Sabbathought: "I worry about this."

Of some things the Lord says, "It mattereth not unto me." Other things with Him are as "the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not" (Daniel 6:8, 12).

With Him, some things are of little moment; some other things are strict and vital. It is good to know which things are which with Him.

On one occasion He said to some early missionaries, "Let there be a craft [boat] made, or bought, as seemeth you good, it mattereth not unto me," just "take your journey speedily . . . " for there are souls to be taught and saved (see D&C 60:5; also 61:22 and 62:5 and 63:40). Also, "go ye and preach my gospel, whether to the north or to the south, to the east or to the west, it mattereth not, for ye cannot go amiss" (D&C 80:3). This we might term the Law of Common Sense or Initiative, the Law of Natural Inspiration or Inclination.

Some other things He has directed must be done with strict propriety. The ordinances of salvation come to mind. Think of the temple. Think of the sacrament. If the priest makes even a small error in the blessing of the sacrament, he is invited to do it again, so it can be just right.

If a toe sticks up above the water or a female's hair floats at baptism, the ordinance is repeated, for "baptism by immersion for the remission of sins" means just that: total immersion. In the same vein, "the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance."

This is the Law of Strict Propriety and it "altereth not."

How is it with teaching the gospel? The Lord has revealed, "And I give unto you a commandment [it is not optional] that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom" (D&C 88:77). In fulfilling this commandment we are under strict obligation to teach the Lord's doctrine, not our own ideas. This presupposes and depends entirely upon our knowing the doctrine and knowing it well. Otherwise we are prone to err. Nephi taught that even "the humble followers of Christ . . . are led, that in many instances they do err because they" allow "the precepts of men" to creep into their beliefs and their teaching (see 2 Nephi 28:14).

President Gordon B. Hinckley in a General Authority Training Meeting on October 1, 1996, said: "I have spoken before about the importance of keeping the doctrine of the Church pure, and seeing that it is taught in all of our meetings. I worry about this. Small aberrations in doctrinal teaching can lead to large and evil falsehoods" (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [1997], p.620).

Note how easy it is to "err," to make an error, an "aberration." Are we justified in excusing ourselves in these things, by saying, "My heart was right"? No, we need to know the doctrine.

President Hinckley's urgent words echo the story he gave many years ago of "The Switchpoint", where a goods train ended up in New Orleans instead of New Jersey---a 2000-mile "aberration"--- because a four-inch switchpoint in Kansas had been set wrong.

We find on the front cover of the Gospel Principles manual for 2010--11 the theme as well as the objective, the purpose of the lessons: "They shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved."

Is it possible to come unto Him without "the very points of his doctrine"? Will approximate doctrine do? Here is an invitation to "Learn of me, and listen to my words; [to] walk in the meekness of my Spirit" (D&C 19:23). This is a strict law; any other way will not do.

The word "doctrine" in the scriptures means "law" (see Proverbs 4:2), and, yes, it "altereth not." It is set. It is firm. It lasts and endures. Principles, values, notions, and ideas all spring from the bedrock of doctrine, solid doctrine, the "doctrine of Christ," who is the rock of our salvation. It could not be otherwise.

There is much more to be said on this solemn and sobering subject. We feel impelled to pursue it, to plumb the depths of it, because from the scriptures, from the statements we have cited here, and from the Holy Spirit, we get the firm and sure idea that it is of more than passing interest and import. It approaches the mind of God. And we fear to offend our God.

Would an engineer be safe in assuming he could design a bridge on the erratic assumption that pi is 3.00000, ---because his heart was right? There are untold dangers in assuming that approximate doctrine---as opposed to "the very points of his doctrine"---will be enough, that "it mattereth not." The views of prophets on this are crucial: " . . . the importance of keeping the doctrine . . . pure, and seeing that it is taught in all of our meetings." How important is it in the mind of a prophet, and in the mind of God? "I worry about this," said President Hinckley.

The thing about a law is that it is fixed. It is set. It is conditional. And if we have convinced ourselves---by the precepts of men---that many things with God are unconditional, that the detail found in vital doctrine mattereth not---we do damage and injury to ourselves and to those we teach, whether in a formal classroom, in home teaching, in visiting teaching, or in our homes.

The Prophet said, "Nothing is a greater injury to the children of men than to be under the influence of a false spirit when they think they have the Spirit of God. . . . little evils ['small aberrations'] do the most injury to the Church" (Teachings, pages 205, 258).

Is this issue important? Does the Lord think it is? Does the devil? We are in a battle for the souls of men. Our chief weapon is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, as Paul teaches us. Surely we can see the vital nature of this clear issue. It presses upon our mind, and captures the attention of the soul. It is good to speak of it, to remind, to urge, to edify. Silence is golden, but sometimes it is yellow.

God bless.

Let me see your comments on this. Thank you.

Steve