Translation

Dear Readers,

I was in the shower, and began thinking about various questions and teaching moments I had on my mission. One in particular is both simple and complicated to answer

The gentleman had studied quite a bit about the Mormon religion, and one of his problems with Joseph Smith being a real Prophet was his work with translation, particularly the Abrahamic papers, as I call them. We know them now as the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price. Some of the papers are contained in various museums, and the "translators" of those papers say that they are nothing at all close to what Joseph Smith "translated" them as.

There are several different ways of explaining this away. Firstly, the amount of papers that Joseph Smith described was quite large, thus the papers the surfaced might have been some that he did not translate.

Next, and more importantly to truly understand, is the very nature of true "translation". We, as mortal humans, tend to view "translation" from the example of translating one language into another. Though this is arguably, as I will show here, more of transcription. You are transcribing the same exact message or words, just into a language that other people can understand.

True "translation", or at least in the religious sense, the same sense in which the scriptures mean it, as well as Joseph Smith when he translated the Abrahamic papers as well as the Holy Bible, is much more profound, because God is involved. Literally, God is the interpreter, not man and their knowledge, of what is written down. He, in His magnificence, always leaves whatever He touches better than when He started. Indeed, He adds revelation into the mix.

So, with the Abrahamic papers, we, of a surety have the facsimiles, which are Egyptian hieroglyphics seemingly referencing to, or portraying part of the message translated. In the above case, when Terrah, Abraham's father, tried to have an Egyptian priest sacrifice Abraham to the Egyptian gods.

Though, what I would like to point out, is that even if the Book of Abraham does not read word for word what this facsimile says, does not mean that it was not translated correctly.

When Joseph Smith translated the Holy Bible, usually there was only a word change or mean here or there, sometimes a story was a little miss aligned, like with the two accounts in the book of Acts describing Christ's visitation to Saul on the road to Damascus. The first account says that the others with him heard the voice, but saw no one, and the second account says that the others saw a bright light, but heard no voice. Both accounts were written by the same person, in the same book, and thus it took divine inspiration to know which one is correct.

In the LDS scripture quads which contain the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, there is a section in the back called Joseph Smith Translation, in which quite a bit of different chapters changed. Though this is not the most drastic of the changes. In the Book of Moses found in the Pearl of Great Price, which was Joseph Smith's translation of Genesis, we find an entire, lengthy, account of the people of Enoch which God saw fit to reveal. In this account, it clearly shows how an entire city, the city of Enoch, became so righteous that the entire city was translated and taken up into heaven.

Not only does this show what Joseph Smith meant when he said that he translated a passage of scripture or papyri, but also gives a new use of the word translate. In the church, we talk about translated beings... or at least some of us do. They are people, like Moses, Elijah, John the Beloved, or the 3 Nephites who never tasted of death. They were either taken up into heaven, or were changed from mortality to immortality and continue to walk among us.

Of the 3 Nephites, Mormon, the man who abridged the Book of Mormon, comments: "But behold, since I wrote, I have inquired of the Lord, and he hath made it manifest unto me that there must needs be a change wrought upon their bodies, or else it needs be that they must taste of death; Therefore, that they might not taste of death there was a change wrought upon their bodies, that they might not suffer pain nor sorrow save it were for the sins of the world." (3 Nephi 28:37-38).

When contemplating this, I thought back to DNA. DNA is like a blue print of our bodies, how to make us, almost written down. So, if God translated them, maybe He read through their DNA and did exactly what He did when Joseph Smith translated. He removed those things that are incorrect, making it right again, as well as added things to make it more perfect.

Like divine translation of the bible makes the body of scripture more correct, more perfect, more Godly, divine translation of a human genome makes that individuals body more correct, more perfect, and more Godly.

Understanding this divine, wonderful, amazing doctrine helps us understand why Joseph Smith phrased the Articles of Faith the way he did. Article of Faith 8: "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God."

Once, as a mistake, I was asked by an investigator on my mission, whether or not the church's stance was still the Bible is the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. I told him that the church's stance did not change, but that I believed that even if it is translated correctly, humans can still misinterpret it.

Now I know, and do still regret replying in that way, that true divine translation makes it more perfect, and that a perfect passage of scripture cannot me misinterpreted.

I leave you with this knowledge and enlightenment in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Love,
Jacobugoth

Facebook Request 4: My Testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Dear Readers,

This is the last of my Facebook requests that I have so far received. I had originally asked for requests in the hopes that I could find more narrow subjects to bear my testimony on... instead, a lovely girl by the name of Shy asked me to just bear my testimony. So this post is dedicated to her.

I was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Being thus raised, I was surrounded by the Mormon influence, but what I found, especially around the age of 17, is that all I had gained was a testimony that God is my Father, and that Jesus Christ is His son and my Savior. I mostly chalk this up to the gift of the Spirit, (Moroni 10:11) "and to another, exceedingly great faith...". Though, it is also from having so many of my prayers answered. Indeed, I have such great faith that my prayers can be answered, and that Jesus Christ and God the Father are real, that I would refer to it more as knowledge than faith.

Growing up, I have always been a very strange, weird child. Generally a freak. So, at the age of 17, I decided to pray one night, with all of my heart, as the most desperate desire of my soul, to know why I am the way that I am. I was answered through my dream. It contained two parts, though I will only mention the relevant meaning of the second part, because I hold both very dear and close to my heart. My answer was: there are people in this world, that only I can help, because I am the way that I am.

I had not considered even serving a mission. My family was very understanding about it. They would like me to serve a mission, but they did not expect or require it of me. I am very thankful to them for that, because I know that the pressures in the church can send young men onto a course, that may be a righteous course, but trodden begrudgingly, and is soon departed from.

So, with the age to serve a mission being 19, and I was close to being 18, I actually considered going, probably for the first time in my life. I just figured, that if there are people out there that only I can help, then serving a mission would be a good way to try and find them. But, I wanted to make sure that what I would be called to preach on my mission was true.

I knew that there is a God in Heaven, that Jesus Christ was His Son, and I knew that they answered prayers. This got me on the path of studying out my beliefs. I rationally figured that serving a mission would be a good way of find those I am meant to help, but, since I did not know if the doctrine was true, I was completely willing to leave the church and find God's true church, wherever that may be. I believe I was 18 by this point, and again, knowing how understanding my parents are, knew that they would not look down on me should I walk a different path.

Without the distractions of peer pressure or doubt, I planned ahead. I had found, at a nearby park, a location that I felt really close to. Like my own little wooded area. My own sacred grove. I chose a Monday morning to walk out to this location, and kneel down to ask my Father in Heaven if the Book of Mormon was true and if Joseph Smith was indeed His Prophet, a true Prophet. Part of why I felt so inclined to choose a location, in nature, and to pray there, is because in my studying of the church, I found that I related to Joseph Smith.

I too felt that the powers of darkness had combined against me, almost in my infancy. My mother had a stroke when she was pregnant with me. I grew up a freak, feeling like I had no friends, like I was alone. For years, tried to keep my suffering in silence as I battled depression. I felt like God must have an amazing plan for me, and important plan. Indeed, part of me, expected to receive an undeniable witness of God's will, possibly through the visitation of a heavenly messenger.

Note: this is not the place, but same park

When I reached my destination, I took off my glasses, and kneeling down, my face in my hands, bent low, I prayed to my Father in Heaven. I told Him the desires of my heart, that I know He is real, I know Jesus Christ is real, I know I am willing to follow Him, I desire to know which church is true, if the Book of Mormon is true, if Joseph Smith was a true Prophet. I poured out this desire, like the tears from my face. Then, after closing in Christ's name, I waited. I waited some more. When my tears finally dried, I straitened my back and looked up at the sun, shinning through the trees. I felt no different. No burning in my bosom, as the scriptures say. I did not feel more loved, I did not feel like I received an answer at all.

Replacing my glasses, I stood up and just began to walk, wandering around the park. I don't think that I saw anyone else there. I walked, and walked, for several hours, just looking at the beauty around me, and trying to figure out why my prayer was not answered.

Finally it dawned on me... almost like a voice in my head that was not quite mine. From that very morning I felt peaceful. Even on my walk to my own personal sacred grove, did I not hear the birds chirping so wonderfully. Were not all of my senses heightened, and just filled with peace. Indeed, this entire morning, wandering out here, has this feeling departed from me? No. I know that God answers prayers, and if there was ever a point in my life for Him to lead me onto the right path, this would be it. So, maybe this peace is the answer to my prayer, an answer that He chose to give before I even asked the question.

This is when I learned, for myself, a true, deeper meaning of faith. If God wanted me on another path, He could have told me, so this must be the right path, at least for now. So yes, this could be considered convincing myself, but I "CHOSE" to accept the peace as my answer. I learned that faith is not something you acquire, nor is it something that is given to your, or that you spontaneously have. Faith is a choice. A choice to do good, to follow God. Faith is choosing the better part. That day, I chose.

With this testimony, I went forth and served a mission for the LDS church, preaching Mormonism, or more properly called, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On that two year journey, I learned so much. I learned that, because God could do such a better job than snot nosed twenty-year-olds, that the mission is less for actual missionary work, and is more for the missionary. I learned more about myself than all the years before hand. I learned more about my body, and it's limitations and strengths. I learned more about the doctrine, feeding and building upon my testimony.

I also had the opportunity to learn more about other religions, and I found out that this is the most true church on the earth, indeed, if ANY other church currently upon the earth was true, my very soul would not be satisfied. I like how the mother of my favorite mission companion put it... though I don't remember her exact words. She roughly said, that the majority of religions, especially all of the variations of Christianity, teach the same thing. Do unto others and you want them to do to you. Be nice, serve God. Love one another. So if so much is the same, then it is the differences that should matter. Indeed, all of that love and doing good is what happens in this life. It is what happened before this life, and what happens after this life, that makes the most difference.

I learned from a Jehovah's Witness that they believe that all our "spirits" are actually just part of God's Spirit, thus it is a portion of His spirit that enters us for the breath of life. For me, this does destroy some sense of individuality... "'I' think, therefore 'I' am". So that does not sit right with me. Then, they believe in an afterlife quite Biblically based. That when Christ comes again, He will govern this world, and that those who followed Him and His example, will be resurrected and live in paradise. The 144,000 chosen are to be resurrected, like Christ, as "spiritual" beings, or "celestial" beings, while the rest of the multitude of Christ's followers will be physical or of a "terrestrial" nature. For the rest of eternity, they will live in this paradise, with Christ as the King, and the 144,000 as other leaders, all under Jehovah. This kind of heaven sounds nice, I mean it is paradise, but it does not satisfy my soul. I know that eventually, science will all be mastered, and then life will just continue. No progress, no growth. Stagnant, for all eternity.

The same problem comes with other religions, either you are reincarnated over and over again, reach nirvana meaning nothingness or being part of everything, or you wind up in a heaven, where you are at peace, and restful, but without any progression. This could never satisfy my soul. I know what it is like to be blissful, but without some purpose, some cause, some growth, there is no satisfaction.

If you are reading this and you are not a Mormon, I hope that you understand that I mean no offence, especially if I did not represent or understand your religion very well. I ask for you to please comment your beliefs and maybe your testimony of why you believe your faith. I am merely trying to state my understanding of why the LDS church is the only religion that is true upon the earth. Indeed, this is the only religion that has answered every question I have had.

For, not only do we believe in a pre-existence as individuals with God, as His spirit children, we believe that after this life we can progress and become just like Him. For, what is the point of children, if they do not grow up and become like their parents.

I leave these things with you, that I know for myself that God lives, that Jesus is His Son and that He is the Christ, the same that lived a perfect life, suffered for us in the Garden of Gethsemane and gave His life on the cross all for our sake. I know that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God, that God bestowed upon him power and authority to translate the Book of Mormon which is a record of God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the American Continent, for God loves His children everywhere, and to restore the fullness of Christ's Gospel back to the earth. I know that the priesthood, or the authority to act in God's name is upon the earth, and that the mantle of Prophet-hood, as I call it, has been passed down to our current Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. I know that God loves His children today, as in days past, and that He does speak to us today. He is not dead nor doth He sleep. I know that because of Christ, all will be resurrected from the dead, and then judged according to their works and desires of their hearts. I know that this mortal shell shall be outgrown and receive immortality, and I often pray for that day to come speedily. I leave these things with you, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Holy Messiah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Rock of Heaven, the Savior and Redeemer of the world, Amen.

Love,
Jacobugoth

Depression is of the Devil?

Dear Readers,

I am going to put up a bunch of warning flags on this one....
Firstly: This is just an hypothesis I have. It is not a personal belief, personal knowledge, nor is it                    doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Secondly: I think that this could happen, but I strongly desire more information, especially from my              readers, as to doctrine that could support or even disprove this hypothesis.
Thirdly: I have not prayed about this subject, so again, I have no confirmation from the Holy Ghost                as to whether or not this is true, or even partly true.
Fourthly: I have not even discussed this subject with religious leaders, so if any read this, I would                 love their input.
Lastly: I am mostly writing this as a means to get people thinking about depression and other mental disorders in a different way. From what I have seen, the way the world, and even members of the LDS faith, view and treat this subject is obviously not working.

So, let me describe my initial reasoning behind this hypothesis. I was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had had a very bad episode of depression a few months back, and was talking to an investigator (someone investigating and learning about the church). He was having difficulty with our, and the world's, view on feelings. Particularly praying to know the Book of Mormon was true, and receiving the "burning in the bosom" testimony or confirmation from God. His philosophy was that "I am in control of my feelings and emotions. If I want to make myself 'feel' good, I can make myself feel good. I can also make myself feel bad."

This is indeed a hard subject to try and teach, because too often we feel that we do not know if a prompting or inspiration from the Holy Ghost is just "from us" that we are just "convincing ourselves" of something, whether it is doctrine, or something we should do like service or charity. The official stance on this subject is that, anything and everything "...that which is from God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, everything which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." (Moroni 7:13) So, when it comes to doing good, it does not matter if it is from you or from God, because it is still God's will. If it is you, then you have more fully aligned your will with God's will. If it is from God, then acting upon it will bring you closer to God.

If that is how knowing for promptings to do good works, then what about confirmations of truth? The fruit of the Spirit is "...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:" (Galatians 5:22-23) So, if we feel these things, then we are doing something according to God's will, because the Holy Ghost is confirming that to us.

Simply put, if these good feelings are from God, then then the painful, wicked, sorrowful, wrathful feelings are from the Devil.

Now, from the scientific perspective, emotions like love, anger, joy, and sorrow are all caused by chemicals in the brain. Technically, no one knows why these chemicals are released, other than as a result of stimuli. Sometimes, that stimuli can be our focusing on something sad, or remembering a happy time. But, as most of you know, this is only a temporary change in emotion. Quite often, these emotions come from outward stimuli: something someone said, or did, some event that has transpired. These we accept and understand, someone dies, we are sad, because that outward stimuli triggered chemical responses in the brain, or thoughts that then triggered the chemical responses.

What I am trying to say, is that we forget that the Holy Ghost and Satan are actual people, beings of spirit that we cannot see. They too can have give us stimuli. How?... I do not know, but as reason dictates, if it takes a spirit, whether our own or the Holy Ghost, to make us feel good, then another spirit (Lucifer, his angels, or spirits trapped in prison) could affect us as well.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Have I ever felt happy, joyful, or good for no reason?
Have I ever felt loved or at peace for no reason?
Have I ever felt sad or depressed for no reason?
Have I ever felt angry or upset for no reason?

Scientists would look at someone's emotional state and say, oh look, those chemicals were in your brain, that is why you felt that way. If you don't want to feel that way, let us fix it with these other chemicals to counteract it. This does not fix the source of the problem, just treats the symptoms.

I am hypothesizing that depression in particular, but possibly other mental illnesses that doctors consider a "chemical imbalance" might actually be caused by spiritual beings, and might actually be "outside of our control". I put "outside of our control" in quotation marks, because there are little things we can do to help... but as I myself know, they don't always work.

The scriptures say that "...God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13). The Doctrine and Covenants Institute Student Manual also talks a little about this subject. In Section 76 sub-section Who Has Satan Singled Out As His Enemies? it says: "...All men have power to resist the devil. They who have tabernacles, have power over those who have not." (Teachings, pp. 189-190). Tabernacle is a term referring to a body. From these references we see that we are not exempt from temptation or the buffetings and attacks of Satan, but we can "resist" and "escape" them.

The manual goes on to quote President George Q. Cannon from Gospel Truth, 1:19-20. He said, "...It is true that some have greater power of resistance than others, but everyone has the power to close his heart against doubt, against darkness, against unbelief, against depression, against anger, against hatred, against jealousy, against malice, against envy.... We can help giving way to the" important phrase here "spirit of theft, and we can resist the spirit of lust." (italics, underline, and bold added).

From this we find that depression is along the other temptations of the devil, and that, at least in the case of theft and lust, can be attributed to spirits. The manual quote ends with this, "Whenever darkness fills our minds, we may know that we are not possessed of the Spirit of God, and we must get rid of it. When we are filled with the Spirit of God, we are filled with joy, with peace and with happiness no matter what our circumstances may be; for it is a spirit of cheerfulness and of happiness." Thus drawing the argument, if I am being possessed by a spirit, and it is not from God, then where is it from? If it is not of God, then it is of the Devil, especially if it is dark. So how can we try to fight it and "get rid of it"?

First, we can try thinking of good things, happy times, loved ones.... but as I said, this is a temporary fix, one that, often times, we have to use all of our strength to fight for. This is the equivalent of our spirit trying to impress or express more influence on our bodies to counteract whatever other influences might be struggling for control. In essence, the spiritual side of giving medication, trying to treat the symptom, while the cause is still there.

Sometimes, it may discourage the "cause", but quite often, it is an upward struggle that wears us down. To the point that we can give in and be swallowed up by these emotions.

If my hypothesis were to be true, it would explain so much. It would explain why, when you are trying to live your life as best as you can, following God and serving Him, you still feel crummy, lonely, sad, depressed, or even miserable. Satan wants to usurp God's power and influence wherever he can, and though you are heeding the counsels and promptings of God, you are still "buffeted" by Satan and his influence.

This reminds me of the metaphor Helaman spoke to his sons, Nephi and Lehi, in Helaman 5:12 of the Book of Mormon.  Paraphrased: build a foundation upon the solid rock, which is Christ, and when the Devil shall send his whirlwinds and mighty storm, they will not drag you down.

If we have that foundation of Christ, hold to it, draw strength from it, we will be able to stand. It does not say that the Devil will no send his wrath upon you, just that it will have no victory over you. Just as with Christ's parable in Matthew 7 about the wise man and the foolishman. The rains and floods came upon both houses, depression, despair and sorrow come upon us all from time to time, but the wise man, who hearkened unto the words of Christ, was not swept away.

Also, I noticed that when I am depressed, that my environment has quite a bit of influence. During that particular episode on my mission, I was living in a basement, with the stone walls, and windows that did not allow in direct sunlight. The ceiling was bare with the support beams visible. It felt like being in a prison. I also noticed, that being around good people, especially friends, even if I did not want to interact with them, that merely being around them would make me feel better. There is something about being in the right place, especially a holy place, like the temple, or at church, that helps. If this hypothesis is true, it could mean that being around so much good influence either drowns out the bad, or discourages the source of the bad. If the hypothesis is not true, it could mean that just being around other people helps keep your mind off of things.

Again, going back to science, because truth is not just found in religion, but also in the world around us. Scientists have found that several mental disorders are linked with genes that can be passed on from one generation to another. Depression is one of those. Now, this fact alone could disprove my hypothesis, in that depression is actually just caused by the faulty genes of our mortal bodies in this fallen world. But, should my hypothesis be true, it could mean that there are genes that influence the body into being more susceptible to spiritual interactions. This would explain how some people could be more "spiritual" than others, like those who claim that they are mediums and psychics. I used the word claim, because I neither confirm nor deny that they could have those powers, but I do acknowledge that there are many forgeries of such gifts out there. This is also substantiated by my earlier quote from President George Q. Cannon, "...that some have greater power of resistances than others..."

Lastly, the best thing we can do is heed President George Q. Cannon's council, as well as the counsel of Prophets of God throughout the ages, and pray. "God has give this power unto all of us, and we can gain still greater power by calling upon Him for that which we lack." (Gospel Truth, 1:12-20). "Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work." (Doctrine and Covenants 10:5)

So, in conclusion, having not really proven or dis-proven anything, I shall restate my hypothesis: that maybe chronic depression, anger or any similar emotional states, might be caused by influences of beings from the unseen world. I strongly desire your comments as to whether or not you think this could be, or if any of the Prophets or Apostles have spoken on this matter, words that might help me, and others, to find more light on this subject. Thank you, I hope that this has got you thinking. I am looking forward to your comments.

Love,
Jacobugoth