Parable of the Tares

We talked about Jesus's parable of the tares today in Sunday School, and it really got me thinking. This parable is a lot more relevant in our lives today than I had previously thought. Here is the parable:

24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Matthew 13:24-30

To make it a little easier, we also have Jesus's explanation later in this same chapter. Let me quote that below, and then I'll talk a little bit about it:

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew 13:36-43

This is an interesting parable because it begins at the time of Jesus Christ, and the end is in the last days and has not yet occurred. So Jesus planted the good seed as he started his Church and soon thereafter it fell into apostacy as the tares began to grow.

The servants in the parable wanted to gather up the tares to protect the wheat. However the wheat was young (just as the Church in the Christ's time was young) and would be damaged greatly by the gathering of the tares. This is because tares and wheat are related crops. They look nearly identical as they grow, so it is hard to distinguish between them. It is not until they are ready for the harvest that they can be told apart. At this point you can cut them all down and separate them easily. This separation is a form of judgment that will be passed upon all people.

Are you a wheat or a tare? This question is perfect for self-reflection. I know that this parable prophesies of the future (which may be closer than we think- though no man knows). An interesting comparison, is that it is hard to tell if those around us are wheat or tares. This is why we should not judge others. Just as the Lord told his servants not to judge the wheat/tares and pluck out the tares, we must not judge our fellow men and identify people as "tares". We never know when someone will change and repent. We may have days when we ourselves behave more like tares than wheat, so we must be forgiving of others who also have "tare" days.

Lastly, we know that judgment comes. Even though it will be after the end of the world, if we die a "tare," there will be no time to repent thereafter. Now is the only time that we can repent and become wheat. So let us not judge others for it truly is impossible to see their hearts (only God looketh on the heart), and let us strive to be found as wheat at the last great harvest!

How is the Mormon Church Different from Other Christian Churches?

I will try to keep this as simple as possible. Please post a comment or question if you want anything answered or discussed more in depth! (Also feel free to correct me if I have made any errors in discussing Catholicism or Protestantism as I do not wish to misrepresent their histories).

I will briefly discuss the founding of the Catholic, Protestant, and Mormon churches.

Catholic
The Catholic church claims to have received its authority from succession going all the way back to Peter the apostle. No Christians dispute the authority that Christ gave to his chief apostle, Peter. The Catholic church claims that Peter past this authority on and a couple hundred years later the Roman Catholic Church was founded.

Protestant
In the early 16th Century reformers became disenchanted with the apparent corruption in the leadership of the Catholic church, including the selling of indulgences and worship of saints and images. Martin Luther was one of the earliest reformers. Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic church for believing that ultimate authority came from the Bible and not from the Pope. He later founded the Lutheran church. Zwingli and Calvin were two other influential protestant reformers. Basically the protestant faith stemmed from Catholic church and kept some Catholic beliefs while also developing new beliefs based on the Bible. Their claim to authority comes from the scriptures.

Latter-day Saint (Mormon)
The LDS (Mormon) Church is not a Protestant church because it did not stem from the Catholic church or another Christian church. In fact, it is the only Christian church that is not Catholic or Protestant. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded on April 6, 1830 by a latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith.

As a young boy, Joseph was confused by the religious contention that surrounded him in New York during the Second Great Awakening. He wanted to know which church to join and was having difficulty resolving this question using the Bible. One night he read this verse in the New Testament:

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
James 1:5

This scripture convinced him that he must pray to God and ask for the wisdom that he lacked (which church to join). He went to the woods, prayed, and received a miraculous response. God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ appeared to the boy Joseph and answered his question, that he should join none of them. Joseph was chosen to be a prophet in these last days.

Through this prophet, God restored his gospel in its fullness, including the Priesthood (the same authority Christ gave to Peter and the other apostles). The same church organization, structure, and doctrine that Christ established over 2000 years ago was restored to the earth with Prophets, Apostles, Evangelists, Bishops, etc. Just as every prophet that lived before Joseph Smith, the Lord brought forth new scripture for our day, including the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.

Currently, Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet on the earth. The authority that God restored to the Prophet Joseph Smith has been passed down through a succession of prophets and continues with the current prophet. There is also currently a Quorum of Twelve Apostles and the same church organization that Christ had when he organized his former-day church, the Church of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion
I hope that the differences between the churches is apparent, through their histories. I went into more detail about the Mormon church because I know more about its history. The Catholic church is supposed to be a continuation of the original Christian church, the Protestant faith branched from the Catholic church a few hundred years ago, and the Mormon church is a restoration of the original Christian church after an apostacy (falling away) from the truth.