More Musings from a Mormon Mystic
Today, my Doctrine and Covenants class spent most of our time discussing this phrase:
"I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say." (D&C 82:10)
Our class OOPPS (Judging him as the Obligatory Outspoken Peter-Priesthood Student is very hateful of me, yet I still do it . . . fodder for another meditation.) told everyone how interesting it was that God is bound by a higher law, that God cannot break His word even though we can. OOPPS brought in the example, "the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God" (Alma 42:13), to prove that God is absolutely unable to break certain cosmic laws. OOPPS essentially described God as an automaton, who goes through eternally dictated motions to further our happiness.
I responded that God has moral agency, even more agency than we have, and chooses to keep His promises, chooses to help us, every single day. Why else would moral agency be so important to Him and to us?
Of course, God has developed perfect charity, so He wants our happiness more than anything else. God cannot break His promises as I cannot murder, even though I am physically able to load and operate a handgun and (probably) have enough money in my checking account to buy a box of rat poison:
God cannot lie because He will not lie.
I think my interpretation—God's power to choose—makes Him more omnipotent that OOPPS's interpretation—God's limitation.
No heavy scripture battling happened in class, but when I got home, I found more proof that God must have choices in order to be God:
"I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say." (D&C 82:10)
Our class OOPPS (Judging him as the Obligatory Outspoken Peter-Priesthood Student is very hateful of me, yet I still do it . . . fodder for another meditation.) told everyone how interesting it was that God is bound by a higher law, that God cannot break His word even though we can. OOPPS brought in the example, "the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God" (Alma 42:13), to prove that God is absolutely unable to break certain cosmic laws. OOPPS essentially described God as an automaton, who goes through eternally dictated motions to further our happiness.
I responded that God has moral agency, even more agency than we have, and chooses to keep His promises, chooses to help us, every single day. Why else would moral agency be so important to Him and to us?
Of course, God has developed perfect charity, so He wants our happiness more than anything else. God cannot break His promises as I cannot murder, even though I am physically able to load and operate a handgun and (probably) have enough money in my checking account to buy a box of rat poison:
God cannot lie because He will not lie.
I think my interpretation—God's power to choose—makes Him more omnipotent that OOPPS's interpretation—God's limitation.
No heavy scripture battling happened in class, but when I got home, I found more proof that God must have choices in order to be God:
For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. . . .God is only "righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works" (Psalms 145:17) because He has the power to choose between good and evil, and He is God because He chooses good every single time.
And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away. . . .
Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. (2 Nephi 2:11, 13, 16)
posted by Bethylene at 13:17
2 Comments:
Hello fellow mountain dweller. I am not sure what drew me to your profile, but I am happy to have stopped by.
I think there may be quite a few people you and I would meet with any given Sunday who would agree with OOPPS. This is where I think logic and reason completely fail spirituality. Logically, the Almighty can break his word. It's that whole "all powerful" clause in his contract. I used to go many rounds with the guys regarding the "Free Agency Paradox", apparently on the wrong side of the discussion.
Too bad that you are obviously too young to have been blogging back then, could have used your notes!
Cheers!
Bethylene,
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I do not believe I am passed, or even approaching, my expiration date. Quite to the contrary, I feel better now than I did a decade ago.
Watch out for more posts, I would be honored to hear your position on a few that I have planned...
-Travis
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