Part 24 of an infinite set of conference talk reviews.
Sunday Morning Session - Russell Nelson, Joy and Spiritual Survival
I was a little surprised by the name of this talk, because from personal experience, Russell Nelson has got to be one of the most joyless human beings I've ever met...but I'll try not to let that bias my completely unbiased and perfectly balanced review of his talk. I'm like the Fox News of conference reviewers with absolutely no preconceptions or agenda. *cough* *ahem*
Let's start with some of Nelson's famous optimism:
Ahhhhh!!! Run Away!!!! Grab your tents and flee to your tent cities FOR THE END IS NYE!. Which...after the election, almost sounds prophetic. But the particulars here aren't important. What's important is that the world is dark, evil, and dangerous. We should all be quaking in our garments because in the last days even our own families might turn against God, so the ever joyful Nelson is suggesting we buckle up and hold onto our butts.Russell Nelson wrote: These are the latter days, so none of us should be surprised when we see prophecy fulfilled. A host of prophets, including Isaiah, Paul, Nephi, and Mormon, foresaw that perilous times would come,1 that in our day the whole world would be in commotion,2 that men would “be lovers of their own selves, … without natural affection, … lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,”3 and that many would become servants of Satan who uphold the adversary’s work.4 Indeed, you and I “wrestle … against the rulers of the darkness of this world, [and] against spiritual wickedness in high places.”5
As conflicts between nations escalate, as cowardly terrorists prey on the innocent, and as corruption in everything from business to government becomes increasingly commonplace, what can help us? What can help each of us with our personal struggles and with the rigorous challenge of living in these latter days?
The prophet Lehi taught a principle for spiritual survival. First, consider his circumstances: He had been persecuted for preaching truth in Jerusalem and had been commanded by the Lord to leave his possessions and flee with his family into the wilderness. He had lived in a tent and survived on what food could be found on the way to an unknown destination, and he had watched two of his sons, Laman and Lemuel, rebel against the teachings of the Lord and attack their brothers Nephi and Sam.
But as awful as the world is, because I'm sure you're all being persecuted as we speak somewhere in your centrally heated home or office, we're supposed to find joy in our afflictions. For example, Eliza R. Snow had to flee Missouri because of the extermination order in the dead of winter. Even though she and her company were freezing to death, they still managed to cook dinner and sing hymns. She declared: “That was a very merry night. None but saints can be happy under every circumstance.”
We can feel joy, in spite of how truly terrible and awful the world is, because it's not something that latter-day saints think about...except for how they constantly think about it...because they are focused on how awesome everything will be once they die and show Jesus how they went through their crappy lives with a stiff upper lip. As a matter of fact, this will be our only saving grace, because as awful as we personally are and as awful as the world is, the only way we can find any amount of joy is by blocking out all other concerns and focusing solely on the church. "Thomas S. Monson just taught us, and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy." So yeah, forget about this life, it sucks anyway, just focus on what's going to bring you joy in the world to come, and that will make you happy right now...in this squalor you call a life.
And here's the bind. If a true and righteous latter-day saint is supposed to be happy "under every circumstance" because being close to Jesus bring joy, then when is a true latter-day saint allowed to be unhappy? The short answer is, they aren't, not in even the worst circumstances.
According to Nelson, if we aren't feeling joy, literally all the time, then we aren't really living the gospel correctly. We aren't inviting "God's power into our lives". Because physical hardships are just a state of mind, something that a focus on joy can help you power through. So if you aren't feeling that joy, then it's because of some sin or short coming on your part that holds it back. For example, he tells of a father who lacked joy in his life and bravely confessed to his wife and Bishop that he was watching porn, and I assume, masturbating like a howler monkey. Another example involved a young woman who isolated herself from friends because of an unmentioned "popular and provocative" activity involving her sexual purity. What could it be? I bet it was dancing. DANCING!!! I could totally see Nelson as Reverand Moore in Footloose. He also mentions anger, and men demeaning their wives as interrupting joy. It's certainly not as dark and ominous as sex or dancing, but all the same, he suggests that men abusing their wives might not find joy in their lives...so that's a positive message.Just as the Savior offers peace that “passeth all understanding,” He also offers an intensity, depth, and breadth of joy that defy human logic or mortal comprehension. For example, it doesn’t seem possible to feel joy when your child suffers with an incurable illness or when you lose your job or when your spouse betrays you. Yet that is precisely the joy the Savior offers. His joy is constant, assuring us that our “afflictions shall be but a small moment” and be consecrated to our gain.
Nelson sets up a paradigm here where a supposedly good and righteous latter-day saint is always filled with joy and happiness. If you aren't filled with joy and happiness, then it's because you're sinning or you aren't turning toward Jesus. Therefore, to diagnose any matter of unhappiness all a priesthood holder needs to do is pull out their handy dandy checklist and figure out which part of "living right" a person is "living wrong". Aside from porn, dancing, masturbating like a howler monkey, and abusing your wife, there's an equally dark and evil activity that will certainly kill whatever spark of joy that may exist in your otherwise awful condition...the internet.
Yes! ^^THIS! Even now, reading this post, can't you feel the joy draining from your sinful body? Ha ha ha! I, one of the many Korihors of the internet, have now captured you in my snare and stolen your joy! It has absolutely nothing to do with this grim world view about being surrounded by evil in a crumbling world, and everything to do with messages saying things like, "You know...the world's not so bad. Let's make the best of it." or "Maybe if we strengthen relationships between one another instead of dividing up along religious lines to conduct spiritual warfare, we could be happier." or "I'm definitely not perfect, but I'm certainly not evil, maybe I don't need to subject myself to the church patriarchy to be happy or worship / not worship God."...you know...EVIL.As we diligently focus on the Savior and then follow His pattern of focusing on joy, we need to avoid those things that can interrupt our joy. Remember Korihor, the anti-Christ? Spewing falsehoods about the Savior, Korihor went from place to place until he was brought before a high priest who asked him: “Why do ye go about perverting the ways of the Lord? Why do ye teach this people that there shall be no Christ, to interrupt their rejoicings?”
Anything that opposes Christ or His doctrine will interrupt our joy. That includes the philosophies of men, so abundant online and in the blogosphere, which do exactly what Korihor did.
Because, and this is the kicker, even though non-mormons may seem happy, they aren't actually happy.
That's right. Sister Smith with seven children, three callings, and a husband in the bishopric is waaay more happy than Sister Korihor who has friends over for wine and movies, because that's how happiness works. Though Sister Korihor may seem happy, relaxed, outgoing, and carefree, but she isn't, because "joy is a gift to the faithful", something she'll never get to experience.If we look to the world and follow its formulas for happiness, we will never know joy. The unrighteous may experience any number of emotions and sensations, but they will never experience joy! Joy is a gift for the faithful. It is the gift that comes from intentionally trying to live a righteous life, as taught by Jesus Christ.
This is Nelson's TLDR; Righteous Mormons feel joy all the time, and if someone isn't feeling joy, then they either aren't righteous or they aren't Mormon. Wickedness, as defined by the 15 white men in Salt Lake city at any given time, never was happiness. You know the message, "Where will you go?", "You can't be happy without me", and "If there's a problem in this relationship then it's because of something you've done"...happiness...right?
Thanks for the summary.
