Isaiah

Photo credit: ?? not mine

I have to teach Sunday. Isaiah.
I haven't given it much of a chance, yet.
Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised and actually understand it.
I shouldn't procrastinate much longer.
I know -- I should pray and ask for the spirit, rejoice in this opportunity to serve, and magnify my calling.
I know.

Book of Jonah

(I'm still co-teaching the Old Testament to the 14-15 yo class).

Jonah was called by God to go on a mission to Nineveh.  Nineveh was very corrupt.  Jonah didn't want to go.  He instead leaves and takes a boat trip.  The boat experiences very rough waters -- so rough that the mariners believe an evil has been brought to them.  They cast lots and decide it was Jonah.  Jonah says he should leave.  The mariners toss him into the sea (after trying to get to land but unable to due to the tempest waters).


God prepares a big fish for Jonah.  He sits there in time-out for three days until he repents.  The big fish then vomits Jonah out.  He goes on his mission.  Nineveh repents.  God forgives.


I know, in God, all things are possible.  I still don't take this literally, but I do love the symbolism.  May I present:

The Gospel According to Gina

Jonah was called to represent God and teach the good news of repentance and God's love.  He disobeyed.  He didn't want to go and had a bad attitude about it.


The boat trip is a symbol of Jonah leaving God.  Boats are a form of traveling.  He is leaving stable land.  Boats are not as stable and are vulnerable to the sea around them.  There is the risk of sinking and drowning.


The raging sea and danger to the boat and the passengers are symbols of how our choices in life affect others.  Our problems affect others.  If we make poor choices, it's not just us that suffer; those around us also suffer.


Here's an extreme example:  Drug addicts have personality changes that bring arguing, fighting, stealing, etc. into the home not to mention deterioration to health.  Sometimes families of those individuals have the tough choice to ask that person to leave.  But it has to be done for the good of the family and the good of the addict.  When the addict faces consequences, changes could be made.


In a milder example, when we go without sleep or nutrition or have had too much sugar, our personalities change.  We get grumpy, and others don't want to be around us.


The Big Fish = loss of control, a bad situation you can't get out of, rock-bottom


Many of us are in our own big fish (depression, addiction, deception, etc.) due to poor choices we have made.  We've gotten ourselves in such a mess it seems impossible to get out.  This is where we could give up or find renewed strength (often through saying we are sorry and trying to change).


Jonah prayed and repented.  He could have given up, be consumed and eliminated out the back way, but he wanted another chance.


He got his chance.  But, the fish didn't just open his mouth and have Jonah walk out.  No.  Jonah was vomited out.  That's not a pretty image.  The vomiting symbolizes the sometimes-ugly, difficult effort it takes to make things right again.  Addicts who want to get clean have the nasty battle of withdrawal ahead of them.


It would have been better for Jonah if he had just done what he was supposed to do in the first place.


What's your "big fish?"

I've Got Company

It's a relief that I'm not the only active LDS woman that has questions/ponderings about the Old Testament.  My blogging friend sent me this post:

http://segullah.org/daily-special/the-fear-of-god/#more-7414

I truly enjoyed the different comments and takes on the subject and found most of them comforting.

Article - faith and science

(using old computer with broken keys -- cutting and pasting -- and the "good" computer has been completely dead)

Danny emailed this to me today.  I liked it and wanted to keep it somewhere handy.  This Old Testament business has been discouraging.  I have no desire to sacrifice hours/days of time reading it right now.  I do the minimum that I must do for Sunday's class when it is my turn to teach.  I have too many exciting things going on in my life right now to put the OT on the front burner.  I really look forward to the NT and to some good news.


Anyway, here's the article:

No 'believing gene,' just faith and work, says LDS doctor, scientist

By Sara Israelsen-Hartley

Deseret News

Published: Monday, July 19, 2010 1:06 a.m. MDT

PARK CITY — It may not be easy to be an LDS scientist, but it can be one of the most inspiring combinations, said Dr. Anne Osborn Poelman, a renowned neuroradiologist and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"We are fortunate indeed to have the gospel of Jesus Christ to give us a foundation from which we can be free to fly, investigate and ask, because as we know, all truth is circumscribed into one great whole and there is no difference between science and religion," she said Friday at the LDS Life Science Research Symposium, sponsored by BYU.

While some want to credit a specific "believing gene," Poelman said she favors the idea of spiritual instinct, or the light of Christ, which is given to everyone.

Yet despite a desire to believe, it's not always easy, she said, referencing the Bible story in Mark, where a father brings his ill son to the Savior and asks that he be healed, then tearfully pleads, "Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief."

"No matter how much we believe, how hard we believe, we still have that element of unbelief in us," she told the group of scientists.

Poelman shared a conversation that she and her husband, Emeritus General Authority Elder Ronald E. Poelman, had with a woman who was learning about the church. Eventually the woman told them, "It's wonderful what you believe. I wish that I could believe. Where's the bridge between doubt and belief, between hope and faith?"

The bridge is built step by step through our faith, Poelman said, referencing her days as a Stanford medical student being taught by LDS missionaries.

She said she prayed to know if the church was true and received a "big, cosmic zero" for an answer. But she realized she had asked the wrong question, and prayed again, this time informing the Lord she had decided to get baptized and that he should stop her if this was a mistake.

It was only after she made the leap that Poelman felt the Lord confirm her choice and her faith, she said.

There's no reason such faith cannot coexist with science, added students and professionals during a subsequent discussion.

Dixon Woodbury, a BYU professor of physiology and developmental biology, said he views the counsel to pray over his "flocks and herds" a bit differently as a scientist.

"I've come to understand there's nothing wrong, and it's actually appropriate for me to pray over my experiments, that I will have insight and wisdom in directing them appropriately and interpreting the results correctly," he said. "It's a little different, but still appropriate to ask for the Lord's help in that."

Poelman's sister, Dr. Lucy Osborn, talked about inspiration in her work as a pediatrician.

"It happens to you once, and you go, 'What a coincidence,' " she said. "It happens to you twice and you say, 'Isn't that odd.' It happens to you over and over and over again and you realize that we have a source of information that isn't something you are going to find in your textbooks, or in your laboratory or in the laboratory tests. It simply comes from the Lord, … and it happens when you're open to it and when you're willing to listen."

Yet sometimes, answers to questions may not come quickly or even in this lifetime, Poelman said.

"One of the great things in the gospel is to feel comfortable enough in our spiritual skins, to say 'I don't know,' " she said. "But I do know that the Lord is consummately fair and that in the end, as C.S. Lewis says, 'All things will be fair, and there will be wonderful surprises,' (and that is) enough for me."

It boils down to faith, said Phil Low, a renowned LDS biochemist at Purdue.

"When we were in the pre-existence, there was no opportunity to develop faith," he said. "As a consequence, this is our one and only opportunity to really take that step forward in the darkness and experience the joy that comes by seeing the promises, which we believed in faith might be fulfilled, actually come to pass."

"There isn't a bridge," Poelman concluded. "We do our homework, we pray, we use all the resources we have, at the end we simply trust and step into the dark time after time after time again. And do we do it because we inherited a believing gene? No, we do it because we have something even better, which is hope and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ."

Ramblings

Well, hello, Blog.  I haven't seen you in a while.  Earlier, I had a lot I was going to share with you, it was all planned out in my head, but now that I'm here, my mind is blank.


My reading-every-page-of-the-OT goal has been unfulfilled.  I continue with the lesson plans for Sunday school but haven't caught up in between.  I think I completely skipped Joshua (that was Melody's lesson).  I skimmed, though, and the killing continues.  And there was something at the end of Judges about a guy cutting up his concubine/wife into 12 pieces (after she had been gang-raped all night) and then sending a piece to each of the tribes of Israel as a warning (?).  I'm not sure.  Like I said, I just skimmed it.  (And I wonder who wrote the following OT chapters after Moses.  I'll have to Google that.  It still seems in Moses's style like maybe "he" wrote it, too).


Today I met with a member of the Stake presidency to renew my temple recommend.  He asked if I had a testimony of Jesus Christ and his gospel.  I emphatically answered yes with flashes of OT stories in my head and realizing how much better my life with the Savior in it is.  I am so thankful for the gospel.  I look forward to moving on to the NT next year.  I hope to read each page of that.  I wonder if I will still be a Sunday school teacher by then.


We read about Ruth (the Moab who converted to the covenant).  She stayed with her MIL after the both of them became widowed.  I wonder why she didn't want to go back to Moab.  Did she come from an abusive family?  She loved her MIL who must have been a great example to her.  Maybe she felt the spirit while being with her.


I'm so tired right now.  I've read another book, Women, Food, and God, by Geneen Roth.  Good stuff.  I'm finding it interesting that my binging/overeating increased drastically during the times Moses shook my testimony.  I'm sure there are other correlations to my eating behavior.  This is just one I've observed.  Briefly, Geneen says, "...our relationship to food is an exact microcosm of our relationship to life itself...(and) God is not just in the details, god is also in the muffins, the fried sweet potatoes and the tomato vegetable soup.  God - however we define him or her - is on our plates," (p.2)


(Okay, I'm done.  I just fell asleep sitting up staring at the computer).  Ugh.

Bye, Bye, Moses. It's Been...Interesting.

I finished reading Deuteronomy, and thus completes the last book of Moses. (Thus? I just wrote "thus." Thou may understandeth I read too mucheth scriptures).

Anyway, reading the last dozen chapters was much easier seeing it through the different perspective my father presented. I wasn't as frustrated and angry. I wish the world would see it differently, too, and not use the literal text of the OT as an excuse to be cruel to each other.

Speaking of being cruel to each other, I read an interesting article yesterday about a loving woman, Becky Douglas, who began Rising Star Outreach, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving leprosy victims in India and their children, who live with them in the leprosy colonies (LDSLiving, May/June 2010, p. 20-21). Those with leprosy are treated as "untouchables" and shunned, "disowned by family members, and cast out of society because of the cultural stigma associated with the disease."

That caught my attention because the Old Testament {what I've read so far (or thus far)} talks about shunning people with leprosy and how it's used as a sign, a warning, or as a punishment from God. I just wonder how much of the ancient culture of different societies have been influenced by what Moses wrote.

Did you know that leprosy is a curable disease? I didn't know that. I figured societies had "leper colonies" because it wasn't curable. Anyway, Rising Star Outreach is an inspiring group. Here's their website: risingstaroutreach.org

I gave my Sunday school lesson today. It was about not forgetting God. When times are good, we tend to let our good spiritual habits slack. We don't read the scriptures as much nor pray as much. This makes it easier for negative influences to sway us. Prayer, attending church, Family Home Evening, gratitude, Word of Wisdom, and scripture reading are among many things we can do to protect ourselves.

Today is Mother's Day. I was given some blogging moments to myself. Time to trade in the computer for my kids and spend the rest of the day together.

:)

Moses? Moses Who?

This post is from my first guest blogger, my father. He didn't know he was going to be a guest blogger, but I liked his letter so much I asked if I could keep it here on my blog. (This is in response to my last post, click here).

Hi Gina. Dad here.

Okay if I share some reactions to your frustration with, particularly, the Old Testament? I've read the entire Bible a couple of times, the NT several times, and various portions of both OT and NT many, many times; and I generally dislike reading in the OT. A lot of it has to do with your reaction to the way God is portrayed and even moreso with how stupid the Israelites come across. That's especially if you take it at face value.

Many, many people share your horror at the murders and genocide that apparently was not only condoned, but ordered by God! A quick Google search reveals that. And many people come to your conclusion (or at least your preferred conclusion) that Moses was at fault, not God.

Lots of people question whether there was really such a person as Moses since there is really no extra-biblical proof that he did. But Moses was referred to many times in the New Testament, often even by Jesus himself. And of course, Moses appeared to Joseph Smith just a few decades ago. So, I suppose it's safe to assume he really existed.

Assuming that, what kind of guy was he? Apparently he had a speech impediment; certainly something that can make it difficult to be in public. He was born a slave, but raised as an Egyptian prince. That could certainly lead to a conflicted set of values. He murdered an Egyptian supervisor for abusing a Jewish slave and went into hiding. Not sure how it was that he was able to reappear and not have to face the murder charge. Anyway, he apparently had a temper; and as I say, the Israelites come across as really stupid people, which no doubt could cause Moses to lose it now and then.

So, why God chose Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, etc., I can only assume is God's way of showing that He can use an imperfect instrument to achieve His perfect plan. I guess we like to think that back then killing whole tribes of people (including women and children) was a common thing, and we've gotten over that. To think that means we have to ignore Rwanda and the K'mer Rouge and the Tutsis and Hutus, as well as the killing going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, etc.. Should I mention the countless acts of violence that go on on an individual basis throughout the world?

Just like now, I think all that violence back then was simply the way humans chose to deal with things they were faced with; although it's hard to understand when the Bible says that God told them to go in and kill all the inhabitants.

That's why I mentioned before that I view the Bible and especially the OT as allegorical in nature because even if it is a literal recitation of history (and perhaps especially so), it has the effect of driving people away from God rather than drawing them to Him. On the other hand, if those stories are to be of any value to present-day people, the lessons have to be applicable on a personal level in a positive way. So, I believe the story of the Israelites in slavery, Moses' leading them out of Egypt, wandering around in the desert, and eventualy entering the promised land, is all allegorical to the progression of the human soul.

Before a person becomes aware of the presence of God in his or her life, he/she exists in ignorance and slavery to sin (separation from God). Anyone or anything which leads the person out of that slavery is their Moses. In the process of learning to survive without the structure of slavery and enjoying the liberties and responsibilities of freedom, a person encounters many obstacles which must be faced and dealt with in faith and action. And even when one enters the "promised land" of a consistent relationship with God, there is further development to be had and dangers of slipping back into slavery. So, the ruthless slaughter of men, women, and children is an allegorical reference to the strictness and severity with which we must each deal with whatever it is in our nature which prevents us from having a complete relationship with God. Since God, to be God, must be pure in nature, He cannot coexist with impurity; just as light cannot coexist with darkness. One drives the other out. So, to the extent we have impurities within our nature, we cannot have a full and complete relationship with Him until we exterminate those impurities. (Emphases by Gina...good stuff!)

(Emphases added by Gina).

Now, I don't know that any of this is true; but it seems to fit better with Jesus' description of God as being Love than the vengeful, sadistic God portrayed in the OT.

Well, those are a few thoughts your reaction triggered.

Love you,

Dad

Moses vs God: Challenging My Testimony

The first five books of the Old Testament are written by Moses. I've read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and part of Deuteronomy. It's been tough on my testimony.

Through the Abrahamic Covenant, God promises Abraham's seed a choice land flowing with milk and honey. First they spend hundreds of years in captivity in Egypt. Moses leads them out, and they journey towards the promised land. Through their journeys and acquisition of the land, they murder populations of other people at God's command (according to Moses).

For example, Numbers 31 - Israel (the name of Jacob's seed) camped near the Midianites. Some members committed "whoredoms" with some Midianite members. They committed adultery and worshiped false gods with them. This was excuse enough for Moses (through God's command) to have the Midianites destroyed. The men were destroyed, but the women and children were held captive. Moses became wroth with the army captains and told them to "kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves," 31:17-18.

Genocide at it's best.

The first five books are littered with God commanding Moses to destroy this group and that group (and these are left out of the Sunday school lessons).

(Where to begin?)

One of the reasons I became an atheist in my early 20's was because I was tired of people using God as an excuse to hurt each other. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of terrorists bullying in the name of God. I'm sick of religions fighting each other and bickering in the name of God. I'm sick of people fighting over land in the name of God. I'm sick of my holier-than-thou uncles belittling family members in the name of God. I could scream. I considered that maybe God didn't even exist and was invented as a way to control and abuse each other and get power.

Here's the thing: I have a testimony that my Heavenly Father loves me, and he loves each of his children, even the ones who don't know him, or know him and hate him. He loves us all. The loving God I have been taught about is NOT the god Moses speaks of.

God is supposed to be the same today as yesterday and tomorrow. (Malachi 3:6, "For I am the Lord, I change not...").

I have a hard time believing God commanded all of that murder Moses writes about. Honestly, I have a hard time taking most of what he writes as literal. The best I can do right now is accept that there is something Heavenly Father wants me to learn from these scriptures.

Every ancient society from every continent has its own story of how they began (where the people came from, how the land was formed, the opposing forces of good and evil, gods/spirits/powers). Isn't it possible the people of Moses' time were no different? Moses had a lot of time on his hands and wrote some great stories of how it all started. "Once upon a time..."

If I'm going to hold on to what testimony I have left, then I have to believe there's a middle ground, meaning, it's not my "once upon a time," all made up scenario I just mentioned, and it's not exactly how Moses wrote it, either. I think he embellished some details and threw in some allegories. He was God's humble prophet that got a taste of power and used God as an excuse to do haenious crimes against humanity for gain. His stories were published and used for centuries to this day as an example for extremists to do the same, unfortunately.

There's a reason a lot of these scriptures are left out of Sunday school lessons. It's deplorable. Families are sacred. Children are gifts. Yet, Moses's god has no problem ripping them apart.

Silver lining...

How thankful I am for the gospel of Jesus Christ to bring light and hope and love and humanity to a dark, dark world of the Old Testament (what I've read so far). I'm sorry. Right now I just can't believe the Heavenly Father I pray to is the same Heavenly Father Moses speaks of. Moses misinterpreted God. Either something is wrong with God, or something was wrong with Moses. I choose to believe something was wrong with Moses. Prophets are people, too, with temptations and weaknesses (Balaam, for example) and also susceptible to eccentricities and poor mental health. For reasons I'm not educated in, yet, his books were chosen over others' to be included in the Bible.

I can't let this trip me up. I love the gospel. I love this church. My life is better for it. Dang it, Moses!

Joseph Sold Into Slavery

Believe it or not, I have been reading the Old Testament and am completely caught up with the lesson book outline. The lesson book skips over a lot of scripture, but I've been reading it all. I'm on the first few chapters of Deuteronomy. Scripture reading is time-consuming, and my priority is there and preparing Sunday school lessons (plus life, in general). Blogging about it takes a back-burner. But, oh, I have so much to say. I may (but probably won't) go back in more detail and ponderings, but for now, I'll just mention what stands out in my head.

Joseph Sold Into Slavery (Genesis 37 - 45)

This was a beautiful story. Hollywood couldn't have written it better. I was curious why Joseph was hated by his other brothers. I went back and reread and realized that Joseph was the first born of Jacob's beloved Rachel (I mention her a bit at the end of my last post).

Jacob (Error: I previously wrote Joseph. Pardon me. Jacob is Joseph's father) had four wives, but only loved and wanted one of them, Rachel. He had to marry Leah, her older sister, first in order to marry Rachel. Leah and Rachel each had hand maids that Jacob I guess had to marry, too. He hated Leah but managed to have several children with her. Rachel seemed to be barren, but after many, many years, she bore Joseph. She later had Benjamin, but she died during childbirth. So, Joseph and Ben had very special places in Jacob's heart, and he played favoritism towards Joseph. The other brothers grew jealous. It didn't help, either, that Joseph told his brothers he had a dream that they would one day bow down to him.

Anyway, it's a great story, easy to follow, great moral message, and a happy ending (Joseph's bondage allowed him to eventually put him in a place of power and help his family through a famine. He had a great attitude through all of his trials and stayed faithful. He readily forgave his brothers even before they asked for it).

Jacob had 12 sons (12 tribes of Israel) and one daughter, Dinah. For ultimate date-rape revenge, read Genesis 34.

Exodus, Numbers

Entertaining reading. Interesting stories. Testimony challenging.

(I'll expound on that later).

Jerkob and Esau

Genesis 24-29 Birthright Blessings; Marriage in the Covenant

Abraham arranges a marriage for his son Isaac. Rebekah, Isaac's cousin and member of the covenant, is chosen. Rebekah has twins: Esau (first-born, who Isaac favors) and Jacob (who Rebekah favors). While pregnant, Rebekah has a revelation that the elder child shall serve the younger (unusual in ancient times).

My first read-through gave me the impression that Jacob was a jerk and momma's boy. Rebekah and Jacob are deceptive, dishonest and manipulative. Yet, rewarded.

+Esau sells his birthright to Jacob: Genesis 25:20-34

Esau is a "cunning" hunter. Jacob is more of a home-body. Jacob has just made some "pottage" when Esau came in from the field, and he was "faint." Esau politely asked for some food. Jacob doesn't share and instead tells Esau to sell him his birthright first. Esau feels he's at the "point to die," and what good is a birthright if he's dead anyway (that's how I read it the first time around, the quote is "...and what profit shall this birthright do to me?" :32). Jacob made starving-Esau swear away his birthright if he wants any food. Esau gave away his birthright, ate, and went on his way.

I'm trying to keep this in perspective. The brothers are probably younger, and I bet younger brothers then gave each other as much hassle as modern brothers do today and throughout history. Do you think that maybe Jacob was just teasing Esau, and Esau was just exaggerating his hunger? Here's a modern twist to their conversation:

Esau: Oh, Dude! You have food! Man, I'm STARVING! The hunt was a bust, and I'm wiped. Can I have some?

Jacob: (Waving a bowl of food in front of Esau). Ahh, not so fast! What'll you give me for it?

Esau: Bro! Come on, I'm diein' here.

Jacob: Hmmm (with mischievous grin). I'll give you this if you give me your birthright.

Esau: You're wack, Dude!

Jacob: Swear!

Esau: Yeah, yeah, I swear, whatever, just give it to me, Dipweed.

Extortion at its best. Is it really binding? I guess it was. If Esau was patient, he would have been able to hunt something, being the great hunter he was. Would Jacob have had brotherly compassion and have fed Esau even if he didn't give up his birthright? Maybe there are just some sacred things you don't joke about. [The church manual interprets Esau's hunger as temporary.]

+ Rebekah and Jacob deceives Isaac. Gen. 27

Isaac is near blind. He asks Esau to hunt and prepare venison before giving Esau his blessing. Rebekah overhears this and makes a plan to disguise Jacob as Esau, prepare savory lamb, and have Isaac believe Jacob is Esau and inadvertently give Jacob Esau's blessing. Obedient Esau returns with his father's favorite dish only to discover he's been cheated out of his blessing.

(I really have no good spin on this, yet. No silver lining. I feel bad for Esau. I wouldn't blame him for rebelling and forsaking anything his parents teach him).

+ Esau marries outside the covenant Gen. 28:6-9

Oh, look, he does rebel. He overhears Isaac telling Jacob not to marry the daughters of Canaan (outside of covenant). Jilted, deceived, hurt, angry Esau turns around and does just that, marries two Canaan women to displease his parents.

+ Jacob marries Leah and Rachel in the covenant, and through him the Abrahamic covenant continues. - Gen. 29

First, he's in love with Rachel. Laban, Rachel's father, tells Jacob he can marry Rachel if Jacob works for him for 7 years first (29:18). After 7 years, Jacob is ready for his bride, Rachel, but Laban brings Leah, Rachel's older sister, for him to wed (29:21-30). Jacob feels tricked (Haha! How does that feel, Jacob?!). Essentially, the older needs to be wed before the younger. Jacob marries both but has to work another 7 years. Gen. 29:31 says Jacob hated Leah. He must not have hated her too much; they had 6 sons and a daughter together. I feel so sad for Leah's predicament (to not feel loved as other verses say).

The happy ending is that Jacob and Esau are reunited and make up (Gen. 33). That's about as far as I've gotten. I've skimmed ahead for my next lesson and see that Jacob continues his parents' dysfunctional behavior by having a "favorite child," Joseph. Nothing good could come from that.

Abraham To Sacrifice Isaac

This has been quite a journey for me preparing for today's lesson. I love this calling as it pushes me to explore things that I'd rather pretend didn't exist. I have to push aside what I thought I understood and be open to working towards a new understanding.

I was excited to give the lesson today. The kids (14-15 yr olds) were great and seemed to get as into it as I did. I asked them if they thought it was cruel for God to use Isaac to test Abraham especially when God already knew Isaac would be faithful. They all had answers. I asked how they thought Isaac was feeling. Would they be able to sacrifice something they loved dearly?

During this week's preparation, this is what I learned and then discussed with the kids:

How we perceive sacrifice today is different than in ancient times. We sacrifice time and money plus other things. Ancient culture was used to live-animal sacrifice, and some cultures used human sacrifices. Although Abraham and his culture didn't do human sacrifices, it wasn't unheard of with cultures around him. They were conditioned to the concept of it.

Abraham had great faith. Okay, I knew that, but this next scripture quote really sent it home for me:

Hebrews Chapter 11:

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall they seed be called:

19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

So, how I understand this scripture (and the Abrahamic Covenent) is Abraham thinks, "Okay, God, you promised me I would have many seed through Isaac. I trust you. I know you are able to raise him from the dead to fulfill that promise if needs be."

Wouldn't that faith be comforting? Do you think if Abraham was comforted, then Isaac would also trust? I wonder what Abraham said to Isaac to keep him calm (scriptures don't indicate a struggle to be bound, Gen. 22:1-13). I wonder if he told him everything would be okay, and he would live one day to have many offspring. I imagine Abraham was a good father to Isaac, and Isaac trusted him as Abraham trusted God.

God knew Abraham would be faithful, but Abraham had to learn that about himself. This faith was also an example to Isaac.

Abraham was willing to sacrifice his precious son as our Father in Heaven was willing to sacrifice His.

I've come to peace with this story. I still don't understand why Sarah gave Abraham to Hagar (other than it was customary to have concubines when wives were barren). Was she impatient to have a child? Did she not have faith? I thought it was sad to send off Ishmael away from his father. It wasn't his fault that Abraham conceived him with Hagar. I'll have to save that for another time.

Cultural Differences

Here's just some follow-up comments to my last post where I am unsettled about the incest in Genesis. I asked if God would endorse incest.

I was reading an Ensign article, "Christ & Culture in the Old Testament." These sentences stood out to me:

"As we approach a study of the Old Testament, many of us may have to overcome conditioning that leads us to look at this rich volume of scripture through the lens of our own culture. Otherwise, imposing modern cultural understandings on a society that existed thousands of years ago will make the Old Testament seem strange or out of touch...We cannot appreciate and understand the Bible if we remove it from its own context and place it in our modern culture. Rather, we have to change our mind-set to better understand the ancient way of life."

My modern mind equates incest with abuse. That probably wasn't the case back then. Incest was the culture in ancient times. Partakers may not have felt at odds with it. Maybe it was necessary due to lack of suitable partners.

I don't like when some people today use the scriptures as an excuse to abuse others, i.e. it's in the Bible, therefore it must be okay. (Yeah, I have issues).

Anyway, this insight on cultural differences is helping me prepare for Sunday's lesson about Abraham obeying God's command to sacrifice Isaac. I initially imagined it through Isaac's eyes and how terrified he must have been, his father is about to kill him because God told him to. One: I thought it was a cruel thing for God to do to a child, and Two: how many quacks in modern history try to pull off a crime by saying God told him to do it?

Maybe Isaac wasn't terrified. Maybe he was honored and had complete, sweet trust in his father just as Abraham had trust in his Heavenly Father. Sacrifice was the norm in ancient history. Most were animal sacrifices, but there were parallel societies that offered human sacrifices, so it wasn't unheard of. Abraham, himself, was almost sacrificed as a lad.

I'm trying to understand, I really am.

Penthouse or Pent-tent?

We've been counseled to refuse pornography. I think I'm going to have to include the book of Genesis. I'm just joking, of course, but there is some raunchy stuff in there! Incest is rampant, concubines, and let's not forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their inhabitants wanting to get to know everybody (gee, how friendly!). I posted about Adam and Eve and about me coming to terms that if A&E are literal, there just HAD to have been others for their kids to mate with; it just hasn't been revealed, yet. I mean, God wouldn't endorse incest, right?!?

Just as I was getting into the scriptures and "feasting upon the word" and feeling like I was learning something meaningful, I get tripped-up, again, with the incest and it being all "okay" and normal. Did you know Abraham and Sarah were half-brother and sister sharing the same father (Genesis 20)? And the widower, Lot, was molested by his two spinster daughters so they could continue his seed (Gen. 19: 31-38). Lot did "pitch his tent" towards Sodom when he and his Uncle Abraham moved to the land. Who knows what those girls saw being raised near Sodom that made them think it was okay to get their dad drunk and rape him. Their mother probably wasn't a good example; she "looked back" and didn't want to let go of her sinning ways and turned into a pillar of salt.

Deep breath in....hold it...let it out. Let it go, Gina. It's okay. Try to get the BIG PICTURE and its message. Clear your mind as you prepare this week to lead a discussion next Sunday about Abraham believing he has to sacrifice Isaac (his nephew...er...son...whatever).

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Too Busy, Too Tired

I wish I had something insightful and meaningful to post. I'm tired. It's been a very busy week. I have been preparing for my next Sunday school lesson on the Abrahamic Covenant. I'm not sure I can fill 45 minutes on that. We aren't even discussing circumcision (a major token of the Abrahamic Covenant). I guess it isn't appropriate for 14-15 year olds...very personal...already self-conscious...not that I would ask...maybe it's just something they aren't supposed to visualize during class...or maybe someone may blurt out something hurtful about it. Who knows?

I can't get excited about the lesson. Maybe I just don't have the spirit with me this week. It's been tough emotionally. I have felt dark at times. Lack of sleep could be the major culprit. Yet, here I am at 10:30 p.m. writing. I really haven't been reaching out to Heavenly Father.

Last Sunday, my teaching companion taught about Noah. I had a few Yeah, right!'s going through my head. I should talk about it; that's what this blog is about. I won't, too little brain power. I just try to focus on what the message is and what I need to learn from it. This Old Testament stuff can be a testimony-breaker, though. I need this challenge; it's going to be really good for me, I know.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Q: "Is Christianity the only true religion?"

Our conversion story generated other questions:

Hi Gina!

....

One thing that I've been thinking about a lot lately is how there are so many different religions and how does that really work? Maybe you have some wisdom to share on this? Is Christianity the only true religion (which ultimately the Bible says, right?...the only way to God is through Christ? )and the rest are man made? Or is it possible that they are just as valid in some way and that it's just a different path with the same destination? I feel a little conflicted about the belief that Christianity is the only true religion and that the millions and millions of other people that are just as passionate about their beliefs are wrong and have fallen for something made up by man. Because if everything but Christianity is man made, I feel like, what's to say that Christianity isn't man made as well? Does my question make sense?

Danny, I think, has a good way to look at it. Let's say there's a large elephant and people standing all around that elephant and up close. Each person is to describe an elephant only by what he/she sees in front of him/her.

"An elephant is a long tube-like-thing with nostrils."

"No, no. An elephant is nothing but a grey and leathery wall."

"You have it all wrong. An elephant is round like a tree trunk."

"How can you say that? It's like a long rope with hair at the end."

"I sort of agree with #2, except it's more like a flag than a wall."

"I say an elephant is hard and smooth. It's white in color, tubular in shape, but comes to a point."

Each person can only see part of the elephant: the trunk, body, leg, tail, ear, or tusk. They know what they see and are passionate about it. Are they wrong? No, but the elephant is too big for them to get the whole picture.

God is like that elephant, and religions are the different people standing around describing what they see. Each has part of it right.

What makes you happy? What brings you closer to your higher power (God) that you can draw strength from? What helps you be a better person to yourself, your family, your community? That, I would say, is the place for you.

The LDS church doesn't even claim they have all of the answers, but just some more answers than others. They believe there's more info that has yet to be reveled. They will say, however, it's the "true church." I felt uncomfortable with that when I first heard it. Even now, I'll say it's the true church for me. What is meant by being the "true church" is that it has additional information about the gospel...ie...it has the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price as well as the Bible. It also has restored the organization of the church the way Christ established it (as described in the Bible). That organization was lost after the apostles died. That's when some of the different Christian sects started branching off and establishing Christianity the best way they could but without any direct authority like they had from the apostles. As time went on, additional sects would branch off from those, each saying, "No, you have it wrong. This is what God is really like: ..." Sometimes they branch off due to hurt feelings. "Oh, yeah?! Well I'm gonna take my toys and start my own club!"

Is Christianity the only true religion? Every culture has their own way of describing where they came from and the purpose of their lives. lf there is a non-Christian religion you discover on your path that you feel the most comfortable with, then that's the one for you.

God knows your heart. God knows the hearts of every person of every different religion. And He loves each. (But this is coming from me...a person who believes in God). He knows your sincere desires. If you truly don't believe in him, He's not going to send you to hell.

Another thing I like about the LDS religion is the doctrine about hell. Basically, everyone goes to one of the degrees of heaven (we have 3). Very few people go to hell. So, members of other religions that don't even believe in Christ still go to one of the levels of heaven; they wouldn't go to hell like a mainstream Christian church would teach. I remember as a kid being told in church I was going to go to hell. "Why? What did I do?" It was an awful feeling. The churches I was raised in said I would go to hell unless I accepted Christ as my savior (and even those who had never had the chance to learn of Christ would go to hell).

I hope you can find what you are looking for. My father gave me wonderful advice as I grew and reminded me of that advice as I searched churches with Danny. "Take what you can and leave the rest." He first told me that when I complained about school teachers. He said even a bad teacher can teach you something, even if it's how not to be a bad teacher.

If you find a church that is just so-so for you, take what you can from it...what is the speaker trying to say/teach...take what is good, leave what doesn't feel right. Then hopefully, you'll find another place you like even more.

**********************************************************************

Okay, I lied. This is probably as long as the other emails. :-)

Love,

Gina

Addendum:

Dear (Name),

Good morning! I was thinking more about your questions, and I'm not sure I answered your question, "Is the only way to God through Jesus Christ?" Through a LDS Christian stand point, the only way to LIVE with Heavenly Father is through the atonement of Jesus Christ. God will have no unclean thing dwell with him. Through our repentance, the atonement, and sincere desire to live with him we can. It's like having an adult child live with you: your house, your rules. If that child continues to break the rules and be rude to you or threaten the happiness of your other children, you probably don't want her/him there, although it would make you sad to kick that child out.

God loves us and wants us with him, but he isn't going to force us or threaten us with hell to be with him. That's why there are different degrees of heaven...you don't automatically go to hell just because you choose to not live with Heavenly Father. If you chose to live with Heavenly Father out of fear of hell, then you are with Him out of fear and not a sincere desire to be with him. God gave us the gift of free agency. Satan's plan was to take away our agency of choice and MAKE US follow the rules, and then Satan would get all the glory.

This is how I understand the doctrine. I'm not a scholar by any means. I hope it makes sense. Please ask me to clarify if it doesn't.

Love,

Gina

Addendum 2:

Hi! Here's a link about the different degrees of heaven : http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=d1ef9daac5d98010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=bbd508f54922d010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Click on additional information if your interested.

I'm glad you see me as open-minded. That's a nice compliment. Thank you for trusting me with such personal searching.

Good night!