Sep

24

In the doctrine of the Mormon Church progression is an important principle. In fact, Mormons believe in eternal progression.

The principle of eternal progression cannot be precisely defined or comprehended, yet it is fundamental to the LDS worldview. The phrase “eternal progression” first occurs in the discourses of Brigham Young. It embodies many concepts taught by Joseph Smith, especially in his King Follett discourse. It is based on the proposition that “there is no such thing as principle, power, wisdom, knowledge, life, position, or anything that can be imagined, that remains stationary—they must increase or decrease” (Young, JD 1:350).

Progression takes many forms. In one sense, eternal progression refers to everything that people learn and experience by their choices as they progress from premortal life, to mortality, to postmortal spirit life, and to a resurrected state in the presence of God. Personal progression is possible in each of these states, but not the same kind of progression. Progression apparently occurred in the premortal life, for most spirits there chose to follow Christ and some were noble and great, while others chose to follow Lucifer. Entering mortality affords opportunities for further progression. Obtaining a physical body is a crucial step, enabling a person to experience physical sensations of all kinds and to progress in knowledge and understanding, all of which will rise with the person in the Resurrection (D&C 130:18). Brigham Young taught that even in mortality, “We are in eternity” (JD 10:22), and the object of this existence is “to learn to enjoy more, and to increase in knowledge and experience” (JD 14:228). “When we have learned to live according to the full value of the life we now possess, we are prepared for further advancement in the scale of eternal progression—for a more glorious and exalted sphere” (JD 9:168).

Life is never static. “One must progress or retrograde. One cannot stand still. Activity is the law of growth, and growth, progress, is the law of life” (A. Bowen, in Christ’s Ideals for Living, O. Tanner, ed., Salt Lake City, 1980, p. 368). A person’s attitude about “”eternal progression’ will largely determine his philosophy of life…exalting, increasing, expanding and extending broader and broader until we can know as we are known, see as we are seen” (Young, JD 16:165).

Aug

21

I know that this is a very difficult topic.  Mormons by principle should love all men, but loving does not mean to give up correct principles. God loves the world but it does not give us all that we ask for.

Presidente Gordon B. Hinckley said:

“People inquire about our position on those who consider themselves so-called gay and lesbians…We love them as sons and daughters of God. They may have certain inclinations which are powerful and which may be very difficult to control…If they do not act on these inclinations, then they can go forward as do all other members of the Church. If they violate the law of chastity and the moral standards of the Church, then they are subject to the discipline of the Church, just as others are.” (See Ensign, November 1998: 70).

I learn several things from this statement.

1) There are people who consider themselves gays or lesbians but it is not correct to say that “they are gays and lesbians” as if their situation was immutable or if they were something different from other people.

2) They are worthy of love and help like any other son or daughter of God.

3) The Church recognizes that they may be struggling.

4) Their inclinations do not determine their actions, and therefore they are responsible as any other person (who may have other inclinations that are not in harmony with Church standards).

I was reading yesterday a book by A. Dean Bird, Mormons & Homosexuality and it is clear from his book that an important point is to decide if homosexuality is inborn or not, because when people think that homosexuals are that way, they are more likely to support gay rights.

He says,

Though there is no science to support the notion that homosexuality is inborn, the gay activists in the mental health organizations as well as in the media still continue to trumpet the “born that way” notion.

Dr. Bird explains how gay activists in 1973 were able to pressure the American Psychiatric Association to the point that

By a vote of 5,854 to 3,810, homosexuality was eliminated as a diagnostic category from the psychiatric manual, making it the first time in the history of the healthcare that a diagnosis was decided by popular vote rather than by scientific evidence.

Very interesting! The consequence is that

American Psychiatric Association had established precedents that medical and psycological diagnoses are subject to political fiat.

Similarly, many proclamations by national organizations

are simply activism masquerading as science (p.22-23).

Now this activism is pushing to a point that is illustrated by this email I received today,

The California Supreme Court, which recently legalized same-sex marriage, has ruled by a 7-0 vote that homosexual rights trump religious freedom. The ruling barred doctors, because of their Christian beliefs, from withholding unnecessary medical care to gays and lesbians. The ruling says that under state law sexual orientation rights trump religious freedom.

Justice Joyce Kennard wrote in the ruling that two Christian fertility doctors who refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian have neither a free speech right nor a religious exemption from the state’s law, which “imposes on business establishments certain antidiscrimination obligations.”

Doctors at the Christian clinic referred the lesbian to another clinic, but the lesbian refused their referral - demanding that the Christian clinic perform the procedure. When the Christian doctors refused to violate their religious convictions, the lesbian sued and the Supreme Court gave her the victory.

Why do they have to force those doctors to perform a procedure that they do not approve? Are there not enough other doctors who could do it?  It seems to me that gay activists are eager to defend their rights but they easily dismiss or trump other people rights.

There would be a lot more to say, but this is enough. Mormons try to love every son or daughter of God, including those who have homosexual tendencies. However, Mormons believe that to act on those tendency is wrong. Finally, since we live in a democratic society, Mormons believe that if gays has the right to promote their cause, everybody else also has the same right.

Jul

14

A new official website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the only true Mormon Church) website offers a very direct and clear message to those who want to know the truth about Mormons and Poligamy.

The new website Mormons and Polygamy is amazingly clear.

The Mormon Church or the LDS Church iS NOT the FLDS Church.

As explained in the website:

  1. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints doesn’t allow anyone practicing polygamy to be a member.
  2. Polygamy was part of our past, for about 50 years in the 19th century. But it is not part of our present. Polygamy was officially discontinued in 1890  —  118 years ago.
  3. When practiced by Mormons in the 19th century, polygamy was quite unlike the depictions of polygamous groups now seen on TV. For instance, a woman had freedom of choice as to whom she would marry. She made her own decisions about life, education and personal pursuits and did not isolate herself from the world.

I think that this last point is particularly important. Beyond the fact that Mormons do NOT practice polygamy now and they have not for more than 110 years, they way the practiced it was very different from what we see on TV.

Finally, and this is my personal view, not necessarily the Church’s, even what we see in TV about the FLDS Church is often exaggerated and distorted.

In short:

  1. True Mormons do not practice polygamy
  2. When they used to practice polygamy they did it in a different way
  3. Not all the bad things shown about the FLDS are true

A good video from our beloved true prophet, the late President Gordon B. Hinckley (very different from Warren Jeffs, self proclaimed prophet of the FLDS Church), explains a little more about the standing of the Mormon Church about Polygamy:

“This Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy.” The late Gordon B. Hinckley, speaking about the clear distinction between the Church and polygamous sects.

Jul

10

As I mentioned in a previous blog, my son Luca Martinengo received his mission call for February 6, 2008. However, since he received the mission call around November 10, I thought that it would be a waste to wait for three full months. He had already finished school (he got his associate degree from UVSC a few months before) and even his institute (religion) class would end in the beginning of December.

So, I could not see any benefit in having him stay at home for another 3 months. Moreover, to leave on February 6 means to come back also on February 6 or 5 (Mormon missions for males last 2 years), right in the middle of a school term. In short, that would be another waste of time.

Based on this reasoning, I decided to call the missionary department and ask if it was possible to anticipate his call to serve. I was told that they could anticipate his mission to December 26, but that the Stake president should call the missionary department and authorize the change. We all thought that December 26 was a great day to leave, right after Christmas.

However, when the Stake president called the missionary department he was told that they did not have any groups leaving on December 26 and that the only option would be December 19.

Well…we found another good reason to accept the new date. To leave on December 19 means that he will come home right before Christmas…a great timing!

In short, Luca left on December 19, almost 2 months before the date he was originally called. Many friends were surprised that the missionary department had accepted to make the change. Probably many members of the Church think that even the date of a mission call is 100% inspiration. In reality, most of the time, it is simply the first date available, after the date the missionary indicate he will be ready to go on a mission. So, once we told them that we could anticipate our date, they were happy to anticipate theirs.

Follow a few pictures of Luca when he went to the MTC.

Jul

9

Why did the Mormon Church before 1978 denied priesthood ordination to male members with Black African ancestry? There is an interesting small book by Marcus H. Martins, a Brazilian Mormon, who was the first full-time Mormon missionary (after the revelation that extended the priesthood to worthy men with Black African ancestry) and among the first to be ordained a bishop in 1987. He was also the first of his race to work as a religion professor in the Church’s universities - Brigham Young University - in Provo, Idaho and Hawaii.

In his book he mentions that as a researcher he probably read almost every official or semiofficial statement available to the public about the priesthood ban.

One of the main points of his book is that the priesthood ban is not part of the restored and eternal gospel as taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but it was only a temporary law.

The problem is not with the ban, but with the explanations that many tried to give for this ban. However, in 1969, under the presidency of David O. McKay the Church made an official statement declaring that the priesthood ban was established for,

“reasons which we believe are known to God, but which he has not made fully known to man.”

In other words, we do not know and the theories that have been used to explain it are men’s theories and may be wrong.

One interesting point, that should be remembered when critics attack the Mormon Church on this topic, is that contrary to the national trend of that era, early Mormons leaders did not establish segregated congregations, as did many other denominations that sometimes accuse Mormons of being racists. The only limitation was about the priesthood, but all other blessings were available from the beginning and no segregation was imposed in the Mormon Church.

However, why there was a priesthood ban until 1978? Marcus Martins has his own theory that looks very compelling and logical to me. Again, we need to remember that this is just a theory, the only certainty is that the Lord timetable is often a mystery.

Dr. Martins suggests that perhaps for a long time the priesthood ban was not an urgent enough matter, since leaders of the Mormon Church had more urgent priorities, such as defending against a hostile U.S. government, dealing with political adaptations to obtain statehood in Utah, avoiding financial banckrupcy, dealing with the turmoil of two world wars and the depression, and so on. Those were issues that involved the survival of all members of the Church, and not just a small group.

Only during President Spencer W. Kimball’s administration (1973-85) did the priesthood ban moved up in the scale of priorities and became an issue that affected the very identity of the Church.

I have two examples of situations very similar to this one that may help to put the priesthood ban in context.

First, in Act 10:15 we read that even Peter, the old apostle, needed a revelation from God to understand that the gospel had to be preached to the Gentiles and not only to those of Israel. Moreover, it was the same Jesus who had told previously to his apostles not to preach to the Gentiles. Was Jesus racist, or was he simply following His timetable?

Second, I can use the example of my country, Italy. Until 1963 Mormon missionaries were not sent to that country and only Italians living in other places of the world could become members. There wasn’t an official ban, but in practice, Italians living in Italy had even less opportunities than black American to enjoy the blessings of the gospel.

Black Americans at least were able to become members of the Church; but Italians, in practice, had a very little chance to become members. Why this racism against Italians? Was this because they lost the war against the U.S.? Was that because Italians were not prepared?

I think that again, it is just the Lord timetable, and we need to learn to accept it. We may try to explain, and we may create theories, but in many cases those theories will be wrong and will generate more prejudices and confusion.

Follow a great video about Priesthood to Mormon men of all races. This video is not directly related to Dr. Martins’ books but it is another great resource to understand better this topic.

Jun

24

I am receiving comments from protestants friends about my previous blog on the Mormon Miracle Pageants.

One of them says,

Jesus died on the Cross for you and Bleed for you. That is it, we do not work for salvation, it is a GIFT! Stop trying to make it so hard for yourselves.

I have no time right now to engage in a deep doctrinal discussion, but I can’t avoid thinking…

good luck my friend, good luck my protestant friend! I hope you will follow the commandments, because even if you think it is not important, and that you are already saved, it will matter a lot, and not only at the end of your life, but soon, sooner that you think. Even in this life we start reaping the consequences of our actions. Really it would be very easy if all it was required was to profess with our mouth that we accept Jesus. But I suppose you follow the commandments at your best, even if your doctrine practically teaches you that they are not important.

But did you ever read James?

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:17-20).

Unfortunately I know that by quoting scriptures it is hard to convince people, so my best suggestion is to go read the Book of Mormon, and pray about it, and trust that the Lord will let you know the truth of all things.

In any case, good luck!

Jun

12

I have found something really interesting, called “The Baptist Version of The Book of Mormon - Protestant Doctrines within the Book of Mormon” by Lynn Ridenhour, a Southern Baptist Minister.

It is an amazing article. I am copying it here because I do not want to see it disappear in the future from the internet, but I recognize his authorship and commend it for what he did and his sincerity.

This is his article that currently can be found at http://www.centerplace.org/library/bofm/baptistversionofbofm.htm

“I’m a licensed Southern Baptist minister and I embrace the Book of Mormon.

That is, I believe the truths recorded in it. No, I’m not a convert to the Mormon faith, nor am I a member of any particular “spin-off” restoration group such as the RLDS (Reorganized Latter-day Saints), Hedrikites, or Strangites. I’m still a Baptist minister. To be exact, I’m “charismatic Baptist.” That is, I still embrace the “born again” experience. I still believe you’re saved by grace. By the shed blood of Christ. Salvation is by faith alone in His finished work on Calvary. I still believe in the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. I believe and embrace those cardinal doctrines of Protestantism.

And you know what?…

I still believe the Book of Mormon too! Read more

May

7

There are many people who wonder what is so special, or secret, in the Mormon Temples. Why “normal” people cannot go inside? What mysterious things do Mormon do inside?

First of all, for those who would like to see the interior, I suggest to simply attend an open house. After a temple is constructed and before a temple is dedicated, the public is invited to enter and view the rooms. Hundreds of thousands of people usually attend these open houses. After the formal dedication, the temple is closed to tourists because the Latter-day Saints begin using the temple to perform sacred ordinances.

This is the first concept to understand: temple ceremony are sacred, not secret. I will elaborate on this idea in a future blog.

For now, if you did not have an opportunity to go to an open house, you may want to take a look at these pictures (a virtual tour):

For more information you can also visit MormonChurchTemples or LDSChurchTemples.com

Apr

29

I have already blogged about it, but now I have found the link to the complete talk by Elder Ballard. We, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) need to make sure that our influence is felt not only in person, but also in writing on the Internet. We can reach many more people in this way. The people we will ever meet personally will always be a limited number, but on the Internet we can make a difference in a larger scale.

Quoting from Elder Ballard:

I think most of you know that I have a great concern and love for our full-time missionaries. The leaders of the Church constantly pray for every missionary to be spiritually strong and powerful teachers… The 53,000 missionaries currently serving face the same challenge, I believe most of you had on your missions – that of finding people to teach. You can help them! You can help remove the barriers that stop individuals from learning about and eventually accepting the gospel. Some barriers are geographical and some doctrinal, but many are due to misconceptions or misunderstandings. The Internet enables you to bypass some of these barriers. You can use your testimonies, education, skills and associations to be a great support to the missionaries who are now serving.

Do you know another language? Then you can do even more:

Each of you who know another language can continue through the Internet to prepare people to receive the missionaries. As you visit with them in their own language and share with them your experiences and love of the gospel, you can find more people for the missionaries to teach. This will have the added benefit of keeping your language skills fluent.

Be a member missionary has never been more exciting. Even if we live in Utah, where we often say -as an excuse perhaps - that everybody already knows about the Church, we can do member missionary work by using the Internet and reaching people across the earth who never heard or never really understood what the Mormon Church really teaches and stands for.

This is another way for you to be a member missionary. With more and more people living in apartments and gated communities, we need to use every wise way to make contact with the honest in heart who are seeking the truth and to kindle an interest to know more about the Church.

Link to the full text: Making Your Influence Felt by Elder M. Russell Ballard

Apr

25

Many of the news reports coming from Texas about the problems with the FLDS Church have left the impression that they are ‘Mormons’ in the sense that they are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, they are not. They are a different church, and a very small one. However, several of our non-member friends have asked us quite sincerely about it. Some here who oppose the growth of the Church are promoting the idea to damage the reputation of the Church.
So, for those of you who may have been watching the news lately and may have wondered…

Some Mormon women sing…

Some Mormon women dance…

Julianne Hough – Dancing with the Stars

Some Mormon women write New York Times best sellers that are immediately made into movies…

Stephenie Meyer “Twilight” series

Some Mormon women have lots of money and really great hair…

Marie Osmond

I know hundreds of Mormon women. They do all kinds of different things and live all different kinds of lives. This woman served as a leader in the Mormon Church. She recently spoke to teenage girls worldwide. She encouraged them to stand up to peer pressure, strengthen their families and serve others.

Susan Tanner

None of the Mormon women I know look like this…


None of them are marrying off their teenage daughters and none of them really want to share their husband with anyone.

Furthermore…

Some Mormon guys can throw a ball…

Some Mormon guys yell at the ball…

Andy Reid – Philadelphia Eagles Football Coach

Some Mormons are Democrats and some are Republicans . . .

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Senator Orin Hatch

Some Mormon guys are fun to listen to on radio AND TV . . .

Glenn Beck

Some Mormon guys at 17 are insanely adorable and sing like an angel…

David Archuleta- American Idol

In fact, lots and lots of Mormons sing really, really well . . .

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Some Mormon guys make funny movies…

Napoleon Dynamite

Some Mormon guys have a lot of money and really great hair…

I know hundreds of Mormon guys. They do all kinds of different things and live all kinds of different lives. This is one of the leaders of the LDS (Mormon) Church. This month he spoke about honoring women, especially mothers, and gave advice to husbands and children about how to treat the women in their lives.

Russell Ballard

None of the Mormon men I know look like this…

The Mormon men I know are honest and hard-working. They don’t cheat, smoke, drink or gamble. And TRUST ME….the last thing any of them want is another wife.

The leaders of our church, along with the 13 million members worldwide, want the world to know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not the FLDS practicing polygamy where the federal government just raided and took over 400 children into state custody to protect them. In fact, we have absolutely no connection with them at all.

Get the word out to everyone who may be confused!

Your Mormon Friend

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