Personal Notes from Mark L. Pace, "Conversion Is Our Goal" -- マーク L. ペイスの「改心が私達の目標です」からの個人ノート

From listening to Mark L. Pace's talk, "Conversion Is Our Goal":
マーク L. ペイスの話の「改心が私達の目標です」からの個人ノート：

• Conversion doesn't happen all at once. It requires consistent, daily efforts and the influence of the Holy Spirit -- and patience. It's a lifelong process.
  改心が瞬間的に完了するものではない。毎日の一貫した努力と聖なる御霊の影響と、忍耐をも必須です。生涯に渡る過程のです。
  
  
• Another person's experiences and insights may be helpful, but they won't save us. Only through our own experience applying our own insights that we receive directly from the Holy Spirit can open us up to the redemption that the Savior offers us. 
  人の経験談や見識によって助かることがあれば、救われることはめったにない。唯一、私達が自分自身、直接、御霊により授けられる見識などを応用することによって得た経験だけが、救い主が差し伸べる贖罪に、私達一人ひとりを開くことになるのです。
  
  
• Study the scriptures looking for what the Spirit would teach us from them.
  その聖文から聖霊が何を教えてくださるかを探りながら勉強する。
  
  
• I probably need to take more notes from my scripture study. (Thus, these notes.)
  聖文の勉強から習っていることをもっと書き留めたほうが良いでしょう。（したがってこの覚書。）
  
  
• There are several ways that we can know when the Holy Spirit is teaching us. They all involve recognizing the light the Spirit brings into our minds and hearts.
  聖霊が導いてくださるときに気がつく方法は幾らかあるが、それぞれ心にもたらされる聖霊の光を認識して見極めることが関わるのです。
  
  
• It's good for spouses to study together and share perspectives with each other.
  伴侶が一緒に勉強してそれぞれの捉え方をわけることが望ましいこと。
  
  
• Adam, Eve, and the other Patriarchs of the Old Testament are trustworthy guides.
  旧約聖書に出るアダム、エバやとその他の創始者（族長）は相応しく信頼できる案内人足る。
  
  
• The ancient Passover includes the tokens of the blood and body of the first born. Those tokens direct us to protection from the plagues that would take our children away from us.
  古代の過ぎ越し祭は長子の血と体の印を含んでいます。その印は私達の子供たちを奪う世界の蔓延る災難を防ぐ防御へ導くのです。
  
  
• Acting in faith frees us from spiritual captivity.
  信仰をもって行動することによって霊的束縛から開放されるのです。
  
  
• Obeying in spite of a lack of understanding brings us to understanding and faith if we seek for understanding and faith as we do so.
  不理解にも関わらず従うことは、理解と信仰を求めながら行動するなら、理解と信仰に導くのです。
  
  
• Studying the gospel at home has lasting effect, bringing the light and joy (delight) of the gospel into our homes and families and helping defend our homes and families from the influence of the adversary of our souls.
  お家で福音を勉強することは継続する効力を持っている。それは家と親族に光と喜びを入り込ませ、敵対するものの力と影響に対しての防御を助ける。
  
  
• It would be interesting to read or hear testimonies from those who participated in the first Passover, but we can listen to the testimonies of those around us who follow the prophet's counsel to study the Gospel at home.
  最初の過ぎ越し祭の証を読んだり聞いたり擦るのはおもしろいでしょうけど、周りに居る家で聖文を勉強するように薦める預言者の勧告に従う方々の証を聞くことができます。
  
  
• Miracles do happen.
  奇跡は実際にある。
  
  
• Eternal life begins at home.
  永遠たる命はお家から発生。
  

From Today's Meetings, a Little about Abominations and Redemptions -- 今日の集会から〜忌まわしいものや、贖いについての本の少し

今日の集会から、その１
From today's meetings, part (1)

教義と聖約８８書
Doctrine and Covenants 88

• ８０〜９２節：用意するが良い。物質てきは兎に角、霊的に。
  vs. 80~92: It's time to prepare — materially, yes, but spiritually.
   
• ７９節：お互いに教え合うべきこと。
  v. 79: We should be teaching each other.
  
  
• ８５節：忌まわしい荒廃（今はウクライナにて、ロシア）
  v. 85: the desolation of abominations (at present in the Ukraine, Russia)
  

 

今日の集会から、その２
From today's meetings, part (2)

モーサヤ１４書（イサヤ５３）
Mosiah 14 (Isaiah 53)

• １節：誰が私達の告げたことがらを信じたか。主の腕は誰に現されたか。
  v. 1: Who hath ^abelieved our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
  …
• ２節：…彼を慕う美しさもない。
  v. 2: ... there is no beauty that we should desire him.
  …
  
• ３節：…彼は侮られ，わたしたちは彼を尊ばなかった。
  v. 3: ... he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
  …
• ６節：…主はわたしたちすべての者の罪悪を彼に負わせられた。
  v. 6: ... the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all.
  …
• １０節：…あなたが彼を罪のささげ物とするとき，彼は自分の①子孫を見てその命を延ばし，主の御心は彼の手によって栄える。
  v. 10: ... when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his ^bseed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
  …
• １１節：…彼の知識により，わたしの義にかなった僕は多くの者を義とするが，それは，彼が彼らの罪悪を①身に負おうからである。
  v. 11: ... by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall ^abear their iniquities.
  …

ボクの（勝手な）解釈なんですが、

• 人間らしい考え方にして、イエス様が行う贖罪などが格好くない。
• イエス様のことを信じるかどうかを別にして、全ての人の罪を贖ってくださる。（つまり、人が赦される。）
• その子孫を見る意味は、イエスさまが行われる贖罪を信じて受け入て悔い改めれるほどイエス様の子孫となる。（つまり、人かやっていることが義とされる。） 

 

Oh, That I Were an Angel -- おお，わたしが天使であって

…，わたしの心の願いを遂げることができればよいものを。…
..., and could have the wish of mine heart, ...

モルモン書を通じている方なら、アルマ２９書１、２節は何とか有名なのですね。
If you're familiar with the Book of Mormon, Alma 29 verses 1 and 2 are pretty well-known, aren't they? 

１と２節の続き Verses 1 and 2 continue:

…わたしの心の願いとは，出て行って，神のラッパのように地を震わせる声で語り，すべての民に悔い改めを叫ぶことである。まことに，わたしは雷のような声で，あらゆる人に悔い改めと贖いの計画を告げ知らせ，もはや地の全面に悲しみのないように，悔い改めて①神のみもとに来ることを彼らに勧すすめたい。
... that I might go forth and speak with the ^atrump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people! Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and ^acome unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

３節まではとにかく読んでいるでしょう？
Have you read verse 3?

しかし見よ，わたしはただの人であり，このように願うことさえも罪である。
But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish;

罪？
Sin?

…わたしは主から与えられたもので満足すべきだからである。
... for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.

満足？今のまま？いやいや、そうではないでしょう。やる気をなくせ、と？
Content? With things as they are? Surely not! Am I supposed to just lose my ambitions?

敢えて４節を読むかな。
Do I dare read verse 4?

わたしは，公正な神の堅い定めを，わたしの願いによって乱してはならないのである。
I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God,

（英語の "harrow up" を、その農業の道具に因んで「乱す」と訳していますが、 "up" までいうと「攻める」と訳しても良かったけど。まあ、意味が実質的に変わりません。 For what it's worth, the Japanese word used for "harrow up" refers to the farming implement:「乱す」, "to cause disorder". I think, since the English includes "up", they could have used 「攻める」, "to attack" -- not that it changes the meaning significantly.） 

…人が死ぬことを望もうと生きることを望もうと，神が彼らの①望むままにされることを知っているからである。まことに，人々が救いを望もうと滅びを望もうと，神は彼らの②意のままに，不変の定めを彼らに布告されるということをわたしは知っている。
... for I know that he granteth unto men according to their ^adesire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their ^bwills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.

まあ、ご関心のことなら、その残りをどうぞ。ボクはとても興味深いに思います。
Well, if this intrigues you, go ahead and read the rest of the chapter. I think it's quite interesting.

How I Understand the Church's 1st Article of Faith

Here's how I read the First Article of Faith of the Church of context here:

1: We beleive in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

In the current milieu, it is easy to read this simple statement as saying something almost diametrically opposed to what I understand Joseph Smith to have meant when he penned the words a hundred some-odd years ago. So I'm going to offer my unofficial rephrase, using words that I hope will be more understandable in modern English:

We believe in the Prime Paradigm -- the Eternal Progenitor -- and in the pre-eminent Child thereof, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Essence.

Except that that has just as many issues of interpretation as the original, probably more, even if they are different issues. 

Well, it's a thought. I'll leave it up there as a decoy while I ask you to allow me room to explain how I understand the principle terms of the original wording. 

(The point is, when I talk about God, I'm not talking about what certain other people say I'm talking about. Please set aside all the assumptions, images and preconceptions that people have thrown at you about God and religion, claiming to be either for or against.) 

God:

1. That which a person sets at highest priority;
2. The source of the universe around us.
   

 

Eternal:

• Existing outside the bounds of what we attempt to describe in our physical laws of thermodynamics, ergo, not bound by entropy or by its corollary, time.

 

Father/Parent:

• Progenitor, or archetype from which children are generated.

 

Son/Child:

• That which is generated or pro-created by the Parent, thus, capable of growth.
  
  1. Capable, when fully grown, of standing independent.
  2. Capable, when fully grown according to the pattern of the Parent, of standing in proxy for the Parent.

 

Jesus:

• Name which can be interpreted as "God is help." Points us to the concept that God does care, after all.

 

Christ:

• Title indicating the necessity of choice.

 

Holy:

• Not profane. In particular, not made profane by the pursuit of power, authority, fame, influence, monetary gain, or such.

 

Spirit:

• The essence of those things which we perceive by our five senses,
  
  1. somewhat corollary to the mathematical concept of automata,
  2. also somewhat corollary to software in programmed systems.
• All things have spirit.
  

Note, relevant to the current arguments concerning gender, that none of this mentions gender, other than indirectly by the implicit reference to engendering.

Note also that, none of this references an angry god-image ready to punish to the fullest all who dare breach any of his dictates. In fact, such an image simply does not fit in this concept of Progenitor, and does not match at all with the meaning of the name, Jesus.