Moses 6

(January 6, 2014)
A couple of thoughts from this chapter.  First, I wanted to spend some time thinking about what exactly is meant by the phrase all things bear record of Him.  On first glance, it would seem that the easiest explanation is St. Thomas Aquinas’s explanation that the primary cause (as opposed to all other conditional causes) is God – without God, nothing would be.  Therefore, the mere fact that something exists is proof of God.  I find this persuasive but not conclusive, but I think there is great value to thinking of the universe in this way.

But I don’t think that this explanation gives full value to what is being said here.  Not only do all things bear record of Him in a general sense, but I believe that all things bear record of Him, meaning the nature and characteristics of God the Father.  The magnitude of the universe around us bears record of His power and capacity.  The orderly fashion by which the planets move bears record of His order.  The beauty of nature bears record of His kindness and His mercy – and His desire to see us have joy.  Each and every thing that we see around us, if we open our hearts to Him, can testify not only that God is but also who God is and how God lives.

The second thought I had was on the expression that children are conceived in sin.  At first, that seemed to make no sense to me – the act of conception is not a sinful act by its nature.  So I didn’t understand what it was saying.  So I did some added research and found several commentaries discussion the expression and explaining that children are conceived in a sinful (fallen) world, and thus sin entered into their hearts as they reach the age of accountability.  But we know that all children who die before they reach the age of accountability are saved in the Celestial Kingdom, and receive their Exaltation.  This means that many, many people will receive that blessing – how many children have died before the age of accountability, and what are their proportion to the general population? – probably far more than I would have thought without considering this issue.

That left me to think about what it meant for us that we were not among those who died before the age of accountability.  There are two lines of thinking that I have heard on the subject.  The first is that we have some deficiencies that need correcting, and that is why we are given this added time in mortality – to scrape off the rough edges that would keep us from Eternal Life.  This opinion is espoused by Elder Bruce R. McConkie. (“It is implicit in the whole scheme of things that those of us who have arrived at the years of accountability need the tests and trials to which we are subject and that our problem is to overcome the world and attain that spotless and pure state which little children already possess.”)

The second idea was presented by President Randy L. Bott, which took the view that it wasn’t the nature of things to put the largest responsibilities in the hands of the second stringers.  Instead, we were put on this Earth to carry forth the work triumphantly, and thus we should worry less about our own salvation and spend our days working for the salvation of our brothers and sisters – and that, by so doing, we will find our own salvation confirmed.

I adore President Bott, and I believe he is more knowledgeable about the scriptures than I will ever be.  Add to that the fact that his ideas about our value and worth feel more comforting to me, and the fact that they build my weakened ego, and I really want to believe that he is right.  But Elder McConkie is an Apostle, and his opinion is derived at least in part through conversations with President Joseph Fielding Smith.  So, when it comes to an appeal to authority, Elder McConkie outweighs President Bott.  This leaves me with the understanding that I am put through mortality in order to heal within myself some deficiency that I must deal with.  I certainly don’t lack for deficiencies in my life – I had better get on with dealing with them.