During a recent conversation with what4anarchy, he asked me to write down what I had been expounding to him, as it was new information and he didn’t want it lost. So, I’ve been preparing it for publication on this blog. (This research has now been posted as The Split-Brain Model of the Gospel.)
However, during my research into this particular topic, it became plain to me that there was a division in the scriptures:
- Writings that are absolutely essential and most important to our salvation
- Everything else.
In my own life, certain scriptures have been stressed by my leaders. For example, I believe that it was in the MTC, that our president gave a challenge to have the missionaries read 2 Nephi 9 every day for 30 days. Some took it up and said they felt spiritually charged from the experience. Each of us, I suppose, has favorite chapters/sections which, perhaps, do the same. We can read them over and over again and never tire of them, becoming spiritually recharged and renewed.
Nevertheless, the scriptures that I discovered to be the most important during my recent research were never emphasized by any of my leaders. Interestingly enough, they always emphasized other scriptures.
So, out of curiosity, I want to ask the visitors of this blog a question:
If your scriptures were to be ripped from your hands, never again to be returned, but you could pick three or four chapters/sections of the Standard Works to keep with you, that you could read every day of your life and strive to live by, which would they be? In other words, what are the 3 or 4 chapters/sections that are the most important parts of the scriptures?
(I will give the scriptures that I found to be most important in the article that I will publish later.)
Complete List of Articles authored by LDS Anarchist
36 Comments
LDS Anarchy 
Anything attributed to the mortal Jesus. His parables, his prayers, his beatitudes.
PS. You have hit one of my pet peeves “Writings that are absolutely essential and most important to our salvation”. Salvation is a free gift from Christ. Did you mean exaltation?
Anon, you can interpret my words however you want.
I would have Moroni chapter 7; Moroni chapter 10; D&C 88; Moses chapter 6.
Love Monster
That’s really hard.
DC 88
Jesus visiting the Nephites-if I can’t have the whole thing then 3 Nephi 11
King Benjamin’s address-if I can’t have all of it then Mosiah 4
OK, now if we all stick together and pick different parts we can make a whole!!!
I like Hell Raising Love Monster’s choices.
Here is what I would choose:
The doctrine of Christ as found in 2 Nephi 31-32
The doctrine of Christ as expanded in 3 Nephi 11.
The gospel of Christ as found in 3 Nephi 27
The steps to belong to the church of Christ as found in Moroni 6.
I would suggest that all else hinges on these chapters.
Spek
I’m not always great about playing by “rules.” Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to anarchist web sites. So I’m going to count both the Book of Mormon and Pearl of Great Price as chapters (they’ve both already been very condensed, with only the most important parts kept), and then it would be a tug of war between Doctrine and Covenants Section 76 or 132.
Oops, I’m changing my answer. I’m standing by my Book of Mormon and Pearl of Great Price as chapters, and going with personal revelation instead of the two Doctrine and Covenants sections.
wow, I tried and had a hard time with scope, as the answer is so fluid according to present need, but I got to this:
Isaiah (sorry, whole thing)
Luke
2 Nephi
DC 84-132
glad to see I’m not the only one struggling here
That’s cheating “Mormonmilkman”.
He said 3 chapters or sections, you gave 171=)
I also like specktators choices. I wouldn’t want to be without those chapters in 2nd or 3rd Nephi.
Of course Mormonmilkman’s Isaiah is crucial but I don’t know how to fit the 66 chapters.
Alright. I’d take just the Lords visit to the Nephites….
Thats still too many chapters.
I’m impressed. Some of you have already mentioned my picks. Here are the chapter headings/section verse summaries of some of the picks, so far, which may give insight into what each of you was thinking of when selecting them.
Technically, spek went over the limit, as did Mormonmilkman, anon, and Joseph, but I listed him as it was only 1 over, and not, say, 100 over like the others’ choices. Apparently, this is a difficult exercise…
Why refer to a book that states within it that everything you need, including the scriptures, are already written within your heart? Why do you have to consider ever losing the scriptures?
You are a curious group of people…
All I am going to say… Last thing for your pondering…
Every time Captain Moroni had to make a large decision within his obligation as a leader for a military resource, do you think he had to turn to a book for the answers, or did he act upon what he knew was right and good within his heart?
As a leader, you don’t always have time for contemplation of scriptures. When in need, you are not going to stop and ask yourself about the 3 scriptures you wanted to remember for this situation. You are going to have time to simply act…
We lift our hands brothers, our hands… Your minds and your hearts are already ready.
😉
Okay, I feel rebuked. I’ll try to play by the rules this time. Actually, even without LDSA’s intro, I would definitely pick 2 Ne 9. I love how the doctrine of the resurrection is presented. There are also important quotes from the Book of Enoch in this chapter, so I get a two-for-one. Then 4 Nephi. Not only does this give me another long chapter, but a perfect demonstration of how to have a successful society, and then what makes societies fail. Last of all I’ll go with Doctrine and Covenants 132. Not so much for the polygamy part (though I do feel strongly that this should not be censored from our history since it was taught by Joseph Smith), but because of the doctrine of eternal marriage, and it is one of the chapters/sections in scripture that clarifies what our real potential in the next life is.
There, is that better. In reality, though, if someone told me they were going to only allow me to keep 3 chapters, I’d tell them where to go and keep all my scriptures. And keep collecting more! I must admit I am just not in agreement with the general thesis here. There is too much that is important in the scriptures to limit to just 3 or 4 chapters.
So, has this blog died?
Sorry about the bad punctuation in my last comment. So is anyone around anymore? I think there are some good points brought up here. We should be thinking critically about what is really important in the scriptures.
People still come here, but I’m really busy these days and haven’t been able to finish the next posts I’m working on. I can’t speak for the other contributors. Don’t know what’s going on with them.
No problem,
Time would be a real killer I am sure.
Troy
In my heart I do hope so Troy. For the first time in my life, my patience has given way to the necessary voice of placing false prophecy and wayward teachings at bay. In order that the remaining truth may come to it’s fruition, with the necessary listening in silence and watchfulness of the people during the worlds interaction. This will permit the truth to be hearkened to and understood when time.
It is difficult for a male dominated spiritual society to understand that the end teachings would come through a woman. Perfectly according to plan as to honor the mother of all Gods children. Emphasis on “All of Gods children”.
Patience, trusting your own heart within your personal developed faith, and yielding the profit of works through such faith, is a beautiful thing to focus on right now. Keep your hands busy in good things, that the idleness that it is coming will not overcome you.
What truly is inside of you? Not everyone else… That is what matters right now. God is turning the people inward towards themselves. As many are distracted by outside influences that do not allow the individual, complete self growth and preparation! This also allows the atmosphere necessary to allow the individual to struggle within them self. This struggles permits the ungodly things to fall away. In other words, darkness will fall. If you are Gods light, then just be…
😉
Wow, this is such an hard question… But if I had to pick any three chapters, they would probably be the three chapters (doesn’t matter which of the Gospels) leading up to, and including the Resurrection.
[…] (For The Anarchist Version of the Bountiful Sermon, see the post, The Words of Jehovah-Saves Anointed One, Spoken During His Nephite Ministry: DAY ONE. That post is also my answer to the question posed in the post, If you could only read 3 chapters or sections…) […]
Okay, so here are the 3 or 4 chapters that I’ve found to be the most important, according to recent research I did at what4anarchy’s bidding: 3 Nephi 11, 12, 13 and 14. You can read The Anarchist Version of those chapters (the words of Jesus alone), by clicking below:
The Words of Jehovah-Saves Anointed-One, Spoken During His Nephite Ministry: DAY ONE
In remembering my MTC experience and a favorite scripture, Jeremiah 4:19 stands out, head-and-shoulders above all other scriptures!
I forgot to mention that Jeremiah 4:19 is in relation with the cafeteria food at the MTC.
Yes, I also vividly recall that that food gave me a tremendous amount of gas. I farted all the time. Glad to hear I wasn’t the only one with that reaction.
I was told that the excessive farting was due to salt peter being added to the food. Salt peter is a libido reducer/curber. Can anyone confirm that the Church does use salt peter in the MTC food?
When I heard this, I was quite upset that the Church would try to control my sexual urges in such a way, and without my knowledge and consent.; trying to force moral cleanliness, which really only gives a young man the false sense of moral cleanliness – that a drug is the reason, not his self control. imho
I don’t mean to hijack this thread (or steer it from it’s original intent), with my question/accusation above regarding salt peter being added to the MTC food. If this topic would be more appropriate discussed on a different thread, please let me know. Thanking you in advanced.
With the intent to add some mirth to this topic, here are my three favorite scriptures (although they may not be essential to salvation, they are favorites nevertheless!):
Jeremiah 4:19
1 Nephi 2:15
Song of Solomon 8:8
I like to use these scriptures when conversing with born-agains and fanatical mormons, who like to pull a single sentence (scripture) out of a paragraph and then establish it as a doctrine. My mantra to them is “context, context context!”
Take your own mantra in regards to the salt peter. When you went on a mission, you were submitting to the life of a missionary, which is prescribed by the general authorities. What does it accomplish to lament that your libido was diminished when you were 19? You placed yourself in a context where it is advantageous to not have such a strong libido.
I’m a bit baffled by your response Hell Raising Monster. I wasn’t lamenting in the least about my libido level when I served as a church missionary.
I thought it was clear that my complaint was that my behaviors or actions were being forced or controlled upon me through an artificial means without my consent or knowledge. Attempting to force someone to act a certain way or to perform a certain behavior is Luciferian. I never gave up my agency when I submitted “to the life of a missionary”.
As an aside, if I had a sexual morality problem, then it would have been my responsibility to look for ways to resolve it. Having leadership sneak in drugs or any other artificial methods to try to control such behavior is un-Christian. Jesus taught, “Come follow me.” He didn’t force behavior upon anyone.
In addition, if saltpeter lowers the libido, and during one’s stay at the MTC the libido is artificially repressed, what happens when that missionary leaves the MTC with its influence of saltpeter and enters the “Real World”, where sexual temptations abound? How long will the artificial sexual morality last? Is he/she truly prepared to meet this temptation? Would it have been better for the missionary to learn true, real self-control during his stay?
As a reiterance, I don’t know for sure if A: saltpeter lowers the libido and/or B: if the MTC leadership added it to the food.
With all due gratitude to Hell Raising Monster, I was hoping that someone could provide the answers to these 2 questions, rather than the response that was submitted.
You were talking about “context, context, context”. As a famous man once said, “Context is decisive”. There are many aspects of the church that are luciferian. in fact most of the doctrine now taught is all about being safe, secure, follow the commandments, don’t question, in this there is safety and peace. all that sounds like what Satan was propounding in the pre-existance. Does that make the church wrong? not really. The church is a “goes with” the people that are in the church. Since we as a church body do a lot of forcing ourselves, and we will do anything to be safe, and peaceful, it isn’t any surprise if the people at church headquarters use the same tactics.
As far as being angry that the church would dare try to control your urges through Salt Peter shows that you are not in touch with the context of the church when you entered the MTC.
I was counseled by Boyd K Packer, while I was in the MTC to “give my agency to the Lord”, and live in strict obedience, and not question anything.
I know you didn’t ask for any of this, you just wanted to know if Salt Peter was put in the food, but you can take or leave what I say. But, I am having fun saying all this. It feels good to speak my mind
Daitoryu,
I have searched and found nothing to support the “saltpeter in the MTC food” theory. This sounds like a Mormon version of a military urban legend (a common practice in Mormondom: take a “Gentile” urban legend and give it a Mormon context). I suggest reading the following article:
http://www.snopes.com/military/saltpeter.asp
If you read the above linked article you will see there is no evidence that saltpeter affects libido. The LDS Church leadership is intelligent enough to not poison their missionaries with something that hasn’t been shown to do anything. So A: No, saltpeter does not reduce libido, and B: I haven’t found anything indicating that MTC leadership used saltpeter in the food, but I have found evidence that similar urban legends are found in multiple settings similar to the MTC and are simply not true.
I would also add that since the MTC also feeds Sister missionaries, it would make no sense to drug them as well just so their male counterparts don’t “stiffen up” during their time at the MTC. I also think LDS Church leadership would be able to recognize the problem of keeping libido down artificially for the short time missionaries are in the MTC and then sending them out to “temptation.”
Monster,
Your arguments don’t stack up. There isn’t any context that would justify drugging everyone who goes into the MTC to force them to control their “urges.” Even your quote form Elder Packer involves WILLINGLY and KNOWINGLY giving your agency to the Lord. There is nothing artificial in that.
In addition to this, it would be morally wrong on the part of the LDS Church to do such a thing since, with such a large number of people coming to the MTC, a number of people would be bound to have severe, even fatal reactions. It does not fit into the context of the LDS Faith’s Word of Wisdom to cause long-term health problems for a short-term objective. It also does not fit into the LDS attitude that sexual urges are not inherently evil, just the misapplication of them.
Ultimately I disagree with your arguments for blind obedience. Yes, there are things we need to rely on the Spirit for that are difficult to understand rationally. But pure blind, ignorant obedience is destructive to the Spirit of Truth.
Ultimately, though, your arguments are empty because LDS Church leadership would not and did not do such an outrageous thing. As I mentioned before, it’s just an urban legend applied to an LDS setting. Gastric trouble in the MTC is much more reasonably attributed to a change in diet and lifestyle for nearly everyone going there, being stuck with others for long periods of time in classrooms, as well as being stuck with your missionary companion 24/7. In “civillian” life it is usually possible to slip away when such troubles come, but not so easy in the MTC. It is also a period of time where everyone is challenged mentally and emotionally, with limited physical activity.
Joseph
Thank you for your response and the information that you provided, as it was more along the lines with and conformed to the question that I asked.
I realize that this is more a shot-in-the-dark, but I wonder if there is anyone that actually work or worked in the cafeteria at the MTC and can confirm or deny this rumor? I was interested in learning from someone with first-hand experience, one way or the other. I know the Internet is a great resource for secondary research, but you can’t get much better than first-hand experience. 🙂
I also agree with you about Monster’s position of blind obedience. I would never give up my agency to any man and there are several articles within this very site that warn us of the dangers of blindly following (obeying) a church leader. Now, if what Boyd Packer meant was that Jesus would lead you, then that would be a little different than blindly following your mission leader. (mine was corrupt, who stole money from the church and the missionaries that he was to oversee). But even Jesus will not lead us in all things. I don’t believe he would ever interfere with our agency or do anything Luciferian.
Monster
I really don’t follow your assertion about “context of the church when you entered the MTC.” When I entered the MTC, under no context, implied or otherwise, did I agree to give away my agency to a man. To be honest, it appears to me that you’ve taken my original question way out-of-context (have fun enjoying the pun). 😉
I can only speak for myself, and I apologize for making general a personal experience.
When I went out on my mission, I had a wonderful two years, but in retrospect, I noticed I was very mechanical about the whole two year event. I feel I just went through the motions, and never used my head, I just followed what I was told.
I’m not calling that bad. That is just where I was. And it was due to the way I was raised; which was not to question, but to follow. In my years of church attendance, since my mission, I have seen that the doctrine of blindly following the leaders has not changed. We are told not to search after the mysteries, and if we get answers to our prayers which are different than those given to the leaders, we are told that we are in error.
Now that I am in my fifties, I am done doing that. I obviously have a problem with authority figures, and I find it repulsive to submit anymore. I don’t go to church for that reason. I find I am more self-expressed outside of the church rather than in it. And I don’t miss going there. If I go back to church, (and I occasionally do go) I will go because I am inspired to go, and not out of fear of what will happen to me or my family if I don’t go. As it stands now, when I do go to church, I can’t stay awake, and I can’t wait to get out. It is a feeling similar to claustrophobia. There is nothing new going on at church, it is always the same, “plug along” attitude. I want something more dynamic.
So…when I read what you two have experienced, that has not been my experience. And I realize that my experience does not mean that I have the truth. Maybe you two have the true perception of what the church is, and I am collapsing what I see with my past. I don’t know, and I am open, but I don’t want to compromise what I feel inside anymore.
As far as the Salt Peter. I never experienced gas in the LTM, and I never had a lack of wet dreams, or night time erections, so I don’t think they put it in the food.
hell raising love monster,
I’m sorry if I misinterpreted your comments. I took them at face-value. I certainly don’t deny the reality of your experience, and I don’t claim to have “the true” perception of what the Church is. I have my understanding and beliefs, and I stand by them, but I would never try and impose that onto somebody else. I appreciate your further clarification of where you are coming from, since I was a bit confused.
Daitoryu,
I would also be interested in hearing from someone who worked at the MTC.
When I went to the Provo MTC, they were using Marriott food service (which no longer exists) which, interestingly enough, was the same that the college in southern Arizona I attended right before my mission used for the dorms. I left the dorms after one semester, partly because the food didn’t make me feel so good, but it wasn’t a church college, and libido on campus certainly was not suppressed. I don’t think it was saltpeter that made me sick, just bad food. I suspect the same for the MTC at the time I attended (though the food in the MTC didn’t bother me near as much as the dorm food at college).