1) Restoration and the Plan of Salvation

a. For this lesson, I reflected on the two “ponder in preparation for class” questions
provided in the manual. When pondering on the need for a restoration of the
fulness of the gospel, my mind was drawn to my own relationship to the gospel.
To me, the gospel has allowed for my relationship with God to continuously
grow. Knowing that God speaks to prophets and guides His church today, helps
me find ways to continuously better myself through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
During the apostasy, Christ’s atonement never went away, but by restoring his
church upon the earth, people’s access to blessings and covenants through Him
and his atonement allowed members of His church the opportunity to grow in
ways previously unavailable to the world. When pondering on what I can learn
from the way the Lord prepared the way for the restoration, I found myself
thinking of my own journey to my current testimony. My testimony, like Joseph’s
understanding of the gospel, was revealed to me because of the circumstances I
was placed in and because I was prepared beforehand to receive it. The Lord has
prepared me to receive an understanding of the atonement, a testimony of modern
prophets, and a testimony of the Book of Mormon by placing me in situations that
would prepare me to receive those revelations. This understanding of my own
testimony helps me better relate to the experience Joseph Smith had as he began
to receive his own testimony and grow in knowledge about the gospel. This also
helps me better understand my own current experiences and trials, knowing that
God is always preparing me to learn more and grow in my relationship with Him.
Finally, learning about the apostasy has made me more grateful for the restoration
of the Gospel during my time. I am grateful that I was born into a family that
shared the gospel with me while I was young.
2) JS and first vision – History, principles, and applications
a. Thinking of the first vision, I decided to approach it from all three perspectives
noted in the lesson title: what is the history of the first vision? What principles are
learned from the first vision? And finally, how can I apply those principles to my
life. From a historical perspective, it is important to recognize and study the
multiple accounts of the first vision. However, just as importantly, I believe it is
important to understand the context of those accounts. Last year, I went to the
church history museum in Salt Lake City. During this trip, I was impressed as to
how each historical account made more sense when studying from the context of
its intent and its audience. To read the intention behind the preeminent account:
“To put all inquirers after truth in possession of the facts,” was very reassuring to
me. Joseph Smith wrote this account with the intention of letting future readers
exactly what they needed to know about his experience in the Sacred Grove.
Secondly: Principles. In this case, I was drawn to Elder Maynes’ address on the
first vision. He emphasizes the principle of the atonement when Christ says to
Josheph, “thy sins are forgiven thee.” Ultimately, the reason for the restoration of
the Gospel it to support church members through the process of the atonement. To
help them make choices, learn from those choices, and grow closer to God. To
me, it is reassuring to hear that one of the first things Jesus told his first living
prophet in over a thousand years was that he was here to forgive us of our sins.
The application of this principle is so important to my own testimony. An
 understanding that the church exists to support me through my own process of
developing a relationship with Christ helps me better understand my own
relationship with the church.
3) BoM, Priesthood Church organization
a. The part of the reading that most stood out to me this week is better understanding
the process by which we receive spiritual knowledge. This topic is very important
to me because my testimony is very important to me. To read that the ways I’ve
acquired spiritual knowledge matches how other acquire spiritual knowledge has
been incredibly validating. I was also particularly struck by the idea of examining
concepts and questions with an eternal perspective. This particular part of the
reading led me to reexamine some of my views regarding the temple, and the
exclusion some members feel from participating in temple ordinances. From an
eternal perspective, I know the Lord will extend the opportunity to accept temple
ordinances to all who wish to receive them. Though I know I’ve felt the spirit in
my life confirming truths to me, I know there is also much more for me to learn.
This brings me to my thoughts regarding the section titled “What can I do to
invite the spirit of revelation into my life?” This section was also important for
me, because recently I’ve struggled to find the opportunity to feel revelation in
regards to certain questions I’ve been having about my future. I was struck by
Elder Scott’s words “for it is an evidence of His trust.” As I move forward in my
life, it is reassuring to know that the Lord trusts me to make important decisions,
and that I am capable of making those right choices all on my own. Or rather, that
the Lord wants me to develop the ability to properly make those choices and
understand the consequences later. Too often I feel like the choices I’m making
may lead to some disastrous situation if I choose the wrong path. In this instance I
believe that the Lord may be telling me I just need to choose what I want most
and to learn from where my decisions take me.
4) Missionary work, the church and other religions
a. Reading chapter 7, I was struck again by the concept that the Lord reveals His
Gospel by degrees. Relating again to my journal from last week, the Lord not only
prepared Joseph Smith to restore the Gospel, but He also prepared Brigham
Young, Joseph Fielding Smith, and even Russell Nelson to restore gospel truths to
the world. The Lord reveals truths to us after He prepares us (and we prepare
ourselves) to receive them. This process of thought led me to two important
questions. First, how can I recognize the Lord’s hand in preparing myself to
receive revelation and actively participate in that process? Second, how does the
recognition of incompleteness in my understanding of the gospel effect my
relationship with God? Regarding the first question, I believe it is important to
always do what I can to be prepared for spiritual confirmations of truths. The
spirit is the way by which God communicates with His children, so if I’m going to
be ready to hear Him, I need to be ready to receive His spirit. Regarding the
second question, I need to be humble enough to recognize the instances in which I
may be wrong. God doesn’t reveal the entirety of the gospel to me for any number
of reasons. Part of having faith in God means trusting his wisdom and preparing
myself to have truths revealed to me bit by bit. In chapter 8, my mind wandered to
the idea that I can learn more about God by paying attention to how he interacts
 with those in other religions. While I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is the
true and living church, I can also learn so much from the people outside the
church that are striving to have better relationships with God. This line of thinking
reminded me of an experience I had working in a wilderness therapy program in
the Utah west desert. I was surrounded by people who found faith and growth by
immersing themselves completely in nature. I recognized that Nephi’s testimony
of Christ was refined during his trek through the wilderness, and I tried to emulate
my coworkers’ actions to improve my own relationship with Christ. This led to
sacred experiences for me that occurred far away from church buildings or
temples, that greatly improved my relationship with God.
5) Seek Truth, the role of Prophets, OD #2
a. 9, 10, 26
b. When pondering the character of the Lord, I often think of the steps required to
make a friend. Much like you can begin to understand the character of a friend
through developing relationship with them, Joseph was able to better understand
the character of the Savior through his interactions and visions with Christ. When
Joseph first met the Lord, it was through the first vision. In that vision, the Lord
was introduced to Joseph and shared with him that through His sacrifice, his sins
were forgiven. This interaction for me serves to better understand the purpose of
our relationship to Christ. The purpose of our relationship with Christ is
repentance and eternal life. Much like when meeting a friend for the first time, the
instances of that first interaction often set the stage for the duration of that
friendship. When I make a friend through a study group, I find that my
relationship to that person largely revolves around studying together. It is true that
our relationship may develop into more than just study, just as it is true that our
relationship with Jesus may evolve to become more than just repentance. This
development is seen in Joseph’s later visions of the Lord. When Joseph saw
Christ again in the Kirtland temple, the Lord told Joseph to “testify that you have
heard my voice, and know my words.” Often when developing a friendship, your
relationship with that person grows to involve other people as well. In the case of
our friend from study group, maybe we decide we want to introduce this person to
other friends, or maybe we get to know our friend outside of the context of class
and learn about our shared love of Disney movies. In the case of our friendship
with Christ, maybe we realize we need to share the love we receive from Christ
with others by telling them about that relationship. Or maybe we recognize that
Christ not only helps us feel comforted in times of trial, but also guides us through
decisions that are not necessarily difficult, like choosing between to great options
for graduate school.
6) The Lord’s voice in the D&C
a. While reading chapters 11 and 12, I struggled with the idea of Zion. To me, the
concept of Zion has always been linked to a place, a place where the saints will
gather in the last days. But an important part of the gospel to me is its global
applicability. The idea that Christ’s atonement works for everyone, all around the
world, in different ways. So if the saints were all supposed to gather in Zion, what
happens to all the people around the world who can’t afford to or choose not to?
After pondering these questions and praying, I came across the quote from Elder
 Christofferson, “Zion is both a place and a people.” This was immensely
comforting to me. Even though my understanding of Zion as a place is limited, I
can choose to focus on the building up of Zion as a people. This idea of building
up a unified people felt much more in line with my understanding of the
atonement. When I think of Zion as a place I cannot help but imagine the physical
boundaries that surround that place. To me, a location is defined by the existence
of boundaries. But building up Zion as a people makes much more sense. A
collective group of people isn’t defined by the people that don’t belong, it is
defined by a sense of unity. This, to me, is a much more inclusive Zion. When I
build up Zion as a people, it’s my job to find out how to include others in the
process of caring for one another. For example, rather than seeing building Zion
as inviting post-mormons to church, I can build up Zion by reaching out to my
friends that feel hurt by the church and comforting them through the hard times
they’re going through. While I still struggle with the idea of Zion as a place, I can
recognize that my understanding of the gospel is imperfect, and that while I’m
growing in that understanding every day, there are other ways in which I can
build up Zion.
7) The Vision, 3 degrees of glory
a. 13
b. In our lesson on The Vision, I was struck by a few important ideas. First: I really
liked the relationship between Knowledge and Obedience, but the binary nature of
it seemed oversimplified to me.The idea of knowledge and obedience to that
knowledge is a great way to teach about how our understanding of the gospel both
provides us with greater opportunity for growth but also requires greater
commitment. However, I believe the illustration used in class using the four
quadrants ignores an important aspect of the Plan of Salvation. The aspect of the
Plan that I feel is not accurately represented is the personalized nature of the Plan
of Happiness. First, we know that the process by which we repent and prepare
ourselves for the celestial kingdom is personalized for every soul. In Alma 7:12,
Alma share that the atonement allows Jesus to “know according to the flesh how
to succor to his people, according to their infirmities.” God sent his children to
Earth knowing that they would suffer affliction due to their own imperfection.
Every person’s trials are unique, and the only person who has also suffered
through that trial is Jesus through the atonement. The Plan of Happiness,
culminating in the judgement of each child of God, results in judgement
according to that person’s experience. This is one reason why the degrees of glory
exist, and it is also why the idea of knowledge vs. obedience is so important to
understand. But to draw a line between having a knowledge of Jesus and not
having a knowledge of Jesus minimizes the personalized nature of the Plan of
Happiness. Secondly, we know from the Vision of the Redemption of the Dead
that the light of the gospel will be revealed “to all the spirits of men [and
women];” so that they are all afforded the opportunity “to enter into [their]
Father’s kingdom, there to be crowned with immortality and eternal life.” So
when we hear in the vision about the terrestrial souls that “received not the
testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it,” I believe the
“afterwards” in this scripture doesn’t necessarily refer to their resurrection status,
 but instead to the degree they were willing to accept the gospel. Let me finish this
journal by saying that I don’t have a perfect understanding of the Gospel. I am
always trying to better understand the role of the Gospel in my life, and I am often
wrong. But to me, the binary nature of has a testimony or doesn’t have a
testimony goes contrary to my understanding of the nature of the atonement and
the redemption of the dead.
8) Temples, Redemption of the Dead
a. While reading chapter 16, I was impressed by the details surrounding the doctrine
of temple sealings. We know from history that the power by which families are
sealed was given to Joseph Smith by Elijah. We also know that a temple was
required for Elijah to come visit, and that the saints made many great sacrifices to
be able to build the Kirtland temple. This made me think about the sacrifices I’d
be willing to make to receive those blessings for myself. I consider myself lucky
that I do not need to need to sell all I own, or to spend hours of manual labor
every day to prepare myself for these blessings. Instead, I am expected only to
stay worthy enough to enter, and to prepare myself through study and prayer to be
more receptive to the revelation that happens in the temple. In regards to temple
sealings, my thoughts are drawn to the words of Mosiah: he said that “those who
keep the commandments of God … if they hold out faithful to the end they are
received unto heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-
ending happiness” (Mosiah 2:41). In short, I may not know the timing of my
sealing in the temple, but I know that if I remain faithful and keep the
commandments, that God will bless me. I can’t pretend to understand how he will
bless me either, I just need to trust in His promises. The coming of Elijah to the
temple is a great example of this: Moroni promised Joseph that he would be
visited by Elijah in 1823, and the visitation of Elijah didn’t occur until 1836.
Much like Joseph needed to be patient with the Lord regarding the timing of
temple blessings, I also need to be patient. I need to allow myself to grow and
become prepared for those covenants.
9) Temples, Redemption of the Dead
a. The Vision of the Redemption of the Dead is one of my favorite aspects of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. While pondering the reading I’d like to ponder on how
Joseph F. Smith was prepared to receive the vision. He was orphaned at 13, and
lost many family members due to the great war. In a surprising relatable instance
of President Smith’s life, he was living through a flu pandemic when his mind
was again drawn to what happens to souls after they die. But it wasn’t just the fact
that President Smith was surrounded by death that led to his vision. I also found it
interesting that President Smith didn’t receive the revelation until he studied the
teachings of Peter in the new testament. This again made me think of the process
by which I developed my own testimony. Yes, I was prepared to receive the
personal revelation I’ve had through teachings of my family, life experience, and
the trials I’ve gone through, but I also needed to be actively searching for answers
to prayers. Much like President Smith received revelation while reading the words
of Peter, the most impactful revelation I’ve received has come while reading
conference talks and pondering messages in the Book of Mormon. This goes to
show that the growth of our testimony happens not only after our trials prepare us
 to grow, but also after we put in the required effort through our faith to learn
eternal truths. Finally, I’d like to end my journal entry by expressing gratitude that
President Smith saw his uncle and father (Hyrum and Joseph, respectively) and
learned that spirits retain the likeness of the mortal body. Eternally, this truth
makes sense, God gives us our bodies and the bodies we receive resemble our
spirits. To me, the fact that God cared enough to show Joseph F. Smith his own
family members when revealing important truths to the world is incredibly
important. It means that even with an eternal perspective and an incomprehensible
timeline, God cares immensely about us and our relationships to one another. And
to me that is just beautiful.
10) Doctrinal teachings in Nauvoo, Eternal Marriage
a. The reading for me this week was really hard. I know reading about the early
saints’ resilience in times of trial is supposed to be inspiring, but it also really
hurts to hear about the kinds of things they went through. The 1800s was a very
different time, and I’m so glad many of the common practices from then have
been abolished today. I am always especially torn when reading about Joseph
Smith’s experience in Liberty Jail. Joseph had literally seen God, Jesus, and been
visited by angels. But in Liberty Jail he was broken to the point of pleading: “O
God where art thou?” I’ve read the words that Joseph received in response and
they are so hopeful. But to me, who has never been to prison, thinks of Joseph’s
struggles in Liberty Jail much like I do my struggles with depression. I have had
incredible, faith promoting experiences that I can’t deny. But when I’m having a
depressive episode, I can only really feel darkness. I know that my trials are
incredibly different from Joseph’s, but I can’t help but wonder that when God
tells Joseph that “thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small
moment” (DC 121:7) Joseph was still unable to see the light at the end of the
tunnel. I wonder this because even though I know that my depressive episodes are
just temporary, it’s really hard to recognize that in the moment. Maybe Joseph
was able to see the truth in God’s words, but was he, like me, unable to feel that
truth? I don’t know, and I’m just now realizing that this journal entry is really sad.
I guess it relates back to the beginning: reading about the early saints’ trials can
be really hard. So the question here is what did I learn? The saints had incredible
faith. They were beaten and left for dead. They were killed in their own homes.
They watched the family members die as they walked across west across North
America. And they still had faith. Like the saints, my faith is not independent of
my trials and life experiences. Also like the saints, my faith doesn’t always
deliver me from really tough times. But in the end, like the saints, I can recognize
how important my faith is and how it leads me to live a life that I can be proud of.
11) Succession in the presidency, Trek West
a. 23, 24, 25
b. The reading this week made me think of two important moments in my life: First,
about the time I visited the Jail in Carthage, Illinois. Second, the time I attended
the solemn assembly where President Thomas Monson was called to serve as
president of the church. I visited Carthage when I was 17. This experience was
really powerful to me. Being in the place where Joseph was killed, I felt a strong
impression that Joseph did see God and Jesus Christ, and that he was chosen by
 God to translate and publish the Book of Mormon. Joseph knew he was going to
die, but went anyway. To me, this seems crazy, but when I visited the site I was
impressed with how strong I felt the spirit there. This is in part because that
Carthage Jail represents the sacrifice Joseph was willing to make to testify of
Christ. To me, that’s an incredibly powerful symbol. Also while reading chapter
25, my mind was drawn to the memory of being in the conference center when
Thomas Monson was called to be the president of the Church. That experience of
being able to witness the process of succession in the church was informative and
spiritual. It was informative because it was the first time I could remember seeing
a new Prophet called to lead the church. It was spiritual because in that moment I
felt a real strong spiritual impression that Thomas Monson was prepared by God
to lead the church in that time. The process by which new prophets are called has
changed a lot since the death of Joseph Smith. But in the end, I know God uses
this process to put those he has called in leadership positions. And that those that
are put in the position of leading the church are divinely led to bring the church
closer to its full potential.
12) Second Coming, Some things we know, some things we don’t
a. Chapter 27 covered a topic that is really important to my testimony of the church.
In my most recent religion class, The Modern Church, 1900 to Present, taught by
Brother John Haws, we studied the 1977 revelation extensively. During this time
of studying, my testimony regarding Prophets and church leaders grew in ways I
didn’t know it could. First, I realized that the Lord doesn’t always immediately
correct church leaders when they make wrong choices. He values the agency of
those who lead the church. Second, the Lord will not allow his church to stray.
Ultimately, He is the head of the church, and He will always be using the prophets
he calls to bring the church towards its goals of proclaiming the gospel, perfecting
the saints, and redeeming the dead. Reading chapter 28 however, was a little more
nebulous. It seemed interesting to me that there would be an entire chapter
dedicated to the “destiny of the church” being to fill the earth, when the church’s
growth rate has dropped significantly over the last 20 years. If the Lord is
“hastening His work” why does it seem to be slowing down? After pondering this
question, I was impressed with an answer directly related to the reading: if the
church is to continue to accelerate growing outwards, it must turn its focus
inward. The reading directly addresses this while discussing Ministering.
Ministering, among many other processes, is a process by which the Lord watches
over His church. Slowly but surely, the Lord is guiding His Prophets to better
enable the church to help itself. As members learn to watch over, care, and love
each other, they will also learn to better love those outside the church. And one of
the most important messages of the church is love. Christ’s love that enables us to
continually grow and enact the atonement in our lives. As we, as members, better
emulate Christ’s love, we participate in the hastening of the work.