What is this blog?

In 2008 I stumbled upon a blog organized by a woman who wanted to read The Bible each day through the year and then comment and receive comments about the reading assignment. I decided to join and I really enjoyed the experience of discussing the passages. I wanted to continue that. I thought I would start a blog that follows the LDS Sunday School lessons, not in any way replacing them, but just to offer a venue to comment on the readings for those who don't like to/get to comment in class or don't get to go to class at all, or just anybody. 2009 was my first full year with this blog, reading the Doctrine and Covenants (all archived in 2009). 2010 I did my best to discuss the Old Testament but fell off in the fall. 2011 is a review of The New Testament, but I was even less successful in continuing with that year, but I hope to fill those in during the year! During 2012 we discuss The Book of Mormon. I will post at least once for the week's readings. I will not post on General Conference weeks and will probably be behind your current reading due to our church schedule, but hope you can still find relevancy. Also, I probably won't proofread much, so please forgive me for errors, I'll be lucky to just get a post each week in. Feel free to comment on my current week or your class' current week. Enjoy! I do!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Snakes freak me out; questions about Satan; and then there are weeds

If I go to the zoo and into the reptile house, my goosebumps do not disappear until a few minutes after I leave. I think snakes are amazing, but they scare me stiff, or goosebumpy. This passage in Moses refers to the serpent being "more subtle than any beast of the field" and I cannot think of a better representation of Satan than a snake. Here's what stood out to me about Satan in our reading:

Satan knew that Christ was the "Beloved and Chosen from the beginning" and knew what the plan was. Even though he had this knowledge, he wanted to be the focal point of the plan, going against the plan of God, seeking "to destroy the agency of man." He wanted the name, the glory and the power. Did he know that he would get a name, a glory and a power, but as the opposition to the plan? Did he know that he would be necessary, but not in the way he wanted? Did he know that he would bring us joy, only because he would provide some of the misery? Did he know that he was providing Eve and Adam with a choice? The very thing he wanted to destroy? Perhaps he did, knowing that if he couldn't have it his way he's use agency to his advantage. Lots of things to wonder about. I sometimes I wonder if we should be grateful to him, in a twisted way.

Then from the choice Eve and Adam made, their bodies now experience pain, sickness, work, death. So, first there was moral opposition, then came physical opposition, opposition that doesn't necessarily have a right or wrong or solution or really not much to do with Satan, but opposition that tests out physicality, possibly leading to testing our moral decisions, which does have something to do with Satan.

Then there is the whole thing about "thorns and thistles" and I wonder if Eve and Adam wouldn't have made a different decision if they really knew that weeds would be the bane of their existence, like mine. Not really. I just don't like weeds.

I think I'll post tomorrow about the good news, or really the better news, as the above is still good news.

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