Elect

Elect (From the Bible Dictionary)

The elect are those who love God with all their hearts and live lives that are pleasing to Him. Those who live such lives of discipleship will one day be selected by the Lord to be among His chosen children.

Elect  (From Webster's Dictionary) -- a person chosen or singled out

There are different applications of this term in different time periods and by different religious groups.

The Old Testament applies the term "elect" to the Israelites in as far as they are called to be the chosen people, or people of God, or are faithful to their divine call.  Some understood that they were "chosen to do God's work on the earth" while others believed they were "chosen to be God's favorites".

This sentence proposes that same dilemma: "Election in Christianity in general involves God choosing a particular person or group of people to a particular task or relationship, especially eternal life."

Therein lies the problem for me.  I totally can believe that God has chosen some people to do a task for him.   But to believe he choses some for a relationship, especially if that relationship is defined at eternal life with him is beyond my comprehension. It certainly is in opposition to the words of 2 Nephi 26: 28 and in fact that whole chapter of scripture.

28 Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.
The idea that some people are chosen while others are not is particularly disturbing since it led to such religious beliefs as this: "God unconditionally elects certain people even though they are sinful as an act of his saving grace apart from the shortcomings or will of man. Those chosen have done nothing to deserve this grace."

Once again, defining a word is everything.  If you look in the dictionary at synonyms for "elect" you see such words as:  chosen, favored, favorite, picked, preferred.

I think we must be cautious when using this word.  It wreaks of "them vs us".  If some are "elect" then we must assume the others are NOT chosen.  They are NOT favored of God.  But the one thing I know about God is that He does not see us that way.  We are ALL His children and He wants each of us to return home.  His choice is to save every one of His children and He laid out a plan to do just that.  Of course, He added to that plan the gift of agency.  Ultimately, we make the final decision as to our eternal destiny.  But He invites all.

Like I do with the word "worthy", I would like to make a replacement word for "elect".  And the replacement word might be different in different situations.

When we talk about the missionaries going out to seek the elect - I would suggest we think "ready".  People are not static.  Our lives are in constant flux.  I laughed the first time I heard some of the principles of the Restored Gospel.  Four years later I found the answers to my seeking in those very principles.  I had changed. I was ready.

When we talk about Emma Smith being an "elect lady", I see a woman chosen by the Lord to do a very difficult job - to support her husband through all the adversity that would come to them.  

So let us be cautious and not get caught in a position of believing that some of our brothers and sisters are not elect, not chosen, not preferred, not loved less than we are.  Let us be cautious in not thinking of ourselves and all our friends as the "elect".  Let us be humbly grateful that we have somehow been blessed to have the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ to give us hope and courage to face life's challenges.  Let us be filled with God's love and extend that love to all.