Last night was my opening night as Percy in The Scarlet Pimpernel at the SCERA Shell amphitheater in Orem. It was epic.
And now my Sunday thought:
I was thinking about a character in the play, the Marquis de San Sier, a French nobleman who’s sent to the guillotine with his entire family. Before he’s murdered, he cries, “Save us, my God, if you’re there! God, can you not feel the terror like a fire in the air?” But God does not save him. In this world of terror, God most definitely allows bad things to happen to good people.
In church a woman bore her testimony about her love for the primary song “If the Savior Stood Beside Me.” She expounded that the Savior does stand beside us, every hour of every day and that God will never, ever, ever forsake us. I believe that this is false doctrine.
First, those who believe in the corporeal nature of deity must reject the notion that Jesus Christ literally stands beside us. I would add my opinion that he doesn’t even figuratively stand beside us. If the idea from the poem “Footprints in the Sand” is true, that (as the Lord says) “the times when you have seen only one set of footprints is when I carried you,” then I’ve been very misinformed about the purpose of life.
My understanding is that our mortal probation in the telestial world comes with a literal separation from God, that we’re to be tried and tested without God’s intervention. When Joseph Smith was crying from his pit of despair, as recorded in D&C 121, the Lord didn’t respond with “don’t worry, I’m carrying you through this.” What he essentially said was, Toughen up. Your suffering has a purpose and an end. Job had it worse than you, and I had it much worse than both of you. Do you think you’re better than me? When Christ was dying on the cross, he himself exclaimed, “My God, why hast though forsaken me?” If he was left alone to suffer through his trials, can we expect different treatment?
I’m not suggesting that God doesn’t perform miracles or comfort us in our times of need. But I am suggesting that such events are exceptions. On a daily basis, we can find peace in conforming our lives to the principles of the Gospel, but when it comes to actually living our lives, we’re on our own, even forsaken, for all intents and purposes, until the end of mortality.
Correct me if I’m wrong.
interesting thought, and I think I agree. Especially with the idea that this life is a testing ground specifically because we ARE separated from God. Not to say that we’re alone – he has provided a comforter and guide (one without the constraints of a physical body) but even the Comforter is limited by our righteousness. the whole point of life is to learn to trust that there IS a God, even when He doesnt remove all of our problems. If He carried us through all our problems, we wouldnt be able to stand alone when we finally arrive in heaven, like a child who never learned to walk because his parents carried him everywhere. again – interesting thoughts. thanks!
Steve I think you have the idea right in that the Lord does let us go trough tribulation and hardship for our own good “on our own”. I put “on our own” on quotation because I think that he (who is he anyway? Christ? The Spirit? The father? Angels send by God? The light of Christ?) is always observant in one way or another, he never leaves us alone and is always willing to help us in one way or another even if it means he let us know to ” Toughen up. Your suffering has a purpose and an end. Job had it worse than you, and I had it much worse than both of you. Do you think you’re better than me?”
After all in your examples of people been alone there is always God. Joseph Smith got told by a loving God that what he was going trough was for his good and that He God went trough a similar situation and could therefore understand. Christ himself walk with God for most of his life and when he was been tested God even sent an angel to comfort him.
So yes it is trough that God himself (corporal body) can not always be standing beside us and only visits from time to time some people. But you can be sure we are always in his thoughts (kind of like your kids are always in your thoughts times been perfect).
I like to think of a dad teaching a little child (God referrers to us as little children) how to do anything, write a bike for example, there comes a time when the child needs to “do it on his own” but really how far is dad or dad’s help to the child? Even when we go to school or go out to live on our own with our wife’s and our families, how often does your dad not come to pick you up when you call him to say that you have a flat tire or give you a blessing if you are sick in bed?
I guess what I am saying is that the Lord will be with you all the time he can, in any way he can, as long as him been there does not stop you from growing. I propose that is most of the time, and some of the time you do need to do it on “your own”.
Tell me what you think
I am reminded of D&C 19:20 (13-20,23) were it explains that been withdrawn from God’s spirit is a punishment reserve for thus of us that do not repent and keep the commandments. The Lord would have us always keep the commandments and always be close to him spiritually, we can overcome the second or spiritual death trough repentance.
I also remember that it was not until the very end that the Lord left the Nephites to there own and it was only then that they were equal to the Lamanits in battle man to man.
He is in our midst, (D&C 50: 41-46). which serterly does not mean right next to each one of us at all times, but it does mean we are not alone in this life, and he is not to far.
Well said. Perhaps we can agree that spiritually he’ll almost always be there for us. I say almost, because I do think there’s examples of times when prophets have searched for spiritual comfort and haven’t been able to find it, such as Christ on the cross. This is in His wisdom. And I think we can also agree that physically, he usually won’t be there for us, because that’s the purpose of mortality. Though there are certainly exceptions. It sounds negative, but it’s really positive, like, as you describe, a father who watches over his child, though from a distance, so as not to negatively interfere.