D&C 59:21 Confessing God’s Hand in All Things

D&C 59:21 And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.

If we take the above Scripture literally, then are we to believe that God is behind all of the killings, rapes, plundering, and other heinous evils that are conducted upon the innocent (or even upon the guilty)? A baby is run over by her father while backing up the car in the driveway – shall we believe God’s hand was in that horrifying act? Is God the Master of evil then?

The Bible speaks of atrocities committed by the ancient Jews:

“Neither came it into my mind. The Scriptures bear out that God does not have all knowledge of everything. … Regarding the horrors that Judah committed to its own children:

 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind: (Jer. 19:5, same in Insp. Version,  bold added)

And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. Jer. 32:35, same in Insp. Version, bold added)

Here, God flatly states that He did not think that the people of Judah would burn their own children to false gods.” (Excerpt from Composition, Decomposition, and Eternity, pp105, 106)

 These verses clearly indicate that God’s hand was NOT in all things, that is, He did not cause these things to happen. That they happened – yes. Therefore, it would be correct to say that God allowed them to happen.

Brigham Young used the word “sustain” to describe this point.

“If we respect ourselves we will shape our lives accordingly. If we do so, we shall become pure and holy. Is there anything wrong in this? No; neither is there the least wrong in the world in acknowledging the hand of God in all things. If I had the skill given me to−day to construct a machine by which we could pass from nation to nation in the atmosphere as they now do on terra firma on the railway, would there be any harm in acknowledging God in this? I should receive the knowledge from Him; it is not independent and of myself. I am dependent upon Him for every breath I draw and for every blessing I receive. If you, ye nations or wise men of the earth, are not dependent upon Him, we would like to see you act independently. Let a man who thinks he has power independent of God − if there be such a man − take a grain of wheat, rye, barley, or a kernel of corn from the element God has ordained and organized for its development, and see if he can make it grow. All acknowledge that it can not be done. Well, then, there would be no harm in acknowledging God in all things. But, here I pause a moment; I do not mean that we should acknowledge the hand of God in a man or woman doing wrong; but I will acknowledge the hand of God in sustaining the individual while he does it. No matter what wrong a human being may commit he or she is sustained by the Almighty while doing it. But the act is of the creature and not the Creator. We should acknowledge the hand of God in all things. And if we do this we will live our religion a little better than we have. (Journal of Discourses 12:260, Aug. 09, 1868)

The Biblical writer James also defends this position:

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. (James 1:12-14, bold added)

James noted that temptations do exist, but God is not doing the tempting. Further, if one is “drawn away” into a temptation, his own lust did it – not God.

The next time we see or hear of something bad happen, while we must acknowledge that God’s hand in that occurrence amounts to allowing it to happen, we must acknowledge that He might not have caused it.

Why do bad things happen? Simply, the innate agency of man and nature itself provide the breeding ground for evil to exist.

Eccl. 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
12  For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, … righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. (2Nephi 2:11, bold added)

Without that agency, existence would have no purpose. Good can only exist if evil is allowed to exist.

We LDS have been given the knowledge that God was once a man like us long, long ago. (The unchanging element of God is change itself through eternal increase.)

As man now is, God was; as God now is, man may be.
(George Q Cannon, May 06, 1889, MS 51:278; also TheTeachings of Lorenzo Snow, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1984], 1.)

Because God was once a man in this universe, as we now are, He is no more responsible for the evils that have been done here anymore than any of us – even less so, as we were never without sin, as He was in His mortal life.

… The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. (John 5:19)

Conclusion. We need to strive to do our best to follow the example of the Savior, who overcame all things. When we fail, we need to get back up and keep on going, enduring all things. And we must not blame God for evil, temptations, etc.

12 Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually. 13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God. 14 Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil. (Moroni 7:12-14)

My son [or daughter], peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; 8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. (D&C121:7; [ ] added)

11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. 13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Rev. 3:11-13, bold added)

The Demise of My Free Agency

Growing up, I was quite accustomed to hearing and using the expression “free agency,” in Church literature, by lay members as well as by Church leaders. But all that is gone now. The term dropped out of favor about 10-15 years ago, almost overnight.

I recall teaching the High Priests Quorum one Sunday about 12 years ago, and made the fatal mistake of using the term. Immediately, the Bishop, who was in the class, seized the moment: “Brother Doddridge, we do not use that term anymore.” Then I referred him to that week's chapter in the Priesthood manual for that year. It was a quotation I was reading. Somehow a talk wherein the term was used had squeaked by the editors. He then said, “Oh, okay.” I smiled.

In the January 2015 issue of the Ensign magazine, an address by Elder Russell M Nelson contains, in the footnotes on page 35, the following: “6. Some people describe agency as free agency, but that expression is not scriptural. Scripture speaks only of moral agency (see D&C 101:78).” (bold added)

Interestingly, the reason there given for not using the term is that the “expression is not scriptural." But on the same page is another expression commonly used by the Church: “noble birthright.” That term is also not a scriptural term, yet it is quite okay to use that term. Apparently then, the purpose for not using free agency has a greater yet not articulated reasoning. Maybe because it is also used in sports. Maybe it was being over-used. I do not know. That footnote is the latest of several comments by Church leaders encouraging the disuse of “free agency” over the last decade.

It appears that the term free agency is a combination of several Latter-day scriptural terms from the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, namely free will, agency and moral agency. None of these are Biblical terms.

Mosiah 18:28 “And thus they should impart of their substance of their own free will and good desires before God, …”

D&C 58:27 “… do many things of their own free will, …”

D&C 93:31 “Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; …

Hence we have: (free will) + (agency, moral agency)* = free agency.

The expression "free agency" then is actually the result of combining all three  latter-day scriptural terms into one locution.

* the term moral agency is used only once in Latter-day Scripture; agency five times; free will three times.

Here are a few samples of the use of “Free Agency” by our General Authorities.

·      President Joseph Smith, in 1841, Elder Christofferson quoting Joseph Smith in the May 2015, Ensign,  p.53, "Our organization is such that we can resist the devil; if we were not organized so, we would not be free agents.” 

·      President Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Title Heading of a discourse, July 14, 1855, “PLURALITY OF WIVES. − THE FREE AGENCY OF MAN. Remarks made by President Brigham Young, in the Bowery,”

·      Apostle John A Widtsoe, President David O McKay, Successor in trust, Discourses of Brigham Young, Deseret Book Company, 1954, p65, quoting President Brigham Young, “I have the right to call my family together at certain hours for prayer, and I believe this course proves that I am a free agent.”

·      Apostle Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 21:233, Aug. 08, 1880, “All agents, free agents, who have light and knowledge to know how to act, …”
·      President Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 12^th edition, Deseret Book Company, 1961, p.48 quoting from Apr. C.R. 1904, p.73. “… the Latter-day Saints… it is their privilege to judge for themselves and to act upon their own free agency with regard to their choice as to sustaining or otherwise those who should exercise presiding functions among them.
·      Apostle James E Talmage, Articles of Faith, 1909 edition, p.56, published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Note, in the 1972 edition, this quote appears on p.52. In the 1972 edition, see also pp. 71, 533. “Man’s Free Agency – The Church holds and teaches as a strictly scriptural doctrine, that man inherited among the inalienable rights conferred upon him by his divine Father, absolute freedom to choose the good or the evil in life as he may elect.”
·      Apostle John A Widtsoe, A Rational Theology, Chapter 11, Mormon Texts Project, 2011,  “The descendants of Adam soon began to exercise their free agency, some for, and many against, the Great Plan.”
·      Apostle Marion G Romney, General Conference, Apr 06, 1953, p.124, “I do not look upon Adam’s action as a sin. I think it was a deliberate act of free agency.”
·      Apostle “Joseph Fielding Smith, and his Assistants,” Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p49, 1976 edition, Deseret Book Company, “The Law of Free Agency.” Here used as a title by the compiler, of a section addressing “the free independence of mind.”
·      Apostle James E Talmage*, Jesus the Christ, p17, 11^th edition, Deseret Book Company, 1976. * Also Pres. Joseph F. Smith and Pres. Harold B Lee, Trustees in Trust. “Free agency is an indispensable element of such a test.”
·      Apostle Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol. 2, p194, Ninth Printing 1979, Deseret Book Company. “Free agency is one of the greatest gifts of God. There could be no salvation, neither punishment for sin, without it.”
·      Apostle Mark E Peterson, Adam Who Is He? , p62, Deseret Book Company. “Without free agency there could be no gospel of Christ.”  

Thus we have cited a few examples of the “some people” who have described agency as free agency, without requiring the exact expression to be first found in the Scriptures before using it.

To be sure, all of these fine gentlemen have also used the terms agency and moral agency. In fact, they likely used these two terms much more than they did free agency, as they liked to quote scriptures containing either of those two terms.

So, with a shed of a tear, I will say goodbye to my free agency, and try and adapt to the latest LDS trend and drop the use of free agency from my vernacular, at least in Church. :o) Update: 15Jul15, two additional quotes added (Joseph Smith 1841 and Brigham Young, 1855.