Whether referring to the Ten Commandments, of the Old Testament, or the remarkable Sermon of the Mount, in the New Testament, every real Christian accepts the vital need of good, God-given, morals. Nearly every news headline has a moral dimension, or it wouldn’t be news-worthy. To deny morals, which appears to be so common in our current cultural, is to deny reality! A moral life is a good life; an immoral life is a damaged life, a limited life, a life of less value to each other and to our society. (If engaged in any immorality ask yourself, “What if all people lived as I am living? Would we be progressing and improving, or would we be sliding backwards to a more animal-like life style?
Father prepared for us a way to counter the carnal, sensual evils we face during our mortal, temporal [meaning temporary] earthly sojourn. The way God provided is directed by the Light of Christ. (John 1:9 & 12:46; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Moroni 7:16; D&C 93:2
Attributes of the Conscience, our mortal ability to discern right and wrong, the divine endowment by our Creator:
- Given to all mortals; likened in the Scriptures as the Light of Christ to guide our morality, our decisions.
- Can be overridden or squelched by “…having their conscious seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2).
(Even as a small child with a guilt feeling, I found I had the mental capacity to override my guilt to face my parents!)
- Guilt feelings are given to invite us to repentance – but only available when not overridden – our choice is to repent or to rationalize, excuse, or blame circumstances, or others, that we may think we have no control over; but we do have controllable thinking when we are willing to admit it and do it. (I credit this understanding to *The Arbinger Institute.)
- When we are inspired by the Holy Ghost it is always in complete harmony with our Conscious. The Holy Spirit is then like a second witness, i.e., the Holy Ghost, Third member of the Godhead from Heaven, and the Conscious, or Light of Christ from within. (This experience seems to create a special resonance within us, and we feel inspired, enlightened and/or edified; thanks be given to our God for that wonderful experience every time it happens!)
The background for what I have written:
Understanding these attributes in childhood and throughout our lives will do much to fortify us with mental and spiritual foundations for life here, and help protect us from illnesses of the mind, distractions of worldly philosophies, and of tempting distractions and transgressions that are all around us. Apostle Peter’s 2nd epistle, chapter 1, is a marvelous background for what I write. Please note verses 3 and 4, especially; the whole chapter relates so meaningfully!
My being so family oriented, family needs may well be my deepest motivation to delve into these four areas of our make-up that are discussed in this letter. I invite you to do likewise and then use your common sense to draw careful conclusions how you proceed with YOUR FAMILY. I plead with you, PLEASE TEACH YOUR CHILDREN, as early as possible, (See Deuteronomy 11:19) the role of their Mind, their Heart, and later of their Loins, as is age appropriate. (See Proverbs 4:1; D&C 93:40) Share with them your personal experiences with these attributes. They then, will honor you, their parents, with their ability to share the same with your next generation. What a posterity is available for you to rejoice in!! (Proverbs 17:6)
With our thoughts built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, His Word, (called Scripture), Prophets, and the inspirations of the Holy Ghost make these understandings reliable and very real to me. Without these essential, foundational elements we are left to ourselves with so many worldly influences that we are susceptible to distractions and of “worshiping [focusing on] false gods” and erroneous ideas – See Exodus 20:34.
All thoughts expressed herein are my responsibility; I do not write for any other entity.
The NEED
We live in a fast accelerating, changing society (values, or lack of, culture, technology, medicine, physicist’s understanding of space and the molecular and sub-molecular structures, etc. etc.). These sorely impacts the young and the old. What was considered “true” yesterday may not be so today; what is “true” now may not be so tomorrow. What can one really count on? What can one trust or have faith in? These questions verify the need of understandings (Proverbs 4:5) that do NOT change and will NOT change tomorrow! Hence, the need for the enduring realities about our human make-up and our capabilities of what we can safely rely on and then strive to master through “the covenant…[that] I [the Lord] will put my laws into their mind and write it in their hearts” (Hebrews 8:10).
WHY THE NEED FOR THIS PERSPECTIVE
We mortals often chop at the leaves and branches of issues, the consequences of basic problems. Therefore, how much better it is to address the root causes. (Why take a pain medicine when we can heal the source, the cause?) Better that we strive to get to the basics -the origins- to better ensure good growth and desirable fruits for us, as individuals, as families, and in all the circumstances in which we find ourselves. It is my perception that the casual reader prefers simple statements, not lengthy discourses. So, I sought to write, not an essay or chapter, but concise, accurate, plain-spoken perceptions that have served me throughout my mortal life when I was willing to apply them for both my own and my family’s benefit – hopefully not in a selfish way, but to be more in harmony with Heaven’s way.
WHAT I BASE THESE MESSAGES ON
My fellow Christians, the following, personally known, UNDERLYING TRUTHS are the foundation of understandings by which I offer as the reliable foundation of my thoughts in this whole discussion with you.
- Our Almighty God created the heavens and this earth.
- Our God, our Father, begat both male and female spirits (Mark 10:6; Acts 17:29); why we call Him Father.
- Each mortal body houses that literal son or daughter spirit, straight from our pre-mortal sphere. (Hebrews 12:9; Acts 17:29)
- Male spirits inhabit male bodies; female spirits inhabit female bodies. God is a God of order, not confusion!
- Each spirit rejoiced in the opportunity to be more like our Heavenly Father. (Job 38:1-7; Matthew 5:48)
- Each is endowed with agency to choose – right or wrong, good or evil, truths or falsehoods. (See Joshua 24:15; D&C 101:78)
- Each of us is responsible for the exercise of that agency and the resulting consequences. Father didn’t make any mistakes!
- All good is of God; all evil is of the Devil. (A fun observation: The word devil is dEVIL; God is GOoD.)
- Each of us will be resurrected with our eternal, tangible, glorified body, never to die or to be corrupted. (1 Cor. 15:21-23)
- Our Father organized a plan for our eternal happiness with loving commands to guide our mortality. (See Matthew 11:28-30)
- Father’s love for us is so great that he has provided a glory so all of us can progress. (1 Corinthians 15:40-44 & D&C 76:25-113)
- Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are in total and complete oneness and unity of mind and heart. (John 17:1-8; 20-22)
(I have felt comfort and peace of mind when I have expressed real, heart-felt gratitude for Them, Their plan, and Their gifts to us.)
I welcome your best thoughts and contributions. If you feel to express them, please be willing to share so we can have a loving, meaningful two-way, Christ-like exchange that is not fault-finding, or judgmental, of each other.
In love and sincerity, a fellow Christian, George Pemberton
P.S. For how knowth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart? Mosiah 5:13
