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“What
can we learn from those named in the Doctrine and Covenants? The likenings are incredible and reveal as much about the
strengths and weakness of those named as perhaps ourselves,” said
Susan Easton Black, a professor of church history and doctrine at Brigham Young
University in Provo.
Black
addressed the issue of choice and deciding your future during her
devotional address in the Hart Auditorium Tuesday at BYU-Idaho.
She
gave four examples of men and their varying commitments to The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the Doctrine and Covenants. The
first category included those who remained faithful throughout their lives.
The
determining factor was the presence of the spirit in their lives. Heber C.
Kimball said after his baptism, “I received the Holy Ghost, as the
disciples did in ancient days, which was like a consuming fire,” said
Black.
She
mentioned Martin Harris as a member of the second type, those who left the
Church temporarily, but eventually returned. She quoted Harris saying, “I
never did leave the Church; the Church left me,” referring to the
Church membership leaving New York and
gathering in the Ohio River
Valley.
“Life
is short for some, long for others, but either way you look at it, you
always need the spirit,” said Black.
She
went on to recount the experiences of Thomas B. Marsh, formerly a president
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. She described it as such, “It’s
a cholesterol story, it’s going to start out bad, and only get worse.”
Marsh’s
wife stole milk skimmings from a cow that they
shared with another family. He defended her until he was excommunicated
from the Church, after which he spent almost 18 years in poverty until he
returned to the Church, said Black.
“As
a result, poverty stalked him,” said Black. Marsh’s family left
him. He lost his job and all his assets, she said. He even helped trigger
the extermination order against the Church’s members by sending an
affidavit to Governor Lilburn Boggs, added Black.
After
being reinstated into the Church, Marsh said, “The Lord loved me
enough to not let me go without a severe shaking,” meaning the Lord
loved him enough to punish him for his poor decisions, Black said.
The
third group she spoke about were those who left
the Church and never came back. John Boynton, a well educated man, turned
toward science. He began to contribute incredible things to the world such
as the fire extinguisher, a soda fountain and over 30 patents attributed to
his name, said Black.
He
never came back to the Church, which led to a fourth group that never came
back and turned against the Church, said Black. One of which was Almon Whiting Babbitt, an attorney-at-law, who instead
of helping the Prophet Joseph Smith defend himself said, “You are too
late, I am already engaged on the other side,” recounted Black.
She
taught about the choices each person must make and where they lead a
person.
“Who
will we be today? Who will we be tomorrow?” she asked.
“As
for me and my house, we will choose the Lord. Not just choose Him, but
choose Him always,” concluded Black.
Next
week’s devotional speaker will be Paul V. Johnson, administrator of
Religious Education for Secondary and Elementary Education in the Church
Educational System. Devotionals are broadcast live on Tuesdays at 2 p.m.
and again at 7 p.m. on KBYI, FM 100.
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