Dan Brooks's Blog, page 14

In God We Trust

I was told something awhile back that really struck a chord which was "Catholicism teaches that the Pope is infallible but no one believes it. Mormons teach that the Prophet is fallible but no one believes it."
My take away is that the faith and testimony of so many Mormons is in church leaders and not so much in God or Christ.
The only time I regularly hear about Jesus in church is when people tie in His authority to the authority of church leaders. I hear nothing of Christ's teachings on compassion, forgiveness or in loving our enemies.
At BYU there is, as in church culture as a whole, an emphasis on the modesty of women, the type of acceptable hair cuts and no facial hair whatsoever. Which is odd since Jesus can't live up to this code having long hair and a beard which I find quite telling.
It seems that the main effect of these standards is that they only serve to drive home the blessings of obedience for obedience sake.
In scripture we are warned of the dangers of relying on the arm of the flesh.

The weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones, that man should not counsel his fellow man, neither trust in the arm of flesh." D&C 1:19

For our faith to remain strong it must be founded on a solid and incorruptible foundation-our faith flourishes when founded in Christ and in living His teachings. Our faith will be rewarded. Our faith will never be squandered on The Lord. 

Revelations are messages from The Lord and that's why we have prophets. But unless it's a revelation it is not the word of God. That's not to say it isn't inspired, I'm only saying the word of God is different than your basic talk. Our church leaders have the right to give their take on any number of issues but their high calling does not mean that their every utterance is the word of God. Just as Bishops may go off script and misspeak so our GA's may as well.

Our leaders have taught that they are fallible and that's the point I'm trying to bring home. Because many who have placed their faith in leaders have found their faith shaken when those leaders were shown to be fallible. As Joseph Smith or Brigham Young were at times prone to the faults of men.

But if we love and live by Christ's teachings and we place our faith in those teachings and in Him and His example we will not be let down. Only when our faith is based in Christ are we invested in perfection itself, we are invested in the perfection of the human heart.

Righteousness is not based on the length of your hair or the length of your skirt or based on the status of your facial hair. Righteousness is based in the contents of your heart and how you treat others and in how to speak to and about others.

The best moral code and the most honorable code is found in the one commandment Jesus gave us: 

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

Unconditional love is what can make us like Christ. That is the measure of our Christianity. The proof is in how we live and how we love others.

When we place our faith in Christ, when we place our faith in God we cannot be let down. We may take unexpected turn. We may face obstacles that we may not overcome but Christ will never fail us. This does not mean we will always get what we want but we will get what we need.

Just because one person loses a child and another parents child is spared does not mean that God loves one parent more than the other. But being different people they are on different paths.

But for as often as I go to the ER with my wife I can understand the horror of losing someone so close to you. I face that often. But even in my darkest moments when I fear for the life of my wife I do not feel abandoned by God. And I know that I may lose my wife one day, we've had several close calls, and maybe when that happens I will feel abandoned.

Even if I don't get the miracle I want I know that I have experienced my fair share of them. I'm lucky to even be alive after a suicide attempt. So my view on life is one of luck and appreciation.

Dr.Suess once said "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

Our faith in God is weak if we only have it when times are good. Job had great faith but even he fault erred under the burden of his tragedies. But he never cursed or abandoned God. Abraham Lincoln's favorite Bible story was the book of Job. 

Maybe because Job has helped millions of people over thousands of years cope with the tragedies life all too often brings.

As Americans we have the phrase "In God we trust" on all our money but do we only love God when times are good or is our faith strong enough to bear the weight of the tragedies that so often define us?

The greatest qualities people have is that when times are at their worst we are so often at our best. When we stoke the fires of our faith even in our darkest times the fire of our faith can burn at its brightest and devour that darkness.

Walking The Path

I'm The best advice on how to live the Gospel has long been said and written. What's missing is the application of it. It's not enough to know the path, one must walk the path.
The foundation of the commandments is simple and best stated by Christ in the following scriptures:

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

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34-35

So the foundation that all the commandments and all the prophets hang on is love of God and all His children. And the one and only commandment Christ gave us was to love one another as He loves us.

But in practice it doesn't always seem so simple. But the more we love, the more we lend an ear or lend a hand then the easier and more natural loving others becomes.

My Dad is schizophrenic so from an early age I was his care giver. Id make him meals or make sure he ate, do dishes make his bed and do minimal house cleaning and take out the trash.

 And I was rarely recognized for these things. But the point is that by doing these things my Dads life was more comfortable and better.

And that is how service is meant to be, selfless. Don't let the right hand know what the left is doing. Do the right thing because it's the right thing to do instead of pursuing reward or avoiding punishment.

Righteousness is its own reward.

The way Christ loved is what gave His teachings power. And those teachings were all about how we should live our lives. If we were more like Christ we would have a similar impact on others.

Christ never held a public office, He was no Earthly King, He wrote no books or plays, He led no military yet He single handedly changed world history. And He did it one leper, one adulteress, one blind man at a time.

Were we to walk as Christ walked, if we walked the path Christ did we would be as loving and understanding and so much more and we would be like Christ and we would each have a similar impact as Christ. We would have a very real and lasting impact on those around us one homeless man, one drug user/dealer, one gangster, or any other type of sinner one may think of, at a time.

We may consider certain people as unsaveable or undesirable but God values all His children. He loves us all.

"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

If Christ didn't come to condemn but to save us then who are any of us to condemn? If we are to walk the same path as Christ then we must try to save those who are struggling. And preaching the Gospel may help but preaching is not as powerful or meaningful as living the Gospel is. And that entails much more than most of us are comfortable with.

We must build up the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven one person at a time. One beggar, one leper, one stripper, one sinner of any kind but we must make the most of the chance to love those who enter our lives. 

If we attempt to drive out the darkness in others we must use the light from within us and if we want to drive out the hate of others out we must use the love within us because only light can drive out darkness and only love can drive out hate.

Spiritually Poor

We often refer to people with words like poor or rich. To define their financial status. As if it were part of their personalities.
But wealth comes and goes, that's why it's called cash flow.
It's not enough to be  monetarily rich, we can't take it with us so how can it be all that important? We ought to be more concerned with spiritual wealth and poverty.
When we are spiritually rich we overflow with kindness, compassion, love and understanding. And we feel those qualities flow from us without force, it comes naturally.
We are the result of our thoughts, actions and decisions positive or negative and though we may not be as spiritually rich we may change that at any time.
Christ stands as our example and His spiritual wealth is something we can partake of and embody.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks is judging. I was judged so often by others because my dad was a smoker and schizophrenic. Or because I was always the new kid moving from one school to the next nearly every year. And because I was thin. Or because I wasn't a good enough Mormon.
My response, my reaction was to be equally judgmental to the hyper judgmental, the narrow minded and the more orthodox of any religion.
This left me as spiritually poor as those I retaliated against. Because the anger, the hate and the judgement I felt drained all positive energy from me and others.
It really wasn't until I met my wife and removed the negative people from my life that I really hit my stride of positive energy and spiritual wealth and development.
My wife being so kind and understanding, showing me such compassion and empathy softened my heart and helped me heal from a very hard lived life. It was her spiritual wealth that helped me to grow.
Listening to others, lending a hand, being there for those around you with all the spiritual bounty life has to offer means being empathetic, being there for others and exuding compassion, love, and understanding and also forgiveness.
When we give of our spiritual substance we give something much more valuable than money. Money does not extend past this life.
What we take with us from this world to the next is our memories and the bonds of family and friendship. So when we give of the substance of our hearts we give something that can carry over from this world to eternity. What we give can affect the outcome of where others wind up on the otherside either positively or negatively.
Just as Christs example has lead many to the light our examples can do the same. And I find that the more we give of the substance of our hearts the more our spiritual wealth grows.

For The Love Of Money

If only people pursued compassion, selfless service and a Christlike countenance with the same vigor and enthusiasm with which they pursue wealth and power we could indeed see the kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven.
But Jesus said something about money that I found very thought provoking.
"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" Matthew 6:26
I took from this that God will care for us and provide for us every bit as much as any animal. And maybe God does not bless us with vast sums of money not because we've been disobedient but because money is not natural. It is of man not God.
I am not suggesting it is out of the realm of Gods control, but that it is the most unnatural of man made elements. Capitalism nessecitates that many have little while a few have plenty. The saying also goes that for every man blessed there must be 10 damned.
But not in the kingdom of God.
Jesus said that the least shall be the first and the first shall be least. To me this means that according to the ways of the world and the way people are socially ranked that those we consider to be the least valuable will be the most cherished in Heaven and those considered to be the first class by men shall be the least in Heaven.
This makes sense to me because the level of service toward the ostracized, the lepers, the blind, sinners of all kind, was of the deepest love and the highest caliber. 
This is because the way men judge others is completely upside down when compared to the ways of The Lord.
Jesus was a threat to the Jewish religious elite because of what He taught and how He lived. But Jesus was a threat to the Romans because He taught us how to live without money.
Here is an example of what I mean:

19 ¶Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:19-21

We are taught to treasure others in their intrinsic value as children of God. We are taught to value the contents of the heart rather than the contents of the wallet.

I think the best things in life are meant to be shared. Hording wealth or food does one person very little good but to share them does good for so many.

Here is a parable about what not to do:

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Luke 16:19-31

And as far as a parable of how we should treat others is the life and ministry of Christ. The way He lived is what gave His teachings power. The way He valued and loved and showed compassion to lepers whom no one else would touch, the way He attended to the blind and the sick. The fact that He gave so much of Himself to those who could do nothing for Him speaks volumes about what kind of man He was.

And about what kind of people we are called to be. We are called to value each other, we are called to love one another above the love of money.

The True Self

I read the Bagavad Gita recently and in light of Veterans Day something jumped out at me. Which was when Krishna tries to convince Arjuna that he should go through with the impending battle because we are all eternal beings and therefore cannot really be killed. That makes it sound like death is merely an illusion because our souls are eternal.
It's a very eastern view to have, that the world is an illusion or that death is as well. But for me there is much to be gained from this idea that death is an illusion.
That's not to say I think murder and killing are sinless acts, I just like the reminder that when one falls at the hands of another their body dies not their soul. Their soul transcends physical death and moves forward into the depths of eternity.
Birth is an illusion too since most of us believe we existed long before our entrance into the world.
Of all the vets I know who've taken lives it eats at most of them. Especially the ones who believe those they killed simply ceased to exist at the point of death.
So even though I feel it's still sinful in a way one can argue that since death is an illusion so is murder. In that you can not uncreate a soul.
But for all the weight of sin that burdens the minds and lives of those who have taken lives what can lighten that burden is the Atonement. The debt has been paid we need only to take up the mantle of discipleship.
Sin is very real but the Atonement gives us a clean slate as we cross from this world to the next. And it is entirely possible for us to make amends with those we sinned against in this life.
It is stuck in the minds of many that certain sins are deal breakers and unforgivable. This is simply untrue. Were it true that would make the Atonement invalid and obsolete.
All we carry into the next life are memories of time spent with loved ones or coworkers and friends. Memories and the way in which we use them make up who we are.
But there is something deeper that is not affected by the outside world or even the internal. It is and has always been that divine spark that gives us life, that makes us aware of right and wrong instinctually.
It is what is a part of us but also a part of God. It is the true self. It is what has always been with us. It is what dwells deep within us and what we can resurrect into our hearts and carry forward enriching the lives of others as well as our own. It is what Yogananda called Christconsciousness.
If we removed all our bad habits, all our bad inclinations and were left with a Christlike mentality that would be this true self I'm talking about.
If we expect to attain liberation from sin or from the bondage of our lives and our minds then we must get back to this true self, this Christlike mentality.
Doing so is what will allow for us to be resurrected both figuratively and literally I think.
If we develop this Christlike mentality, if we have this epiphany and realize our true self then we can resurrect the course of our lives into something very divine and share it with all we meet, all we come in contact with.
 

Mentall Illness Is Not A Joke

Mental illness is not a joke. Those who suffer from it are not the punchline to dismissive jokes about how their just crazy. They cannot simply "pull themselves together" or "just suck it up and deal with it." 
I have schizoaffective disorder which makes life extremely hard. Socializing is a chore that takes out a lot of emotional energy. It's also taxing mentally.
For example every day I pass a group of people or a couple even an individual who laughs at some point as I pass by. My paranoid condition makes me feel like they were laughing at me. I know it's unlikely analytically but emotionally it feels true. And I don't always succeed in mentally overriding my emotional response. I feel laughed at and mocked daily.
And then there are the paranoid delusions. I'll listen to the radio or watch tv and the hosts will talk about someone negatively and I'll feel like they're really talking about me. On a good day I'll feel like I just happen to have all those negative traits. 
These delusions always seem to amplify my insecurities and feelings of worthlessness and all my fears as well.
And when I admit to others that I have schizoaffective disorder people react with fear. I've lost friendships over my "friends" cracking jokes instead of getting me the help I needed, the help I would have gotten were I their brother or a different friend, a real friend.
I've had great relationships with coworkers until I tell them and then they barely speak to me but talk to everybody else about me.
What I've seen in the publics reaction to Robin Williams and Amanda Bynes is just has harsh, demeaning, condescending and total enjoyment of the misery of others is exactly what I've seen in how people react to me or my dad who is schizophrenic.
I've been told I'm fragile, that all people with a mental illness are fragile and just need to pull themselves together and deal with life like a normal person.
Here is some information from a medical website:"Bipolar disorder, with the second-highest risk of any mental disorder for suicide attempts (28.5%), proves to be very lethal when comorbid with schizophrenia. "The 70.6% lifetime suicide attempt rate found for this group is the highest we have seen," Judd said."(schizophrenia.com)
This illness is deadly and serious. It is no laughing matter, it is above mockery because all the people who have these conditions deserve respect, compassion and understanding because we are your coworkers, your cousins, your siblings your parents and no race, no gender, no nationality is immune to the illnesses. And every single person who has these illnesses is a child of God.
 We deserve compassion, respect and understanding not being the punchline of a joke, not being dismissed out of hand simply because we're crazy and can't be believed.
Jesus didn't just associate with sinners, He called them His friends. He healed lepers no one else would touch. He healed a man born blind who everyone, even His Disciples, thought the mans blindness was due to someone's sin, which Jesus said it wasn't.
Jesus showed love, compassion and understanding to all He met. He gave us one commandment:"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
And Jesus had this to say about the rest of the commandments: "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

Love is the basis of all the law and all the prophets, it is the foundation of all the commandments. It is the essence of the Gospel according to President Thonas S. Monson.

If Jesus said "32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." Matthew 25:32-46

As you have done it unto the least of my bretheren Ye have also done it unto me says Christ. So how can we treat those with any illness, mental illnesses included, with mockery, scorn, dismissive attitudes and even contempt and be anything like Christ?

Prepared VS Worthy

To me there is a difference between being prepared and being worthy. Like many in our faith the term worthiness has been used to demean and shame and in so doing twist the meaning into something quite malevolent.
I think being prepared is closer to the original idea of worthiness.
Obeying thou shalt nots and thou shalts does not mean one is prepared for the Temple or the afterlife, or even this life. Obedience without question does no good for anyone.
Part of being prepared means understanding the covenants we make. Understanding what it is we are promising and what we are doing is key.
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." Galileo Galilei
In order to fully embrace the Gospel we must understand it or at least a portion of it. We cannot be prepared if we are oblivious to the Gospels' message.
Jesus had this somewhat lengthy parable about being prepared: 
"And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,

2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

14 For many are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:1-14

There are many layers of meaning in that parable but it centers on being prepared for the occasion. It's about being prepared for what we are called upon to do.

Jesus was groomed for His role as Redeemer and yet when He prayed in Gethsemene He prayed for another way but regardless He said thy will be done, rather than His own.

Jesus knew, understood what had to be done and how it had to be done. He could not have accomplished His calling without knowledge of what He was called to do, and what that would entail.

The way Christ lived His life is what gave His teachings power. But it was His knowledge that prepared not just Him but the rest of us through His exceedingly well phrased parables. His knowledge of the Gospel, His knowledge of the human heart are what gave those parables power.

His knowledge has helped prepare billions of people over thousands of years to live better, to be better and to love others as He loved us.

It is as President Monson said during last April's conference talk of the same name "Love: the essence of the Gospel."

For as crucial as knowledge is, and it is, some things we must take on faith to get us through things we do not understand and maybe never will. But if we are prepared we will make it through the challenges, the obstacles and tragedies of life.

Sometimes it is in the journey taken on faith that we become prepared by the journey by the end of it. Or at least the end of that leg of our journey.

To me being worthy strikes me as saying one who is better than others showing others just how much better they are than us. But to me everyone has intrinsic value. Everyone is worthy of Christs love and ours as well.

Maybe the trick with worthiness is seeing it in all people, in the most unlikely of candidates. Seeing worthiness in others and not just ourselves is the real trick. Because that, I feel, is how Christ saw all of us which is how He was able to be so compassionate, understanding and loving.

And He has seen us at our worst, every last horrendous sin we've commited and He loves us still.

God Hears All Prayers

In the Friend magazine there was a story published recently about a little Mormon girl who visits a Catholic Cathedral called "Prayers and Cathedrals."
Here I present to you a paragraph that blew my mind: "A warm feeling came into Dani’s heart. She knew Heavenly Father was telling her He loved all His children and heard all their prayers, even if they went to a different church and didn’t have the fulness of the gospel."
The story is available on lds.org.
When I've seen miracles in other faiths I've felt that that is only possible because God loves all His children regardless of which church they attend if they even do.
I've talked about how I feel that God answers prayers according to His will and regardless of church affiliation. And I am thrilled to find such an open hearted story in a church publication.
Jesus said this: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
It is by our love for God and all His children that we will make ourselves known as His disciples not by our church affiliation. It's not that doctrines are unimportant, it's that the spirit of the law must be cherished more than splitting hairs over the letter of it. The spirit of love is the foundation of every commandment and so we ought to ensure that both the spirit and letter of the law are in harmony.
I've always thought that other faiths worship the same creator they just have different ideas about the nature and personality of our creator.
I've read scripture from every world faith and I have grown closer to God and strengthened my faith in the process.

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). 
We are encouraged to seek out truth where ever it is and I feel it is all around us. Jesus taught His disciples to continually seek truth. 

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

We spend our lives and I would say our after lives always learning. Otherwise what would be the point of living forever?

I say go to other churches, other synagogues, Buddhist Temples, Mosques and Hindu Temples and relate to others of a different faith and connect with them with a common faith in God and the better Angles of His all children.

Go to other houses of faith to learn about how faith is the same and how it is different to learn better how to approach faith. Faith is a gift, it is not earned so cherish that gift by learning more about it in yourself and in others.

Thinking that going to a certain church is what makes you a true Christian is like thinking that standing in a garage makes you a car. It is by our love one to another that we are proven to be Christs disciples.

In Salt Lake City there is a Hare Krishna Temple just off 3300 south and 9th east. Every spring they hold the "Festival of Colors" where people eat and listen to a concert and speakers and throw packets of color at each other to celebrate spring.

And every fall they hold the Diwali Festival which is a Festival of Lights.

Wikipedia puts it this way: "Diwali or Divali also known as Deepavali and the "festival of lights", is an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in autumn every year.[5][6] The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair.[7][8][9] The festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five day period, but the main festival night of Diwali coincides with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika. In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali night falls between mid-October and mid-November."

It is observed not just by Hindus but by Sihks and Jains. It is truly multicultural.

I think we would love more and hate less if we knew others by name rather than by gender or race or faith or nationality.

And we would be more comfortable with the differences of others if we understood those differences and we would do better to understand what we have in common above those differences. There is more that binds us than what divides us.

It Is In The Journey That God Make Us Strong

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
In my experience it is not important to have the strength before begining a journey because it is in the journey that God makes us strong.
I heard about an Episcopalian church in Cedar City Utah that has a meditation labrinth. You walk along the path and as you get close to the center the path curves and takes you seemingly further away from your destination. But by having faith to continue and over the course of getting closer only to be taken further away eventually the center is reached.
It got me thinking that for as meaningful as the iron rod analogy is maybe a more accurate analogy to life is the meditation labrinth. Because it's in the twists and turns of life that we grow personally and spiritually.
We more often than not get close to our goals before getting further away but eventually reaching the goal.
But what I think can cripple us most personally and spiritually is what has been called "destination addiction."
It refers to the way we think that it's the next job or the next city or the next romantic partner that will finally satisfy us but until we find happiness where we are happiness will never be where we are.
It is also true I think, that that state of mind means that as we reach a goal the satisfaction is short lived and we look to the next thing to satisfy us.
It results in a busy but shallow life.
When I met my wife I was initially intimidated by the responsibility of being a husband and stepdad. I broke up with her twice over these fears. I had no idea that we would be faced with hardship, more stress than I had ever experienced and more drama from certain family members.
I was afraid I couldn't live up to what life would bring us as a couple and to me as husband and stepdad. But it was in the journey of my life with my wife and kids that I became strong enough to care for my wife and step kids.
It was in the twists and turns of life that brought me closer to where I needed to be, it helped me develop the strength and skill needed to be the husband and stepdad I needed to be.
But by no means is this the end of my journey, it may be only one leg of it but it never ends. We are eternal beings and our journey will be infinite. Whether our journeys are positive or negative is largely up to us.
Life is not a point a to point b concept. Life is very much about the twists and turns and it is by those distractions that we become as strong as we need to be. It is where we develop the skills we need and learn what it is we need to know.

Hypocrisy

When Jesus used the term hypocrite He almost always refered not only to the hypocrisy but to the judgmental words, attitudes and actions of those whom He spoke to.
Jesus had some very critical accusations and I don't see that this problem has changed one bit in 2,000 years.

23 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

2 Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, Matthew 23:1-6

People prescribing one lifestyle while living another is something that takes the power out of the gospel lifestyle. It shows the hypocrite to be an actor rather than a true disciple.

And it reflects badly on all members of any given church because all members are then forced to deal with that hypocrisy. In the way that all us Mormons and even non member Utahns had to answer at one time or another for Prop 8.

There's nothing loving or compassionate about discriminating against people whose lifestyle and natural orientation you disagree with. So how can discriminating be Christ centered action or speech?

And there was nothing loving or compassionate about the way the Pharisees ruled Judea. They put the letter of the law above the spirit behind it. They turned the commandments or the law of Moses into a over complicated heavy burden. As many leaders in many churches do today.

Jesus said this about the law: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

So according to Christ love of God and all His children are the foundation of every commandment. That is the true spirit behind the letter of the law in the word of God. But these days as in ancient days many leaders turn the word of God into a burden rather than a blessing. 

Leaders of many churches use scripture to put others down in order to lift themselves up and attain more and more power and authority. This is the fault of men not the plan or spirit behind the word of God.

In order for something to be of God I feel it must be in harmony with the love of God and all His children.

I feel that hypocrisy is about doing what the hypocrite says while the hypocrite does as they please. It's about comfort but also about power and authority in that the hypocrite orders others around while they themselves are above their own law.

The hypocrite is often the first to extol the virtues of obedience since their authority depends upon it. The only antidote to this that I can think of is to call them out on their hypocrisy but also praise the right moves when they are made.

The thing about most hypocrites is that they operate on a pain/pleasure or reward and punishment system. So by calling out or punishing them one on hand then praise or reward good behavior and speech then things may turn around.

Likely the most you will accomplish is the cherished silence of the hypocrites. But often they snake around and tell one tall tale after another while being in full damage control when the truth comes out. Think of Pat Robertson or Bill Clinton.

We cannot control the lives, actions or speech of others but we can control our own. Jesus said that love of God and all His children is what all the law and all the prophets hang on.

But the one commandment He gave to us was this: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Matthew 13:34-35

If we follow this one commandment that will decide our status as disciples. Following this one commandment I feel fulfills the two greatest as well. That is our mission in life if we want to live a Christ-centric life. It is how we can each be more like Christ by loving others as He loves us.