Dear Brother Cahoon,

I have a young girl in a family that is very adamant about something a seminary teacher supposedly taught her. She insists it is a misconception generally misunderstood throughout the church. That Satan’s plan in the pre-existence was never to redeem mankind, but only to take away our agency and have we sin on earth never being able to regain the presence of our Heavenly Father. Moses 4:1 says to me that is not the case but she insists that the entire church is mistaken. Please help.

Name withheld

Let’s take a look at Moses 4:1:

“AND I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying-Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor (Moses 4:41).

Brother Cahoon is now the Gospel Doctrine teacher for his ward, and can come up with all sorts of supporting scriptures to prove that Satan’s primary goal was to deny mankind his agency, his ability to choose freely. But I do not feel that is what you are looking for. Well, maybe it is, but it’s not what I feel comfortable doing!

The Prophet Joseph taught this doctrine: “I teach men correct principles and let them govern themselves”. And that is what is needed in this situation. There is a verse in the Doctrine and Covenants, which addresses this issue:

“And if thy brother or sister offend thee, thou shalt take him or her between him or her and thee alone; and if he or she confess thou shalt be reconciled” (D&C 42:88).

In this case, there is no offense, just misunderstanding. If this young woman is part of a family that is supportive, ask the seminary teacher to join you on your next home teaching visit. I sense that there might be some sensitive issues here, so I’m a little reluctant to make this suggestion, but this misunderstanding needs to be taken “between him or her and thee alone”, and I feel that once the seminary teacher and the young woman have a chance to discuss her concerns, it will make a big difference in her understanding.

The most important principle is to not make the young woman feel that she is misguided or flat out wrong to think what she thinks. Learning to interpret the scriptures so they are applicable to your personal life is a very valuable skill to learn while young. The next most important principle is that before this gets blown out of proportion, it’s better to take action and resolve as many issues as possible. I am confident that once the seminary teacher and the young woman talk about her feelings, she will come to an understanding of how important agency and choice are, and she will appreciate the caring concern of her home teacher, seminary teacher, and her parents.

Posted by John in Home Teaching, Ask Brother Cahoon