God, as Understood by Monotheism

I originally wrote this for a college paper back in 2013. But I've been thinking a lot about the nature of God lately so I thought I'd revisit my old writing. I hate having word limits on my papers because I always I'm compromising on material for the sake of an arbitrary number, and I really think this paper needed a bit of a face-lift so I did do a lot of editing and some additions that I was unable to do three years ago. I hope this helps someone with any questions or thoughts they might have.

The question of the identity and purpose of God has been discussed by Kings, Philosophers, Prophets, Magicians and Peasants for thousands of years. The answers of course have varied considerably over time and perhaps all have merit when considered on a grander scale than the simplistic lives of mankind. Some suggest that God is an essence, intangible and omnipresent, spread throughout all creation; others say that God is a King among other gods; and some insist that there is no "God" but a natural sense of logic or mathematics instead. When looking at monotheism as a whole, the belief is that there is only one actual God; but the details are frequently disagreed on and argued.

Labeled by Sin or Name

I think a lot of people need to remember this when talking to others. Too often I hear members of the Church (and other churches) refer to people by whether or not they drink, smoke, are gay, looked at porn, had premarital sex etc. and continue to refer to that person by their sin for years. Just because we try to follow Christ does not mean that the Devil still can't use our mouths to do harm. 

Showing off Fort Myers

My home; the subtropical, somewhat quiet, somewhat pretty, somewhat old and historic Fort Myers located in South West Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. It's really an odd place, we're subtropical with tons of natural beauty but we're no Key West; we're actually a rather large metropolitan city area but we're no Miami; we're close enough to major tourist attractions to be on the map but just far enough away that we miss most of the heavy traffic problems. This odd mixture of cultures and situations is reflected in the city's architecture, politics, businesses and history.

First off let me show off an aerial view of the region:

Thank you Google Earth!

Mormons for Trump?

Anyone who personally knows me will know that I have absolutely no respect for Donald Trump as a person or as a Presidential candidate, I've been quite clear on my views regarding his lack of qualifications and unsafe social/political positions. However, at this point I'm not going to go on a tirade about Trump himself or his views/policies. Instead I want to touch on a few basic realities about Mr. Trump and primarily focus on how terrified I am that Mormons, even "high ranking" leaders (including retired ones) are actually supporting him in his candidacy.

Donald Trump has proven himself to be racist, on multiple occasions and in multiple ways. Most recently he discussed torture tactics and promoted a (false) mass murder story of Americans butchering Muslims and claimed that that was the direction America needed to go in. Click HERE for CNN story. He's also promoted plans to forcibly identify Muslims in the U.S. (very similarly to how Jews etc. were treated in Nazi Germany) and bar immigration to an entire ethnic and religious group of people worldwide. All of this is in addition to other statements made against Blacks and Hispanics.

President Hinckley, one of the longest serving Presidents and Prophets of the LDS Church made his views on racism perfectly and crystal clear:

Are Mormons at War?

It may not be obvious to everyone but what you say and how you say it does and will affect the behavior of those who listen to you. Regardless of your intentions, your words have the power to inspire good behavior or extremely inappropriate actions. My purpose in this article is show that the LDS Church has repeatedly encouraged hostility against LGBT individuals worldwide, despite some official statements denouncing bullying and the like.

NOTE: In this post I am not contesting the Mormon position on sin. I do not believe that homosexuality is a sin but I recognize that at this time that is not the position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Instead my focus is literally that hostile quotes frequently circulated in the Church inspire and encourage, as well justify, various forms of bullying among the LDS people.

I imagine a lot of people will ask me why the opinions the Church or its members would or should hold any weight to me after all the horrible pain they've caused me over the years. If you want some clarification on that bad blood and history feel free to read one of my previous articles The Church and I. As for the question itself, I'll counter with a question. Let's say you had an abusive parent or sibling, yet you still found place in your heart to have love for them (they're family); would you care about their perception of you? For some, the answer is undoubtedly "no", but we can see examples of a resounding "yes" all around us. The Church has meant everything to me for my entire life and their opinion still has the power to hurt or uplift me to some degree. Mind you, I do not consider the opinion of the Church to be always be the same as the opinion of God; if they were always the same there would be no need for future revelation on any subject. Nevertheless, the Church has its pull on me spiritually.

Family History

Here's a little snippet about me as a person and something I am very excited and passionate about: DOING GENEALOGY! I've loved doing my Family History work since I was a little kid. I was fortunate that my grandmother had recorded a decent amount of her husband's line years and years ago. She was able to contact grandparents and great grandparents for letters and information that they could verify going back with certainty to 1818 and with some question marks all the way back 1690. I loved doing genealogy so much that I actually worked on memorizing the names, birthdays and locations of as many direct ancestors as I could (which actually was a habit that paid off later on during my mission for the Church).

I'm not going to bore you with a detailed history of my ancestors (though I'm more than happy to provide some) but I am excited to show just how much information you can find going back to the early 1600's and even farther. I'll also share a little bit of why genealogy means so much to Mormons (Latter Day Saints).

The Church and I

I've been thinking lately that I've never truly explained who I am and what my situation is with the LDS Church. Today I'll give a short (hopefully) overview of my story and why I am willing to risk so much to criticize the Church on the errors and injustices I see. Even though I'll be sharing my story honestly I do not intend to share all I've been through, I intend to be very candid and forthcoming about my experiences but there are definitely things that are better left unsaid or said in very limited detail.

Technically I was born a third generation Mormon since it was my grandparents who were baptized which incidentally led to both my mother and I to eventually be born into the Church. I say "technically" because for a long time my mother and I were the only ones in our family to actually be active members. I was baptized by my Bishop at 8 years old, received the Priesthood at 12 and served in virtually every Presidency available to young men my age. I graduated Seminary (Mormon youth scripture study program during the high school years) with all the extra awards for full attendance and scripture memorization etc. I served a Full Time 2 year Mission for the Church, Spanish speaking, received a 4 year Diploma in graduating Institute (the college version of Seminary), and served in various leadership and teaching positions. I studied the scriptures so much, and thankfully had a good memory, that whenever others had gospel related questions they usually came to me for the answers.

Mormonism 101

So I'm thinking that somebody, somewhere, somewhen (yes I know that isn't a word), might find my blog even though they aren't actually Mormon and I'm thinking that they might not know a lot about what the Church is and whatnot. I understand that there is a lot of mixed information out there from different sources and so I thought that this might be a good place to just go over a few basics; how the Church got started, what it claims to be, what certain terms mean, what the organizational structure looks like etc.

I know I've written a lot of really long posts lately so I'll do my best to keep this short and sweet!

Dear Sister Nelson

 Dear Sister Nelson,

I would kindly ask you to refrain from spreading false doctrines in your official speaking assignments. No one can completely condemn you just for your sincere (though incorrect and non-doctrinal) beliefs but you are not safe from scrutiny and condemnation when you teach those falsehoods publicly.

Now, you might very well become defensive and upset at hearing a statement like this and that is understandable. Nevertheless it is much more polite than what most members of the Church (and leaders) have said to members of the LGBT community and to persons who are friendly to our community, even recently. Still, it is true that you said things that are not doctrine and are in fact not accepted by the First Presidency. I am not simply stating my own opinion of your words but I intend to prove by the words of the First Presidency and various Apostles the truth of my own claims.

Petition for Food Stamps, Low Income Families and College

Tonight I published a new petition to the Federal Government through Change.org. The title is "Allow Low Income College Students to receive Food Stamps" and is my own original petition.

I don't know how many of you might already know this but currently college students, even those from low income families with high financial need are denied food stamps if they are enrolled even part time in a college or university. Help me encourage progress in our United States and tell the government to help students not hurt them.

You can read the whole brief article as well as sign and share the petition by clicking HERE. This link takes you directly to the Change.org page hosting my petition. The more signatures the better and we might be one step closer to achieving equal opportunities in America regardless of a person's economic status!

Al Nimr, Saudi Arabia and ISIS

I saw this photo on Facebook and felt the need to respond to it. Please feel free to politely leave your perspective on the situation in the comments, but there is no need to attack anyone else's opinion, understandings or concerns.

The same can be said about the electric chair and lethal injection. Is the fight about capital punishment or is it about mass terrorism? If it is about capital punishment then all forms of it must be condemned everywhere, including here in America. If it is about terrorism then we must look at the intention and the selection of subjects. If there is confusion about whether or not the deal questions are in fact the same or where the boundary between them is, still ask the latter two questions: intention and selection of subjects.

Thoughts on Vader

According to the story depicted in Episode 1: the Phantom Menace, Anakin Skywalker was born as an immaculate conception. In short he is set up to be a sort of Jedi "Savior" supposedly conceived by the "Force" itself. I acknowledge that this perspective is entirely possible but I propose an alternative theory. Perhaps Anakin's birth was not as random a convergence but a purposed pregnancy by an estranged father who used the Force to conceive the child in Shmi Skywalker.

It is said by Yoda that the Force runs strong in the Skywalker family; Luke had it, Leia had it and their father Anakin had it. But we do not see any sign that Shmi (Anakin's mother) had the Force whatsoever. If Anakin's birth really was the result of a random convergence then why would the Force collect around a woman with little to no Force sensitivity? I believe it is far more practical that the Force was directed to her by a specific person, or at the very least a man, strong in the Force, caused Shmi to forget a one time sexual encounter.

Mormons, Pharisees and Zoramites

I POSTED THIS AS A COMMENT IN A FACEBOOK DISCUSSION:

"I've recently begun to realize that the current behavior of the Church and many of it's members is very comparable to the Zoramites of the Book of Mormon and the Pharisee's at the time of Christ.
Christ condemned the Pharisees for putting overly strict obedience before the well-being of humankind. Also for multiplying laws and commands to govern every aspect of life.

The Zoramites put intense stock in their own purity and spiritual superiority over all other religions and beliefs. They claimed that they were set apart to be special above all others. How often in testimony meetings do we hear similar statements about the "One True Church" and being set apart as the only people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Merry Christmas

Today is Christmas Eve! Today has been the mark of many important and inspirational events throughout history and the subject of many beautiful stories and poems by a wide variety of authors. But at this moment I want to remember the beauty of Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward Men:

Christmas Eve WW1 started out as a dreary and depressing day. Soldiers were away from home stuck in the dangerous and saddening conditions of trench warfare and many families across the world were left without homes and without living family members, victims of one of the most horrific wars in recorded history. Yet in spite of this despair and heartache we find one of the most powerful stories of Peace and Goodwill in modern times. German and Allied soldiers began to sing in their trenches, lift their heads above ground (where they could be shot and killed) and took courage. Soldiers who had been fighting and killing one another for days, weeks, or even months (possibly longer) stepped out of their national pride and demonizing hatred of the enemy for Jesus' sake. Meeting in the clearing between trenches these brave and heroic soldiers exchanged gifts, shook hands, hugged, played soccer (futball) and sang Christmas carols. They forgot that they were enemies for that night and celebrated Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward Men.

Most sad, however, is the fact that shortly thereafter the battle resumed and these soldiers who had so recently been giving gifts and making friends were forced to try hard to kill each other once again. But these heroes are living testaments to the power of the Spirit of Christmas and what is possible if we abandon the wars we fight every day and turn our hearts and minds to Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards our Enemies.

If you love God and Christ, or if you love any other human soul, let us put aside our animosity and our anger and causes for two days and give gifts to each other in loving kindness. Tomorrow we may pick up our causes yet again but today is a day of Peace and Joy.

Merry Christmas! ‪#‎christmas‬ ‪#‎reasonfortheseason‬ ‪#‎christmastruce‬ ‪#‎love‬‪#‎courage‬

The Human Construct of Homosexual Sin

It's common knowledge in Christianity and various other religions that homosexuality, or in some cases homosexual behavior, is a sin against God. Normally I've heard people claim that the Bible says it is a sin or in my case as a Mormon I often hear that both the scriptures and the Prophets have said it is a sin. I want to examine those claims more closely in order to show that homosexuality is not a sin and that a legitimate homosexual relationship is also not sinful. Furthermore I intend to show that all claims to the contrary are human constructs or as we say in the Church: the wisdom of man. I do not believe that God is the author of the perceptions against LGBT persons world wide. The God I worship will not condemn a soul for being born gay, or transgender etc. because to do so would make God a "respecter of persons" which He is not.

Everything in this article comes from a Mormon perspective, so I can understand how people from other faiths may easily dismiss certain arguments that I will make here. There are certain teachings among Mormons in regards to homosexuality that are unique to our religion. To anyone else from any other faith who might read this I would ask that you look at the methods I use to break down the verses of the Bible that I quote and ask yourself if these same methods can be applied to better understand your own religious teachings, whatever they may be. If a Biblical verse appears to imply a condemnation against homosexuality but when dissected and examined in detail that verse no longer carries that meaning then we can assume that the verse had been misread or misinterpreted in the past. I tend to quantify the individual phrases, words and questions in all verses that I read, I take down definitions, wordings from alternative languages, and cross reference similar wordings between verses across the Bible or other scriptures. I invite anyone to do the same with their own religious records and quantify the particular and powerful meanings of what you believe. You might be surprised to find many things different than you were told or than you had previously assumed. God is just and righteous in all His forms.

Jesus Erases Divisions

I saw this photo on Facebook and had to share it myself. And yes for those who may have trouble seeing it, the man in the center erasing lines is Jesus Christ wearing his crown of thorns. The text after the picture is what I wrote in my original Facebook post alongside this powerful image.

In reading the Four Gospels of the New Testament it's easy to see that Jesus disregarded all social and religious divisions and prejudices. He associated, ate dinner with and attended parties with publicans, tax collectors and other sinners. He allowed himself to be physically touched (appropriately) by prostitutes. He touched the physically unclean and ill even when the Law forbade it. He visited and taught among the Samaritans who were heretics to the Jews. He healed the Romans and claimed that the faith of some Pagans was greater than that of any Jew. Jesus chose from among the dirty and none prestigious to be his Disciples. A woman who had been possessed by many Devils was one of his closest friends (Mary Magdalene). Jesus broke down the barriers between humankind.

Also in the Book of Acts Jesus tells Peter to not call anything He has made unclean. This revelation removed the dietary restrictions (among other things) that had been a part of the Law of Moses and it also removed the limitations on Gentiles who wanted to join the Church of Christ and partake of the Gospel's blessings. Call not anything that God has made unclean; we are the ones drawing lines and creating borders between us, not God.

On Gay Mormons and Apostasy

FYI to all Mormons: There is a difference between Excommunication and Apostasy.

Apostasy is defined as: "a total desertion of or departure from one's religion, principles, party, cause, etc."
Excommunication is defined as: "to cut off from communion with a church or exclude from the sacraments of a church by ecclesiastical sentence." and "to exclude or expel from membership or participation in any group, association, etc."

Being kicked out of the Church for being gay or for being in a gay relationship is one thing. You do not have to be in Apostasy to be excommunicated. All that is needed for excommunication is stubbornness about bad behavior. Apostasy is more like Heresy in other Churches. There is a much lower chance of being allowed to return to the Church in the future if you are labeled an Apostate, and you are the one who is abandoning ALL the principles of the Church and the Gospel. In essence, Excommunication just means you sorely misbehaved, being an Apostate means that you are denying God and turning your back on Him.

There is no justification, none whatsoever, to assume that because a gay man or woman who enters in a same sex marriage is turning their back on God or on the Church. If you believe that to be the truth in any way you have some serious soul searching to do to find out why. What quantifiable evidence do you have to support that theory? Are you believing that it's true simply because someone else told you to? Or have you gone out and worked the street and pounded the concrete or gotten to know any Gay Mormons and what they go through every day? Do you personally know their fears, trials and pains? Do you know why they still are members of the Church despite everything? Do you even care? Gays are not the villains we are made out to be by other human beings on this world. We are not turning our backs on God or the Church, instead, more often than not, we are the ones picking up your slack in the Church or in the Gospel or in Christlike behavior. If you haven't seen what we do or have done lately it's probably because we've already been exhausted and beaten and abused to the point of simply be stunned we're still alive much less caring about the Church.