As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have had the opportunity to gain a testimony of the things taught by the church. I do not rely on arguments or scripture bashing to clarify doctrine or personal questions I may have regarding the Gospel. Arguing and bashing have been the worlds feeble methods of convincing people of various apostate and bastardized versions of Christ's teaching for hundreds of years.
As a member of the LDS church, I have come to know that my Heavenly Father desires the best for each of us. Part of our realizing our full earthly potential lies in the our nature as Gods children. If we are truly children of God then we have a birthright to our Heavenly Fathers heritage, but only if we do our part to earn that heritage. Like our earthly father, God desires us to know His true nature. In understanding His nature, we understand our own. God is not a god of confusion. Since Adam came to this earth, he has made information regarding His nature available to us through men that he chooses. These men are called Prophets. These men hold the authority and keys necessary to act as Gods voice on earth. There have been many periods or dispensations of time where His nature has been corrupted and lost.
As a member of the LDS church, we believe in the restoration of the Gospel. With this restoration came a renewed clarification of Gods nature and His characteristics. This clarification came through the prophet, Joseph Smith.
Now, some of you may be wondering what all this has to do with my post about beginnings. I am getting there, but this topic needs substantial prefacing first.
Joseph Smith was a prophet of God! Not only for the those of the LDS faith, but to the world. An important part of being a prophet is, as the mouthpiece of God on Earth, set corrupted doctrine straight and that is what Joseph Smith did when he spoke on the nature of God.
As human beings, we naturally seek for a beginning . We seek for a place where our minds can make sense of what was and what may be. God told us through His servants that we existed before this world, a premortal existence. Atheists, who do not believe in God or any supreme being, believe that this universe and all that exists therein simply poofed into existence.
Its understandable to see the desire of an atheist to find a beginning of his/her existence. A person that refuses to believe in a higher power will still have traces of their own spirituality yearning for sustenance. It is, however, impossible, even in science, that something should come from nothing.
As children of our Heavenly Father we have always existed. ALWAYS!! Our form may have shifted as we moved from one estate to another, but we existed nevertheless. And we will continue to exist.
As I mentioned before, we have a noble birthright. This means that we can in fact, become like God. This idea is lost on so many people. The first argument is that we are scum! Followed with the insincere "How could we ever become like God?" First: We are created in His image. Genesis tells us this early on. Second: We are to be Joint heirs with Christ. Romans. Lastly: Modern revelation!! Most Christians don't like that last one. To believe that God speaks to us today would mean that clarification of their own doctrine would be available...through a prophet. And clarification inevitably brings corruption to light. Well, sorry guys, but modern revelation is here.
Here are some essential characteristics about God that we know through scripture and confirmed through modern day revelation.
1: God is a being of flesh and bone. His body is tangible, physical and immortal.
2: God layed down His life and took it up again, which means He was in a position of physical mortality to do so.
3: God did not poof into existence as God. The gospel is the ladder that leads to salvation. Being a ladder there must be a first step or rung to climb. This rung is the principle of faith,next is the principle of repentance, followed by the ordinances of baptism by immersion and baptism by fire or receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.
God has done these same things. He has taken those first steps. He started where we are required to start, else how would he know how it feels to take steps of faith...to be baptized...to feel pain...to feel weak to be able to relate to every malady, sickness or pain that man has experienced, is experiencing or will experience. God has done all that we are required to do. He has followed the order of line upon line, precept upon precept until he obtained His glory andexaltation.
This plan of happiness or plan of salvation is in perfect order of things. To be the Alpha and Omega or the beginning and end means that there is no end. To say that there is no end, means there is no beginning. These two concepts are clarified by the example given by Joseph Smith of his ring. If the ring was cut in half, a beginning would be evident as would an end. Being a complete ring, though, teaches us that we have always existed.
The big bang theory is a man-made doctrine. It holds the concept of a beginning, which means it has an end. It eliminates the participation of a supreme being, which also eliminates a source to which mankind will be held accountable.
When this Earth was created, God did not conjure up something out of nothing. He took unorganized matter and organized according to His will. The very science that created the big bang theory, maintains that matter cannot be created out of nothing. Matter can be changed in its form and nature, but it always exist, whether we see it or not. I have never agreed with the big bang theory, nor will I ever. It contradicts the very science that maintains it. A house divided against itself cannot stand.
This topic is a very difficult concept for many to accept. Some do not and will not accept it, as is their God given right. This doctrine is very simple. It has been corrupted by man many times. The nature of God is just one doctrine that has been swept under the rug "mystery" that much of Christianity has sewn out of the threads of apostasy and corruption. The characteristics of Heavenly Father are not so different from the characteristics of the ideal earthly father. He wants us to reach our full potential. He wants us to be successful where it truly matters. He knows the path that leads to true happiness, He has walked it. He is always waiting in the wings to hear of our pains and our victories. He is our Heavenly Father.
"In Memory of God, Our Religion, and Our Freedom, and Our Peace, Our Wives and Our Children." --Captain Moroni
