Many years ago, as a new missionary, my companion and I were out “contacting” individuals that happen to be out and about in their yard working, or relaxing on their porch on a hot summer day in the South. We approached one lady probably in her 30’s. My companion after introducing himself, led with one of many lines that we were taught were good to spark interest in what missionaries teach. “Would you be interested in learning how you can spend eternity with your Husband?” my companion asked. “Oh hell no!” was this lady’s response, and something along the lines of she has spent enough time with her husband. Or perhaps it was “Oh Hell? No!”. While a true story, I hope you can recognize my attempt at humor in sharing this as I write on the following subject: The Doctrine of Christ.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints uses a plurality of doctrines not only in their regular teachings, but also as a way to gain the interest of potential converts to the church. While it has been many years since I’ve been a missionary, my understanding is that the book “Preach My Gospel” is still the basis of instruction for missionary work in the church. As the church has moved its vast materials to a digital library whether online or in the gospel library app, this has given the church capability to make changes to their source content here and there with more frequency. A review of Preach my Gospel in the Gospel Library can show that while some changes has been made to this particular book, the general layout, scope and intent are all the same to the original printed version that I studied from. Chapter 3 is the source material for the lessons that are taught to church investigators, or “Friends” as they are now called.
The first lesson given to potential converts is “The Message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ”. The key points of this lesson focus on Prophets, Jesus Christ setting up a church, this church falling into apostasy, the need for a restoration, the restoration of this church through Joseph Smith, restoration of priesthood, modern “prophets”, and of course, the Book of Mormon. At the end of this lesson, the potential convert is encouraged to read from The Book of Mormon and pray about its truthfulness, with the explanation that if they pray about it, and receive an answer that it is true, it must certainly mean The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church on earth. The potential convert is then urged to get baptized into the church after they have prayed.
The second lesson is entitled “Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation”. This is a comprehensive lesson summed up as the following topics: the Pre-Earth Life, the creation, the fall of Adam and Eve, The Atonement, The Spirit World, The Resurrection, Salvation, Exaltation, Judgment, and Kingdoms of Glory. The focus of this lesson is to essentially teach the “purpose of life”. This is the lesson where you discuss with your potential convert how they might be able to spend eternity with their spouse and the rest of their family.
At this point, perhaps you are assuming I’m covering the missionary lessons and what they entail because certainly these are part of what is defined as the “Doctrine of Christ”. Not exactly, but I’m getting there.
The third lesson, if your potential convert still has interest at this point, is entitled “The Gospel of Jesus Christ”. This lesson covers the subjects of Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, The Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. What this lesson contains is the closest to what the scriptures define as the “Doctrine of Christ”. Considering the placement in order of lessons, you might be able to detect how the church prioritizes this particular subject. The church would have missionaries prioritize teaching potential converts about the importance of prophets before they would teach what Christ taught was the way to salvation. The Plan of Salvation, while it lays good groundwork for the purpose of life, and leading a life to gain salvation, you would have to note that requirements according to the church is that an individual needs the church in order to gain salvation, including temple ordinances to keep your family intact in the afterlife. This is prioritized over Christ’s simple doctrine. Why? I must ask.
In The Book of Mormon we are first introduced to the Doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi chapter 31. While we could cover this chapter verse by verse and lay out and define the Doctrine of Christ in the here and now, I think that in respect to the simple Doctrine that it is, it wouldn’t be necessary out of respect to your time to cover this whole chapter here. It is a chapter best studied mindfully on your own to evaluate yourself, and listen to what the Lord has to say to you on the subject. In respect to this simple doctrine, I want to go to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
In 3 Nephi Chapter 11, we find a place in time among the Nephites, a people that eagerly and earnestly sought signs and wonders in heaven, looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. At this point they had endured many hardships, and had their faith tested. The Savior appeared to them at the temple which was in the land Bountiful. The Lord let the people come forward and as the record states:
“feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.” (3 Nephi 11:15).
Jesus Christ prioritized the people. His next priority was to teach them the Doctrine of Christ. In the words of Christ, he declares his doctrine:
“Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine.
And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.
And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.
And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost.
And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.
And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.
And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.
And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them.
Therefore, go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth.” (3 Nephi 11:31-41)
I think it is fair to sum the Doctrine of Christ up as Faith in Jesus Christ – declared as believing in Him, Repentance, and being baptized in his name. Upon living this doctrine, he promises one will be visited with fire and the Holy Ghost. Notice that there are multiple times in this passage alone where Christ declares “this is my doctrine”. He wants it absolutely clear. He made it clear that he does not want this doctrine distorted by adding or removing from this doctrine.
The church’s use of a plurality of doctrines adds to the Doctrine of Christ. It causes confusion on the requirements for salvation. The church would teach you that only ordinances and membership within the church can bring about your salvation. The requirements do not stop at baptism and membership in the church alone. There are checklists that you need to fulfill. Are you following the prophet? Are you paying your Tithing? Are you wearing your Garments? Are you not drinking Coffee or Tea? Think I’m overly dramatizing? The church teaches in order for salvation, you need to participate in the ordinances of the temple. If you miss any one of the above checklist I already mentioned, you are not granted access to the temple, thus you are not granted access to the ordinances. Thus in the eyes of the church you are not granted access to salvation.
If you are a church apologist, or a critic of what I’ve already written in this article, certainly you are pulling your hair out and responding something like “but you’re conflating salvation with exaltation!” I acknowledge within church doctrine, there is a distinguished difference in definition between Salvation and Exaltation. I don’t attempt to argue in bad faith. But if I were to were to sincerely ask you, as a faithful member of the church, if you were to achieve salvation, but fall short of the church’s definition of exaltation, does that feel fulfilling to you? Is what Christ offering through salvation enough for you to keep you happy for eternity? I will illustrate by quoting the current church president Russell M. Nelson, whom members sustain as a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator:
“The Savior invites all to follow Him into the waters of baptism and, in time, to make additional covenants with God in the temple and receive and be faithful to those further essential ordinances. All these are required if we want to be exalted with our families and with God forever.” (Russell M . Nelson April 2019 General Conference “Come , Follow Me”)
Am I taking a quote too much out of context? He reiterates later to ensure no confusion as he prefaces the following comment by saying that he weeps for friends and relatives that chose not to receive ordinances through the church:
“They are wonderful men and women, devoted to their family and civic responsibilities. They give generously of their time, energy, and resources. And the world is better for their efforts. But they have chosen not to make covenants with God. They have not received the ordinances that will exalt them with their families and bind them together forever.” (Russell M . Nelson April 2019 General Conference “Come , Follow Me”)
For full context of his talk, I encourage you read through the whole talk and discuss in the comments if you feel I missed any key points, or failed the context that was meant. I invite open discussion on these matters of importance. My point is there are no mincing words in modern church teachings in the emphasis of additional doctrines and additional ordinances required to obtain exaltation, or what I will call” LDS Salvation”. These doctrines and ordinances are an addition to what Jesus Christ prescribed in his Doctrine.
In this same conference talk, Nelson calls anything short of exaltation “second best” or “settling for a most meager roof over your head throughout all eternity.” What Christ promised us if we follow the Doctrine of Christ as defined in 3 Nephi 11 is considered “second best” and “settling” from Nelson’s perspective. From the perspective of Nelson, what Christ is offering in following his doctrine, cannot keep you with your family in the next life. So am I really conflating Salvation and Exaltation? I’ll refer back to Jesus’s words in the 3 Nephi 11 passage I’ve already shared. In verse 33 he states, “And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.” He is promising the kingdom of God to us! Can it be any more simple? Or is the kingdom of God second best, or just a meager roof? No mention of additional ordinances to achieve this. You might argue that he is not expounding on other doctrines related to the temple because it is sacred. If there were ever an appropriate time for Christ to speak of additional temple ordinances or covenants required for salvation, this was the perfect setting. He was AT the temple!
I don’t mean to single out the temple as much as I mean to emphasize what Jesus Christ has asked and required of us to gain salvation. I use the temple as an example, because of it’s emphasis in the church. It becomes a plurality of doctrines, when it is emphasized so much, when the Doctrine of Christ is clear.
I want to give an example of Christ’s teachings from his mortal ministry. Remember, he appeared at the temple to the Nephites, and his priority was to teach the Doctrine of Christ. Early on in his ministry, he gave what we know as the “Sermon on the Mount”. Mountains throughout the scriptures have often been equated to a temple-like setting. This is another reason to value the teachings he gave in this sermon. The Savior discusses the old law, which with no doubt was full of rituals, or ordinances as the church might refer to them. In mentioning the old law, he introduces his new or higher law. For example:
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” (Matthew 5:21-24 KJV)
Notice how Christ mentions bringing a gift to the altar? The assumption under the old law is, that if someone has done wrong, they need to participate in an ordinance or ritual in order to be reconciled to God, as to not hinder their salvation. The Higher Law? Leave the altar. Go reconcile with your brother, who you have wronged, and do right right by him. Only then is your sacrifice or ordinance meaningful. Christ gave his higher law considering HE was going to be the sacrifice to make up the difference as long as you abide by HIS doctrine.
Think back to my story at the beginning, and the emphasis on telling a woman that the most important thing for her to do is to be sealed to a husband for eternity whom she presumably doesn’t like to spend much time with in the first place. We teach that her salvation or exaltation is incumbent upon a sealing ordinance within the temple, whether she likes her husband or not.
In the temple, a man and a woman go to the altar to be sealed together for eternity. Wouldn’t it make sense before coming to this altar to go to Jesus Christ, live his doctrine, and be reconciled to him? Doesn’t it make sense to be devoted to, and reconciled to the love of your life that you desire to spend eternity with? Unfortunately, I’ve read too many accounts of members of the church where their focus was strictly on the checklist of ordinances ending at getting sealed in the temple. After a short courtship, it seems couples race to the altar in the temple to obtain the sealing ordinance assuring their salvation and exaltation. They actively and faithfully attend church for a few years, to a point in time where one spouse has challenges to their faith in the church. Their integrity prohibits them from actively participating in weekly church meetings, and other activities. Because of what they’ve been taught their whole life, the faithful spouse starts to fear for the salvation and exaltation of their spouse, but then other thoughts creep in. They think “what about my Salvation? What about my children’s salvation? My unfaithful spouse is ruining eternity!”. This leads to the breakup of a family, which the church so heavily emphasizes it is good for. Did the ritual and ordinance of the sealing at the Altar keep this family together? How would this differ if like I mentioned, this couple reconciled, and root their faith in Christ and his doctrine, and their devotion to each other before ever approaching an altar? Wouldn’t Christ be willing to grant this devoted couple an eternity together? The question of devotion would focus on each other and Christ, not the church.
This is the gravity of importance in following the Doctrine of Christ.
One of God’s greatest gifts is Agency, or the freedom to choose. My life experience has taught me, that as one of his children, it is the gift he will always respect, and freely give to us. My hope is that the reader will choose to follow and ponder the Doctrine of Christ. It is singular, not a plurality. I hope they root and nurture their Faith in Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, show devotion by being baptized in his name, and express their love for him by being good to their fellow man. If you can do this, does much else matter?
I hope you say, “Oh hell no!”.
Plurality of Doctrines 