Tuesday, June 18, 2013
President Hinkley on the Book of Mormon
"I know of no other writing which sets forth with such clarity the tragic consequences to societies that follow courses contrary to the commandments of God. Its pages trace the stories of two distinct civilizations that flourished on this Western Hemisphere. Each began as a small nation, its people walking in the fear of the Lord. But with prosperity came growing evils. The people succumbed to the wiles of ambitious and scheming leaders who oppressed them with burdensome taxes, who lulled them with hollow promises, who countenanced and even encouraged loose and lascivious living, who led them into terrible wars that resulted in the death of millions and the final and total extinction of two great civilizations in two different eras." - Gordon B. Hinkley, October 1979 general conference
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Joseph Smith on the Constitution
Had a recent comment asking for the source of the quote by Joseph Smith that's on the sidebar. It comes from the Joseph Smith Papers (LDS Church Historical Archives, Box 1, March 10, 1844, according to a BYU-I article.
I highly recommend reading that link, it contains several other quotes and good advice. As I re-read it today, a quote on it by Eliza R. Snow jumped out at me. The idea of Joseph Smith prophesying that the Constitution would "hang by a thread" is pretty common, but rarely discussed is who or what is the source of the attack. According to Sister Snow: "I heard the prophet say, 'The time will come when the government of these United States will be so nearly overthrown through its corruption, that the Constitution will hang as it were by a single hair, and the Latter-day Saints—the Elders of Israel—will step forward to its rescue and save it.'"
I highly recommend reading that link, it contains several other quotes and good advice. As I re-read it today, a quote on it by Eliza R. Snow jumped out at me. The idea of Joseph Smith prophesying that the Constitution would "hang by a thread" is pretty common, but rarely discussed is who or what is the source of the attack. According to Sister Snow: "I heard the prophet say, 'The time will come when the government of these United States will be so nearly overthrown through its corruption, that the Constitution will hang as it were by a single hair, and the Latter-day Saints—the Elders of Israel—will step forward to its rescue and save it.'"
Monday, July 5, 2010
What was the true price of liberty?
I hope everybody had a great day yesterday celebrating the independence of the United States and the beginning of the struggle for liberty in our nation.
I was thinking yesterday that it's important to remember that liberty did not begin on July 4, 1776. The revolution in America was just one battle in an eternal war for liberty. In the premortal world, two opposing plans were debated. The plan championed by God's firstborn, Christ, promised liberty. The plan championed by Lucifer, himself a "son of the morning", promised absolute eternal security at the expense of liberty.
With the words, "I will send the first", God chose liberty for His children...at what price? With those words, one-third of His children turned against him and chose damnation over liberty. He knew the other two-thirds would all, to some degree, use the liberty He was giving them to rebel against Him. He knew that liberty would bring sin to the world for which His Only Begotten would have to suffer beyond measure. And still he chose to give us that liberty.
That is the price He paid for our liberty. Are we doing our part to preserve it?
I was thinking yesterday that it's important to remember that liberty did not begin on July 4, 1776. The revolution in America was just one battle in an eternal war for liberty. In the premortal world, two opposing plans were debated. The plan championed by God's firstborn, Christ, promised liberty. The plan championed by Lucifer, himself a "son of the morning", promised absolute eternal security at the expense of liberty.
With the words, "I will send the first", God chose liberty for His children...at what price? With those words, one-third of His children turned against him and chose damnation over liberty. He knew the other two-thirds would all, to some degree, use the liberty He was giving them to rebel against Him. He knew that liberty would bring sin to the world for which His Only Begotten would have to suffer beyond measure. And still he chose to give us that liberty.
That is the price He paid for our liberty. Are we doing our part to preserve it?
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Conference Vs. Progressivism, Part I
Love And Law, Dallin H Oaks, Saturday Afternoon Session:
"Those who understand God's plan for His children know that God's laws are invariable, which is another great evidence of His love for His children. Mercy cannot rob justice, and those who obtain mercy are 'they who have kept the covenant and observed the commandment.'" - DHO
The "Rule of Law" is an eternal principle, and an attribute of God's plan. Enforcement of God's law is not subject to the whims of progressive experimentation. God's laws are uniformly applied, no leniency is granted to those who have donated enough tithing or befriended the right church administrators. In a just, God-like government, the penalty for cheating on taxes would be the same for senators and treasury secretaries as it is for the common folk. When our nation's founders set up a government where all would be subject to Constitutional law rather than to the whims of monarchial despots or the whims of pure democratic mobocracy, they set up a system that closely mirrored God's use of law. We are unwise to abandon it.
"God's choicest blessings are clearly contingent upon obedience to God's laws and commandments." - DHO
God does not "redistribute" those blessings from those who have kept His commandments to those who have not, no matter how unfair those who have not kept them might think their lack of blessings is.
"...God will not forestall the exercise of agency by His children. Agency - our power to choose - is fundamental to the gospel plan that brings us to earth. God does not intervene to forestall the consequences of some persons' choices in order to protect the well-being of other persons - even when they kill, injure, or oppress one another - for his would destroy His plan for our eternal progress." - DHO
This provides some interesting insight on how God reacts when His children do wrong, compared to how progressives react when something goes wrong. Enron is a good example. The fraud perpetrated by a few people had very bad consequences for innocent investors and employees. Progressivism was not satisfied with punishing the wrongdoers and seeking restitution for the wronged, as God would have done. Progressivism demanded more regulation to save the innocent from any chance of future criminals ever harming them - regulations applied not just to criminals, but to anyone attempting to do business. In other words, progressivism robbed all of us of some of our agency to do business, with the (false) promise that we won't ever be harmed by someone else wrongly exercising their agency.
This continues today, with progressives promising to save us from evil health insurance executives, bank executives, doctors running too many tests, gun owners - the list is endless. The promise of progressivism is that we will never suffer at the hands of any of these villains...the only cost is some of our agency. In exchange for just some of our liberty, we'll be protected. This is not God's way.
Finally, in the spirit of bipartisanship, I quote Elder Oaks quoting Elder Russel M. Nelson: "Real love for the sinner may compel courageous confrontation - not acquiescence! Real love does not support self-destructing behavior."
Let's all have the courage to confront our self-destructing progressive friends!
"Those who understand God's plan for His children know that God's laws are invariable, which is another great evidence of His love for His children. Mercy cannot rob justice, and those who obtain mercy are 'they who have kept the covenant and observed the commandment.'" - DHO
The "Rule of Law" is an eternal principle, and an attribute of God's plan. Enforcement of God's law is not subject to the whims of progressive experimentation. God's laws are uniformly applied, no leniency is granted to those who have donated enough tithing or befriended the right church administrators. In a just, God-like government, the penalty for cheating on taxes would be the same for senators and treasury secretaries as it is for the common folk. When our nation's founders set up a government where all would be subject to Constitutional law rather than to the whims of monarchial despots or the whims of pure democratic mobocracy, they set up a system that closely mirrored God's use of law. We are unwise to abandon it.
"God's choicest blessings are clearly contingent upon obedience to God's laws and commandments." - DHO
God does not "redistribute" those blessings from those who have kept His commandments to those who have not, no matter how unfair those who have not kept them might think their lack of blessings is.
"...God will not forestall the exercise of agency by His children. Agency - our power to choose - is fundamental to the gospel plan that brings us to earth. God does not intervene to forestall the consequences of some persons' choices in order to protect the well-being of other persons - even when they kill, injure, or oppress one another - for his would destroy His plan for our eternal progress." - DHO
This provides some interesting insight on how God reacts when His children do wrong, compared to how progressives react when something goes wrong. Enron is a good example. The fraud perpetrated by a few people had very bad consequences for innocent investors and employees. Progressivism was not satisfied with punishing the wrongdoers and seeking restitution for the wronged, as God would have done. Progressivism demanded more regulation to save the innocent from any chance of future criminals ever harming them - regulations applied not just to criminals, but to anyone attempting to do business. In other words, progressivism robbed all of us of some of our agency to do business, with the (false) promise that we won't ever be harmed by someone else wrongly exercising their agency.
This continues today, with progressives promising to save us from evil health insurance executives, bank executives, doctors running too many tests, gun owners - the list is endless. The promise of progressivism is that we will never suffer at the hands of any of these villains...the only cost is some of our agency. In exchange for just some of our liberty, we'll be protected. This is not God's way.
Finally, in the spirit of bipartisanship, I quote Elder Oaks quoting Elder Russel M. Nelson: "Real love for the sinner may compel courageous confrontation - not acquiescence! Real love does not support self-destructing behavior."
Let's all have the courage to confront our self-destructing progressive friends!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
What are we waiting for?
I posted recently a few of the many verses of the Book of Mormon that teach that liberty is God's way, and that overthrowing liberty is Satan's plan. Have you considered what it means that, over a thousand years ago, the Lord saw to it that a significant portion of the Book of Mormon would be devoted to Nephite politics? Have you considered why the Lord would include so many warnings of conspiracies to destroy their liberty, and include the direct and forcefully worded warning to us that "the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation"?
I posted a few verses from the Doctrine and Covenants. In the earliest years of the restored Church, the Lord saw fit to reveal to His followers that the Constitution was His doing, and that He expected His followers to uphold it.
We've been taught the doctrine. Modern prophets have repeated that teaching many times. We've quoted a small percentage of what's been said on the matter on this blog. So why are so many church members still on the sidelines when it comes to liberty? I don't know about your experience, but too many of my active-member peers can rattle off every top-10 member of every season of American Idol, but don't even know what socialism and communism are, let alone what the Church's position on them is.
Will it take an organized program in the Church to get everyone involved? I hope not...President Benson declared in the April 1964 General Conference:
"Maybe the Lord will never set up a specific Church program for the purpose of saving the Constitution. Perhaps if he set up one at this time it might split the Church asunder, and perhaps he does not want that to happen yet, for not all the wheat and tares are fully ripe. The Prophet Joseph Smith declared it will be the elders of Israel who will step forward to help save the Constitution, NOT THE CHURCH!"
(Thanks to True Politics USA for the quote)
We cannot wait for the Church to tell us to act. We have been taught correct principles, it is now our duty to "govern ourselves" and ACT on those principles. It is not enough to vote every four years...we have been commanded to "seek diligently to uphold" officials who support the Constitution. That is a full-time job, not a periodic one.
I realize most of the people who are reading this have already gotten themselves involved, and I'm grateful to know that there's that many people who have. But, it seems it's still a small percentage of the active church membership. We cannot wait for the Church to tell our fellow brothers and sisters to act; that responsibility falls on us. After all, "it becometh every man who has been warned to warn his neighbor."
I posted a few verses from the Doctrine and Covenants. In the earliest years of the restored Church, the Lord saw fit to reveal to His followers that the Constitution was His doing, and that He expected His followers to uphold it.
We've been taught the doctrine. Modern prophets have repeated that teaching many times. We've quoted a small percentage of what's been said on the matter on this blog. So why are so many church members still on the sidelines when it comes to liberty? I don't know about your experience, but too many of my active-member peers can rattle off every top-10 member of every season of American Idol, but don't even know what socialism and communism are, let alone what the Church's position on them is.
Will it take an organized program in the Church to get everyone involved? I hope not...President Benson declared in the April 1964 General Conference:
"Maybe the Lord will never set up a specific Church program for the purpose of saving the Constitution. Perhaps if he set up one at this time it might split the Church asunder, and perhaps he does not want that to happen yet, for not all the wheat and tares are fully ripe. The Prophet Joseph Smith declared it will be the elders of Israel who will step forward to help save the Constitution, NOT THE CHURCH!"
(Thanks to True Politics USA for the quote)
We cannot wait for the Church to tell us to act. We have been taught correct principles, it is now our duty to "govern ourselves" and ACT on those principles. It is not enough to vote every four years...we have been commanded to "seek diligently to uphold" officials who support the Constitution. That is a full-time job, not a periodic one.
I realize most of the people who are reading this have already gotten themselves involved, and I'm grateful to know that there's that many people who have. But, it seems it's still a small percentage of the active church membership. We cannot wait for the Church to tell our fellow brothers and sisters to act; that responsibility falls on us. After all, "it becometh every man who has been warned to warn his neighbor."
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The warnings of modern prophets
First, the words of an Apostle, spoken in General Conference, which we are taught means this is the word of the Lord:
"Communism introduced into the world a substitute for true religion. It is a counterfeit of the gospel plan. The false prophets of Communism predict a utopian society. This, they proclaim, will only be brought about as capitalism and free enterprise are overthrown, private property abolished, the family as a social unit eliminated, all classes abolished, all governments overthrown, and a communal ownership of property in a classless, stateless society established.
Since 1917 this godless counterfeit to the gospel has made tremendous progress toward its objective of world domination.
Today, we are in a battle for the bodies and souls of man. It is a battle between two opposing systems: freedom and slavery, Christ and anti-Christ. The struggle is more momentous than a decade ago, yet today the conventional wisdom says, “You must learn to live with Communism and to give up your ideas about national sovereignty.” Tell that to the millions—yes, the scores of millions—who have met death or imprisonment under the tyranny of Communism! Such would be the death knell of freedom and all we hold dear. God must ever have a free people to prosper His work and bring about Zion." - President Ezra Taft Benson, October 1979 General Conference
Second, an official statement by the First Presidency:
"We call upon all Church members completely to eschew Communism. The safety of our divinely inspired Constitutional government and the welfare of our Church imperatively demand that Communism shall have no place in America."
Third, the words of President David O McKay in the April 1966 General Conference:
"The position of this Church on the subject of Communism has never changed. We consider it the greatest satanical threat to peace, prosperity, and the spread of God's work among men that exists on the face of the earth."
Last (for now), a statement from Elder Dallin H. Oaks, just last month:
"Unpopular minority religions are especially dependent upon a constitutional guarantee of free exercise of religion. We are fortunate to have such a guarantee in the United States, but many nations do not. The importance of that guarantee in the United States should make us ever diligent to defend it. And it is in need of being defended."
"Communism introduced into the world a substitute for true religion. It is a counterfeit of the gospel plan. The false prophets of Communism predict a utopian society. This, they proclaim, will only be brought about as capitalism and free enterprise are overthrown, private property abolished, the family as a social unit eliminated, all classes abolished, all governments overthrown, and a communal ownership of property in a classless, stateless society established.
Since 1917 this godless counterfeit to the gospel has made tremendous progress toward its objective of world domination.
Today, we are in a battle for the bodies and souls of man. It is a battle between two opposing systems: freedom and slavery, Christ and anti-Christ. The struggle is more momentous than a decade ago, yet today the conventional wisdom says, “You must learn to live with Communism and to give up your ideas about national sovereignty.” Tell that to the millions—yes, the scores of millions—who have met death or imprisonment under the tyranny of Communism! Such would be the death knell of freedom and all we hold dear. God must ever have a free people to prosper His work and bring about Zion." - President Ezra Taft Benson, October 1979 General Conference
Second, an official statement by the First Presidency:
"We call upon all Church members completely to eschew Communism. The safety of our divinely inspired Constitutional government and the welfare of our Church imperatively demand that Communism shall have no place in America."
Third, the words of President David O McKay in the April 1966 General Conference:
"The position of this Church on the subject of Communism has never changed. We consider it the greatest satanical threat to peace, prosperity, and the spread of God's work among men that exists on the face of the earth."
Last (for now), a statement from Elder Dallin H. Oaks, just last month:
"Unpopular minority religions are especially dependent upon a constitutional guarantee of free exercise of religion. We are fortunate to have such a guarantee in the United States, but many nations do not. The importance of that guarantee in the United States should make us ever diligent to defend it. And it is in need of being defended."
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Modern Scripture: The D&C On Liberty
The Book of Mormon taught the principle that righteous people seek to uphold liberty, and wicked people seek to tear it down. The Doctrine and Covenants teaches us how the Lord established liberty for us, and gives us specific instructions on how the Lord would have us seek to uphold liberty in our day:
D&C 101:79-80
79 Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
80 And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.
D&C 109:54
54 Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of our land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever.
D&C 98:4-10
4 And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.
5 And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.
6 Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;
7 And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.
8 I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free.
9 Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.
10 Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.
I personally don't see the conversation going well for me when the Lord asks me if I sought diligently for honest, good, and wise men, if my response is "I voted for the lesser of two evils every four years." To me, "seeking diligently" to uphold good men in our government is a full-time proposition, not just an election-time proposition. In my experience, rarely do either of the two candidates offered for an office by the two major political parties fit the description of who the Lord would have us uphold. This is partially due to our own failure to heed the Lord's direction here. It is our responsibility to seek out better men for our government, and to devote our time, money, and other resources to helping those good men make it into office.
In this regard, it's already crunch time for the 2010 congressional elections. There's a broad range of candidates for most offices right now. We can't sit idly by now while special interests actively support candidates who are not on the side of liberty, then complain about our choices come next November. It is our responsibility to seek diligently for the best, honest, wise, and liberty-loving candidates now, and do whatever we can to uphold them throughout the upcoming election year. Maybe they'll win, maybe they won't...but we'll be able to look the Lord in the eye and tell Him that we did our part.
D&C 101:79-80
79 Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
80 And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.
D&C 109:54
54 Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of our land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever.
D&C 98:4-10
4 And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.
5 And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.
6 Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;
7 And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.
8 I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free.
9 Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.
10 Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.
I personally don't see the conversation going well for me when the Lord asks me if I sought diligently for honest, good, and wise men, if my response is "I voted for the lesser of two evils every four years." To me, "seeking diligently" to uphold good men in our government is a full-time proposition, not just an election-time proposition. In my experience, rarely do either of the two candidates offered for an office by the two major political parties fit the description of who the Lord would have us uphold. This is partially due to our own failure to heed the Lord's direction here. It is our responsibility to seek out better men for our government, and to devote our time, money, and other resources to helping those good men make it into office.
In this regard, it's already crunch time for the 2010 congressional elections. There's a broad range of candidates for most offices right now. We can't sit idly by now while special interests actively support candidates who are not on the side of liberty, then complain about our choices come next November. It is our responsibility to seek diligently for the best, honest, wise, and liberty-loving candidates now, and do whatever we can to uphold them throughout the upcoming election year. Maybe they'll win, maybe they won't...but we'll be able to look the Lord in the eye and tell Him that we did our part.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Ancient Scripture: Book of Mormon thoughts on liberty
The more I read it, the more amazed I become at just how much of it discusses Nephite politics.
The Book of Mormon teaches us with good examples:
Captain Moroni - "And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land." {Alma 46:13)
The righteous Nephites - "And now the design of the Nephites was to support their lands, and their houses, and their wives, and their children, that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies; and also that they might preserve their brights and their privileges, yea, and also their liberty." (Alma 43:9)
King Mosiah - "And now I desire that this inequality should be no more in this land, especially among this my people; but I desire that this land be a land of liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike." (Mosiah 29:32)
And the Book of Mormon teaches us with bad examples:
Amalickiah - "Yea, we see that Amalickiah, because he was a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them." (Alma 46:10)
The people of Ammonihah - "For behold, they do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people, (for thus saith the Lord) which is contrary to the statutes, and judgments, and commandments which he has given unto his people." (Alma 8:17)
The closing chapters of the Book of Mormon give a chilling warning spoken directly to us, today:
"Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.
"Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.
"For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil."
The Book of Mormon teaches us with good examples:
Captain Moroni - "And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land." {Alma 46:13)
The righteous Nephites - "And now the design of the Nephites was to support their lands, and their houses, and their wives, and their children, that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies; and also that they might preserve their brights and their privileges, yea, and also their liberty." (Alma 43:9)
King Mosiah - "And now I desire that this inequality should be no more in this land, especially among this my people; but I desire that this land be a land of liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike." (Mosiah 29:32)
And the Book of Mormon teaches us with bad examples:
Amalickiah - "Yea, we see that Amalickiah, because he was a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them." (Alma 46:10)
The people of Ammonihah - "For behold, they do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people, (for thus saith the Lord) which is contrary to the statutes, and judgments, and commandments which he has given unto his people." (Alma 8:17)
The closing chapters of the Book of Mormon give a chilling warning spoken directly to us, today:
"Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.
"Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.
"For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil."
Where are we now?
D&C 101:77-80
77 According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
78 That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.
79 Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
80 And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.
How do our political leaders feel about this? Listen to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (she is the next person in line to become President after the Vice-President, by the way...)
Friday, June 12, 2009
A Description of Communism...And a Warning
Think it's gone away? From President Benson's Ensign article, "A Witness And A Warning":
"Isaiah foresaw the time when a marvelous work and a wonder would come forth among men. Isaiah also predicted there would be those who would “seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us?” He saw the time when the work shall say of him that made it, “He made me not.”
"Who blasphemously proclaimed the atheistic doctrine that God made us not? Satan works through human agents. We need only look to some of the ignoble characters in human history who were contemporary to the restoration of the gospel to discover fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. I refer to the infamous founders of Communism and others who follow in their tradition.
"Communism introduced into the world a substitute for true religion. It is a counterfeit of the gospel plan. The false prophets of Communism predict a utopian society. This, they proclaim, will only be brought about as capitalism and free enterprise are overthrown, private property abolished, the family as a social unit eliminated, all classes abolished."
Ask yourselves: Do you see any popular political philosophies today that teach "God made us not"? Do you see any that predict utopian society by overthrowing capitalism and free enterprise? Do you see any that disregard private property? Do you see any that seek to tear down the family as the primary social unit? Do you see any that promise to abolish all classes?
Do you see what is happening in your country?
"Isaiah foresaw the time when a marvelous work and a wonder would come forth among men. Isaiah also predicted there would be those who would “seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us?” He saw the time when the work shall say of him that made it, “He made me not.”
"Who blasphemously proclaimed the atheistic doctrine that God made us not? Satan works through human agents. We need only look to some of the ignoble characters in human history who were contemporary to the restoration of the gospel to discover fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. I refer to the infamous founders of Communism and others who follow in their tradition.
"Communism introduced into the world a substitute for true religion. It is a counterfeit of the gospel plan. The false prophets of Communism predict a utopian society. This, they proclaim, will only be brought about as capitalism and free enterprise are overthrown, private property abolished, the family as a social unit eliminated, all classes abolished."
Ask yourselves: Do you see any popular political philosophies today that teach "God made us not"? Do you see any that predict utopian society by overthrowing capitalism and free enterprise? Do you see any that disregard private property? Do you see any that seek to tear down the family as the primary social unit? Do you see any that promise to abolish all classes?
Do you see what is happening in your country?
Monday, May 18, 2009
Divine Assistance Now
What will be the fate of the United States?
President Brigham Young: "When the day comes in which the Kingdom of God will bear rule, the flag of the United States will proudly flutter unsullied on the flag staff of liberty and equal rights, without a spot to sully its fair surface; the glorious flag our fathers have bequeathed to us will then be unfurled to the breeze by those who have power to hoist it aloft and defend its sanctity. How long will it be before the words of the prophet Joseph will be fulfilled? He said if the Constitution of the United States were saved at all it must be done by this people. It will not be many years before these words come to pass."
Members of the church, then, have the special responsibility to defend the Constitution from the constant barrage now levied against it. President Young's prophecy of the final destiny of the United States will not come about without tremendous effort on our part. Just as God's hand in a "lunar anomaly" let Paul Revere cross a river undetected to make his historic ride, His hand will be with us in our fight to defend the Constitution if we have enough faith to take on that fight!
President John Taylor: "When the people shall have torn to shreds the Constitution of the United States, the elders of Israel will be found holding it up to the nations of the earth and proclaiming liberty and equal rights to all men, and extending the hand of fellowship to the oppressed of all nations. This is part of the program, and as long as we do what is right and fear God, He will help us and stand by us under all circumstances."
It is up to each one of us to see to it that we are actively fighting for liberty rather than wasting our time on the sidelines.
President Benson: "This is still God's world...In due time, when each of us has had a chance to prove himself--including whether or not we are going to stand up for freedom--God will interject himself, and the final and eternal victory shall be for free agency...Time is on the side of truth, and the wave of the future is freedom. There is no question of the eventual, final, and lasting triumph of righteousness. The major question for each of us is what part will we play in helping to bring it to pass...Ours is the task to try to live and perpetuate the principles of Christ and the Constitution in the face of tremendous odds. May we, with God's help, have strength for the battle."
President Brigham Young: "When the day comes in which the Kingdom of God will bear rule, the flag of the United States will proudly flutter unsullied on the flag staff of liberty and equal rights, without a spot to sully its fair surface; the glorious flag our fathers have bequeathed to us will then be unfurled to the breeze by those who have power to hoist it aloft and defend its sanctity. How long will it be before the words of the prophet Joseph will be fulfilled? He said if the Constitution of the United States were saved at all it must be done by this people. It will not be many years before these words come to pass."
Members of the church, then, have the special responsibility to defend the Constitution from the constant barrage now levied against it. President Young's prophecy of the final destiny of the United States will not come about without tremendous effort on our part. Just as God's hand in a "lunar anomaly" let Paul Revere cross a river undetected to make his historic ride, His hand will be with us in our fight to defend the Constitution if we have enough faith to take on that fight!
President John Taylor: "When the people shall have torn to shreds the Constitution of the United States, the elders of Israel will be found holding it up to the nations of the earth and proclaiming liberty and equal rights to all men, and extending the hand of fellowship to the oppressed of all nations. This is part of the program, and as long as we do what is right and fear God, He will help us and stand by us under all circumstances."
It is up to each one of us to see to it that we are actively fighting for liberty rather than wasting our time on the sidelines.
President Benson: "This is still God's world...In due time, when each of us has had a chance to prove himself--including whether or not we are going to stand up for freedom--God will interject himself, and the final and eternal victory shall be for free agency...Time is on the side of truth, and the wave of the future is freedom. There is no question of the eventual, final, and lasting triumph of righteousness. The major question for each of us is what part will we play in helping to bring it to pass...Ours is the task to try to live and perpetuate the principles of Christ and the Constitution in the face of tremendous odds. May we, with God's help, have strength for the battle."
Saturday, April 25, 2009
A random thought on welcoming dictators
All the discussion that was going on last week about meeting with people like Hugo Chavez reminded me of something. Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union while President Benson was serving as our Secretary of Agriculture, came to visit the United States. President Benson said this about his visit during a 1966 talk at BYU:
"It may surprise you to learn that I was host to Mr. Khrushchev for a half day when he visited the United States, not that I'm proud of it. I opposed his coming then and I still feel it was a mistake to welcome this atheistic murderer as a state visitor."
It's amazing how many topics the Apostles have talked about, if you are looking for it...while I would consider it a statement of President Benson's opinion rather than a statement of church policy, it does give some insight into how he felt about befriending some of the evil leaders of the world.
I highly recommend watching the warning that President Benson gave in that talk:
"It may surprise you to learn that I was host to Mr. Khrushchev for a half day when he visited the United States, not that I'm proud of it. I opposed his coming then and I still feel it was a mistake to welcome this atheistic murderer as a state visitor."
It's amazing how many topics the Apostles have talked about, if you are looking for it...while I would consider it a statement of President Benson's opinion rather than a statement of church policy, it does give some insight into how he felt about befriending some of the evil leaders of the world.
I highly recommend watching the warning that President Benson gave in that talk:
Thursday, April 16, 2009
An attack on the Constitution
The US Department of Homeland Security recently released a report about "rightwing extremist" domestic terrorist groups in our country. I was rather surprised to read one definition in it:
"Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are...rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority."
I found that particularly interesting, given the tenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."
Why do I care to post this? I hope you recognize just how dangerous the idea expressed in this report is. Effectively, the most powerful law enforcement department in our government is telling law enforcement officers that people who believe in the Constitution are probable terrorists. Why would the DHS find the Constitutional principle of State sovereignty extremist? It is the Constitution that gives the federal government its authority, and it is also the Constitutionthat sets limits on the federal government. Government "by the people" can only work when the power of government is kept close to the people. Unfortunately, some very influential people do NOT like the idea of you keeping the power close to yourselves...They seem to believe it rightfully belongs concentrated in their hands. When the government itself considers people who believe in the principles of the Constitution to be a dangerous threat, can we doubt that the Constitution is "hanging by a thread"?
If my belief in State's rights makes me a potential terrorist, then call me a potential terrorist. I reject the notion that the federal government is superior to the states, and I am proud of the company I stand with in that belief:
Thomas Jefferson: "The true theory of our Constitution is surely the wisest and best, that the states are independent as to everything within themselves, and united as to everything respecting foreign nations. Let the general government be reduced to foreign concerns only, and let our affairs be disentangled from those of all other nations, except as to commerce, which the merchants will manage the better, the more they are left free to manage for themselves, and our general government may be reduced to a very simple organization, and a very inexpensive one; a few plain duties to be performed by a few servants."
James Madison: "The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce...The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State."
Ezra Taft Benson: "It is well to remember that the people of the states of this republic created the federal government. The federal government did not create the states." "I believe that each state is sovereign in performing those functions reserved to it by the Constitution, and it is destructive to our federal system and the right of self-government guaranteed under the Constitution for the federal government to regulate or control the states in performing their functions or to engage in performing such functions itself."
"Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are...rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority."
I found that particularly interesting, given the tenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."
Why do I care to post this? I hope you recognize just how dangerous the idea expressed in this report is. Effectively, the most powerful law enforcement department in our government is telling law enforcement officers that people who believe in the Constitution are probable terrorists. Why would the DHS find the Constitutional principle of State sovereignty extremist? It is the Constitution that gives the federal government its authority, and it is also the Constitutionthat sets limits on the federal government. Government "by the people" can only work when the power of government is kept close to the people. Unfortunately, some very influential people do NOT like the idea of you keeping the power close to yourselves...They seem to believe it rightfully belongs concentrated in their hands. When the government itself considers people who believe in the principles of the Constitution to be a dangerous threat, can we doubt that the Constitution is "hanging by a thread"?
If my belief in State's rights makes me a potential terrorist, then call me a potential terrorist. I reject the notion that the federal government is superior to the states, and I am proud of the company I stand with in that belief:
Thomas Jefferson: "The true theory of our Constitution is surely the wisest and best, that the states are independent as to everything within themselves, and united as to everything respecting foreign nations. Let the general government be reduced to foreign concerns only, and let our affairs be disentangled from those of all other nations, except as to commerce, which the merchants will manage the better, the more they are left free to manage for themselves, and our general government may be reduced to a very simple organization, and a very inexpensive one; a few plain duties to be performed by a few servants."
James Madison: "The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce...The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State."
Ezra Taft Benson: "It is well to remember that the people of the states of this republic created the federal government. The federal government did not create the states." "I believe that each state is sovereign in performing those functions reserved to it by the Constitution, and it is destructive to our federal system and the right of self-government guaranteed under the Constitution for the federal government to regulate or control the states in performing their functions or to engage in performing such functions itself."
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Thoughts on Conference
Naturally, since this blog is focused on how our religion and our country's liberty are related, I'll be writing about what I thought was related to our efforts to preserve our liberty...
President Uchtdorf's talk in the Priesthood session jumped out at me the most. He told about an airline flight that was headed for Florida. As the pilots prepared for their final approach to their destination airport, they noticed the light that should indicate the nose landing gear was down was not on. They started circling their plane over the Everglades while they tried to figure out what was wrong with the nose gear. While their attention was focused on that problem, the plane was gradually losing altitude. It eventually crashed, and all on board were killed. The investigation into the crash later found that absolutely nothing was wrong with the landing gear, but the indicator light in the cockpit was burned out. President Uchtdorf then spoke on focusing on what was most important (like an airplane's altitude, if you're a pilot), versus what is less important (like a burned-out light bulb).
I think we can easily lose track of what's most important in our fight to preserve our liberty as well. We often focus on winning an election, or passing some legislation. Some of these things end up feeling like playing a game of whack-a-mole (we knock down homosexual "marriage" in California, so it pops right back up in Iowa...) Those efforts are certainly important. But, the Lord's promises about this nation's liberty are clear:
"And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever." 1 Ne 2:7
In the fight for liberty, righteousness is what is most important. Even if we win every battle we fight on elections and policies, without preserving the righteousness of the people the war for liberty will be lost. This puts the responsibility squarely on myself: My first priority must be to set my own spiritual house in order. Without that, my other efforts will be of little consequence. My second priority should be to teach and encourage my friends and neighbors to make righteous choices. Of course, that will include encouraging them to make liberty-supporting (and therefore righteous) political decisions, but it also needs to include trying to lead them to make righteous decisions in other areas. If we don't stop the constant decline in individual morality in this country, our fight for freedom will be a losing battle.
President Uchtdorf's talk in the Priesthood session jumped out at me the most. He told about an airline flight that was headed for Florida. As the pilots prepared for their final approach to their destination airport, they noticed the light that should indicate the nose landing gear was down was not on. They started circling their plane over the Everglades while they tried to figure out what was wrong with the nose gear. While their attention was focused on that problem, the plane was gradually losing altitude. It eventually crashed, and all on board were killed. The investigation into the crash later found that absolutely nothing was wrong with the landing gear, but the indicator light in the cockpit was burned out. President Uchtdorf then spoke on focusing on what was most important (like an airplane's altitude, if you're a pilot), versus what is less important (like a burned-out light bulb).
I think we can easily lose track of what's most important in our fight to preserve our liberty as well. We often focus on winning an election, or passing some legislation. Some of these things end up feeling like playing a game of whack-a-mole (we knock down homosexual "marriage" in California, so it pops right back up in Iowa...) Those efforts are certainly important. But, the Lord's promises about this nation's liberty are clear:
"And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever." 1 Ne 2:7
In the fight for liberty, righteousness is what is most important. Even if we win every battle we fight on elections and policies, without preserving the righteousness of the people the war for liberty will be lost. This puts the responsibility squarely on myself: My first priority must be to set my own spiritual house in order. Without that, my other efforts will be of little consequence. My second priority should be to teach and encourage my friends and neighbors to make righteous choices. Of course, that will include encouraging them to make liberty-supporting (and therefore righteous) political decisions, but it also needs to include trying to lead them to make righteous decisions in other areas. If we don't stop the constant decline in individual morality in this country, our fight for freedom will be a losing battle.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Show Support For Religious Liberty
What do you do when your religious beliefs conflict with what your government demands of you? Most of us living in the United States have never had to worry about that. Unfortunately, some have...and it's going to get worse. Two examples:
California has a law requiring any employer who offers a prescription drug coverage to include coverage of prescription contraceptives in that coverage. Catholic Charities of Sacramento challenged the law on the grounds that their religious beliefs prohibited them from supporting contraceptives. They lost.
Two fertility doctors in California, Christine Brody and Douglas Fenton, both refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian woman due to religious objections. They did refer the woman to another doctor who performed the procedure for her. She sued them anyway, and the doctors lost.
Most of us do not provide insurance coverage or fertility treatments, so some might be inclined to think these events don't affect us. If you do think that, you are wrong. Why? The once-ironclad guarantee we had that the government could not "prohibit the free exercise" of religion is no more. In other words, one person's "right" to not be offended is now considered a higher legal priority than another person's desire to refrain from practices that are against his religious beliefs. Our ability to live our religion legally has become subject to world's popular judgment of whether those religious beliefs are acceptable or not. Considering that most of the "popular" opinion out there is that the LDS Church is a cult, I'm not optimistic about how many of my beliefs will meet the world's standards.
There is hope, and there is specific action that can and should be taken today. A new law went into effect in January intended to protect health care workers who act on their conscience. Unfortunately, there is already an effort to overturn this law. The Department of Health and Human Services is taking public comments on the issue through April 9th. Comments in support of the law can be submitted at http://www.adoctorsright.com.
Remember:
"Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square. Frederick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Williams Jennings Bryant, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King - indeed, the majority of great reformers in American history - were not only motivated by faith, but repeatedly used religious language to argue for their cause. So to say that men and women should not inject their 'personal morality' into public policy debates is a practical absurdity. Our law is by definition a codification of morality, much of it grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition." - Barack Obama, June 28, 2006
California has a law requiring any employer who offers a prescription drug coverage to include coverage of prescription contraceptives in that coverage. Catholic Charities of Sacramento challenged the law on the grounds that their religious beliefs prohibited them from supporting contraceptives. They lost.
Two fertility doctors in California, Christine Brody and Douglas Fenton, both refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian woman due to religious objections. They did refer the woman to another doctor who performed the procedure for her. She sued them anyway, and the doctors lost.
Most of us do not provide insurance coverage or fertility treatments, so some might be inclined to think these events don't affect us. If you do think that, you are wrong. Why? The once-ironclad guarantee we had that the government could not "prohibit the free exercise" of religion is no more. In other words, one person's "right" to not be offended is now considered a higher legal priority than another person's desire to refrain from practices that are against his religious beliefs. Our ability to live our religion legally has become subject to world's popular judgment of whether those religious beliefs are acceptable or not. Considering that most of the "popular" opinion out there is that the LDS Church is a cult, I'm not optimistic about how many of my beliefs will meet the world's standards.
There is hope, and there is specific action that can and should be taken today. A new law went into effect in January intended to protect health care workers who act on their conscience. Unfortunately, there is already an effort to overturn this law. The Department of Health and Human Services is taking public comments on the issue through April 9th. Comments in support of the law can be submitted at http://www.adoctorsright.com.
Remember:
"Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square. Frederick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Williams Jennings Bryant, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King - indeed, the majority of great reformers in American history - were not only motivated by faith, but repeatedly used religious language to argue for their cause. So to say that men and women should not inject their 'personal morality' into public policy debates is a practical absurdity. Our law is by definition a codification of morality, much of it grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition." - Barack Obama, June 28, 2006
Friday, March 27, 2009
Liberty vs. Debt
How often have we heard the General Authorities (especially President Hinckley) warn us that indebtedness is another form of slavery? They understand a simple truth: if we don't have economic liberty, then we don't have any real liberty. Hopefully you and your families have heeded their warnings and have gotten your own financial house in order as best you can. If you have, you certainly understand just how liberating it is.
Now, I must ask - is it enough for us to stop with our own families? I've done my best to stay debt-free, but am I really? I found this chart today, put together by the Heritage Foundation, that shows what will happen if our government's current budget plans are followed (tax increases and all):
So, in spite of my best efforts, am I really free? That debt in 2019 is equivalent to over $40,000 for every single man, woman, and child in America, including me. There will be absolutely nothing I can do to escape it. Have a family of five? Your share will be like having a full mortgage to pay without having a house to show for it.
I cannot expect to remain free if I don't live within my means. Can we expect our nation to remain free if it won't live within its means? There is precious little time to put a stop to this. We must demand responsibility from our representatives, no matter what party we or they belong to. We must DEMAND that our nation remain free, and that includes economically!
Now, I must ask - is it enough for us to stop with our own families? I've done my best to stay debt-free, but am I really? I found this chart today, put together by the Heritage Foundation, that shows what will happen if our government's current budget plans are followed (tax increases and all):
So, in spite of my best efforts, am I really free? That debt in 2019 is equivalent to over $40,000 for every single man, woman, and child in America, including me. There will be absolutely nothing I can do to escape it. Have a family of five? Your share will be like having a full mortgage to pay without having a house to show for it.I cannot expect to remain free if I don't live within my means. Can we expect our nation to remain free if it won't live within its means? There is precious little time to put a stop to this. We must demand responsibility from our representatives, no matter what party we or they belong to. We must DEMAND that our nation remain free, and that includes economically!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
A Better Option
It has been my observation that any time any problem gains the attention of the people of this country, the first and only reaction is: "What is the government going to do to fix this?" If our problems will ever be solved, we must start looking to a different source.
"Believe it or not, at one time the very notion of government had less to do with politics than with virtue. According to James Madison, often referred to as the father of the Constitution: 'We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of the government—far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.' ”
Where do we stand now? We stand at a point in time where the Ten Commandments of God are banned from the halls of our governments. We may firmly believe in our religion and in our rights to exercise our religion, but too many people, including too many LDS people, share the belief that religion has no place in government. The Constitutional text that was written to protect religion from government has been twisted to protect government from religion.
"In fact, the framers of the Constitution probably assumed that religious freedom would establish religion as a watchdog over government, and believed that free churches would inevitably stand and speak against immoral and corrupt legislation. All churches not only have the right to speak out on public moral issues, but they have the solemn obligation to do so. Religion represents society’s conscience, and churches must speak out when government chooses a course that is contrary to the laws of God."
If there is any hope for the future of America, it must be based on the morality of her people.
"Believe it or not, at one time the very notion of government had less to do with politics than with virtue. According to James Madison, often referred to as the father of the Constitution: 'We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of the government—far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.' ”
Where do we stand now? We stand at a point in time where the Ten Commandments of God are banned from the halls of our governments. We may firmly believe in our religion and in our rights to exercise our religion, but too many people, including too many LDS people, share the belief that religion has no place in government. The Constitutional text that was written to protect religion from government has been twisted to protect government from religion.
"In fact, the framers of the Constitution probably assumed that religious freedom would establish religion as a watchdog over government, and believed that free churches would inevitably stand and speak against immoral and corrupt legislation. All churches not only have the right to speak out on public moral issues, but they have the solemn obligation to do so. Religion represents society’s conscience, and churches must speak out when government chooses a course that is contrary to the laws of God."
If there is any hope for the future of America, it must be based on the morality of her people.
"If we would maintain the independence and freedom the Founding Fathers intended, we must work to preserve and protect the moral foundation upon which they built the U. S. government. We must stand boldly for righteousness and truth, and must defend the cause of honor, decency, and personal freedom espoused by Washington, Madison, Adams, Lincoln, and other leaders who acknowledged and loved God. Otherwise, we will find ourselves in the same predicament President Lincoln observed in 1863."
"Said Lincoln: 'We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of their own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!'"
"Let us resolve to make our own families truly free by teaching them that God holds us all accountable. His laws are absolutes; breaking them brings misery and unhappiness; keeping them brings joy, happiness, and the blessings of heaven. Let us teach our families and others the importance of moral responsibility based on the laws of God."
[Note: All paragraphs in this post that are in quotations are quoting M. Russell Ballard's talk, Religion in a Free Society, from the October 1992 Ensign. Like everything else I quote, I recommend you read it in its entirety.]Monday, March 16, 2009
Just how important is the Constitution?
"Next to being one in worshiping God, there is nothing in this world upon which this Church should be more united than in upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States." - David O. McKay, October 1939 General Conference
Sunday, March 8, 2009
A dose of optimism
For those of you who, like me, have been a little pessimistic about our nation's current course. This is also from God, Family, Country:
"Time is on the side of truth, and truth is eternal. Those who are fighting against freedom and other eternal principles of right may feel confident now, but they are shortsighted.
"This is still God's world...In due time, when each of us has had a chance to prove himself--including whether or not we are going to stand up for freedom--God will interject himself, and the final and eternal victory shall be for free agency. An then shall those weak-willed souls on the sidelines and those who took the wrong but temporarily popular course lament their decisions.
"Seldom has so much responsibility hung on so few, so heavily; but our numbers are increasing, and we who have been warned have a responsibility to warn our neighbor...Time is on the side of truth, and the wave of the future is freedom. There is no question of the eventual, final, and lasting triumph of righteousness. The major question for each of us is what part will we play in helping to bring it to pass.
"This is a glorious hour in which to live. Generations past and future will mark well our response to our awesome duty. There is a reason why we have been born in this day. Ours is the task to try to live and perpetuate the principles of Christ and the Constitution in the face of tremendous odds. May we, with God's help, have strength for the battle and fill our mission in honor for God, family, and country."
"Time is on the side of truth, and truth is eternal. Those who are fighting against freedom and other eternal principles of right may feel confident now, but they are shortsighted.
"This is still God's world...In due time, when each of us has had a chance to prove himself--including whether or not we are going to stand up for freedom--God will interject himself, and the final and eternal victory shall be for free agency. An then shall those weak-willed souls on the sidelines and those who took the wrong but temporarily popular course lament their decisions.
"Seldom has so much responsibility hung on so few, so heavily; but our numbers are increasing, and we who have been warned have a responsibility to warn our neighbor...Time is on the side of truth, and the wave of the future is freedom. There is no question of the eventual, final, and lasting triumph of righteousness. The major question for each of us is what part will we play in helping to bring it to pass.
"This is a glorious hour in which to live. Generations past and future will mark well our response to our awesome duty. There is a reason why we have been born in this day. Ours is the task to try to live and perpetuate the principles of Christ and the Constitution in the face of tremendous odds. May we, with God's help, have strength for the battle and fill our mission in honor for God, family, and country."
Saving the Constitution and Ourselves
The Book of Mormon and our nation's founders were in complete agreement about what it would take for our nation to remain free:
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. " - John Adams
"Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written." - Ether 2:12
In God, Family, Country, President Benson asked, "What, then, in this time and season may best equip us to save our Christian constitutional legacy, while at the same time rescuing our own souls?" Not surprisingly, his answer did not focus on elections or political agendas. He gave six suggestions (I've paraphrased his descriptions of his suggestions, but, as always, I highly recommend reading this on your own):
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. " - John Adams
"Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written." - Ether 2:12
In God, Family, Country, President Benson asked, "What, then, in this time and season may best equip us to save our Christian constitutional legacy, while at the same time rescuing our own souls?" Not surprisingly, his answer did not focus on elections or political agendas. He gave six suggestions (I've paraphrased his descriptions of his suggestions, but, as always, I highly recommend reading this on your own):
- Spirituality. Spirituality is the foundation upon which any battle against tyranny must be waged. This is basically the struggle of the forces of Christ versus the antichrist, so it is imperative that our people be in tune with the supreme leader of freedom, the Lord.
- Balance. A man has duties to his church, his home, his country, and his profession.
- Courageous Action. Today you cannot effectively fight for freedom and not be attacked. While we don't need to go out of our path of duty to find a cross to pick up, a man is a coward who refuses to pick up a cross that clearly lies within his path. A man must not only stand for right principles, he must also fight for them. Those who do can be proud of the friends they've gained and the enemies they've earned.
- Education. We are going against the greatest, most insidious propaganda campaign of all time. We cannot believe all we read. We must sift. We must learn by study and prayer. Study the scriptures, and study the mortals who have been most consistently accurate about the most important things.
- Health. To meet and beat the enemy will require clear heads and strong bodies. Let us take into our bodies and souls only those things that will make us more effective instruments.
- Be Prepared. We have a duty to survive, not only spiritually but also physically. Not survival at the cost of principles, for that is the surest way to defeat, but survival that comes from intelligent preparation.
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