Things of the Soul, 106; “The commandment to multiply and replenish the earth has never been rescinded. It is essential to the plan of redemption and is the source of human happiness. Through the righteous exercise of this power, as through nothing else, we may come close to our Father in Heaven and experience a fulness of joy, even godhood! The power of procreation is not an incidental part of the plan of happiness; it is the key—the very key.” – Apostle Boyd K. Packer
Matthew 22:36-40; “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Once again we find the meat of Mormonism and it’s found not in worshiping God, but in the bedroom.
My heart’s cry for the Mormon is to know there is nothing they can do to earn God’s favor. There’s nothing one can do to get to heaven except believe in Him. That’s it. There’s no dog and pony show, no works, no temple ceremonies, no giving birth. He wants you in heaven because He loves you.
This passage from the Bible comes from a conversation He was having with the Sadducees and Pharisees. When the Pharisees saw Jesus had silenced the questions of the Sadducees they thought they’d ask Him a question to try and trick Him. Remember the Pharisees were just middleclass men who had more respect amongst the commoner than the Sadducees because of their views about God’s word.
While their rigorous belief of needing to follow every letter of the Law (thus their questioning Jesus at the temple) and putting too much trust in the oral traditions got them into a fair amount of trouble, the Pharisees believed the word of God was literal, whereas the Sadducees had taken many things in the Bible and disregarded their validity.
My kids would come home from Sunday school saying “The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection and that’s why they’re sad you see”. It serves as a good reminder not to take the Bible’s lessons as just a metaphor, but literal.
The same lesson here can be applied to our daily lives here and now in the 21st century. The two most important Laws are to love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.
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