William James

William James
We must get by on what truth we have today, and be willing to call it error tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

"One Eternal Round" What is it?

The question was put:

"Quote

1 Ne. 10: 19
19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.

Alma 7: 20
20 I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round.

Alma 37: 12
12 And it may suffice if I only say they are preserved for a wise purpose, which purpose is known unto God; for he doth counsel in wisdom over all his works, and his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round.

D&C 3: 2
2 For God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round.

D&C 35: 1
1 Listen to the voice of the Lord your God, even Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, whose course is one eternal round, the same today as yesterday, and forever.

What are your ideas for what this phrase is supposed to mean?"

To which I responded:

I don't think anyone has given me a satisfactory explanation for what the "his course is one eternal round" phrase is supposed to mean, but my own speculation is that it is a poorly articulated attempt to describe the fact that God's ways are consistent with each other; he does not possess characteristics which contradict other characteristics. For example, in my view, this principle comes into play when I evaluate the plausibility that God is a vengeful, spiteful god as often portrayed in the Bible; after considering that he is a merciful and loving god, I conclude that consistency requires that I reject the notion that he is also vengeful and spiteful. Just some thoughts.

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