God and Science; Laws and Agency

Because of science, we know there are natural laws all around us that governs nature. Laws are systems of rules that constitute how nature will behave. Some of these laws are the law of gravity, law of conservation of mass, laws of thermodynamic. These are set and unchanging. The only way to change the outcome is to change the input. For example, the amount of gravity present on a celestial body, like a moon or planet is determined by the mass and speed at which it rotates. This is why humans would seemingly weigh less or more on different planets; its due to the amount of gravity acting upon their body.

I believe in God. I believe He created all things. Many people believe this contradicts everything in science but I would disagree. What if God knew ALL the laws of nature and science, even ones we haven't discovered yet? Suppose He understood how changing one factor in the equation would determine the outcome. If He does have all that knowledge then wouldn't He be able to use that knowledge to control the formation of galaxies, stars, planets, and then life of those planets? Isn't that what our scientists do now in experiments; they take the information about the laws they have, change parts of the equation until they receive the desired outcome?

As part of the plan of salvation, God gave us agency, the ability and privilege to choose and act for ourselves and not to be acted upon. I believe this is because we learn better, grow faster (intellectually and emotionally), and remember the lessons more as we choose to work and study and even make mistakes. While this allows us to progress better, it also means that He cannot control the outcomes of our choices without violating these laws. Sadly, this is why some people claim that God is not loving, that God is changing, or that He doesn't exist; why would He allow bad things to happen?

However, one of God's purposes is to help us, His children, progress and return to Him. Now since God knows and understands how all these laws work and what the outcomes will be in given situations, I'm sure He knows what will affect us, both our spirits and physical bodies, in ways that would prevent us from returning to Him. For this reason, He gave and continues to give commandments and counsel to prophets in order to help us follow natural laws that we don't understand yet. Sometimes it is hard when there is a commandment that we don't understand or we can't see the direct, indirect, immediate or delayed effect of not obeying that commandment, but that is why God has asked us to have faith. He asks that we trust Him and we trust that He truly wants what is best for us, regardless of what the societal norms may be at the time.

As I was writing this, another thought came to mind. How fair is grading, judgment, or scoring when its subjective? As humans, we know how hard being impartial can be. So what if having these laws allows God's judgment to change from being subjective to objective meaning the outcomes of of our choices are solely determined on the choices we make in this life?

If we see as God sees or understand laws as God does, would we make the same choices? If we could know the definitive outcome of our choices, would we make the same ones?

Additional scripture resources: Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 2, Alma 42

God is an explanation! (Does God exist: part 2)

Sometimes I wish I knew a bit more about computer algorithms but most of the time I'm ok as long as they work right. I'm not sure how, I mean I have a small idea/theory bit it, but on the explore option on Instagram I have been seeing some strange accounts pop-up based on what I "like" and what I follow. These are posts about extreme political affiliations, holistic or vegan lifestyles, conspiracy theories, and atheism. On occasion, I read them and even sometimes I have commented. I like learning about what other people think and why.

But what made me want to add to an earlier post was some internal insight I gained while looking at one of these posts. It was from an atheist account. The post starts with "'God' is not an explanation." I couldn't comment on the account because it would take too much space but also I have tried that before and although the owner claims "question everything" and "open mindedness" they are unwilling to hear anything about God that goes against their current beliefs. I still wanted to share how I see things.

I say God is an explanation. What I am about to explain are my personal opinions (as I state frequently) but it also a theory, one that has evidences and not much proof.

The Bible teaches that God is all-knowing. Given that assumption, wouldn't He know exactly how and why all the laws of nature and science work? Wouldn't He know how to influence or introduce catalysts in ways that would organize and form worlds, bring about life, and cause life to evolve? With this, wouldn't He know which laws would benefit us and which could hurt us?

The Bible also teaches that God is just and no respecter of persons. That means we, everyone, gets what they deserve (cause and effect) and He doesn't play favorites. Now say someone is more willing to listen and follows His commandments (which are meant to lead and direct us to keeping the laws of nature that benefit us), it seems like a blessing to believers and that God favors them but to non-believers simple good fortune. Are there non-believers who inadvertently obey these laws (and the corresponding commandments) who still receive the same benefits as the believers? Yes. He is not respecter of persons. They met the requirements for the law to take affect.

Because God is just, He obeys the laws. He gave us agency and allows us to learn from and deal with the consequences of our's and other's choices. He will not interfere with these laws but will offer guidance on what to do to set the right conditions for the laws to give the desired results. Faith and gifts of the spirit are seemingly possible outcomes to obeying certain laws that allow the person the ability to use knowledge God has to perform miracles as seen in miracles of healing and such.

His desire is for us to learn and understand these laws. To connect how life acts and interacts. Some of the answers are their within reach and some are a little farther out for the time being.

Do I know, understand, or have explanations that happen for everything? No I don't. But I believe that God does. I believe that one day I have the potential to know as He does. That is why I have faith and that is why I trust His counsels. God is an explanation especially when science tells us that something is near impossible/highly improbable.

Plan of Salvation - After death

"... but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." - Benjamin Franklin

Death is definitively certain in this world. There aren't many who have escaped it. However, death is part of the plan of salvation. The way the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints understand death is simple. Since we are made up of an eternal spirit and a mortal body, death is the eternal spirit leaving our body. The mortal body remains here and the spirit travels to another place. 

The way I understand it is our spirit then goes the spirit world, to either a temporary paradise or prison based on our life choices. Spirit paradise is a place where we will rest from daily cares and problems. We won't be plagued by physical infirmities however we will long for our bodies and we still won't be back with God, yet. Other spirits will be sent to a spirit prison. I imagine these spirits feel trapped and guilt ridden because of their choices. While paradise and prison sound similar to traditional views of heaven and hell, there are distinct differences. The spirit world is a temporary gathering place; not a permanent assignment. I imagine rather than being a place of perfectness or of punishment, paradise and prison are more mental than actual places. (Alma 40:7-14, 21)

After spending time in the spirit world, everyone at their appointed time, will be resurrected. Everyone who received a physical body that is. These bodies will look like our bodies now because they are our bodies but they will be perfected according to the laws of nature. (Alma 11:40-45.) We can expect this because Jesus Christ broke the bands of death and gifted it to us, as reward for following him in the pre-mortal life. What a glorious gift, that we might all have perfect physical bodies for eternity!

The scriptures talk about both death and hell. Above I said that spirit prison isn't quite like the traditional hell, so what do I believe about hell? While death is the separation of our physical bodies from our spirits, hell is the separation of our spirits from God, or Heavenly Father.  This hell, sometimes referred to as spiritual death, has been overcome by Jesus Christ as well. However whether or not we receive this gift or not depends on our faithfulness during the current Earth life. If we can follow His laws and commandments, He will unlock the gates of the spiritual death that would keep us from returning to live with God. 

After being resurrected, everyone will stand before God to be judged on how well we obeyed the laws. Justice will be served and since we don't obey all the laws all the time, we should be punished. However, like I said before, Jesus Christ already paid for the times we broke the law. He accepted our punishment if we accept Him and because He loves us, if we do those things He has asked us to do in this Earth life, He will step forward during judgment and provide us with mercy. He will show we have completed the terms of our agreement from our end and that He already paid for our sins and we will be forgiven. 

Once our worthiness has been determined, we will be given a reward of living in a kingdom of glory in accordance with what we learned and did during Earth life. These kingdoms vary and what we will receive and can do depend on what kingdom we live in. However, all kingdoms of glory will be better than this life because of the knowledge we will have, the bodies we will have, and the people we will be with. At the end of it all, we will know that God was just in determining where we will live. 

This is why I feel such love and hope during life, even during times of struggle. This is why member of the Church often don't mourn the same as when someone dies. Yes we are sad and we definitely miss them but there is still so much to look forward to and to hope for. Death and separation are not permanent. They are a small road block.

I know there are probably still questions and holes to be filled. Details that many of us wonder about. When I feel I am dwelling on these, I remember to think "will knowing the answer change how I believe?" Will knowing where these places are or what they look like or how long it will all take change any of the information I already have? No it won't and so for now, I choose to trust God and believe that like any good father, He wants me to learn, grow, and obtain the best I can but I can only do this by accepting His help and guidance. 

Plan of Salvation - Pre-mortal Life

The first part of the Plan of Salvation is what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints refer to as the "Pre-mortal Life" or "Pre-Earth Life" because it talks about what happened before we were born on Earth (before receiving mortal bodies). In times past, some referred to it as the "Pre-existence" but this was not correct as we existed before this life on Earth.

First I should explain that in The Church, we believe that each person born is the combination of an eternal spirit that has a gender and existed before being born and a mortal, physical body. This body will one day die but the spirit will continue to live on after this life.

In this pre-mortal life, we lived as spirits together with God. We are his spirit children. We have divine potential and were given gender as an important role of the plan in providing eternal identity and purpose. We grew in knowledge. We had certain experiences as spirits that allowed us to grow and progress. However in order for us to continue to learn and progress, we needed bodies and the experiences that would come from having bodies. This would also allow us to become more like God, as He has a body of flesh and bone (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22).

There was a council held and all the spirit children were told of the plan for us to be born and receive bodies. We knew that these bodies would be imperfect; physically and mentally. We knew we wouldn't be in God's presence and that would make it harder (almost impossible) to return to God. We knew we must be perfect to return to His presence and that would require perfect obedience to God's laws and the laws of nature, for God is just.

At this council, two plans were presented that would allow us to return and live with God again. One plan was presented by Jesus. His plan was that we would be allowed to retain our agency, which meant we might not choose to obey and therefore not remain perfect. This would mean we couldn't return to God's presence after death. But Jesus said so that God could remain just, he would step in as a savior, or mediator, to provide mercy. He would come and pay the price for ALL our imperfections so that he might advocate before God on our behalf. In order for Jesus to do this, we would need to show faith in him and a desire to obey by following in his footsteps the best we can and by covenanting (or promising) to do certain things. All the glory would remain with God.

The second plan was proposed by Lucifer. In his plan, we would give up our agency and do only as Lucifer instructed. God's glory and power would be given to Lucifer.

The first plan was chosen, and was set into motion. Lucifer and his followers started a rebellion and were cast out of heaven. They will never have the opportunity to receive bodies or learn on Earth.

God and Jesus worked to create or organize an earth where we would come to live and learn.

(Moses 4:1-4, Abraham 3:24-28, The Family: A Proclamation to the World, Mormon.org Plan of Salvation)

Plan of Salvation - Overview

A lot of the stuff I talk about on here stems from my beliefs. One of the beliefs that is central to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is what we call the Plan of Salvation (LDS.org, Mormon.org).

The Plan of Salvation answers many questions and provides explanations to many of those answers. It will answer; where did we come from, why are we here (what is man's existence), and what happens after we die. It also provides a lot of information about how we can and why we should try to be and live our best.

Because the Plan of Salvation, also known as the Plan of Happiness and the Plan of Redemption, has so much information, I will share about it in stages. The main parts of the Plan include: the Pre-mortal life, which tells us we lived with God and he is the Father of our spirits; the Mortal or Earth life, which tells us life has purpose, that Jesus Christ is central to our lives, and that He is our Savior; and the After life, what happens after we die and that we can live with God again.

I hope that as you read these, you will take the time to think about what I share and leave any comments or ask any questions you may have.

Perspective: Its About Point of View

I have often had this thought and after rereading this article, I loved how my thoughts were described by someone else. The following quotes come from portions of this talk given at a General Conference session for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

"Perspective is the way we see things when we look at them from a certain distance..." Depending on the distance, our perspective can change. "It is like being in a forest and having a tree in front of us. Unless we step back a little, we will not be able to appreciate what a forest really is."

When small children learn to work on puzzles, they often become frustrated when the pieces don't quickly and easily fit together. My own daughter has said that the puzzle is broken or missing pieces when she can't find ones that fit together.

Like the story about the forest, looking at only a few pieces in the puzzle makes it hard to see the big picture. But sometimes in order to put the pieces together, you need to focus on the the small pieces to see how they fit; to match up the edges and align the designs.

Even when multiple pieces are starting to come together, we can make guesses as to what the picture might contain and even have a pretty good idea of what the final image will be.

But until the entire puzzle is put together and finished, we cannot understand how or what effect the picture many have on us or appreciate the image or its complexity.

I have started to compare life to a giant puzzle. There are parts we understand and parts we don't. As we slowly connect these pieces together, we can see a theme or guess at what the general idea is about. However, it won't be until we connect all the pieces, in their correct places, that we will gain an understanding of the picture or plan before us.

We never know how much of our puzzle is complete especially when compared to someone else's puzzle or their standards. Sometimes we put the pieces together at different starting points and find it hard to make connects between what they see and think when compared to what we see and think. We won't be able to understand what others see or believe until we can see something from their perspective or use their process of thinking to see where they started and what path they used in order to reach their conclusions.

Our Plan of Salvation - trials

I have mentioned the Plan of Salvation before but given some recent and some not so recent events, I wanted to share some feelings and thoughts I have about the Plan. While there is one main Plan of Salvation that can be broken into its main components; pre-mortal life, the creation, the fall (of Adam), mortal life, Christ's Atonement, death, resurrection, and judgment, I also believe that each of us lives by our own Plan of Happiness that follows this same pattern.

I believe in our pre-mortal life we learned and lived as spirits. I believe part of our learning included what we would need to know to come to Earth and live here in order to return to our Father. During this time we were given agency, the ability to choose and act for ourselves. While we could learn about what this life might hold for us, we would not truly understand how hard the trials could be, how difficult temptations would be, and how that would affect our determination and resolve to return to our Heavenly Father. I also believe that as part of this learning, we were told about some trials and how they could help us and those around us. We knew that although some of these trials would cause something called hurt and pain, we knew this could secure the faith and knowledge of those surrounding us. Certain people choose to accept these challenges because they had so much love for the rest of us that they would sacrifice certain experiences in life so that we could be stronger.

Why do I believe this? Isn't that what both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ did? "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." -John 3:16  and ..."O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." - Matt 26:39. It appears that Christ knew what he had to do, but didn't truly understand the magnitude of what would happen to his physical body until he started to experience it and then because he wanted to be obedient and because he loved us and knew there was no other way, he continued to suffer in the Garden and the again on the cross.

People often question why would God allow these things to happen; someone so young and innocent to die, someone so loving to contract cancer, someone to survive accidents only to be handicapped. My answer to this is, they accepted the challenge to help those around them to learn the lessons they would need to grow into the people they need to become.

Because of the trials different family, friends and even I have faced, I have learned things that may have taken a lot longer for me to grasp. I have learned that children take their cues in life from the people who take care of them. They will stand tall and be brave when people treat them that way or they will act weak and not want to do anything for themselves when treated like that. I have learned that as a society we aren't paying enough attention to the people around us. How well do we know our neighbors, our cousins, nieces, school or work associates, etc? When do we start paying attention to them? I have learned that you don't need to talk every day, every week or even every year with someone to know they are a true friend and will stand by you and help you when you need it most.

 Trials cause us to focus on something and see things we might not have seen otherwise. Please look at your trials and difficult situations as a learning experience that will help you focus on what really matters in life. Sometimes we may not immediately see why we or others have passed through trials but I know I would hug and thank many people for allowing me to learn and grow because they accepted a tough trial.

Faith, not a belief or a religion but hope.

I hear many people refer to their religion as a faith. I have even posted things about faith on Facebook and had people comment about how they agree but don't subscribe to a faith. I generally don't use faith to describe a belief or a religion.

Recently, I was studying for a lesson that I was to teach about faith. Most of my studies provide me with a bunch of information for me, which I somehow manage to convert into child speak and understanding. Currently in the Church, I teach children ranging in ages from 3 - 12. But I believe that the better I understand something, the easier it is to teach in a way that others might understand. I want to share what I learned in my recent study about faith. 

Faith is a "hope for things which are not seen, which are true." (Alma 32:21, Hebrews 11:1) However, the way hope is used here is not the same way we use hope now. This hope has a level of certainty behind it, not "I hope my friend comes over." or "I hope I pass the test." This hope is something we truly believe in and something that we really want to happen so much that we use faith and do whatever it takes to obtain or achieve the thing we hope for.

A recent example. Once a year, the children ages 3-12 present a program in the Church and share what they have learned or things they were taught over the course of the year. It includes speaking parts and songs. Being one of the leaders of the children's group for our congregation, I was in charge of this program. One week before, we had our first run through practice with all the kids, their speaking parts, and the songs. The nicest way to describe it is chaotic. Over the next week, we bribed the kids to memorize their parts and held another practice the Saturday before the performance. This one was slightly better although we had just feed the kids pizza and allowed them to run around while everyone finished eating. I can say with this practice, at least the kids had their parts memorized and half of them sang the songs.

At this point, the other leaders and I had done what we could to prepare. We hoped things would work out but with kids, you never know. We had to trust that since we had worked to prepare and that we had seen other program work out in the past, our would too and the audience would be able to feel and understand the ideas presented in the program. I can tell you, somehow and I don't know how, the program went wonderful.

This is a small example of faith and an easier example of how to show faith. Many times we are asked to do things that are seemingly harder than we can handle. We have to remember that what may be hard for you may be easier for someone else, based on your talents, abilities, and past experiences.

I have faith that this life can be amazing even with its challenges and difficulties. I have faith that although this life may be hard, there is a life after we die that will more than make up for what we go through. So what do I do with my faith? I work hard to make sure life is amazing even with its challenges and then hope that amazing things happen. I work hard to follow what I believe will make the next life wonderful and hope that it will be enough for me to enjoy. Like all things, my faith will be tried and tested. Just because I want it won't make it so. Sometimes this amazing life hurts and I stumble but doesn't one bad moment, memory or choice make the rest of life not amazing? That's where faith is. 

Puzzle Pieces

I love doing puzzles. Anyone who really knows me knows that once I start one, I will work and focus (and sometimes zone out) until I am done. Since I know this about myself, I often avoid starting puzzles unless I have time to sit and work on it.

When I do a puzzle, I start with the edges (or the foundation). It gives a great starting place and give hints and ideas about where to go from there. Next, I move pieces into similar groupings; similar colors, similar themes, outlines of a main picture. This helps me focus on specific smaller areas and be able to work little by little. I have found that no matter how difficult the picture is, once I have filled it in to a certain point, the pieces almost fill in the rest of the puzzle by itself.

Recently I discovered that I am like this with the rest of my life. Whenever I am learning something new or increasing knowledge in a particular area, I start with a foundation and continue to fill in the pieces or group it with other similar information.

I have also done with the gospel taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. There is so much information that when it is taught, it is usually by small pieces of information. It is our job to combine the information (fill in the puzzle pieces) to create the giant picture of what it looks like. I sometimes also do with my life. What will my life's puzzle look like once I have found and placed all the pieces together into a whole?

Many of these posts are me putting my puzzles together (I may also refer to it as connecting the dots). Gratefully, the puzzle pieces just keep coming and the picture keeps looking better and better. (See 2 Nephi 28:30 in the Book of Mormon: "For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more;")