Personality

There are many different types of personality tests telling us who we are and why we behave the way we do. After having completed the Keirsey Temperment Sorter, I was calculated and deciphered as a Guardian Provider (ESFJ). According to Keirsey, the Guardian Provider is the cornerstone of society by serving and preserving our most important social institutions.

            Guardians have natural talents in managing goods and services and thus keep things running smoothly in organizations and families. They enjoy passing time with their friends and love to laugh. The Guardian Provider also takes personal pride in being trustworthy and reliable, expecting people to trust him/her and lean on him/her when need be.

            After reading through the description of the Guardian Provider, I felt like the description resonated strongly within me. They are fairly accurate with their description on who I am. Yet at the same time, there are specific descriptions given that may or may not be true with me, but I would prefer not be so. For example, guardians work steadily within the system and are very run of the mill. I think that at times that is great, but at the same time it is necessary for us to think outside of the box. Creativity is crippled by a strict adherence to rules at times, which is why we need to pull ourselves out of the ordinary at times and grow, which is not a characteristic of the guardians.

             Providers are as said in the title. They help and try to provide for others. They, as I, enjoy serving others and helping others find happiness, especially those close to us. Throughout my life I find that statement to be very true, as I thrive off and love helping those around me, especially those I have special feelings for.

            I performed several other personality tests as well, such as the JUNG personality test, the color tests and others. It is very interesting that just through a series of questions; one can decipher and lean so much about another’s character and personality. Yet because of much research performed they can often be times very accurate and teach us some things we can and should change about ourselves that we do not approve of. I gave several examples earlier that was pointed out in my personality I would like to change, and because of these personality tests, I am given extra opportunities to overcome some weaknesses I now see within myself. We can all take advantage of personality tests by learning more about ourselves and adapting or changing for the better. 

The Box

  A box defined by Google is defined as a container with a flat base and sides, typically square or rectangular and having a lid. When an object is placed inside the box, it is hidden from reality. Those outside the box struggle to gain insight as to what is hidden inside. The object hidden inside also struggles to gain true insight as to what is on the exterior. In the book, “Leadership and Self-Deception,” we learn that we as people often times place ourselves in a box, figuratively speaking and lose sight of the people around us, of reality. In the process of losing sight of reality we often times find ourselves behaving different than under normal circumstances. Even our perception of people changes to the point that we see them as objects, merely as tools we can use to gain our personal goals.

            Throughout life we often find ourselves struggling, falling into the box and struggling to free ourselves of the boxes grasps. Finding ourselves entrapped in the box, we begin to deceive ourselves. Our perception of reality is altered to the point where we don’t truly see who we or others are. That loss of reality imposes walls that impede our progression as individuals, groups, and families. In that state of darkness, in the box we struggle to work in groups, to cooperate with other people and to succeed collectively. Our individual success is often times gauged and developed on the collective success of a team and unit.

            Personal experience of reading the book only for a several days has already proven that the box analogy and method has made a dramatic difference on how I view those around me. After looking back upon my life, I have easily noticed that when I see myself living in the box towards specific people, that their behavior towards me simply reflected my attitude towards them. When truly stepping outside of the box, you see people as people instead of objects and you see people as people. After seeing them as people, you begin treating them as people which cause them to treat you as a person in return. When you see them as objects, you treat them as objects, which cause them to treat you as an object in return.

             The analogy of the box is a great tool. It greatly increases our possibilities to discover ourselves when we are entrapped in the box and how to successfully leave because our ability to work with others and progress greatly increases when we see the world and those around us outside of the box. 

Leadership

Leadership

By:

Sarah Rhodes, Bridget Lundy, T.J. King, Jessica Heidt

               Leadership is a broad concept with many forms of diversity that apply uniquely to each situation. In this paper we will define what leadership is, discuss the differences between men and women in leadership positions, how one develops a leadership style and where leadership can be used.    

Leadership Is:

             Leaders are needed in all aspects of life. They are needed in the business world, school, family, friends, sports, and etc. Yet many times when leaders are discussed and spoken about, they usually have different qualities and characteristics depending on the situation, circumstances, and person speaking about them and the “leaders” job or occupation. Some refer to leaders as strong people who maintain firm control over those they work over. Others refer to leaders as men who work with people instead of working over them. Business Dictionary defines leadership as, “The activity of leading a group of people or an organization or the ability to do this, and coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of all members and stakeholders.”

            In all aspects, disregarding who you are, leaders are required to lead! That is the ultimate characteristic defining a good leader versus someone who simply is assigned as a leader. Men and women who are capable of inspiring those they work with to do more and to work harder, they are those that are true leaders.

Daniel Goleman, the man who coined the term “emotional intelligence,” also stated that intelligence, toughness, determination, and vision are usually associated with the term leadership, but those are not enough to truly lead. He later went on to write that truly effective leaders are distinguished through demonstrating a high degree of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence includes self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.

            Men and women are defined not by their most recent conversation or what they have most recently said. It is instead by their course of action over a period of time that defines them. The same is said about leaders. True leaders are not defined by their voice or their speeches, but they are defined by how those they work with respond to them and by the results their teams are able to achieve.

Dolly  Parton said, “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” That is a leader defined. It is also important to note that leadership may change from leader to leader, particularly from man to woman.

Men Vs Women in Leadership:

            Gender is an important factor in evaluating leadership. Men and women differ vastly from one another - biologically, socially, mentally and otherwise. Harvard Manage Mentor: Team Leadership suggests that diversity is essential in developing an effective team. however, common misconceptions about gender roles often lead societies to believe that men are the “natural leaders.” There are more successful and assertive in business and leadership roles, right? - Not necessarily. Women have as much potential as men to succeed as leaders in the professional world. However, their skills and leadership styles vary from that of men. Men and women have diverse leadership styles, but those skills can prove to be complementary and effective.

            Men tend to rely on “transactional leadership,” according to Judy Rosener her article “Ways Women Lead”: “That is, they view job performance as a series of transactions with subordinates - exchanging rewards for services rendered or punishment for inadequate performance.” This form of leadership has clearly proven to be successful through generations of business. Rosener continues:  “Men are also more likely to use power that comes from their organizational position and formal authority,” (Rosener 150). Men lean towards the use of legitimate power, reward power, and coercive power, which will be mentioned further on in the paper.

Conversely, women often lead in a more social pattern. This leadership type is referred to as “Interactive Leadership.” The use of this form of leadership involves inclusion, that is - making employees feel like they are part of the organization. The have a genuine interest in each employee, inside and outside of work. Women try to help members of their group get excited about their contributions with constant encouragement and self-esteem building. Interactive leadership also incorporates the opinions and advice of others. More room for creativity is often present (Rosener 151). It is a form of referent leadership. Power is shared throughout the organization, which can be risky. Although this managerial style is effective, it is not preferred for every employee. To some is is more of a form of “cheerleading” than managing.

Overall, men and women have proven to be equally successful in managerial approaches. However, an unfair bias remains. In the article “Domination and Subordination,” Jean B. Miller gives the following assertion: “In the case of women, for example, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the notion persists that women are meant to be passive, submissive, submissive, docile, secondary,” (Miller 228) It will likely take time and reconditioning for that bias to change. Leadership will

Types of Leadership:

There are many types of leadership styles too many to list because each person has their own specific style. Besides gender a person’s leadership style depends on three things; first, The kind of power and influence they have over people and second, how they themselves are motivated and third their ethics. 

There are five basic types of power or influence these are: Expert power, Referent power, Legitimate power, Reward power, and Coercive power.(Hughes) Any given leader may have one or more of these powers of influence.

“Expert power is the power of knowledge.” (Hughes) Leaders with this type of power have developed expertise in an area over a long period of time and have become an expert in that field. Although this does not necessarily mean that they had formal training.

Referent power is the power of respect and admiration. Leaders are given this power by those around them. Leaders who are given this power are talented at establishing and maintaining relationships of trust with the people around them. (Hughes)

Legitimate power is power you receive due to your role in an organization. (Hughes) As a leader this is your formal authority to act in the organization you are a part of. Depending on where you are in the organization this power can be very limited or can be unrestrained.

Reward power is the power to control resources. Resources could include anything from the ability to give promotions or vacations, to awarding special titles or prizes, or even the power to upgrade office electronics such as computers.(Hughes) As a leader with this type of power you can use it in many ways. In the Movie Twelve Angry Men for example juror number two has the ability to control his resource of cough drops. At first he offers them to everyone but only one person partakes of his offering. Later in the movie after much tension juror number three who opposes juror two’s views asks for a cough drop at that point juror number two withholds his resource and tells juror number three they are gone.(itsmekranthi) This is also an example of coercive power.    

Coercive power is the power to remove rewards or implement punishments. Coercive power is seen as the opposite of reward power. (Hughes) It is the difference between positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. As a leader when you have this power it is important that it doesn’t get abused.

Whether or not leaders abuse any of these powers is determined by their motivation and their ethics.  As a leader it is your motivation that will determine who you use your powers of influence for but it is your ethics that determine why. “If there is one trait virtually all effective leaders have it is motivation... a deeply embedded desire to achieve.”(Goleman) There are two basic types of motivation personalized and socialized.

Personalized motivation is when you are motivated by things that will help only you. This type of motivation is self-serving and can be seen as selfishness. (Hughes)The self-centered nature of this type of motivation doesn’t allow a leader to see the needs of those around them or the needs of the organization. They are only motivated by their own needs, wants and desires.

Socialized motivation is when you are motivated not by your own needs but by the needs of your organization or the people you are around. (Hughes) Many times it means as a leader you sacrifice what you want to do in favor of the needs of others. It also means empowering those around you to work toward the same end goal.

The last thing that determines the type of leadership a person has are their ethics. Ethics are person’s core beliefs or personal code of conduct. A persons ethics can also be influenced by the professions they choose. Doctors for example have a code of ethics and part of that is the Hippocratic oath. Religion also plays a part in a person's ethics.

Where is the leadership?

            In all groups and situations, leadership needs to be in place. Having this order in place will help all involved to have the right mindset and the opportunity for innovation and creativity. That being said, it is hard to pinpoint just one specific place that you can find leadership at work. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have a leadership style unlike any other. We are led by Heavenly Father through the inspirational leadership of our current prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. Instruction is both handed down through the “ranks” to General, Regional and Local authorities. This comes in the form of conferences, articles, newsroom releases and memos among other things. The instructions given are precise but following them is up for interpretation; when conflicts arise, there is a process for dealing with it.

            According to the church’s website, church leaders are put in place to guide the efforts of the various quorums, councils and groups to help produce the same result regardless of their location throughout the world. Through this structure it endorses the possibility for subgroup leadership opportunities. In the family, the heads of the household are encouraged to,” teach the preeminence of the home and family as the basic organizational unit of the Church. Emphasize the place of the higher priesthood in helping individuals and families qualify for exaltation.” The structure in place endorses the parents to lead by example and teach their children to mimic the Savior’s example. All the while the goal of the youth program is to prepare young men for the responsibility of the priesthood and help young women be worthy to make and keep sacred covenants. But just because there are different goals between groups does not mean that the leadership Is not collaborating.

            In the article Servant Leader by Robert K. Greenleaf, he states the need for leaders to do service within their group. No group can be functional if there is not service between members of the group and by the leader themselves. The story of a band of men on a journey east focuses on the character of Leo who does little more than the menial chores; it is important for leaders to realize how important even small tasks are in the work of the group. When leaders give praise for lifting spirits and doing service, it unites the group to their leader as well as their cause.

            As we attend grade school and follow all the rules of the public education system; it encompasses everything from a code of conduct to a dress code. During this time we operate under the strict jurisdiction of a teacher until disciplinarian actions are needed due to the failure to comply with the aforementioned rules. But that does not mean that teachers are the only ones who lead the student body. In every classroom there is a different dynamic.

            In conclusion a leader inspires others to dream learn and become. Gender helps to dictate the kind of leader you are as well as your power of influence, your motivation and your ethics. Then you can use your personal leadership style in all areas of your life. 

Leadership- define TJ

List and get into different styles men v. women Jessica

Types of leadership Sarah

Where leadership is appropriate Bridget

Work Cited

Goleman, Daniel, “What Makes a Leader?” Harvard Business Review, January 2004, 82-91

Scanned Document

Hughes, Richard L. and Robert C. Ginnett and Gordon J. Curphy, Leadership: Enhancing the

lessons of experience, “Power, Influence and Influence Tactics”,1993, scanned document 

itsmekranthi, 12 Angry Men (1957), 4/22/ 2012, Accessed 3/21/2013 youtube podcast

Harvard Manage Mentor: Team Management

Miller, Jean B. "Domination Subordination." Leaders and Followers Together. n. page. Print.

Rosener, Judy B. "Ways Women Lead." Leader. n. page. Print.

Parton, Dolly. "Quotes About Leadership." (668 Quotes). N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

"Leadership." What Is ? Definition and Meaning. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

Parton, Dolly. "Quotes About Leadership." (668 Quotes). N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

Power

  Power is one of the most discussed topics in the world. It happens every day on a daily basis. It happens and occurs so frequently and habitually that we no longer realize we are discussing the power of a person, title, organization, or nation. When talking about current trends, those trends had the power to cause every one of us to talk about them and or follow them the next day. Power comes in forms of force, strength, abilities to sing, lead, run, play sports and many other forms. We all have different powers which are uniquely given to each one of us to help us in our individual situations in life.

            My personal opinion is that powers are manifested in our own personal abilities, which are then manifested and recognized in the lives of others. Because of those abilities, others are more prone to rely on us, which grants us power over a person or a situation. That power can then be used for many different reasons and either maintained or lost through our daily conduct.

Powers manifested by my abilities, yet recognized through other people most of my life were diverse and different. These powers were often times designated to me, given because of my ability to prove worthy of said influence in a group of people. While growing up, I was acknowledged at being a good athlete by my peers and adults around me in the sporting community, which would be considered an expertise skill. At school I was acknowledged as being an intelligent, good student. During the mission I was acknowledged as being a hard worker, persistent and dedicated. Now at school I seem to redefine who I am through my different abilities or powers perceived by my surroundings as the years go by.

            I believe I am a personable people, a person in which most people feel that they want to support me and help me in my endeavors. Because of how I sympathize with others, people will often times sympathize with me in return. I believe patience to be a power. Through the example my parents have offered through their daily lives, I have recently through my personal life discovered that I can be very patient at times as well. 

            Over the summer I performed above normal during my job. Because of how I was able to succeed during those three months, my fellow co-workers viewed me differently, with an ability or a power and often times came to me asking for advice on how to work more efficiently and effectively throughout the day. At times they even spent hours of their time with me to monitor me in my working environment.

            There are many different powers we possess. Most of the time powers are given because of who we are and how we act and can be used or misused. However, in my opinion, it is a general rule of thumb that those that misuse power and their own abilities will lose them over time as those they lead or influence comes to see them as they really are. 

Pearl of Great Price

Introduction

            The Pearl of Great Price, like all books is sacred scripture given from God to us through His holy prophets. The Pearl of Great Price is however different than all other scriptural text because it is a Temple text. The Pearl of Great Price starts out with an experience Moses is undergoing. The very first verse of this book says, “The words of God, which he spake unto Moses at a time when Moses was caught up into an exceedingly high mountain.” That is a very interesting introduction because it appears to jump right in the middle of an experience of Moses. After reading and looking into the first Book of Moses one can arrive at the conclusion that the Book of Moses and the Pearl of Great Price in general is a preface to the Book of Genesis.

            We are all familiar with Moses is and his story. When he was a baby he was found by the daughters of the pharaoh and raised as a prince of Egypt. Moses was taught as was the Egyptians, he very well could have been a war general himself of the Egyptian armies and yet at the same time he watched his true brethren, the Israelites slave away. However there was a time in his life when Moses’ reality changed. After he had killed an Egyptian slave task master, Moses feared the wrath of the Egyptians and ran into the desert. Once free from the Egyptians Moses reality of life changed again. He left his life of Egyptian royalty behind and became a shepherd of sheep; he married into the covenant and came to know God. One day Moses had the burning bush experience where God commanded Moses to return to Egypt and to free his brethren, the Israelites. In Exodus 3 we read of the experience. God commands Moses several times to return to Egypt and every time Moses comes up with an excuse as to why he shouldn’t go, in effect refusing God’s commandments. In these chapters Moses never truly agrees to free the Egyptians, to story simply jumps to the account of his return to Egypt and the process that he undergoes there. Moses does not have a true grip on reality; he does not truly comprehend what God is capable of doing. However the Book of Moses appears to be the experience Moses has after the burning bush, where God reveals unto Moses the true reality, the reality of God.

[1]“Throughout history God has mediated his knowledge about the Real to humankind through various means: through dreams, visitations, and various degrees and forms of revelation to private individuals and to prophets.”

In the following chapters and books, God reveals unto us His reality and how they are relevant to the Temple work. The Book of Moses and the Pearl of Great Price are that preface to the Bible, they are God revealing unto us His reality. They are teaching us where we have to go to receive His reality and what we have to do to be prepared to do so. Here we learn of the basic Temple Pattern. We learn of the Creation, the Fall, the Journey and the Return to God’s presence. These patterns represent man’s pre-existence, the fall from God’s physical presence, man’s journey and life here on earth and his return to the presence of God. There is no doctrine taught in Latter-day Saint Temples which is not taught publicly, but the ordinances and covenants made within the sanctuary are guarded and kept sacred.

Pre-mortality

            [2]We are taught and we learn from passages in the scriptures that we didn’t only exist before we came to this earth, but we existed and lived in the presence of God. God and Jesus Christ Stood amongst us, they were with us. While living in the presence of God we weren’t senseless beings, we were intelligent.

            While living in the presence of God, our loving Heavenly Father, we were not like Him, nor could we become like Him if we were to remain in the state we were in. God as a loving Father wanted and wants, us as His children, to have everything He is capable of having. “[3]God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself.”

            Through God’s laws and plans that were instituted are now known unto us as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Before we came to the earth, while we were with God, He presented this plan to us. President Spencer W. Kimball said, “[4]A plan was presented in the great council. Before this earth was created the Lord made a blueprint, as any great contractor will do before constructing. He drew up the plans, wrote the specifications, and presented them. We discussed it and understood it. We accepted it because we knew that it was the only way to progress and become like unto Him.

According to Paul, God is a God of clarity and understanding, “[5]He is not the author of confusion…” He wants His children to understand Him, to know Him, to love Him and to understand His teachings and commandments. That is why he presented this opportunity in the heavens to come to earth. After we all knew and understood His plan, another option was presented unto us. Satan, one of our own brethren, opposed the plan of God and tried to convince us to follow him and his ideas. John Taylor said, “[6]It is evident that at that council certain plans had been proposed and discussed, and that after a full discussion of those principles, and the declaration of the Father's will pertaining to His design, Lucifer came before the Father, with a plan of his own, saying, "Behold I, send me, I will be they Son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore, give me thine honor."

It is also written in Isaiah that Lucifer rebelled and fell from heaven. The fact that he fell from heaven implies that he once lived with us in the heavens. It says,”[7]How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Satan wanted God’s power and glory, he wanted to be God.

[8]Most of us rejected Lucifer’s plan; however he was successful in beguiling and bringing one third of all the hosts of heaven with him. These souls that followed Lucifer were our own brethren, our loved ones. We knew them and they knew us. They, with Lucifer were cast out of God’s presence and down here on this earth where they continue to try and tempt us; so that we may fall from God’s presence eternally and be like them.

The Purpose of Mortality

We are all born in different nations, cultures, ethnicities, families and situations, but we are all born with the same purpose. God said in Moses 1:39 that His purpose for us is immortality and eternal life.

[9]Immortality is defined as the condition of living forever in a resurrected state, not subject to physical death. God wants all of His children to receive physical bodies, which is only possible through a physical birth. Once we receiver our bodies God wants us to receive our bodies again after this life in their perfected state. When Jesus Christ came to the earth he performed the atonement, fulfilling part of God’s plan. Jesus Christ made it possible through his death and resurrection that every single person who had a physical body will be resurrected, we will all receive our bodies in their perfected state again, and live in that state forever.

The second part of God’s purpose for us is eternal life. That may initially sound similar to immortality but it is very different. Eternal life connotes the quality of life, or exaltation; living the type of life God lives Himself. Immortality is a gift given freely to all of us who made the decision in the pre-existence to come to this world. Eternal life is dependent upon our faithfulness and diligence in keeping God’s commandments. In order to attain eternal life and exaltation we have to participate in ordinances of salvation. Those ordinances are baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, the reception of the Priesthood, the Endowment and the Abrahamic covenant of that of marriage. Once we make these covenants, [10]we then have to live them faithfully until the end of our lives.

Our purpose in this life is to obtain a body, learn and grow. We are to learn through our experiences and become more godlike, to achieve godhood. The only possible way is through the covenants God has given us.

The creation of the earth and man

God had a plan prepared for us children to become more like Him. We have a purpose in this life. The next necessity was a physical place in which this grand plan could take place. That place is this earth we now live on. However a spiritual plan was created and put into place long before the physical creation ever took place. Just as we have blueprints perfected and laid out long before we perform the actual construction of a building, so did God too have a spiritual blueprint. When that blueprint was perfected, [11]Jesus Christ created the earth under the direction of God and he did so by the power of his [12]word. The creation of the world was said to have been created in six days and on the seventh day God rested. After the creation of the world, God created man to be placed in the Garden of Eden.

[13]Man was created in the image of God. Because of scientific reasoning and discovered fossils, some are led to believe that Adam was not the first man on the earth. Others also believe that man evolved from apes, or that man and apes evolved from a like ancestor. Those teachings are teachings of man and not of God. [14]God himself said that Adam was the first of men on the earth.  

[15]Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into a God. 

Eve was then created following the creation of Adam. She was created to be Adams other half, to compliment Adam. Adam and Eve were placed in a special place prepared for them by God. That location was called the Garden of Eden.

The Fall of Adam and its results upon mankind

After the creation of Adam and Eve they were placed in the Garden of Eden where God gave them their agency by giving them commandments. The first commandment given was to multiply and replenish the earth. The second commandment was to not partake of the forbidden fruit.

What we learn of the tree of knowledge and the forbidden fruit are all very symbolic. Bruce R. McConkie said, [16]“As to the fall itself we are told that the Lord planted "the tree of knowledge of good and evil" in the midst of the garden. (Moses 3:9.) To Adam and Eve the command came: "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but, remember that I forbid it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Moses 3:16-17.) Again the account is speaking figuratively. What is meant by partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is that our first parents complied with whatever laws were involved so that their bodies would change from their state of paradisiacal immortality to a state of natural mortality.”

[17]While living within the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve lived in an immortal state, innocent state, they were not subject to death.  Adam and Eve had knowledge and were able to learn, but they had no knowledge of good and evil. They did not feel pain because they could not feel good. Their last status while living in the Garden of Eden was that Adam and Eve had no posterity and were not able to procreate while living in that state. Adam and Eve dwelt in the physical presence of God while they lived in the Garden of Eden. We don’t know how long Adam and Eve resided within the Garden of Eden for.

Satan also dwelt on the earth and he tempted Adam and Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit. Adam resisted the temptation however his wife, Eve was beguiled by Satan. [18]She partook of the fruit without full understanding. Adam, seeing that he could not continue to live with his wife if he did not partake of the forbidden fruit because she would be expelled from the Garden, chose himself to partake. Because of Adam and Eve’s choice to partake of the forbidden fruit they were expelled from the Garden of Eden and from the physical presence of God.

[19]The fall had several different consequences that went with it. Because of the fall, Adam was banned from the presence of God and thus suffered spiritual death. Upon entering the new world outside of the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve and everything around them became subject to physical pain and death. Through the fall, through pain and death Adam was able to learn, to gain knowledge and experiences, to come to know and understand good from evil. The last result of the fall was the blessing of posterity. Adam and Eve were then able to procreate and bring more of God’s children into this world.

[20]Now because of the fall, God’s children can now come to the earth, obtain bodies, progress and start that physical journey of godhood. [21]Through physical birth, the natural man tendencies of man were then born into man, [22]spirits were and are contaminated through physical birth; however we are all free agents with the individual power and ability to choose whether to become subject to our natural tendencies or to overcome them and strive to become more godlike. We are capable in this life to choose to follow God, or to follow Satan.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ

Because of our natural imperfections, we all sin and because of sin and imperfections, no man can enter into the presence of God. We and all of humankind needed and needs a Deliverer, a Savior to save us from our imperfections and sins. Ever from the beginning, from the foundations of the world God knew Adam would partake of the fruit and fall from God’s physical presence. God knew of the imperfections we would suffer from. That is why even before the [23]foundations of this world, God had prepared a plan with a Savior to come to this world and save us from our sins. Jesus Christ was selected and prepared from before the foundations of this world. God knew and had a complete understanding of what was going to happen.

When Jesus Christ came to this earth he lived a perfect life and in the end of his life he performed the atonement. The atonement consists of his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, his crucifixion on the cross and his resurrection three days later. This [24]atonement performed by God redeems all mankind from the “curse of Adam”, and for the fall of each man’s personal fall. We are redeemed from the curse of Adam through the resurrection of Christ. Unlike the unconditional physical resurrection and redemption from the fall of Adam, our spiritual redemption is conditional. Our spiritual redemption is conditional on whether we live and keep God’s commandments on a daily basis.

The ancient prophet Abinidi taught that in order to be a [25]partaker of the atonement of Christ we are to listen and hearken unto the words of the prophets, believe on their words, have faith on those words and look forward to the day of their remission of their sins.

[26]The holy prophets have taught us in the scriptures that in order to enter into God’s presence we must repent, be baptized by immersion, receive the Holy Ghost as a constant companion, participate in the Abrahamic covenant and endure to the end faithfully. If we are to these things we will be partakers of the atonement Christ offered unto us and we will be spotless to enter into the presence of God at the last days. We will be redeemed from our own spiritual death.

Adam and the Preparatory Gospel

            Paul taught, [27]“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation…” The Gospel is the plan God gave His children by which they (we) may be saved from the spiritual and physical death. As we have already stated, because of the atonement of Jesus Christ we are all saved from the physical death, but now we have to be active to guarantee our own spiritual redemption. [28]There is one Gospel by which we can receive spiritual redemption; however we will receive more or less of that Gospel depending on our faithfulness and willingness to listen to the Lord’s words and then live them.

The lesser Gospel or the preparatory Gospel pertains to the Aaronic Priesthood. [29]The preparatory Gospel is the Gospel of repentance, baptism, the remission of sins and the law of carnal commandments. These commandments are all preparatory, they in and of themselves are not sufficient to seal man up to eternal life or exaltation. [30]In that sense the Aaronic Priesthood is not eternal in nature but simply goes beforehand to school and prepare man for the eternal, for the greater Priesthood.

Adam and the Everlasting Gospel or the Holy Order of God

            A people can progress only to a certain limit through the Aaronic Priesthood, which is why God also has given us all the opportunity to receive the greater Priesthood or the everlasting gospel. [31]The greater Priesthood or the Priesthood in its fullness, the Holy Order of God is known as the Melchizedek Priesthood. We receive the fullness of the priesthood the same way Jesus Christ obtained it, by keeping and obeying all the commandments and ordinances of God. When receiving this Melchizedek Priesthood we are released from the bounds of the limited Aaronic Priesthood and can attain the fullness of the glory of our Eternal Father.

            The Church on the earth is organized and run through the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood and cannot exist without this Priesthood. Through the Melchizedek Priesthood we are offered all the saving ordinances of God. We are promised that if we are obedient to God’s commandments and to holy ordinances we have made, we will be blessed by God and we will attain true godhood, we will regain God’s presence. The most important covenant made possible through the Melchizedek is the marriage covenant or the Abrahamic covenant.

The Abrahamic Covenant

            The Abrahamic covenant is simply the temple marriage covenants we make during the marriage ceremony and sealing. In the book of Abraham we learn of the life of Abraham and we can follow his choices of following God. After Abraham chooses to follow God, God blesses Abraham and in these blessings we can catch a glimpse of what the Abrahamic covenant consists of and what blessings come from it. In Abraham 2:6-11 we can read of the specific blessings God grants Abraham under the Abrahamic covenant. [32]Those blessings fall under as we call them now, the three P’s.

1.      Posterity

2.      Prosperity (land)

3.      Priesthood

The covenants of the Abrahamic Covenant are performed and done within the walls of the holy Temples. All previous covenants are only preparatory covenants to the Abrahamic Covenant. In the Temples we are married to our spouses and there we enter into the Abrahamic Covenant. The marriage sealing in the holy Temples is the only way to enter into the Abrahamic Covenant.

All are capable of acquiring the promises of the Abrahamic covenant. As stated earlier, our spiritual redemption is conditional upon our personal actions and choices. If we receive the Aaronic Priesthood, the preparatory gospel and prepare ourselves to receive the Abrahamic Covenant, we can attain godhood.

However we all are subject to death. The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant extend after death. We are promised that we will be sealed with our families for the eternities if we live worthy of those Temple covenants.

     

The Post-mortal existence of man

            After death our bodies are entered into the earth and our spirits go to the spirit world to wait for the resurrection. [33]While waiting in the spirit world the gospel will be taught and preached to all for another chance to receive the Christ. However we will still be held accountable if we had that chance to receive Christ in this life and chose to deny him. Alma teaches in Alma 40 and 42 that when the resurrection occurs, our spirits will be reunited with our bodies. They will be perfected and never separate again. After the resurrection we will all be brought before God to be judged according to our works here on this earth. Depending on our works on the earth we will be blessed with a degree of glory.

            [34]Paul taught that there are three different bodies or degrees of glory. In this sermon by Paul, he teaches that there are different types of bodies and he compares them to the brightness of the stars, the moon and to the brightness of the sun. The brightness of these different bodies is symbolic of the degrees of glory.

            In D&C 76 we learn that those three different bodies Paul is teaching about are the Telestial Kingdom, the Terestial Kingdom and the Celestial Kingdom.

The Telestial Kingdom is a kingdom prepared for the wicked, for those who chose evil works in this life. This Kingdom is for those who rejected the gospel in this life and in the spirit world. The Terestial Kingdom was prepared for those who didn’t accept the gospel here on this earth but received it in its fullness in the spirit world. It is also prepared for those who were not wholly faithful to their covenants in this life. The last kingdom is the Celestial Kingdom. The Celestial Kingdom was prepared for those who participated in the Abrahamic Covenant and were faithful until the end of their lives. In the Celestial Kingdom we are partakers of the fullness of the blessings of God, here we have attained true and full godhood.

            In the beginning of this paper we talked about the experience Moses had in the first verse and in the first chapter of the Book of Moses. We spoke about how over the course of Moses’ life, his view on reality changed until he caught the reality of God. The Pearl of Great Price is simply the reality of God given to us in scriptural text. This book is a temple text preparing us to receive God’s true reality and to participate in His everlasting gospel and in the Abrahamic Covenant in the Temple.

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[1] John Lundquist, "What is Reality" in By Study and By Faith, 428-438

[2] Abraham 3:22-23

[3] Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Pg. 354

[4] From The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.29

[5] 1^st Corinthians 14:33

[6] From, Mediation and Atonement, pp. 93-98

[7] Isaiah 14:12-14

[8] Revelations 12:3-4; Moses 4:6

[9] Marion G. Romney; Conference Report, Oct. 1978, p. 19; or Ensign, Nov. 1978, p. 14-15

[10] Mosiah 18:9

[11] 1^st Nephi 17:36

[12] Abraham 4; and the Gods said….and so it happened

[13] Genesis 1:27; Ether 3:15

[14] Moses 1:34

[15] The Origin of Man; By the First Presidency of the Church; Messages of the First Presidency, 4:200-206

[16] “Christ and the Creation,” Ensign, June 1982, p. 15

[17] Doctrines of Salvation 3 Vols. Ed. Bruce R. McConkie (1954-56), 1:107-108

[18] A New Witness for the Articles of Faith (1985, 85-86

[19] Doctrine of Salvation 3 Vols. Ed. Bruce R. McConkie (1954-56), 1:111-112

[20] 2^nd Nephi 2:27-29

[21] Alma 42:10; Moses 6:55

[22] “The Pre-existence of Man,” The Seer, Vol. 1, No. 7 (July, 1853). Republished by Eugene Wagner, Salk Lake City, p. 98

[23] 1^st Nephi 10:18, Mosiah 4:6-7; 15:19; 18:3 Alma 12:30; 22:13; 42:26; Ether 3:14,

[24] Gethsemane and Golgotha: Why and What the Savior Suffered by Bruce Satterfield

[25] Mosiah 15:11-12

[26] 3 Nephi 27:19-20

[27] Romans 1:16

[28] The Mortal Messiah, 1:73

[29] D&C 84:26-27

[30] The Promised Messiah, p. 404

[31] Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 338

[32] The Necessity of for Receiving the Priesthood Ordinances and Salvation by Bruce Satterfield

[33] D&C 138

[34] 1^st Corinthians 15:40-41