Yehshen Posted August 22, 2012 Report Share Posted August 22, 2012 (edited) So I am approaching the end of my first year of membership as an adult convert in the church, and the bishop, or at least the ric, has invited me to attend the preparation for temple class, starting next week. And I am scared to death. None of this has anything technically to do with my question, but perhaps illustrates my state of mind. Members of my ward have defined covenants differently. Some focus on inspirational purposes. Other definitions seem overly narrow and not even consistent with Handbook II - such as it is always abandonment and violation of marital covenants to divorce. These latter comments make me leery (even though I am single with no plans of marriage. Its not the substance of these comments that bother me). I don't know, maybe I'm just anxious about the temple. Edited August 22, 2012 by Yehshen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted August 22, 2012 Report Share Posted August 22, 2012 Sorry, and I don't mean to be dense, but exactly what is it they are saying that makes covenant-breaking sound "administrative"? Or is it that they are saying that covenants are more than just a good idea, and that there are potentially very dire consequences to making and then breaking covenants? I do not mean to be unsympathetic, but I think I don't understand your concerns. I cannot think of any "extenuating circumstance" that would justify covenant-breaking, so to my ears, someone saying "I think I'll break my covenant with God" sounds almost unbelievable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yehshen Posted August 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2012 (edited) Well, I guess the question is whether you can violate a covenant by thought alone, without action. Edited August 22, 2012 by Yehshen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bytor2112 Posted August 22, 2012 Report Share Posted August 22, 2012 Respectfully, you don't really seem like you are Spiritually prepared to go to the Temple. You might want to wait a while and continue to learn and grow before you go to the Temple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yehshen Posted August 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2012 Just to clarify, I did edit some earlier posts, so if anyone's response seems non-responsive, it s my fault for causing confusion. I talked about a real life situation in my ward, and if someone is reading it, it might cause some hurt feelings. I don't know if I'm ready for temple or not, though I think it actually shows some maturity on my part to be carefully considering the meaning of what I agree to honor rather than just jumping automatically in the line at the end of the one year point. It is interesting to me that I am definitely seeing covenants described differently by different folks. The church manual - is it "Preparing for the Temple" = I think based on Boyd Packham's book = does anyone have additional reading recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bytor2112 Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 House of Glory by S. Michael Wilcox. The Temple is a big step...are you a Brother or a Sister? Married or single? Age? All of these things are considerations....but the biggy is personal worthiness and a "Spiritual" understanding and solid testimony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misshalfway Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 Well, I guess the question is whether you can violate a covenant by thought alone, without action.I don't think so. When we go to the temple and make convenants, it doesn't mean that we stop having adversity or temptation. It doesn't mean we stop experiencing a variety of thoughts, feelings, impulses, and/or inclinations. Temple covenants is about promising the Lord we'll do certain things....live at a higher level so that He can continue to change us into something more like Him. Keeping covenants means that we keep our promises irregardless of changes in feelings, thoughts, circumstances, etc.As we experience temptations, it often causes a conflict inside of my mind. It's suppose to. And we are not judged by our temptations. We are judged by how we use our agency when we are tempted. Let's say I've been a tithe paying endowed member for many years. Let's say the economy crashes and I experience poverty for the first time in my life. I also experience my first internal conflict over paying tithing. How can I pay tithing when I can't buy food or pay the mortgage? Growth comes as we struggle with these difficult temptations and when we exercise faith towards keeping our covenants anyway. Even if it means paying my tithing with trembling and tears. God didn't say feel super special about paying tithing and always have perfect thoughts and feelings about it. He just said to pay it. So...what I'm saying is that we can have our thoughts and feelings just the way they come. I don't think we should go into the temple covenants with panic worries that we can never have a "human" thought or feeling after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sicily510 Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 I heard that there is this sequence in a quote by Lao Tzu:“Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habit. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”How important a covenant is to oneself will reveal through actions, one cannot judge another but one can discern their individual loyalty to Jesus Christs gospel. I'm so very thankful to have the knowledge of covenants with Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ because it has helped me to truly value promises I make with others, although I am not perfect in sustaining such promises I am always seeking to achieve perfection through Jesus Christ in keeping covenants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 (edited) Well, I guess the question is whether you can violate a covenant by thought alone, without action.Sure. For example, if we lust after a woman and allow our thoughts to dwell on that lust, we are violating temple (and for that matter, baptismal) covenants.MissHalfway is right that making covenants does not magically make us supermen or superwomen. We still are subject to all the vicissitudes of the flesh, including impure thoughts. These things in and of themselves may not constitute covenant-breaking. But we should be striving to make our thoughts clean. Simply having a bad thought pop into your head is not "a sin" (which I consider an unprofitable way of thinking about things in most cases anyway). But nourishing and encouraging and dwelling on and ruminating on an evil thought, be it lust or anger or covetousness or whatever, is not what a Saint should do. Edited August 23, 2012 by Vort Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yehshen Posted August 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 I have ordered House of Glory. Thanks for everyone's comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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