Commandments - Protection for our lives

I was speaking with a good friend about someone he knows. She has stopped going to church after reading some anti-Mormon literature and has become quite critical of the church leaders. Now her husband has stopped going but also has started to experiment with alcohol and pornography just to find out if those things are fine. The reasoning is something like, "those guys were tricking me about this being the true church, they might be tricking me about the commandments/rules they told me to live by." Interesting.

Here's a story by Mervyn Arnold, a member of the 70, on this topic.

Shortly after my sweetheart, Devonna, and I were married, she shared with me a story about how she learned in her youth this important doctrine that we are free to choose but that we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions. With the help of my daughter Shelly, I would like to relate Sister Arnold’s experience:

“When I was 15 years old, I often felt that there were too many rules and commandments. I wasn’t sure that a normal, fun-loving teenager could enjoy life with so many restrictions. Furthermore, the many hours spent working on my father’s ranch were seriously dipping into my time with my friends.

“This particular summer, one of my jobs was to ensure that the cows grazing on the mountain pasture did not break through the fence and get into the wheat field. A cow grazing on the growing wheat can bloat, causing suffocation and death. One cow in particular was always trying to stick her head through the fence. One morning, as I was riding my horse along the fence line checking on the cattle, I found that the cow had broken through the fence and gotten into the wheat field. To my dismay, I realized that she had been eating wheat for quite some time because she was already bloated and looked much like a balloon. I thought, ‘You stupid cow! That fence was there to protect you, yet you broke through it and you have eaten so much wheat that your life is in danger.’

“I raced back to the farmhouse to get my dad. However, when we returned, I found her lying dead on the ground. I was saddened by the loss of that cow. We had provided her with a beautiful mountain pasture to graze in and a fence to keep her away from the dangerous wheat, yet she foolishly broke through the fence and caused her own death.

“As I thought about the role of the fence, I realized that it was a protection, just as the commandments and my parents’ rules were a protection. The commandments and rules were for my own good. I realized that obedience to the commandments could save me from physical and spiritual death. That enlightenment was a pivotal point in my life.”

Sister Arnold learned that our kind, wise, and loving Heavenly Father has given us commandments not to restrict us, as the adversary would have us believe, but to bless our lives and to protect our good name and our legacy for future generations—just as they had for Lehi and Nephi. Just like the cow that received the consequences of her choice, each one of us must learn that the grass is never greener on the other side of the fence—nor will it ever be, for “wickedness never was happiness.” ⁸ Each one of us will receive the consequences of our choices when this life is over. The commandments are clear, they are protective—they are not restrictive—and the wonderful blessings of obedience are numberless!

In general, the decision to leave the church is generally a very arrogant one. (I am speaking of actively leaving rather than slowly falling away; that choice is often made almost by accident.) It presumes that the person leaving knows 1) more than the church leaders, and 2) has studied out the issues carefully and fairly. My experience is that church leaders are the best men and women we find in this world. Also, when the church is looked at in any fair light, it looks very strong and will continue to look better as time goes on.

Concerning commandments - why is it smart to experience everything? Shouldn't we learn from the mistakes of others or the guidance of very wise people? A wise person learns from their own mistakes, but a genius learns from the mistakes of others. Avoiding potential addictions at all costs is a very wise move, and pretty much every commandment exists to help us avoid potential addictions that interfere with our ability to freely choose without the undue influence of actions or thoughts we're too strongly tied to. Even keeping the Sabbath day holy is in part an attempt to separate us from the world so that our thinking won't be continually influenced by only worldly things.

Keep the faith.

Have a great day.