This post is belongs to a series of posts on Reality and Mormon theology.
The first 4 articles of faith of LDS theology logically depend on the previous article. Faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost (Article 4) are brought about by the Atonement (Article 3) which was necessary because of our sinful nature and the fall of Adam (Article 2) which we must overcome to live again with Heavenly Father (Article 1).
If there were to be an even more basic article to precede article 1 what would it be? It would describe those things that are more basic than the God. What is more basic than the God? Reality with its eternal laws. God’s power comes from his knowledge of these laws (D&C 93:36).
If LDS theology did have a zeroth article of faith then it would be something like: “We believe in reality (that existence exists),” or, “We believe in eternal laws,” or, “We believe that reality has primacy over consciousness.” This assumption distinguishes LDS theology from all other religious organizations in the world.
But is their anything more basic than reality? No, the existence of reality is the most basic premise. All other beliefs ultimately rest on a belief in reality. It is a self-evident axiom. A belief is self-evident if one must assume the belief in order to try and deny it. Any argument trying to denying reality would be self-refuting. Axioms cannot be proven because “proof” is a concept that presupposes reality.
at 5:14 pm
I made a similar comment on Facebook, but it applies here too.
I think you’ve got it dead backwards. We DON’T have a zeroeth article of faith. In fact, we have first: that we believe in God the Eternal Father. That should be first for a reason- God is the primary precondition for reality. Without God, there can be no creation, 2 Ne 2: “For if there is no God, we are not, neither the earth, for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon.”
God may organize, but without Him, reality does not exist. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that God’s commandments are the voice of reality – God is what reality is dependent upon. The Franklin quote is nice, but it isn’t doctrine. Instead, our scriptures are that essentially every commandment is situation specific: “This is the principle upon which the government of heaven is conducted: revelation adapted for the specific circumstances the children of the Kingdom find themselves in” (Preach My Gospel).
Or, even better, from the King Follett discourse: God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. He has power to institute laws to instruct the weaker intelligences, that they may be exalted with Himself, so that they might have one glory upon another, and all that knowledge, power, glory, and intelligence, which is requisite in order to save them in the world of spirits.”
God preexists reality, and because of God, and only because of God, reality can exist. God is the law maker, not merely the “law-obeyer.
at 4:41 am
Thanks for the comment.
2 Nephi 2:13 cannot be interpreted so simply. If we must interpret it that way, then the gospel is inconsistent. Why? Because Joseph Smith explicitly taught in the D&C that God cannot create intelligence nor matter(/energy). These are at least two elements that are part of a reality that exists independent of God. Even though God as an intelligence has existed forever, God in his current position as God has not. Therefore, reality existed before God.
David Yarn in his book The Gospel, Man, and Truth has given a good argument for interpreting 2 Nephi 2:13. Lehi meant that if God did not exist, then there might as well be no existence.
The concept of God assumes that reality exists first. The belief that God could exist independent of existence is a self-refuting concept. It commits the fallacy of the stolen concept.
Thoughts refer to objects in reality. In order for a being to have thoughts, objects must exist. Therefore, It is logically impossible for any being including God to have thought without first having objects that exist in reality. Therefore in this context, God is dependent on reality.
The King Follett discourse is an excellent example of what I light-heartedly refer to as the Zeroth Article of faith. For in this discourse we learn that God existed with other spirits of whom he could never destroy or create regardless of whether he wanted to or not. Indeed God did institute laws, just as we institute laws on this earth. But it would be a hasty generalization to assume that God created all laws. Just because God created some laws, does not mean that He created all laws. God does indeed instruct us. But what could he possibly instruct us about? The concept of instruction implies that one must be instructed about some thing or some object. The concept of instruction assumes that reality exists independent of consciousness.
God indeed is a law giver and a law-obeyer. Reality to be commanded must first be obeyed.