Is it Enough That Your Children Know That You Are A Good Home Teacher?

What is it that you want your children and grandchildren to know about you? I was in an Elder's Quorum meeting a few years ago, and the topic was on teaching our children, or what do we want our children to know. There was a reference to D&C 68:25, but there was no discussion or instruction concerning what D&C 68:25 commands us to teach, and no reference was made to Moses 6:57-60, or to D&C 93:40 on what we are to teach our children. 

But the idea of being a good example was discussed, and immediately I thought about what Alma wanted his three sons to know about him. Of all the things he could have told them such as being the Chief Judge and/or being the High Priest over the church, he instead recounted to them how he had murdered many of God's children, or rather how he had led them away unto destruction (Alma 36:14), and how he and the Sons of Mosiah were "the very vilest of sinners" (Mosiah 28:4). He told them of the angel who visited him and then in detail what he experienced thereafter.

He described how he was racked with the pains of a damned soul and was racked with torment and harrowed up by the memory of his many sins. He describes this as hell, and gives us a glimpse of what hell must be like for those of us who do not repent. He wanted his sons to know that he had sinned, and that he had repented of his sins and was redeemed by the Lord. He described to his sons that he had cried within his heart and said: "O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death."  

He then described the marvelous light that he beheld and told them that his soul was filled with joy. There was, he said, nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were his pains, but on the other hand there could be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was his joy. He said: "I stood upon my feet, and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God." 

Alma told and retold his story to his sons so that they would know that their father had rejected his Redeemer, and most importantly he wanted them to know that after his soul had been racked with eternal torment, he was "snatched" and his "soul was pained no more." He was teaching them the Gospel of Jesus Christ through his own experiences, how he had been born of God and how everyone of us "must be born of God...changed from (our) carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming His sons and daughters. And thus become new creatures; and unless (we) do this (we) can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God" (Mosiah 27:25-26 emphasis added). 

Of all the things Alma could have taught His sons about himself, he chose to teach them that: "I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit." 

Alma also taught his son Shiblon what our relationship should be to God and to each other. He taught him to not be lifted up in pride or to boast of his own wisdom and strength, or to think of himself as better than his brethren; "but rather say: O Lord, forgive my unworthiness, and remember (our) brethren in mercy--yea, acknowledge your unworthiness before God at all times" (Alma 38:11-14 emphasis added).

Alma's emphasis in teaching his sons was on the goodness and mercy of our Savior, not his own 'good example, and how, notwithstanding his own sins and unworthiness, he was redeemed and born again. He wanted his Sons to know that it was not because of his goodness, but because of the goodness and righteousness of our Savior that he was redeemed. He did not just teach them that he was a good High Priest, had a testimony and fulfilled his civic and church duties. I use the metaphor of being a good ministering teacher because it fits the pattern of focusing on ourselves and our duties rather than on our Savior.

If we examine our own lives and decide what to teach our children, we may dismiss Alma's account as a pattern because, we may say, his experience was different. But was it really? Or should it be? Do we need to have an angel tell us to repent and be aware of the justice of God, when we have been told over and over again by Book of Mormon prophet-writers, by our modern day prophets and apostles, and by the Lord himself? We may say that Alma's sin was more serious and does not apply to us, even though we have been told that one sin subjects us to all of God's justice. But we can't teach what we have not experienced, and that is the problem: if we have not been troubled enough by our sins to bring us down unto repentance, we cannot teach our children what Alma taught his. Instead we may focus on the fact that we may have been a good ministering teacher.

Alma used his own experience with God's justice and mercy, to teach his sons about God's justice and mercy. His own experience caused him from that time forth to labor without ceasing, "that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost."

In telling my story in The Many Lives of W. Clark Burt, I wanted my children to see me as I really am (a chief sinner); and how, through His goodness and mercy, He has redeemed me from hell and saved me from my sins. I can say that I am repenting and desire to endure in repentance and faith to the end, and that I am no longer under the bondage of sin, but under His grace. I can say that I have been born of the Spirit. Even though my sins continue to trouble me, I continue to repent by turning to Christ and relying wholly upon His merits (not my own) to save me. I know that through repentance and enduring to the end I will have claim upon His mercy and be found guiltless at the judgment. It is not just about my sins but also about my being carnal by nature, and about all the flaws in my character such as selfishness and impatience. 

Tom Christofferson, brother to Apostle Todd Christofferson said of his being Gay, "For me, being gay is one of the greatest blessing of my life because I came to a point where I felt I really had to know that Christ lives, that his Atonement and resurrection are realities that have impact in my life. Other people come to that knowledge in their own ways, but this caused me to seek knowledge. I am incredibly grateful for this path." I can say the same about my path (divorce and new marriage) and for the same reasons. It was the catalyst for me to really seek Christ and His atonement. 

I call this a 'Road to Damacus' experience which results in us, at some point in our journey on this earth, stopping in our tracks and 'hearing' the voice of God, telling us: "This is my Son  Hear ye him!"  Have you had your 'road to Damascus' experience? Have you come to experience your own lost and fallen state, and experienced the need and desire to turn (repent) to Christ and rely wholly upon His merits?

The Lord has revealed to us that to repent means to turn to Christ. The Latin root for repentance is to turn. The Greek root means to change one's mind. The Hebrew root means to return to God. We must desire and be willing to change our mind and our heart and be willing to turn to God and turn away from what we are. When we partake of the Sacrament we do witness unto God that we are wiling to take upon us His name, that we are willing to always remember Him, and that we are willing to keep His commandments!

We can see the fruits of our repentance (or turning to Him) by virtue of the changes He is making in us. He is beginning to take away our disposition to do evil, and is curing our tendency to turn away from Him. Fruits of our repentance include growing in the knowledge of Him and desiring to teach our children and others of His goodness and mercy. He will cause that our hearts be filled with joy and we will rejoice in Him. We come to know that God created us with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which has been enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated to us through His words. Our views become clearer and our enjoyments greater. We begin losing our desire for sin, and He is changing our hearts. We offer Him our broken heart, and He gives us a new heart. Our hope becomes in Him. It is hope because we still realize our flesh is weak and that our heart continues to desire that which is evil sometimes, but we will believe what He has revealed: that we can attain to His righteousness through putting our faith in Him and be claimed by God's mercy.

Through His atonement, mercy was introduced as the way to reclaim us from the grasp of the justice of God. Through His fruits, we now know that we need God's mercy and would not want to be judged by our works, whether they be good or evil. Our hope is that we will be found guiltless, and that we will be claimed by His mercy.

Personally. I believe all the words which he has spoken to me. I know of their surety and truth because the Spirit of God has wrought a mighty change in me, or in my heart, that my disposition to do evil is diminishing and my desire to do good (the works of Christ) is increasing.

When Lehi was teaching his son Jacob he said to him "I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer..." (2 Nephi 2:3 emphasis added). It was not Jacob's righteousness which redeemed him, but the righteousness of Christ.

I know I cannot rely on my own merits and goodness. I have hurt and disappointed many, and If that had been the end of the story, then I would agree that I deserved to die in my sins and be consigned to a state of misery. But because of the goodness of God and the greatness of His Plan of Redemption, it was not the end of the story, but only the beginning of another path that led me to my Savior, to understand through His words the doctrine of repentance and faith. The walk that I have walked, and the one I want my children and others to know, is that of a sinner being redeemed, which is the walk that all of us must walk.  But it is not really my story that I want them to hear. It is the story of my Savior, of His goodness and mercy! It is His words that I want them to hear, not mine! It is His words, and when they hear them they will begin to understand the doctrine of repentance, to be troubled by their own sins, and the need and the desire to avoid the justice of God and through His words be driven into the arms of His Mercy!

 

Fortunately Alma's sons, including Corianton, did listen to what he had to say about his own repentance and about his being born again, for they then became the teachers of the gospel of repentance to their children, and to others (why) so that the great plan of mercy might have claim upon those that they taught. 

While still troubled, I am no longer harrowed up in my sins, but have beheld the marvelous light, and my soul has been filled with joy. I now know like Paul that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief" (1 Timothy 1:15).

If all you want your children to know is that you were a faithful church member; or that you faithfully fulfilled all your callings, went to or worked in the temple regularly, had a 'testimony,' did your family history, served a mission or multiple missions, and that you were by all accounts a good person (LDS obituary), you will undoubtedly miss the mark, and therefore probably cause your children to miss the mark as well. I say miss the mark in the sense that Jacob said it--the Jews were blinded by their own self righteousness, "which blindness came by looking beyond the mark" (Jacob 4:14), the mark being their Savior and His goodness and mercy, not their own. 

This scripture illustrates the difference. "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, (Why?) that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. We speak concerning the law (why?) that our children may know the deadness of the law, that they, by knowing the deadness of the law, may look forward unto life which is in Christ" (2 Nephi 25:26-27).

You may be part of the ninety and nine that need no repentance. But if you think that, be mindful of who Christ was speaking to and why He told them the parable of the lost sheep. It was to the Pharisees and scribes that Christ was speaking, and His reference to the ninety and nine was to those Pharisees and scribes, just persons, who thought they needed no repentance. His reference to joy in heaven over the one sinner that repenteth is contrasted with the sorrow over those who think they do not need to repent.

A brief look at D&C 68:25 and Moses 6:57-60 will help us understand not only what we are to teach our children but why it is so critical that they know we have experienced

what we are asked by the Lord to teach them. 

Parents with children in Zion must teach their children to understand the doctrine of repentance, to understand faith in Christ, to understand the need for baptism, and to understand the gift of the Holy Ghost. Note that it is not enough to teach them about, but to understand. 

This is not possible if we do not understand. It is not enough to just know about these doctrines, and we can only understand if we have experienced them! An example of this is Alma teaching his son Corianton. He could teach Corianton to understand the doctrine of repentance because he understood it, not just intellectually, but because he had experienced it!

Now look at Moses 6:57-60. Enoch has just explained that since we are all born in sin, including our children, that sin conceiveth in our hearts that we may know to taste the bitter (why?) so that we can choose the good. Because of this, and having become carnal, sensual and devilish by nature, we are agents unto ourselves with two choices--good or evil, and we cannot act for ourselves without being enticed by the one or the other. 

Because of this we are commanded to teach our children that all men everywhere must repent, and of course all men everywhere includes you. If you have taught your children to understand the doctrine of repentance (using the Lord's definition of repentance which is to turn to Him and rely wholly upon His merits), your children will want to know if you have and are repenting. If they understand that without repentance we cannot dwell in the presence of God, they will want to know where you will be. 

He gets more specific when he says: "Teach these things freely unto your children, saying: That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye (you) must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye (you) might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory." 

Teaching 'about' being born again is not the same as actually being born again, and what better example can you be to your children and grandchildren than the "example of a believer (in Christ), in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). If you be a good minister of Jesus Christ, you shall be "nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou has attained" (2 Timothy 4:6). "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine, continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee" (2 Timothy 4:16).

A New Language

The Language of Truth

As the people of Nephi were conversing one with another about changes that had taken place in the land Bountiful and about 'this Jesus Christ, of whom the sign had been given concerning his death,' they heard a voice and cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice. They heard the voice again and again did not understand it. But on the third time that they heard the voice "they did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were toward the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came," and they did understand the voice, and it said unto them: "Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name--hear ye him" (3 Nephi 11:1-7 emphasis added). 

The key to their hearing and understanding was that they finally "did look steadfastly toward heaven, from whence the sound came," and quit conversing among themselves. 

We all understand that there is a difference between hearing and understanding, or as the Lord says between 'hearing' and 'hearing' (Matthew 13:13). For example, I can hear my wife when she is speaking French, but I cannot 'hear' because I do not understand the language. In this sense 'hearing' requires an understanding and meaning of the words, as well as the structure of the language or the grammar. We may know a few words but are not fluent. It is the same with the language of Truth or the language of the Lord which is the word of God (D&C 84:45). 

With all languages we can use a dictionary to look up how words are defined and what they mean in each language, even though we have to learn the context of the words. With the language of the Lord, only He can define His words and there is no glossary of terms or dictionary, but they are defined, nevertheless, and only through immersing ourselves and searching His words can we begin to see how He defines and uses His words. 

One of the first principles of scriptural interpretation is to read everything in context—meaning you can’t isolate even one word, verse, or idea and let that become a point of focus without taking into account all its interconnections and word links to other parts of the text.

The language of Truth is much different from the language of opinion, from the language of ignorance, or from the language of men, even the language of men mingled with scripture. Not that there is anything wrong with being ignorant, since we all are, but to pretend we are not, is a "manner of lying and of deceit" (3 Nephi 16:1), and is an abomination because the right way of the Lord is perverted. 

An abomination is anything contrary to the revealed words of God. He has never asked us to interpret His words or to offer our opinions about them. He told us to say exactly what He said, an impossible task if we do not know His words. We are first to obtain His words, and then "you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men" (D&C 11:21). We risk lying when we misrepresent or distort the truth, and a lie is the most heinous of all crimes. And we risk speaking guile or deception when we do not speak the language of Truth. And we can never claim that it was unintentional or done in good faith since He has given us His words. You cannot plead poverty when you have it all.  

Nephi refers to this language as the 'tongue of angels' and why the tongue of angels? Because angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost and therefore speak the words of God. And if we are to speak with the tongue of angels, we too must speak the words of God. It is for this reason that Nephi tells us that we should 'feast upon the words of Christ' so that we too may speak by the power of the Holy Ghost and speak the words of Christ (2 Nephi 31:13-14; 32:2-3). Nephi then tells us that "after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock, wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark" (2 Nephi 32:4). He then laments the "unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be" (2 Nephi 32:7).

Let's begin by examining the Lord's explanation of why He spoke in parables where He said, that "therefore speak I to them in parables, because they seeing, see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand" (Matthew 13:13). Now it is obvious that when we hear a parable we can hear the story being told, but, as He says, we do not hear because we do not really understand or really 'hear.' What is it that we do not hear or do not understand? Well, He tells us that too--we do not understand His language or His words. It's not that we don’t understand English or any of the other languages that have been used to translate His words, but we do not understand how He uses and defines His words or how His words are connected and must be read (heard) in context and linked with all the other words that He has revealed. 

The reason, He says, that we may not hear or understand a parable is because His parables are based on the words of His Father and He uses parables to teach His Father's words. And because we do not understand His Father's words we do not understand or 'hear' His Father's words in the parables. In other words we do not look to the source of the words, these words that come from our Father in Heaven.

Through parables He taught the doctrine of His Father and He "spake the word (of God) unto them" (Mark 4:2; 33-34). The Savior asks us two questions about the parable of the sower: 

1. "Know ye not this parable?" and, if not,

2. "how then will ye know all parables?" 

Or in other words how will ye know the parables, unless you plant His words in your heart and then 'hear' and understand how He uses and defines His words? The answer is you will not understand nor hear.

This explanation for why the Lord spoke in parables is also true of why He spoke only the words of His Father (John 12:49-50), and the command to 'hear ye Him' requires that we understand the language of the Lord or His words and how He defines His words, so that we can look to the source and 'hear' His voice in His words. He also said that we will be judged by His Father's words (John 12:45-48).

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should understand the importance of using His words as He gave them, as we witness the exact use of His words each Sunday, through the Sacrament prayer. Each Sunday the Bishop makes sure that the Priests officiating at the Sacrament table say the prayer exactly as written, nothing varying, not even one word. And yet does it really make that much difference if a small mistake is made? Is this a reminder to us of the exactness of His words?  For example suppose we substitute the word 'will' in place of the word 'willing?' In this case it would make all the difference for instead of witnessing unto God that we are 'willing' (or want to) to take upon us His name, always remember him and keep His commandments, we would witness that we 'will' do these things. The difference is between understanding and not understanding His gospel of repentance, the fall, our lost and fallen state, and the atonement, and because we do not understand nor hear the language of the Lord, we do not see or hear the difference.

Another example of using His words as He gave them is found in 3 Nephi 27:8 where we read "And when they had ministered those same words which Jesus had spoken--nothing varying from the words which Jesus had spoken..." (emphasis added). And then "when Jesus had expounded all the scriptures in one, which they had written, he commanded them that they should teach the things which he had expounded unto them" (3 Nephi 23:14 emphasis added).

Another aspect of the language of the Lord is that it is hidden from view of those who are not interested in learning it. Because His words are treasures (D&C 84:85), and they lead us to the treasures of heaven and the Kingdom of Heaven, they must be searched out and stored up as treasures. It requires a diligent search, "For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost...." (1 Nephi 10:19). Even though His words have been sown among the world, His Kingdom remains hidden, and can only be discovered by those who truly desire it and are willing to learn His language, look to the source and 'hear' so they too can find the treasures of the 'mysteries of God.' He who will not seek after these treasures, or after that which is profitable to himself, is evil, for he abuses the goodness of God for the purpose of his own wickedness.

Another aspect of the language of Truth is that it speaks to us in contraries, or conditions that are diametrically opposed, or that are the complete opposites.  For example the Lord uses Good or Evil; Light or Darkness; Life or Death; Captivity or Freedom; Justice or Mercy; Babylon or Zion; Penitent or Non-penitent; Hard Heart or Receptive Heart; Hear Him or Do Not Hear Him; and many more polarities given with the clear understanding that we are free to choose one or the other. These choices are mutually exclusive for in choosing one we reject the other, and "wherefore man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other" (2 Nephi 2:16 emphasis added). 

Understanding the use of these polarities, and how He, not us, defines these contraries, helps us understand the Language of the Lord and more importantly our response to His words. As a result we no longer become observers trying to understand, but we become participants in the Lord's play. We know the plot, the beginning and the end and the fate of those who receive His words and believe them, and the fate of those who reject and do not believe His words. As He tells us, His word is "quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder..." (D&C 6:2).  Of critical importance is our response to His words, "either on the one hand or on the other--either to the convincing them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being brought down into captivity, and also destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil, of which I have spoken" (1 Nephi 14:7 emphasis added).

These opposite choices also help to define each choice. For example what Babylon is, Zion is not, and what Zion is, Babylon is not. This is true of the many contraries the Lord uses, they each help define the other or opposite choice. By understanding and experiencing what the Lord defines as darkness, we can better understand and experience His light. "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not...righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad" (2 Nephi 2:11 emphasis added).

We know that most people in every dispensation "have denied me, and have sought their own counsels in the dark" (Moses 6:28). I wonder, however, if many in the Church have also lost the ability to 'hear' the voice of the Lord? I read about an Indian Tribe on the Gila River Reservation south of Phoenix, and how the children of that tribe have lost their native voice and the ability to speak or understand the language of their fathers. They were a generation born into English. Are we a generation born into the language of the pulpit and tradition, and as a result have we lost the ability to either speak or understand the language of the Lord? And have we taught our children the language of tradition? One thing that is certain is that, as with any language, if children do not learn the language of Truth when they are young, it becomes much more difficult to learn it when they are older.

For example, if I was to ask 100 LDS members what the Gospel is, I would probably get 100 variations of the term. But if I was to ask how the Lord has defined His Gospel, there may be 1 or 2 who could answer, and the others may not even be aware that there is a written definition of His Gospel which He has given to us (3 Nephi 27:13-21). And why could they not answer? Because they speak the language of tradition or opinion and have not looked steadfastly towards heaven or to the source, but have relied on what others have said, and thereby, as Isaiah predicted, merely parrot back what they have heard, or what they think they may have heard.

Isaiah describes us as a people who just regurgitate what we have heard others say, who settle for a trifle here and a trifle there, when, as he says, there is so much more. He asks the question, to "Whom shall he (the Lord) teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breast" (Isaiah 28:9). As Paul said "everyone who uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe" (Hebrews 5:13). Isaiah says that we have watered down the word of God so that it no longer nourishes us. Even the ox and the ass know their master's voice, he says, "but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider" (Isaiah 1:2-3). The Lord has always wanted to be our teacher and for us to receive our instruction directly from Him--the source. For that reason He has revealed His words and expects us to receive them in our hearts and minds, and to use them to teach others so that they too can receive their knowledge directly from God (Alma 36:26). But if we teach a perverted word or a watered down word, we are not using the language of the Lord, but man made precepts mingled with scriptures. Precepts of men prevent people from receiving more of God's word. If people haven't heard something a thousand times, then it can't be true. Although what they believe may have no basis in truth, they won't search the scriptures to see if those things are so (Acts 17:11).

The answer to our self deception is personal revelation from God.

We have become a people who, for the most part, speak in tenets, even though we have been commanded that "of tenets thou shalt not talk" (D&C 19:31). Tenet is defined as any opinion, principle, belief, creed, precept or dogma, especially one held in common by members of an organization. If this is true why then did the Lord say "of tenets that shalt not talk? Looking at the definition of dogma may give us some hint as to why we are not to talk of tenets. Dogma is often applied to statements put forward by someone who has 'not searched knowledge" (2 Nephi 32:7), which is, in our case, the knowledge revealed by God through His words, and who believes that these statements should be accepted without proof, just because they are repeated often or spoken by someone in authority. 

They are often spoken as mantras. Some examples are, 'follow the prophet,' 'the church is true,' 'the Book of Mormon is true,' and more recently 'hasten the work' and 'teaching in the Savior's Way.' The form becomes more important than the substance, and the tenets are spoken without the knowledge of what the Lord has told us. In place of tenets the Lord makes clear what we should speak of: "but thou shalt declare repentance and faith on the Savior, and remission of sins by baptism, and by fire... (for) this is the great and last commandment which I have given unto you concerning this matter..." (D&C 19:31). It is not enough just to say the words, but we must declare what He means by repentance and faith on the Savior, remission of sins by baptism and by fire. And we can only do this if we know and understand His language, and through His words have experienced our need for repentance, and then repented.

The effect is that we become as Oliver Cowdrey said, susceptible to "the wicked one (who has the) power to seduce the foolish and untaught, till naught but fiction feeds the many, and the fruit of falsehood carries in its current, the giddy to the grave..." (Oliver Cowdrey, Footnote to Joseph Smith History, Pearl of Great Price).

Fiction in the gospel is created by perverting and/or neglecting the word of God. By long neglect land produces weeds, thorns and thistles (note same description in the Parable of the Sower), so our minds, by long neglect will produce opinions, philosophies and fictions--even fictions masquerading as the gospel. This should not surprise us as Nephi taught that we "...preach false doctrines...and pervert the right way of the Lord" (2 Nephi 28:14-25).

We become captured by the language that we use. Captured in the sense that we are restricted to form over substance, or to our own or the opinions of others. We instead speak the language of tenets or the language of opinion. In other words our acquired habits of thought have shaped our experience in significant ways and have shaped our worldview. As Chauncey Riddle said, "a person's religion is that person's beliefs and values, his or her habit of thinking, feeling and deciding" (Think Independently Chauncey C. Riddle). In other words we substitute our ways for His way, and even come to believe that our ways are His way. We are bound by our habits of thinking and feeling. If our habits of thinking are based on what we have heard others say, and if our diet is limited to reading and hearing what others have said or written, we become, in effect, a product of the language and knowledge of others, or as Brigham Young said we become "fixed with a very limited amount of knowledge, and like a door upon its hinges, move to and fro from one year to another without any visible advancement or improvement." For the most part, even those who believe they are independent thinkers are actually dependent on what they have read or heard others say, whether it be from text books, scientific journals, pop culture or Mormon culture.

What most people know and believe comes from communication with other human beings, and from our experiences and our senses. We often put more trust in what we receive from those in authority or so called experts in their fields. The Lord wants us to learn His truth directly from Him and not from others, except as those others speak the language of the Lord, and has cautioned over and over again to not put our trust in other people, regardless of their position or knowledge. When Christ asked Peter "But whom say ye that I am?" Peter answers, "Thou are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Christ then says to Peter, "...flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 15:13). Christ was standing right next to Peter and still the knowledge came from His Father. 

We can, however, look to those who teach the word of God and who speak the language of the Lord, but it is still our Father's voice that we should hear through His words (D&C 1:38). And it is our responsibility to know whether what others speak is the word of God or not, meaning that we must know the language in order to recognize it as the language of Truth. We cannot shift this responsibility to others as the Children of Moses wanted to do when they told Moses they did not want to talk to God, so they said to Moses, you talk to Him (Exodus 20:19).

God makes it clear that it is He that has spoken, and that His "words are not of men nor of man, but of me; wherefore you shall testify they are of me and not of man; For it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power you can read them one to another; and save it were by my power you could not have them" (D&C 18:33-35). And we can only testify that we have heard His voice, if we know His words (D&C 18:36).

Could it be that we have become institutionalized learners? When someone becomes institutionalized, they gradually become less able to think and act independently, having lived for so long under the auspices of an institution. Institutionalized learning includes what we learn from classes and meetings, and self learning encompasses what we learn on our own time without the forced influence of the system. Perhaps we should let Joseph and Brigham speak on this subject.

"How vain and trifling have been our spirits, our conferences, our councils, our meetings, our private as well as public conversations--too low, too mean, too vulgar, too condescending for the dignified characters of the called and chosen of God" (JS).

"The expanding mind must be openly and frankly critical, come hell or high council; without that we get too much of the sameness in this community.  I am not a stereotyped Latter-day Saint, and do not believe in the doctrine.  Are we going to stand still?  Away with stereotyped Mormons" (BY).

"When you see the Latter-day Saints greedy and covetous of the things of this world, do you think their minds are in a fit condition to be written upon by the pen of revelation" (BY)?

"Ladies and gentlemen, I exhort you to think for yourselves, and read your Bibles for yourselves, get the Holy Spirit for yourselves, and pray for yourselves" (BY).

"All have the privilege of thinking for themselves upon all matters of conscience.  We are not disposed, had we the power, to deprive anyone of exercising that free independence of mind which heaven has so graciously bestowed upon the human family as one of its choicest gifts" (JS).

Over and against the expanding mind, Joseph and Brigham placed the contracted mind.  Brigham told the well-heeled saints to "keep their riches, and with them I promise you leanness of soul, darkness of mind, narrow and contracted hearts."

What are our obstacles to learning the language of the Lord? He tells us of many of the obstacles in the Parable of the Sower, but our biggest obstacle is our unwillingness to learn because we have chosen to focus on the things of the world, which has the same effect. It is the things of the world versus the things of the mind or the treasures of heaven. 

"Without direct (personal) revelation from heaven," said Brigham Young, "it is impossible for any person to understand fully the plan of salvation. We often hear it said that the living oracles must be in the Church, in order that the Kingdom of God may be established and prosper on the earth. I give another version of this sentiment. I say that the living oracle of God, or the Spirit of revelation must be in each and every individual, to know the plan of salvation and keep in the path that leads them to the presence of God."

Compare these quotes from Joseph and Brigham with what many have allowed to become their learning process.Many have allowed their learning process to become top down, allowing authority to replace personal revelation. They have allowed the learning curriculum of the organization to become the basis of their learning, and are ridged in their belief that the curriculum must be followed, thereby ignoring the command to treasure up in their minds the words of life and to share these treasures as moved upon by the Holy Ghost (D&C 84:95). For these members the lesson curriculum becomes an end instead of a means. They feed downstream rather than from the spring head--directly from our Father in Heaven. They give no or very little thought to the Lord's meaning of the words He uses. They will not search great knowledge when it is given to them in plainness, even as plain as Word can be (2 Nephi 32:7). They prefer devotion over knowledge. Ignorance is encouraged. As a result teachings and talks are shallow and objectified. Cliches and truisms become their everyday diet. Spiritual gifts of knowledge are ignored. They regurgitate what others have said often repeating false ideas and wrong interpretations. They have substituted institutional learning for direct revelation. They buy into the mantras and tenets and will not go beyond them. They are content with what they have and need 'no more bible.' And they fly to pieces if you suggest to them that the way is "prepared for them, that if they would look they might live" (Alma 38:44-47). To them it is foolish because they believe they must do more than look. How can they be healed, they ask, by merely looking? These leave the word of God by the wayside.

Many members of the Church have been learning by absorbing and soaking up information that is presented by those who are known, or just believed, to be more scholarly or have more authority. Supporting what Isaiah said, their education has been limited to just the narrating of materials on the part of the teachers, so that what is presented is lifeless and irrelevant, and contrary to the word of God. The students become victims of the teachers' meager expectations.

Our learning has become cultural, and while culture is a way of working toward common goals, our ignorance has caused us to accept the wrong goals. As Martin Luther King said, "Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." This mirrors Joseph Smith statement that the "veil of stupidity" hangs over the minds of this people. Peter is purported to have said that all evil springs from ignorance and is nourished and rooted in our hearts and minds by negligence, and can only be cut off by knowledge from God. There is nothing worse, he says, than for one to believe that which he is ignorant of, and to maintain that to be true which is false. (Clement of Rome, Book 5, Chapter 4). 

The Lord's language is an ancient language in that it was first given to Adam to receive, and then to write, the words given him by God. That language of Truth has been preserved through many records and with the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and other scripture. But there is so much more that we have not received! And why? Because we have not received what has already been given to us, and are therefore under condemnation. (3 Nephi 26:8-11; D&C 84:54-55).

This table is intended to compare some of what we teach and hear using what I call the language of tradition and compare it with what we should be teaching and hearing through the language of Truth. The language of tradition includes the language of opinion, the language of men mingled with scripture, the language of ignorance, and the language that results when we pervert or water down His word. It is not enough just to be close. Even the slightest variation is a perversion of His word and "they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men" (2 Nephi 28:14; see also 2 Nephi 27:25).

Language of Tradition	Language of Truth
follow the prophet	look to the Lord & live
gospel is about our worthiness	gospel is about our unworthiness; always retain in remembrance your nothingness
we are good people	call none good but my Father
modern day prophets more important	Search the words of Isaiah
hasten the work	the Lord hastens His work & He tells us what we must do to prepare for when He hastens His work and He defines His work
hold up your light, be a good example and follow the examples of others	I am the light that ye hold up.  Your light is but a spark
in the world but not of the world	of the world when you live by world's economy
have joy in our works	end comes and because of our works, we are cast into the fire
I have repented of my sins	I am repenting continually of my sins
make the right choices	only two choices--good or evil
God may beat me with a few stripes	justice claims all that are its own and one sin subjects us to the justice of God
lessons on work	labor for Zion, but if ye labor for money ye shall perish
put your trust in the leaders of the Church	do not put your trust in the arm of flesh & trust only the Lord; worship the creator and not the creature
I know the church is true	church is true if built upon His gospel; only those who repent are of His church
live the gospel	this is my Gospel--that my Father sent me to do His will
this is a gospel of performance	His is a gospel of repentance
be righteous by keeping commandments	attain to righteousness through faith not by the works of the law
do everything you can do and He will do the rest	rely wholly upon the merits of Christ; we do not merit anything of ourselves
invite the Spirit	His word is His Spirit and cannot teach by Spirit if we do not teach His word
follow the manual	treasure up in your minds the words of life and then it shall be given you what ye shall say and what ye shall speak
endure to the end	endure to the end in faith in Jesus Christ, relying wholly upon His merits, feasting upon the word of God & continually repenting
For those who are not sinners	all have fallen short of the glory of God and all have sinned
he/she is a faithful member	I have great joy because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God
My good works will count for something	thou are redeemed because of the righteousness of thy Savior & without repenting or turning to Christ, you will suffer the justice of God regardless of whether your works are good or evil
I know the church is true	I stand as a witness of God in all times and in all places

The point of this chart is to give a few examples of how our language differs from that of the Lord's, and how, as a result we are taught what a seminary teacher friend of mine calls 'fluff," or what Elder Holland calls spiritual twinkies. Our language does not edify or nourish, and it does not enlighten.   As Hugh Nibley observed, and it has been my experience as well, we have zeal, but a zeal without knowledge, for receiving awards for "sitting in endless meetings, for dedicated conformity and unlimited capacity for suffering boredom" (Hugh Nibley, Zeal Without Knowledge, Approaching Zion).

The Lord has identified the 'mainspring of all corruption' as the creeds of the fathers (the languages of men), which have been strongly riveted upon the hearts of the children, and how the earth groans under the weight of its iniquity. He says this mainspring of all corruption "is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell" (D&C 123:7-8). Compare this with Alma warning us that those who harden their hearts against the word of God will "know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell" (Alma 12:9-14).

Compare this with what Joseph Smith said:  "The mind or the intelligence which man possesses," is co-equal with God himself." What greater crime than the minimizing of such capacity? "The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge....  The principle of knowledge is the principle of salvation. This principle can be comprehended by the faithful and diligent. We are saved no faster than we get knowledge" (JS). And Joseph is referring to the knowledge that comes directly from our Father to us through His language or through His words.

Isaiah questions our readiness to receive pure revelation through His words because we live on a diet of vomit and excrement. The Lord tells us that we must be willing to receive more than line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little (2 Nephi 28:29-30; D&C 98:12; 128:21). Again Isaiah tells us that the revelation the Lord has in mind for his people prepares them for events that will soon occur in rapid succession, but unfortunately, the people of Ephraim do not put themselves in a position to receive such instruction.  But if the people of Ephraim will receive the word of the Lord, it will provide a rest for them. They will no longer be subject to the wearisome method of learning God's word via precept upon precept, but will become confidants of the Lord. Isaiah's rest reflects the biblical one--the Lord's rest is where He resides. And according to Joseph Smith, rest means to be received into the presence of the Lord. Isaiah equates rest of the Lord with direct revelation, because being instructed by the Lord leads, eventually, into His presence. Also see D&C 84:23-24. But those to whom the word of the Lord remains precept upon precept, will become ensnared and taken captive.

Comparing the rote method of learning with receiving direct instruction from God, Isaiah shows us that one leads to rest and the other to bondage. And Isaiah's context of the Lord's day of judgment and vengeance adds a note of practical urgency as well as a ring of condemnation. For many it may be too late!

It becomes critical, therefore, for us to learn the Lord's language, His words and how He uses and defines them, and then teach His words to others. Mosiah also warns us when he tells us that the records have been preserved that we might read and understand of His mysteries, that we will always have His commandments before our eyes; for without these records we would dwindle in unbelief, and know nothing concerning them, or will not believe them when we are taught because of the traditions of our fathers (Mosiah 1:2-7).

So many witnesses! And I add my witness as well. Let me end with one more witness, Joseph Smith:  "Any man that will not receive revelation for himself must be damned." Can I tell if you are fluent in the language of God? Instantly by what comes out of your mouth.