Yesterday I was reading in The Holy Temple by Talmadge and I came across a quote that struck me in a way I had never thought of before. In the Chapter called "The Necessity of Obedience" it reads
"While professing belief in the possibility of a universal salvation, the Church affirms that salvation is assured only on condition of individual compliance with the requirements established by the Redeemer, without whose atoning sacrifice none could be saved."
So, in regular human speak (that's what's so cool about Talmadge, we get to read educated speak) I get this:
'We recognize that everyone COULD by saved [by saved we mean exalted/Celestial kingdom] but the church teaches us that in order to be saved we need to keep the commandments that Christ gave us. That same Christ who, incidentally, makes it so we can even be saved in the first place.'
For some reason I started thinking about the recent exhibition of the temple ceremony on HBO (I had temple on the brain since that's the focus of the book) and the people who say you can be saved just by accepting Christ, your actions should be true to who you are (even if they are in direct violation of the commandments.) And, now I'll break those apart.
First, in order to be saved we must keep the commandments - we believe that in order to recieve the knowledge provided in the temple one must also keep the commandments. Following that similarity, presenting the ceremony publicly is like saying salvation should not require obedience either since it negates the requirements of obedience and righteousness to recieve them. But, then again, that statement would be too surprising (see next paragraph). Unfortunately, our world is chocked full of this mentality. Because so much knowledge has become public, we feel we should have the right to know everything on OUR OWN TERMS - all I need is the desire to know about it. Talmadge's statement screamed at me that this simply is not true. Some knowledge must be learned through righteousness and obedience. Hence, the Savior taught in parables - only those with "ears to hear" could hear the deeper meanings. Fortunately, the temple ceremony is the same way. The phrase pearls before swine comes to mind.
Second, if Jesus facilitated our salvation. I mean, he atoned for our sins and rose from the grave - what makes us think that we don't have to do anything in return. But, 'in return' isn't really a good definition of it since it is only a win win action for us to keep the commandments. Win because it improves our own life, and win because it leads to salvation. The concept that we don't have to keep the commandments and God will just 'make everything okay' on the other side is ludicrous and, to a certain degree, contradictory to the concept of an atonement. Then why do so many of us feel this way - that God loves everyone so he will save everyone? It is true that Christ loves us all, no matter what - there is much comfort and peace in that. But "salvation is assured only on condition of individual compliance with the requirements established by the Redeemer, without whose atoning sacrifice none could be saved."
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Last.fm
I just thought I’d pass on this nifty website if you haven’t discovered it yet. www.last.fm I don’t listen to a lot of internet radio but recently I find myself going back to this site over and over to find new music. Here’s what I like about it:
- I can listen to stations created by or for bands/musicians that I like and it plays a lot of other music from similar and sometimes unkown artists while mixing in the occasional well knowns. This is great for me because I’m trying to move away from corporate-driven radio and expand beyond the top 40. Plus, if I want something more intellectual I can just put on the beethoven station and I get nonstop classical classics.
- I can create my own radio station (like Pandora Radio) by adding artists that I like and then it will simply cycle through them as if they were in my own library.
- Finaly, it integrates perfectly with my current music player of choice: songbird. Two clicks and I’m listening to my virtual library – not bad.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Pieces
This is a poem that I recently submitted to a local writing contest. It garnered second place which means it (along with the rough draft of my book (I'm still going to send that to you mom)) will be published and available at our local library. Anyway, I thought I'd share :)
Pieces
I am pieces of people I've known.
Stitched experience carefully sewn
And a bit of me is with them too,
not taken, but grafted into who
I have touched like they touched me;
Making of each soul a tapestry.
Though millions of years shall pass away
each patch is still with me e'en today.
Though faded and coarse, still part of me
in a quilted landscape of mem'ry.
Proud of my patches, excepting few
I have yellows, reds, even some blues.
I'm pieces of people I've known
stitched experience carefully sewn
the stuffing's my own
and God gave me bones
From you I choose what part I will use
I'm pieces of people I've known.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The Stupid Brilliance of Star Wars
So I've been sifting through a bunch of public speaking videos of my boss in order to create a demo reel for future public speaking opportunities. She really is a fantastic public speaker and I've included a couple links to her stuff here - but you can watch at your own risk (most of them are classroom settings and kinda slow - but excellent advice for entrepeneurs). ANYWAY, a point she keeps emphasizing is that we should never consider our brilliant ideas too stupid to make realities. So, with all this indoctrination in my head I started watching Star Wars again last night and it's amazing how the stuff we do/think about in our day permeates into everything we do. I was wapped upside the head with the thought "how crazy would this concept sound?"
"Um...it's a story about a space farmer who wants to go to the space academy with his friends and discovers he's one of the few survivors of a long line of space knights - who use swords called light sabers to fight against lasers and a mysterious power simply called "THE FORCE"."
I know, we all think - THAT'S BRILLIANT now. But what about pitching that in the 1970s when there was no Star Wars - what a kakamamee idea! But, what incredible execution - and there's the rub. My boss uses a bunch of examples to point out that execution turns the bizarre into the brilliant including the book "Everybody Poops", the web business Laser Monks, doggles for dogs, and the Wovel (a must see). I quickly realized that I was not the only one who had recognized this bizarre success story:
George Lucas in Love
Robot Chicken (there's some language in this one :( but it's really funny) ()
etc.
Isn't it funny how crazy ideas make such killer products? (Wii...ahem)
edit: Thanks for pointing out that I didn't add these Mom. Here are the links to my boss' presentations:
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3401672
http://ebusiness.byu.edu/video/Winter2008/amy_rees_anderson_27_feb_2008/flash/index.html Feb. 27, 2008
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Art
Art is meant to reflect our attempt to capture the divine. Often I have found that art, good art, that is, springs from confusion, questioning, and the artist's attempt to answer the basic Gospel questions of who we are, why we are here, and where we are going. 'Search for truth' infuses the artist's work with passion and feeling. Of course, the obvious problem for a man of faith is this: I know the answers to these questions, my 'search for truth' is minute within the light of the Gospel and the source of answers is developed through my relationship with my Heavenly Father, not my work. SO, back the the thesis statement - the way for a man of faith who is at peace with his surroundings to still find that passion and feeling in his work is a burning desire to not only appreciate the works of God but to reach out in earnest effort to imitate them. To recreate the heavens and the mysteries of the earth. We may know the answers to the 3 big questions but we don't know what they look like, sound like, FEEL like! I want my art to explore those worlds that are just beyond our reach knowing that I can never truly recreate their beauties, but, if for only a moment, I can touch them then I have accomplished what art is truly supposed to do - elevate us beyond the mortal.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Mouse Trap
I killed a mouse that has been holed up in our storage room last weekend which brings my Richie vs house rodent score up to 2 & 0. I'm trying to decide if I should feel bad about that. Apart from Jacque and Gus Gus constantly running through my head from the millionth viewing of Cinderella with Alex :), I just listened to a talk by Hugh B. Nibley where he quotes Brigham Young inviting the grasshoppers to come - he says as long as he has sufficient then he is more than happy to share his excess with the beasts of the earth. Am I wacko for thinking that he might be right? Should I be more than happy to share with a mouse? I mean, we want him out of our house because of diseases carried by rodents and what not - but is it a bad thing to kill him?
On a completely different note, if you are looking to catch and kill a mouse in your house then traditional spring loaded traps with a glob of peanut butter do a great job - just about cut the poor mouse's head in half - yikes!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Books I've Read More Than Once
- The Standard Works by well…you know.
- Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage
- Dune by Frank Herbert
- Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clark
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- The Original Mossflower Trilogy by Brian Jacques (I LOVED this stuff when I was a kid)
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – I read this every Christmas
- Gadiantons and the Silver Sword and Daniel and Nephi by Chris Heimerdinger
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
- The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
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