Section 137

This week's prompt asked us to write about our feelings on section 137 of the Doctrine and Covenants. I'll be totally honest, my immediate superficial feelings on this section is that of love, because the section is only a page long. That set aside, this section really is an amazing section for something so short.

This section is a vision that Joseph Smith receives in the same year of the completion of the Kirtland temple. In the vision, Joseph sees the Celestial Kingdom, which we believe to be the highest of three Degrees of Glory in heaven. Joseph also sees the thrown room with both God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, in it. He also saw Adam and Abraham in heaven, along with his parents and his older brother who passed away while Joseph was a teenager. The fact that his parents are in this vision proves that it is a vision of the future, because Joseph's parents are both still alive. Joseph was confused by the presence of Alvin, his older brother, because Joseph had learned that only those who had been baptized would go to heaven. The Lord informs Joseph that those who die without having received the Gospel, who would have if they had been given the opportunity to receive it, (which includes those who died before the restoration of the Gospel) will still have the opportunity to go to the Celestial Kingdom. The Lord states that the He will judge us on our works and on the intent of our hearts, it is not dependent on being born after the Gospel was restored. He also states that children who die before the age of accountability, which we believe to be 8 years of age, will go to the Celestial Kingdom.

I absolutely love this section, I really do, because in less than a page worth of text we are reminded of the beauty of Heaven and we are given comfort and knowledge about those who have passed away. I think that the fact that young children are saved provides some comfort to parents who have lost a child at a young age. I understand, though I have never experienced the pain myself, that losing a child is a great trial to go through and that nothing can take away the pain. However (and again, this is speculation, I've never experienced it myself), I think that this little bit of knowledge, can provide some comfort and help a grieving parent.

Special Collections

Class this week was a little different than normal. Instead of having the regular lecture, we attended a presentation in the Special Collections section of the library. This is probably my favorite section of the library. As much as I love the smell of books, I love the smell of old books even more. I find old books amazing. They had to survive hundreds of years of use to make it to today and they hold some of the most amazing information. Needless to say, I really enjoyed the presentation in Special Collections.

Before even getting to the books, the presenter talked about the history of recording materials and documentation. The first materials used for writing on were minerals. We saw a clay tablet that had cuneiform writing on it, or wedge-shaped writing. The small tablet was the records of a merchant from thousands of years ago. After looking at the tablet, we we shown some metal plates that had the citizenship records of a Greek soldier on them. Eventually, two new types writing material came about, depending on geography. Papyrus was invented in Egypt and is made out of a type of reed that grows in the Nile, because of the brittleness of papyrus, it could not be folded several times, so was instead rolled into scrolls. In other areas of the world, people used animal skins to write on. The animal skins were durable enough that they could be stitched together. Monks would stitch several pages of animal skin together and then bind them with wooden boards to make books.

At this point in the presentation, we had an opportunity to see several of the old books that were hand written and bound by monks hundreds and hundreds of years ago. The presenter showed us pages that had ornate lettering and other ornamentation on the page. He also showed us pages that had unusual holes in them that were caused by the person who turned the animal skins into parchment. Some of the pages had been stitched together after being ripped. The material was so a valuable that the pages were used despite their flaws. Something I found pretty amazing was that the stitch holding together the ripped page had served as a mend in that page for hundreds of years.

After seeing these really old books, the presenter talked a bit about how the printing press was made and how the printing press changed how books were used by the world. Books were no longer a commodity of the rich and the monasteries, it became possible for all people to have books. We were then shown a few old books that had been printed using printing presses. Some of them were really valuable because they were old, but others I considered valuable because of their story. We got to see some of the books that were made in the earliest printings of the Book of Mormon and of the Doctrine and Covenants. I just found it so amazing how the time period of the Restoration made it possible for thousands of people to receive published copies of these important books, instead of having to wait years and spend lots of money for handmade copies.

Suffering

Most people associate the word suffering with pain, sadness, and negativity. In general, suffer is not a word that is thought of in a positive light. For this week's assignment, we were asked to write about our feelings on suffering. When looking at current events, some as large and impactful as the economic crisis and the earthquake in Haiti and others as small and personal as the stress of the current semester, I find it initially difficult to find anything positive to mention at all. I find it obvious that myself and anyone else in my situation would primarily feel like the wanted it all to stop, to be solved, to have never happened in the first place.

Yet amidst the suffering I find a purpose and I find hope. There is a reason behind why I suffer, and through that suffering I grow into a better and stronger person. Trust me, this fact does not make me enjoy feeling lonely, worthless, or pathetic anymore than the next person., what it does instead is remind me that I am not suffering without purpose. If there is a purpose behind why I am suffering, I don't only find the pain easier to deal with, but I realize that I am not alone in my trials. Not only are other people going through the same things that I am going through, but Christ went through the same thing that I am going through. He suffered through every trial and hardship I have or will have to go through and he can help me through my pain.

Some ask, if God really is all loving, how can he let us suffer. This happens to relate to another definition of the word suffer. Most are familiar with the definition of going through pain and hardship, but the other definition of suffer has a similar meaning as allow. In the scriptures, there are several passages that read "I will suffer my people to..." or "I will suffer them..." and these passages use suffer in a way that means allow. Yet still, why does good allow his children to suffer, or to make each other suffer, if he is all loving. This is one concept that took me a long time to understand.

I think about it by thinking about my own parents. I know that my parents love me more than I can currently comprehend. I also know, however, that my parents will let me make mistakes. Sometimes, these mistakes can cause pain to myself or my siblings, who my parents also love, but this does not prevent them from letting me make the mistake. The let me mess up because the love me and they know that if they stop me from making mistakes then I will never learn. I'm sure it is difficult for them to watch me make choices that they know will lead to harsh consequences. Their love for me is what gives them the strength to give me my free agency.