Landmark Education and Mormon Doctrine

Landmark Education and Mormon Doctrine

The technology of Landmark Education language has been eye opening to me as it relates to understanding my own religion.

Landmark education states that possibilities do not exist in time and space like a physical object. Possibilities exist in language, in the nature of our conversations we have with ourselves and others about ourselves and the world. Possibilities become real in time and space as we continue to express them and refuse to allow their opposites to enter our minds.

Mormon doctrine states “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” The question then comes, “If faith is the evidence of things not seen, where does this evidence exist before it is seen? The answer is explained in that landmark Education statement written above. Faith, prior to its physical appearance, exists in language. My faith, just like a possibility, exists in what I say and what I say and is brought into physical reality with my action beginning with the action of my speaking.

Landmark Education says “possibility begins by stating a declaration.” A declaration is defined as an act of language requiring no evidence when leads us to an outcome.  “I am stupid” is a declaration as is ,”I am brilliant.” Neither one of these statements is either true or false. I just said them. I just made them up. I have no evidence for either one, but whichever one I continually affirm will bring about its own reality.

A declared future is not a dream or a hope, but a future to which you commit yourself and changes who you are in the present moment. When the fifty-two men created the Declaration of Independence there was no evidence that what they were declaring was true or even possible. “We declare ourselves free of the British Crown” became serious business when they wrote at the end: “We mutually pledge to each other, our Lives, Our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Once having made that declaration who they were changed in the present moment.

The LDS Bible dictionary describing the concept of prayer states, “ Prayer is an ACT by which the will of the Father and the will of the children are brought into correspondence with each other.” Prayer then is an act of language which I use to bring about a future made possible by God which I access through my thoughts and language.

The Landmark language then, and Mormon doctrine become interchangeable in this case. Faith does not exist in time and space like a physical object. Faith exists in language, in the nature of our conversations we have with ourselves and others about ourselves and the world. Faith becomes real in time and space as we continue to pray (act with language) upon it and refuse to allow opposing thoughts to enter my mind. Mormon Doctrine acknowledges God as the source of real power and language as a tool to that power. Landmark Education acknowledges the power of the tool of language but stops short of acknowledging the creator of the tool itself.

Steven D. Bunnell