[God is merciful and He DOES have a Plan!]

I found this blog post today about what my Church teaches about being saved after this life and how that makes our faith "most liberal in mercy".

So many religions/churches teach that if you don't belong to their church, you are damned to hell or some kind of eternal suffering. Well, it's just not true.

God is our Heavenly Father (He is a literal Father to our spirits) and loves us more than we can even imagine. He would not condemn someone to eternal suffering just because they happen to be in the wrong church or even if they are atheist or even if they are the worst sinners.

If you read the above blog post, you'll learn what my Church teaches about who is saved. Pretty much everyone is saved to a wonderful place of glory.

Once you have read that blog post, read this following quote. It is from one of our manuals and explains how even the worst sinner is loved more than we can understand. The telestial kingdom is the lowest of the three God's kingdoms, yet it is glorious beyond understanding.

D&C 76:89–106. Why Will Those Who Inherit the Telestial Kingdom Receive a Glory That “Surpasses All Understanding”?

All who receive the telestial kingdom will have paid a price for this glory. The fact that after they pay this price they inherit a telestial glory is evidence of the Father’s love and mercy. Elder John A. Widtsoe wrote:

“The [Doctrine and Covenants] explains clearly that the lowest glory to which man is assigned is so glorious as to be beyond the understanding of man. It is a doctrine fundamental in Mormonism that the meanest sinner, in the final judgment, will receive a glory which is beyond human understanding, which is so great that we are unable to describe it adequately. Those who do well will receive an even more glorious place. Those who dwell in the lower may look wistfully to the higher as we do here. The hell on the other side will be felt in some such way.

“The Gospel is a gospel of tremendous love. Love is at the bottom of it. The meanest child is loved so dearly that his reward will be beyond the understanding of mortal man.”

I blogged about God's plan for us long time ago at my other blog. I explained the kingdoms of glory etc. You can read those blog posts by clicking here:

God's plan, Part I

God's plan, Part II

God's plan, Part III

So often you hear people say things like "Why did this happen?" (when something bad happens) or "Why did God let those people suffer? Why didn't he stop the bad guys?". Once you understand God's plan for us, you'll see why. People blame God for not doing anything about the bad things in life, yet they are often unwilling to learn more about God and why He is doing what He is doing (for example, why He is not stopping terrorists, etc). Once you understand The Plan and the gospel more fully, life makes so much more sense. You will understand why we have to go through trials and suffering in this life. You'll understand yourself better. Who you are. Where you came from. Why you are here on earth. Where you are going after this life. There is so much information if people are just willing to learn. Once you get The Plan, it all makes sense! I promise. :)

[the price that was paid]

The Garden of Gethsemane

(image via Google image search)

Something really touched my heart yesterday at church. Maybe because I had just read about how in Iraq, the parliament is discussing a law that 9-year-old girls can get married. They are talking about 9-year-old CHILDREN!! Recently I also started reading an award winning, best selling book that had horrible child pornography in it. Needless to say I stopped reading the disgusting book as soon as I got to that point. I can't believe some people praise that book with words like "breathtaking". What is wrong with people that they would support a book in which child pornography is glorified? Child abuse in any form disturbs me to my very core.

So when I heard/read this part of the lesson on Sunday, it made me think of the horrible, horrible price our Savior paid on our behalf.

This is by President Joseph Fielding Smith, who became the President of the Church in 1970.

The driving of the nails into his hands and into the Savior’s feet was the least part of his suffering. We get into the habit, I think, of feeling, or thinking that his great suffering was being nailed to the cross and left to hang there. Well, that was a period in the world’s history when thousands of men suffered that way. So his suffering, so far as that is concerned, was not any more than the suffering of other men who have been so crucified. What, then, was his great suffering? ...His great suffering occurred before he ever went to the cross. It was in the Garden of Gethsemane, so the scriptures tell us, that blood oozed from every pore of his body; and in the extreme agony of his soul, he cried to his Father. It was not the nails driven into his hands and feet. Now do not ask me how that was done because I do not know. Nobody knows. All we know is that in some way he took upon himself that extreme penalty. He took upon him our transgressions, and paid a price, a price of torment.

Think of the Savior carrying the united burden of every individual—torment—in some way which I say, I cannot understand; I just accept—which caused him to suffer an agony of pain, compared to which the driving of the nails in his hands and feet was very little. He cried in His anguish, to His Father, “If it be possible, let this cup pass!” and it could not pass [see Luke 22:42]. Let me read you just a word or two here of what the Lord says in regard to that:

“For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

“But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

“Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of the pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

“Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.” [D&C 19:16–19.]

You can read the full lesson by clicking here.

I don't know how much of Jesus Christ's suffering other Christian churches understand. Most of them seem to concentrate on the death and suffering Jesus suffered on the cross. But the main suffering was done in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus Christ took upon himself ALL the sins, ALL the suffering, ALL the wrongs of this world. He paid the price for it ALL. The torment was so great that blood oozed from his every pore. 

I look forward to the day when everyone will know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, their Savior. Sometimes when I read about the horrible things happening in this world, I wish the day of his Second Coming would happen already. I'm so grateful that I know about my Savior and that I have learned to love and honor him. That I found his Church in which the fullness of the gospel is taught. That I understand God's plan for us, his children. That I know what the purpose of life is. That I know why we have to go through trials in this life. That I know where I came from. That I know what happens after we die. That I know that in the end, ALL things will be made right and the suffering will end. That I can hope for a better world and I know that it WILL happen. 

[quotes on women]

I'm making some quote cards for our Relief Society party and thought I'd share them here too.

I love how the gospel has brought me a better perspective on being a woman. I know my role is just as important as any man's. I love that my desire to be a mother is respected and honored. I love how our Church leaders make me feel valued, appreciated and loved.

Men and women don't need to be the same to be equal. I can have joy in being a woman. The softening touch of women is so needed in today's hard world!

(To use the images, just right click and copy them, then paste them into a Microsoft Word document.)