“H” is for Health—The Word of Wisdom

“Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—”¹

When I first started working for the L.A. Times, just shortly after I joined the LDS Church back in 1973, I was disconcerted to discover that I was followed by several of my co-workers whenever I went on break. This continue for several days until, exasperated, I turned around and asked, “Is there something I can do for you?” Taken by surprise, they stood mute for about two seconds, after which their response took ME by surprise, “We know you’re a Mormon, so why are you drinking Coke?” I put their dear little hearts at ease, by telling them (truthfully) that I was in fact drinking root beer, not Coke. I would like to point out that drinking Coke or other similar beverages is not prohibited, but only suggested that we not drink them.

Other foods and drinks that are warned against include alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, tobacco and stimulants. It is also advised to eat meat sparingly, in times of winter or famine. There are many foods which we are encouraged to eat including herbs, grains, cereals, fruit, etc.

A number of people have tried to get me, and others, to drink wine, saying that it is nothing more than fermented grape juice and that grape juice is good for you; they also like to point out that it was used all over in the Bible. I like to show them these verses found in the Bible:

“Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine or strong drink, and not any unclean thing.”²

 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”³

As a result of keeping these commandments, we are are promised that we will be free from bonds, and that we will “find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures”⁴

 

¹Doctrine and Covenants 89:4

²Judges 13:4

³Proverbs 20:1

⁴Doctrine and Covenants 89:19

“G” is for Genealogy

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he will turn the heart of the fathers toward the children, and the heart of the children toward their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”¹

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has perhaps the largest collect of genealogical archives in the world, and it is in constant expansion. There are Family History Centers all over the world where all people (not just the LDS) are invited to visit and begin their research for their ancestors. And if you don’t live near a Family History Center – where personal assistance in learning all you need to know to find your ancestors is guaranteed – you can take advantage of the services offered online, all free of charge (both in situ or online).

While I was in Italy, doing my husband’s genealogy was tedious, and at times dirty and a bit iffy, but the heavy, delicate volumes were at my gloved fingertips – up to a point: while the tomes went back as far as the early 1500s, some of his ancestors only came to the city we lived in, in 1710. Now, a great deal of this information is available at http://familysearch.com. I am now working on my own family’s genealogy and am finding names that heretofore were unavailable.

Indexing is a project that the Church began in 2006 to further assist in searching for our ancestors. It consists of looking at original documents and entering the information found into the Church archives. This is done on a voluntary basis, and anyone who wishes to participate in this project may, whether they are members of the Church or not; just click on the hyperlink in the preceding paragraph and then click on indexing if you are interested.

The Church’s interest in genealogical research is based on the scripture introducing this article. If you are interested in knowing more about WHY it is so important to us, you will need to wait for the letter “T” in this series.

 

¹Malachi 4:5-6 (Old Testament)

© Mary Purpari 2015 All Rights Reserved.

“F” is for Faith

Faith: a strong or unshakeable belief in something, especially without proof or evidence; a trust in God and in his actions or promises.¹ The Book of Mormon defines faith as not having a perfect knowledge of things, but having things means to have hope in things that can’t be seen, but which are true.²

The fourth Article of Faith declares: “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: First, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ…”³ The reason behind this is stated quite clearly in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth (has faith in) in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Therefore, faith is essential for anyone who wishes to enter God’s kingdom and gain eternal life therein.

But faith needs also to be nurtured, just like anything else. Faith that has not been nurtured will not grow, nor will it be able to withstand the difficulties and trials that life will throw at it if not nurtured. It is like a farmer who plants seeds in a field; he has faith that he will have a good crop, followed by a good harvest. But, if he doesn’t water the plants, pull the weeds, loosen the soil around the plants and eliminate parasites, his faith that the seeds will grow will probably avail him very little, because without proper care, the seeds will probably die.

James said, “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and hath not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”⁴

¹Reverso Dictionary

² Alma 32:21; also see the entire chapter 32.(Book of Mormon)

³ Articles of Faith, 4

⁴ James 2:14-17 (New Testament)

“E” is for Easter: the Atonement and the Resurrection

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”¹

Easter is one of my two favorite holidays. It is the day that we, together with all Christianity celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, we believe that every person who has ever lived, because when Jesus rose from the dead, He triumphed over the physical death that was brought upon the world through Adam’s transgression, for all mankind, regardless of who they are.² The resurrection is the literal reuniting of our soul with our physical body, rendered immortal. As Job said, “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”³

The part of Easter that is so important for believers in Christ actually began several days before Easter Sunday, in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus, knowing what was to come, withdrew to a solitary place, asking his closest friends to wait for him and to keep watch. There, he took upon himself the weight of the sins of the people of the world. The physical and spiritual pain that He alone could bear was so great that the scriptures say that he “bled from every pore”.⁴ And after he had finished praying, he went out and found that his friends had fallen asleep and that he had been betrayed by one of his own disciples into the hands of those who wished him no good.

Still bearing the weight of the world’s sins, mocked, derided, and whipped, a thorn crown pushed onto his head he was dragged from one illegal “kangaroo court” to another, until he was condemned to die on the cross by the same people he had come to save. And there, in the midst of thieves, he completed His atonement, for all those who would accept the gift of his sacrifice, with the words, “It is finished”.⁵

“We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”⁶ 

 

¹John 3:16

²1 Corinthians 15:21-24

³Job 19:26

⁴Luke 22:44

⁵John 19:28-30

⁶The Articles of Faith

The painting in the upper left corner: The Crucifixion of Christ, by Harry Anderson

The statue on the Right: The Christus, by Thorvaldsen 

 

“D” is for Disciples and Apostles

“We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists and so forth.”¹

Disciple: 1) a follower of a teacher or a school of thought; (2) One of the personal followers of Jesus Christ, including the twelve apostles.²

Apostle: One of the twelve disciples chosen by Christ to preach his gospel. The word comes from the Greek word meaning messenger.³

As can be seen, there is a difference between disciples and apostles, in that anyone who follows a certain person – in this case Jesus Christ – can be called a disciple, whereas an apostle is a person who has been specifically called and set apart to serve as a messenger or witness for Jesus Christ. Apostles are also disciples, since they are followers of Christ, but disciples are not necessarily apostles.

This is not to say that Christ’s disciples are unimportant; quite the opposite is true, for these are the people who take on the other roles essential to the Church’s structure. In the LDS church, these disciples take on the roles of pastors (branch presidencies or ward bishops), teachers in the various auxiliaries (primary, relief society, Sunday School, young men and young women and so on), evangelists (aka seventies⁴ and missionaries).

 

¹ Articles of Faith, 6; Ephesians 4 (see v. 11 in particular)

²  Reverso Dictionary disciple, definition

³ ibid. apostle, definition

⁴ Luke 10: 1-20

The painting on the left: The Sermon on the Mount, by Harry Anderson

The painting on the right: The Last Supper

“C” is for Christians? YES!

When I was a college student, I often participated in the meetings of some “born again” Christians; this particular congregation attracted me because of a certain vibrancy, but mostly because of the amount of music that was presented during the course of a meeting. One of the featured singers was a friend of mine at college; in fact, she encouraged me to play my trumpet a couple of times, which was great fun, although my shyness almost overcame me every time. I stayed on another year after graduation and at the end of that year I joined the LDS Church.

A year or so later, while waiting for the bus, this friend saw me and stopped and offered me a ride home; during the ride we spent some time catching up on each other’s lives. When I told her I had joined the Mormon church she gasped, but then  said, “Oh , well, I’m not worried about you, because I know you’re a Christian.” Surprised, I said, “All Mormons are Christians” to which she responded, “Oh no, they’re not; they just say they are; they’re really devil-worshipers.”

This is a very common mistake; I want to let everyone know that the LDS are indeed Christian. The first, and foremost, Article of Faith states: “We believe in God, the eternal Father, and in his Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost.” When we are baptized, we are baptized in his name; when we pray, we close our prayers in his name

There are two hymns in the LDS hymnal that I particularly love. The first, written by Bruce R. McConkie says: ^♪♪ I believe in Christ, he is my King! With all my heart, to him I’ll sing; I’ll raise my voice in praise and joy, In grand amens my tongue employ. I believe in Christ, he is God’s son…^♪♪1

The second, based on Job 19:25 and Psalms 104:33-34 says: ^♪♪ I know that my Redeemer lives, what comfort this sweet sentence gives! He lives who once was dead, He lives my everlasting head. He lives, all glory to his name! He lives my Savior still the same. Oh sweet the joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives.^♪♪2

Everything in the LDS church, including its name, is centered around our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ and his teachings. Everything we do, singularly or in groups is based on what He would want us to do.

Christians? Yes, indeed! 

¹LDS Hymnal, hymn number 134,  v. 1

² ibid. number 136, v. 1, 4

Painting “At Journey’s End” by LDS artist Derek Hegsted

“B” is for Bible AND Book of Mormon

One of the most common misconceptions that people have of our beliefs is that we don’t believe in the Holy Bible. This may be because of our belief in an additional book of scriptures, the Book of Mormon; those who are of this opinion are mistaken, however. As the Eighth Article of Faith states: “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.” This year, members of the Church are studying the New Testament as part of the Sunday School curriculum.

Some might argue, “A Bible, a Bible, we have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.”¹ But even the Bible itself speaks of the Book of Mormon: “Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick and write upon it, ‘For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick and write upon it ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions:

“And join them one to another in one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.”²

We believe that the Book of Mormon is that stick upon which is written “For Joseph” and that its teachings, combined with those of the Bible contain the fullness of the Lord’s gospel.

Another important point to keep in mind is that Jesus himself said that “…in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”³ In fact, the full name of the Book of Mormon is: The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

The Bible speaks mainly of the relationship between God and the Jews, and Jesus’ ministry in Palestine, whereas the Book of Mormon speaks of the relationship between God and the people on the American continent, as well as Jesus’ ministry to that people.

As a child growing up in another faith, I loved reading and listening to the stories of the Bible, especially the stories of Jesus; as an LDS mother, I loved teaching my daughter the stories in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, because both books of scriptures teach us how to become like Jesus and how to return to him. And yes, I do believe that both the Bible and the Book of Mormon are the word of God, and I’m thankful for their teachings.

 

¹ 2 Nephi 29:3 (Book of Mormon)

² Ezekiel 37:16-19 (Bible: Old Testament)

³ Matthew 18:16 (Bible: New Testament)

 

© Mary Purpari April,1, 2015