Genealogy from the perspective of a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon, LDS)

Friday, July 7, 2017

World Peace and Family History


I ran across this interesting quote:
This is the great mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. War is one of the evils they must forsake: peace is one of the blessings they must cleave to. For they are to link together the hearts of the ancestors and their descendants. They are to turn the hearts of the Jews to their Prophets, and this is essentially a work of peace. It is temple work, and men of blood cannot build or administer in temples.
It comes from the following book.

Smith, Joseph, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Doctrine and Covenants, Containing Revelations given to Joseph Smith, Jr., the Prophet. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1951. Page 621.

Here is a continuing quote from the same page.
Unless the people of God are faithful to their trust as the heralds of peace, the whole Earth will be smitten with a curse--even the curse of war--"and all flesh be consumed before me." Such condition would not permit of work for the dead in the temples of God.
These quotes come from the commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 98. Even though I have read and reread the Doctrine and Covenants many times, Section 98 did not catch my attention as pertaining to temple work. Here is the quote from that Section:
15 For if ye will not abide in my covenant ye are not worthy of me. 
16 Therefore, renounce war and proclaim peace, and seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children; 
17 And again, the hearts of the Jews unto the prophets, and the prophets unto the Jews; lest I come and smite the whole earth with a curse, and all flesh be consumed before me.
This Section talks about our relationship to the laws of the land and is usually referred to in conjunction with the justification of the constitutional law. But here is another explanation of the close relationship between seeking out our kindred dead and the idea that this is the antithesis of war.

I would extend this principle to the idea that involvement in temple and family history work is the basis for peace, not only in the world but in our individual families. 

1 comment:

  1. This is really good and I find it to be true in he peace in our family! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete