10/10/2023 0 Comments Cult of the lamb change doctrine![]() ![]() Note that he did not say that it made no difference how we exercise this freedom to the contrary, everything depends on learning to follow the divine pattern set by the Master, of worship in every thought and deed and with all our “heart. This brings me to the second point about Elder McConkie’s statement. He also knew that despite His payment of that price, countless numbers of His beloved brothers and sisters-individuals He loves with a depth and intensity that passes our understanding-would be lost forever because of their own decision “to choose captivity and death.”4 He knew the price that He personally would pay to atone for all our abuses of freedom. Part of the reason the Messiah is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”3 is that at the key moment in the premortal existence, He recommended the Father’s plan of freedom, knowing its cost. The atoning sacrifice of Christ would be meaningless if we could not avail ourselves of its power to save and exalt through freely chosen acts of faith, repentance, and covenanting. He said that “it is the most basic of all doctrines.” It is the most basic because none of the other doctrines could become operative or have any meaning or authenticity if we did not have the option to choose them freely. First, Elder McConkie did not say this is the most important doctrine. By this we mean that if there were no freedom of worship, there would be no God, no redemption, and no salvation in the kingdom of God.2 Indeed, in one manner of speaking it is the most basic of all doctrines, even taking precedence over the nature and kind of being that God is, or the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God, or the vesting of priesthood and keys and saving power in the one true church. McConkie:įreedom of worship is one of the basic doctrines of the gospel. That religious freedom is a core doctrine has been reemphasized to my mind by the following remarkable statement from Elder Bruce R. Yet, as I will explain, it is a paradoxical doctrine. ![]() Moreover, this is not merely doctrinal for us-it is a core doctrine. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. There can be no doubt that it is a “first” freedom.1 But for us it is even more: it is a matter of doctrine. ![]() Religious freedom is not merely an important constitutional and human right. In fulfillment of that blessing, I have seen the influence of the Spirit change the hearts and minds and, indeed, the entire outlook of many of the governmental leaders with whom I have met, the “gatekeepers” who stand at the doors of nations. Several years ago a close friend and Church leader gave me a blessing promising that I would be able to invoke the witness of the Holy Ghost when I spoke with others about religious freedom. I am grateful beyond measure for blessings that have been given and keys that have been exercised to allow me to participate in small ways in the high adventure of opening the doors of nations. I would be remiss on this occasion if I did not acknowledge and express gratitude at the outset for these opportunities. During the past decade, which has been one of the great transformative epochs in human history as a result of the collapse of communism, I have had the opportunity to visit almost every post-communist country and to work with government and other local leaders in their homelands on implementing the ideals of religious freedom. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |