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I mentioned this on a few threads, but I gave a talk this month with the topic being Personal Revelation. It’s a topic that is not easy for me as I don’t feel I have a lot of experience with it, and in particular no groundbreaking experiences related to many of the truth claims of the LDS Church. I have had moments of what I define as spirituality, moments where I look back and it seems like things lined up in an interesting way, but no big claim to a burning in the bosom. So this was a tough talk for me to prepare. I don’t think its the best talk I have ever given. There are probably some other directions I could have/should have gone, but didn’t. So just curious to get some feedback if this talk is as poor as I think it is or if this might have made sense to someone in the audience who perhaps thinks about things more similar to myself. In soliciting some feedback, don’t feel shy to share thoughts either way. If you make it to the end, I thank you for reading.
Understanding Personal Revelation
August 2014
My talk today is on Personal Revelation.
The ninth Article of Faith states:
Quote:“We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.”
In essence revelation is a key part of our theology and our religious beliefs. Not only that we revelation now, but that we will and can continue to receive revelation in the future. I think we often take for granted the knowledge of continuing and personal revelation and how it can apply to us personally.
During the early part of the 1800’s religions were in a full scale battle for converts and followers. The Smith Family did not have any one defined religious tradition as their family grew and expanded. Solomon Mack, Lucy’s father underwent an evangelical conversion later in his life after a life time of religious distance. Asael Smith, Joseph Smith Sr.’s father and Joseph Jr’s grandfather was a Universalist. Joseph Smith Sr. was involved in magical practices which was an unorthodox but legitimate way to connect with the supernatural during that time.
Joseph Smith and his family mostly interacted with the Methodists, Presbyterians, and Joseph himself participated in the meetings of a juvenile debating club which “gathered at the school house on Durfee street” where, more than likely, the participants engaged in questions of moral and political ethics within the context of Deism. Deism stresses morality and rejects the orthodox Christian view of the divinity of Christ, often viewing him as nothing more than a “sublime” teacher of morality. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams are usually considered the leading American deists.
Methodism and Presbeteryinsm had been fairly visionary religions believing that true disciples would receive signs and spiritual gifts as spoken about in the Bible. However, by 1820 the Methodists were retreating from their more visionary past.
In other words Joseph’s family had a wide array of religious experience, and no wonder it was so difficult for Lucy Mack and Joseph to agree on which denomination to join and within the confusion of assailing viewpoints Joseph wondered which was right. One common link between the more orthodox religions of the time was their views on revelation. Yes believers may be blessed with signs for their belief, but the idea of continuing revelation, of a direct connection with the divine was seen as conflicting with the written word of the Bible, believed to be the final word of God given to his children.
Not only was Joseph’s vision in the sacred grove a sacred experience to him, it was outside the theological thought of the day. The idea that man could communicate with their creator and receive an answer, and not only an answer but a directive and vision for God’s plan for his children was in contradiction to the existing doctrines and creeds of the day.
As Richard Bushman relates in his book Rough Stone Rolling:
Quote:“The clergy of the mainline churches automatically suspected any visionary report, whatever its content. “No person is warranted from the word of God,” a writer in the Connecticut Evangelical Magazine said in 1805, “to publish to the world the discoveries of heaven or hell which he supposes he has had in a dream, or trance, or vision. Were any thing of this kind to be made known to men, we may be assured it would have been done by the apostles, when they were penning the gospel history.” …Joseph’s report of God’s rejection of all creeds and churches would have sounded all too familiar to the Methodist evangelical, who repeated the conventional points that “all such things had ceased with the apostles and that there never would be any more of them.”
Yet many of the early converts to the church were precisely from these other faith traditions, who were interested in spiritual manifestations and gifts. Their increased curiosity in these manifestations and gifts gave birth to a variety of innovations in worship and belief. It was a hunger and yearning for closeness to divinity, something more than was offered within the standard worship practices of the day.
John Wigger, an historian of early Methodism said:
Quote:Believers wanted “a more intereactive faith in which the believer and God actively work together to meet life’s daily challenges and in which God communicates directly with the believer or community of believers.”
Although not emphasized in early missionary work, Joseph’s vision did spur early missionaries to emphasize the return of spiritual gifts and a more interactive faith as noted in the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
This zeal for visions almost derailed the early church as worship services resembled, what today we might describe, as a more Pentecostal approach to church meetings. Joseph later wrote about Kirtland that “some strange notions and false spirits had crept in among them” and had to be “overcome.”
Word that local Mormon worship services often featured these curious manifestations drew the ridicule of many observers. A newspaper in nearby Painesville reported contemptuously that after the missionaries left, “a scene of the wildest enthusiasm was exhibited, chiefly, however, among the young people.”
In response to all this Joseph received the revelation in D&C 46 giving direction to authority of revelation for the church as well as an attempt to calm the saints manifestations. Joseph needed to restrain the excess while still leaving room for member’s personal experiences. Mormonism succeeded where other movements formed during the same period foundered “partly because of the governing mechanisms Joseph put in place early in the Church’s history.”
As Busman notes:
Quote:“Joseph thought institutionally more than any other visionary of his time, and the survival of this his movement can largely be attributed to this gift.”
Those key institutions included the church, the City of Zion, the School of the Prophets, the Priesthood, temple, priesthood councils, and the egalitarianism of revelation. The councils settled disputes, considered Priesthood ordinations, and executed the laws of the church. Joseph was not always in charge of the councils he attended, and council members would take turns as moderators, allowing responsibility to be moved among the council itself.
As Joseph was enabling the councils to take a more pro-active role in governing the church he was also reducing his role as key visionary and sole conduit for revelation.
Despite the authoritative nature of the church hierarchy, revelation was not reserved for the Prophet but was distributed to all members to have a voice and ownership in their own salvation; To create that connection to our Heavenly Father that can aid us in our own personal life as we live through mortality. Joseph’s role was not only to reveal truth, but to challenge the culture that had stopped believing in divine revelation.
As we look through the lens of history we can see that revelation was an idea and concept that was being developed over time. It took Joseph and the early church leaders many years of working through the will of the Lord to understand revelation, what it meant for them, and what it meant going forward.
In my humble opinion I think we take for granted the great theological leap that modern day revelation was for Joseph and early western religion in general. We assume things have always been thus because we haven’t had to struggle through to understand the teaching or implications of those teachings. We have inherited a religious tradition, where those who went before us have in many ways created patterns that we can follow. Yet, and I can only speak for myself here, my own path to understanding what personal revelation means to me has been just as messy, difficult, and confusing as it was to Joseph and the early church. And I would say that for those of us who do desire that connection it can be difficult to comprehend. I still don’t understand it very well. However it is our right and I would say our obligation to appreciate how we connect with the divine and how we can be led to increased faith and be directed in our lives.
To me the larger piece of personal revelation is the idea that our Father in Heaven wants me to connect with Him. He wants to be in communication with me and wants to bless me in my efforts. I find a lot of comfort in that belief and it helps me as I walk in faith. But,as Peter Parker’s uncle said to him in the car before embarking on his journey to become The Amazing SpiderMan, “with great power comes great responsibility”.
Because we are empowered to access communication with the divine it also means that we are responsible for how much we want to grow, link ourselves to the eternities, and learn through personal revelation. It truly is a gift, but one only we can take advantage of. So what does that mean for you and me?
It means that as Joseph once expressed about the Methodists:
Quote:“[They] have creeds which a man must believe or be kicked out of their church. I want the liberty to believe as I please, it feels so good not to be tramelled. ” (Rough Stone Rolling, Bushman) (History of the Church, vol 5, pg 340)
We have the liberty to believe the things that we have learned through our own personal revelation. It means that we have to work out for ourselves what we will believe to be true.
For example The Proclamation to the Family says:
Quote:“In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation.”
As couples we are obligated to help each other as equal partners and to decide as a family what will work best for us; whether that be more traditional roles, or whether that be a working mom and stay-at-home dad, or somewhere in between. We have the ability to receive our own personal revelation of what will work best for our family. So what works for my family might not work for yours and vise versa.
This also implies a level of tolerance for others in our ward and church family. Our faith journey is our own, and what someone else receives through their own personal revelation may not be exactly what works for us. We often seem very good at the vertical type of revelation, but not so good at the horizontal. This understanding that others are able to receive answers for themselves should foster harmony and love for each other. We are after all, in this great mess of life together and it would be a shame to judge others for where they are in their own journey. We should never feel smug or superior for a level of knowledge or understanding that others don’t seem to grasp.
It means that when our leaders speak, we have the ability to find out for ourselves if what they have taught is something that will make us happier and more Christ like.
Brigham Young remarked in the Journal of Discourses:
Quote:“I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self security. Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not. (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [1954], 135.)
One of the aspects of the belief of continuing revelation is that we are never stagnant. There is truth to know and be discovered. I hope that we can understand and have faith in how important personal revelation is to our own life and be seeking and preparing ourselves to know and understand God’s will for us as individuals and our families. Personal revelation is truly a gift and an aspect of our religion that I cherish.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
It sucked. Just kidding; couldn’t resist.
I really like it, seriously. I think it flows really well, is informative and just the type of message many members need to hear and contemplate.
Old-Timer wrote:It sucked.
Just kidding; couldn’t resist.
Haha..
Thanks Ray. Appreciate the feedback. When I was re-reading it the morning of just thought it was probably kind of dry without much personal application.
Thanks again for taking the time.
We had a similar topic delivered on personal revelation in a talk this past Sunday. Disappointingly however, it focused far more on the notion of a polarized adherence to “the Gospel” (the speaker seemed to mean “Church policy,” but said Gospel) – meaning those that are “all in” qualify for revelatory blessings, while those who (let’s say) “seek” may not be. The takeaway being an implication that the only personal revelations that are valid are those that are merely confirming the position (or faith) of those who are committed to a precept regardless of revelatory confirmation. In other words, blame the seekers for still being seekers and credit the faithful for swallowing without chewing. I, for one love counting myself among the hopeful uncertain. And like Joseph Smith and seemingly you, SunbeltRed have found my sincere uncertainty a far more rewarding motivation in seeking spiritual insight than guilt-driven adherence or disingenuous consent.
Very well-written talk friend, wish I could have heard it in person.
Maybe a tad dry for some, but I loved it. The mention of Rough Stone Rolling would have definitely made my ears perk up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Great job again Sunbelt. I am copying this one, too. Thanks. Personal Revelation You took this topic thoughtfully where you thought best. I would have taken it in a different direction.
I think personal revelation can be one of the most damaging and dangerous concepts in contemporary Mormonism.
Personal revelation can be a great source of comfort. I remember the horrible feelings of loss at my mother’s grave side service. She was gone for good. I would never see her or hear her voice again in this life. She requested no funeral. My father was weighed down unlike anything I had imagined and could barely walk. He was a tough old bird, WWII vet, and professional boxer and took care of mom unflinchingly during her long and difficult decline with dementia. I’d never seen him so broken. What was left of the old guard of relatives and friends, all looking much the worst for wear, shuffled around powerless to do much.
Then my daughter (age 14 at the time and destined to become a professional musician) picked up her violin and began to play extemporaneously and from memory the simple favorite hymns my mother loved and it all went away. Although cold and windy the music was miraculously beautiful, unlike anything I have ever heard before, the music of heaven. I became spiritually aware that my mother was free from her burdens and in good place, associating with her parents and departed relatives who loved her. Life had been hard at times but the joy outweighed all the pain. The graveside service turned into one of the most beautiful experiences of my entire life. We were comforted and I have not felt much pain about her death since then. We miss mom but this burden was lightened. I thank God for this blessing and acknowledge that it is not given to all.
I met a girl in college and through personal revelation knew the minute I saw her that I would marry her. She was infatuated with me and we dated for 18 months. These were the best times. I prayed about her and had many personal revelations that she was the one for me. I remember praying with her up in the mountains and if angels had appeared it would not have surprised us. The next 80 years seemed like but a moment and I could taste the glory of the celestial kingdom with her. The problem came when she decided that she didn’t want to marry me. That resulted in at least a year of pain, confusion and spiritual darkness. If I had not so entangled the spiritual and the romantic I would have had clear access to the spiritual help I needed to negotiate this common but difficult experience. Later I would become aware of a cute Japanese girl in my student ward, perfect in so many ways, who had received a personal revelation that I would marry her. I served my mission in Japan and loved the language and culture. I dated her and gave it an honest effort but I never felt the inspiration or desire or the love to marry her. Everything I could do to try and persuade her gently otherwise was destined to fail. She returned to Japan and left the church. The girl I did marry was not the result of spiritual confirmation, quite the opposite. But I am amazed she married me.
I approached the completion of one phase of education with an excellent career ahead of me. I distinctly felt the Spirit telling me to join the military. I did and that was the worst mistake of my life. It ruined my career and it partially ruined me. We almost divorced. I lost my single-mined devotion, my sense of moral clarity and purpose. I became cynical and sarcastic. God or goodness does not exist in the dark belly of some places I have been. I felt lower than Jonah in the whale as expressed in the poem in chapter 2. I have never really gotten over it and my income is probably about half or less than it would have been. While in uniform I grew to hate America and would curse under my breath when I saw the flag. But since then I do feel a sense of patriotism and pride to have done that hard service. I guess somebody had to do it.
The year after my mother’s death I was strongly impressed by the Spirit to volunteer to go to Mongolia to fulfil a service opportunity there. We had the funds to do it and my career was going no where. My wife felt no such inspiration and did not want to put into jeopardy the health or education of our children. We didn’t go and she bought a new car instead which cost more than living in Mongolia for 3 years. I often quip; listening to my wife is more reliable than listening to the Spirit.
We were only able to have 2 children and they have done well. We were inspired to buy a large house, expensive to maintain, with the idea of raising maybe 6 or 8 children and we still live in the enormous house alone now. I have felt the Spirit directing me to consider adopting children, but my wife does not feel this way. Since the burden of raising children in our situation where I have a demanding job and she stays at home would fall heavily on her shoulders, I do not think it is the right thing for me to insist and she is to an age where she doesn’t follow my lead in much of anything anyway. I felt inspired that like my dad and grandfathers I would be able to work until I was at least 80-85 years old and we did not save much for retirement. I was first diagnosed with coronary artery disease in my early 50’s and will now have to work until I die and still rely on my children to take care of their mother financially. A more sensible plan would have been to plan for retirement at a slightly early to normal age.
I know of cases where people followed personal revelation instead of sound medical advice and suffered serious health complications because of it, including in one extreme case the death of their child. I have relatives and friends who married quickly under guidance from the Spirit and lived to regret it for the rest of their lives with subsequent turmoil, divorce and screwed up children. Scout leaders following the Spirt have gotten boys lost in the mountains exposing them to serious danger. Too often people neglect the part of studying it out in the mind (until it becomes obvious) and use prayer and personal revelation as a way to avoid the hard work that should precede the important decisions in life.
I think we need to better define where following the Spirit might be expected to work and where it might not. Many of our antidotal stories at church are unhelpful or misleading. I think expecting the Spirit to verify what amounts to scientific questions is foolish. I think going against logic, sound judgment, or common sense is almost always a bad idea. In matters of romance, personal revelation is most dangerous. Sometimes a decision has to be made without much knowledge of the consequences available even with maximal effort and then we have to choose and accept the consequences. It is illogical to assign good outcomes to following the Spirit and to blame ourselves for the bad outcomes. We should own all of our decisions, good and bad, then come to a place where we ask God for guidance generally and thank God for both outcomes. (I’m not there yet.)
I am not alone having a problem with the Spirit which helps rich children find lost toys and lets poor children die or continue to be beaten or suffer horribly every day in spite of their constant sincere prayers. When describing workings of the Spirit I prefer verbs like comfort, create, inspire in place of verbs like know, compel, feel, prove, etc. This is based on life experience and not scripture or doctrine.
Porter, I agree completely that the concept and principle of personal revelation is a two-edged sword – and I think SBR was referencing that sort of issue in talking about how messy personal revelation can be. I think the audience (including how well they know me) plays a huge role in what to share and how to share it, and I know I would give different talks about this topic in different settings. SunbeltRed wrote:Despite the authoritative nature of the church hierarchy, revelation was not reserved for the Prophet but was distributed to all members to have a voice and ownership in their own salvation; To create that connection to our Heavenly Father that can aid us in our own personal life as we live through mortality. Joseph’s role was not only to reveal truth, but to challenge the culture that had stopped believing in divine revelation.
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Great talk. I especially liked the quote above!
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