My Worldview: Secular Existential Mormonism

In a world as complicated as our own, a strong set of core beliefs are absolutely necessary to deal with the vast amount of information constantly being hurled at us. Each person has a worldview or set of core beliefs that defines who they are, and how they perceive the world. The ideas within my worldview if they were given a name would be that of Secular Existential Mormonism. This is my core belief, and it is how I view my world.

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These things I believe, in the core of my heart:

That God is Omnipotent and Omnipresent. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to perform the Atonement which redeems us from our sins. It is by faith in the Atonement and actions such as service, missionary work, and temple covenants we can be saved and return to their presence forever. There is a devil who strives to destroy our souls. But our Father who knows the end from the beginning has all power to correct the damage Satan causes and even reverse it for our good if we rely on him.

There is an absolute truth which governs all. These truths, however, are unknowable to us in our current sphere of understanding. God, the master of all truth, reveals to us what what he deems fit for us to know. Thus we must live by faith in his aid in eternal matters. But as we must also learn to make our own decisions, we are granted very powerful minds and consciences to help us live in our temporal state. Faith is for acting on the higher laws, logic for the lower.

There is an absolute moral code of right and wrong, predetermined and true to all of humanity. We are born with a conscience which supplies the basic sense of good and evil. Different people will make commitments which will refine the lens of right and wrong (such as temple covenants and parenthood) making things that are “right” a smaller and more concentrated area than before. This basic code and these other considerations are key to all ethical decisions in this life, with the guidance of higher revelation. The word of God ousts any prior law or code in nature.

Nature, this world, and the rest universe all evolved or were created as cosmology and darwinian evolution dictates. God works according to the laws of the universe, including some which our human minds cannot comprehend at this time. He dictated the evolutionary process and guided the formation of the Heavens as shown by the symbolism found in the books of Genesis, Abraham, and Moses. Mankind however, did not evolve as the rest of nature. We were directly placed here by the hands of our Eternal Father who literally conceived Adam, the first man. This process does not fall under modern science simply because it has not yet been revealed as it is not relevant for our current lives.

The soul is a combination of both body and spirit, and neither are whole without the other. The bridge between these two fundamental attributes of self is the mind. The mind interacts with both the physical and spiritual dimensions. As our mind controls our body, it will react to physical stimulation in various ways. Alternately, the mind is also in direct relation with the spirit. Just as the physical world interacting with the body simulates our mind, interactions in the spiritual world produce neurons which supply us with conscious thought. The body produces appetites which sustain life. The spirit, passions and promptings which give meaning to life, as well as provides life to the body. The mind, or bridge between the two, causes us to think rationally and logically, something not found in other physical beings, but not something very spiritual either. All our spiritual influences are either good or bad.

The basic building block of society is the family. A marriage is the binding force behind this institution. Marriages are to be between one man and one wife unless dictated otherwise by God. Our interactions with others ought to be friendly, open, and tolerant. Tolerance of others beliefs is essential to positive interaction.

Public life should never infringe on the rights or beliefs of others. Civility and temperance should dominate, mixed with tolerance to form a peaceful balance of diversity. Individual beliefs should be protected, but never forced on another. This law stands, so far as the higher law is not violated. This higher law is, that any belief manifest in an action which denies another of their unalienable rights to Life, Liberty, Property, or any extensions thereof are not permissible.

Government, on any level, should receive it’s power from the willing consent of the governed. The basic concept of government is designed by God, through men, to protect our basic human rights. It should not exceed in power that which the governed originally possessed and freely gave for protection thereof. Violation of the law must be assessed by an educated committee or jury. Punishment should then be meeted according to the decided level of infringement. To maintain a sound government, the people should elect fellow citizens to represent them under a constitutionally limited government.

The creation and use of wealth is a vital function of society. It is a natural human tendency that stems from our application of logic to solving our physical needs. As a result, it works best when left to it’s own processes. Some government limitation is required to protect each person's property from carnal human nature. Self-government is the key way to maintain this freedom. When it comes to economics, the individual is the most effective holder of wealth. The larger the entity involved, the more dysfunctional it is for the fluidity of natural economy.

History is a series of cycles caused by the conflict between good and evil. It is the process through which mankind learns the lessons we are here to learn. God has a direct hand in leading history when it is necessary to further his work. Otherwise it is the result of human tendency and interaction. It will continue this way until Christ comes again and overcomes evil by binding the devil. At that time, God will be the sole leader and factor in the course of history.

I believe this all can be summarized in one statement:

God governs all things perfectly, and in His perfect wisdom He provides us with scripture to lead the essential parts of our lives, and leaves it to us to learn and create our own understanding of the world. He gives us the existence and spiritual guidance, and leaves it to us to determine the temporal essence of existence.