Calings again

A friend posted not long ago wondering about how you find your mission in life. She loved her family, but she wondered if there was something else she should be doing and didn't know that she should be doing it.

I thought about weighing in, but I wasn't sure I had an answer that would be helpful.

Part of that may be that my service in the church helps me, but not exactly that way.

In my post on the Fifth Article of Faith, I mentioned various callings I have had. I don't think a single one of them has been that one thing that I was supposed to do. 

Okay, when Latter-Day Saints talk about the purpose of life, we generally mention the need to gain a body and experience, trying to become more like God (with the expectation that we are going to fall short in mortality) by choosing good. Even though we believe that our spirits lived before our bodies were born, and that we learned things then, too, there are things that we could not learn as effectively as just spirits.  

My callings have helped me learn and grow. That is not just growth in knowledge, but also I grow to love others as I serve them. 

That's not so much "This is what I came to Earth for!" It is more that this is the sphere that I am currently working in, so it encompasses things I should be working on.

There are times when I know that I helped specific people, and there may be times when I helped people without realizing it, and maybe even where they did not realize it until later. Certainly, I learned things by experience.

Some people may have kind of a unifying theme where early experiences lead to something important later, but I want to be really clear on this: everyone is important.

If all that happens is that you learn and grow, which will surely include serving others, that's pretty great.

Let me make two more points with that.

One part of this current stage is that I am having to accept compliments. People have told me that I am doing a good job, and my instinct to deflect that has not completely gone away. I don't want to get a big head, but I should be able to say "thank you" rather than contradicting someone who is being kind and often thankful.

Perhaps one reason not to get a big head is that some of the compliments actually do point to greater responsibility. That's fine.

The other point is that I know someone who has a hard time imagining other people wanting to join the church because it is a lot of work if you are not used to it.

I guess I understand what she means, but that's the good part. 

The work is good. 

Wisdom

One set of beliefs I did not write about with the Articles of Faith is what we call the "Word of Wisdom."

This comes from section 89 of the Doctrine & Covenants:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/89?lang=eng 

It is relatively short, but there is a lot in it. This still mainly gets remembered as what we don't do, which is that we don't drink alcohol, coffee, or tea or use tobacco products or recreational drugs.

I have always been grateful for this scripture. 

At first it was more that I have strong negative reactions to the smells of most of these things. Initially that was primarily tobacco, beer, and wine, but you can add to that now that I hate the smell of weed.

Without having strong feelings about coffee and tea smells -- or having really tried them -- having at times come across the mocha candy in the mixed box or having tried herbal teas (which a lot of people do take)... blech. I'll be just fine without them.

Later I became aware of some tendency toward addiction in myself and especially that the family members who have tried alcohol have not been great with it.  

I felt like I had been protected by following it and was grateful for that.

Later still I grew to appreciate the value of a clear head.

Yes, I have seen people acting really stupidly under the influence of alcohol (and weed). I know it doesn't happen with everyone and not every time, but not losing my awareness and caution appeared valuable. It also became about being able to notice subtle things and shifts. 

There is also a level at which I value not falling into a pattern of numbing the pain. That's not saying that I have never tried pushing emotional pain down, but there are methods that would be more effective so would be more likely to be habit-forming.

Ultimately, what I do and say happens as me, unvarnished, and I am at peace with that.

I have many friends who do drink alcohol and coffee -- I have a friend who loves tea -- and some who smoke and have used other drugs. I don't want to sound judgmental of them or anyone else. The point I am trying to make is that because of my religious faith and covenants, I committed to this early and felt benefits that caused my appreciation to grown.

Recently I was thinking about chastity.

This is another thing I am committed to and in which I believe strongly, but I know and care about and respect many people who do not. 

It tends to be viewed as worse than other things, which I don't think is helpful.

I don't think that people who have sex with people to whom they are not married are automatically that much worse than the chaste. There may be ways in which it is more serious, but in terms of what the people are like... yeah, there are a lot of kind, honest people who have sex outside of marriage.

I have had difficulty in writing about chastity because it gets so caught up in dominator culture, specifically with misogyny, in the discussions that do happen about it. Recently I have started thinking about it as something like the Word of Wisdom. It is something I believe in and have committed to, and that many people have not. 

As I continue to live it, I see the value more and in different ways. That's not about me being superior to anyone. I still think they could benefit from it, but without believing it would be hard to commit.

The other caveat I will make is that, while the Word of Wisdom is specific to us, "Thou shalt not commit adultery" is much more general. 

Sure, that is sex, but it is also cheating on someone you have committed to... it is more than sex.

Please do not take this as my advice to go out and have sex (and drugs) indiscriminately; there are downsides!

I am just saying that I find it helpful to think about it this way.

In addition, as I think about all of the after-school specials we watched in health class, I remember them showing bad potential results of things they didn't want us to do: teen pregnancy, STDs, drunken car crashes, etc. I suppose they were trying to scare us straight (we watched Scared Straight, too) but it didn't work. I definitely knew kids who drove drunk and had sex. I do remember one pregnancy scare, but they should have already seen Daddy before it happened. Maybe they were sick that day, but it is easy to feel young and invulnerable. 

However, if they can believe that there are other reasons and that choosing something else can be better, that could work. I didn't do those things because I was committed to not do them. (Not everyone I went to church with had the same philosophy. I know.)

That may not be something schools can teach well, either. Parents could if they know it, but some parents may also be operating mainly from fear or from hypocrisy.

I admit that things are hard, a lot, I know.

My biggest point is that you can't judge people for not living up to things that they never agreed to live up to or saw any benefit to. 

The point beyond that is it doesn't mean that these things are not good and can't be wonderful. 

When words get ruined

In going over the Articles of Faith, one of the places where I almost stopped for a tangent was on the 10th with its reference to "Zion."

https://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2026/09/the-tenth-article-of-faith.html 

It's not my only word problem. 

We have patriarchs in the church, and patriarchal blessings, which are special and good.  There may even be times when they talk about fathers as patriarchs of their family... that doesn't need to be bad. None of that takes away my desire to smash the patriarchy, with all of the other things "patriarchy" can mean.

I may feel some discomfort using the word, but the flip side is that I am sure some people will hear "smash the patriarchy" and feel very threatened. They only know about ways in which that can mean positive things.

I try and be sensitive to all sides, with decreasing sympathy the more the ignorance seems embraced.

It is also not the first time I have seen very negative uses involving "Zion."

I remember reading an article in the 80s about ZOG, the Zionist Occupied Government.

That is part of a conspiracy theory about the Jews ruling the world. Yeah, that is simplified.

I believe that particular phrasing is from The Turner Diaries, so had been around for a while before. Theories about Jewish control of the world go back much further. The reason I heard of it when I did probably relates to the murder of Alan Berg by the terrorist group The Order.

I don't want to get too caught up in writing about Palestine right now; it is a big issue and I have written about it before. I even wrote about the word "Zion" before. Still, there may be some room for reiteration.

First of all, a reminder that there were Jewish people who repatriated to Palestine before Israel existed. It didn't have to become what it is now; there were choices involved.

Secondly, criticism of Israel does not have to be anti-Semitic. There is plenty to criticize and that can be done fairly.

That being said, antisemitism is nonetheless on the rise. It creeps and blasts into these discussions all the time. 

Because that is a bigotry that goes so far back and is connected to so many really unhinged conspiracy theories, it is a bad path to follow. That may be part of its popularity in this particular climate, but it should be noted along with that how the people who made Palestine their main issue have actually made Palestinian lives worse -- along with many other lives -- while actively ignoring the requests of the Palestinian people or acknowledging any of that now.

That takes some chutzpah. 

For the Latter-Day Saints, our definition of Zion has two main elements:

1. Pure in heart
2. No poor

Without wanting to belabor the obvious, you do not get purity of heart through lies, hatred, and viciousness.

Those qualities also don't solve poverty.

We have to love each other and become better by being willing to own our mistakes and change. That is easier when motivated by love.

I think the reason there are no really successful examples of thriving, happy communism or socialism is right here. They go after their goal by trying to eliminate all their enemies; then they just keep finding more enemies. 

This is why both fascism and communism/socialism so easily end up becoming authoritarian. You would think being opposites, they would have different outcomes, but their similarities are more important, and more destructive.

If you truly want things to be better for everyone, you're going to have to learn how to love them. 

Related posts:

https://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2024/06/dominator-culture-and-social-media-gaza.html  

https://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2025/03/clarification.html 

Scripture reading update and lingering questions

I finished writing about the Articles of Faith.

It's nice having a goal in mind and accomplishing it.

There were a few places where I seriously considered taking breaks to write about a tangent that the content suggested. 

Sometimes things that are very understandably distracting start detracting. That happens a lot on the main blog.

I am going to go back over the thirteen posts and see what else I think I should cover. 

I do have some things in mind, but I also know that other people have other points of view. 

I am encouraging you to let me know if you have questions. You can post a comment (which can be done anonymously) or contact me some other way. 

For now, you may remember a different (and bigger) goal that I wrote about in February, though I started it in January, reading through all of the standard works this year:

https://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2026/02/reading-all-of-standard-works-in-one.html 

It has mostly gone how I have expected. 

I switched out my third Old Testament day with my Doctrine & Covenants day. That wasn't a big deal, but since the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine & Covenants are both in my triple, whereas the Old and New Testaments are in my Bible, it's just a matter of switching the books around less. 

I have also changed days for travel, so that I only took my triple to Seattle and only my Bible to Cincinnati.

Am I learning more for being in all of them around the same time? I think I am noticing some patterns better, though that is also influenced by the accrued knowledge from previous readings and from my Ensign reading, especially for 1982:

https://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2026/09/the-eight-article-of-faith.html

So much of my learning comes from reading new things, but returning to old things many times, especially for that which is spiritual, also brings great learning.

For a more specific update...

Old Testament: Lamentations
New Testament: Hebrews
Book of Mormon: 3rd Nephi
Doctrine & Covenants: Section 128

Here is the really cool thing...

Most of the Pearl of Great Price books have their obvious (at least to me) counterparts.

Moses and Abraham go with the early chapters of Genesis, Joseph Smith - Matthew goes with Matthew, and Joseph Smith - History goes at the very beginning of the Doctrine and Covenants. 

Those obvious counterparts are also all at the beginnings, but I was not sure where to put the Articles of Faith.

They were written with the Wentworth letter and you can check the dates for the different sections, so that was going to be my approach. 

It looked like the closest D&C section to the articles would be Section 128, which I got to just as I had finished blogging about the articles individually.

Sometimes things work out. 

The Thirteenth (and final) Article of Faith

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say we follow the admonition of Paul -- We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.  

I think the thirteenth is a good way of saying that we can't cover everything, but we know that there are many things that are good.

Part of this that may not be obvious is that there will be individuality. There are too many potentially good things for anyone to pursue them all. The different choices that we make can still all be good, even if they are not automatically all good.

It also serves as a reminder that we have to choose. It can be so easy to just follow the current; you can lose hours playing on your phone. We will not ultimately find satisfaction that way. We should be intentional about pursuing good.

That will mean serving others, of course, but it also means building relationships, seeking knowledge, and developing talents.

And don't forget rest is very important!

There was one other things that struck me this time. 

It is because of a talk from Elder Bednar from the last conference, "All Who Have Endured Valiantly."

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2026/04/16bednar?lang=eng 

He speaks on the connection between charity and enduring to the end, and he makes a good case for it. Some of the defining characteristics we have for charity are how it suffereth long and faileth not. That sounds like enduring.

Then, charity becomes they way we can endure to the end, with love.

So, seeing how the admonition of Paul goes... "We believe all things" (faith), "we hope all things" (hope), 
"we have endured many things and hope to be able to endure all things"... that sounds like endurance, and it is, but also it is charity.

Faith leads to hope which leads to charity, and that's how we make it through.

That makes sense. 

 

The Twelfth Article of Faith

We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. 

I find this one a little harder with the current administration, though it is not the first time I have felt that way.

Then I see horrible behavior from people who claim to be against the government on similar grounds -- perhaps with other differences -- and I have a lot of thoughts.

There are responsibilities to living in a society. That is not just the responsibility we might have to each other under any circumstances. When we become a unit, where there are benefits to that but also restrictions and opportunities for conflict, it can be complicated and frustrating.

One thing I appreciate the phrasing is that not all governments are the same, but issues related to the social contract can still apply.

If you have a bad king -- or a bad president who would prefer being a king -- can one ethically be subject?

I believe so, but then how do we do that?

In a democracy that certainly means participating and working for the common good. 

That sounds simple enough, but there are people who feel like their vote isn't worth the bother, with other people doing things like setting ballot boxes on fire because they suspect the submitted ballots are "wrong". 

In that way it relates a lot to the eleventh article:

https://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2026/09/the-eleventh-article-of-faith.html 

If the system has an abusive hierarchy spread through it, that's corruption to fight, but it is very easy to be sure you are in the right and that other people are the problem.

It ends up taking humility and love, which often appear to be in short supply.

One important step is considering the consequences:

What message will this send? Who will receive it? What will be the effects?

I have written about this before, mainly about Palestine. Regardless, if you are inconveniencing a lot of people who can't make the changes you are hoping for, that's probably not the way to go. If the reason you are picking on them is because you are scared of the people who are in charge, or just angry that people are not properly acknowledging your superiority, those would be clear signs that you are on the wrong path, but possibly signs that are hard to admit to yourself.

It takes thought and listening. It takes wisdom, which can be difficult, but prayer can help.

It takes a lot of honesty, especially with yourself. 

And it takes integrity. 

Knowing something is terrible but thinking that the ends justify the means is unlikely to be true. It's unlikely to help.

These are difficult times. I know. Navigating them is tricky, but I have not given up hope. 

The Eleventh Article of Faith

We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.  

One of the things that annoys me the most about my fellow saints is when they develop a persecution complex on the grounds of religion.

There is a level at which it makes more sense for us than for many other Christian groups. 

Remember, I have been reading about how the Bible came to be:

https://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2026/09/the-eight-article-of-faith.html 

There have been some strong reminders about how people were persecuted for translating and printing and making the Bible available to common people. There were the persecutions that happened in England as monarch changes brought changes in the official religion and piety and devotion to previous (or not yet allowed) religions was not seen as a virtue.

That happened in other countries too. One that affects my family history was the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. It sent my Huguenot ancestors, the Bobier family, fleeing from France. They went first to Ireland, then Ontario, then into New York.

That was 1572, but we also know that many of the people who came to the American colonies to freely practice their own religions were not great about believing other people should have the same rights. Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson, and lots of Quakers could tell you that.

Except that we think of that as being pre-Revolutionary War. The country with freedom of religion is the one where we have the Mormon Extermination Order issued by Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs in 1838, the same year as the Haun's Mill Massacre, and President Buchanan admitting the persecution is wrong but refusing to help.

That seems like a long time ago now, but when I was a kid, the older adults around me probably had relatives they remembered who were affected by that.

I get it.

I am also aware of Catholic churches being burned in Philadelphia in 1844 and pogroms and other persecutions against the Jews in the early 20th century (with worse things coming later, yes), and persecution of Sikhs after 9/11 because turbans... I could keep going.

At some point you need to look around and see that no one is preventing you from going to church, or praying, or doing any of the things that are essential to your personal worship.  

They might, on the other hand, prevent you from trying to force other people to live by your beliefs. 

Maybe classes in public schools don't say prayers together (which I think would probably be uncomfortable for multiple people) but silent prayers are certainly offered frequently. 

Maybe some people aren't allowed to beat their children, or deny their children medical care without facing criminal penalties (though usually the child is dead by the time they talk about charges; it's not a perfect system).

And definitely, your religious beliefs do not allow you to impose rules about love, sex, or reproduction onto other people. Well, they keep trying, but based on law and precedence it should not work. 

It doesn't mean that there are no laws ever -- age restrictions regarding sexual partners are one example -- but you do not get to dictate the morality of others, and it is not a coincidence that those most interested in doing so often also tend to be abusive and terrible.

How, where, or what they may. It says it right there.

It's a good thing.