Chapter 24: Church, Counselors, Religion & Values

The Soulmates Marriage Counselor Team is incrementally united under God (represented by the ascending dots in the  Figure to the right).  They train us starting at whatever level we presently reside.  Their goal is our goal and God's goal:  developing a Soulmates Marriage. 

Values & Religion
Parents, family, church, culture, background, education, politics, friends as well as what we spend our time watching on TV, looking at on the internet, and reading all take part in forming our ideas about marriage from a very early age.  The specific people who influence our ideas are apart of our Marriage Counselor Team.  The rules that we have accepted to be true and then implemented in our words and actions, consciously or unconsciously, are our Values. 

A Value is a rule.  It is a truth statement.  It states that if we engage in a certain process, we will obtain a certain result.  Sometimes we call Values beliefs because the certain process that returns a certain result is not a matter of fact.  Putting Values that start as beliefs to the test is like using the Scientific Method.  When a Value is a belief that we are testing out, it is an hypothesis.  Sometimes we call Values rules because the certain process that returns a certain result is a matter of fact.  That means there is enough evidence to link the process to the result.  It has stood the test of our experimentation and so can be said to be a rule or a true Value.  Now the Value is more like knowledge, than a belief.

But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow.  And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow. 

And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness. 

Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away. 

And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good. 

And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand." 

~Alma 32:30-34

The reason people's Values differ from each other is that some people have tested out certain Values so that they have become a truth for them.  Other people haven't yet tested them out so they don't know.  Also some people attribute certain processes to certain results that are not in fact true.  There are all kinds of arguments, contentions, and fumings over which processes return which results.  That means we need to use our agency and our time to experiment upon the Values that are presented to us so we can know for ourselves which are true and which are not.

Our Religion is the group of Values we believe and may indeed know are true.  We strive to live by these laws.  Counselors, in the sense of the word we are using in this work, are those who teach Values.  They believe and have found them to be true.  When we choose a Counselor, we're saying that we agree with most, if not all, of the Values this person teaches.  We may even see that this Counselor has already obtained the results we seek.  This gives us further assurance that he knows the process that needs to be engaged in to obtain such results.  It's hard to know which we choose first--our Values or our Counselors.  That is, do we seek out Counselors who believe in the same Values that we do?  Or do we choose Counselors who teach us Values that we experiment upon and come to know for ourselves are true?  I think most of us use both methods to figure out truth.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." ~Isaiah 9:6

Identifying the process to obtain our desired results can get complicated because of the combination of Agency, the Fall, Justice, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  Counselors can assist us in unraveling those complications.  Churches are composed of a group of Counselors and followers who believe in the same Religion, or group of Values.  Each Counselor that influences us may have more or less truth to offer us in their level of Values.  Some Counselors are ahead of us on the journey.  Some are behind.  We look to the Counselors who are ahead of us for guidance and serve as Counselors for others who are behind us.  That is a matter of love and fact.  It should not be viewed with Pride or Envy.  We provide and give guidance where we can and receive provisions and guidance where we are in need.

To the left is a simple diagram of the relationship between God, Church, Counselors, us--the people who desire to be counseled, Religion, and Values.  All Churches are made up of Counselors who have learned and applied God's Values, are striving to understand more about them, and teaching them to their members.  A Church is made up of people who have united in an organization because they have a very similar Religion.  Each member of the Church is both Counselor and person who desires to be counseled, as stated previously.  

"Appoint among yourselves a teacher, and let not all be spokesmen at once; but let one speak at a time and let all listen unto his sayings, that when all have spoken that all may be edified of all, and that every man may have an equal privilege." ~D&C 88:122

"Also the body hath need of every member, that all may be edified together, that the system may be kept perfect." ~D&C 84:110

Counselors teach the Religion, which is made up of a group of Values.  The people are trained in how to implement those Values into their lives and marriages.  They are trained to use the Scientific Method on beliefs until they become knowledge.  They are trained to evaluate the Sustainability and Intensity of the presence of the Holy Ghost, to determine which Values are true and which ones are false.

"For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do." ~2 Nephi 32:5

They are also trained to discern between true Values.  Which ones are good, better, and best?  Churches, Counselors, Religions, and Values can be judged as good, better, or best (and not good).  Churches, Counselors, and Religions are judged by the Values they are prescribing.  It is important for each of us to use our Agency, the Scientific Method, and the Holy Ghost to determine this.  It is not appropriate for any of us, regardless of which Church we belong to, to use Pride/Envy evaluation towards others.  Any Church that prescribes using Pride/Envy is a Church that is "Not Good."