I love being a Christian.
I love being a Mormon, and yes I believe the two are synonymous. I love not only the doctrine the Church
teaches but the Church itself and see Christ at its head in so many ways.
Mormon belief is that Jesus Christ himself established a
church while he was on earth. He was the head of the church, with 12 apostles
he called to help, “ordaining” them through priesthood power. After Christ was
crucified the true church was lost as the apostles were killed. That priesthood
power, or the power God gives people to act in his name, was lost as well. The different churches that were established soon began adopting false practices, rituals and beliefs. A fullness of the Gospel Jesus Christ established was diluted and important truths were altered. New churches sprang up teaching about
Jesus but the keys he had given to his apostles and the authority to act
in God’s name through that priesthood power was no longer found on earth. Fast
forward about 1800 years, and while many truths remained and many churches were
established that taught about the Savior and taught good things, Joseph Smith sought to know which church to join as many taught
different versions of the truth. He was told to not join any and that he would
help restore Christ’s true church on the earth.
In 25 years he did just that.
Now, first, let me explain things as I see them. God is a
God of order. Organization saves time, resources, money. Organization and routines makes
people more productive. I think if God were to establish anything on earth it
would be organized. I also think if he were to establish a Church on earth he’d
want it to not only be organized but he’d want it to reach the most people collectively and individually.
I see
the purpose of an organized church. In speaking to the Saints about Christ, Paul says: "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he have the preeminence." (Colossians 1:18). Just as a living person has a body and a spirit to make up a living soul, this same organization must exist for a living, true church. The Church as Paul says is the body of Christ, and I believe the Gospel which is what the Church teaches is the soul. You have to have both in order to have a true Church. The Church then becomes the vehicle for the Gospel to be preached. When Christ was on the Earth he was the head of this Church and held the keys for its administration. Although Jesus Christ is still the head of this Church, the Priesthood keys (these are figural keys not literal) which grant men permission to run the Church have been given to prophets through time. Christ himself speaks of these keys in Matthew 16:19, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
I believe it's human nature to want to assemble together with people who believe similarly. Last year I read an article in the Huffington Post about Atheist Megachurches popping up around the world. I loved what one of the founders, Sanderson Jones, said, "If you think about church, there's very little that's bad. It's singing awesome songs, hearing interesting talks, thinking about improving yourself and helping other people — and doing that in a community with wonderful relationships. What part of that is not to like?" Every person wants to feel loved and accepted by like-minded individuals. To me, the fact that even atheists have a desire to assemble together in a church shows the innate desire within us to assemble.
Having one church would be important to a God and a Savior who wants us to know and understand truth. An organized church would be able to protect the doctrine of Christ. The church is the vehicle, if you will, for the doctrine. It’s the shelter and the protection of it. You see so many churches out there each with a different spin on the doctrine. Christ’s Church would have to be organized in such a way that whatever is taught in Timbuktu is taught in China and in Philadelphia. If false teachings that confuse or thwart the work of God are introduced, an organized church can quickly eliminate the confusion. Having one church would fulfill Paul's words that:
"There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God the Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Ephesians 4:4-6.
and
"come in the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried away by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." Ephesians 4:13
Although we are one large church,
we are broken into small units as to be able to meet individual needs, family
needs, and local needs. God is as concerned about the individual needs of his followers as he is the information being taught to them about Him. An organized church is better able to meet the
needs of individuals and help others. Not long ago an acquaintance of mine in
Philadelphia seemed to need help. Living in Utah, I wasn't able to provide for her some of the things she needed but I felt like I needed to do something to help
her. I did what I could personally and also asked her if she’d like additional
help. I knew I could send her an army of people if she’d either want it or
allow it who would love to come to her aid. After agreeing to meet with the Bishop of the LDS Church in her area, I quickly found his phone number. Within that hour I had called the bishop in her area. He called her that evening and at 3:30
the next day they were meeting to discuss available help. What kind of Church has that kind of help at the fingertips of their members? When the typhoon hit the
Philippines awhile ago, much of the relief effort of the church was channeled through
local means. Being organized allowed for
help to come quickly and through the most effective channels that would not only help the individuals who so desperately needed relief but also would help the local economy and the people of the Philippines the fastest.
We call these small local units in the Church "wards". You'll commonly hear a Mormon talk about his "ward family". I don't believe it's any coincidence that the Lord would organize His Church in such a way. God designed the family to be the pre-eminent organization for the world. He knew, however, that many of us wouldn't have access to our families the way he designed. He knew there would be tragedies and choices that would leave children parentless, parents childless, or leave us alone among strangers. He knew that we would still need help and support from our neighbors to stand in our families place. I see this as the purpose of our "ward families". You'll find every problem in one of these ward families that you would find in a regular family unit. Sometimes there are hurt feelings, offenses, sometimes embarrassments and bad decisions with other members of the faith, but you'll also find the great things about families there as well: LOVE, support, growth, help, dinners, visits, fun and forgiveness. I have been blessed by these ward families my whole life. They cheered me on as a child, and they've been by my side as an adult. When my husband was in the ICU after falling 30 feet and breaking his skull, 2 shoulder blades, and 6 ribs, puncturing his lung, and having a bleed in his brain, my ward family was there for us providing meals, and being the support that we needed at the time. This in turn helps us desire to do the same.
The Church is a
brilliant organization. I don’t believe it is by chance that it is organized so
well as the head of it, I believe, is Christ himself. Sure, we have growing pains. Socially and culturally there are traditions
that are not part of the Church or doctrine that creep in and can complicate a
simple and beautiful church and way of life. But if you look for the good you will find it.
