Diefication of Scriptures
SAYS YOU: "From my path through life, He has revealed to me that your path is not the only path to get home again. Your path has been especially established for you and your growth and understanding. Why it is interminable to you that there would be many pathways home is unreasonable to me that there would not be as many pathways as necessary for a population of this earth that even with the most sincere Christian devotional intent will never travel your path, nor make your discoveries! Gary, that does not mean that these sincere devotees of seeking God will not find their own personal pathway home!"
ME: Here is were we differ. In fact, I believe this is where you differ even from the doctrine of the Church to which you adhere.
There is only one path. There are but minimal conditions that must be met to navigate to our eternal reward. This is not my path. these conditions are laid out plainly and simply in the scriptures. Man cannot err in understanding these conditions.
Mosiah 4
5. For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state--
6. I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body--
7. I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world.
8. And this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you.
These are the conditions. There are no other conditions. There is no other salvation. There are no different salvation, one salvation for those who live a celestial law, another salvation for those who live a terrestrial law and a salvation for those who live a telestial law. One either meets the conditions, the only conditions, or they don't.
The fact is, I have not conceptualized my own path. I have sought to understand the only path. Much of my communication with through the Holy Ghost has helped me remove all of the man-made conditions that the church has added to the conditions.
I have come to see that when people go beyond what is written in the Book of Mormon and Bible, disputes naturally occur. If every Christian would believe, teach and live the simple conditions, there would no "be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine".
You may think your 35 year old spiritual experience is unique or at least rare. You may also think that God will testify only of the truthfulness of Joseph Smith. I would invite you to spend some time at
Testimonies of Other Faiths (Testimonies of Other Faiths
)
You will soon discover that God has born testimony regarding the simple conditions cited above. Here are a few examples.
Two Baptists
"On a Wednesday night my dad was preaching at our church. He preached about the rich man going to hell. I felt the power of the Holy Spirit dealing with me once again. I felt so guilty and ashamed for rejecting Christ for so long. After the message Bro. Byron Shive came to me and encouraged me to pray. I went to the front of the church and began to pray. I repented of my sins and asked God to please forgive me. I remember getting to a point where I wanted to be saved more than anything else in the world. It was at that point that I felt peace flood over my body. I asked God if that was it. The peaceful feeling seemed to intensify. I knew I was saved and began to rejoice. This personal experience with God is what will take me to Heaven." - -Josh Elliott's Salvation Experience
"I was sixteen and Dillon was preaching about being saved or go down and all I thought about was that I wanted to be the one to go to heaven, and I prayed. I told God I would give up everything if I had to. And when I did, something inside me told me I was saved. I felt that everything bad disappeared. Peace was all I felt. It was all I wanted to feel. I felt a transition. The Lord had touched me, and I’m happy and free!" - -Maranda Herlein's Salvation Experience
Two Methodist
"That night while sitting in the first pew of the Old Sanctuary, I said a prayer and submitted everything to Christ’s care and control. I was afraid I would be expected to change all the hurts, habits, and hang-ups I had all at once, but God knows what each of us needs when we need it. Little by little he revealed to me hurts I just let build up over the years, and as I confessed I was powerless to change them by myself my wounds began to heal. I began to live one day at a time by the truth of God’s word, by His promises, seeing the world as Jesus would see it and not as I would. When I allowed Him to, God has made these incredible changes in me and every day I am still changing. Not because of anything I have done, but because of what Jesus Christ has done for all of us."
-Suzanna's Testimony
"I don’t remember a time that I didn’t believe in God but I was 28 years old before I realized my need for a Savior. In October of 1979 I prayed asking Jesus to be my Lord and save my soul... At that moment I became a new creation, I had been living in the prison of anxiety and fear for nine years and in Jesus Christ found the hope and strength I needed to be healed. It took several years of learning to trust and obey, my Lord has been will me every step of the way. He has given me His peace that passeth all understanding" - Vickie L.'s Testimony
Conversion from Hinduism
"I was sleeping and all of a sudden I woke up. I felt like the Holy Spirit was saying, ‘Now is the time. Now is the time to come into My kingdom.’ At that point I said, ‘Lord, I accept You as my Lord and my Savior. I am Yours. Please forgive me of all my sins.’ I felt like the weight had been lifted. There was something in my spirit that… It was almost like—think of a really, really dark room. And then all of a sudden like a small crack opens up and light shines through. You just know it. The Lord is real. God is in me. The Holy Spirit is living in me. ...Jesus Christ to me is, first of all, He’s a Friend. He walks with me. He lives in me. He guides me. He’s just – He’s just amazing. He is everything I mean, when I’m down, He pulls me up. When you earnestly seek the face of God, and you’re sincere in your seeking the face of God, God shows up." -from "Shailesh Ghimire: Finding Jesus in America"
I share the above to show that people can meet the conditions laid out in the Book of Mormon and are, therefore, heirs of salvation. They certainly don't and won't meet your conditions, but, as you can see, that doesn't matter. They are the children of God. I go further. You believe "the most sincere Christian devotional intent will never travel your path, nor make your discoveries!". I totally disagree. It took me all these years to make my discoveries because I was side-tracked by the doctrines of men. Others are not so impeded.
Men become sons of God in the day that the Spirit leads them to believe on Jesus Christ for salvation, and not before.[13] What says the Epistle to the Galatians? "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." (Galatians iii. 26.) What says the first Epistle to the Corinthians? "Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus." (First Corinthians i. 30.) What says the Gospel of John? "As many as received Christ, to them gave He power (or privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." (John i. 12.) Faith unites the sinner to the Son of God, and makes him one of His members. Faith makes him one of those in whom the Father sees no spot, and is well-pleased. Faith marries him to the beloved Son of God, and entitles him to be reckoned among the sons. Faith gives him "fellowship with the Father and the Son." (First John i. 3.) Faith grafts him into the Father's family, and opens up to him a room in the Father's house. Faith gives him life instead of death, and makes him, instead of being a servant, a son. Show me a man that has this faith, and, whatever be his church or denomination, I say that he is a son of God.
J.C. Ryle, Practical Religion, Chapter 18, Heirs Of God
SAYS YOU: "From my path through life, He has revealed to me that your path is not the only path to get home again."
ME: You can see, pondering the above, that this is a revelation that you should examine. As Joseph Smith said, "Some revelations are of God: some revelations are of men: and some revelations are of the devil."
Simpleness of the Way
Fallen man is not happy with these simple conditions. Surely, they think, there must be more. And so they seek for things they can't understand. They are "a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble".
[H]e prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished.
No. the simple plan was unsatisfying to the carnal mind, and so they cumbered the ground. They insist on adding their own precepts. They add to the conditions. Because God's conditions are simple and man's additions are pleasing to the carnal mind, these adders will have great success.
Paul warned against this:
1 Corinthians 4:6 (KJV) And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
1 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV) Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.
Jesus warned against this adding to the conditions. After presenting the conditions (3 Nephi 11:32-40), He warned:
39. 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.
40. 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.
41. Therefore, go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth.
Miraculous Feature
So, how did God protect us against those who add to His doctrine?
First, He gave us the scriptures. Black and white. Read Mosiah 1: Samples
I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.
I say unto you, my sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief, and we should have been like unto our brethren, the Lamanites, who know nothing concerning these things, or even do not believe them when they are taught them, because of the traditions of their fathers, which are not correct.
we can know of their surety because we have them before our eyes.
I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God.
And so, we should listen to people and then search the scriptures to see if those teachings are so (Acts 17:11). If they don't speak according to the Law and Testimony, it's because there is no light in them (2 Nephi 18:20)
Here is the miracle:
Proverbs 30
5. Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
6. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
God wrote the scriptures in a way that any man-made doctrine is opposed by the Scriptures. Come up with any fancy, and there is a scripture that will devastate that fancy clearly. Of course, the opposing scripture will be rejected by the false teacher because it will "destroy their craft"
Acts 19
24. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;
25. Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.
26. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:
27. So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.
28. And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
2 Nephi 28:28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.
So, the divine manifestation in the scriptures (Book of Mormon and Bible, 2 Nephi 3:12) is that they will clearly confound whatever false doctrines made up by man, whether such fictions are created with evil design or insincerity. The fallen mind just can't take the whole body of scriptures in a way to meet all divine reproof against their false doctrine. They always let the verse or chapter that is the double edged sword slip by them and so they are discovered to be liars. It is amazing, really. And so they claim they are inspired to leave the cisterns of the Lord and carve out their new cisterns that don't hold water.
I remember reading about an old woman who tried to restore an old master icon. Here is the result:
This is what happens when man attempts to add to or update the conditions clearly put forth in the Word of God. The result always is a mess. And God will reprove such efforts if not in any other way that to show that such adder is a liar.
So, you think I came up with my own path. Instead, through strong revelation, I was able to cut away all the man-made additions and get to the simple truth that all true humble followers of Christ will accept and value.
Now, think about all the added conditions the LDS Church promotes that are nowhere found in the scriptures unless they are found there as being confounded by said scriptures. The necessity (and that is a first clue) of eternal marriage, temple covenants, priesthoods, health codes and accepting a man as a prophet, Seer and revelator. The whole concept of "covenant path" is not found in the scriptures, not even the words "covenant path". Yet, this precept is new and pervasive. I have been able to excise all that cumbers the ground. That sums up my spiritual journey here on the mountain. I am not creating my own path, but removing the encumbering, man-made, additions that cause contention and distract from and befog the true, the only and the simple conditions that lead to the only salvation.
SAYS YOU: " I believe reading the scriptures are as important as having that personal relationship with the Holy Spirit is. I do not, however, believe that the scriptures are to be defied! Whether you realize it or not, or care or not, your total dedication to the scriptures above all else smacks a bit to closely to that deification which then is idolatrous."
ME: This is astounding! Deification of non-god creations is among your most important doctrines.
Be that as it may, you mistake honoring and valuing the Word of God ("and the Word was God") AS God as opposed to honoring and valuing the Word of God as FROM God. If you want to get the true picture of the value of the scriptures, read the words of the man after God's own heart in Psalm 119.
Despite how you look at it, God regards trampling on his counsels as trampling HIM under one's feet.
1 Nephi 19:7 ....I do not write anything upon plates save it be that I think it be sacred. For the things (writings upon the plates) which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and soul, others set at naught and trample under their feet. Yea, even the very God of Israel do men trample under their feet; I say, trample under their feet but I would speak in other words--they set him at naught, and hearken not to the voice of his counsels.
Jesus valued the scriptures for what they are without the deification of them. That is why Jesus was fond of saying, referring us to the Law and Testimony, “have ye never read”?, “Have ye not read what David did”?, “Did ye never read in the scriptures”?, “touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God”?, “have ye not read this scripture”, “have ye not read in the book of Moses”, “Have ye not read so much as this”, “they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day”, “And have ye not read this scripture”, “Search the scriptures”, “Hath not the scripture said”, ”it is written”, And, finally,
Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
SAYS YOU: "IMHO, what God the Father has shown me is of a vastly larger compendium of knowledge than only the scriptures can afford. You will likely label me a lost heretic by saying that."
ME: Yes I do. Your larger compendium is useless at best, destructive at worse if that compendium goes beyond what is written.
Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
SAYS YOU: "From my humble perspective, you would be or such greater service to God “in the Church” gently guiding and directing His Sheep as He told Peter three times to “feed my sheep” (yes, I know the first time He used lambs.) Not just standing alone on the side of your mountain like Moses on Mount Sinia receiving “the Word of God”. Remember, even Moses came back down the mountain and “fed His sheep”!"
ME: Ha! I come down from the mountain and attend the ward when my bride is well (she has been suffering a lot these days). I make it a goal to bring Jesus into whatever discussion they are having. He would be absent if I didn't. I may the only one that day who brings him up. I know most often I am the only one that quotes scriptures. I get scowls from ultra-mormons, but everyone else rejoices. They want to know more. They want to talk to me. Often the whole discussion changes and remains along the concept I brought up. I consider my activity as a "Mission to the Mormons". I could share some examples so you would know that I am not leading anyone away from the Church, so rest your heart.
Conclusion
I assure you that I have read and listened to your comment over and over. If I didn't react to some of your points, it is because of lack of time and the distraction of pain.