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June 17, 2019 5:00 am
Answering questions by Bill McKeever during Johnson deals with 36 commonly asked questions by your LDS friends and neighbors. It's a great resource for Christians want to share their faith with friends and loved ones. We should pick up your copy today that your favorite Christian bookstore viewpoint on Mormonism program that examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective viewpoint on Mormonism is sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism.
Why are so many Mormons feeling guilty, welcomed this additional viewpoint on Mormonism.
I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at M. R. M.
There was an article in the September 2017 issue of inside magazine titled a better way to measure myself that before we begin to look at this article that was written by Heather J. Johnson. I think we need to mention that this is certainly not the first time this subject has been brought up in the February & of 2017 there was an article called finding peace in imperfection and in the October 2017 conference messages Jeffrey R. Holland, Mormon apostle address this very same issue in a talk that he gave in the Saturday session. The Saturday morning session of Gen. conference on September 30 but back in February. In this article, finding peace in imperfection.
This is how Elizabeth Lloyd Lund opened her piece. She said one of the misperceptions that we may struggle with during this earth. Life has to do with the concept of perfection. Many falsely believe that we must achieve perfection in this life, in order to be saved or exalted as a therapist I was once in a meeting with the woman when she burst into tears.
She said how can I ever be good enough that when she says this misperception and that you must achieve perfection in this life. My question would be well aware of the world that she get that conclusion and obviously she gets it, probably from the miracle of forgiveness written by Spencer W. Kimball the 12th president of the Mormon church.
You can find that on page 209. In his book where he says perfection is an achievable goal. But then we have input in the September 2017 issue of inside magazine. Another article that pops up that carries with it the same kind of theme, this one by Heather J Johnson how she opened it up. She's writes throughout my time as a missionary. I struggled with questions like these in my doing enough in my doing all of the specific things God wants me to accomplish as a missionary.
I worry that despite my working hard and striving to be obedient my imperfections and mistakes made my sacrifice and serving not as acceptable as it might have been. I especially worried about leaving things undone. Even if I didn't know exactly what those things were even after my release I kept worrying about these questions. Six weeks after returning home I read an article by Elder Brent H.
Nielsen of the 70 called can we live after the manner of happiness. In it he tells of interviewing a missionary who was worried about mistakes he had already repented of Elder Nelson asked the missionary why do you want to pay for your sins. When the Savior is already paid for them. I realize that by beating myself up over my perceived shortcomings. I was trying to pay for them myself. What's more, some of my expectations. I was holding myself to were of my own making and not God's will that stop and analyze what she says here because I don't think that's really the reason I personally do not believe that is what this woman was really doing with this woman was living out was exactly what Paul writes in the book of Romans in chapter 3 in verse 20 where he says therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
This woman was experiencing this knowledge of sin. And because of her sin. She saw the inability of being able to live up to the law. Now I know Paul is talking about Mosaic law.
Mormonism has its own sets of laws when they go through the temple, there's a number of laws that they are reminded about and must follow an covenant to keep and if they don't they are told by the character playing Lucifer in the temple that he will have them in his power. If they don't live up to every covenant they make in the temple what she was experiencing what Heather Johnson was experiencing was exactly what Paul says you will experience if you think commandment keeping is going to make you right in the eyes of God.
That's why Mormons are feeling this guilt there experiencing exactly what Paul predicted they would feel, and I don't think it was this ability to try to pay for her sins by herself estimate that may be what she was told, but I don't think that's it at all. When you take a look at the unique LDS scripture such as the book of Mormon doctrine and covenants, and when you take a look at what the leaders talk about a general conference and when you take a look at what the manuals that they are supposed to read every month are saying, then it's no wonder that she had this guilt. Where does it come from it comes from the leadership of the Mormon church and so this idea of a better way to measure myself.
The leaders have set it up so that they're measuring themselves by what they can't accomplish they can't do it on their own and certainly the Bible teaches that were not able to do everything that God is commanded and that's why there's forgiveness. But the only way that you can get forgiveness and Mormonism is by doing the things that you're told to do in their making promises at sacrament services they're making promises at the temple and they are saying or coveting that they will do the things that they are promising will when she cites Elder Brent Nielsen of the 70 where he says, why do you want to pay for your sins. When the Savior has already paid for them now for an evangelical I get that line that's not Mormonism. The only way that Jesus pays for the sins of the Latter Day Saints is if they have met all the requirements in order to achieve that forgiveness of that sin we have again Spencer Kimball, who in a conference message in April 1975, said there can be no forgiveness without real and total repentance, and there can be no repentance without punishment.
This is as eternal as is the soul. He also said in an article that was in the inside magazine called the gospel of repentance and this is in October 1982, page 4 remember this that forgiveness can never come without repentance. And then when you have Mormon leaders like George q. Cannon speaking on July 14, 1872 and this is found the journal discourses, volume 15, page 113. He says when I say repent.
I mean a complete forsaking of sin and turning from it.
Truly and sincerely in no other way. Can mankind escape the judgments and calamities threatened, and of which they are warned, doctrine and covenants makes it very clear that you need to repent. Keep the commandments and then you get this forgiveness that section 1, verse 32. So if he's saying why do you want to pay for your sins.
When the Savior has already paid for them.
I would think most Latter Day Saints if they were even aware of what their leaders have taught on this subject would say that can't possibly help me because it's those sins that I have not overcome better the ones that I'm worried about. He didn't pay for sins, he didn't as Brent Nielsen says pay for the Mormon sins unless they've met all the requirements for that payment therein lies the problem. Mormonism takes away this assurance and takes away that piece. Now I know that Mormons in recent years have been trying very hard to catch up on this concept of grace, but to me, Eric. It's nothing but an example of damage control.
These stories keep popping up over and over again of Mormons feeling guilty never feeling good enough because the Mormon doctrine, forces them to believe like that, and to have those kind of feelings. This is a recent return missionary.
We know that because she said this is just six weeks after she returned home and Nielsen gave this article in the inside of September 2016, which is interesting because I'm sure there for five months back of trying to get articles into the end sign and so this happened to her right away. Apparently where she's looking for answers to the questions that she has and then she says in the second column. She says were often told to just do our best and then not worry. This advice isn't particularly helpful to people who feel the weight of falling short of perfection. Our best is always out of reach to those of us who are sure we could do better. I found I can better measure my efforts when I ask myself questions like these and she lists five questions number one in my making choices that strengthen my faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement to them. I committed to keeping my covenants even though my efforts are imperfect. Number three and my repenting daily number four in my learning how to better recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost and follow them and finally number five MI joyfully enduring to the end. Or have I given up trying what you think about those questions go well, here's the problem that I see with the questions. For instance, MI repenting daily. What did Joseph Smith say when it came to repentant daily.
He did not speak very highly of that concept. Even though were hearing this more and more from Latter Day Saints leaders, he said, repentance is a thing that cannot be trifled with. Every day daily transgression in daily repentance is not that which is pleasing in the sight of God. And that's found in the history of the church, volume 3, page 379 no. Why would you think he would say something like that. I think perhaps that Joseph Smith when he makes that comment realizes that if you're repenting daily. You're also sending daily and of course the goal is a Latter Day Saints is to sin less and less and less, and as some leaders have implied. Eventually you stop and when you stop. That's when you've really reached true repentance and give you one more quote by