Lately, I try to take quotes from our general authorities and theologians on descriptions of attributes and principles we should have and put them into questions about God. My posts “Does God have faith (Romans 3:3)?” and “Does God exercise faith?” are two examples of this idea. Understanding that our experience on earth does not represent the plan’s culmination, we are, nonetheless, God’s children here to learn of Him and how to act and be like Him. Christians are all too willing to teach the concept “What Would Jesus Do?” in getting us to exemplify the attributes of God in our lives. The assumption of that statement, is that we can do what Jesus does.

In one form or another, I hear some quoting Isaiah 55 as a warning to me when God explains, ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ They want to use this verse to say that God doesn’t think like us, so we shouldn’t try to compare our lives to His. However, the verses don’t say that God’s ways are ’not’ in terms of ’entirely other’ but more in the context of ’elevated’ or ‘refined’ as compared to how we currently think and act.

We believe that we have the seed or light of God in us and that it is our obligation to increase that potential. ‘If we are really interested in the fact that we are children of God, we will live in ways that befit a child of God, in ways that befit one who seeks to be an heir to all that his Father has in store for those who keep their second estate. May we live up to our knowledge of who we are and what it really means to be a child of God.’ (Marion G. Romney, 1984)

In this estate, we are not Gods. However, He gave us His light so we could learn to wield it and reach that ‘perfect day’.

• And that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world; D&C 93:2
• That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. D&C 50:24
• The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things. D&C 88:13

I recently read a post from Roger Olson where he asked, ’Does God Have His Own Logic?’ He was pointing out a flaw in Calvinistic thought that sometimes creeps up in Latter-day Saint thought. He attacks a Calvinist pastor named Edwin H. Palmer for a footnote Edwin included in his recent book. The footnote said, ‘It should be emphasized that the contradiction is only apparent and not real. Man cannot harmonize the two apparently contradictory positions, but God can.’ (The Five Points of Calvinism, 85) Roger then eloquently states a point that I hope each of us will let sink in a little.

With that footnote, he handed to all kinds of cultists the license to teach whatever absurdities they want to so long as they can cherry-pick two or more passages of scripture that seem to contradict each other and make no attempt to harmonize them. They can and most often do say “These two beliefs are contradictory to us but not to God.” Or something like that. With that statement and footnote Palmer dived into the murky depths of unreason. No wonder so many Christians are so confused and so easily seduced into believing nonsense.

The plain fact is that appealing to some special logic in God does not help anyone’s case insofar as he or she admits to believing what is illogical. Two truth claims that truly, objectively contradict each other here cannot be believed at the same time because God instilled logic in us as part of the imago dei and because departing from logic means sacrificing any claim to truth.

I believe that agency or free will is a prime example that gets at this concept of imago dei that we often don’t take the time to ponder.

How does God’s agency relate to our agency?

A few questions to prime the topic;

• Does God have agency?: I think he must. He is free to make choices for himself.
• Is God’s agency different than ours?: It is of higher quality than ours, but it is not of a different kind.
• Why do we have agency?: We have agency so that we can be in authentic, loving relationships (What is relational agency?)

This week, I listened to M. Russel Ballard explain some critical principles of agency. I want to take his teachings and connect them to God.

Critical to our knowledge of the plan of happiness is an understanding of the great governing principle of agency. … We tend to think of agency as a personal matter. If we ask someone to define “moral agency,” the answer will probably be something like this: “Moral agency means I am free to make choices for myself.” Often overlooked is the fact that choices have consequences; we forget also that agency offers the same privilege of choice to others. At times we will be affected adversely by the way other people choose to exercise their agency. Our Heavenly Father feels so strongly about protecting our agency that he allows his children to exercise it, either for good or for evil.

Now the question that relates to God being the Most Moved Mover.

At times, can God be affected adversely by the way His children choose to exercise their agency?

I think the question is a bit bold as it brings up quite a few related questions about God.

• Can man affect God adversely?
• If He is affected adversely, then is the plan not going as He wants?
• Can ‘affected’ be contained? Surely, God can’t be thwarted?
• When we argue against God being ‘affected’ do we limit his ability to be in an authentic relationship with us?
• If we are to wield the power of agency or free will, can we look to scripture to see how God uses His?
• Is God the only cause in the plan, or do His children cause the plan as well?

I believe He uses His free will and that He allows us to use ours to love or reject Him. I think that reasoned and inspired answers to the above questions lead us to a God that is the Most Moved Mover instead of the Calvinistic result of Aristotle’s Unmoved Mover.

If we separate God’s attributes and man’s attributes into two distinct others or if we purport that the principles of eternity apply differently to God and man, we create a mysticism that is unknowable. We must look to His ‘higher’, but of the same essence, ‘ways’ to know and understand our potential or our eventuality.

• attributes
• agency