Soon after I was asked to speak in Sacrament, yet I was not given a topic to speak on at the time. The topic of judgement came to my mind and no matter how hard I pushed it away, it kept coming back. Today I spoke in sacrament, below is the talk that I gave; I dedicate this talk to my co-worker, T. Sutton. I want her to know the LDS as a rule are not like what she was told. The majority of us don't judge others based on the color of their skin, but on the content of their character. I hope y'all enjoy reading my talk.
Dianna :0)
Good Morning Brother’s and
Sister’s; today I would like to speak with you about judgment. I am sure
that you thought instantly that I was going to speak about a topic that you
have heard about many, many times before but hopefully you will realize this
might be the same topic, but from a completely different view point.
If you believe in the plan of
salvation, if you believe in a higher power or in other words, Heavenly
Father, then you must also believe that there is no such thing as luck or a
happy coincidence. I believe, as I am sure you do as well, that everything has
a purpose in our lives. Everything comes to us for a divine purpose and it’s
our responsibility to figure out what the reason is for the event, person or
circumstance to come is for. I believe that my son, Christian’s birth was for
the divine purpose of teaching me how to not be a person of judgment.
Through Christian’s eyes I have
learned to see the soul of a person. To look with my spiritual eyes and see the
brother or sister that I loved in the pre-existence and
not the outside or the person, not the circumstances that person lives in or
even what transgressions that person commits. Christian has the divine ability
to see through all of that and know a person by the content of their being and
not on anything else. I am blessed to have him in my life and to have taught me
this high principle.
I often find myself frustrated
with my fellow man because they fall short in the category of judging others by
race, color, national origin,
religion, creed, family status, sexual orientation, age or handicap. This
frustration comes from my knowledge of the gospel and what I know will happen
to those who judge unfairly.
In a talk given at BYU by Elder Dallin H Oaks that is titled,
‘“Judge Not” and Judging,’ he speaks
concerning the differences between final judgment and intermediate judgment and
quotes the prophet Joseph Smith concerning the hazards of passing final
judgment on a person; it reads:
The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “While one portion of the human race is judging and
condemning the other without mercy, the Great Parent of the universe looks upon
the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal
regard; … He holds the reins of judgment in His hands; He is a wise Lawgiver,
and will judge all men, … ‘not according to what they have not, but according
to what they have,’ those who have lived without law, will be judged without
law, and those who have a law, will be judged by that law” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 218).
It is the last portion of this quote that concerns me the
most brothers and sisters is the portion that reads, “Those who have lived without law,
will be judged without law, and those who have a law, will be judged by that
law.” Meaning that those of us who have the fullness of the gospel know the
law; we must live by the law as we will be judged by that law and because we
know it, because we must live it and will be judged by it we cannot judge
others without condemning ourselves.
My sister started living this higher law if you will when
she realized that you cannot call yourself a Christian and not love all of Heavenly
Father’s children. You must love them regardless of the color of their
skin, their religious beliefs or even their sexual orientation because as a
Christian you have taking on the name of Jesus Christ; you are
saying that you will be his representative out in and to the world. Christ
walked among all the people, he loved all the people, and he made a plan to
save all the people and not just what the world would think are the chosen
people.
Elder Oaks says that, we must refrain from making final
judgments on people because we lack the knowledge and the wisdom to do so. We
would even apply the wrong standards. The world’s way is to judge
competitively between winners and losers. The Lord’s way of final judgment will
be to apply His perfect knowledge of the law a person has received and to judge
on the basis of that person’s circumstances, motives, and actions throughout
his or her entire life (see Luke
12:47–48; John 15:22; 2 Ne. 9:25).
It is because of this perfect knowledge that I know there
will be a place for all of God’s children in the kingdom of Heaven. Those
without the law believe that at the time of final judgment we will be assigned
a place in either Heaven or Hell, but those of us with the law know that at
final judgment we will be assigned to our eternal dominion. The Degree of
Glory we have earned for ourselves. This includes those of all colors and
yes, brothers and sisters it includes those with different family
circumstances, religions and even different sexual orientation.
Our lord and Savior, Jesus Christ said in John 13:34;
“A new commandment I give unto you. That ye love one another; as I have loved
you.” And there is no foot note that reads, excluding those of different races,
those who do not look like you, those who do not believe like you, those who do
not love like you. I believe and the church has said on their website that “As a church, nobody should be more loving and
compassionate. Let us be at the forefront in terms of expressing love,
compassion and outreach,” to those who are without the law;
regardless of race, creed, religious background or sexual orientation.
It also says on our website for
the World to read that, “Every human being… has worth and dignity as a child of
God. In this respect we are all equal. Our lives here on earth are full of joys
and sorrows. But God created each of us for greater destinies,”. Brothers and sisters, He did not create us to be judge, jury
and executioner, but as loving beings who desire to be better and I am asking
you brothers and sisters to use that love and desire to be better. Take it and
go forth into this world and do better; use your spiritual eyes and see the
brother or sister you loved in the pre-existence.
Stop condemning those whose skin does not appear to be the
same color as yours; instead look with your spiritual eyes and see the brother
or sister you love in the pre-existence. I ask you to stop pitying those whose
family dynamics are not the same as yours, but instead look with your spiritual
eyes and see the brother or sister you loved in the pre-existence. I beg you to
stop condemning the wayward teen, who is experimenting with things that they
should not be experimenting with, but instead look with your spiritual eyes and
see the brother or sister you loved in the pre-existence. I ask you, no I implore
you, stop turning your backs on those with notions of different sexual
orientation and instead instead look with your spiritual eyes and see the
brother or sister you loved in the pre-existence. I do not ask you to do this
for their sake as much as I ask you to do these things for your own salvation.
I would like to bear my testimony
of the truthfulness of the gospel. I know without a shadow of a doubt that this
gospel is true, whole and perfect. I know that because I live it, it has
changed my life and took me from one who others passed final judgment on and
turned me into someone who has hope, faith and the knowledge of a wonderful existence
in the hear after. I know that 17-years ago (give or take) it was not chance
that Sister W. Gore looked with her spiritual eyes and saw the sister she loved
in the pre-existence; I know that it was because of what she saw that made her
stand up for me in a moment when I needed a hero and that helped to change the
course of my life and set me back on the right plan. I know brother and sisters
that there are many in our midst and in our communities who need a hero; be
that hero, please stop judging and be a hero. I leave this with you in the name
of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Links you might be interested in reading:
http://www.lds.org/ensign/1999/08/judge-not-and-judging?lang=eng
http://mormon.org/joseph-smith/
http://www.lds.org/ensign/2003/05/the-importance-of-the-family?lang=eng
http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/
http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/degrees-of-glory?lang=eng
http://www.mormonsandgays.org/
http://www.mormonsandgays.org/
Links you might be interested in reading:
http://www.lds.org/ensign/1999/08/judge-not-and-judging?lang=eng
http://mormon.org/joseph-smith/
http://www.lds.org/ensign/2003/05/the-importance-of-the-family?lang=eng
http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/
http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/degrees-of-glory?lang=eng
http://www.mormonsandgays.org/
http://www.mormonsandgays.org/
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