What do we know? Not as much as we often think.

J. Hathaway

- 5 minutes read - 1039 words

The semi-annual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is happening this weekend. The time when all LDS can justify staring at a big screen for 8-10 hours from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon. My ears perked up when President Dallin H. Oaks shared a talk on what our life will be like after death. Early in his message he quoted Brent L. Topp, I believe a BYU religion professors article on this subject had it right when he wrote, ‘When we ask ourselves, what we know about the spirit world, from the standard works. The answer is, “not as much as we often think.”’

President Oaks wanted to make it clear that we should not dogmatize culture and that we should rely on the scripture as the arbitrator of differing personal views1 (whether they be apostolic, religion teachers, or family and friends). He then quoted two other living apostles to support a collective voice from the Church.

It should be remembered that not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine. It is commonly understood in the Church that a statement made by one leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered opinion, not meant to be official or binding for the whole Church. -Elder D. Todd Christofferson-

The doctrine is taught by all 15 members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. It is not hidden in an obscure paragraph of one talk. -Elder Neil L. Andersen-

I appreciated a member of the first presidency sharing the message that President Oaks shared. Interestingly, he pulled heavily from Brent L. Top’s Q&A about ‘What is on the Other Side?’ in the Religous Studies Center journal. All three quotes I included above are in Brent’s article. Brent had a few more great quotes that align with this topic. Concerning our existence after this life Brent said;

Where we sometimes get into trouble—and I certainly have done this as well—is when we try to make sense of limited scriptural information by putting it into a diagram or on a PowerPoint, thinking that it fully reflects what the scriptures teach about the spirit world. In reality, the scriptures don’t give us a diagram, a chart, a map, photos, or a Google Earth screenshot of the spirit world.

In the following quote, Brent L. Topp joins Robert Millet, Terryl Givens, Neil L. Andersen, D. Todd Christopherson, and Dallin H. Oaks in clarifying that all quotes from historical leaders of the Church do not define a doctrine.

There are plenty of other things that have been said and published by Church leaders and faithful members—particularly in the nineteenth century—that are interesting, informed, and in many cases inspired but that are not necessarily official doctrine. Some of my favorite statements from Brigham Young and Parley P. Pratt and others would probably fall into that category. That doesn’t mean that we don’t use them in our teaching or that they are not true, but we and our students need to recognize the proper hierarchy of authoritative sources. I think Robert Millet’s article, “What Is Our Doctrine?” is an excellent resource. That leads me to my third guiding principle. It is what I call the Apocrypha principle2.

Brent added to the above statement when he said, ‘There are some things included in the statements of early Brethren that are speculation, interpretation, or opinion but are not necessarily false. And we have to be guided and directed by the Spirit to know what is true, what is doctrine, and how to apply it to our own lives.’ This is the key! Brigham’s quotes are valuable to help us think. Our Sunday school teacher’s comments are useful, as well. We need to realize that the decision on teaching doesn’t have to be so black and white.

Teachings can be not false and not true. They can be insightful in helping us to find revealed truth from the Holy Spirit based on the words of scripture. Revelation comes through the struggle to understand what is known and what is unknown. The Spirit can confirm the truth, but we should be careful not to settle the truth too fast3.

  1. I did appreciate that President Oaks clarified that we should be allowed to ponder such topics but that we should be careful to speak for the Church. He said, We can all wonder privately about circumstances in the spirit world, or even discuss these or other unanswered questions in family or other intimate settings. But let us not teach or use as official doctrine what does not meet the standards of official doctrine. To do so does not further the work of the Lord, and may even discourage individuals from seeking their own comfort or edification through the personal revelation the Lord’s plan provides for each of us. Excessive reliance on personal teachings, or speculations may even draw us aside from concentrating on learning and efforts that will further our understanding and help us go forward on the covenant path. ↩︎

  2. Top defines the Apocrypha principle. When the Prophet Joseph Smith was working on translating the Bible (the Joseph Smith Translation), the Lord responded to his inquiry about whether or not to translate the Apocrypha (see D&C 91). I love the principle that was taught. Even though it was specifically relating to the Apocrypha, I think it has application to our study and teaching of the gospel in general and the doctrine of the spirit world in particular. The Lord says, “There are many things contained therein that are true.” And then he says that there are other things which are not true and “are interpolations by the hands of men” (see D&C 91:1–2). Interpolations is an interesting word that we don’t use much now. Is it the same as interpretations or opinions? No, it really means unauthorized insertions or additions to the scriptures. ↩︎

  3. Simon Foucher in Dissertation on the Search for Truth said, ‘One needs to exit doubt in order to produce science - but few people heed the importance of not exiting from it prematurely … It is a fact that one usually exits doubt without realizing it. … We are dogma-prone from our mother’s wombs.’ ↩︎

comments powered by Disqus