I was listening to a talk show host the other day and he was saying that the American English language is the most diverse, colorful and complex of all languages. The reason it is, is because over the centuries words, phrases etc. have been adopted into the English language from many other languages. It is, in a sense, a multicultural language. America has been recognized as the melting pot, being made up of people from all nationalities, cultures and walks of life. From that, there is a merging of customs and ideas unlike any other country in the world. Many would say, that is the reason it is the ‘greatest country on God’s green earth.’
Merging of cultures and ideas is not always a positive and acceptable process, take for example, the early Christian Church, in the meridian of time. Even though the apostles and disciples were instructed to go into all the world and preach the gospel, the world was, in fact, the vehicle of its apostasy.
The church eventually incorporated many of the heathen tenets and religious practices of the world into the simple gospel, as taught by the Savior. Eventually it was not even recognizable as the simple gospel that the Savior preached in the beginning.
But back to the original thought about language and its colorfulness, I love the words used as adjectives that enhance and excite the thoughts that are being presented. For example, the prophets of the Old Testament foresaw the apostasy and what would have to be done to correct the multiculturalism of the church.
The following scripture is a quote from Isaiah, “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” (Isaiah 29:13, 14)
As a new member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early 1950’s, one of the first books I read after reading the “Book of Mormon” was, “A Marvelous Work and A Wonder” by Elder LeGrand Richards.
Elder Richards described what the Lord meant by a marvelous work and a wonder. Those words are adjectives which describe the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in these the last days. Marvelous, in the English language, means: extraordinarily good, or fantastic. Wonder means: the quality of being astonishingly amazed at something mysterious and/or new to ones experience. I love those two words: marvelous and wonder, and how well they described my feelings as I grew in knowledge and understanding of the restored gospel.
Another adjective, one used by President Heber J. Grant in describing why the Gospel was restored in these last days is cardinal. President Grant said that one of the cardinal reasons that the church was restored in the latter days was to redeem the dead.
The word cardinal means that which a thing revolves around or depends, most important, chief or main. Why is it cardinal? Because if the work of redemption is not done, the whole earth will be wasted; the Lord’s work and glory will come to not. His work is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. However, it is not going to be frustrated because the saints are going to have their hearts turned to their fathers and they are going to have the promises made to the fathers planted in their hearts by the spirit of Elijah. Satan’s work will be frustrated, not the Fathers. God bless us to hasten the cardinal work of the Father which is a marvelous work and a wonder.