Love vs. Fear

“They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace;” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:94).

We will see God in our exalted state and we will be like Him.  How different is God’s perspective today?  All things are continually before His face (“He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever. Doctrine and Covenants 88:41).  Can He see us in our exalted state, today?  Can He see others in their eternal state?  Can we see as we are seen, now?  Can we see others are they are seen, now?  Viewing the world through the eyes of God, now!  All other perspectives are shallow and baseless when compared to this exalted view.

How can we gain this exalted view while in mortality?  The Holy Ghost grants us access to the will of the Father. 

The adversary’s goal is to keep us from this eternal perspective.  When our perspective and desires leave ourselves we are freed from sin and this influence is thwarted.

Human Potential

Parting the sorrows

opens a door inside

the great gates of heaven

He speaks

you hide

He offers you eternal life

and power over sin

walk in His way

emulate His Love

death will never win

you will embode beauty

a multitude of rhythms

all set in motion with great attention and harmony

starting with a seed

then sprouting an elaboatly sculpted masterpiece 

continually harvesting a lovely array of emotions and ideas

all carefully carved to meet a standard of perfection

Zealots

Modern conservative movement is a movement to restore truth.  Our values, the values this country was founded on, the values that made us strong are under direct and unrelenting attack.  We are battling on 2 completely separate idealistic fronts.  We are in a sense, being surrounded.  Each assault is a blasphemous mockery, a vague transparent shadow of an eternal truth to be defended.  

On the right flank we have the group who are fighting to establish a government based on a single religious perspective.  They seek to impose their religious beliefs and subjucate the inhabitants of the lands they occupy.  These religious zealots believe that their way is the only way.  ISIS, Taliban, and Al Qaida to name a few.  We even have a few of these here at home.  Groups or individuals who refuse to lend their support on grounds of denominational affiliation and not on the principles and truths adopted.  We are divided while those who would overthrow truth and the God that created it are becoming increasingly united.  I hear of a need for religious revival in this country.  A greater need for spirituality.  Unfortunately I think this revival is still denominational in scope.  We need a uniting voice in the political arena that calls back the liberating truths of the justice expression of conscience.  All members of the human family who know they are accountable to God for every action they do or don't make, can and should united under the banner of the Constitution of the United States of America.  

On the left flank we have a group of people so far flattered by their own philosophy that they feel that they can do no wrong.  They are establishing themselves as a godless group who believe peace can only be achieved under a "new world order" where all people conform to "politically correct" principles.  "If it doesn't directly negatively impact others its okay. 

HOW ARE THE RIGHT FLANK AND THE LEFT FLANKS SOLEMN MOCKERY??????

We neither seek to establish a religous state nor do we seek to excuse away our actions of unrighteousness.  We seek to establish truth, mercy, justice ... the original american way.  We know, collectively, that we will one day stand accountable before God to render an account of our days in this life.  Our actions and our inactions will speak to the true person we are.  Not that our acts of righteousness can bring any merit to our stature for we are all beggars before God, but that our acts of unrighteousness can and will unleash the just displeasure of righteous Deity.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Edmund Burke

Covenants

Doctrine and Covenants 132:21-24

21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory

22 For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.

23 But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also.

24 This is eternal lives--to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law.

The Lord tells us that to gain exaltation one must follow specific guidelines.  These guidelines are thus:

Receive the law

Receive the Lord

Know the God (Christ and His Father)

So what is the law?  Baptism, the oath and the covenant of the Priesthood, the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage?  Yes, yes and yes.  It is all of these.  We are a covenant people.  We are covenant makers and covenant keepers.  Why does the Lord put so much emphasis on covenants?  Because in the ordinances (sacred rite/ritual during which covenants are entered into) the power of godliness is manifest.  What is that power of godliness?  Is it the power of God or is it the power to become like God.  I submit that it is the second.  In the ordinances we make sacred promises to obey the will of God.  What is the will of God, or His work and glory?  To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.  How do we do that?  By receiving His law, thereby receiving Him, thereby receiving all that He hath (see D&C 84 & 132).

Because there is a law irrevocably decreed in heaven from before the foundation of the world upon which all blessings are predicated and when we receive any blessing from heaven it is by obedience to that law upon which it was predicated.  This is a governing law of the universe.  For every law, commandment, word of wisdom or instruction given by the Lord there are prescribed blessings associated with obedience to the heavenly guidance.  To lay hold on these blessings, obedience is required.

The laws of the gospel, the covenants the Lord has revealed to us are flawlessly designed to mold us into perfected beings if we will but submit to them.  For the Lord will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver (see Malachi).  He will try us in the furnace of obedience, sacrifice and affliction.  This trial can be culminated into one phrase: obedience to the laws/covenants irrespective and in spite of ALL worldly influences.

By receiving the law (covenants; every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God) we carve a willingness to be directed by Christ in our hearts and minds.  In time and through practice, the will of the Lord is imbedded into our very character.  He becomes our Master.  He becomes our law giver.  At that moment we receive the Lord.  Our will, our desires and wants become His will, and His wants for us.  To become carnal, Adam and Eve had only to disobey one commandment, by putting their own pursuits above the will of God they fell (see D&C 20:15-20 (ish)).

When we have received the Lord, and have decided to allow Him to be our guide and our stay, we come to learn of Him, from Him.  Then in time, we will truly know Him for we will have tuned our lives to His and will have learned to act as He would act, to say what He would say.  We will know Him for we shall be like Him.  We will see as we are seen and know as we are known. 

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2)

47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.  (Moroni 7:47-48)

94 They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace;

95 And he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion.  (D&C 76:94-95)

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.   (1 Corinthians 13:11-13)

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What have you been studying?  Discuss the gospel truths mentioned.  See if they coincide with the lesson schedule.  Modify lesson as directed by the Spirit.

"We make covenants with our Heavenly Father when we participate in the ordinances of the gospel. When we make covenants, God sets specific conditions, and He promises to bless us as we obey those conditions. As we better understand our covenants, we will be able to honor them and receive the blessings promised by our Heavenly Father." (Lesson Quote)

What is a covenant?

"During the Lord's postmortal ministry, the higher ordinances of exaltation were revealed. He has provided for these ordinances in His holy temples. . . . Our Master is a God of law and order. His focus on ordinances is a powerful part of His example to us."

—Russell M. Nelson, "The Mission and Ministry of Jesus Christ"

D&C 130:18-21

18 Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

19 And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.

20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated--

21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

How do we enter into covenants? (Ordinances.  Through the Priesthood)

Why do we have covenants?  (To learn to submit to the will of the Father in an effort to become like God)

D&C 84:19-22

19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.

20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.

21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;

22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.

D&C 84: 33-39

33 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.

34 They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.

35 And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord;

36 For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me;

37 And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father;

38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.

39 And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.

What do we learn from this covenant?

What are the promised blessings?

Pair off, pick a covenant.  7-8 minutes and study it and apply it.  Teach each other.

D&C 132:21-24

21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory (What glory?)

22 For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.

23 But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also.

24 This is eternal lives--to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law.  (sacrifice, obedience, submission to the will of the Father and the Son)

WTO

November 1999.  Tensions were high and uncertainty certain.  Crossing the Sound aboard a ferry, a young man, reviews the tourist literature. - Walk-on passengers tend to have a longer, more leisurely ride as the ferry is a short yet scenic experience and walk-on passengers are not burdened by filing in and out of vehicles and waiting in long lines to embark or disembark the vessel. - Filed amongst the tourist pamphlets were some amateur yet informative packets about an event which would shortly occur downtown Seattle in the coming days.  The World Trade Organization (WTO) was having a conference/convention and it had a lot of people stirred up.  This packet gave some brief explanations of a few of the many grievances placed against the organization and a schedule of informative meetings to be held during the time of and in close proximity to the conference.  The young man previously mentioned, lets call him John, decided this was an education worth pursuing, at least in part.  Returning to town, John proceeded to consult with a friend who had in turn determined this was in fact a worthy pursuit and well worth the effort.  It was decided that John and his friend Eric would depart Tuesday morning in order to travel to Seattle for Wednesday meetings.

The time for depart came and Eric was unable to travel at that time.  Undeterred, John collected his backpack, boarded a bus for the ferry, alone.  The journey aboard the bus and across the sound on the ferry were largely uneventful.  After reaching shore, John caught a bus headed for downtown.  The bus driver informed John that the busses had been removed from downtown and were forbidden to return.  Requesting the driver to drop him as close to downtown as possible, the driver stopped a few miles from downtown to let him off.  It was an eerie feeling walking the streets of Seattle.  The once lively, active environment had been reduced to little more than a ghost town.  Vehicles were scarce and humans were all but missing.  About halfway on his pedestrian journey, John was passed by a young man and young woman carrying a sign and covered in pins.  Other than that, in his telling of the story, John cannot remember passing another soul before reaching downtown.

Late in the afternoon, the skyscrapers drew near.  Finally, on the edge of downtown, John turned onto 4th street (as he remembers it) to see an alarming site.  From its base, clear up to the top, the hill was teeming will people.  Groups of individuals lined the street.  Walking down the middle of the street he passed them all, slowly making his way to the top.  About halfway up the street he saw a most alarming and disturbing image.  A group of individuals, dressed in black, baring the anarchists brand, with faces veiled were burning an American flag.  Feelings of curiosity and wonder were now sharpened into alarm.  At the top of the hill sat a stage in the middle of the street with a group of individuals chained to it.  Just beyond sat three rows of protestors and immediately past them stood a row riot police in full riot gear.  Lining the entrance to an adjacent street stood an equally ominous looking barricade of riot police.

Time was far spent and light was failing.  At approximately 4:45 p.m., a young man mounted the stage to make an announcement.  He informed all those within the sound of his voice that the police department had given an ultimatum to vacate the area prior to 5 p.m..  He gave some very brief yet specific directions for the group to maneuver the streets down to the park where they would all disperse.  They would then reconvene the next morning to continue their protest.  A request was made for assistance in relocating the stage to the sidewalk.  John positioned himself at one edge to assist in relocating the stage when he heard a strange akin to rush, pressurized air.  Looking up into the darkening sky he saw sparks.  Immediately following, a loud explosive sound occurred immediately to his side as he felt something hit him in the cheek.  Recoiling to the side, a canister flew over head spewing a trail of smoke.  The entire area immediately erupted into a scene of chaos and confusion.  John felt herded down the street to the right of the one he came up.  Remaining calm, John raised his shoulders and lowered his head to protect the back of his head from any other projectiles and continued down the unknown street. 

It should be noted, unknown to John at the time, the city was plagued, earlier that day, by riots and looting.  Shops had been ransacked and property damaged.  Additionally, the unexpected advance of the riot police was most likely due to calculated disturbances caused by the individuals in black. 

About halfway down the block he saw a large bottle flying through the air.  The bottle hit its mark atop an urban riot tank.  His alarm had reached a new height as his senses seemed to hone to an acute awareness of his surroundings.  The air was saturated by what can only be assumed to be tear gas.  The smell of rubbing alcohol poured over fresh burning asphalt.  

Miraculously, he was able to maneuver his way out of danger onto calmer Seattle streets.  At this point, his mind turned to shelter for the evening.  He had learned of a "tent city" established elsewhere in the city as a safe haven for the homeless during this turmoil.  Unaware of how to navigate there John employed the companionship of a gentleman willing to lead the way.  This was a rather kind man, who provided simple conversation while guiding their path.  John's traveling companion, however, seemed to be troubled by some form of sinus disorder.  He was continually attempting to evict some unwelcome occupant of his nasal cavity, and quite violently at times.  He later found out that the unwelcome guest was in fact a small balloon containing heroine.  Additionally, John's companion was more than willing to share in this bounty should it become available.  Finding themselves at a convenience store, in which his companion needed to enter, John took the opportunity to take leave of his traveling partner thanking him for his assistance and companionship.

In a matter of time, he reached the tent city.  It was located in a quant little church parking lot.  Very kind and attentive people were there to assist those in need.  John was able to erect his tent in the parking lot and was even provided with some food.  Throughout the night he could hear a small TV conveying the news from downtown where individuals continued to confront police forces with primitive means.  Helicopters filled the night air.     

Save Ourselves

Have you ever been alone? Not waiting in the car while your mom is in the bank alone. I mean soul crushing alone. All influences in your life seem to be at odds with you and you seek to escape though the silence in solitude is defeating. 

Take a journey with me while we walk in the path of another. 

Who are you? 

Are you socially awkward due to inexperience and a poor perception of the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of others? Is your home broken? Are your parents divorced, or otherwise in conflict with each other and are therefore over or under compensating their behavior towards you out of their own insecurities or frustrations? Have your parents abandoned you through death, choice, or circumstance leaving you a product of the “system”? Are you the victim of mental, physical, and / or sexual abuse? Has your concept of acceptable, wholesome human interactions been destroyed? Do you experience same-gender attraction? Do you struggle with your own acceptance or the acceptance of others? Are you addicted to drugs, pornography, or other harmful stimuli? Are you depressed, insecure, or paranoid? Are you experiencing compulsive behavior or another mental disorder that you feel powerless to control? Are you “broken”?

These burdens follow you. Your behavior is modified by your perception of yourself and is reflected in your interactions with others. You find every excuse to leave your home. In the woods, at the park, at a friends house, on a bus, or on a train, you yearn to distract yourself. Mischievousness and folly naturally accompany your undisciplined exploration but only leads you into greater dangers. 

Social interactions are filled with confusion, absent of purpose, and consistently provide an awareness of your broken nature as you attempt to define normal. The innate insecurities of adolescence and self-discovery are magnified and compounded in you. Your peers perceive weakness and a lack of self-worth through your silence, poor hygiene, awkwardness, sadness, anger, or fear. In comparing themselves to you, they attempt to establish a quality or correctness to their life or situation. For some, widening this divide brings vain satisfaction as the attempt to suffocate their insecurities by feeding yours. They seek to crush you through ridicule, violence, social or emotional deprivation, or worse. You are abandoned.

Are you comfortable enough with yourself to withstand these assaults and attempt to find healthy relationships with those who are socially and emotionally mature enough to refrain from engaging in these activities? Do you know what a healthy relationship looks like? Feels like? Do you know how to reciprocate in such a relationship and be positive and contributing? 

No, you don’t. You put up walls of anger, humor, sarcasm, cynicism, or apathy in an attempt to mask your “broken parts”. You find other “broken” individuals who reject empathy primarily because they perceive it as a weakness in their emotional immaturity. They lack the experience to know how to respond to empathy in socially acceptable ways. You however reject empathy and joyful expectation because of the accompanying pain and disappointment of your personal narrative. You are withdrawn.

With healthy social and emotional growth abandoned, you seek to fill these basic human needs with corrosive counterfeits. Rebellion, with it’s deceptive sense of autonomy, leads you down forbidden paths of thrill seeking, drug and alcohol abuse, pornography, sexual promiscuity, and / or criminal activity. Substance abuse provides you excuse and masks your broken nature behind the guise of intoxication. You convince yourself that others believe that your faults are due to your substance abuse and is not rooted in your character. Self-gratification successfully masquerades as purpose, fulfillment, and happiness because you have either forgotten or never learned otherwise. You have lost respect for yourself and are therefore incapable of having true respect for others. You become a parasite, ever consuming, never satisfied. Engulfed in self loathing you contemplate suicide as your thoughts and memories mock your pain. You are alone, so very alone.

You become prey to other parasites who identify your weakness and know your capacity to defend is weak. Subconsciously acknowledging the baseness of your situation and with whom you associate, distrust is woven into your character. You can’t trust and therefore cannot be trusted. You are afraid.

Eventually you age out. At the age of 18 you find yourself standing face to face with a society and expectation that is foreign to you. Your rebellion, in conjunction with your broken home and other mental or emotional baggage, leaves you ill-equip to navigate the responsibilities of life. You have not been taught proper hygiene, commitment, responsibility, or acceptable inter-personal communication skills let alone how to find and keep a job. Not having an education, you clean up after people who do. After a few vain attempts at full-time employment, you find yourself without a job and evicted from your apartment. In a matter of minutes, you sum up your life’s accomplishment by identifying the indispensable items that will fit into your backpack. All other worldly possessions abandoned, you face the harsh reality of your situation. For a time, friends and relatives suffer your presence. They let you sleep on their couch, in their spare room, or in their car. Rarely staying more than a couple nights you try to move around and mask your shame. The day comes when you find yourself pretending to pass out on someones couch because you have no where else to go just to hear them talking about how they can get rid of you. You are unwanted.

Always on the move, sleep is elusive, and peace is a dream unattainable in your vigilance. You rest in the woods, propped up against a tree in the rain, eyes swollen begging the sun to rise. You spend a night in jail, comforted by a roof, a bed, and three warm meals which are affectionately referred to as “3 hots and a cot”. You hitchhike from town to town not knowing what to do with yourself and never staying long enough to be an identifiable burden. You rest under a bridge in the snow, or on the side of a hill. You lock yourself in a public bathroom cringing every time someone bangs on the door, occasionally daring to use the hand warmers when the cold becomes unbearable. You endure the pain of impacted wisdom teeth, a cracked molar, and massive cavities. You stay awake overnight petrified because you are stuck at a truck stop in the inner city and can’t find a ride. You rest under a bush only to be ejected by the sprinklers in the early morning hours. You stand in line to receive food you didn’t earn. Some people show you kindness, others do not. Through it all, you are alone.

What do you do? Without a residence, proper hygiene, transportation, references, an education, a clear criminal history, hope, or self-respect you convince yourself it is impossible to find gainful employment. Do you succumb to lawlessness to feed yourself knowing that the result will always end in you being fed, either by your thievery or by the prison system? Do you traffic drugs, or allow yourself to be trafficked for an inflated sense of security, to feel needed, wanted? Do you bare the shame and ridicule of panhandling or bread lines? Do you risk a shelter knowing that many people find it a source to prey? Do you accept your situation and join with those who share your fate or do you avoid those communities out of fear? You are defeated. You are invisible. You are homeless.

Who are you? Are you a product of your environment, of your choices? At what point did your situation become your fault? At what point could you justly declare, “I have brought this upon myself”? At what point does this distinction matter? At what point could you have been helped, preventing this horrific outcome? At what point are you beyond help, incapable of recovery and becoming a contributing member of society? 

What are you? Are you broken beyond repair? Are you humble? Are you teachable? Are you willing to change, pleading for it? Do you know how? 

Homelessness in and of itself is devastating. Limited access to health care in conjunction with a lack of adequate nutrition, sanitation, and hygiene compound the physical strains. Worse yet are the effects on mental health. Homelessness and its associated stigma of depravity erodes hope and self-respect. 

Many live in profound fear. Fear for the future, fear of violence, or fear of finally succumbing to the despair that incessantly plagues them. Living in these conditions is the antithesis of healthy social maturity and may significantly reduces their chance of recovery. 

When a dog is successfully rescued from a life on the streets, it is cared for and prepared in very specific ways. The animal is cleaned, fed, and given a safe, controlled environment. Medical ailments are identified and treated. Physically, they are made whole (as far as possible). This helps them to feel wanted and appreciated. Additionally, it removes any distraction from their physical needs. Social and emotional needs are addressed as the animal may display aggressive, distrusting, or withdrawn behavior. The animal is provided with opportunities to experience wholesome interaction and evaluated for proper rehabilitation and placement. It is taught (or retaught) typical expectations and allowed to experience the satisfaction of compliance and reward. Members of the community then petition the to adopt the animal. The rescue agency evaluates the applications then conducts interviews and home inspections. A family is selected which is then required to formally sign a contract committing to certain standards of care for the animal. After all requirements are met, they are then placed in the loving home. 

Are we no better than dogs? Can we not provide similar care and attention to raise a fellow human being out of the despair and destitution associated with homelessness and extreme poverty? Youth experiencing homelessness are in desperate need to know compassion, self-worth, and a true sense of community. Rescue those willing and able of rescue and in the process rescue ourselves. 

Regulated Charity

It has never been about what "I" am willing to give to another human being in need. It is about government regulation/intervention. It is about citizens of this nation being forced to contribute to welfare programs, abortion clinics, etc. without their direct consent (under threat of property seizure, or imprisonment if taxes are not paid).  

Charity should never be regulated. It must come from the heart. It must come from the individual.  Government regulated charity promotes double animosity and greater division in this nation. 

First (and I generalize to express a point) the citizen is forced to contribute his/her property to an organization (the federal government) which they have little to no control of how it is spent. They may then become embittered to the fact that their property was taken from them and given to another. In their eyes, who is the government to say that this individual was more deserving than the other? They therefore receive no conscientious benefit for providing the funds to the welfare system (for good or for bad, they should have the choice to be charitable or not). 

Secondly, when they are given a genuine opportunity to contribute to a just cause they recall their embitterment and say "I have already given and it is enough". They therefore condemn themselves for the second time.

We the People established this nation explicitly so we could pursue a course of life according to the dictates of our OWN conscious. If I choose to ignore the suffering of another and fail to give of my substance, that is my choice. Should I choose to subscribe
to that doctrine while enjoying full freedom to regulate my own affairs and property, (without regulated charity imposed upon me) then God would hold me fully accountable.

Politically Incorrect

One of the first and fundamental principles of a free society is self-regulation. The absence of discipline inevitably results in a higher authority imposing regulations/restrictions on those who can't or otherwise won't self-regulate.  The natural consequence of which is the entire body is burdened and stifled by a restriction on their freedoms due to the unbridled actions of a few. 

Unfortunately this dilemma is now pervasive in all aspects of our society. The financial sector, manufacturing, healthcare, food and drug, agriculture, etc. (to name a few) are now so heavily regulated that many of us now look to and depend upon these rules and regulations to keep us safe and informed (and yet they continue to fall short).  This dependency enslaves us to our governing bodies to whom we look for protection and to ensure civilization remains civil.  Now contrast that dependency with the fact that many of those within our governing bodies have become increasingly depraved and undisciplined. Our unwillingness to self-regulate has produced a governing body to mirror our lack of self-regulation.  In the principle-vacuum of unrestrained passions, we have created a government permeated by individuals who recognize our dependency and use that knowledge to pit our passions against ourselves. Our divisiveness is their job security. They have invented a "religion" and associated vocabulary which successfully excites the passions (primarily fear) they require to subject us.  These tactics are not limited solely to the governing bodies. 

If left unchecked, these unfortunate circumstances have only one natural conclusion; the exponential erosion of liberty into the unfettered grip of tyranny.  Self-regulation is the key.  We must consciously, and purposefully purge the corruption in all it's forms and occupations. 

Some of the most critical issues facing our nation today have been shrouded in the protective "circle of political correctness". The victimhood established through political correctness ignores the root by simply accentuating any related sensitivities.  When anyone from outside of the "circle of political correctness" attempts to address an issue, the sensitivities flare and smother the attempt.  To address these issues we must dismiss the need for offense and embrace a grass-roots cultural awareness that shifts perspectives and opens dialog.  Political-correctness does not solve the issues. It only serves to insulate them from the necessary treatment required for permanent resolution.  

For example, a man is ill-equipped to address the issue of abortion as the sensitivities of women's rights, and the historical injustices, prevent them from even broaching the topic civilly with those of opposing views. The slogan, "right to choose", trumps the blatantly obvious moral implications of said choice and pretends to equate it to a woman's right to vote, or to lead her life freely in open society. The only way to address abortion and it's implications with any hope of a civilized debate is from within the self-regulating community of women. 

Likewise, radical Islamic terrorism will not be defeated by force of combat. No amount of bombs and bullets will root out the ideology and practice without the complete erosion of all civil liberties and/or the genocide of millions. The same goes for any radicalization of religion. Unfortunately this tactic has been used and continues to be used. The only way to truly conquer radical Islamic terrorism is to start from within the community of Islam. The peace-loving members of Islam must stand up and speak out against the brutality. They must self-identify and weed out the hostility from among their ranks. This is the only way to combat this issue for the radicalized hide amongst the peace-loving while enjoying the quiet protection of political correctness. 

Many more issues of similar or greater magnitude effect us and our communities. We must all collectively and individually self-identify and self-regulate. We will all rise, or we will all fall, together. These issues do not exist in a vacuum, independent of all others, though the theology of political correctness would have us think so. 

For evil to prevail, they only need to discourage those who would do the right thing. It is never to late to do the right thing and I pray to God Almighty that we will have the strength and humility to act and not simply be acted upon. 

I Believe ...

I lived before I was born and I will live again after I die.

All mankind are the direct spiritual offspring of Deity.  We lived with God prior to coming to earth.  We knew God, our Eternal Heavenly Father, and He knew us.  We learned our first lessons in the realm of spirits and sowed our first seeds of character there.  The choices we made, prepared us to become what we are today and qualified us to receive a body.  We chose to accept and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.  We knew of His foreordained mission and sacrifice.  We chose agency, accountability and the opportunity for eternal progression under the direction and sustaining, cleansing, enabling, infinite power of Christ and His atonement.  We rejected the alternative of coercion and subjugation.  I was there and I was not alone.

The plan of coercion and subjugation was presented by Lucifer, a son of the morning, and subsequently rejected by God and His majority.  Lucifer and his followers rebelled against God the Father and His chosen Christ electing rather to embrace darkness and bitterness in the face of perfection.  One third part of the host of heaven (stars of heaven) were thrust to the earth to wander in misery until the day of judgement.  Failing to keep their "first estate", these spirits lost their opportunity to receive physical bodies.  In consequence, their entire existence is dedicated to thwarting God's plan of happiness for His obedient children.

Jehovah (pre-mortal Jesus Christ; God of the Old Testament; God of the Jewish nation), acting under the direction of God the Father, created / organized the earth and all things in it.  The earth was created during 6 creative periods during which time the majesty of this world blossomed in natural order.  Adam and Eve were placed on the earth, within a garden known as Eden.  After their spirits were shrouded in flesh, they passed through a veil of forgetfulness establishing a level of perceived autonomy from God and their previous memories.  This state of innocence was fertile soil for personal character development and self-awareness that could be achieved in no other way.  They were given choices and associated temptations.  They were given charge over the earth and commanded to take care of it, and to multiply and replenish the earth (commands in force today).  They were also told to refrain from partaking of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Satan, formerly known as Lucifer, through all his powers of persuasion and sophistry, convinced Eve to partake of the "forbidden" fruit thinking to interfere in God's plan for His children.  Following Eve's transgression, Adam likewise partook of the fruit.  

Contrary to Satan's ill intentions, Adam and Eve's transgression was a blessing for mankind.  For without their transgression, they would not have had children, lived the purging experiences of mortality, or the joys of personal growth.  In short, they would have been "damned" from their goal of eternal progression.  Mortal experience is essential experience in God's plan of happiness for His children. 

After yielding to the tree of knowledge, Adam and Eve's perfect bodies mingled with corruption.  This corruption introduced mankind's susceptibility to sin and death.  To combat this corruption and in harmony with God's plan and foreknowledge, a Savior was prepared.  Christ and His mission were revealed to man and they were commanded to look forward to the time of His coming and exercise faith in Him as if He had already come.  The Law of Moses, as it was subsequently titled, pointed to the coming of a Savior.  The ordinances and rituals involved highlighted God's love and His power to save.

During what is known as the meridian of time (approximately 4,000 after Adam and Eve's expulsion from the garden), Israel was primed for the coming of their Messiah.  The forerunner was announced and the mother of Christ was introduced through angelic ministration.  Jesus of Nazareth was born to a mortal mother though He was sired by the Eternal Father.  Jesus was quite literally the Only Begotten Son of God.  The powers vested in Him by virtue of His Godly Parentage gave Him power over sin, death, element, and earth.  His maternal heritage introduced susceptibility to temptation, pain, thirst, fatigue and other aspects of mortal existence, including death.  As with other spirits shrouded in flesh, Jesus pasted through the veil of forgetfulness though due to His perfect nature, this veil thinned quickly until He eventually came to a perfect understanding of His purpose and mission.  This perspective reveals the truly spiteful intent of Satan's temptations, 'If thou be the Son of God ...".  

Jesus was born as a man, lived as a man, and submitted to the laws and ordinances of the gospel as a man, though His mission, the infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice, was performed as a God.  For only a God of perfect unimpeachable character with mortal susceptibilities could perform such an act.  Jesus Christ suffered for the sins of mankind.  Likewise, He also suffered for their pains and afflictions.  Because of His exalted lineage, Christ was able to suffer and atone in a manner beyond human comprehension.  In the short space of a few hours, our Savior stepped into eternity and lived each individual experience as though He were physically present.  

Following His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ was tried before wicked men and crucified.  While on the cross, His suffering continued until it culminated in the Father removing His spirit from His Son, finalizing His efforts in mortality.  Following this, the Savior announced the completion of His mortal mission and gave up the ghost.  No man took it from Him, He gave it up freely as an act of love. 

He truly showed us the way for He IS the way, the truth and the life.  No man cometh unto the Father but by Him.  He bore our sins and carried our griefs and with His stripes we are healed.  He suffered pains, and afflictions and temptations of every kind, that He may be filled with mercy so He may know how to care for us according to our infirmities.

Sunday morning, following the crucifixion, Jesus the Christ, the Savior and Messiah of mankind destroyed the bands of death and emerged triumphant from the tomb.  His spirit and His body were re-united in perfect form never to be separated again.  Because of this, I will live again.  All mankind will rise again in the resurrection.  By obedience to the laws and ordinances of His gospel, we all have the opportunity to live with God and His Christ for eternity and through the sealing power of his priesthood, families can be bound together for Time and for Eternity. Jesus Christ is my God, my Savior, my Exemplar and my Friend.  He has shown me the way and through His atonement I am better than I could otherwise be.  He continually lifts, strengthens and perfects me proportional to my willing ness to accept Him and my obedience to His gospel and revelation.  Any errors in my life are the errors of a man.  All things good or commendable in my life are because He lifts me, He guides me, He empowers me, He enables me, and He covenants with me and everything good that I am is because of Him and done in His name, even Jesus Christ, Amen. 

I lived before I was born and I will live again after I die for I am a son of God.

Tolerance

Empathy yields to Apathy

as idle pleasures hypnotize

Twisted truth and controversy

narcissism justifies

culture lies

Apathy to Emnity

amid the humble cries

Their victory, a tragedy

united by dividing ties

compassion dies