The Devil's Counterfeits

With the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood, the fullness of the gospel, and Christ’s true Church, Satan felt his dominion on the earth was under attack. The ensuing struggle between the forces of Christ and those of Satan will be at center stage until the advent of the Lord at the ushering in of the Millennium signals the beginning of the end for Satan and his minions’ activities upon this earth.

Of this struggle for the hearts of mankind, the Lord said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that Satan has great hold upon their hearts; he stirreth them up to iniquity against that which is good; And their hearts are corrupt, and full of wickedness and abominations; and they love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil; therefore they will not ask of me. Satan stirreth them up, that he may lead their souls to destruction. And thus he has laid a cunning plan, thinking to destroy the work of God; but I will require this at their hands, and it shall turn to their shame and condemnation in the day of judgment” (Doctrine and Covenants 10:20-23). Satan’s plan to which the Lord had reference was the counterfeit of the Lord’s true plan for the redemption of mankind. The Lord’s Plan of Salvation was revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith in order that the workers of truth could distinguish at all times between the Lord’s dictates and any counterfeit variation the opposition might present then and in the future. “And again, I will give unto you a pattern in all things, that ye may not be deceived; for Satan is abroad in the land, and he goeth forth deceiving the nations” (D&C 52:14).

At the center of the Plan of Salvation are the five ordinances all of which the children of God must avail themselves in order to obtain eternal life namely, baptism, confirmation, receipt of the Priesthood, the temple endowment, and the temple sealing. There is absolutely no other way by which that goal may be accomplished. However, counterfeit variations of these ordinances abound in the world to such an extent that only a hint of the true situation may find expression in this writing.

Baptism is required for admission into the Kingdom of God and requires the candidate to be capable of distinguishing between right and wrong. The individual must understand the basic principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, be “capable of repentance,” and have “a determination to serve” God until the end of his days (D&C 20:37 & 71). That pretty much discounts the validity of infant baptism. The ordinance of baptism is to be performed by immersion (D&C 20:74). Some other method of baptism such as the sprinkling of water simply does not fulfill the symbolic meaning or purpose of this ordinance.

Confirmation is to immediately follow the baptism of an individual seeking entrance into the Kingdom. Through proper priesthood authority and the laying on of hands, the Gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed upon the entrant. These two ordinances must be performed for an individual within a very short time of each other inasmuch as neither ordinance is valid until the other has been performed with proper authority. Therefore, a lapse of many years between baptism and confirmation invalidates both ordinances. A confirmation ordinance performed without the intent of bestowing the Gift of Holy Ghost is a confirmation without proper purpose.

The Priesthood of God, the Melchizedek Priesthood, has been the subject of several of my writings, and significant elaboration will not take place here. It suffices for me to say that proper priesthood authority is absolutely necessary in the performance of these saving ordinances if they are to be validated or “sealed” by the Holy Spirit of Promise, the Holy Ghost (D&C 132:7).

The study of temple ordinances as revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith when compared to the counterfeit ordinances inspired by Satan is intriguing to me. I am presently reading Temple and Cosmos from the collected works of Hugh Nibley. In his essay entitled, “The Meaning of the Temple,” Brother Nibley informs his readers that “[f]or the Egyptians and the Babylonians, as for us, the temple represents the principle of ordering the universe. It is the hierocentric point around which all things are organized. . . . Civilization is hierocentric, centered around the holy point of the temple. The temple was certainly the center of things in Babylonia, in Egypt, in Greece--wherever you go. This was certainly so in pioneer Utah” (15).

Later in the essay, Brother Nibley explains the importance of this concept to the Egyptians in particular. “We have been assuming almost unconsciously, note well, that our temple is of the same class as the temples of the Egyptians. Let me explain that. The ordinances of the Egyptian temple were essentially the same as those performed in ours. And that can be explained very simply: they have a common origin. The clue is given in Abraham 1:26: ‘Pharaoh, being a righteous man, established his kingdom and judged his people wisely and justly all his days, seeking earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah, his father, who blessed him with the blessings of the earth’ (Abraham 1:26). He sought diligently, he sought earnestly, to imitate the order that went back to the fathers of the first generation in the first patriarchal reign. The Egyptian ordinance also always had one purpose--to go back to the sp typ--the First Time, the time of the first man, who was Adam. The Egyptians didn’t have it, and they knew it. So they sought to imitate it. Interestingly, Pharaoh was worried sick about this problem. Pharaoh spent his days in the archives in the House of Life, searching through the genealogical records with the nobles of the court turning over the records, looking for some genealogical proof that he really had authority. He never found it, and it broke his heart. And ‘Pharaoh, being of the lineage whereby he could not have the right of Priesthood, notwithstanding the Pharaohs would fain claim it from Noah’ [through Ham] (Abraham 1:27)--made a very good imitation, seeking very earnestly to imitate the order which went back to the beginning” (26-27).

While this discussion has been centered around the five saving ordinances of the gospel, it should be obvious that Satan has inspired the creation and perpetuation of counterfeits for all aspects of the gospel of Jesus Christ. “Satan imitates the gifts of the spirit” is a discussion taught recently in our high priests group that is to be found in lesson #22 of Gospel Principles.

The Exercise of Agency

“Agency is an eternal principle. It is through the exercise of agency that personal progression in the gospel sense is possible. It was the Prophet Abraham who reported God’s purpose concerning the exercise of personal agency: “And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;” (Abraham 3:25). So integral is agency to God’s eternal plan for us, that the presentation of a counter proposal that would have subverted the agency of God’s spirit children while they were living in mortality was in and of itself an important factor in Lucifer’s fall” (Post #47, June 15, 2010).

Progression in the gospel sense is dependent upon our learning, understanding, and obeying God’s laws relative to our becoming eventually and ultimately as He is. Such progression is dependent upon our ability to make choices that are consistent with God’s laws i.e., the commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of our hymns says it simply: “Choose the right when a choice is placed before you.”

However, the natural man who is an enemy to God (Mosiah 3:19) sees his personal agency in much different terms. His freedom of choice makes himself a free spirit uninhibited by constricting rules and laws except for those which he chooses to obey for reasons of personal gratification or out of fear of punishment by some threatening governmental agent. God’s expectations of him, if there be such, are poorly understood, unclear at best, and their consequences are for him irrelevant or quite inconsequential, and certainly far distant. The years proceed rewarding him with “the good life” or something less that he partially is able to explain in terms of decisions and rationale he more or less understands in natural terms and through prevailing conditions.

At the heart of such thinking is the very basic and false assumption that external rules and laws if obeyed amount to restraints on the freedom of the spirit, of the individual’s exercise of agency. I am presently reading a bestseller by Matthew B. Crawford entitled, Shop Class as Soulcraft. As I do, my mind keeps slipping back to a bestseller of years ago entitled, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Crawford refers to the mistaken understanding of agency as “freedomism.” He writes: “The errors of freedomism may be illuminated by thinking about music. One can’t be a musician without learning to play a particular instrument, subjecting one’s fingers to the discipline of frets or keys. The musician’s power of expression is founded upon a prior obedience; her musical agency is built up from an ongoing submission. To what? To her teacher, perhaps, but this is incidental rather than primary--there is such a thing as the self-taught musician. Her obedience rather is to the mechanical realities of her instrument, which in turn answer to certain natural necessities of music that can be expressed mathematically. For example, halving the length of a string under a given tension raises its pitch by an octave. These facts do not arise from the human will, and there is no altering them. I believe the example of the musician sheds light on the basic character of human agency, namely, that it arises only within concrete limits that are not of our making. These limits need not be physical; the important thing is rather that they are external to the self” (64).

Eternal progress requires an ascendant struggle toward the mastery of our thoughts and actions consistent with the requirements of the Lord’s gospel or in other words, the demonstration of a growing diligence towards conforming our behavior to laws that are external to ourselves namely, God’s laws.

"Navigating Your Way Through Life"

While serving as a counselor in a stake presidency in early 1990, I was asked to speak at a stake single adults fireside on the topic of “Navigating Your Way Through Life.” The suggestions I made to those attending that evening have been and remain the basic tenets that have given my life its direction. They are offered here for whatever benefit they may be to others.

Consideration one

If we are honest with ourselves even at an early age, we understand that the course of our life has been largely determined by the choices we have made. In our retirement years, this truth concerning the importance of our life’s decisions is so obvious as to be glaring, except for the delusional. Given that our rational decisions will be dependent upon and generally made within the scope of our core beliefs, establishing our belief system as early as possible in life will work obviously to our personal advantage and the advantage of those who yet will come to rely upon us. I can think of no better basis for a personal belief system than the gospel of Jesus Christ learned in its particulars and applied in our life to the greatest degree possible.

Consideration two

Secular matters in all their variety, importance, and attraction should remain of lesser importance in our lives than leading a family, living the gospel, and providing church service. In my college years when my thoughts turned to possible future professions, a potential life-long endeavor was almost immediately dropped from consideration if it would require me to spend much time away from my wife and children, make regular observance of the sabbath day with them difficult, or encumber me from serving in any church calling I might receive in the coming years. These were givens. There was no room for compromise. The same considerations applied to any sport or avocation in which I might become interested.

Consideration three

I distinguish between the gospel and the Lord’s Church. The gospel of Jesus Christ is absolutely true in all of its particulars. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s only true and restored Church upon the earth, but it is filled entirely with imperfect members. It is impossible to live a life that conforms as much as possible to the gospel without being a member of Christ’s Church. When we are baptized into the Church, we covenant with God to serve Him and to keep His commandments (Mosiah 18:10), and King Benjamin taught clearly that serving God means to serve our fellowmen (Mosiah 2:16-17). Now while it is commendable and encouraged that we serve our fellowmen through secular pursuits, our covenant with God requires that we serve our fellowmen through the building of the Kingdom of God first and foremost.

Consideration four

This point is related to the one above. No member of the Church will ever be given the opportunity to undermine my testimony of the gospel. The gospel is true, and all members are imperfect. I know and have known far too many members of the Church who, at one time or another, have allowed some unfortunate experience with other members to repel them from active participation. This is not to say that I have not been affronted by members over the years, because I have been. However, their conduct is their problem, and I will not allow their problems to become mine.

Consideration five

Responsibility for myself and my family is mine. I love my wife very much, and we are a strong partnership. However, when God wants an accounting of what we have done as parents, I am fervently convinced that the onus of the report will be more mine than hers. Thus I am not only fully accountable for myself but have the Priesthood responsibility for our family as well.

Consideration six

I am unfavorably impressed with the number of Saints in the Lord’s Church who appear to be comfortable receiving far more than they are willing to give within the context of building the Kingdom. At baptism, we covenant to serve and not be served by our fellowmen. I recognize that the day is probably coming when I will be in greater need of assistance from others than what I will be able to provide. However, until that time comes, my basic mode of life will be to give far more than I receive when speaking of human relationships.

Consideration seven

My long-term goal is to be found worthy of eternal life. There is no more important consideration in my life than that. For me, life’s choices are made with this paramount objective not only in mind but as a determining factor.

The Age of Accountability

There appeared recently in our local newspaper [The Seattle Times of October 25, 2010] a report that two boys ages ten and eleven may not stand trial for a violent attack and robbery they are accused of perpetrating on a community bus because they may be too young to know the difference between right and wrong. Quoting from the article, prosecutors will “have to prove in court that they [the youths] have the intellectual, moral and psychological development to fully understand the crime they’re accused of committing.” “Under state law, a child between the ages of 8 and 11 is presumed to be incapable of committing a crime unless a judge determines the youth has the ‘sufficient capacity to understand the act . . . and to know that it was wrong.’ ” So much for about six thousand years of God’s instruction on this subject.

With the restoration of the fulness of the gospel and the Kingdom of God in this final dispensation, the Lord made clear once again that the age of accountability is eight years of age unless, of course, an individual’s mental development is seriously impaired. Concerning what is necessary for salvation, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith the following: “And you must preach unto the world, saying: You must repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ; For all men must repent and be baptized, and not only men, but women, and children who have arrived at the years of accountability” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:41-42). The year was 1829. Two years later and subsequent to the restoration of His Church, the Lord revealed His will very specifically. “And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents. For this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized. And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands. And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord” (D&C 68:25-28).

There are those parents who are members of the stakes of Zion as organized that do not see fit to follow the Lord’s revealed will on this matter. Possibly, they seek to shelter their children from the effects of their being accountable for their misdeeds. Unfortunately, however, their children remain accountable while they themselves are unaware of the consequences of their state. The Lord makes it clear that such parents will be held accountable for this sorry situation. I suspect that not a few of these delinquent parents are rationalizing their position by thinking that the Prophet Joseph Smith really did not understand the will of God given that nowhere in the scriptures previous to this dispensation is there a confirmation of age eight being the historic standard. And then again, perhaps they believe that they can better judge their children’s capabilities and maturity as opposed to any arbitrary standard set through revelation.

Therein they would be mistaken. For we learn in the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible that age eight has been the age of accountability since at least the days of Abraham. “And I will establish a covenant of circumcision with thee, and it shall be my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations; that thou mayest know for ever that children are not accountable before me until they are eight years old” (Genesis 17:11 JST). Now if this is the age of accountability for the descendants of Abraham in all subsequent dispensations to the end of the world per the Abrahamic covenant, may we assume anything else other than this was the standard from the days of Adam until the time of Abraham? I think not. Thus the age of accountability being eight years of age was not a measure determined by the Prophet Joseph Smith nor was it set for this dispensation alone by heavenly authority. This is our Heavenly Father’s standard that was established for the benefit of His mortal children living in all dispensations.