Worth Versus Worthiness

I am having an issue with how Brené Brown uses worthy and how my church uses it. “Am I worthy to have a temple recommend” does not jive with Brené’s definition. She might use “Am I recommended to have a temple recommend” Following use words different than worthy in a Latter-day context. 

- Can I answer all the temple recommend questions affirmatively?

- Am I congruent with the temple recommend questions?

- Am I aligned with the temple recommend questions?

- Am I straight with respect to the temple recommend questions?

- Am I loyal to the temple recommend questions?

- Am I to be trusted that I live the gospel to the extent that I can attend the temple?

- Am I living the gospel to the extent that I can attend the temple?

In contrast, in a Latter-day context what Brené Brown defines as worthiness is closer to being of worth or being deserving or being of value. This song shows our belief of individual worth. "I am of infinite worth" Janice Kapp Perry & Joy Saunders Lundberg, I Walk By Faith (2010)

“if we are continuously repenting and improving, then we are worthy to partake of the sacrament.” (“The Beauty and Importance of the Sacrament,” General Conference, April 1989).

What is the difference between being worthy and having a sense of my individual worth?

“Let me point out the need to differentiate between two critical words: worth and worthiness. They are not the same. Spiritual worth means to value ourselves the way Heavenly Father values us, not as the world values us. Our worth was determined before we ever came to this earth. “God’s love is infinite and it will endure forever.”3

On the other hand, worthiness is achieved through obedience. If we sin, we are less worthy, but we are never worth less! We continue to repent and strive to be like Jesus with our worth intact. As President Brigham Young taught: “The least, the most inferior spirit now upon the earth … is worth worlds.”4 No matter what, we always have worth in the eyes of our Heavenly Father.” ("Value beyond Measure", Joy D. Jones, Oct 2017)

Instead of asking “Am I worthy?”, ask “Am I of worth?”

Come Follow Me Podcasts that I listen to

Come Follow Me for Us
Melanie Stroud is the host of Come Follow Me for Us. Here is the Book of Mormon Daily Study program. Here is the link to the podcast. 

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/3vCK5Xkn8WnybenySfrHv7?si=qTwLmQEsQASTXJF7fRUK8w

Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/come-follow-me-for-us-podcast/id1448229352

Come Follow Me Insights
Here is the YouTube list for Doctrine & Covenants. 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhfh21X9suLfDM0oD8LbEDjFKiKd_Cu_T

One of the hosts is Tyler J. Griffin. He is an Ancient Scripture professor at BYU. 

Another is Taylor Halverson. He is an Associate Teaching Professor of Entrepreneurship in the BYU Marriott School of Business

Shame and Redemption of a President of the Church of Jesus Christ

I found this account moving. I did not know that Joseph F. Smith struggled with substance addictions. It is an inspiring story of hope, grace, accountability, overcoming shame, and the redemption of God. It is copied from a post from the Faith Forward Facebook page. She listed the following as her sources. 
“Chapter 6: Joseph F. Smith: Sixth President of the Church,” Presidents of the Church Student Manual (2004), 93–109
"Before The Beard: Trials of the Young Joseph F. Smith", By Scott G. Kenney, Sunstone Magazine, Nov 2001, 20-43

When he was a infant intruders broke into his home. They threw a mattress over him while they ransacked the place and he nearly suffocated.

He was still a baby when his family was forced from their homes. His mother was sick, his father in jail, and his aunt cared for him.

He was five when his mother lifted him to see his father's body, a cotton ball placed where a bullet had entered his father's face. Then whenever he saw strangers in the street he would hide, thinking they'd take him next.

Seven when he looked back across a frozen river to what had been his home and heard cannon fire, the beginning of another forced exodus.

Thirteen when his mother died after an eight week quarantine. When he was told he passed out. She had held him together, kept him in check, and now he said, "I was almost like a comet or a fiery meteor without attraction or gravitation to keep me balanced or guide me within reasonable bounds."

He fell into bad company. Maybe he was the bad company. Drinking and tobacco.

He loved his family. He lost his family. He had a sister left. The schoolmaster called her up on some infraction, had a leather strap. He cried out, "Don't you touch her with that!" The teacher invited him up to take the punishment in her place. Instead he strode to the front and decked the teacher. As I told this story to a group of teens they cheered. I told them no, we all get it. He lost so much of what he loved, but what he did was inappropriate. He let it get him. He hugely overreacted to what was then culturally acceptable.

He was expelled from school.

Fifteen when he was called to serve a mission to the Sandwich Islands. Some speculate it was because no one knew what to do with him; fiery, passionate, and broken. Oh, but the Lord knew. No one forced him to go, but he went. The teacher was there to wish him well. 

The Sandwich Islands where he was placed was then a place of poverty and disease. STDs, Small Pox, and others. It was humbling. He threw himself to work. He learned the language quickly and after six months became the lead over some 1200 church members in forty-one branches. He loathed the living conditions. Loved the people and hated their vices. Sixteen years old. Determined.

The addictions acquired hadn't yet left him. They don't leave, do they? Addictions don't walk out. 

He and all other missionaries were called home to Utah due to rumors of an impending military invasion. He enrolled in the militia. The forseen war fortunately petered out. 

There, though he "went into the president’s office. He whispered to me, I was obliged to whisper back. He smelt my breath, and started in surprise. “Do you

chew tobacco?” I could have shrunk out of existence, or anihilated myself from very shame, and he saw I was ashamed of myself, and pitying me said, "Keep it to yourself”!" 

He hated the hypocrisy he saw in himself. He hated himself. He determined to quit. The alcohol was easy as it never had much hold on him, but the tobacco took twenty years. Nicotine is more addictive. Many substance abuse centers put it in the top five most addictive substances. It held him. He hated it. He tried and failed, tried again. Withdrawals made him,"cross and crabbed", more apt to be harsh with his wife and children. He succumbed. And tried again.

Twenty years. Twenty years and then, "I conquered—and now, when I think of it, I feel ashamed that I was so weak, and strange to say the appetite, though still with me and perhaps as strong as ever, it is at my command. It is no longer the master, but a subdued, conquered enemy ever on the alert to revolt, but daily

growing weaker and more faint."

He urged others to conquer. He spoke harshly of addictions, praised clean living, put himself up as a standard and enjoined others to try. He did so with empathy. And when, as president of the church, he charged the people to give up their addictions as a prerequisite to temple attendance, he told the bishops that if there were those elderly and set in their ways for whom the new enforcement was difficult that they still ought to allow them their temple worship. He was determined and passionate. Fiery, but kind. His youthful wildness yolked to keen understandings and a determination to do justly, to lead as God would have him do, made him formidable: a champion for good. 

I told this story to a room full of teens. About the broken boy whose temper raged, who self medicated his grief with addiction, and how he became a worthy, powerful leader. And after I wondered if it were right to show these struggles in a man we revere, and the member of the bishopric I lamented to said, "Well yes, of course! Of course you tell them. Our is a gospel of redemption!"

Redemption. The boy was redeemed. Brought back. Cleansed. Loved, held, blessed, healed- by God. By Jesus. And he became a leader for Christ. 

As the president of the church he was attacked and vilified. His character was maligned. For a six year period one newspaper almost daily cartooned him as wicked. "He endured persecution, the revilings and ravings of the wicked, false accusations coming from the most contemptible and vilest creatures of the human family, and endured it all without a word of retaliation. … He took the stand that if Joseph Smith could endure the abuse and vilification which was heaped upon him; if the Son of God could endure it and not return in kind, then he, too, as the humble servant of the Master, could endure in silence, for his fear was not in the arm of flesh but in the Lord, and the time must come when truth would triumph and the falsifier would sink into oblivion and be forgotten.”  The boy who decked his school teacher now turned the other cheek. He insisted on forgiveness.

There is more. So much more. He testified before congress in such a way the detractors became defenders. The church, considered extreme, became more mainstream. 

He was compassionate. He led the church during World War I. He encouraged patriotism, supported soldiers, and urged those at home to practice thrift.

Section 138 of the Doctrine and Covenants was a revelation given by God to him. It teaches about heaven. 

He was Joseph F Smith, son of Hyrum Smith, nephew to the first modern prophet Joseph Smith, and I think he was magnificent. The more I learn the more I respect him. I think that for me, seeing the struggles makes me admire him more, not less. It makes him relatable. It gives me a glimpse of how God molds people. Troubled teen to Prophet. Self-loathing addict to advocate for Christ. 

How do I treat people who are trapped? I, who never struggled a day with addictions, have a lot to thank my ancestors for.  They broke the chains. I grew up with no alcohol, no addictive substances, in my home. Never saw them there. Was taught not to touch them anywhere. It an easy commandment for me. How do I treat those for whom it's hard? Do I consider myself superior for never having struggled? If I do, I'm wrong to. It was never hard for me, but I owe that to those for whom it was. Children of addicts are far more likely to develop addictions. It is often a familial disease. I owe a lot to the chain breakers. Struggled and conquered so I never had to. That's a beautiful gift.

-

"that wretch will take control again"

 From "The Way of Kings" by Brandon Sanderson spoken by Kaladin. 

...that wretch will take control again. This time he'll get his way. 

This reminds me of the two wolves story.

A man is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old man simply replied, “The one you feed.” 

Which kind of person do I want to be? Which kind of person will I encourage feed and mimic?

There is Room in the Church

--

Thanks for your letter of April 15, 1955. I am happy that you read my letter, which you refer to, as it expresses accurately my point of view. 

Given the differences in training of the members of the Church, I never cease to marvel at the degree of agreement found among believing Latter- day Saints. So far from being disturbed to find that Brother Talmage, Brother Widtsoe and yourself didn’t always see scientific matters alike, this situation seems natural and as it should be. It will be a sad day for the Church and its members when the degree of disagreement you brethren expressed is not allowed.

I am convinced that if the Lord required that His children understand His works before they could be saved that no one would be saved. It seems to me that to struggle for agreement on scientific matters in view of the disparity in background which the members of the Church have is to put emphasis on the wrong place. In my judgment there is room in the Church for people who think that the periods of creation were (a) 24 hours, (b) 1000 years, or (c) millions of years. I think it is fine to discuss these questions and for each individual to try to convert the other to what he thinks is right, but in matters where apparently equally reliable authorities disagree, I prefer to make haste slowly.

Since we agree on so many things, I trust we can amicably disagree on a few. I have never liked, for example, the idea that many of the horizontally lying layers with their fossils are wreckage from earlier worlds. In any case, the Lord created the world and my faith does not hinge on the detailed procedures.

Thanks again for your kindly, thoughtful letter.

(Letter from Henry Eyring to Joseph Fielding Smith, quoted in "Mormon Scientist: The Life and Faith of Henry Eyring" by Henry J. Eyring)

--

From the father of Henry Eyring 

"Henry, we’ve ridden together on the range, and we’ve farmed together. I think we understand each other. Well, I want to say this to you: I’m convinced that the Lord used the Prophet Joseph Smith to restore his church. For me that is a reality. I haven’t any doubt about it. Now, there are a lot of other matters which are much less clear to me. But in this Church you don’t have to believe anything that isn’t true. You go over to the University of Arizona and learn everything you can, and whatever is true is a part of the gospel. The Lord is actually running this universe. I’m convinced that he inspired the Prophet Joseph Smith. And I want to tell you something else: if you go to the university and are not profane, if you’ll live in such a way that you’ll feel comfortable in the company of good people, and if you go to church and do the other things that we’ve always done, I don’t worry about your getting away from the Lord."
("My Father’s Formula" By Henry Eyring, Ensign Oct 1978)

To Enable Us to Confront and Conquer the World of Evil

“Our participation in temple worship is a sacred privilege, not an entitlement, or simply part of our established routine. We do not come to the temple to hide from or escape the evils of the world. Rather we come to the temple to receive the power of godliness through priesthood ordinances that enable us to confront and conquer the world of evil.” (Elder David A. Bednar: Returning to the Temple, 4:11, https://youtu.be/_97I5BG4EGM?t=251) 

What is it that men value in others?

Stephanie was reading this from the epilogue of The Way of Kings. It was not the first time she has shared it. I think it is instructive into the hubris of humans.  

Wit began playing the enthir. "Let us have a conversation to pass the time. Tell me. What is it that men value in others?"

The music played toward an audience of silent buildings, alleys, and worn cobblestones. The guards didn't respond to him. They didn't seem to know what to make of a black-clad, lighteyed man who entered the city just before evening fell, then sat on boxes beside the gates playing music.

"Well?" Wit asked, pausing the music. "What do you think? If a man or woman were to have a talent, which would be the most revered, best regarded, considered of the most worth?"

"Er… music?" one of the men finally said.

"Yes, a common answer," Wit said, plucking at a few low notes. "I once asked this question of some very wise scholars. What do men consider the most valuable of talents? One mentioned artistic ability, as you so keenly guessed. Another chose great intellect. The final chose the talent to invent, the ability to design and create great devices."

He didn't play a specific tune on the enthir, just plucks here and there, an occasional scale or fifth. Like chitchat in string form.

"Aesthetic genius," Wit said, "invention, acumen, creativity. Noble ideals indeed. Most men would pick one of those, if given the choice, and name them the greatest of talents." He plucked a string. "What beautiful liars we are."

The guards glanced at each other; the torches burning in brackets on the wall painted them with orange light.

"You think I'm a cynic," Wit said. "You think I'm going to tell you that men claim to value these ideals, but secretly prefer base talents. The ability to gather coin or to charm women. Well, I am a cynic, but in this case, I actually think those scholars were honest. Their answers speak for the souls of men. In our hearts, we want to believe in - and would choose - great accomplishment and virtue. That's why our lies, particularly to ourselves, are so beautiful."

He began to play a real song. A simple melody at first, soft, subdued. A song for a silent night when the entire world changed.

One of the soldiers cleared his throat. "So what is the most valuable talent a man can have?" He sounded genuinely curious.

"I haven't the faintest idea," Wit said. "Fortunately, that wasn't the question. I didn't ask what was most valuable, I asked what men value most. The difference between those questions is both tiny and as vast as the world itself all at once."

He kept plucking his song. One did not strum an enthir. It just wasn't done, at least not by people with any sense of propriety.

"In this," Wit said, "as in all things, our actions give us away. If an artist creates a work of powerful beauty - using new and innovative techniques - she will be lauded as a master, and will launch a new movement in aesthetics. Yet what if another, working independently with that exact level of skill, were to make the same accomplishments the very next month? Would she find similar acclaim? No. She'd be called derivative.

"Intellect. If a great thinker develops a new theory of mathematics, science, or philosophy, we will name him wise. We will sit at his feet and learn, and will record his name in history for thousands upon thousands to revere. But what if another man determines the same theory on his own, then delays in publishing his results by a mere week? Will he be remembered for his greatness? No. He will be forgotten.

"Invention. A woman builds a new design of great worth - some fabrial or feat of engineering. She will be known as an innovator. But if someone with the same talent creates the same design a year later - not realizing it has already been crafted - will she be rewarded for her creativity? No. She'll be called a copier and a forger."

He plucked at his strings, letting the melody continue, twisting, haunting, yet with a faint edge of mockery. "And so," he said, "in the end, what must we determine? Is it the intellect of a genius that we revere? If it were their artistry, the beauty of their mind, would we not laud it regardless of whether we'd seen their product before?

"But we don't. Given two works of artistic majesty, otherwise weighted equally, we will give greater acclaim to the one who did it first. It doesn't matter what you create. It matters what you create before anyone else.

"So it's not the beauty itself we admire. It's not the force of intellect. It's not invention, aesthetics, or capacity itself. The greatest talent that we think a man can have?" He plucked one final string. "Seems to me that it must be nothing more than novelty."

United Voice of the Bretheren

“I have discovered in my ministry that those who have become lost [and] confused are typically those who have most often … forgotten that when the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve speak with a united voice, it is the voice of the Lord for that time. The Lord reminds us, ‘Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same’ [D&C 1:38].” ("Stay in the Boat and Hold On!", M Russell Ballard, GC Oct 2014)   

"the united voice of the First Presidency and the Twelve" will never "lead the Saints astray or send forth counsel to the world that is contrary to the mind and will of the Lord" (Joseph Fielding Smith, Ensign 2 [July 1972]:88).

"Gospel Topics, Essays, and Other Resources" Again

Yesterday, my son and daughter were introduced to the KnoWhy series that is hosted by Book of Mormon Central yesterday in their seminary class. My daughter was not aware of it before. I love that there are simple, short videos on a variety of topics. Book of Mormon Central is listed by the church as a trusted source for answers. (See the ** at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/si/objective/doctrinal-mastery/gospel-sources?lang=eng)

I referred to "Gospel Topics, Essays, and Other Resources" when I was a full time teacher. I have been substituting seminary the last few days. Today I shared https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/knowhy/why-did-the-ammonites-covenant-not-to-take-up-arms as a relevant example of a question a student might ask, "Why did the Ammonites Covenant Not to Take Up Arms?"

I have a set of slides I used a couple years ago to more fully address How do I “Seek Further Understanding through Divinely Appointed Sources”? See my post from Sep 2018.