“. . . look out for the great sieve, for there will be a great sifting time, and many will fall; for I say unto you there is a test, a Test, a TEST coming, and who will be able to stand?”
--President Heber C. Kimball [i]
In the work of God, every person is invited to make him or herself eligible for His work and glory (to partake of immortality and eternal lif)e.[ii] He sets the qualifications and renders assistance if we ask. However, as in so many try-outs, one by one, we short-list ourselves—we give up, give in, or are simply sifted out by the tests. Thus, it behooves us, as we run into tribulation and world philosophies that clash with God’s standards, to frequently ask ourselves, “Is this what will sift me out?”
This week, the sieve is the doctrine of the Family and the headlines are shaking:
New Mormon policy bans acceptance of children of same-sex couples[v]
LDS Church: Mormons Bar Children of Gay Parents Unless Renounce Parents[vi]
In the next life will I ask myself, “Really? That’s all it took? I didn’t qualify to lead an eternal family unit because I abandoned the capstone of Mormon theology? The doctrine on the family sifted me out?” Before I’m sifted, I want to ensure I understand the qualifications set by God for a “forever family” as affirmed by the the Church of Jesus Christ and what I’ll be giving up if I choose, like many of Christ’s disciples in centuries past, to “[walk] no more with Him.”[xvi]
Moses recorded:
“And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him . . . Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.[vii] And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply. . . .”[viii]
The Apostle Paul taught:
“Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.”[ix]
Joseph Smith Jr. conveyed:
“Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, . . . I am the Lord thy God; and I give unto you this commandment—that no man shall come unto the Father but by me or by my word, which is my law . . . And everything that is in the world, whether it be ordained of men, by thrones, . . . or powers, . . . whatsoever they may be, that are not by me or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead, neither in nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord your God. For whatsoever things remain are by me; and whatsoever things are not by me shall be shaken and destroyed.
“If a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood ; . . . and if ye abide in my covenant . . . Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; . . . Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory.
“For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.”(my emphasis added)[x]
Modern day prophets and apostles reaffirm:
“. . . marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. . .the first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife . . . Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.”[xi]
Prophets, ancient and modern, have taught and repeated this same doctrine. This follows two of the keys to avoiding deception and apostasy (i.e. the abandonment of a religious or political belief).[xii] First, “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”[xiii] Second, “what I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; . . . whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.”[xiv]
Within these scriptures and the teachings of prophets, we see what is at stake. We are attempting to qualify to become eternal companions—eternal fathers and mothers. We are on track for Godhood. The Lord is very clear that there is only one “strait gate and narrow way” to achieve this. His way is marked by His law and continues to be taught by His prophets from the beginning of humanity until today. In a practical sense, His way is also marked by simple biology: the “continuation of lives”[x] requires a man and a woman.
On the other spectrum, American culture has “evolved” within the past 15 years in its stance on the definition of marriage. Both PolitiFact.com and the NY Times document that evolution in the changing viewpoints on traditional/gay marriage by political icon Hillary Clinton:
Clinton opposed same-sex marriage as a candidate for the Senate, while in office as a senator, and while running for president in 2008. She expressed her support for civil unions starting in 2000 and for the rights’ of states to set their own laws in favor of same-sex marriage in 2006.
When asked if her view on gay marriage had evolved, “Clinton replied: "I think I'm an American. (Laughing) And I think we have all evolved, and it's been one of the fastest, most sweeping transformations." [xv]
Am I going to abandon eons of God’s word, experience, and work to exalt me and my family in an eternal unit for a 15-year cultural evolution? The sieve is shaking.
“From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”[xvi]
[i] Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1945, p. 446.
[ii] Moses 1:39
[iii] New York Times-Nov 6, 2015
[iv] In-Depth-CNN-Nov 6, 2015
[v] Los Angeles Times-Nov 7, 2015
[vi] The Inquisitr-Nov 6, 2015
[vii] Genesis 2:18, 24
[viii] Genesis 1:28
[ix] 1 Corinthians 11:11
[x]D&C 132: 7, 12-14, 19-22
[xi] The Family: A Proclamation to the World
[xii] Google search: apostasy definition
[xiii] Deut 19:15, Matt 18:16; 2 Cor 13: 1 D&C 6:28
[xiv]D&C 1:38
[xvi] John 6:66-68
