In attempts to write an article for Ann Romney, wife of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, I realized how very little there is to document the life of this Bible worthy woman. It seems that I couldn’t find anything that could grasp the full breadth of her goodness and virtue. Which is why I am so very excited that she will be speaking at Time Out For Women, an event for “faithful women to step away from the daily routine and make space for themselves and their spiritual lives” (see www.tofw.com), November 2013.

Who Can Attend Time Out For Women?

Anyone can attend Time Out For Women, but those in attendance are primarily women members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes inadvertently called the “Mormon Church”). There are T.O.F.W. events throughout the world from California to New Zealand. But fortunately for Ann’s grandchildren who live in Utah, she will be speaking at the Salt Lake City event

About Ann Romney

Ann exemplifies the true meaning of the word woman. She fills her role in the purest and noblest way by being true to who she is and who God wants her to be. An apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ said this of women: “God placed within women divine qualities of strength, virtue, love, and the willingness to sacrifice to raise future generations of His spirit children” (Quentin L. Cook, “LDS Women Are Incredible!” Ensign, April 2011) and Ann embraces this divine quality in a triumphant way.

Ann Romney is well known for her role as a housewife, and she wears that title as a badge of honor, with grace and dignity. In fact her son wrote in a booklet titled Ann Romney: A Mother First:

On one occasion, she was asked to speak at a women’s conference where other accomplished women also spoke—many of whom were lawyers, doctors, and business professionals. She initially felt sheepish about being included with such a group of distinguished career women. She questioned how those in the audience would think that she measured up, since she was “only a house-wife.” She stood before the audience and reported proudly that as a mother, she practiced psychology, nursing, and business and had become skilled in a host of other professions, all of which she learned on her own without any formal training.

The audience responded enthusiastically with the loudest cheers of the day (Josh Romney, Ann Romney: A Mother First).

Ann Romney has not only been a hard worker, extraordinary wife/mother/grandmother, full supporter of her husband’s noble pursuits to change the world, but she is a woman of deep faith in God. She has battled the life-threatening diseases of multiple sclerosis and breast cancer—and has come out on top with a smile on her face and even more of a life to offer!  This woman is incredible! To be honest, I donated money to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign (despite being a broke young mom, trying to get my husband through school) in hopes that I could win the contest to eat lunch with Ann Romney.

Time Out For Women is surely blessed to have this woman as a speaker, and I hope those in attendance will be able to soak up the light she has to offer.

A Bible verse that is oft quoted by members of The Church of Jesus Christ (nicknamed “Mormons”) comes to my mind in attempts to describe this woman who has surely changed the world:

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2).

I invite you to learn more about what makes Ann Romney “different” by studying what she believes in—chat today with Mormon missionaries and ask any questions that you may have about Mormons and their faith.

Chosen by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute as one of the top All-American Colleges, Southern Virginia University provides an academic culture for undergraduate, liberal arts studies that is founded upon the principles taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently referred to by the media and others as the Mormon Church.)

The University, founded in 1867 and resumed in 1996, is fixed in the august Shenandoah Valley at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and rests upon a tree-shaded hill in Buena Vista, Virginia. As of the fall of 2012, there were 729 students enrolled yielding a 16:1 student-faculty ratio, with 92% of the university’s populace being Latter-day Saints (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

Mitt Romney Delivers Commencement Address at Southern Virginia University

On Saturday, 27 April 2013, in only his second public speech since losing the 2012 presidential election, former Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ, addressed students at Southern Virginia University. More than 1800 people gathered on the lawn in front of the university’s historic Main Hall to hear Romney’s commencement speech which he delivered to the 125 graduates during the 145^th commencement exercises.

Graduate Kambyl Borries remarked, “We had so many rumors going around campus about who was going to be our commencement speaker. And it was everything from little church leaders to other government officials.  And then we found out that it was going to be Romney, that’s a really big step for southern Virginia.” [1] Dr. Richard G. Whitehead, Acting President of the university, stated that he believed that Romney was an excellent choice as speaker for the auspicious event.

Mitt Romney Encourages Graduates to Live Abundant Lives

Romney’s message included both scriptures and life experiences as he spoke of family values and hard work. He encouraged the graduates to challenge themselves in all of their future endeavors. He used a passage of scripture recorded in Luke’s gospel as the theme for his address.

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. (Luke 5:4-6)

He told the students, “Every one of you here today as a graduate can live an abundant life, every single one of you.” [1] He remarked that to marry, to have children, and to serve God are paths that lead to living that abundant, happy life. He further exhorted the graduates,

You only live one life. Don’t spend it in safe, shallow water. Launch into the deep. If you meet a person you love, get married. Have a quiver full of kids if you can. Give more to your occupation than is expected of you. Serve God by serving his children. [2]

Live for purposes greater than yourself. Lose yourself in the service of others. The promise is this: Launch out into the deep, and your nets will be filled. [2]

During the course of his message, he spoke of a different type of “launching out into the deep” – the missionary work that many Mormons embark on upon graduation from school. He told the students that the time spent serving a mission can be both hard and rewarding.

Mission years are the best years because they are the hardest years,” Romney said. “They are living life to the fullest, beyond oneself, beyond comfort. Serving God takes us into the deep waters of life. [2]

Mitt Romney Offers a Few Words of Caution

In conjunction with his words of encouragement, Romney also offered these words of caution:

I don’t think God cares whether you get rich … life on this Earth is about learning to live and work in a place where God does not make everything work out for good people,” he said. “The best advice I know is to give those worldly things your best but never your all. [2]

Romney shook hands with each graduate after they were conferred their diplomas.

Several of the graduates commented on Romney’s remarks:

“I really enjoyed it. It kind of gave me a new prospective on not staying where I am right now,” said graduate, Jordan Clark. “But really reaching out for my potential on what I want to do in life and not just be happy with the status quo. But really force myself to go to uncomfortable measures if I need to.” [1]

“I was expecting something big and phenomenal and I was so glad it wasn’t. It was the basic things that I wanted to remember with my family,” said graduate Robert Burton. [1]

Romney was also awarded an honorary Doctorate degree by University leaders.

Additional Resources:

Southern Virginia University

What Mormons Believe

Mormon Scholars Testify

Mormon Environment at SVU

Mormon Mitt Romney will host a seminar mid-summer of 2013 in Park City, Utah.  Announced earlier, the press is just releasing the names of those who will be the speakers.  [1]

The Elite Guest List

According to the Boston.com Political Intelligence Column,   including Chris Christie and Paul Ryan, as expected.  A surprise, however is David Axelrod, who was one of the masterminds behind Barack Obama’s winning campaign against Mormon Mitt Romney.  Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, who chaired a bipartisan debt-reduction commission, are also slated to speak at the event.

Another surprise in addition to Axelrod, whose wife Susan will also speak,  is “Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who was an aggressive campaigner for Obama and was chairman of the Democratic National Convention. Villaraigosa recently raised eyebrows when he had kind words for Romney and said they had been speaking on the phone.” [1]

“Experts and Enthusiasts”

The four-day event will be held in June 2013, and will be called “Experts and Enthusiasts.”  Said Romney,

“As I indicated in your invitation, I have drawn speakers from government and business to identify key opportunities ahead,  and I have made sure to invite presenters from both sides of the aisle.”

Featured speakers will also include Arthur Brooks, the president of American Enterprise Institute; Meg Whitman, chief executive of Hewlett-Packard; Scott McNealy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems; and Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen, who is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often inadvertently called the Mormon Church.

Many have wondered what role the indefatigable Romney might play after the failed presidential election bid.  Romney has been coy about defining what that might be.  Either that, or he is still finding his way.  His intelligence, business savvy, and high standards are needed in many ways in many places, from the flagging US postal service to the GOP’s restructuring.  It will be interesting to watch him in the coming days.

Additional Resources:

Mormon Scholars Testify

What Mormons Believe

President Barack Obama gave a speech before an interfaith congregation after the tragic bombings of the Boston Marathon.  Romney praised the President’s talk and opened up about how his own Mormon faith consoles him in times of tragedy.  Mitt Romney was the Republican candidate for President of the United States in 2012 and is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often inadvertently called the Mormon Church.  He was interviewed for CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”

I thought the president gave a superb address to the people of this city and the state and the nation,” the former Massachusetts governor said. “It was an inspiring day.” [1]

Mitt Romney is the former governor of Massachusetts.  He ran his presidential campaign from Boston and now works part-time at Solamere Capital, the Boston-based investment firm established by his oldest Son, Tagg.

The bombings killed three people and injured 180 others. Romney stressed the need to learn everything possible regarding the attack.

“This is a learning opportunity,” Romney said. “We should learn the lessons that come from this and apply them to the extent that we possibly can.” [1]

Romney referred to his experience arranging heightened security for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games when asked if he would consent to help with a study of the attack.

He also referenced his time serving on the Homeland Security Advisory Council, a panel comprised of a range of leaders from both the private and public sector who advise the secretary of homeland security, under the George W. Bush administration. [1]

When asked about how his faith helps him understand these sorts of evil crimes, Romney said understanding can be gained on one’s knees praying to God:

“I believe very deeply that we have a creator and that he loves us and cares for us. But when he actually intervenes in the affairs of the people on this earth – it’s something that happens only rarely – and when that happens and why that happens and who that happens to is something that we don’t understand.” [1]

Romney also stressed the importance of family and community support.  Romney visited victims in Boston hospitals after the attack.

“This is a time when your faith in God is enhanced by seeing the goodness of the men and women He’s created.” [1]

Since The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often mistakenly called the Mormon Church) has a lay clergy, its members are accustomed to serving in a variety of ways, with responsibilities both large and small.  They are used to jumping into a new “calling” or position of service entirely different than the one they previously had, and used to leading, following, and working in groups.  These aspects of Mormon service generalize to professional life and are part of what makes Mormon businessmen and government servants so successful.

With that being the case, it’s no surprise that although Mitt Romney lost his bid for President of the United States in 2012, he is supporting the Republican Party’s attempt to take the White House in 2016.

“‘It seems like he has a real interest in trying to help guide the party through a time of difficulty and soul-searching,’” said Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

Romney appears to be “stepping up his post-election involvement” by hosting a Republican Party retreat this summer at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah. “He has unbounding energy and a unique perspective our party should learn from,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah.

Tim Hagle, University of Iowa political science professor, said that Romney “seems to be taking a low-key role as a former candidate, using his business skills to help facilitate discussions about the GOP’s future rather than make public proclamations.”

“‘He can become that sort of senior statement-type person if he wants to,’ Hagle said. ‘He strikes me as not the kind of guy who would want to sort of push himself out there in ways. He doesn’t need that. He’s a successful enough guy staying behind the scenes.’”

The retreat will bring together “big-money donors and potential 2016 contenders.”

“At least two possible 2016 presidential candidates, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Romney’s vice-presidential pick, will attend the June event billed as four days of hearing from ‘Experts and Enthusiasts’ in politics and business.”

Romney stayed out of the public eye for a few months following his November defeat. In the middle of March he spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference held in National Harbor, Maryland. His speech was considered to be an effort to pass the torch of leadership in the Republican Party to a new generation of conservatives.

He said, “As someone who just lost the last election, I’m probably not the best person to chart the course of the next election.” He counseled party activists to “learn from his campaign’s missteps.” He said, “It is up to us to make sure that we learn from my mistakes, and from our mistakes, so that we can win the victories . . . this nation depend upon.”

Some of the “biggest names” in the Republican Party came to a fundraiser for Romney’s presidential race held at Deer Valley in June 2012.

The 2012 event featured party strategist Karl Rove and Rep. Paul Ryan, who at that time had not yet been named as Romney’s running mate. Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty also attended.

Solamere Capital, the Boston-based equity firm that Romney will be joining as chairman, is the sponsor for this year’s event. Solamere also hosted an investors conference during last year’s Deer Valley event. Romney’s son Tagg started the firm five years ago with Spencer Zwick, Romney’s 2008 and 2012 campaign finance chairman.

“While the next presidential race is still years away, candidates are already gearing up.” For example, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania will visit Iowa in April and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky is slated to speak there in May.

“Both Hagle and Wilson said it will be difficult for any would-be presidential candidate to skip Romney’s retreat.”

“‘We’re not going to see a lot of jockeying at this stage, but all the players will want to have a seat at that table,’ Wilson said.”

The cost for attending Romney’s retreat will be $5,000. “It is not clear whether the money collected will only go toward the event’s expenses or could be used to support GOP candidates.”

Kirk Jowers, head of the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics and longtime Romney supporter, said that politicians have an incentive to participate in this year’s retreat.

“‘Romney was the leader of the party, at least during his campaign against President Obama, and a number of individuals and groups who are looking for leadership in the Republican Party are eager to associate with Mitt and certainly his donor base,’” said Jowers.

Reference:

Romney bringing 2016 presidential hopefuls, donors to Deer Valley

This article was written by Paula Hicken, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Paula Hicken was an editor with the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship from 2000 to 2013. She earned her BA degree in English from Brigham Young University. She edited Insights, the Maxwell Institute newsletter, and was the production editor for Faith, Philosophy, Scripture, Hebrew Law in Biblical Times (2nd ed.), Third Nephi: An Incomparable Scripture, and was one of the copy editors for Analysis of the Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon. She also helped manage the Maxwell Institute intellectual property and oversaw rights and permissions. She has published in the Ensign, the Liahona, the LDS Church News, and the FARMS Review.

Additional Resource:

Meet Mormons

]]> http://mittromneymormon.net/2547/mormon-mitt-romney-will-host-republican-retreat-this-summer/feed 0 http://mittromneymormon.net/2529/romney-speaks-at-cpac-to-pass-republican-torch?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=romney-speaks-at-cpac-to-pass-republican-torch http://mittromneymormon.net/2529/romney-speaks-at-cpac-to-pass-republican-torch#comments Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:25:00 +0000 paulah http://en.elds.org/mittromneymormon-net/?p=2529

Mitt Romney, former Republican U. S. presidential candidate, recently made headlines by speaking publicly for the first time since his November 2012 defeat.

Romney, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often mistakenly called the Mormon Church), spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, Maryland, on March 15, 2013. His speech was considered to be an effort to “pass the torch of leadership” in the Republican Party “to a new generation of conservatives.”

In addition to heralding “a handful of Republican governors and his former running mate, Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan, as the next generation of GOP leadership,” he pledged his support to the GOP and acknowledged supporters for his bid for the White House.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, and Nevada Brian Sandoval were among those that Romney “singled out” as leaders of the Republican Party.

He counseled party activists to “learn from his campaign’s missteps.” He said, “‘It is up to us to make sure that we learn from my mistakes, and from our mistakes, so that we can win the victories . . . this nation depend upon.’”

Romney “called himself a ‘severely conservative’ governor’ during his speech at the CPAC in 2012, which Democrats turned against him in the general election.”

He was also characterized as “out of touch” with the challenges of the average American during his campaign; an image he and his supporters attempted to show as inaccurate.

As a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ, he also received media attention—and often-undue criticism—for his Mormon religious beliefs. On a positive note, New York Times writer Sheryl Gay Strolberg wrote that Romney “exposed Americans to some of the virtues of his faith—its emphasis on wholesome living, industriousness and, above all, family.”1

In his remarks at CPAC, Romney also said that it is “‘fashionable in some circles to be pessimistic about America, about conservative solutions, about the Republican Party.’” He said that he “‘utterly rejects’” that pessimism. “‘We may not have carried the day last November 7, but we haven’t lost the country we love, and we haven’t lost our way.”

Romney addressed the looming question the GOP must answer: Should the party “moderate in some respects, or continue to hew to its conservative ideology”?

A “‘conservative vision can attract a majority of Americans and form a governing coalition of renewal and reform,’” Romney argued.

Romney has returned to the private sector, having recently joined the executive committee of one of his sons’ investment companies, but he promised his continued support of the GOP.

“‘I am sorry that I will not be your president—but I will be your co-worker and I will stand shoulder to shoulder alongside you,’ he said. ‘In the end, we will win just as we have won before, and for the same reason: because our cause is just and it is right.’”

Note:

1. For Mormons, a Cautious Step Toward Mainstream Acceptance

Reference:

Romney re-emerges at CPAC to pass the Republican Torch

This article was written by Paula Hicken, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Paula Hicken was an editor with the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship from 2000 to 2013. She earned her BA degree in English from Brigham Young University. She edited Insights, the Maxwell Institute newsletter, and was the production editor for Faith, Philosophy, Scripture, Hebrew Law in Biblical Times (2nd ed.), Third Nephi: An Incomparable Scripture, and was one of the copy editors for Analysis of the Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon. She also helped manage the Maxwell Institute intellectual property and oversaw rights and permissions. She has published in the Ensign, the Liahona, the LDS Church News, and the FARMS Review.

Additional Resource:

Worship with Mormons

Mitt Romney, former U.S. presidential candidate (2012) and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often mistakenly called the Mormon Church), is reportedly “returning to the private sector.” [1] This headline hit the news near mid-March 2013 after Romney offered his first interviews since losing the election.  It had been announced months before that he would be returning to his position on the board of directors at Marriott International.

Romney has held office space at the business of his son, Tagg’s company for some time, but now he’ll be working at his son’s investment firm, Solamere Capital, as chairman of the executive committee.  The job is advising on matters of private equity, a commitment which will fill about 1 week per month and still leave plenty of time to be involved in influencing public policy and helping the American people.

Romney said in prior interviews that he won’t quit being involved with policy-making, any way he should be needed, but will not run for office again.  Romney founded the asset management company Bain Capital in 1984.

Forbes Magazine, after the failed election, called Romney a man of outstanding talent who can still be useful to the American people. [2]  The writer for Forbes, Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry, lamented that Romney will never be chosen by Obama as Secretary of Defense, and therefore will never be able to whip its bloated bureaucracy into shape.  Instead, he proposed that Romney “should fund and run a foundation dedicated to fostering and researching new, innovative right-of-center policy ideas.”  This would be “…a laboratory that funds interesting thinkers and initiatives on a broad range of ideas.”

“The foundation should simultaneously fund investigations into, say, how to reduce abortions without legal restrictions, and how to implement restrictions; how to improve healthcare coverage with a mandate, and without.” [2]

Romney has not yet address a political gathering, but that is coming up shortly.  Perhaps then America will see what’s been on his mind since the election, besides enjoying down-time with his family.  The 47% of Americans who voted for him lost more than the presidency, but a great deal of morale after his loss.  They certainly hope for some sort of mind-blowing announcement of some sort of effort that can affect policy toward the moral compass that guides the conservative cause.

TheWeek.com offered some ideas as to what Romney should do next: 1) Become a Republican Party elder and help it find a direction in which it can win future elections; 2) Rejuvenate the conservative base in America; 3) Take some time for himself (which is what he has been doing; 4) Write a book; 5) Wait before making new plans.

This seems to be what Romney has been doing.  His new roles at Marriott and Solemere will take a fraction of his time.  Romney fans hope he will make some big announcement soon—a launch of something innovative and exciting that only he could ever succeed at.

Mormon Newsroom

Mitt Romney, 2012 U.S. presidential candidate and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often mistakenly called the Mormon Church), participated in his first television interview since the election televised Sunday, March 3, 2013.  Although Romney was reinstated to the Board of Directors of Marriott International, he has otherwise been out of the public eye since the election, living in San Diego at the family home there.  However, he drove home the point at the interview that he wants to stay involved with helping America and Americans succeed, especially to help the jobless.

Just a few months into the second 4-year term of Barack Obama, the Congress and President were not able to overcome an impasse and allowed a “sequester” to take place that will result in automatic cuts in the nation’s spending.  The cut isn’t huge, but what is cut might not be the wisest choices for Americans.  In the interview, Romney expressed his dissatisfaction with the way things were handled, said there didn’t need to be an impasse, and wished he were there to fix it.

There were over 2000 comments to NBC’s online article about Romney’s interview, and they were mostly full of partisan vitriol.  The anti-Romney’s found him too rich and too white to understand the concerns of poor minorities and seemed to distrust Ann Romney for the same reasons — too rich, too white.  Those that were pro-Romney seemed to view Obama as an incompetent socialist playing to the poor.  These are the same views that divided partisan lines during the election.  Even if Romney were to lack empathy for the poor, poverty is an issue that is always on the table, and it might take a crackerjack businessman to work the numbers in their favor without distributing the assets of those who actually pay taxes to do it.  In other words, without veering toward socialism.

Romney is making his first public address in two weeks, at C-PAC, a conservative group’s annual conference in Washington, D.C.

Meet Mormons

Mike Jensen in his article titled Smart Mormons begins with two empirical statements concerning the results of the recent 2012 Presidential election: (1) If Barack Obama had been White, his vote total would have been 20 percent lower. The basis for his supposition – “the African-American voting bloc combined with enough whites suffering from liberal guilt guaranteed a higher vote total for Obama.” [1], and (2) If Mitt Romney had not been a Mormon, the probability exists that his vote total would have been significantly higher.

In fact, according to a Galup poll released in June 2012, only 4 percent of the voting populace said that they would not vote for a Black president as compared to 22 percent who said that they would not vote for a Mormon. Only atheists and gays ranked higher.

Jensen states that what really intrigued him was why people have such negative views about Mormons. He further states that the Mormons (Latter-day Saints, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) that he has had association with have been “hard-working, kind, generous, family-oriented people—just the kind of people this country used to value (and maybe that’s the problem right there.)” [1] And so, with the elections now over, he decided to learn a bit more about this “peculiar people” called Mormons. The original intent of his quest was to explain to his audience who Mormons are and whether or not 22 percent of the people were justified in opposing having a Mormon president. Instead, the crux of his article is devoted to some of the life lessons that he has learned from his personal study of Mormon theology.

Jensen comments that one of the things that initially piqued his interest about Mormons and Mormonism was a claim made by Mike Huckabee back in 2007 that Mormons believe that Jesus and Satan are brothers. Ironically, the life lesson that he focuses on and shares in his treatise is about the pre-mortal existence and the War in Heaven where Lucifer and a third of the spirit sons and daughters of God rebelled and were cast out.

So here’s what I learned: Mormons, unlike most other Christian sects, believe that all humans lived a life before mortality.  They call this the pre-existence or pre-earth life.  At birth a veil is placed over our minds so that we don’t remember it (you’ll see why in a minute).

In this pre-earth life, we were all in the presence of God as His spirit children.  Jesus was there—the first-born of God’s spirit children, and a leader in the councils in Heaven.  Lucifer was also there, and was another leader among the children of God.  He was called a “son of the morning.”

At some point in this existence, the Father called all of His children together to explain how things worked.  All of His children would have to leave His presence and come to earth for a period of testing.  The goal was to see if we would live a righteous life even when we had to live by faith, as we would no longer be able to remember God or heaven (that’s the reason for the veil).

If we would live a righteous life, we would be given the opportunity to return and live with God forever.  Otherwise we would forfeit that chance, because no unclean thing can live in God’s presence.  However, God knew that we would all make mistakes, so he would provide a Savior for the world.  This Savior would live a sinless life, and because of that, he would qualify to pay for the sins of the world through what would be called the “Atonement.”  If people would sincerely repent of their sins, then the Atonement would essentially erase their sins, and they could still return and live with God.  The Father called for volunteers to be this savior, and two stepped forward: Jesus and Lucifer.

Lucifer said that he would be the savior and he would force everybody to live righteously, thus guaranteeing that all of God’s spirit children would return to Him in heaven.  Jesus said that He would follow the Father’s plan and allow God’s children their free agency.  They could choose for themselves whether to live righteously and take advantage of the Atonement or whether to live in sin and forfeit the opportunity to return and live with God.

God rejected Lucifer’s plan, causing Lucifer to rebel and declare war on God.  One-third of God’s spirit children joined Lucifer in this rebellion.  In the end, the rebellion failed and Lucifer and his followers were cast out of heaven.  They came to earth without bodies and now, continuing the war they started in heaven, they tempt men to do evil to one another and lose out on the chance to return to God. [1]

Most traditional Christians will see some similarities between the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of what occurred in Heaven and the teachings of their own faith as they also believe that Lucifer lived in Heaven as an angel, but then declared war on God and was cast out. However, it is the causes of that war that are not necessarily clear in traditional Christian theology. This is where Jensen finds Mormon theology so intriguing. For Latter-day Saints, the greatest of all battles, known as the War in Heaven, was fought over liberty, or what they refer to as “free agency.” Under Lucifer’s plan man would not have any “free agency” and all glory would ultimately go to him. Jesus, on the other hand, desired to do the will of His Father and allow man to have his agency, with the end result of all glory being given to the Father.

Jensen continues in his treatise by making an astute comparison between Mormonism and modern politics.

I see a direct correlation here.  For a Mormon, the battle for liberty is not unique to this life; it is the core battle of the ages.  Lucifer lost the war in heaven (he really thought he could beat God?), but the war continues on earth.  So seeing the government become more and more tyrannical is not just a political concern; it’s a fundamental, eternal concern. [1]

He further commented that he was indeed inspired by the Mormon theological idea:

God intended for humans to be free to make our own choices and live with the consequences of those choices.  The Founding Fathers of this country said essentially the same thing in the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Jensen concludes that his study of Mormonism has not only given him a new respect for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their religious beliefs, but it has also afforded him the opportunity to evaluate his own attitude towards “the liberty that seems to be slipping through all of our fingers.” He realizes that the liberty that he is proffered is not something that should be taken for granted, but indeed it is endowed by God, and that he is expected to fight to maintain that liberty, just as we all are.

According to Mormon theology, we have all fought for liberty once. The fact that we are here testifies that we were on God’s side in the War in Heaven, and fought for liberty. With that, why should any of us be less willing to fight for it here than we were there?

Additional Resources:

Life Before Life

The Meaning of Life

Request a free copy of The Book of Mormon (Another Testament of Jesus Christ)

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.”  As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Member Beliefs: A Happy Way To Get Through a Sad Time

Hey Megan!
I just wanted to tell you something I learned in my Book of Mormon class this last week. We were studying Alma 57-Helaman 4. There are so many great things in these chapters, but something stood out to me that I would like to share with you.
In chapter 58, Helaman is writing to Moroni about everything that has happened to him and his little band of two thousand stripling warriors. At the beginning of chapter 59, Moroni gets Helaman’s letter and is so happy for Helaman and his sons that he sends copies around to his whole army. My teacher made the point that, usually in real life it’s hard to celebrate with those who are celebrating when things aren’t going the way we would like them to in our own lives. Usually if someone’s gotten something that they’ve been wanting or gets to be the center of attention, we’re more likely to try and find things about the person that we don’t like, be jealous of them, and then celebrate with them. Then my wonderful teacher showed us something that I really love.

Better: celebrate with those that are celebrating
Trials
Bitter: focus on ourselves

Trials can either make us better people or they can make us bitter. One brings us closer to Christ and the other drags us further away. And the only difference in the way we react to a trial is one letter: I. There is an “I” in bitter and not in better. So when a trial comes, the only way to get through it and come out a better person for going through it, is if we focus on others rather than ourselves. This really changed my perspective as I’m recovering from my four concussions. And now that I’m able to do a bit more, I’m starting to think of ways I can do little things to serve the people around me. I hope as you go through difficult things in your life that you will keep this concept in mind and come out a better person then you were before. By the way, I already think you are an amazing person and I really look up to you and I hope that this will help you. It’s something that I’ve been trying to focus on the last week and I feel like it’s already made a difference in my attitude towards things that happen to me and towards other people. Something that I think I’ve had to learn over and over again is that you never know what kind of a day someone’s having and how much a smile or a “hi” from you can help them. And you’ll never be able to help those people who need a smile from you if you’re focused only on yourself.

Love you lots and can’t wait to see you again!

Additional Resources:

Mormons and Christ

I Believe: Expressions of Faith

Meet with Mormon missionaries