Bodies and Temples

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I have a deep and abiding love for Christ and His infinite Atonement. I have, as yet to openly profess my faith in my blog. For this I apologize. It wasn't because of fear, it was because of compassion.

I want to help as many people as I can to be the best person, the best wife, the best husband, son, daughter, mother, father, boss, employee - the best human that they can be, and I don't want preconceived religious bias to create barriers to that purpose. I am not religiously bigoted. I believe that any religion that espouses the characters of man that make him kinder, more loving and more noble in his relationships with his fellow man has truth. Whether it be Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity or other.

Nevertheless, I can never truly share my insights and inspiration with the world without proclaiming something that has become part of the very core of my being - my faith. I do not believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to be the true church - I believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to have and teach all the truth, with the property authority, necessary for the salvation of man.

You see, I don't see any religion as true or false - with the exception of those religions that would have us reject all religious beliefs - secularism, I guess. I see all religions as having some truth, more or less, depending on what they teach. I just believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has all the truth.

I am reminded of the movie, "Amadeus", which gave an entertaining look - whether accurate or not, I can't say - into the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In one scene he awaits back stage for the Emperor to congratulate him on the opening of the opera Figaro. The Emperor greets Mozart and compliments him on the performance and the piece and then pauses and says, "But... it had, um, what would you say, Court Composer?" To which the man questioned replied, "Too many notes, Your Majesty?"

"Yes," the Emperor exclaims, "that's it. Too many notes. Just cut some of them out and it would be perfect."

Mozart, deeply offended replies by saying, "And which notes would you recommend Your Majesty?"

I love that scene because it affirms that when anyone takes away from perfection, it is no longer perfect, but a reflection of it. I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints teaches all the notes of the gospel. Unfortunately, throughout the history of mankind, truth becomes interpreted by the "learned" and, ultimately, altered - some of the notes are removed.

Martin Luther realized this about the Catholic church in Renaissance Germany, as have many others in other countries. But even then, it doesn't mean that the Catholic church doesn't teach truth - it does - but some of the notes are missing.

Now, of course this is my opinion - my belief - my faith. Whether it is true for you or not is irrelevant to the purpose of this blog. Whether or not you are a Mormon should make no difference to what you feel about the messages I write.

So why bring this up now? Because the message that I want to write is centered around Jesus Christ.

In the King James version of the Holy Bible, Paul asks the Corinthians this question, "Know ye not that that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you...?" Because of this and other teachings, many Latter-Day Saints are fond of saying, "My body is a temple." Which it is.

However, many people, not just Latter-Day Saints, take this inborn realization too far. They feel that because their body is a temple that it is them. I saw a video today on You Tube, and the person speaking said, "My body is not me." What a wonderful insight!

In my religion, we believe the temple to be the holiest of our places of worship. So holy, in fact, that in order to enter you must declare yourself worthy to you Priesthood authority. In doing so, you affirm that you adhere to the teachings of the church and strive to keep all the covenants you have made in entering its membership.

Because these buildings are so sacred, we use only the finest materials in their construction. Everywhere you look, you see beauty. It is a peaceful place without loud noises, cell phones or television. People automatically talk in a soft murmur, not wishing to disturb the special peace that the temple gives.

In spite of all the respect and reverence we give the temple, however, we don't confuse the temple with God. In other words, we would never say, "Our temple is God." No, we believe it is a place where we may go to feel of His spirit and be taught thereby, but we don't see it as God.

Why, then, do so many of us that say, "My body is a temple," believe that their body is them? Your body is no more who you are than the temple wherein you worship is God, himself. Your body is a structure wherein your Spirit dwells, where the Spirit of God can enter and where you receive a lifetime (however long or short) of instruction.

Your body, then, does not define you. Yes, you should respect it, love it and take care of it - it is, after all, the only one you get in this life! But it is not you. You are so much more than you see with your physical eye. What is the worth of a man? His body, or what he does with his body?

Reject the message of high fashion and Hollywood. You do not have to have the perfect figure. The figure you have is perfect, because perfection resides within it. I do not mean to say that everyone is perfect - actually, nobody is. I mean to say that our spirits have the potential to be perfect - otherwise a member of the Godhead - the Holy Ghost - would not be able to enter in.

Rejoice in the body you have - warts and all. Do not feel that you have to live up to the expectations of the world. Live only for the expectations of your spirit. Because you are the miracle.