The Christmas Star

One thing I've been wanting to share for a while was some thoughts about the star that guided the wise men to Bethlehem to see the Christ child. A lot of people try to connect the star the wise men saw with some sort of celestial event, such as a supernova or comet or something observed from another group or culture that had records that could be matched up. While this is a valid approach to synchronizing various events and validating some of them, this one fails for, I feel, a number of reasons.

Herod and his people were quite surprised at the report of the appearance of the star, and had to ask the wise men when the star appeared. If it was such a tremendous celestial event, Herod and his people should have noticed. Since they didn't notice it, either it wasn't something that we associate with a tremendous celestial event, like a supernova, or they just couldn't see it.

Think about the implications of this for a moment. If Herod and his people didn't see it, then many of the world as a whole probably did not see it either. Apparently, certain celestial/heavenly manifestations are not meant for everyone to see.

There are several examples of this phenomenon throughout history and the scriptures. The disciple Stephen, as he was being stoned, reported seeing God and Jesus, but no one else apparently did. Saul, on his way to Damascus, saw a light, and heard a voice, but no one else in his party did (depending on the account you look at. We'll assume both.) Samuel the prophet could hear the voice of the Lord even when Eli could not.

Even in our Latter-day Saint history there are examples. A key example is when Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants was received. Joseph Smith and Sydney Rigdon were in a vision, and related what they were seeing to those around them. They alone were able to see the vision, but no one else around them could see it. It is important to note that two men were receiving the vision, not just one.

Even if we were able to be in the Sacred Grove when Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, we wouldn't see them. We would probably only see Joseph Smith, looking like he's talking into the air to no one.

As pertaining to the Christmas Star, what this means is that God could make the star appear to whomever He wanted it to appear to. To Herod and the people at Jerusalem, the star was not visible. To the wise men, and to those in the Western Hemisphere as reported in the Book of Mormon (in 3 Nephi 1), the star was visible.

I do also want to make note that we have to distinguish between two different Christmas Stars. The first is the one that told the wise men that Christ had been born. The second one was one that appeared to them and led them to the house where Jesus was. This second star was also not visible, but what is notable about the star is that it apparently moved, and probably was not very far above the ground (after all, how can you look at a star in the sky tonight and pinpoint a house in a small village).

So like the bell in The Polar Express, sometimes things of the Spirit are only visible to those who are looking for it, or need to see it.

In any case, Merry Christmas to everyone.

Mormons, Christians, and Politicians - Part 2

I meant to finish this followup a while back, but my life got busier than I had anticipated. But I do want to move on to the question of Mitt Romney's campaign for President. He's not the first Mormon to run for President, but certainly seems to have a greater chance of obtaining the Republican nomination than any we've seen.

A lot of the press on Mitt Romney's campaign, especially when he first announced, has focused on whether people could vote for a Mormon for President.

Now that Romney has, more or less, given his "JFK" speech, I wonder how people are now feeling as to whether they could vote for a Mormon for President. What's funny about the question is you probably already have voted for a Mormon for different political offices, and have either been unaware of that candidate's Mormon faith, or decided it was not an important factor. Why should the presidency be any different?

My point is that there have been Mormons in politics (and on both sides of the aisle) for many, many years, and Salt Lake has not dictated to them how they should vote, or what their position on the issues should be. In fact, when elections are coming, we get a letter read in our church meetings every election season that reminds us that the church does not advocate particular candidates, and church facilities and rosters are not to be used for political purposes. What we are encouraged to do is to study the issues and the candidates and use our best judgment in deciding who and what to vote for.

I do not speak for the church, so nothing I say here should be construed to be official church position.

But after the various interviews that Mitt Romney has conducted, I hope people will finally come around to the idea that whether he is a Mormon or not is irrelevant if they are voting for him or not.

No matter what a candidate's religious background is, if I voted for or against them because of that background, I am voting for the wrong reason. Are you not voting for Mitt Romney because he is a Mormon? If so, you are voting for the wrong reason. Are you voting for Mitt Romney because he is a Mormon? If so, you are voting for the wrong reason. Even I am probably giving him more of a chance than "normal" because he is a Mormon. But ultimately I need to completely waive his (or my) Mormon faith in evaluating who I will vote for. The positions are what's important, and what they will fight for.

Who we vote for should be the best person to lead the country, whether they are a Mormon, Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Muslim, or even Athiest.

Mormons, Christians, and Politicians - Part 1

I've had this account for a while, but just hadn't decided to post anything. I was prompted by something I'd read on another blog about Mitt Romney's campaign and whether Mormons were Christians, and decided it was time to start writing something.

So this post will consist of two parts, addressing whether Mormons are Christians, and about Mitt Romney's candidacy.

Are Mormons Christians?

Simple sounding question, isn't it? And it's phrased in such a way to require either a simple "yes" or "no" answer. For those in the church or favorable to the church, the answer is "yes." For some who are not members and those opposed to the church, the answer is "no."

Now for some background. I am a Mormon, and have been for all of my life. I served a mission in Virginia (in Bible-belt country, no less), married in the temple, and have a wonderful family that I am trying to raise in the Gospel. I have served in several callings and assignments in the church, most recently as an early-morning Seminary Teacher teaching the History of the Church and the Doctrine and Covenants.

For me, the answer is simple. Yes, I am a Christian. The reason I say it is simple is because I believe in Jesus Christ. I accept Him as my personal Savior and Redeemer, and know that there is no other way than Him for me to be saved.

But for those who say that Mormons aren't Christians, I say that the question isn't as simple as you think it is. The reason it isn't as simple as it sounds is because of the two aspects of the question: What is a Mormon? and, What is a Christian?

So, what is a Mormon? Who are they? Generally speaking, anyone who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is called a Mormon. I'm willing to accept that definition for purposes of this discussion, but there are those who proclaim themselves Mormon that behave in ways that are less than honorable.

But, then, what is a Christian? Those who proclaim that Mormons aren't Christians usually mean that because we Mormons have certain beliefs that are outside of "mainstream Christianity." But the problem is that there is no one unified set of beliefs that anyone can use to define a Christian. Who defined what a Christian is? Where is it written? Is this definition the same for all Christians all over the world, and is there universal agreement on that definition?

See, if I were to ask the question, "Are Catholics Christian?" you would probably say, "Yes." "Are Baptists Christian?" "Yes." "Are Methodists Christian?" "Yes." and the list goes on and on. There are thousands upon thousands of Christian religions in the world that can justifiably proclaim themselves Christian. And I do not doubt in the least the faith in Christ of the adherents of each and every one of those religions.

Now let me ask this question: Are Catholics Baptists? Obviously not. Are Baptists Methodists? Obviously not. Why not? Because there are differences in beliefs about authority and doctrine.

Herein lies the dissonance that really sticks in my gut. In math and logic we have the rule that if A=B and B=C then A=C. But the same rule doesn't seem to apply to religions. Catholics == Christian and Baptists == Christian, but Baptists != Catholics (forgive the C notation, I'm a programmer). How is it that they can overlook their differences enough to proclaim each other Christian? I think it is because they are willing to overlook the differences that exist enough to respect each other as believing in Christ.

So if we were to distill all of the various Christian religions (and I'll leave Mormons out for the moment) and their beliefs into a single definition of a Christian, what would we have? What you would probably have left is a belief in Christ, that He died for us, and that the Bible is God's Word. I can't think of any other belief that isn't disputed by one Christian religion or another. After all, the reason we have so many different Christian religions is because of disagreements of one sort or another. It started with the Protestant Reformation and continues through to the present day.

With that definition of a Christian, guess what? Mormons fit in. We really do. We believe in Christ, that He died for us, and that the Bible is the Word of God. (Yes, as far as the Bible is translated correctly, but I'll save that for another time.)

So what people should really say when they say that Mormons aren't Christian is that their personal beliefs are not entirely the same as Mormons. And that's fine. That should not hinder our ability to work together to find common ground and accomplish great things. We should emphasize what we share in our beliefs, rather than our differences. After all, the emphasis on our differences has been the cause of so much hatred and persecution and wars in the world.