Ontology of God, Part 1

Jesus should always be the primary focus, with everything else open to discussion; institutions and organizations must adapt over time to survive, much like early lifeguarding practices eventually evolved into a more bureaucratized system. Events like water baptisms serve as important public declarations of faith, reflecting the enduring and unchanging essence of true Christianity amid modern religious and societal transformations.

The shift from a free-spirited approach to a bureaucratic, semi-militaristic system in ocean lifeguarding mirrored the transformation within organized Christianity, where passion and community love were replaced by rigid structures, hierarchy, and administrative control driven by fear and power struggles. This transformation, although necessary in civil services to avoid legal complications, contrasts starkly with the intended spiritual spontaneity and genuine fellowship within Christian communities, which originally thrived on love, forgiveness, and inclusivity without rigid bureaucracy.

Shawn discusses how the church has shifted from genuine spiritual engagement by ordinary believers to reliance on educated elites, thus creating a predatory culture that requires revolutionary change from the grassroots. He examines biblical teachings on subjective Christianity, highlighting that salvation comes through faith in Jesus and not doctrine, and that heresy is best understood as promoting division rather than simply holding different beliefs; this framework is applied to critique divisions within the church and discussions around Mormonism's origins with Joseph Smith's First Vision.

Christianity at the time of Joseph Smith was fragmented, with varying interpretations of God's nature reflected in beliefs like Trinitarianism, Unitarianism, and Modalism, leading Smith to align much of his early views with contemporary Christian doctrine. Despite historical trends favoring Trinitarianism, the nuanced differences between these theological perspectives, such as the Trinitarian view of God as three distinct "persons" versus the Modalist view of God as one entity manifesting in different forms, are often misunderstood or unarticulated even by devout followers.

Shawn's teaching explores the religious context and theological debates during Joseph Smith's era, highlighting the diversity of beliefs such as Trinitarianism, Modalism, and Unitarianism, and their influence on Smith's early views of God as reflected in the Book of Mormon. The discussion presents the confusion and contradictions in the portrayal of God within the Book of Mormon and questions the consistency of Smith's claimed visions and their alignment with his theological writings, suggesting possible scenarios for the discrepancies.

The foundational event in LDS history is the revelation of the Golden Plates, their translation, and the publication of the Book, which preceded the retroactive creation of a first vision narrative to align with Smith’s evolving theology on the nature of God. This retrospective adjustment highlights how initial claims were adapted over time to support shifting doctrinal views.