Article of Faith 11

We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

For a church that claims the privilege of worshiping God according to the people’s own understanding and dictates, it sure has a funny way of showing it. Once you go off the beaten path, you are labeled an apostate. You no longer care about the truthfulness of the gospel no matter what your heart and mind tells you. If you are not following the Lord’s True Church, you are basically going to Hell.

Naturally the nature of God has grown over the years from Joseph Smith’s first understanding. From his first vision experience, Joseph changed the story up. From 1832 he stated the Lord spoke to him, in 1838 he stated it was God and Jesus who spoke to him. Then there are the changes in the Book of Mormon where it talks about God vs the Son of God. So yes there have been changes in thought over the years regarding who God is and was.

But if as Joseph taught, “I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves,”¹ is the correct way of teaching, then we need to be under that way of thinking. Simply because people do not agree with the theology of the church, they shouldn’t be punished because of it. It goes back to the thought of, think all you want just don’t bring it up during a meeting and don’t air it for the world to see.

So in actuality, when people worship God according to their own beliefs and dictates they are not following what the prophets and apostles have prescribed. It is either you follow their way of thinking and at times follow blindly with faith hoping that someday things will be made clear, or you simply do not follow them at all.

The choice is up to you. Don’t ever forget that. You have a voice, you have a choice in it all.

1. Messages of the First Presidency, comp. James R. Clark, 6 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965–75, 3:54.