I began writing this post in June 2019. Summer happened so it took a while to finish. Here it is.
Religion is full of doctrine, or specific sets of beliefs. These doctrines help guide the followers of any group of believers. Doctrine helps a church's parishioners decide who to love, how to love, what to despise, and most importantly, what their god would have them do. In this post I would like to review some doctrine from the LDS church. Specifically the doctrine that can be found here. It states that all blessings are based on keeping eternal laws, otherwise known as commandments.
In order to have a clear understanding of that doctrine we must first understand what a blessing is. That link references the LDS Guide to the Scriptures, a study help found in the English LDS version of the King James version of the Holy Bible. It explains that to be blessed is to receive divine favor. A blessing is anything divine that contributes to true happiness, well-being, or prosperity. A commandment is a law and requirement given to mankind by God. So basically, any divine intervention from God happens due to following a law given by God.
This doctrine is based primarily on the verses linked to above, Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21. These short verses read: 20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—
21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.
If you search the scriptures long enough you can find some specific examples of what blessing you can receive for obeying specific commandments, but for the most part it's just generalizations. Regardless of specifics or not, you can't receive divine intervention without obeying some commandment. Simply stated if you receive a blessing it is because you obeyed a specific law. Maybe a little you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.
Now I would like to review some specific blessings. Lets go simple, prosperity. Be wise with your money (talents) and you should prosper. Obey your parents and you wont be stoned to death. Don't covet your neighbor and you wont destroy your marriage with an affair. Don't covet your neighbor's possessions and you will probably be happy with what you have.
Is having a child a blessing? Well, hopefully, if you have kids, you are reading this at a moment when your kids are behaving, otherwise you may think they are nothing like a blessing. However, for the purposes of this presentation I am giving you the doctrine as presented by the church. Let's start off with the president of the church, Russel M. Nelson. Here is a screenshot and the link to a facebook status he posted in 2019. In it he clearly states that having a child is a blessing, divine intervention from god. https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2327474183986671&id=501224873278287.
Genesis 4:1, Moses 5:16, and this talk by Neil L Andersen are all examples documenting the fact that it is a doctrine of the church that being able to "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” is a blessing. As a person that has thus far been unable to have children Neil's talk is especially painful. At the end he does give a story about somebody that adopted a child, but that is not being fruitful, multiplying, and replenishing the earth. It is a noble thing to do, but is not the same. You may be able to raise the child as though it were your genetic posterity, but you still have not kept that commandment to fill the earth with people. I digress.
So, having a child is a blessing. Well, what commandment is that blessing dependent on? Who knows? It's never stated anywhere. It has to be based on a commandment. It must be based on a commandment, an eternal law. The doctrine of the church states that having children is a blessing. It also states that blessings are obtained from God by obeying his commandments. Well, lets not worry about which one it is based on, the fact is that it is based on obeying a commandment.
I graduated from seminary and institute. I didn't just graduate from institute. I had taken enough classes that I finished a four year "degree" in less than two years. I wasn't just a lackadaisical student. I read and prepared for the lessons. I loved studying anything about church, as long as it came from the church.
For the vast majority of my growing up years I obeyed my parents. I studied my scriptures from a young age, around 8, and seriously studied them daily from age 14 on. I read conference talks, I faithfully performed my duty as a home teacher. As a junior companion I was tasked with making sure we never missed a month, and we didn't (except for one six month period for one of the families).
I honestly prepared for a mission. I faithfully served a full time mission. I worked hard every day. I learned to speak Spanish while serving in central Washington state. By year two I had learned the language so well that many hispanics called me "El Mexicano" (The Mexican) or "El Mexicano Blanco" (The White Mexican). Years after coming home it was pointed out to me that I had been given the gift of tongues because I was still speaking (and still do) the language fluently.
I came home honorably at the end of the mission and didn't stop being a missionary. I was a ward missionary and then ward mission leader in my ward shortly after coming home. I frequented the temple (hard to do when working more than forty hours weekly and going to school 28 hours weekly, plus homework). I had many callings after coming home. I fulfilled them all to the best of my ability. Up until over one year after I mentally left the church I was a full tithe payer. As a working adult I always gave far more than the value of three meals for a fast offering. As a bachelor I set a rule for myself; If I had enough money to buy a toy, of any sort, then I had enough money to donate that same amount to some fund at the church. I have never hit, yelled at, or fought with my wife.
I have kept all of the commandments that I know of. Please don't think that I think I was perfect. I wasn't, but I repented of my shortcomings anytime I found I may have not been living the way my god wanted me to live. Yet, after doing all I am capable of to follow my god's commandments, I don't have children (and may never be able to have children).
For the vast majority of my growing up years I obeyed my parents. I studied my scriptures from a young age, around 8, and seriously studied them daily from age 14 on. I read conference talks, I faithfully performed my duty as a home teacher. As a junior companion I was tasked with making sure we never missed a month, and we didn't (except for one six month period for one of the families).
I honestly prepared for a mission. I faithfully served a full time mission. I worked hard every day. I learned to speak Spanish while serving in central Washington state. By year two I had learned the language so well that many hispanics called me "El Mexicano" (The Mexican) or "El Mexicano Blanco" (The White Mexican). Years after coming home it was pointed out to me that I had been given the gift of tongues because I was still speaking (and still do) the language fluently.
I came home honorably at the end of the mission and didn't stop being a missionary. I was a ward missionary and then ward mission leader in my ward shortly after coming home. I frequented the temple (hard to do when working more than forty hours weekly and going to school 28 hours weekly, plus homework). I had many callings after coming home. I fulfilled them all to the best of my ability. Up until over one year after I mentally left the church I was a full tithe payer. As a working adult I always gave far more than the value of three meals for a fast offering. As a bachelor I set a rule for myself; If I had enough money to buy a toy, of any sort, then I had enough money to donate that same amount to some fund at the church. I have never hit, yelled at, or fought with my wife.
I have kept all of the commandments that I know of. Please don't think that I think I was perfect. I wasn't, but I repented of my shortcomings anytime I found I may have not been living the way my god wanted me to live. Yet, after doing all I am capable of to follow my god's commandments, I don't have children (and may never be able to have children).
What have I not done that other faithful worshipers of god have? Better yet, what have I not done that child molestors have done? I know of a mormon man who, when his child was less than a year old, began molesting her. He raped his own baby, and continued to do so until he was caught and incarcerated (over one year of abuse). Keeping this in mind, read a little bit about god knowing this would happen. Check the Topical Guide, Bible Dictionary, study manuals, and whatever else you want for references. God knew this man would be such an excramental piece of a human being that he would rape a child, but sent him one anyway (Does that make God an accessory to child rape? Is he a sex offender? Another topic for another day.).
So what commandment did this man obey that I did not. Having a child is a blessing. There is no doctrinal doubt to that. The blessing comes from obeying a commandment. What commandment could I possibly have missed? Is there one about needing to be a terrible human being? Is there one about needing to kill for god, or rape for him? What did I miss?
Now I've spoken just about me, but I know I'm not the only one. There are plenty of people that have been faithful devotees to god, and continue to be (unlike me), but they are denied the blessing of children (or other blessings). Joseph Smith taught that those who are unable to have children in this life will be able to in the hereafter. Well, fine, so will those that were able to have them here. We are still denied a blessing from God. How does he choose whom he will bless? There is no rhyme or reason to it. His ways are not our ways, his ways are mysterious. They are so mysterious that it can be shown that the dude doesn't follow his own rules.
Don't believe me? Read this article titled "BYU Professor Finds Playing Favorites Is Detrimental to Families" on the church website. In it the author states, using less than straightforward words, that God absolutely favors one over another. One doesn't even have to read further than the first five books of the Bible to find that God favors one over the other. Aaron built a golden calf to worship heathen gods, but Yahweh didn't command him to be killed. He did command that 3000 others be killed. You can read all over that god favored the Israelites over all other people. He absolutely plays favorites.
Similar arguments exist for children whose parents die young, or when grandparents die young. An argument could be made for parents burying their only child. Consider somebody that keeps the word of wisdom and leads a healthy life, but dies of a heart attack in their 30's. Yet another similar argument could be made for children being forced to endure emotional, physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of their family or church leaders.
Don't believe me? Read this article titled "BYU Professor Finds Playing Favorites Is Detrimental to Families" on the church website. In it the author states, using less than straightforward words, that God absolutely favors one over another. One doesn't even have to read further than the first five books of the Bible to find that God favors one over the other. Aaron built a golden calf to worship heathen gods, but Yahweh didn't command him to be killed. He did command that 3000 others be killed. You can read all over that god favored the Israelites over all other people. He absolutely plays favorites.
Similar arguments exist for children whose parents die young, or when grandparents die young. An argument could be made for parents burying their only child. Consider somebody that keeps the word of wisdom and leads a healthy life, but dies of a heart attack in their 30's. Yet another similar argument could be made for children being forced to endure emotional, physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of their family or church leaders.
Now, imagine going to work, expecting to be paid $20.00 hourly, only you don't get paid. You are told to continue to work and after you retire you will get paid. However, you are not getting paid for the past work. You will be able to have an income, a pension of sorts, but it wont be the same as the others that did get paid while working. Most of the other employees will be paid as they work, and when they retire, but not you. You will only get paid for the work you do after you "retire".
There is no reason given for the difference. You see, it's mysterious. You are simply told to trust in the unseen management team. Most people wouldn't stand for it. They would sue the employer for not paying. They would not work for the employer any more. They would do all they can to ensure others don't use that business or apply to work there.
This same scenario plays out in our lives with Christianity. The management team has admittedly committed genocide. They feel that the punishment for not trusting them and turning your back on them, after having trusted them for a while, should be the same punishment as for somebody that raped a child. They feel that if a man loves a man, or a woman loves a woman, and does not repent they should be tortured for 1000 years with the same type to torture that an unrepentant child rapist will be given.
As a parent god treats us all differently. This isn't the type of difference where one child learns one way, and another child learns through a different manner. This is the type of different that is preferential treatment. Ask yourself, do you really want to spend your life worshiping a god that may or may not bless you for obeying his commands? You can decide that you do want to worship that type of god. However, I have found that this type of god is not worthy of my devotion. I am happy devoting time to help people see life for what it is.
After reading all of this I hope you can see just how simple it is to prove one doctrinal fact and some results of that fact. The doctrinal fact is that blessings are predicated upon obedience to a commandment. If this is a true fact then it is also a fact that god picks and chooses for each person which commandments will result in which blessings. If this is true then, by the study performed by the churches own school God is a highly disengaged parent. I for one, don't want anything to do with a disengaged parent.
There is no reason given for the difference. You see, it's mysterious. You are simply told to trust in the unseen management team. Most people wouldn't stand for it. They would sue the employer for not paying. They would not work for the employer any more. They would do all they can to ensure others don't use that business or apply to work there.
This same scenario plays out in our lives with Christianity. The management team has admittedly committed genocide. They feel that the punishment for not trusting them and turning your back on them, after having trusted them for a while, should be the same punishment as for somebody that raped a child. They feel that if a man loves a man, or a woman loves a woman, and does not repent they should be tortured for 1000 years with the same type to torture that an unrepentant child rapist will be given.
As a parent god treats us all differently. This isn't the type of difference where one child learns one way, and another child learns through a different manner. This is the type of different that is preferential treatment. Ask yourself, do you really want to spend your life worshiping a god that may or may not bless you for obeying his commands? You can decide that you do want to worship that type of god. However, I have found that this type of god is not worthy of my devotion. I am happy devoting time to help people see life for what it is.
After reading all of this I hope you can see just how simple it is to prove one doctrinal fact and some results of that fact. The doctrinal fact is that blessings are predicated upon obedience to a commandment. If this is a true fact then it is also a fact that god picks and chooses for each person which commandments will result in which blessings. If this is true then, by the study performed by the churches own school God is a highly disengaged parent. I for one, don't want anything to do with a disengaged parent.
