I believe in God. I believe His primary characteristics are eternal love and limitless wisdom. I believe that a person’s first duty in life is to love and obey God. I believe each one of us, because of our finite and imperfect nature, must continually seek to know and do His will and draw closer to Him by cultivating love and wisdom in our own lives. I believe God has revealed Himself in “personal” form to men and women throughout history and will continue to do so when we forget His messages. I believe that God is beyond a particular form and can be understood in ways that are non-visionary such as study, prayer, communion, worship, and work. I believe that the God of love and wisdom creates, controls, and judges all the elements of the cosmos from the smallest atom to the farthest stars and galaxies. I believe He set Jesus Christ apart to rule all humanity.
I believe that Jesus is the Ruler of all earthly rulers and was sent by God to lead every person on earth to the pure light of peace and truth. This truth is best exemplified in the testaments of Jesus Christ. I proclaim the humanity of Jesus and believe that he is our brother and that all people are children of God through obedience to scripture which clearly guides us to the love and wisdom of God. I believe the ministry of Jesus demonstrated the power of God to humanity and proved his complete obedience to God’s will. I believe that through his suffering and death Jesus fulfilled the messianic prophecy and that his faith to serve God to the end relieves the burden of sin from those who are faithful to God through Christ. His crucifixion also exposes the cruelty people show to each other and the extent that evil feelings and thoughts can lead us from God. I resist the temptation to greatly exalt Jesus because this both infringes on God’s sovereignty and diminishes Jesus’ suffering.
I believe that the nature of humanity is incomplete and prone to ignorance, so we all have an inherent need for the gifts of God and His grace. I believe that the love of God is in all ways superior to the natural loves among people, so we love others best by seeking His love and letting it overpower and control our natural but lower loves. I believe that human knowledge and ingenuity is in much the same way a dim reflection of the wisdom of God, and that we progress religiously, socially, and scientifically when and only when we seek eternal and universal sources of wisdom. I believe that it is primarily because of neediness, ignorance and the pride that vice afflicts people, so it is our duty to show generosity and respect the wise. I believe greed, prejudice, and pride are the root of worst evils of the world and flow naturally from uncontrolled neediness, ignorance, and self-centeredness. The key to controlling vice is obedience to the will of God and the dedication of each individual to imitate His characteristics.
I believe that the study of scripture is one of the best ways to understand and draw closer to God. I believe scripture is a lens to help us better perceive God rather than a box that contains Him or a list of promises that we can force Him to keep. I believe the Book of Mormon is the best example of scripture yet revealed. As such I am an ordained Latter Day Saint and will remain one unless God wills otherwise or I’m excommunicated for ethical dissent. I believe that the Bible is scripture, that the Old Testament primarily points to humanity’s need of a messiah, and that the New Testament is a reliable guide to understanding the fulfillment of that need in Jesus Christ. I understand why the Quran is considered scripture and believe that its basic principle and virtue (Islam) is in great harmony with both the Book of Mormon and the Bible. I have endeavored to study it in English translation but have yet to find an appropriate guide to help me understand the nuance of a surrendered life without giving up Gospel principles. I believe that the Tao te Ching is most useful in understanding the laws of God and harmony with his will. To call this book scripture would probably be inaccurate since its primary function for me is to expose the limitations of language in describing the eternal. Still, I believe it holds high utility for people who seek greater alignment with universal truth. I have also been influenced by the Bhagavad Gita, the Analects of Confucius, some Zen Buddhist poetry, and Native American oral tradition. I believe God’s love and wisdom permeates these sources and that benefits and blessings will flow to anyone who studies them in earnest.
Finally, I believe that justice exists in an eternal sense. I am certain that this world and indeed the whole cosmos obey the principle of cause and effect. I believe that the good we do for others strengthens us and makes us more willing and able to receive good in return. I believe that the harm we cause others tends to weaken our defenses against those who wish and are able to retaliate and this weakness makes it harder to escape suffering. I admit that people do not always act in harmony with this universal justice, but I believe that absolutely nothing escapes the notice of God and that evil acts will always eventually find their way back to the unjust person. I recognize that the rewards for kindness and tolerance may not always be immediate or in exact kind, but I believe that seeking love and wisdom is overall worth the expense. I lament that the punishment for acting out of prejudice, ignorance, and pride may not always come as swiftly or in the exact manner that the victims of evil acts would prefer, but I believe that harming others inevitably destroys the person acting in violence and vice. I believe God is with us, and I seek His love and wisdom.
-Covenant Renewed 1 March 2023
Mark F. Crist
Latter Day Sinner 