonement.

The scriptures also teach that we should not judge others but should leave judgment to God. Being judgmental can cause one to have greater stress, including stress from anger.

Computer Games & TV Watching

As far as I know, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints takes no position about the playing of video games. The church does, however, take a position against the self-centered, selfish, aggressive behavior that is often associated with video games. LDS General Authorities have spoken out against one becoming addicted to video games, such that the person spends an inordinate amount of time playing the games.

In my mind, there are two questions about video games.

Do people become addicted to video games, such that they spend more time playing the games than they should?
Do video games influence a person, such that the person becomes bullish, aggressive, insensitive to other persons, etc.

I think there is a major sign that a person is becoming addicted to something, whether it be playing video games, viewing pornographic images, partaking of a particular food or beverage, or something else. That sign is that the person indulges in the thing and neglects other things of more importance. The person is becoming addicted when he or she voluntarily assigns greater importance and time to things that should have lessor importance. Elder David A. Bednar, of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, discusses addiction in the talk linked above, and he says the following.

Sadly, some young men and young women in the Church today ignore “things as they really are” and neglect eternal relationships for digital distractions, diversions, and detours that have no lasting value. My heart aches when a young couple—sealed together in the house of the Lord for time and for all eternity by the power of the holy priesthood—experiences marital difficulties because of the addicting effect of excessive video gaming or online socializing. A young man or woman may waste countless hours, postpone or forfeit vocational or academic achievement, and ultimately sacrifice cherished human relationships because of mind- and spirit-numbing video and online games. As the Lord declared, “Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment … : Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known” (D&C 60:13).

Mormon,Mormonism Honesty

Joseph Smith, the first president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was asked by a newspaper editor about the beliefs of the Latter-day Saints. In reply, Joseph listed 13 beliefs. The 13 statements have become known as The Articles of Faith, and they have been canonized and are considered scripture by LDS.

The 13th Article of Faith states

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

That statement describes personal attributes that LDS are encouraged to put into their lives. There is a peculiar culture among Latter-day Saints that causes them to believe that most LDS follow the admonition of the 13th Article of Faith to be "honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men". This causes many LDS to have a high level of trust towards people who are engaged in selling products, using health foods, and investing in land and stocks. Because of this high trust-level, Latter-day Saints are open to being deceived by people who are not honest. Indeed. some people consider Utah the scam capitol of the world. Utah is marked with this "distinction" because many Utah residents are LDS and are anxious to participate in programs and products they think will bring monetary returns or greater health to them. These people have become blinded to the fact that expected monetary returns or improvements in health may be unreasonable, and they accept the claims of the perpetrators of the schemes because the perpetrators are LDS and therefore honest.

This page focuses on the dangers of dishonesty. Dishonesty is the projection of ideas or products such that people view that ideas or products as being something different from what they really are. The basis of dishonesty is lying. Through lying, people try to deceive others. These people present ideas or proposals as something different than they really are, and usually the people telling lies benefit in some way while the people receiving the lies are hurt in some way.

There are two kinds of lies, so called white lies and major lies. White lies are often used by people as a way of conforming to social traditions. For example, two people greet each other. "Hi, Dick, how are you?" "Fine, Mary". Mary likely isn't really inquiring about the welfare of Dick; she is just giving a greeting, and social norms cause her to ask how Dick is doing. Dick isn't giving a report on his condition. He is just replying to Mary by giving a social greeting in the form of an ambiguous statement. These kind of white lies are likely relatively harmless and are just part of the social interactions between people. If the person giving the greeting really is interested in the mental or physical welfare of the other person, he or she needs to make it clear that their statement is a sincere attempt to understand how the other person is doing. For example, a TV ad currently being broadcast portrays two people meeting. One person asks how the other person is doing and then adds a statement that she (the person asking) understands that things are probably pretty rough due to the death of the mother of the other person.

In contrast with white lies, major lies are dishonest and harmful. The persons telling the lies are trying to deceive other people. Examples of major lies are dishonest financial or health scams, email and telephone scams, irresponsible real estate agents, and dishonest political representatives who make false claims about candidates to political office. Major lies are harmful, because they can cause physical, mental, and emotional problems for both the persons giving the lies and the persons receiving the lies.

Mormon,Mormonism Fasting

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints live a distinctive life-style. In this post, I discuss the practice of fasting.

The LDS church teaches its members to fast as a means of gaining spirituality. These teachings are focused on a monthly period of fast, known as "Fast Sunday" and encourage members to fast when they need to be closer to God. Fast Sunday is usually the first Sunday of each month, although events such as General Conference may change that schedule. Members, who have the physical health to do so, are asked to fast for two consecutive meals by abstaining from food and drink.

Latter-day Saints who are of good health and are not pregnant completely abstain from food and drink for a relatively short time. Many people in other faiths fast from solid foods but do consume liquid foods, and those fasts are usually for a relatively long period of time. Some people, especially those who are fasting as a form of social opposition, fast for such a long time that they become unable to move or to take care of themselves, and government will often step in and stop the fasting of those persons.

As an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have followed the practice of fasting. I have found that fasting helps me develop self-control. Because fasting weakens me physically, I have found that it is easier for me to become closer to God. I'm grateful for the principle of fasting, because it has had a positive effect in my life.

Vitamin D

In his revelation known as the Word of Wisdom, the Lord said to eat fruits in their season. The word "fruit" is interpreted to mean both fruits and vegetables as we think of them today. That counsel from the Lord is good for most vitamins and minerals, but vitamin D is an exception. There are only a few foods that provide vitamin D. Our bodies are able to synthesize the vitamin if our bodies are exposed to the sun, but the liberal use of sun creams to protect our skin from UV exposure means that many people have almost no increase of vitamin D in their bodies. This means that many people (perhaps most people) are deficient in vitamin D.

In order to provide a minimum amount of vitamin D, most people rely on vitamin D being added to our food and drink (e.g. milk is fortified with vitamin D). In addition, some people take supplements containing vitamin D. The Minimum Daily Requirement for intake of vitamin D is 400 IU per day. That is the minimum amount to prevent one from having Rickets. The question remains, how much vitamin D should one have in his or her diet? The answer you get depends on the doctor being asked, and answers range from 400 IU to several thousand IU per day.

Mormon,Mormonism Sleep

In Section 88 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord counseled us to get sufficient sleep but not more that we actually need, the dark hours apparently being the most profitable for our sleep. This counsel was given in 1832.

cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated (D&C 88:124).

When that revelation was given in 1832, it made sense to sleep during the dark hours and do the farm work or whatever during the daylight hours, since the only sources of light at night were lamps and fireplaces. In our society today we have excellent sources of artificial light, and it it is easy to rationalize that it is OK to do our vocational/family activities at night and sleep, partially at least, during the daylight hours. I do such rationalizations since I'm a night-owl. I love to stay up until 2 or 3 am working on my projects and then sleep into the morning to get my normal 7-8 hours of sleep. However, as I get older I'm finding that I'm not able to sleep in the morning like I could when I was younger. My internal clock seems to be reverting to the schedule outlined by the Lord.

Mormon Word of Wisdom: Overview

Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants discusses some of the things we should and shouldn't take into our bodies. Of course, the Lord did not warn us about all food and drink, but he did give us enough information to help us see the picture he is giving us, thus enabling us to wisely use our own desecration on things not mentioned. That Section of the Doctrine and Covenants, known as the Word of Wisdom, contains the Lord's guidance about things meant for the "body and belly".

Given as a Warning

Before we discuss in detail the things we should and shouldn't take into our bodies, let us understand why the Lord gave us the Word of Wisdom.

Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation— (D&C 89:4)

The Lord didn't say he was giving us a dietary guide of good nutritional health. He said that in the "last days" people would have "evils and designs" in their hearts and that he was giving us this revelation as a warning that people would conspire to both change our food and drink and change our use of food and drink. Traditionally, Latter-day Saints have interpreted the Word of Wisdom as a nutritional guide (I use that interpretation in this series of posts). We must remember that the Word of Wisdom was given as a warning, and our interpretation of the Word of Wisdom as a nutritional guide must be tempered by the fact that there may be other foods and drinks that weren't mentioned in the revelation that have high nutritional value and still others that may be harmful to us. If we heed this warning from the Lord, we will be guided in making our decisions about food and drink.

Details of the Warning

Now that we understand that the Word of Wisdom is a warning, let us look at the revelation in more detail. The Word of Wisdom mentions some of the things we should take into our bodies: All grains, especially wheat. All fruits in their season (a general term to denote both fruits and vegetables as we think of those things). Meat is to be used in moderation and is especially useful during times when food is scarce or the weather is cold.

When the Word of Wisdom was given in 1833, it was not given as a commandment but was given as a statement declaring the will of God concerning our our temporal salvation, that is, our bodies and minds.

To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days—

Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints. (D&C 89:2-3)

At a later time, prophets of the church did make it a commandment. Today, in order to receive the full blessings of membership in the church, one must live the Word of Wisdom by abstaining from the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee. Section 89 does not mention tea or coffee but refers to "hot drinks", a phrase that was in common use in 1833. That phrase is interpreted by the General Authorities to mean tea and coffee.

Some people ask about the use of soft drinks that contain caffeine. Section 89 does not mention caffeine, so we don't know if caffeine is the reason hot drinks are forbidden. In addition, Section 89 does not mention soft drinks. The lack of mention of caffeine and soft drinks in the Word of Wisdom means that we are free to make our own decisions about those things. Section 89 does not give a list of all things that are harmful to our bodies. It gives examples of things that are harmful, and we, as Saints, are expected to make intelligent and wise decisions about other things that might be consumed. I am glad the church does not use Section 89 as a list of all things that are harmful to us. First, it would be impossible to have a list of all harmful objects, since new chemicals are being invented or discovered that potentially could be harmful to us. A list of all things would always be in a state of expansion and would thus be difficult to be enforced as church law. Second, by expecting a list of all things, it is likely we would become like the Pharisees of old, following the letter of the law and ignoring the spirit of the law.

The Word of Wisdom does not mention harmful and/or addictive drugs. The church counsels us to not use such drugs, except as prescribed by competent physicians. Some members consider harmful/addictive drugs as part of the Word of Wisdom, while other members consider them as a separate law of the Lord.

Some people take a narrow approach to religion, that religion concerns our relationship with deity. They think it strange that a religion is concerned with our physical health. I agree with them that it is different for a religion to be concerned with our physical health. To us, our religion is not just a system of theology and belief. Our religion is a way of life and concerns our belief in faith and prayer, the health of our bodies, our mind as we study and learn, and our relationships with each other.

Blessings Received

I would like to finish this post about the Word of Wisdom on a positive note by listing the blessings that will come to those who heed God's warning and obey him in the care of their bodies

And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;

And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;

And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.

And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. (D&C 89:18-21)

Evil Designs of Men

As an example, a recent report shows that tobacco industry officials manipulated data about the dangers of additives to tobacco.

A new UCSF analysis of tobacco industry documents shows that Philip Morris USA manipulated data on the effects of additives in cigarettes, including menthol, obscuring actual toxicity levels and increasing the risk of heart, cancer and other diseases for smokers.

Mormonism: Sexual Activity

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a strong position about sexual activity: people should not engage in sexual activity until they are married, and sexual activity should be confined to their marriage partner. The LDS church bases its position about marriage on revelation from God in which pregnancies are side effects of sexual activity, and the real sin is sexual activity not pregnancies.

A study published in the American Psychological Association’s Journal of Family Psychology states that couples who wait until marriage to become sexually active have stronger marriages. The question that has not been fully answered is, "How do we get couples to wait until marriage?" Two approaches to this question have been tried. Many educators believe that girls and boys should be taught the details of sexual activity, sexual disease, and birth control so they can make intelligent decisions whether to become sexually active or not. Other people, especially parents, believe sex education should be taught in the home with a feeling of love, compassion, and respect for the sexual relationship between couples. Many parents are struggling to get abstinence taught in schools as one way of preventing the negative aspects of sexual activity. Some people who believe that sexual activity should be delayed until the person is married advocate that sex education classes be based on an abstinence-only approach to sexual activity. However, some researchers say that "Abstinence-only Education Does Not Lead to Abstinent Behavior" (report from the University of Georgia).

The researchers looked at teen pregnancy and birth data from 48 U.S. states to evaluate the effectiveness of those states' approaches to sex education, as prescribed by local laws and policies.

"Our analysis adds to the overwhelming evidence indicating that abstinence-only education does not reduce teen pregnancy rates," said Kathrin Stanger-Hall, assistant professor of plant biology and biological sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

I've read other studies that indicate that abstinence alone does not solve the problem of teen pregnancies. Concerning sex education in schools, the question in my mind is how much detail should schools go into concerning sexual activity? Is there a combination of traditional sex education and abstinence education that will reduce the pregnancy rate of young adults? In addition to being taught details of sexual activity, I believe that children should be taught their bodies are sacred, that sex is the method God has given married couples for reproduction, and that they are the children of a loving Heavenly Father. Since this approach is not something appropriate for public schools, it is critical that parents and churches become active in teaching their youth about the sacred nature of sex. The weakness of this approach is, of course, that many if not most parents shun their responsibility to provide wholesome sex education in their homes. In addition, churches are divided about the issue of sexual activity and don't provide strong foundations for sexual activities that are approved by God.

I fear that the sexual drive in our youth and the influence of peer pressure are stronger than we realize, and that we don't fully comprehend the urgency of this matter. There are many youth who want to be chaste and wait until marriage, but they succumb to temptations and peer pressure. In some way, we must get our youth to make commitments to themselves to be chaste. That decision must be theirs, not ours, not their peers, or that of their churches.

Mornon,Mormonism Families

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strongly teaches that Families should consist of a father, a mother, and children. However, science is discovering that animals form different kinds of families. Animals form same-sex relationships. For example, female sharks can give birth to daughters without having mated with male sharks. Also, scientists using stem cells were able to obtain baby mice from two male mice. This is a serious conflict between the Mormon religion and science.

The proclamation does not say that same-sex relationships can't exist among animals and among humans. I am not aware of any verse in the scripture that says that same-sex relationships can't exist among animals and among humans. Thus, the recent discoveries of same-sex relationships in animals and the virgin birth of female sharks do not reflect in any way upon the LDS Church and should not causer concern among members of that Church. If individual Latter-day Saints have said that same-sex relationships and birth of offspring without sex between male and females can not exist in animals, those people are speaking for themselves and not for the LDS Church.

I can't speak for science, but I can speculate that offspring of sharks having virgin births will suffer pollution of their genetic makeup due to new genes not being introduced into their genetic makeup. This is an extreme example of what is known to happen when animals breed among themselves. If scientists were to develop procedures such that human females could produce offspring (daughters) without having mated with a male, pollution of the genetic makeup of the daughters would occur. Thus, there is wisdom in the LDS teaching that the marriage of a man and a woman is ordained of God and that babies are the result of mating between males and females.

It is true that same-sex relationships between humans can be warm and loving, and it is true, as scientists are learning, that from particular viewpoints, children raised in a same-sex families have normal development. Yet the LDS proclamation about the family states that "Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity". That statement implies there are benefits that can be given to children who are raised by two parents of opposite gender that can not be given to children raised by two parents of the same gender. I am not a psychologist or an expert in family life and parenting, so I accept that statement in the proclamation on faith. People who have expertise in family relations and parenting are invited to comment on their experiences. It would be helpful if they describe their training and backgrounds so we can properly evaluate their comments. Also, if people know of websites and/or books that discuss this issue, they are invited to leave as comments to this post links to the sites and publisher information about the books.

Use Faith in God

I am ending this post with a statement to my LDS visitors to this blog. As you look at yourself and try to understand who you are, don't let your decisions and beliefs be determined by things that happen in the animal world. Let your decisions and beliefs be based on your faith in God and your commitment to follow Jesus Christ as his disciple. Religion is not a matter of scientific research or logic. It is a matter of faith. Leave discussions about animals to the scientists and accept God through your faith, and follow him.

Mormon,Mormonism Time

This is a fascinating topic even though I don't understand it very well, and apparently scientists don't understand it very well either. The two aspects of time that I find interesting are that time seems to be unidirectional, and that time will disappear.

There are many uses of the word "time" in the scriptures, but those uses of the word "time" are in a different context. I searched the online scriptures at lds.org for phrases containing the word "time" in the context of earthly time and only found two scriptures.

Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved? (Book of Mormon, Moroni 7:36)

That verse tells us that God will not withhold the Holy Ghost from the children of men as long as time shall last, implying that time will come to an end after the Savior has finished his work in redeeming the children of men. Time is a measure of the sequence of events that comprise mortality. Mortality is a temporary existence. People, animals, and plants come into existence and then disappear. Events pertaining to the earth, such as earthquakes and storms, occur and then cease. But in the domain of God all things are eternal. There is no end to eternal things. There is no time in eternity.

Another verse from Revelation declares that time will cease when the Redemption is finished.

And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: (Revelation 10:6)

John saw an angel come down from heaven. The angel declared "by him that liveth for ever and ever" that time would cease, referring to the eventual completion of the Lord's work when all things will become eternal.

I think the scriptures give a strong implication that time is unidirectional, always going forward. The scriptures have a strong focus on repentance, that we must change our behavior to become more in harmony with God's will. The context is always that we must repent, and then in the future become more like Christ. There is no implication that as we repent we can go back in time and relive our past.

Some scientists say backwards travel is impossible because it would violate the principle of causality and, in addition, would require unimaginable amounts of energy. This scientific view of negative time-travel being impossible is in agreement with the scriptural view of time. Other scientists, though, say that backwards travel is theoretically possible but is not practical.

Some scientists speculate there is no time, and this gives us a parallel between the religious and scientific views, although the religious view of no time pertains to an immortal world and the scientific view of no time pertains to a mortal world.

If science does discover how to travel in time, since from the scientific viewpoint time is a dimension, it will be interesting to see if humans in that distant future are able to travel bidirectionally or just unidirectionally.

Mormon,Mormonism Authority Figures

Recent research, as reported in the The Economist journal, indicates that many people who know they are innocent will confess to crimes they didn't commit. The article described several research programs where scientists are trying to understand why this is so.

Research is showing that people don't want to disagree with authority figures. A research project was reported in which 71 college students were asked to press computer keys as a person read aloud to them. They were warned to not press the ALT key because that key was faulty and would crash the computer.

In fact, the computer was set up to crash regardless, about a minute into the test. When this happened the experimenter asked each participant if he had pressed the illicit key, acted as if he was upset when it was “discovered” that the data had disappeared, and requested that the participant sign a confession. Only one person actually did hit the ALT key by mistake, but a quarter of the innocent participants were so disarmed by the shock of the accusation that they confessed to something they had not done.

It's a facet of human nature that people don't want to rebel against authority figures. The research reported in The Economist is important, I think, to Latter-day Saints, because the church places a great stress on authority. Even though it's not taught in the scriptures, many LDS believe that obedience is the 1st law of heaven. We are taught to accept the decisions of authority figures, even if such decisions are in opposition to our own beliefs.

Many years ago, I attended a Stake Conference in which the Stake President explained that the Stake needed to construct a new Stake Center. After explaining his position, he asked for a sustaining vote. I wasn't convinced the Stake needed a new building, but I raised my hand to sustain the Stake President because I didn't want to go against my church leader.

The question that we face is whether or not authority figures are always right. In the case of police, the authority figure may use intimidation and the hint of a lower sentence to get confessions. In the case of the university students, the research investigated whether the displeasure of a researcher that someone had apparently pressed the ALT key caused people to confess to something they hadn't done.

But, what about the case of the Stake President who wanted a new building? This is a more complicated decision, since many LDS believe our church leaders are always inspired by the Lord and therefore don't make unwise decisions.

I think church leaders, regardless of where they are in the church hierarchy, must be careful that they don't convey the impression that they are always right in their decisions and that it is "sinful" if members disagree with the leaders. As authority figures, they have a lot of psychological power over us, and they should be wise in the use of that power. Joseph Smith, while running for President of the United States, said he taught principles of righteousness and let the people govern themselves. Church leaders who expect members to always agree with the leaders, are acting the opposite of the philosophy expressed by Joseph Smith. I think that, in most cases, the leaders aren't aware they are intimidating the members. But the intimidation is there due to their position as presiding officers.

As we are called to positions of authority, we need to be very careful in the way we deal with people. We need to make special effort to ask members to do things in the church out of their love for Jesus Christ. We need to avoid asking members to do things out of obedience to us as Priesthood or Auxiliary officers. For example, the Stake President would have shown more respect and love of the Stake members if he, after he had explained why the Stake needed a new building, would have asked us to go home and discuss this with our spouses and children. Then, a High Councilor would be at their Sacrament Meeting the next Sunday to ask for their sustaining vote. He would be showing empathy with the members by giving them a week to discuss his proposal and to look at their budgets and ability to fund a new building (this was during the time that members in the western states made donations for 50% of the cost). I'm not suggesting that the Stake President didn't have great love for the people, only that he behaved as if it was their duty to sustain his proposal that the Stake build a new building. He seems to have looked at the situation from the viewpoint of a presiding officer and not from the viewpoint of a stake member.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Mormon,Mormonism The Scriptures, Literal or Figurative?

Many years ago, while I was a LDS missionary in West Virginia, I had the opportunity of talking with a Methodist minister. I explained to him the Biblical reasons why I believed there was a falling away (apostasy) from the church that Jesus Christ had formed, and that a restoration of the gospel and church to Joseph Smith had occurred. The minister understood what I was saying, and he commented that ones interpretation of Biblical passages depended on how literal one interprets the verses. In looking back at this event, I've come to realize there is truth in his comment. I grew up in a LDS environment in which stories and teachings from the scriptures were taken literally. It seemed natural to me that the verses from the Bible meant exactly what they said, or at least what I thought they said. However, since that time, I've come to realize that many passages from the Bible aren't meant to be taken literally (other passages are meant to be taken literally, of course).

The manuscripts that were canonized as the Bible were written by ancient people whom we believe were prophets and were inspired by God. We believe these men didn't take dictation as God revealed word for word his message. It is likely these men wrote in the style of their time. This implies that we can study other ancient documents and gain insight into the meaning intended by the prophets.

Model of the Universe Used by Ancient Writers

According to Wikipedia, ancient people considered our universe as having two layers. The lower layer was the earth. Above the earth was the firmament. The sun, stars, and angels existed in the firmament. There was no rotation of planets around the sun. This is depicted in the following image, taken from Wikipedia.

The ancient prophets apparently had no concept of planets orbiting around the sun. To these men, the earth was flat and was the center of the universe, and the sun and stars moved within the firmament above a stationary earth. It was thus a simple thing for God to change the movement of the objects in the firmament.

Creation of the Earth as Viewed by Ancient Writers

For years I've been trying to fit the Biblical description of the creation with our scientific description of how the earth was created. The two descriptions just don't fit. In the Biblical description, there are events that just couldn't have happened that way. Now, that I understand the model of the universe used by ancient writers, I see a good fit between the Biblical description and that model. That model is not an accurate model of how the universe actually exists. This tells me that the Biblical description of the creation can not be taken literally from our viewpoint. It can be taken, though, as a figurative description of the creation that shows the power of God in creating the universe. Let's review the Biblical description of the creation of the earth to see how well it fits with the model of the universe used by ancient writers.

The Biblical description begins with the earth being without form, and everything was dark. The Lord created light and separated the light from the darkness. This light was not light from the sun but was light from an unidentified source. At this point the ancient model of the universe consisted of one layer that was all water. In addition, there was a repeating cycle of light and darkness. Next, God separated the water by creating a firmament in the water.

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. (Genesis 1:6)

At this point, the model now had three layers: water above the firmament, the firmament, and water below the firmament. The repeating pattern of light and darkness was still there. God gave a name to the firmament and called it Heaven.

Next, God separated the water below the firmament and caused dry land to appear. This dry land that appeared was called earth, and the water that was separated was called sea.

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:9-10)

The model now had two layers, the firmament and earth. Earth consisted of dry land and seas. The repeating cycle of light and darkness still existed.

In subsequent verses, God caused plants to grow on the earth. From our viewpoint, these plants would need energy for photosynthesis to occur, and that energy came from the repeating cycle of light and darkness. That energy did not come from the sun, because the sun was not yet created in the firmament.

After creating plants, the Lord created the sun and the moon to control the repeating cycle of light and darkness.

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:14,18)

Next, God created fish of the sea and fowl of the air. This was followed by the creation of animals on the dry land.

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. (Genesis 1:20-21, 24)

As his final act of creation, God created man and later woman and placed them in the dry land.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26)

Except for the plants coming before the animals, this description of the creation does not agree at all with our description from science how the earth was actually formed. This description does, however, agree very well with the model of the universe used by ancient writers.

Other Biblical Verses Reflect the Model Used by Ancient Writers

We can see this model of our universe in other writings in the Bible. For example, in Revelations John spoke of the four corners of the earth. I've always thought he was speaking figuratively, but his comment reflects the belief at that time of a flat earth.

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. (Revelation 7:1)

In Joshua we read that the sun stood still while the Israelites "avenged themselves upon their enemies".

And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. (Joshua 10:3)

That verse makes sense when we realize the author of the book believed the earth was stationary and the sun and moon moved within the firmament, but it makes no sense today when we realize the earth is rotating about its own axis, and in order to give the image of the sun standing still, the earth would have to stop its rotation, and the moon to be stayed would have to stop its rotation about the earth. Objects on the surface of the earth are moving about 1000 miles per hour, and if the earth were to stop its rotation, these objects would continue moving due to their momentum, and the result would be the equivalent of a hurricane with 1000 mph winds.

Of course, there is always the possibility that God caused the rotation of the earth and the moon to stop and then exercised higher laws of physics to prevent high winds from developing. People who believe in literal interpretations (from our viewpoints) apparently believe that God did invoke higher laws to keep undesirable effects from happening. I prefer to believe the statements were literal in the context of a flat earth and a firmament, and that we interpret those statements as figurative in order to understand them in the context of today's universe.

The Story of Noah and the Flood Can't Be Taken Literally

The story of Noah and the flood is another story of the Bible that can't be taken literally. That story might have been given in the context of a flat earth, if we assume the flat earth had low mountains, and in that case the story would be reasonable. However, if the earth that is described in the Bible had high mountains, as we know today it does, the story definitely can't be taken literally. In addition, the size of the ark given in Genesis is way to small to hold all of the animals that would have existed during the time of Noah. I've discussed this story in detail in this blog and won't repeat my reasons for believing the flood was either an allegory or at best a regional flood.

The Scriptures Can't Be Viewed Literally in All Cases

The examples I've given above help me realize that we can't interpret literally many of the stories from the Bible, because they were written in the context of a different model of the universe, a model that does not accurately describe the universe as it really exists. So, if the scriptures aren't to be taken literally in all cases, how do we tell which parts are to be taken literally and which parts are to be taken figuratively? That's a good question, and there is no simple answer to it.

In the case of scriptural verses that pertain to the earth, science is a good "measuring stick" for determining if those verses are to be interpreted literally according to our model of the universe. For example, if Noah were to build a ship that would contain pairs of all the animals and birds in existence, a much larger ship would be needed than the ark as described in Genesis.

In many cases, we need to remember that the ancient prophets were writing from their viewpoint not from ours. For example, when Moses wrote that the flood covered the whole earth, did he mean the whole planet as we think of it today, or did he think of the earth that he knew, his immediate surroundings.

Finally, we have our personal prayers and inspiration from the Holy Ghost to help us understand the scriptures correctly.

As I've said, being able to say that particular verses are an allegorical description and not a description of real-life is a difficult thing to do. I can see that a description of a flood could be an allegory, or it could be based on a model of the earth being flat with low mountains, or it could be based on a regional flood that happened. I really can't say which, and I don't think it makes a lot of difference. The value to me of the flood-story is a story of faith, obedience, and salvation, and my life can be enriched whether the story is literally true or not.

Conclusion

If scriptural statements agree with our model of the universe, which we think describes the universe as it actually is, we can probably take those statements as being literally true. If, however, those statements don't agree with the universe as it really is, we must take those statements as figurative or allegorical statements.

Many people will disagree with the things I have written in this post, and that is fine. We each have our own viewpoints in our religious life, because we have our agency to believe and accept what we want.

Speculations About Mormonism

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