Righteousness and Blessings

[myboynoah]

Originally Posted by YOhio

SU is saying that "what comes around, goes around." Though the "goes around" part sometimes takes a while. I really don't think this is immature. I was just funnin' with him.

Well then, that suggests cause and effect, which doesn't square with his statement "that this just happens."

Like Obama, it appears that SU has been knocked off his game.

[BYU71]

Originally Posted by non sequitur

Not only is the notion that "obedience leads to blessings" a common myth in the Church, I think it's responsible for a lot of the anxiety felt by Church members (it wasn't until I started hanging out with non-members that i realized that not everyone in the world is hooked on anti-depressants). During my periods of activity I could never understand why I wasn't as happy as I was during my periods of inactivity. It wasn't until I left the Church and embraced my unhappiness that I was truly happy.

Don't blame the church for that. I know plenty of very happy people who live the principles of the gospel.

They also do things some would look their nose down at, like gambling, wearing blue shirts, drinking coke, etc. However, they don't let others determine what obedience means for them. They are comfortable living the gospel as they feel.

Now, if we move onto adultery, big time drinking, etc., I can see how one will have a problem with being happy in the church as those items do really matter.

[SeattleUte]

Originally Posted by myboynoah

Well then, that suggests cause and effect, which doesn't square with his statement "that this just happens."

Like Obama, it appears that SU has been knocked off his game.

Natural law, my friend.

[ERCougar]

Good post.

It reminds me of a scripture I haven't ever understood very well:
"And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."

Thoughts on this? Does that mean that every blessing in my life I've somehow earned by obedience to some principle? Because I sort of feel like I'm the beneficiary of a lot of others' efforts in a lot of areas of my life.

Don't mean to hijack the thread--I'm just also intrigued by the strong connection we tie between obedience and blessings. This is sort of the converse of your original argument.

[Flystripper]

Originally Posted by myboynoah

Well then, that suggests cause and effect, which doesn't square with his statement "that this just happens."

Like Obama, it appears that SU has been knocked off his game.

Didn't you know? SU is a Vishnu lovin, karma belivin', Kama Sutra practicing Hindu.




or not

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by ERCougar

Good post.

It reminds me of a scripture I haven't ever understood very well:
"And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."

Thoughts on this? Does that mean that every blessing in my life I've somehow earned by obedience to some principle? Because I sort of feel like I'm the beneficiary of a lot of others' efforts in a lot of areas of my life.

Don't mean to hijack the thread--I'm just also intrigued by the strong connection we tie between obedience and blessings. This is sort of the converse of your original argument.

I have lots of problems with that scripture. But that's a big enough topic that maybe it deserves another thread.

[myboynoah]

Originally Posted by Flystripper

Didn't you know? SU is a Vishnu lovin, karma belivin', Kama Sutra practicing Hindu.




or not

No doubt SU wrote the Kama Sutra in a previous life.

Hence this lawyer gig in Seattle.

[Tex]

Originally Posted by El Paso Coug

One of the predominent themes in LDS Church meetings is the concept of being blessed for a righteous act. I think we all know what I'm talking about. When you go to a stake priesthood meeting that starts at 7:00 a.m. on a Sunday, the Stake President states that all of those in attendance will be richly blessed for making the sacrifice to attend. We will be blessed if we pay our tithing and fast offering. Blessings come when we do our home teaching. I could list a hundred examples and testimony meetings typically have at least one person who shares an experience where the person believes that he or she was immediately blessed after some righteous act. LDS members get pounded with the righteous act=blessings logic. There is no doubt in my mind that the primary motivation for many members to do certain actions within the church is to receive blessings.

I would just like to say that I don't believe in this concept at all and my personal life experiences regularly contradict it. I just wanted to get this off my chest and didn't want to be bombarded by holier than thou responses on cougarboard.

God is not a vending machine where you put your 50 cents in, and out comes your Diet Coke. To the extent that a member believes this, he's wrong.

On the other hand, we have some pesky scriptures that say the following:

D&C 82:9-10

9 Or, in other words, I give unto you directions how you may act before me, that it may turn to you for your salvation.
10 I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.

D&C 121:33

How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints.

And not to be forgotten ...

D&C 130:20-21

20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—
21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

Thus it is clear that blessings are tied to obedience. That doesn't mean that attending that 7 AM meeting will result in an HDTV materializing on your front doorstep, although temporal blessings may follow. More likely the kinds of blessings the Lord intends are those that prepare us for the eternities. I can't say it better than ute4ever did.

The Vending Machine God is immature, yes. But so is the "I never got a plug nickel from God for my obedience" attitude. As usual, the truth is somewhere in between.

[Spaz]

There are many laws which, when obeyed, convey blessings. It's unfortunate that:

1. We (in general) expect a blessing to occur for every action taken.
2. We assume we will recognize the blessing as being such.
3. We expect the blessing to come according to our time frame rather than the Lord's.
4. We expect the blessing involved to be no more than an increase in faith/spirit/knowledge/etc.


I don't think that PEC attendance is a law that conveys a promised blessing.

[Spaz]

Originally Posted by ERCougar

Good post.

It reminds me of a scripture I haven't ever understood very well:
"And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."

Thoughts on this? Does that mean that every blessing in my life I've somehow earned by obedience to some principle? Because I sort of feel like I'm the beneficiary of a lot of others' efforts in a lot of areas of my life.

Don't mean to hijack the thread--I'm just also intrigued by the strong connection we tie between obedience and blessings. This is sort of the converse of your original argument.

Like I said above, a blessing (plural in some cases) is conveyed for obedience to a law upon which blessings are promised. It's very much like a contract with the Lord.

Unfortunately, we expect to be able to define blessings and sort them into categories..."this comes from obeying that law, and this comes from obeying that law". I don't think it's fair to expect to do that.