There are a lot of voices in today’s world. I would hazard a guess and say more than ever before in the history of the earth. We can stay on social media and news sites all day and night, continually bombarded with more and more information in a way that none of our ancestors could. The noise comes from all across the globe, sometimes peaceful and beautiful, all too often angry and divisive. Yes, there are voices that seek our wellbeing, but many more do harm.
A popular scripture passage in LDS-world is from 1 Kings. Elijah is having a really hard time of it – so hard in fact that he asks the Lord to take his life from him. This remarkable prophet thinks he is no better than his wicked ancestors. He wants to die. (1 Kings 19:4)
For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants is central to our understanding of our lives into the eternities. Latter-day Saints believe in a resurrection of the body, a final judgment, and finally a life eternally in a kingdom of glory for all but the vilest of sinners and most rebellious against God the Eternal Father.
These kingdoms comprise, in very broad terms, the Celestial (for the most valiant), the Terrestrial (for good people who aren’t prepared to sacrifice everything for Christ), and the Telestial (for everyone else). That’s a snapshot of D&C 76.
But look at little deeper into section 76 and there is something really curious about the description of those who will inhabit the Telestial world – something I don’t recall ever hearing anyone speak about.
On a social media feed the other day, I came across this quote:
‘I was considering how powerful Truth is, that it is not something intangible like a simple concept or idea. It has a real and substantial impact on people, as impactful as a hurricane or an earthquake. When spoken with pure motive and without corruption, especially when the love and kindness of the Holy Spirit prompts it, truth becomes like a sword. It can be used to break a person’s chains and set them free, but it can also bring great offense. Some prefer to remain slaves to a lie, and anything that challenges those lies is seen as dangerous or heretical. But regardless of the reaction of the person, there is always a reaction, making truth as real as when we are touched by sunlight, wind, or rain. Some people recognize the truth when they hear it, while for others, the realization that it is truth slowly dawns upon them, like a seed growing until one day it bears fruit. Truth is rarely simply disregarded without emotion. When the truth is rejected, it is often done in anger, which has the potential to turn violent. When the truth opposes doctrines inherit to a person’s particular religious belief, people often lash out using harsh words. They may mock or belittling the person speaking the truth as if they are ignorant or stupid. Or they may label the person as deceived or evil. Regardless of how truth is received or rejected, its impact is meaningful and reveals much about the state of a person’s heart. Do they desire the truth above their own comfort, or will they do whatever it takes to find some way to dismiss the very thing that could set them free.’1
Amongst the comments to this post was one asking about how we determine the truth, given the conflicting messages and voices we hear.
All Things Witness 