What is the purpose of life? My thoughts as a new father. A Funeral Sermon-part III

I remember as a missionary talking about how we had the answer to the most important and sacred questions. Among them, "what is the purpose of life?" would be a common one for missionaries to prepare to answer. I was always geared up to give a discourse from 2 Nephi chapter 2 on this important topic. I thought for sure I had the complete and full answer. I have realized more and more that my understanding was pretty limited. 2 Nephi chapter 2 was not limited by any means. In fact, it is replete with details to this soul-searching question. I would always tell people that the purpose of life is to learn good from evil as Adam and Eve had through their own personal fall. I would then explain that we likewise, though not through the same avenue, chose to have a personal fall from the presence of God in order that we could return with glory and honor. We chose to come to earth and be tested. I would extract this from 2 Nephi 2:25-27. I basically had it memorized; however, what I failed to do was look at the entirety of the context:


First of all, Lehi is speaking to his child. This is an important detail. I think I should have allowed the sermon to speak for itself in its entirety. I think of particular importance is verse 23. Lehi states, "And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence having no joy, for they knew no misery..." The first part of that is key because the fact that children bring joy almost seems like a common-doctrine to them: one that did not need a lot of emphasis. He simply states "And they would have had no children" as if that phrase alone signaled to his children the importance of the fall.


Furthermore, they would have had the Adam and Eve story in its fullest. They would have known that God commanded Adam and Eve to have children. I knew that having children was important but I never realized that this was a central purpose to life. I would always say "the purpose of life is to choose good over evil in the midst of temptation so that we may be more righteous and qualify to become like God the Father."


I realize now that children are an integral part of the plan. I remember hearing our sealer make the same bold command to my wife and I that was given to Adam and Eve. Then later, while studying on my roles as a patriarch in my home I stumbled across President Kimball's first General Conference address as the Prophet of the Church. He read an excerpt from a First Presidency message given in 1942 (think about the time-period they were giving this in!). That message was simply titled "Parenthood" and reads, in part:


"Motherhood thus becomes a holy calling, a sacred dedication for carrying out the Lord's plans, a consecration of devotion to this uprearing and fostering, the nurturing in body, mind, and spirit, of those who kept their first estate and who come to this earth for their second estate ' to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them' (Abr 3:23.) To lead them to 'keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads forever and ever.'


"This divine service of motherhood can be rendered only mothers. It may not be passed to others. Nurses cannot do it; public nurseries cannot do it; hired help cannot do it--only mother, aided as much as may be by the loving hands of father, brothers, and sisters, can give the full needed measure of watchful care. 


"The mother who entrusts her child to the care of others, that she may do non-motherly work, whether for gold, for fame, or for civic service should remember that 'a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame (Prov. 29:15.) In our day the Lord has said that unless parents teach their children the doctrines of the Church 'the sin be upon the heads of the parents.' (D&C 68:25.)


Motherhood is near to Divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels. To you mothers in Israel we say, God bless and protect you, and give you the strength and courage, the faith and knowledge, the holy love and consecration to duty, that shall enable you to fill to the fullest measure the sacred calling which is yours. To you mothers and mothers-to-be we say: Be chaste, keep pure, live righteously, that your posterity to the last generation may call you blessed." ("Message of the First Presidency" Deseret News Weekly Church Edition, October 1942, p. 5.)

Brigham Lloyd Brown--May 31st, 2012

Recently I became a father to my first. We thought we were having a little girl (hence why my blog intro said "soon-to-be father to a baby girl"). When the baby was born I had an overwhelming sense of love and devotion to him. It seemed like only minutes had passed and I already knew about him. It was odd to even ever think that we were expecting a girl. Even today when I mention it, I feel awkward saying it because it is literally impossible to imagine it any other way.


So, how come I relate this to the "funeral sermon" or the "King Follet Discourse"? Because when Joseph Smith states "Here, then, is eternal life--to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn to become gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you...they shall be joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. What is it? To inherit the same power, the same glory, and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the station of a God, and ascend the throne of eternal power, the same as those who have gone before. What did Jesus do? Why; I do the things I saw my Father do when worlds come rolling into existence. My Father worked out his kingdom with fear and trembling, and I must do the same; and when I get my kingdom, I shall present it to my Father, so that He may obtain kingdom upon kingdom, and it will exalt him in glory."


In other words, our exaltation and inheritance come as a result of the success of our children. If no children brought their own kingdom to Christ's gospel, then it would not allow the Father to advance in his own glory. We will never be co-equal with God as some faiths allege; however, we can inherit that same glory that he has.


As a Father this makes much more sense. I cannot envision a Father who would not want his children to have absolute joy and success equal or more than he has. I want for Brigham (my new little boy) to have more opportunity and greater happiness than I have ever experienced. Note that I want him to have more! The Father, realizing that he has reached the maximum potential, wants for us to enjoy all that he now enjoys: maximum blessings. As a parent I have learned to a greater degree the nature of my Heavenly Father."


And this is how we "learn to become gods". It is through parenthood that we can have eternal increase (see D&C 131) and everlasting joy.


This is the end of "The Funeral Sermon" blogging; however, I would suggest that one would read it and become familiar with the doctrines contained therein.

Freedom, Agency, and Eternal Progress. A Funeral Sermon-part II

Right after writing part I of the "Funeral Sermon" post, I had a question come up to me about how to encourage someone to continue on the pathway to discipleship. He asked if I knew of any good talks that he could reference. I had just written the first part of this blog, and so I directed him towards this very talk. Then, if you look at Part 1 commentary another question came up relating to the nature of Deity. Both of these questions are related.


Looking at the historical context of this talk is really important to see the significance of it. Joseph Smith was taking part in a massive theological shift.


Joseph Smith's mother, Lucy Mack Smith, was a true child of the Revolution. 4 days previous to her 1st birthday the Declaration of Independence was signed. She was in New Hampshire at the time of the signing. Her husband was only 8 days away from his 5th birthday when it was signed. So what does that have to do with the King Follet sermon? Well, a lot!


The declaration for freedom was spurred in large part by a theological shift. I can remember first reading Jonathan Edwards' most notable sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. It was sermons like these that compelled people to demand their personal liberties. It was a time we know as The Great Awakening.


Less than 30 years prior to the First Vision Louis XVI was beheaded. This is significant because he was to be the embodiment of God's Kingdom on Earth. But the people were rejecting this notion. This thought out and intended act of rebellion was a symbol that the people were rejecting the idea that God had charge over their civic society, 


If a religious revolution was not the end result, then it was outright atheism. Freedom became the optimism that drove people. Religion had become dogmatic and oppressive in the minds of the people. Civic freedom was the only real way to progress.


To many it seemed that the gap between freedom and religion was growing ever more wide. Everyone in the middle found themselves torn because religion demanded one way whilst the fight for freedom demanded another.


Enter Joseph Smith. When Joseph comes on stage he teaches a theology that finds harmony in both organized religion and the drive for freedom. So what became the difference? Several things mark Mormonism as "different" but in this particular case, it was the freedom and the uncapped potential. The quintessential doctrine of Mormonism thus involved man's ability to choose, or act as agents, and man's ability to progress to eventual godhood.


No longer were people torn between attempting to attach a personality to God: did he want us to be free? Or did he want us to be saved? The answer: both. And not only saved, but exalted as he is exalted! That was is his "work and glory" (Moses 1:39).


So in answer to my friend's question concerning eternal progression, I would say that this talk is the pinnacle of Mormon thought. It was such a new course in the American Theosophical landscape (and yes, theosophical is a word). It went against all of the common orthopraxy of the day because it called men to a much higher sphere. There was no longer a cap to righteousness. It implies that God is progressing (not in knowledge but in glory) and that we should be progressing. It gives a purpose to our agency and a meaning to freedom. It compels us to be more dutiful disciples.


The talk was not given in so that young missionaries could sit and speculate on who God was prior. It was meant to comfort and soothe; it was also meant to excite the mind and push the faint soul who feels that he or she just cannot make it. If they endure and do the works of Abraham (and think of all he went through) they can have the blessings of Abraham: namely godhood.

Symbols

Many websites have been discussing symbols of the sacred Temples. I have had the privilege of sitting at the feet of Jerry Hansen (Gerald E. Hansen for those looking to get the book), a professor in the Political Science Dept. at BYU-Idaho. Brother Hansen wrote the book "Sacred Walls: Learning from Temple Symbols" in which he analyzes a few symbols on a handful of Temples. For those wanting to explore greater meaning into symbols, I suggest that you search that book out. A book also that has wonderful commentaries on Mormon symbology is Matthew Brown's "Symbols in Stone" which focuses primarily on the Salt Lake Temple. 


I have listed another blog, The Trumpet Stone, in which the blogger has taken certain symbols found on various temples and analyzed their meanings. Again, it is a good resource for those wanting to touch on the basics.

Many of my close friends have asked what those symbols mean. I had the opportunity to be married in the Salt Lake City Temple (My wife is from Denver, Colorado but her family has since relocated to St. George, Utah and I am from Salem, Oregon. We met at BYU--Idaho. So instead of choosing Denver, Portland, Rexburg, or St. George we just went for the one everyone knows). My friends growing up were unfamiliar with the Church yet they came for the wedding and waited outside. At one point, while showing them the Temple, the question as to what the Big Dipper was on there for came up. I explained my own interpretation of the symbol and explained what it meant to others (since there are differing interpretations). 

You can see the Big Dipper constellation immediately above the window--the very window that has the All-Seeing Eye

I pondered for a moment and explained briefly that all the symbols rotated around our doctrine around what we call The Plan of Salvation. I further explained that the Temple ceremony my soon-to-be wife and I would be participating in was directly related. 

When someone approached the Temple, this should always be on their mind! The Temple teaching is an outline of the Plan of Salvation. The Temple ordinances are a vital component of that Plan. And so it fits that all the symbols on the exterior walls invoke within a person the ideas relating to the Plan of Salvation.

A symbol, however, is generally vague and one can extract many meanings out of one symbol. For instance, the sun, moon, and stars are constantly utilized on various temples. I recently attended the Columbia River Washington Temple which has the Sun, Moon, and Stars everywhere. At the entrance to the Temple is a set of stars that invoke within the patron the feeling of the Telestial world--a lower Kingdom that we all currently live in. As they move through the Temple they see the stars, and then the moon phases and finally on the back windows, in the Celestial Room, they see the Sun: an image that Paul utilizes (1 Corinthians 15:40-41) to explain the glory of the Celestial Kingdom in comparison to that of the other 2 kingdoms. So when the Patron has gone through the Temple (and symbolically gone through mortality "[receiving] the Priesthood" (D&C 84:35-38--the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood) then they receive the glory of the Sun: or in other words, the "fulness" of the Father (see D&C 76:55-58).

At the end of the Patron’s experience they have visually progressed from the lowest light to the most glorious light. The Temple thereby becomes easier to understand because we see what it is doing: it is trying to show us the path to becoming glorified with The Father. It is showing us the patrons that as we were once dimly lit with light we can be full of light; in fact, we can one day be a source of light just as the sun is a source of light.

On the Nauvoo Temple, on the other hand, the Moon is at the very bottom and their are stars above, beneath, and to the sides of the Sun stones: these can thus invoke a completely different idea of man’s progress and what he has to do to come back into the presence of the Father (again, the book and the websites are fantastic resources for discovering these symbols). Those viewing the Temple at Nauvoo are starting at the world (where they are standing) and their eyes are drawn up to the Heavens (the world, to the moon, to the sun, to the stars). So the Temple symbolically has us looking past what we can comprehend and peering into the Heavens to search out the mysteries of Godliness.

Looking up from the bottom of the Nauvoo Temple

In similar fashion the Portland Temple, Salt Lake Temple, and others do the same type of things with the Stars. I use the Portland Temple because here the stars make a very obvious appearance relating to matters on Priesthood (the doors going into the Temple, the placement of the stars on the 6 pillars which represent Priesthood Authority and The Order of the Priesthood). It also represents Holiness as we approach the Throne of God (see the discourse in Abraham 3). Every star is a sun: so if we are all stars we can all have the same glory as that same star that offers us so much light in our own world.

A symbol that I recently discovered was in the Portland Temple sealing rooms. On the seats are embroidered pomegranates. Pomegranates are used frequently to denote various things. The priests and levites would have attached to their robes bells and pomegranates. The pomegranates would denote various things: the testimony of God, The nourishment provided by his Word, etc...

the priest has, at the bottom of his adornment, bells, fringes, and pomegranates--the testimony and word of God are symbolized in the pomegranates and the sounding of that word are symbolized in the bells source: Old Testament Student Manual, Exodus 25-30, 35-40

Symbols are constantly utilized in an effort to teach a principle. Even the history of the Church or the exodus of Israel from Egypt serve as symbols. Take this for example from Jewish history. Jacob (Israel) and his family were in the promised land. It was their birthright to be in that land; however, they were soon led into Egypt where they were oppressed with the chains of bondage. Once ready, Israel had to sacrifice a lamb to be saved. It was this lamb that protected (or covered) them. They then followed Moses through the wilderness and travelled back to the promised land. 

Sound familiar? This Exodus is a fantastic typification, or symbol of the Plan of Salvation! We too were once with God; we fell into this mortal life where we would be placed under the bondage of sin and temptation; the because a lamb was slain in our behalf, we are able to come back into God’s presence but only if we are willing to follow Christ. 

We can relate that same type of thing to flight from Nauvoo: once we were in (or around) Zion and we were chased out. Now we are working on getting that land back in order that we may build The Lord’s Kingdom.

Every year around our Easter time the Jewish people celebrate The Passover. If you have not yet participated, I would do so. The story of the flight from Egypt is rehearsed. In the Passover feast, the participants partake of a bitter herb. Often this is extra hot horseradish. Once they have partaken of this bitter herb, their mouth begins to burn and then the lamb is passed around. It is only after they eat that lamb* that the spice is removed from their mouth. This is a fantastic metaphor especially when peering through the lense of the gospel. 

My basic point is, most symbols are making an allusion to the Plan of Salvation. Whether it be man’s fallen state, The Atonement, the Resurrection, etc… everything revolves around the Plan of Salvation. As we study the Gospel, go the Temple, etc… we need to have this within our minds. While many symbols that garnish the Temple capture our amazement, I would encourage one to ask: what does that have to do with the Plan of Redemption that The Lord has authored for us. 

*Note: the Jewish people no longer use a lamb: the Temple is no longer in existence so their is no proper place to sacrifice it. Some sects may do it, but recognize that the main body of Jewish people do not. If you participate in something like this, please be sensitive about their beliefs and customs. 


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