Author Profile: Ray
Author Archive for Ray
[NOTE: This post is slightly longer than normal, since I am commenting on multiple phrases and words throughout the verse in question. Please pardon the length; I couldn't shorten it any more than I did - except to delete this disclaimer. *grin*]
Perhaps the most reviled verse among non-Mormon Christians in the entire Mormon scriptural canon is Joseph Smith History 1:19 - the words of Jesus to Joseph Smith at the beginning of the First Vision regarding why he should not join any church. This single verse encapsulates the reason why many call Mormonism arrogant and offensive and blind - and the misinterpretations of this verse by Mormons themselves only add fuel to this fire. So, I am breaking out my parser’s pen and dissecting what Jesus actually said and did not say: word-by-word, sentence-by-sentence, concept-by-concept. It was a fascinating endeavor when I first undertook it, and it changed my perspective on The Restoration greatly.
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There is regular discussion among Mormon bloggers about the term “cafeteria Mormons” - those who pick and choose what they will and will not accept - who fill their plates with what they like to eat. I usually hate those discussions, since they nearly always are directed at judging what others choose to eat - labeling others as different and highlighting those differences.
I’d like to take a slightly different view of this term. Continue reading…
As the resident parser, here goes:
First, here is verse 29:
And after having received the record of the Nephites, yea, even my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., might have power to translate through the mercy of God, by the power of God, the Book of Mormon.
Now verse 30:
This perhaps will be the only post I write that simply is a series of questions, but these questions have enormous implication for the Church - and for how we view and discuss issues related to it. Honestly, these questions struck me as I read many of the comments on this very blog. Continue reading…
While pondering the concept of spiritual poverty earlier this year, something struck me that I hadn’t considered previously quite in that way. I have believed the central principle for some time, but considering how salvation (being saved from something) applies to this life is something I have not put into words previously. Here is what struck me: Continue reading…
Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
As I was pondering the phrase “poor in spirit” recently, it hit me pretty hard that, in our modern society, we so marginalize and disdain poverty that we probably miss much of the meaning embedded in the phrase “poor in spirit” as a **desirable** trait. Therefore, I started thinking about the implications of poverty - what it means not as defined in the dictionary, but rather in practical terms. Iow, what does it mean to **BE** poor - particularly in ways that can be seen as bringing blessings? Continue reading…
The following article highlights something that the Mormon Church has been criticized by some for doing for years, but it is the Southern Baptist Convention (often the most vocal criticizers of Mormonism) that is doing it in this case. Continue reading…
[NOTE: This is the third post in the series, "Common Scriptures in Review", but it also is the first post in another series explained at the end of the post.]
The great commandment “in the law” is, in summary, “Love God and everyone else.” However, the great culmination of Christ’s penultimate sermon (The Sermon on the Mount) is a powerful commandment outside the law - a commandment that cannot be fulfilled simply by obedience to the law. This foundational command is contained in Matthew 5:48: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which art in Heaven is perfect.” Continue reading…
As I’ve said previously, although I truly enjoy intellectual analysis, what grounds me are my experiences - things that are so vivid and unexplainable that I simply can’t let my mind move me away from them. I have experienced the truly miraculous; everything else is secondary.
In that light, I submit that the core of this experiential conviction is summarized perfectly in the foundational missionary verse we too often overlook while quoting those that follow. Continue reading…
I have been struck for a long time by the different ways that people interpret and speak of praise, honor and glory - particularly how they use these terms to describe our relationship with God. Each has a distinct meaning, separate from the others, but they get conflated and used interchangeably all the time. First, consider the following foundational facts: Continue reading…
1) There is a man in my ward who is a dean at a major college in our area. He is a brilliant scholar in his field, and he has served as a Bishop and in a Stake Presidency. He also is one of the most humble men I have ever met. A couple of years ago, one of his adult daughters died in a freakish surgery accident - totally unexpected - leaving behind a husband and an infant daughter. Continue reading…
Recently, I was in a meetinghouse in our area for the first time. On the wall directly above the entrance to the chapel, there is a small plaque. Continue reading…
[NOTE: I must be a masochist. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE read the questions asked in this post and stick to those questions when you comment. I don't want this to turn into the typical battle over homosexuality. I use that topic only because it is perhaps the best example of the overall issue right now.]
Homosexuality is a complicated topic - especially because so many people, particularly in religious discussions, over-simplify it. I want to focus narrowly today on what is “sin”, “transgression”, “moral” or “immoral” - or a combination thereof. Continue reading…
Something I have mentioned before is that I believe many members don’t really understand what the Book of Mormon actually says about many things - just like few Christians really understand what the Bible actually says about many things. Much of my perspective on this issue stems from my belief that it is a natural reaction to accept what others say about topics with which we do not feel comfortable claiming to be experts. As long as the explanation we hear sounds good - as long as it makes sense to us - we often take it at face value and don’t examine it closely and critically. This is true especially when the one giving the interpretation is in some position of authority.
This is my first “Common Scriptures in Review” post - something to consider as an alternative reading to what many assume. Continue reading…
Andrew wrote a beautiful and moving post recently - “Dark Night of the Soul“. In reading that post and the subsequent comments, I had an epiphany about my own experience with certainty and doubt. I have been thinking about how to explain the difference between my experience and Andrew’s - and, even more interesting, the similar result from such different experiences. I will not try to summarize Andrew’s post here; that would not do it proper justice. What I will post here is the epiphany that struck me as I read it and the comments about it.
I have not experienced the “dark night” Andrew describes. Continue reading…
(The following is a re-post of something our “son” wrote on his blog last year - and that I posted at T&S when it occurred and I was guest blogging for a couple of weeks. I was struck immediately by the similarities between his experience and the parable of the Good Samaritan. I cleaned up the language a bit for those who don’t want the full linguistic brunt of his ire on his own blog.)
“Today, I lost my faith in humanity. Continue reading…
Should our political views always align with our moral views? When and if they don’t align, why not? Guest blogger Ray explores this idea in today’s Guest Post:
A guest post by our friend Ray:
The Bible Dictionary defines “repentance” as: “a change of mind, i.e., a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world”. It goes to say, “Since we are born into conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined.” That is absolutely fascinating, since it describes repentance without mentioning any particular “process” at all. It leaves it simply as the turning of our heart and will to God. In that light, I submit the following:
Being poor in spirit is, essentially, recognizing one’s dependence on God and turning to Him in true humility — knowing that He provides not what we deserve (justice) but what He desires to give as a reward for our effort (mercy). “Perfection” is defined as being “complete, whole, fully developed”. (Matthew 5:48 - Footnote “b”) Therefore, being “imperfect” means being “incomplete, part, partially developed” — being, to some degree, an unfinished work — a “natural (wo)man”. This leads to an interesting meaning of repentance that is radically different than what was taught in ancient Israel (the Law of Moses perspective), with its emphasis on the Law (works).
A guest post by our friend Ray
I view the purpose of this life as becoming like Jesus was in His mortal life - and the purpose of the next life as becoming like Christ is now in His post-mortal life. For me, everything else (specific doctrine, intellectual understanding, nuanced discussions of exegesis, whatever) is secondary to that. Continue reading…
