Restored Truth

Latter-Day Saints and Evolution

November 4, 2012 by Ben Tanner

Do Mormons believe in evolution, yes, some do, but others do not. This is one of those topics that is left up to the individual. The reason? The prophets haven’t received any specific revelation on the matter.

Yes it’s true that there are past quotes from different general authorities that are against evolution. There are also quotes for it. The official statement from the church on the matter is this:

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2002/02/the-origin-of-man?lang=eng

Personally, because there is no official revelation other than Adam and Eve were real people and they are and were created by God, and we are descended from them, I keep an open mind to all of the possibilities on how He did that.

This attitude allows me to be free to explore both creation science and evolutionary science. The Doctrine and Covenants says:

D&C 101:32-33

32 Yea, verily I say unto you, in that day when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things—

33 Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof—

When it comes to science it’s important to not let yourself become dogmatic. Today’s science is tomorrow’s myth. The only way we can know for sure if something is true is through the author of truth, and until He reveals all the details of how He created the earth and all life on it, we won’t know for sure.

At the same time, it’s not ok for us to just wait for Him to reveal these things either. Revelation doesn’t come unless we “study it out in our minds” (D&C 9:8) and pursue the truth. In this way, we qualify ourselves for answers from God.

This is exciting. A riddle that we need to try and solve while at the same time never trusting our powers to comprehend all things without the aid of providence. We need to weigh our ideas against revelation from the scriptures and prophets, and ultimately God. Then when He sees fit, he will reveal the truth of all things to us.

We also need to make sure we don’t discount ideas that might go against the grain of the current scientific establishment. Remember, scientists are mortal. Recently I’ve been reading up on the ideas behind intelligent design and creation science. I’ve been fascinated. Usually these people are written off as “Flat Earthers” and many straw man arguments are used to try and dissuade people from actually looking into what they have to say.

In reality, they have some very good science backing up their ideas. In fact after reading some really interesting info on www.creation.mobi I think evolutionists have some very hard questions to answer if they want to stay relevent to me.

But I won’t let myself completely settle on the final answer until God reveals it. Until then, I’ll study it and enjoy exploring all kinds of ideas. This is liberating because it really doesn’t matter what the latest arguments are on either side of the debate, they don’t negatively impact my testimony of Jesus Christ.

I believe that God is really the source of all truth. I know that someday, all of our questions will be answered if we are diligent in keeping His commandments and pursuing those answers.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Category Enduring To The End | Tags: | 2 Comments
I’m a Christian because…

October 21, 2012 by Ben Tanner

Many have the mistaken belief that because Christians stand for traditional values, they think they are somehow better or more pious than other people. This is a false notion. The very fact that one considers themselves a Christian should tell others that they fully understand that they are far from perfect and admit freely that they need a Savior, a power beyond their own to become perfect.

Unlike the atheist, which says there is no right or wrong (unless of course you disagree with them), The Christian proclaims that there is right and wrong, good and evil…and unfortunately, we don’t always find ourselves on the side of the right because of our sins. However, if we have faith in The Lord, and repent, we can be forgiven and set on safe ground because of the mercy of Jesus Christ.

I’m a Christian because I’m not perfect. And I know that Jesus is. That He has all power and can take my feeble attempts to be more like Him and change me, sanctify me, clean me, and make me whole.

I’m a Mormon because I believe that the authority to gain access fully to the Lords redeeming power through baptism is found in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I know I’m not perfect, but through Him someday I can be.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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Leaving your nets…

October 14, 2012 by Ben Tanner

President Hollands conference talk really hit me hard. If you missed it, here it is:

http://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/the-first-great-commandment?lang=eng

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In His Hands

October 7, 2012 by Ben Tanner

One of the hardest things to do in life is to choose to submit ourselves to the Lord’s will and to do it with faith and patience. When we experience joy in our lives it is easy to express gratitude and speak of how we know that He is mindful of us. But when life is difficult, when there is pain, loss, tragedy or loneliness we have to work a little harder to acknowledge that God is there, that He loves us and that our trials can help us grow.

We may reach a point in our faith where we pray and ask for things and with trust say “thy will be done”. This is good. This is a spiritual accomplishment that is not often easy. Recently I have realized that there are times when we need to go a step further and say “thy will be done, and in thine own time”. God’s ways are not our ways. He knows the beginning from the end and He knows what is best for us. He sees the bigger picture and desires to ultimately have us return to Him. We think we know what is best for us, but He knows better.

As we pray and wait we must submit ourselves truly to His will and to His timing, so deeply that we will wait a day, a month, years or even our whole lifetime to see our righteous desires fulfilled, if that is His will. We pray, we wait, we trust and we do not lose our faith that He has us in His hands.

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Sometimes God says “no”

September 30, 2012 by Ben Tanner

Yesterday, we were blessed with a litter of puppies. We soon found out however, that one of the 11 pups, a male, was not doing well. It wouldn’t suckle and it was having a hard time breathing. We noticed that it had an enlarged swollen tongue.

Jessica and I worked with the new born puppy and tried to help it breath. We tried to feed the pup but it couldn’t swallow. Our little 9 year old daughter was very sad and immediately started to pray for the little puppy.

I even went to the drastic measure of trying to give the puppy mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Unfortunately, the puppy didn’t make it. Our daughter was going to a birthday party so we decided not to tell her that the puppy had died until after she got home so that she wouldn’t be sad during the party.

When she got home, we sat her down and gave her the bad news. She began to sob as so did her mother. Although this was a tough thing for our daughter to go through, I’m grateful we have had this opportunity to help her grow in her faith.

Grow in her faith? But didn’t she pray and the puppy still died? Yes. Didn’t God not answer her prayers? No, God did answer her prayers. How so? God said no.

Sometimes God says no. He doesn’t shield us from every disaster. He doesn’t heal every sickness. He doesn’t give us everything we ask for. This is because he loves us too much. We would never learn the hard lessons or develop a divine character if everything we ask for was handed to us.

Instead, God sent us here to test us, to try us, to help us learn things we could not learn any other way. The same God who healed the sick, and made the blind see, also lets people go through extremely hard things, for our good.

I testify that God does hear your prayers, and that He loves you. Prayer is not a process in which we seek to change the will of God, but rather a process of us seeking His will, and conforming to it.

He really knows best.

Mosiah 4:9

9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.

In the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Category Faith | Tags: , Faith in God | 3 Comments
Wanna be Good, but don’t know how?

September 9, 2012 by Ben Tanner

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. (New Testament, John, Chapter 15)

If you want to be good, you must be connected to the true vine. (Jesus)

To get Jesus, you must have faith in Him, repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Ghost.

To keep Jesus, you need to stay connected to the vine:

35 Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God. (Book of Mormon, Helaman, Chapter 3)

When you yield to God, He changes you for the better. He is the source of all good.

Wanna be good?

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Title of Liberty

August 12, 2012 by Ben Tanner

This last week we studied one of my favorite parts of the Book of Mormon. In fact it was while reading Alma chapter 46 as a 14 year old that I felt the Spirit of the Lord confirm the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon to me. In this chapter, we read about captain Moroni and his amazing “Title of Liberty”.

Moroni was worried about the wickedness of his people and decided to gather together all of those who were willing to keep the commandments, protect there wives and children, and stand up for their faith and for the Lord.

To do this, he did something that would seem very odd to us today, but was well understood by this people who were all descendants of Joseph, the one who was sold into Egypt by his brothers.

He tore or “rent” his coat as a covenant. He wrote on it and fastened it on a pole to make a sort of flag out of it. Most people can understand the symbolism of a flag, but to this Israelite people what Moroni did was much more significant. It had reference to the very beginning of their people. This behavior of rending your garment was used to make a sacred promise to God.

In Alma 46:23 it says

23 Moroni said unto them: Behold, we are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; yea, we are a remnant of the seed of Joseph, whose coat was rent by his brethren into many pieces; yea, and now behold, let us remember to keep the commandments of God, or our garments shall be rent by our brethren, and we be cast into prison, or be sold, or be slain.

Rending your garment as a sign of a covenant between you and God can be found all over the bible.

One of the most significant places is in the new testament when the veil of the temple was rent in twain at Jesus’ crucifixion as a symbol of the new covenant. It also symbolizes the breaking of the heart. The book of Mormon teaches that we must come to God with a “broken heart and a contrite spirit.”. The book of Joel says:

13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and drepenteth him of the evil.

The most important thing to remember about the title of liberty that Moroni created, is that it was not just a flag, but it represented the faith, repentance, and covenants these people were making with God. It was an outward symbol of the inward broken heart that could only be mended by Christ.

Our day is no less dangerous than was Moroni’s day. I pray we will rend our hearts and turn to the Lord.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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Continue In Patience…

July 15, 2012 by Ben Tanner

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Saving Your Marriage…

July 8, 2012 by Ben Tanner

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Don’t Trade What You Want Today, For What You Want Most

June 24, 2012 by Ben Tanner

I was handed this quote in the hall today in Church. It was actually given to me as a joke, but I’ve been pondering it and I believe it teaches a very important principle. Think about what you really want out of life. Now think about all of the things you have not been willing to sacrifice today to obtain that goal. Don’t be like Esau. Give up the temporary for the Eternal blessings.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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