Hey everyone, this week flew by. We had our Luau that we've been planning for forever! It was pretty fun, most of the pictures are from that. I'm basically a pro at doing the Haka now, so if anyone wants to learn it I'll teach you when I get back. :) Sorry this is short, I'll write a better one next week. :/ These short emails aren't very interesting, are they? Any suggestions on what would make them more interesting? I can tell you what I eat every day if you want.....here's a short quote in the place of my typical....spiritual thought.

"Agency in its fullest sense requires the individual to be in command of himself, for one who is a prisoner of his bad impulses cannot really choose; another truth about "things as they are," therefore, is that we either control our bad impulses or they control us."

-Neal A. Maxwell 

Pictures:

Helping the ward with Luau

Participating in Haku (a hawaiian dance) for the Luau

Answering questions about missionary work by some youth in the ward

very fancy car...again, again and again

Here's  thought for the week! Or rather some thoughts for the next few weeks. It's an email i wrote to Michele to answer some of her questions. And I thought it was rather well put together, so maybe you guys can use it somehow, or share it with the missionaries in the Ward at home or something!

Love, Hunter 

Alright, this is going to be kinda lengthy, but it has to be in order to give satisfactory explanations. I'm going to be using both biblical, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants passages, as well as quotes from Prophets and Apostles and my own words to build a framework that will address and hopefully provide adequate explanations for the things you have brought up. Some scriptures might be used more than once. To review the things I am addressing, in the order I'm going to address them in.....
1. The very organized, rigid structure of the Church. Does the structure and similarity of the church 'hierarchy' to man made governance mean that it is not Divinely inspired, and directed?
2. The 'Line of Authority.' Is it really necessary to have 'Authority' passed down? Or does it become a 'cultural' thing?
3. Scripted teaching. Why is there a 'syllabus' in the church? Does the fact that there is a structure to what is taught in the church mean that what is taught is not true? Does it mean that truths as being kept back, or that opinions and deals are not allowed to be expressed? 

4. To much focus on ceremony. What is the purpose of ceremonies? Does the fact that there is an emphasis on 'ceremonies' (these are more commonly referred to as ordinances) mean that the practice of them is wrong?

Please review this carefully and prayerfully. The Lord wants to teach you, and you will get so much more from Him than from me.

     The structure of the church. The answer to why the church is so structuralized is found in the New Testament. The Church we have now is, we claim, the same church Christ established during His earthly ministry. SO, we must first establish whether or not Christ did in fact establish a church, and if He did, why he established a church. 

Ephesians 4:3-4 says, "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism." The 'one body' is the church. There is one Lord that salvation comes through. There is one way to show faith in Him (ex. You cannot show your faith by doing the hula every morning). And there is only one kind of baptism that flies with God.

Matthew 16:18 says, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." 'This rock' is referencing revelation, the means by which Peter knew that, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." So Christ stated that he would build HIS church, and REVELATION would be the the rock on which it is built. Luke 6:12-13 states, "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles." This story is repeated throughout the gospels of the New Testament. After he called them as His Apostles he, "called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick." (Luke 9:1-2) Christ called them as His apostles, or special witnesses, because that was the way he wanted His church to be run. Ephesians 2:19-21 says, "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." Christ wanted His church to be built on the foundation of Prophets and Apostles. This is why after the death of an apostle another was called (Acts 1:21-26), why Christ did the same thing in the Americas (3 Nephi 11:21-22), and how Christ directed the church THROUGH REVELATION (Acts 10:9-28, in which the Lord revealed to Peter (the prophet) that the gospel was to be taken to the Gentiles as well. There was a predominant disgust by the Jews for people not part of 'the covenant.')

The following scriptures are a just some others that refer to the church as an actual organization. 

Ephesians 5:23,  Acts 8:1,3,  Acts 12:5

For further study, here is a list of a few examples of structure in the church.

1. Paul ordains others (Acts 14:23), and baptized others (Acts16:5, 31-33) after being commissioned/set apart as a missionary by church authorities in Antioch (Acts 13:1-3).

2. Paul re-baptized converts that had been baptized by someone without the proper authority (Acts 19:1-6), and who hadn't been given the gift of the Holy Ghost after being baptized like they were supposed to. 

3. Luke 10:1 Jesus ordained special missionaries called seventies to go preach and look after the church. We have seventies today.

4. Church must bear Christ's name. 3 Nephi 27:1-8.

Now that I've established that Christ DID establish his own church with a unique organization, we must discuss and decide WHY did Christ establish his own Church?

"The absence of authority is not freedom; nothing is more controlling than anarchy--in the home or on the streets."

-Neal A. Maxwell

“People are not better off when they are given maximum personal freedom to do what they want. They’re better off when they are enshrouded in commitments that transcend personal choice--commitments to family, God, craft and country.”

-David Brooks, New York Times Columnist

Ephesians 4:11-14 says, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;"

Christ ordained apostles, prophets, etc., for....1. Perfecting the saints. How are the saints to become perfect? By obeying the laws and ordinances of the gospel. How are the ordinances to be properly carried out except by someone who has the proper authority? 2. Work of the ministry. Missionary work. 3. Edifying of the body (church) of Christ. Teaching the gospel to the saints (General Conference!) 4. So we would not be carried about by 'every wind of doctrine'. (I will discuss this more when I address 'scripted teaching.') 5. We will have this structure until we all come in a unity of the faith. That's open to interpretation as to exactly when that will be......during the millennium, after we're all dead.....but it sure isn't now!

"Latter Day Saints are part of an authoritarian organization in an age when authority, especially in religion, is an unpopular concept and when many people are reluctant to assume authority. It would be easier to go along with a de-emphasis on authority, but a divine Church cannot risk popularity at any price; neither can its members, individually."

-Neal A. Maxwell

     Now to discuss the 'line of authority'. Exodus 40:13-15 says, "And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations." Here, the Lord is commanding Moses to give Aaron authority to administer in the office of a priest under the Mosaic Law. This mainly had to do with performing sacrifices on the behalf of everyone and their dog for what they did wrong. Hebrews 5:4-5 states, "And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee." No one can take the honor of administering the ordinances of the Gospel unless they are called by God to do so. Maybe someone has an inclination or feeling that they should teach, or baptize, but they must be ordained by the Lords constituted authorities in order to do that because, "Mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion." (D&C 132:8) Even Christ, as shown in Hebrews 5 did not simply start preaching the gospel. He was first 'ordained of God.' Acts 13:1-3 is a good example of the process. (Quick rewind to Acts 8:12-20where Christ appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus. This didn't mean Paul could go around teaching the gospel. He first had to get baptized by someone that had the authority to baptize him--Ananias. )"Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away." Barnabas and Saul felt the Holy Ghost testify to them that they should go and serve missions. I'm going to embellish the story a little the way I see it happening. After Barnabas and Paul/Saul felt like they should serve a mission, they all took time to fast and pray. Inquiring of the Lord whether or not they should indeed be missionaries. After receiving an affirmative answer, they were set apart by the proper authority. D&C 5:16-17 is a good example of this process being followed during the Restoration. "And behold, whosoever believeth on my words, them will I visit with the manifestation of my Spirit; and they shall be born of me, even of water and of the Spirit--And you must wait yet a little while, for ye are not yet ordained--" In this revelation to Joseph Smith, the Lord says that those who believe on His words, after receiving a witness from the Holy Ghost that they are true, are to be baptized. Then he says 'But you need to wait!! Because you have not been given the authority to do that yet.' The authority to baptize was restored by John the Baptist about two months later. D&C 13 "Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness." The authority to baptize was restored. In due time, the 'greater priesthood' was restored by Peter, James, and John. The Keys of the Kingdom were given to Joseph Smith and other important Priesthood keys necessary for the performing of ordinances of salvation were restored by Moses, Elias, and Elijah in the Kirtland Temple. Yes, Priesthood authority is passed down. But it is less of a generational passing down of a figurative or fictional authority than it is of a receiving of authority by younger people from those who have the authority. In some instances with few people, it does become a tradition. It is not. D&C 121:36-37 says, "That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness. That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man." 

“When an individual is ordained and appointed to lead the people, he has passed through tribulations and trials, and has proven himself before God, and before His people, that he is worthy of the situation which he holds. … that when a person has not been tried, that has not proved himself before God, and before His people, and before the councils of the Most High, to be worthy, he is not going to step in and lead the Church and people of God. It has never been so, but from the beginning some one that understands the Spirit and counsel of the Almighty, that knows the Church, and is known of her, is the character that will lead the Church."

-Orson Hyde

To shed a small ray of light on this, here is an analogy. This is not a literal analogy, but authority isn't just a stick that's passed down. It's Thor's hammer, and only someone that is worthy can use it. Which leads quite well into scripted teaching!

     

     Scripted Teaching. Matthew 7:28-29....."And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." What made it so that Jesus taught with authority, and by inference, the scribes did not? Matthew 15:7-9 answers that for us. "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." The Sadducees and Pharisees and scribes were all hypocrites. They taught the letter of the law and did not live the law themselves. They twisted the law to suit themselves. They had no authority because they held their positions as a way to maintain and gain power and influence. They didn't even believe the scriptures that they claimed to teach! (John 5:43-47 "I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?")This is the most important thing to have established about teaching. Teaching with POWER and AUTHORITY is the key to teaching effectively. Mosiah 18:18-20 says, "And it came to pass that Alma, having authority from God, ordained priests; even one priest to every fifty of their number did he ordain to preach unto them, and to teach them concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And he commanded them that they should teach nothing save it were the things which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets. Yea, even he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people." How do we know what we should teach first of all? We should probably teach 1. The things Christ taught, 2. The things his prophets and apostles taught from the Bible, 3. The things His prophets from the Book of Mormon taught, and 4. Things that modern day prophets and Apostles have taught. Nothing is taught unless it is is taught by God or His servants and, "whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants it is the same." Your concerns over scripted teaching and the church having to much of a 'human' influence are contradictory in this way. If we were to have a completely open base of doctrines, so that any opinion or thought expressed was valid or true, that would be the epitome of non-divine leadership. Yes, opinions are allowed to be expressed and discussed. Some are correct. Some are wrong. God's gospel does not change. That is why we have apostles and prophets (Ephesians 4:14), and why we only teach the Doctrines we know about. So that we are not "tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine." The "sleights of men" are when men start "preaching for doctrines the commandments of men," or in other words, teaching their opinion as God given Doctrine. That's why the Lord has instructed in D&C43:15-16, "Again I say, hearken ye elders of my church, whom I have appointed: Ye are not sent forth to be taught, but to teach the children of men the things which I have put into your hands BY THE POWER OF MY SPIRIT; And ye are to be taught from on high. Sanctify yourselves and ye shall be endowed with power, that ye may give even as I have spoken." Anyone teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ must do it by the Power of His Spirit. If you were to compare the four Gospels of the New Testament to 3 Nephi 12-29, you would find that Christ taught the same things to the Nephites and Lamanites as He did to the Jews at Jerusalem. Being taught and re-taught the same principles is how we learn them. Whenever something is taught in the church, the lesson or talk is based on a principle or doctrine of the Gospel, and the teacher spends time preparing a lesson or talk, praying for the guidance of the Spirit, which is, as I established earlier, the most important thing to have in teaching is the Spirit. The spirit guides us into "all truth." Someone can be taught the same lesson a thousand times and still learn something new every time it is taught. 

     A focus on ordinances. Numbers 9:2-4 says, "Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover." The Passover was a ceremony that the Lord instituted among the Israelites as part of the Mosaic law. Why did He Institute it? So they would remember the hand of the Lord in bringing them out of Egypt where they were enslaved. Christ himself kept the Passover because it was of such importance. It wasn't until the end of Christ's mortal ministry that the law (which was given to help the children of Israel look forward to the coming of the Messiah (see reference to John 5:43-47 again)) was fulfilled, and the new law (given to help the Saints REMEMBER Christ) was given. This is why he instituted the sacrament. Luke 22:19-20 "And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: THIS DO in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." After Christ had departed, the saints continued to practice the ordinance if partaking of the sacrament as shown in Acts 20:7....And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. The reason this ordinance and all other ordinances are observed so strictly, is because the Lord said it. Specifically regarding temples. First of all, one of the specific things people can be excommunicated from the church for, is sneaking recording devices into the temple and filming the sacred covenants we make with God, which we call our endowment, and make with God for people that have died, giving them the opportunity to accept that in heaven as having been done for them on earth. God will not be mocked, and that is what those people are doing. When they are mocking sacred things, they are attempting to mock God. There is not nearly an over-emphasis on temples, the things done in them, or anything that has to do with them. If anything, there is a gross relaxed and non-caring attitude about temples. The purpose of having temples is to make salvation possible for the dead. To sum up the purpose of temples...."The main object was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation; for there are certain ordinances and principles that, when they are taught and practiced, must be done in a place or house built for that purpose."

-Prophet Joseph Smith

To conclude all of this. Why does any of it even matter? The Gospel makes sense. In the words of Elder Matthew Cowley, a deceased member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "The gospel of Jesus Christ is simply beautiful and beautifully simple." Understanding comes with time sometimes. Perhaps not everything will be understood in mortality, but personally, it is enough for me to know that is what the Lord said." I don't understand everything. I can't explain everything perfectly. That is why we ask you to focus so much on the Book of Mormon. Here are some facts surrounding the existence of the Book of Mormon I'd like you to consider as you continue to study it.

1. Joseph Smith was 22 when he started translating the plates. It took 21 months from the time he started to the time he finished to complete it. And he only spent 80 days of those 21 months actually translating.

2. He had only a 3rd grade education, and did no research before beginning.

3. He 'wrote a book' with 239 chapters. 54 about wars, 21 about history, 55 about prophecy, 71 about doctrine, 17 about missionaries, and 21 about the mission of Jesus Christ. 

4. He 'wrote' about an ancient country covering a period of time from 600 B.C. To 421 A.D., including in it a history of two separate and distinct nations that no one ever knew existed. (1. Nephites and Lamanites 2. Jaredites)

5. His book had to describe the religious, economic, social, and political culture and institutions of these two nations.

6. When starting translation after pauses, he never asked to have the last sentence or paragraph read back to him.

7. The first edition of the Book of Mormon must stand forever.

8. The record he translated contained facts unknown to the rest of the world about the nations described, but over the next 150 years, scientific discoveries have proved these facts to be true.

These are just a few of the miraculous phenomena surrounding the publication of the Book of Mormon. It's been on trial for nearly 200 years and has withstood careful scrutinization by some of the greatest minds in the world. If Joseph Smith was not the prophet called by God to restore His church in the Latter Days, then how did he accomplish all that he did? He was not perfect. To say he or anyone but Christ was would be blasphemous. "God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability."

-Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God. God will never let His prophet lead the Saints the wrong way. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is God's kingdom on Earth, in a very literal sense. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.