The Zeroth Article of Faith

The first 4 articles of faith logically depend on the previous article. Faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost (Article 4) are brought about by the Atonement (Article 3) which was necessary because of our sinful nature and the fall of Adam (Article 2) which we must overcome to live again with Heavenly Father(Article 1).

If there were to be an even more basic article to precede article 1 what would it be? It would describe those things that are more basic than the God. What is more basic than the God? It is reality with its eternal laws. These eternal laws take primacy over God. God's power comes from his knowledge of these laws. The glory of God is intelligence (D&C 93:36). If intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge, then what does God have knowledge of? He has knowledge of reality.

God's commandments compose a map that allow us to navigate a reality that He understands perfectly. The apostle D. Todd Christofferson in the April 2010 conference said, "[God's] Commandments are the voice of reality." This same idea was echoed by Benjamin Franklin when he said, "Sin is not harmful because it is forbidden, but it is forbidden because it is harmful." The words "sin" and "wickedness" are defined as those choices that never bring happiness in reality. These constraints are not set arbitrarily by God. They are set by a reality which has primacy over God.

Why is this such a big deal to talk about? As far as I know, Mormon theology is the only religion that holds such a view of reality. If we did have a zeroth article of faith then it would be something like: "We believe in reality (that existence exists)," or, "We believe in eternal laws," or, "We believe that reality has primacy over consciousness." I think that most people automatically assume this but many are confused by the philosophies of men. The explicit articulation of this point provides a firm foundation to (1) understanding the gospel, (2) understanding reality, and (3) avoiding confusion.