Dan Brooks's Blog, page 11

The Right To Be Wrong

John Delin is facing a disciplinary "court of love." We know he's famous for his support of Ordain Women and LGBT issues, gay marriage being the largest of those. His ideas are counter to church teachings on these issues and his unapologetic support for issues the church teaches against is likely why he's facing the "court of love."
But since when are we to be punished by anyone other than God for being wrong about doctrine, scriptural interpretation, or the ways in which we navigate through our lives? Do we have the right to be wrong?
I believe we do.
"Regardless of your circumstances, your personal history, or the strength of your testimony, there is room for you in this church."  - President Uchtdorf
If the above quote is true doesn't that mean we have a church that has a wide enough tent to encompass different interpretations of doctrine and scripture?
There was a man who wrote a book about his take on the book of revelation which contradicted church teachings at the time. Joseph Smith was away when the author was excommunicated, but this is what Joseph Smith said about that issue: 
"I never thought it was right to call up a man and try him because he erred in doctrine, it looks too much like methodism and not like Latter day Saintism. Methodists have creeds which a man must believe or be kicked out of their church. I want the liberty of believing as I please, it feels so good not to be tramelled. It dont prove that a man is not a good man, because he errs in doctrine." Joseph Smith
If this was true then why is it not true now? The cases may be different and we may not know all the details since, for its part, the church will not speak publicly about it. Details are crucial in deciding whether this comparison works at all. But if we err in doctrine does that mean we must be asked to leave the church and not come back until we can fall in line and March forward like good little soldiers?
The church Joseph Smith described in the above quote does not look like the one we have. It seems as if our church cannot tolerate those who believe differently than the leaders would have us believe. 
But if one feels that the church is wrong on however many issues, why would one want to stay? That can only be answered individually. Many just want their positions understood and respected. Even if, God forbid, they are different.
Jacob wrestled with an angel. This is seen by many as wrestling with God. The idea is that to come to terms with God one must struggle with Him. One must do the heavy lifting to find their place in the Kingdom. And this is a normal and I think an eternal process.
Everyone thinking the same and living the same way is an idea that has been rampant in just about every culture but that is an ideal never reached because it is human nature to be different and unique.
I agree with the church on some issues but disagree on others. I dislike the implication that I need to fall in line or be asked to leave. I want to be a member of a church that welcomes me despite my differences. And so far it has. 
So far the bishop and stake president are glad to see me at church. They know I blog but haven't raise any issues as of yet. But that may be my ward or it may be the church as a whole. I'm not sure which. At a stake conference my stake president quoted my blog verbatim them disagreed with it but he has yet to call me to the carpet for believing differently. Simply agreeing to disagree is healthier than punishing those who think or believe differently.
Every church or institution has the right to decide who it accepts as members. But that Joseph Smith quote and the one by Uchtdorf speak of a church that is much more open and accepting of differences than it seems our current church is.
I don't mean to attack the church. I'm just asking if we have the right to be wrong, if we have the right to not be trammeled. I'm asking if it's true that it doesn't prove that a man is not a good man because he errs in doctrine.
Part of why this disturbs me is the idea of either thinking and believing as everyone else or being ostracized. 
And for what it's worth here is a good example of why we may have been created with such inherent differences:
"And We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a criterion over it. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ." Quran 5:48
I think this is a better and healthier way of looking at differences. That they are meant to be. That how we respond to different people or races or genders and especially ideas says more about us than it does about what we react to.
If we truly love one another as Christ loved us we ought to be able to accept and respect different views and ideas and people. This does not mean one must agree with or even like those differences but if we can love our enemies we ought to be able to handle the differences of our brothers and sisters.

Spiritually Self-Suffcient

In my ward last Sunday the stake young men's leader gave a talk on being spiritually self sufficient. It seemed odd given how many scripture passages teach us to depend on God.
But what quickly became clear was that our spirituality is up to us. In that we have complete control of how much or how little we have to do with God, scripture or living out the gospel message.
Our spiritual life is between us and God. Others may try to influence us but our spiritual growth is dependent on us. Our spirituality is within our complete control.
We are warned in scripture to not rely on the arm of the flesh which I take to mean the living, leader or not.
When Jesus healed He never said "Hey! Look what I did!" He said "Your faith has made you whole." It was the sick who had the faith to be healed it was not about anyone else's faith, not even Christ.
If we depend on any man or woman, general authorities or any arm of the flesh then we will be let down. And our faith will be shaken. Which may help one take stock of ones spiritual life and path or it may lead one out of faith altogether.
But if we put our faith in Christ and seek to increase our spiritual awareness then our faith may stand. If our faith is based on an unshakeable foundation then our spiritual prognosis is much better.
Our faith may lead us to study other religions, it may lead us into another faith but wherever it leads let your faith be a source of good in your life and in others.
Faith I feel, is meant to produce wonderful spiritual fruits, not religious nuts.
Faith is meant to inspire, to captivate and to self regulate. Faith should not be used to legislate our values on those with a different faith or those with no faith.

Salvation Through Jesus

Salvation is simple to some but complex to others. Some feel that we must submit to God and simply believe that Christ is The Savior and we achieve Salvation.
I think the path to Salvation is a simple concept but difficult to truly follow.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:17
So many are quick to deny Salvation to those they feel are unworthy but God has a different plan. One in which all may be saved. Even on one's death bed Salvation is possible. And according to LDS doctrine one can reach Salvation in the afterlife.
But how is it one person achieves Salvation while another does not?
I think it has to do with how we live our lives. All of Jesus' teachings and all the law and prophets hang on the two greatest commandments which are to love God and to love our neighbors, enemies and all God's children.
And loving others as Jesus loves us.
Sounds simple but it's a hard task for most of us. Most of us want to have exceptions that let us hate our enemies and love only those who are good to us but this is not what Jesus taught. 
Jesus taught us to love all of God's children without exceptions. And it's not that living with that Christlike love entitles us to Salvation. It's that living that way is Salvation. It is building up the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven. It's actin like Christ as do all those who are in Heaven.
When Jesus healed people who's faith did He say made them whole? His? No. He said the faith of the person being healed is what made them whole.
Part of what stops people from loving their enemies is that they have little to no faith that loving our enemies is a practical teaching. They'll tell you it sounds nice but Jesus couldn't have really meant it.
But if we have the faith that loving others as Christ loves us is good, that's it's the better plan, that it will make the world a brewer place, then we will see the fruits of our labor. Because those were the fruits of Christ's labor and life and ministry.
Christ never held a public office, He was not an Earthly King, He never wrote any book scripture or otherwise, He did change the world though and more so than anyone else. He did it one leper, one adulteress, and one blind man at a time.
We can change the world one person at a time as well. One homeless person, one Muslim person, one gay person, one person with different political ideologies, one single mom, one of God's unloved children at a time. Love is the key.

Absolute Truth

It has been said that information online has no truth filter but neither does information retrieved in any other way. Research takes time to filter out misinformation and it is a skill many have thanks to the age of information.
The result of personal research is the lens by which we view the world. What works for one does not necessarily work for every one. This life's journey is not a one size fits all paradigm it's more about finding what works for us rather than finding what works for others. We alone are responsible for the path of our journey.
We lose ourselves if we live by the dictates of others rather than the dictates of our own conscience.
I don't see the truth as absolute or black and white. While it's true that there are some issues that are black and white, I see the truth as something more subjective to the individual.
I don't mean that truth is a matter of convenience but rather that since our paths are unique then the truth may be different from person to person depending on the direction of their unique path. 
What's true for you may not be true for me. 
Joseph Smith said this about truth; “Mormonism is Truth… One of the grand fundamental principles of Mormonism is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may. (Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 199)
Later, Joseph bolstered this sentiment with this statement, “We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true Mormons.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 316). 
I don't believe that any book, even scripture, or any single institution can claim ownership over all truth.
But I do believe that what's most crucial and important can be found in scripture or in a church. I feel like the heart and foundation of the Gospel can offer truth that results in immense spiritual and personal growth.
We don't need to know everything but we do need to know the most important things.
We need truth that results more in our growth than simply being factually correct and right about something.
And when faced with a choice between being right or being kind, it's best to be kind.

Spiritual Fruits And Religious Nuts

 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 7:16-21

The Lord wants spiritual fruits rather than religious nuts or nutjobs.

Nut jobs like Pat Robertson are a good example of religion gone wrong.  And jihadists, abortion clinic bombers and the KKK no more represent their religions any more than they represent the God that they claim to worship.  

The world is not all sunshine and rainbows but its not an evil place, God created a beautiful universe and Earth and His children inhabit it not some sort of demon spawn hellbent of an evil agenda.  Satan doesn't have a monopoly on evil.  Sometimes its just people being selfish at all costs that result in so much suffering in this world.

The human condition is much more inspiring than many give credit for because to the media their scripture reads: If it bleeds, it leads.  The media survives and flourishes during times of conflict and heartache.  This results in a false narrative in which the world is painted out to be some horrific train wreck.  Humanity is much better than that, we are capable of so much wrong but we are also capable of so much good and beauty.  The deciding factor is the choice we make between being like Christ or being in it for ourselves.

 But when people twist a Gospel founded on a foundation of a love of God and all His children into a Gd who hates everyone that they hate, they enter the realm of religious nut rather than spiritual fruit.  People twist God into hating His own children and wanting them to be killed en masse.  These hateful souls believe God is as hateful as they are, they have created God in their own image rather than recognizing that we were created in His image. Now plenty of examples appear in scripture where God grants killings and even demands them.  Maybe I'm being a salad bar Christian here and picking and choosing what to believe but I do not believe God would sanction murder because He sent His only begotten son to redeem this world rather than to condemn it. 

Understanding the path is the first step in walking the path.  We may never understand God fully since we would have to be on par with Him to truly make that possible. But we can love one another as Christ loved us, even if they're our enemy or not a member of our faith or even a perfect stranger.  We can't be Christ but we can be like Him, He never would have bothered with us if we were incapable of implementing His teachings in our lives.

Those who bear spiritual fruits radiate the love of Christ and infuse that love into the communities and people in their lives.  While religious nuts spread oppression, guilt, shame and misery and even murder in the communities and lives unfortunate enough to cross paths with them.

We need to bear spiritual fruit and do our best to avoid becoming religious nutjobs.

Morality is doing what's right regardless of what we're told.  And obedience is doing what we're told regardless of what is right.  We may not need Christ to be moral but if we have Christ it is our mission in life to be moral in that sense.  

The Gospel's Agenda

Many people feel that ensuring our gay brothers and sisters recieve the same protections and legal rights that straight people have always had is some sort of affront to the gospel message. It is not an attack on gospel principles to love, understand and accept all of God's children.
See, you don't have to like or agree with everything a person says or does but the vitriolic rhetoric against those who offer compassion, understanding and acceptance to our LGBT brothers and sisters is counter to Christ's gospel of love, inclusion and acceptance of all God's children.
Christ said there were two commandments that were the greatest, that are the foundation of all other commandments. And that all the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

36 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. Matthew 22:36-40

All of God's children being on equal footing is part of His plan. And if love, tolerance, understanding and forgiveness is an evil agenda or a trap to you then blame Christ because that's His gospel.

We can be peaceable to those we disagree with because Jesus taught us that we should love our enemies and pray for those that curse us. And we wouldn't be taught something by Christ if it were impossible to do. 

But many want to justify their beliefs and hatreds above following Christ's teachings. Some wish to annotate scripture with exceptions to teachings they would rather not follow. 

However we view our brothers and sisters let us not revile them or scours them or justify our hatred of them.

Let's us instead forgive them their trespasses as we seek forgiveness for our trespasses. Let us seek to understand what we have misunderstood and misrepresented. Let us prove our love and respect for God by loving and respecting every one of His children.

Thomas S. Monson gave a talk called "Love:The essence of the gospel" in which he said this "We cannot truly love God if we do not love our fellow travelers on this mortal journey. Likewise, we cannot fully love our fellowmen if we do not love God, the Father of us all. The Apostle John tells us, “This commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”3 We are all spirit children of our Heavenly Father and, as such, are brothers and sisters. As we keep this truth in mind, loving all of God’s children will become easier.

Actually, love is the very essence of the gospel, and Jesus Christ is our Exemplar. His life was a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved. At the end the angry mob took His life. And yet there rings from Golgotha’s hill the words: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do”4—a crowning expression in mortality of compassion and love."

It's much easier to know the gospel path than it is to follow it. But the agenda of the gospel is love and the fruits that come with it.

On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Every city has a ghetto. But since Heaven will be perfect one might think all will be riches and glory with an abundance of anything one could want.
But I don't think so. I think we will have little but that little will be plenty to those who make the cut into Heaven.
I have to wonder if Heaven will look sparse rather than grand glowing buildings. I have to wonder if the landscape of Heavenly cities will be intertwined with natural world around it.
I do agree that the citizens of Heaven will exude Christlike love, acceptance and understanding. But I feel that those people will also have done so while on Earth. 
It's not that I wonder if Heaven has a ghetto, it's that I wonder if Heaven is a ghetto in the sense that the people have little but feel that they have plenty.
And in the sense that people are more than willing to share their substance and their time happily.
Jesus gives us a good idea of what kind of people will inherit the Kingdom of God.

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:1-12

The outcasts, the lepers and the sick, the poor, the meek, the pure of heart, the peacemakers, the merciful and those that mourn will inherit the Kingdom.

These are the people Christ devoted His life and ministry to because these people needed His love and understanding largely because they never received any from their neighbors.

But if only for a short time the Kingdom flourished on Earth as it is in Heaven.

In Acts we read:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

And in Moses 7 it is echoed: 18 And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.

If there were no poor among them then it follows that there were no rich either because all were equal according to need. And their needs must've been meager.

This is a description of Heaven on Earth so it follows that this is also a description of life in Heaven.

I have prayed about why God allows poverty, murders, muggings and war. And then it occurred to me that God was asking me the same question. Why do I allow such things to happen? Why am I complicit to the evil I see around me afraid to get involved?

So I do what little I can. But the more Christlike I become the more of an impact I am able to have.

I'm not sure we can enjoy the Kingdom of God if we can't create one on Earth as it is in Heaven. 

Believing in Christ is important to salvation but living as Christ did is salvation for us as much as it is for our neighbors.

The landscape of Heaven I think, will be meager, it's riches however are in the love and understanding and kindness of its inhabitants.

Blessed Are.....

In our consumer driven culture we have something very basic backwards. Objects were created to be used and people were created to be loved. But now it seems that people are used and treated like objects yet objects like money, homes and cars are loved above all else.
And the first thing so many of us say when we get that promotion or windfall or new car is "I'm blessed."
People say it often. And those people are wrong. Because to say that it is material wealth and comfort that is the result of faithfulness or God granting our prayers, that leaves out the hundreds of millions of people who live in third world poverty. It leaves out those who we know personally who are buried in college debt or medical bills who can't seem to stay above water.
I remember when my wife worked at a hospital. She overheard patients on the cancer wing being told that if they had the faith to be healed they would be.
And she saw how devastated those patients were when their cancer persisted. And she was devastated when those patients died.
It's easier to say that people who live in poverty or who live with disease of any sort are at fault for their station in life. It's easier to blame the victim than to answer the hard questions as to why horrible things happen to good people. So that's what many people do, they blame the sick and they blame the poor. But the enemy is poverty not the poor. The enemy is disease, not the sick.
We have made the idea of what is blessed rather trivial in modern lexicon.
In scripture it is anything but trivial.

5 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:1-12

Being truly blessed is a life changing thing. And Jesus wants those living in dire straits to know they are blessed. He wants the sick and afflicted to know they are blessed and love despite their ailments. He wants the outcasts to know they are included amongst Gods children and that they are blessed and loved.

I believe in a God who comforts the distraught. I believe in a God who is compassionate and mourns with those who mourn. I believe God loves all His children, especially those deemed unlovable by the rest of His children. I believe in a God who forgives the unforgivable.

And I believe in a God who blessed us all in ways big and small. I further believe it is wrong to compare our blessings with those who don't appear to have been equally blessed.

Jesus taught a parable about just such a thing:

20 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.

6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Matthew 20:1-6

This parable is very clear that we ought not be envious of those whom we judge to be undeserving of their blessings.

We need to feel blessed in order to be thankful for what God has done in our lives. But we shouldn't reduce the sacred idea of what blessed means to making God out to be a granter of wishes who will give us whatever we desire if only we have enough faith. 

Faith is powerful. Faith can work miracles but often times things happen for reasons unknown to all but God. We should not hate those with abundance anymore than we should hate those who have less. Comparing blessings is wrong.

We should only look into our neighbors bowl to see if they have enough, rather than to see if they have more than us. We should not judge them for not having enough either.

Awakening Our Talents

I was on my high school newspaper when I turned in an article that was not published but instead used an an example of how not to write.
I took it rather hard since I'd always done well in any language arts classes from English to writing.
I dug my heels in and did improve over time. By my junior year I was in school in California and my teachers there praised me often. They said I was a model student but what mattered more to me was that my writing was now an example of how to write well. I was taken aside by my English/Writing teacher and told that I had a gift I must nourish.
So I did. I kept writing. I joined a writers group but my writing was given good advice at first then nothing but nitpicked in the end. 
I eventually started blogging and am working on a new book. I eventually made something of my gift for writing and that's what I believe we are all meant to do with the gifts we have been given. We've all been given gifts for a reason, they are meant to serve a purpose.
Da Vinci was brilliant but how much poorer would we be if he hadn't taken to painting?
Shakespeare received a normal public education but he was never normal or regular and what if he hadn't struck out on his own to make a living doing what he loved?
We may not have as large a part to play as Shakespeare or Da Vinci but we are no less important in the sense that what we do may seem insignificant but it is critical that we do it. Life in that sense is like dominoes falling. We may only knock over one but we make a crucial impact in the end because were we to stay still the momentum would be lost and it would all stop without us fufilling our role.
We have a say over what we do and do not do with our lives, we have our agency but talent is a terrible thing to waste. Some may feel that they have no talent but everyone has something.
Dharma is an eastern concept that's hard to pin down to one simple definition but it can mean to perform ones duty. How you define someone's duty is subjective. But Krishna says in the Bagavad Gita that it is better to do your dharma poorly than to do another's well.
This reminds me of what talent is all about. It's about contributing to the world in a way only you can, even if it seems insignificant. But God's children are all priceless and none are ever close to insignificant.

The Power Of Om

The Here is a breakdown from Wikipedia on what Om is.

"Om/Aum (ஓம்; in Tamil as ஓம், ॐ; in Devanagari as ओं oṁ [õː], औं auṃ [ə̃ũ], or ओ३म् om [õːːm]) is a mantra and mystical sound of Hindu origin (geographically India and Nepal), sacred and important in various Dharmic religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. The syllable is also referred to as omkara (ओंकार oṃkāra) or aumkara(औंकार auṃkāra), literally "om syllable", and in Sanskrit it is sometimes referred to as praṇava, literally "that which is sounded out loudly".

Om or Aum is also written ओ३म् (o̿m[õːːm]), where ३ is pluta ("three times as long"), indicating a length of three morae (that is, the time it takes to say three syllables)—an overlong nasalisedclose-mid back rounded vowel—though there are other enunciations adhered to in received traditions. It is placed at the beginning of most Hindu texts as a sacred incantation to be intoned at the beginning and end of a reading of the Vedas or prior to any prayer or mantra. It is used at the end of the invocation to the god being sacrificed to (anuvakya) as an invitation to and for the latter to partake of."

Om is foreign to most in the west but it is of paramount importance in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism. These are all ancient traditions which all trace their spiritual roots back to the Vedic traditions.

Of those Vedic traditions meditation is the defining practice that to me offers the most to us as Mormons or Christians because meditation can bring clarity and peace into our often chaotic lives.

There is a silhouette in India of a figure in the lotus position, a common meditative pose, which dates back to 2,000 bc.

This implies that meditation is a very ancient practice passed down from the Vedic tradition.

Om is a centering sound that has been key to meditation practices since such practices were recorded. Krishna says in the Bhagavad gita (7.8) that “I am the pranava, the syllable Om, which is the principal word in the Vedas.” 

In the Bhagavad gita (8.13), Krishna states, “One who at the time of death, leaves his body, chanting the syllable ‘Om’ and thinking of Me, attains my supreme abode.” It is also mentioned in the Bhagavad gita (17.24) that the transcendentalists begin all activities of sacrifice, penance, and charity by chanting the transcendental sound Om.
Om has deep meaning and by using this ancient mantra we can benefit from the practice of meditation. There are many mantras and many can work for us but Om has been preserved through the ages because there is something special about it.
Mantras help to focus the mind and to remind one of the sacred practice of meditation.
Studies have been done that prove prolonged prayer and meditation have the same effects on the mind and body. Meditation can be done without worshiping other Gods, it can be done to aid spiritual growth along with prayer.
And Biblical practices included meditation. And David O. McKay recommended meditation as well;
 "I think we pay too little attention to the value of meditation, a principle of devotion. In our worship there are two elements: One is spiritual communion arising from our own meditation; the other, instruction from others, particularly from those who have authority to guide and instruct us. Of the two, the more profitable introspectively is meditation.

Meditation is the language of the soul. It is defined as "a form of private devotion or spiritual exercise, consisting in deep, continued reflection on some religious theme." Meditation is a form of prayer. We can say prayers without having any spiritual response. We can say prayers as the unrighteous king in Hamlet, who said: "My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go." (William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act III, scene 3.)

And in the Bible we find these references to meditation:   "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are

   noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever
   things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is
   any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these
   things." (Php 4:8)

    Paul clearly teaches us to "meditate on these things", and   "meditation" is certainly a Biblical subject:    Isaac meditated in the field at eventide - Gen 24:63    Joshua was charged by God to mediate "day and night" - Josh 1:8    The "blessed man" in Psalms 1 is one who meditates - Ps 1:1-2    David became wiser than his teachers through meditation - Ps 119:99    Paul commanded Timothy to "meditate on these things" - 1Ti 4:15  Om is an eastern mantra but meditation seems to be universal in one version or another. We may learn and benefit from religious cross pollination.Joseph Smith said this about truth; “Mormonism is Truth… One of the grand fundamental principles of Mormonism is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may. (Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 199)
Later, Joseph bolstered this sentiment with this statement, “We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true Mormons.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 316).
The power of Om is that it can unlock the power of God through meditative communion with Him.