The Latter-day Saint Need for Absolution
You might not hear it anywhere else, but you'll hear it from me: You are enough.
We don’t have the concept of “absolution” in our Church. But sometimes I wish we did.
We use a lot of words in the Church that are unique to our Latter-day Saint faith and culture. Relief Society, callings, stakes, family home evening, and “nourish and strengthen” come to mind. In addition, we use a number of terms that show up in broader Christianity, but we use them differently, such as bishop, priest, deacon, and seminary.
But we don’t use “absolution.” It doesn't show up anywhere in the Standard Works, and has only been used in General Conference six times—the most recent being in 1962, more than 60 years ago.
Absolution means forgiveness, but more specifically a pronouncement of forgiveness. The New Testament is full of these kinds of statements; every time Jesus Christ says, "Thy sins be forgiven thee," it is an act of absolution. In modern Christianity it is common for a pastor or other authority to give such a pronouncement of forgiveness, as part of the liturgy in their Sunday services. They do so standing in the Savior's place, in effect, or at least as a go-between. In Catholicism, it might sound like this:
I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, And of the Holy Spirit.
In a Lutheran church, it may be more like this:
As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
How must that feel, to hear that your sins are forgiven? As Latter-day Saints, there isn’t anybody saying this to us. There isn’t anyone who looks you in the eye and says, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Of course, bishops can’t forgive sins1. Instead, we’re taught that we’ll know when we’re forgiven, when we “feel peace and joy through the Holy Ghost,” have “peace of conscience,” or are “feeling His Spirit.” But as nice as it would be to have someone vouch for my standing with the Lord, what I need to hear more often is simpler.
Sometimes I just need to hear that I’m enough.
Sometimes I just need someone to tell me that I’m okay, just as I am right now. That I’m getting a few things right. That I don’t need to beat myself up so much. That I have intrinsic worth. That I can take up space. I need someone to give me the nod, to tell me I’m on the right track.
As a parent, especially, I need someone to tell me that I’m not screwing it up. That even if I lose my temper, I’m not going to mess up my kids. That by showing up and trying hard, I’m doing the right things. That I don’t need to be hard on myself. That even if I am, things are going to be okay. Being a parent, even of the four smartest and best-looking boys you’ve ever seen, is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, and by far the one I worry about the most.
The word absolution comes from the Latin verb absolvere, meaning “to set free.” The imagery of setting someone free with words is beautiful. And while what I’m talking about isn’t absolution from sins, this is the kind of message that can still set a person free, at least a little bit.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re not enough, in any aspect of your life, then maybe you’re like me and need to hear this. If you’ve ever gotten sucked into the vortex of toxic perfectionism and scrupulosity, or just felt that the best you can do is never enough, then this is for you. I think that’s most of us.
Even better, this message doesn’t need to come from a pastor or a priest or a bishop (although it can, and imagine how freeing it would be if we heard this regularly from our bishops and stake presidents). This is something we can all do. As Latter-day Saints we can’t absolve each other’s sins, but we can lift each other up.
We get caught up in teaching about all the ways we might not be measuring up; not doing enough service, wearing the wrong clothes, not doing our ministering the way we’re supposed to. But all too often we miss the opportunity to remind each other that we all have worth.
So, in the absence of somebody better, listen to me. Read it extra slowly:
You are enough.
You are doing enough, and you are being enough.
You are exactly who you are meant to be.
You are worthy of grace, from yourself and from others. For no reason at all other than that you exist.
You look the way you’re supposed to look. It’s great because it’s you.
You don’t need to beat yourself up, for anything.
Your Heavenly Parents love you just the way you are.
You are enough.
Bishops may remove penalties, but they may not remit sins. That is the Lord’s prerogative. Elder Kimball clarified this concept:
“Although there are many ecclesiastical officers in the Church whose positions entitle and require them to be judges, the authority of those positions does not necessarily qualify them to forgive or remit sins. …
“The bishop, and others in comparable positions, can forgive in the sense of waiving the penalties. In our loose connotation we sometimes call this forgiveness, but it is not forgiveness in the sense of ‘wiping out’ or absolution. The waiver means, however, that the individual will not need to be tried again for the same error, and that he may become active and have fellowship with the people of the Church. In receiving the confession and waiving the penalties the bishop is representing the Lord. He helps to carry the burden, relieves the transgressor’s strain and tension, and assures to him a continuation of Church activity.
“It is the Lord, however, who forgives sin.” (Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 332.)