Permission to Feel, Power to Become

Many faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can point to a moment of severe struggle in their life, defined not only by its circumstances but also by the emotions surrounding the experience. The young returned missionary who grapples with anxiety after coming home. The mother who fights a suffocating sadness after the death of a child. The person who, feeling overwhelmed and distressed, holds back tears in a sacrament meeting as her children cry.

Certainly, one component of mortal life is to experience trials. President Eyring in General Conference admonished: “When all is said and done, we will have passed the test if we have learned in all our circumstances to treat them as if they were in serious trouble, and you will find yourself having a heart full of compassion for others.” But while trials are to be expected, the nature of our emotional response to them, and the role of emotion itself, seems uncertain. A faithful member may feel ashamed for struggling emotionally, believing that their suffering indicates spiritual weakness. Many Latter-day Saints wrestle quietly with the belief that faithful discipleship requires emotional restraint, stoicism, or relentless positivity.

Is this the case? Surely our trials are to be borne with “patience and long-suffering” (Alma 7:23). But does that imply that emotional pain should be suppressed, minimized, or ignored? Does faith require us to feel less? Careful reading of divine scripture and modern revelation may provide a different view. This paper aims to provide an initial framework for thinking about emotion as a necessary component of spiritual growth, and suggests that emotional engagement can enable disciples to engage more deeply with agency, growth, and covenant living.

A Brief Defense of the Necessity of Emotion

In order to prove that there is a need to accept, control, and embrace our emotions, there must first be confidence that emotions are an essential component of our eternal progression. Thus, the argument that emotion is necessary is set forward here.

God loves all His children (see 1 Nephi 11:17; John 3:16–17). We know from both scripture and our lived experience that He places great value on our growth and learning, ultimately intending to pass our “immortality and eternal life” (Moses 1:39). Modern revelation teaches that the ultimate goal is to become like our Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, receiving everything They have (Doctrine and Covenants 84:38).

We know that God is perfect (Matthew 5:48). He is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. As such, there is no possibility that God does not know perfectly how to bless us (Matthew 6:8), help us learn (2 Nephi 28:30), and lead us toward the ultimate goal for us, which is everything He has (Moses 1:39).

Thus, if God knows all things, loves us perfectly, wants us to have everything He has, and intends to teach us how to become like Him, then there cannot be accidents, coincidences, or mistakes in His orchestrations. This includes the fact that we have emotions and are created with emotions, which is plainly self-evident.

Therefore, it holds that emotion is a necessary component of our becoming like our Heavenly Father. It is not an accident or mistake that we have them.

A Brief(er) Aside to the Defense of the Necessity of Emotion

It is important to recognize the realities and limitations of this simple argument. We do not know the nature of God’s emotions, how He feels, or what role emotion plays in His eternal existence. We also do not know how emotion changes in the eternities. The claim being made in this paper is not that emotion will play the same role or have the same influence in eternity as it does in mortality. Further, this argument does not necessarily imply that every emotional experience is inherently good or helpful. Mortality is full of weakness, imperfection, and the potential for emotional distortion. Faith is to “believe in God” and “believe that he has all wisdom” even when “we cannot comprehend” all things, including the meaning and purpose of our emotional lives (Mosiah 4:9). While this is an argument for the necessity of emotion, it is not a complete theology of emotion.

Additional Scriptural Evidence for Emotion

The above logical argument depicting the necessity of emotion, while important and helpful, is not sufficient. We must also examine how emotion is actually demonstrated and used in scripture. Thus, this section provides a brief analysis of the reality of emotion as it stands within scripture. There is great value in examining scriptural patterns to discern how God intends His children to interact with emotion.

Prophets and Their Emotion

In Alma 29, we see Alma display great desire and discontent with his allotment in life, depicted by his wishing to be an angel (Alma 29:1). He then interprets this emotion, claiming he “sins in his wishing” (Alma 29:3). Alma does not suppress the emotion; rather, he recognizes it and then uses truth to reinterpret it. He remembers God’s goodness and mercy, ultimately finding joy and gratitude (Alma 29:10–14).

In 2 Nephi 4, we witness a distressed Nephi, whose “heart sorroweth” and whose “soul grieveth” in part due to the death of his father and the wickedness of his brethren (2 Nephi 4:17). Nephi tends to his sorrow by remembering his relationship with God and reflecting on God’s deliverance. His emotional life is not hidden or dismissed, but placed directly before the Lord in prayer. Nephi’s model shows emotional honesty paired with deliberate remembrance and covenant commitment.

Alma the Younger, in his attempts to relieve the deep emotional anguish caused by his sins, used his agency to latch on to what his father taught him regarding Jesus Christ. He recalled the name of Christ, cried within his heart, and experienced spiritual transformation (Alma 36:17–20). Emotion and repentance are tightly linked in this narrative.

Other examples of emotion are abundant in scripture. Jeramiah laments the people of Israel but remembers the Lord and the “hope” that comes through His mercy (Lamentations 3:19–24). The brother of Jared “did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones” and “did cry again unto the Lord” in a manner that suggests intensity and urgency (Ether 3:1–2). Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail expresses anguish, confusion, and pleading, yet receives comfort and perspective from the Lord (Doctrine and Covenants 121–123). These examples illustrate that emotion is not a flaw in prophets; it is part of their spiritual engagement.

The Teachings of Christ and the Prophets on Emotion

There are further teachings on emotion that come directly from the words of prophets as opposed to their actions. Lehi teaches that men exist “that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). King Benjamin calls disciples to “mourn with those that mourn” and “comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 18:9). Paul writes that charity “suffereth long” and “is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4). These are emotional teachings—calls to feel compassion, patience, and empathy rather than merely to behave correctly.

God and His Relational Responsiveness

The most profound examples of the necessity of human emotion come from how God interacts with His children, be it with His sorrow, His compassion, or His tenderness. Consider the depiction by Zenos of God as the “Lord of the vineyard” in Jacob 5, where we see Him “grieve” for His children and labor tirelessly for their welfare (Jacob 5:11, 5:41). Like all of the things that God does, emotion-filled moments are given appropriate space, time, and respect. As a woman approaches Christ in the New Testament, we see that He honors her emotional devotion, validating her rather than condemning her (Luke 7:36–50). Christ weeps (John 11:35). He expresses anguish in Gethsemane (Luke 22:44). These are not dispassionate moments; they are deeply emotional and deeply holy.

There is no scriptural passage that condemns the experience of emotion itself; rather, scripture consistently condemns or warns against unrighteous expressions and uses of emotion—anger that becomes cruelty, sorrow that becomes despair, fear that becomes faithlessness. This implies that emotion is meant to be regulated and refined, not eradicated.

Modern Emotional Theory and Scriptural Correlatives

After examining scriptural patterns and lessons, a logical next step is to see how modern research and secular learning might relate to these ideas. That is, how does this idea of exhibiting and engaging with emotion align with what is known from psychology?

Emotional intelligence is a framework proposed for understanding and interpreting emotion. It can be defined as “the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions.” Emotional intelligence involves recognizing and naming emotion, interpreting it, and using it constructively.

Another important discipline, emotional regulation, is defined as “the ability of an individual to modulate an emotion or set of emotions.” Emotional regulation can be further subdivided into two broad strategies: cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Reappraisal involves reinterpreting the meaning of a situation to alter emotional response, while suppression involves inhibiting emotional expression once already aroused.

The connections here with scripture are striking and clarifying. The example of Nephi’s Psalm is effectively an act of reappraisal: in the midst of grief, Nephi remembers God’s goodness, interprets his suffering in light of his covenant relationship, and chooses to act in faith. Alma’s emotional reframing in Alma 29 similarly resembles reappraisal, in which he uses the emotionally taxing reality of limitation to reflect on divine mercy and find joy.

Analysis, a Personal Note, and an Invitation

The brief glance provided here of scripture reveals the importance of emotion in the lives of God’s children and in the lives of His prophets. A deeper look—one informed by both sacred texts and emotional theory—shows that feeling is not only a companion to faith, but a core part of our progression. Emotion can shape choices, refine discipleship, and enable Zion-building through empathy and compassion.

Still, this paper only begins to approach the actual depths of this topic. At this point it is valuable to step away briefly from the academic voice and speak personally. Developing emotional intelligence and emotional regulation can be transformative for discipleship. Many silently suffer not only from burdens, but from believing those burdens imply spiritual failure. A framework that grants “permission to feel” can also grant “power to become.”

This argument of the necessity of emotion as a facet of eternal progression is only an introduction. Opportunities to expand this philosophy are numerous, directly useful, and academically viable.

• Scriptural case studies: A more detailed examination of emotionally intense scriptural moments—Nephi’s Psalm (2 Nephi 4), Joseph Smith’s lamentations in Liberty Jail (D&C 121–123), or Christ’s experiences in 3 Nephi 17—could reveal more specific patterns and show how disciples can handle specific feeling like betrayal, sorrow, and anguish.
• Applied emotional theory in Church settings: Peer-reviewed research could investigate how emotional expression, validation, and emotional regulation, as taught and modeled by Church leaders and members, impact spiritual resilience, empathy, and community belonging in Latter-day Saint congregations.
• Philosophical development: Further philosophical examination—in my personal opinion—could investigate the possibility that emotion is not only necessary for emotional progression, but may also be a meaningful component of God’s nature, shifting emotion from simply a reality to an eternal trait that we are developing.
• Further research on the connections of religious lifestyle and emotional regulation: Studies exploring religiosity, emotional intelligence, and emotional regulation are finding that positive correlations exist between these variables, suggesting benefits of integrating emotion into religious worship and behavior.

I hope it is clear to all readers the potential that is inherent to this framing of emotion in discipleship. Christ is described as “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). He endured suffering with full emotional capacity. If we are to become like Him, it follows that learning to feel, interpret, and refine emotion is part of the path. I believe that as we learn to engage with emotion with wisdom and faith, we will find greater love in our lives and the lives of others.

Abstract

This paper serves as an introduction into what the author considers to be a novel perspective and framework on emotion in gospel learning and growth. The claim is made that emotion is an essential component of eternal growth. A philosophical argument in favor of its necessity is outlined and followed by analysis of the processing and use of emotion as exhibited in scripture. A brief synthesis of emotion research is conducted, and similarities are drawn between both domains. The author proposes immediate means and future research through which these ideas can enable more complete individual and communal discipleship.