Why We Do What We Do

Every April and every October, our church holds a general conference where the entire membership of the church around the world is able to listen to our leaders (we call them General Authorities--prophets, apostles, etc) speak on our doctrine and beliefs. It is an opportunity I am always grateful for. Today during the Sunday afternoon session of conference, I was very impressed with Elder Holland's talk. There is something so marvelous about these men and their wives and families--we do believe them to be righteous leaders, divinely called and appointed. But we do not claim that they are infallible, nor are they exempt, despite the might responsibility that they bear, from the day to day responsibilities that the rest of us have.

I met Elder Holland once. Last summer, when we were in Utah for Doug's little sister's wedding, I was standing in the Salt Lake airport with my brother-in-law waiting for Doug's plane to get in when a man in a suit grabbed Brad's hand as he was walking by and shook it, saying, "How are you today?" Its a small world in Mormondom, so I assumed it was someone from Utah who had recognized Brad. As he walked away, I took a second look and realized that it was Jeffrey R. Holland--an apostle. In structure, organization and I guess you could say hierarchy, the LDS church is matched only by the Catholic Church, and I thought about that as I observed the quiet manner in which he went about his task. This is a man who is believed by Mormons to be one of the most righteous and powerful men on the earth at this time. But he traveled with no bodyguards, assistants or contingency of any kind. He was dressed in a simple dark suit--it was early evening and he had probably just come from his office. He was greeted by an occasional passerby who generally would just shake his hand and say, "Thank you" before continuing on his or her way. He was in the airport to pick up his son-in-law---he needed a ride, and Elder Holland was the member of the family who happened to be able to get to the airport at the correct time. The simple humility of his manner was striking, but not at all in conflict with his powerful countenance. My brief encounter with him left a deep impression on me that this was indeed a mighty man of God--and yet here he was, alone at the airport just picking up a family member.

Mormons are often an enigma for others. We believe there to be only one true Priesthood authority, that must come from Christ himself in an unbroken line of authority, and yet we give that authority to men more freely and universally than any other faith. The Church is very structured and rigid in its organization, and yet fluid--I have known of more than one man who went from Bishop to Nursery Leader and a few women who have gone from Stake Relief Society Presidencies to youth sunday school teachers. We believe in God appearing to man in the modern day--in the flesh--and we believe in angels, ongoing revelation and all kinds of fantastic manifestations in our day and age. Yet many of our highest ranking Church officers have been well respected scientists who value highly logic, reason, research and the observable facts of this world.

It is often other Christians who find us the most troubling. We reject the Nicene creed and instead claim that God himself and Jesus Christ appeared, as separate, individual and very physical beings to a 14 year old boy. They are one, but in purpose, knowledge and love--not one in body. The Trinity that we believe in consists of three separate, distinct, unique individuals. We claim not only that God does still speak to man, but that he speaks to our prophet, the mouthpiece to all mankind for God.

That last one is often a sore spot with Christians of other faiths, and Elder Holland talked a great deal today about the misunderstandings and misconceptions that exist about the Book of Mormon. He said something along the lines of the Book of Mormon existing not to tear down the Bible, but to reaffirm its truthfulness. I couldn't agree more. The deeper I dig in to the Book of Mormon, the more I find myself cross referencing to the New Testament and the prophecies of Isaiah, and my love for the Bible only increases. Many Christians believe that revelation stopped with the Bible.

I don't. I believe very strongly in ongoing revelation, on a personal level and on a worldwide level. I have friends that sometimes ask my advice about relationships, or deciding to have a baby, or financial decisions or what have you, because I have previously been in a similar situation. All I can ever say is, "Have you prayed about it?" I believe that the Holy Ghost can bear witness to just about anyone, regardless of their particular faith, but I also believe that if you make certain covenants with the Lord and then strive to live righteously you can have the Spirit of God as a constant companion in your life. I don't know how anyone ever makes a meaningful decision without the comforting confirmation of the Holy Ghost.

I love my husband. I have never doubted that I was with the right person. But I didn't marry Doug because I was in love with him. I started dating him because I liked him, and somewhere along the way I fell in love with him, but I was 18 and scared to death of the thought of marrying the wrong person just because I fell in love. I never would've put one arm into that wedding dress if I hadn't had an overwhelming witness from the Lord that marrying him was the right thing to do. Being in love with him just made it an easy prompting to follow.

But every major decision in life is like that. Should we take a job? Let's pray about it and see what the Lord says. If its time to have a baby, I know because I start getting promptings to move in the direction (and if I put them off too long I also start hearing phantom baby cries and feeling like I've left the baby even if there is no baby to leave, but that's just because I'm crazy). If we need to make a major purchase, like a house or a car, I can't move forward until I feel like the Lord has said, "Ok". When Doug and I were asked to speak at Conner's funeral, everyone was highly complimentary of the talks that we gave and were moved very much by them. There was a great deal of emotion involved in that (and the spiritual and emotional are closely connected), but the only reason that we were able to carry out those assignments successfully is because we fasted and prayed that we might have the Spirit with us, might be given the words to say that would invite the Spirit and touch people's hearts. I know that to a lot of people, that makes me sound downright insane. I know others dismiss it as me mistaking my emotions or thoughts for something more. I learned long ago that when people think that, I don't care.

I know that the feeling of confirmation I get is vastly different from any other feeling I know. It employs my emotions and my intellect, and yet it is not quite a part of either--it is a distinct and different feeling. I remember someone saying once that trying to describe that feeling to someone who has never known it is like trying to explain the taste of salt without using the word "salty" or an example with anything that has salt in it. I use my reason and intellect and emotions to get to that point, but ultimately that final confirmation, that solidifying witness, is something very different indeed.

Why do Mormons do the things we do? Often it is simply because the Lord has told us it is right, and that's enough. How do you explain that to someone who thinks that revelation is dead, or to someone who thinks that if you claim to hear God speak you must be schizophrenic? I have even known my fair share of LDS people who have held to the Gospel fairly consistently but who have, ultimately, had primarily intellectual or emotional testimonies. I have loved many of them dearly, but their roots in the Gospel are unfortunately somewhat shallow, and they are easily swept away in the first strong wind that hits them. Or, probably more commonly, they remain standing, but never do much growing. I know its true because I have heard God whisper it to my heart. So I don't care if anyone thinks I'm crazy.

If I know that simple, flawed, stubborn me can receive revelation for myself, it is not difficult for me to believe that men who give their lives to service in love, to obedience, to raising righteous families and following the Savior's example of humility and brotherly kindness can receive revelation for the whole world. Indeed, I believe they do. And I'm grateful I had an opportunity to be reminded of that today.