335: A POWERFUL SACRAMENT TALK (that I wish could be given at General Conference)

A friend of mind recently spoke in his ward's Sacrament Meeting. He sent me a copy of his talk and I appreciated the things he shared. I asked him for permission to post it here. I wish a talk like this could be given at General Conference:

 

 

Photo taken at sunrise on the shore of the Sea of Galilee on May 11, 2010

 

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There is a parable in Matthew 13 that I think about often. Jesus said:

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." vs 47-50

Jesus gave many parables on this topic, and there are many statements about it in scripture.  The story is consistent – There are good fish and bad fish, wheat and tares, caught in the net of the Church. They are all going to receive the ministry of angels. The good fish will be gathered by the angels into vessels to be preserved. The bad will meet the angels when they return with Christ at his second coming (as Moroni said to Joseph Smith in 1823, “They that come shall burn them”).

The missionary work that brings people to baptism and confirmation is just a preliminary gathering. All kinds of fish are gathered in the net. 

What is conversion in the context of this parable?  Is it getting in the net through baptism? Staying in the net at all costs?  Studying the net? We talk about being “converted to the church,” and when people become estranged from the gospel of Christ we say they “left the Church.” Is it a good thing for the fish to be “converted to the net?” The net isn't permanent and it's very prone to wearing out and breaking up, so don't get too attached. God is willing and able to cast a new net whenever he sees fit[1]. Conversion here means following the voice of the spirit so that you are fit to be gathered by the angels and preserved.

To better understand what this kind of conversion, we can discuss its opposite. Let’s listen to Joseph Smith describe the fish who aren’t gathered out of the net:

" the servants of God go forth warning the nations, both priests and people, and as they harden their hearts and reject the light of truth, these first being delivered over to the buffetings of Satan, and the law and the testimony being closed up, as it was in the case of the Jews, they are left in darkness, and delivered over unto the day of burning; thus being bound up by their creeds, and their bands being made strong by their priests, are prepared for the fulfilment of the saying of the Savior--"The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."" [2]

The greatest condemnation here falls not on the unchurched or godless, but on the devoutly religious. Joseph says that in the last days it will be with the gentiles as it was with the Jews two thousand years ago, specifically among those with the right to claim that they are God’s covenant people, those of the holy city.  This group is to be severed from the righteous and bound to prepare for burning, but they are not bound physically. Joseph said they were bound mentally and religiously, “bound up by their creeds, and their bands being made strong by their priests.”

Webster’s 1828 dictionary gives us the use of the term “Creed” in Joseph’s time:

• 1. A brief summary of the articles of Christian faith;
• 2. That which is believed; any system of principles which are believed or professed;

A creed isn’t just a formal summary of belief, like the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, or our Articles of Faith. The creeds binding these people are the whole system of belief comprising the religion, containing truth mixed with error.

The scriptures have a lot to say about these people.  They tend to be:

• Very well-studied in their system of religion (Lawyers, business people, priesthood leaders)
• A key element in Joseph's description, seen all over the scriptures, is their trust in religious leaders, taking the current gospel creed defined by their leaders, the currently correlated system, as gospel truth
• They use those creeds to measure and interpret scripture, rather than measuring their system of religion against the scripture. They assume the religion described in the scriptures must be their religion, so they read that meaning into the scriptures. In textual studies this is called “eisegesis”, and in the study of History it’s called “presentism.”
• Like Laman and Lemuel, they will bear fervent testimony that they know their religion is true, and that their leaders are righteous and inerrant.  The scriptures have a term for their certainty that they are already right, and their unwillingness to be persuaded by reason – that term is “a hard heart”
• Like the Zoramites on their rameumptom, they tend to speak in trite cliches when expressing religious conviction, dwelling on the feelings of joy and peace they get from membership in the group. The thought of believing differently scares them because they fear alienation. Since they tend to alienate those who believe differently, their fears are probably justified.
• Like the Pharisees they become obsessed with appearances, dress codes, dietary choices and other patterns of behavior that signify membership in the group. This thick overlay of expectations becomes a meta-gospel, a hedge about the law, an unwritten order of things that they can use to police the boundaries of their group.  Culture becomes guidelines, guidelines become policies, and policies become a new set of commandments, as they teach for doctrines the commandments of men.
• Like the Nazarenes, Sadducees, Pharisees, Nephites, Zoramites, Palmyrans, and almost every other conceivable group, they become aggressive when people question or contradict their traditions, They even expel people from their town, village, synagogue or church who publicly question their creeds.
• Since actual conversion is impossible for institutions to measure, these people tend to focus on measurable outcomes as the fruit of their religion, including membership numbers, construction of a large quantity or high quality of buildings, religious rituals, and other data. Their logic seems to be “how could our beliefs be wrong when we built these awe-inspiring and lovely buildings?” If the kingdom of God is a tree, these are just leaves and branches, being labeled fruit. No matter how many magic markers you wear out in that process, you’re still just re-labeling leaves.
• They tend to enforce a system of priestcraft, where religious leaders become popular among and beloved by their followers, cease laboring with their hands for their own livelihood, and are instead supported by the people.
• As Alma 12 says, their certainty that they are already right allows them to be led by Satan, fully convinced they are God’s chosen people. They are in what Lehi calls “the sleep of hell,” and waking up is very very hard.

We shouldn’t get the idea that these scriptural examples were preserved by God only to condemn other Christian churches. After all, some of the strongest critiques of religious people come from the Book of Mormon, which primarily addresses those who will bother to read it: the Latter-day Saints[3].

Shortly before his death, Joseph said

“[There] has been a great difficulty in getting anything into the heads of this generation it has been like splitting hemlock knots with a Corn doger for a wedge & a pumpkin for a beetle, [That’s like trying to split a really stubborn log, but instead of an iron wedge and a heavy hammer you have a pancake and a pumpkin to smash it with].  Even the Saints are slow to understand. I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the Saints prepared to receive the things of God, but we frequently see some of them after suffering all they have for the work of God will fly to pieces like glass as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their traditions, they cannot stand the fire at all, How mnay will be able to abide a Celestial law and go through and recieve their exaltation. I am unable to say but many are called and few are chosen. [4]

Keep in mind these are the Latter-day Saints he’s talking about. These are the people that transmitted the religion we've inherited. They, like us, served diligently and met their religious obligations. They had to suffer for their religion, at the worst we have to clean toilets. Yet all that work doesn’t save them, nor does meeting our religious obligations save us. Their salvation and ours has to begin with true beliefs.

What about the fish who are gathered out of the net?  They are best defined in two ways:

      1. What they do differently, and

      2. How God responds to them

Here are some of their characteristics:

They are willing to be persuaded. They don’t become entrenched in their assumptions of what "must be so" and what “couldn’t possibly be”.   They do as Christ directs, and become like little children. Joseph said:

All those who are disposed to set up stakes for the almighty--will come short of the glory of god. To becom a joint heir of the heirship of the son he must put away all his traditions.[5]

Tradition has never been a good measure for truth. Some false ideas have been around since Adam and Eve, yet they are just as false today as then.  A false idea cannot save you, no matter how old or popular.

They study the scriptures diligently looking to get rid of their false religious traditions.  As Mosiah said to his sons:

I say unto you, my sons, were it not for [the scriptures] which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief, and we should have been like unto our brethren, the Lamanites, who know nothing concerning these things, or even do not believe them when they are taught them, because of the traditions of their fathers, which are not correct.[6]

Notice the use of the word “unbelief” to describe false religious traditions. If we don’t bother studying the scriptures, or if we treat them as second fiddle to our traditions, then we may as well not have them.  Treated properly, they can be a urim and thummim, giving us a view of God and his mysteries. Correct beliefs are the foundation for faith. The good fish understand that they don’t have a guarantee that anything taught over any pulpit (Sacrament Meeting or General Conference) will be true, and they need to know the scriptures well enough to discern truth from error.   

Having studied diligently to understand, they DO what the scriptures invite them to do, letting the revelations of God create their religion. Shortly after the organization of the Church, the Lord said this about the Latter-day Saints:

“And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—Which vanity and unbelief [There’s that word again] have brought the whole church under condemnation. And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all. And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written— That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion. Vs 54-58

This condemnation continues, according to Ezra Taft Benson. It endures as long as we rely on creeds more than scripture, To the degree that we have done so, we have inherited scourges and judgment, and there remains more to be poured out.

In all of this seeking, what they want most is further instructions from God.  They look to him directly as their primary source of light and knowledge. They read the scriptures enough to know that when Nephi says “feast upon the words of Christ”, he isn’t referencing the written word of scripture, but the living word coming to your heart through personal revelation. They understand that they are only reading accounts of others revelations to teach them how to obtain their own.  

The scriptural term for this mix of attributes is “Repentance”

So what is God’s response to these people who approach him seeking further light and knowledge?  If they bring forth fruit meet for the Father’s kingdom, he opens his kingdom to their view.  Since this is sacred ground I will let Joseph Smith’s words teach the doctrine:

June 1839 commentary Willard Richards Pocket Companion

After a person hath faith in Christ, repents of his sins & is Baptized for the remission of his sins & received the Holy Ghost, which is the first Comforter then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering & thirsting after Righteousness. & living by every word of God

 [Jesus says] “I will pray the father& he shall send you another Comforter to abide with you forever, reach to things within the vail, know that you are Sealed. I will not have you comfortless, I will come to you, abide with you forever, Seal you up to Eternal life. If a man love me he will keep my words,& my father will love him, & We both me & my father will take our abode with him.” when any man obtains this last Comforter he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him or appear unto him from time to time.  & even he will manifest the Father unto him & they will take up their abode with him,  & the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him & the Lord will teach him face to face & he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God,  The Father could not be glorified in the Son on any other principle than we coming to God, asking, receiving, heavens open, visions& c.--They are done away because of unbelief—… [There’s that word, “unbelief”, again!]

Lecture on Faith 6:8 It is in vain for persons to fancy to themselves that they are heirs with those, or can be heirs with them, who have offered their all in sacrifice, and by this means obtained faith in God and favor with him so as to obtain eternal life, unless they in like manner offer unto him the same sacrifice, and through that offering obtain the knowledge that they are accepted of him.

 It is the nature of our lives that we all must be offered systems of religion that allow us to fancy ourselves that we will be heirs with those past saints who offered their all in sacrifice, when we have neither offered the same sacrifice, nor received the same manifestation from God promising us salvation with and oath and covenant. We have to choose between that system, and the religion that redeemed Adam, Enoch, Noah, the Brother of Jared, Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Alma and his son and grandsons, and Joseph Smith.  If we wish to be gathered out of the net and preserved with them, we need to do what they did. If you want the blessings of Abraham, do the works of Abraham.

False religious beliefs do their damage by convincing you that you don’t have the same access to God; that you he will not respond to you as readily as he did to Joseph Smith; that you don’t need to know God to be saved; that your receiving these blessings depends on the unknowable will of God rather than your own repentance, or that you can delay that repentance until after your death and still be exalted. Any and all of those ideas will damn you.[7] 

In all of this, the thing that is most sure, most certain, is that God will respond to you as surely as he did them, with the same visions, blessings, manifestations, and promises, because he is not capricious. He is not arbitrary. He is no respecter of persons.[8] He operates according to law and his laws are eternal. You have the same privileges they had. 

R Sonntag - 09.21

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[1] “If Zion [meaning the gentile Latter-day Saints] will not purify herself, so as to be approved of in all things, in His sight, He will seek another people;” – TPJS p. 18;  D&C 124:32; D&C 101:43-62; JST Matthew 21; 3 Nephi 16:10-11

[2] JS, Letter, Kirtland, OH, to the elders of the church, Dec. 1835; Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate, Dec. 1835, pp. 225–230.

[3] We have always been busy defining creeds and imposing them on one another. The explicit purpose of the Correlation efforts of the Church was to define the system of beliefs that a model Latter-day Saint must have. Our whole curriculum is dedicated to that.

[4] JS, Sermon, 21 January 1844. Wilford Woodruff recorder

[5] JS, Sermon, 27 August 1843. Smith Journal

[6] Mosiah 1:5

[7] These are the false ideas that primarily concerned Joseph Smith as he observed them in the minds of the Latter-day Saints.  The revelations given to Joseph in the early 1830s promise great spiritual outpourings, visions, and visitations to the saints. The School of the Prophets was established in Kirtland to teach the Saints to receive these great blessings, thereby becoming prophets. The Lectures on Faith were the curriculum carefully composed for that school, and put forth robust arguments against each of these falsehoods. 

[8] Lecture on Faith 3:23  “But it is also necessary that men should have an idea that he is no respecter of persons; for with the idea of all the other excellencies in his character, and this one wanting, men could not exercise faith in him, because if he were a respecter of persons, they could not tell what their privileges were, nor how far they were authorized to exercise faith in him, or whether they were authorized to do it at all, but all must be confusion; but no sooner are the minds of men made acquainted with the truth on this point, that he is no respecter of persons, than they see that they have authority by faith to lay hold on eternal life the richest boon of heaven, because God is no respecter of persons, and that every man in every nation has an equal privilege.”

334: PRIDE: THE APPEARANCE OF GREATNESS

A new world's record was set in Salt Lake City for the most people dressed up in costume in a single location. No it wasn't at LDS General Conference, it was the fans of super heroes and comic books who enjoyed parading around in costume as they attended the wildly popular Comic Convention (ComicCon) last week.

During my lunch break I snapped a few photos of some of the people entering the convention.

Photo taken on September 25, 2015 of Comic Con attendee dressed up as Superman.

 

 

It is human nature to want to appear to be somebody more important than we really are. Many have a need for attention, some want validation, and others desire to be liked and popular. Most of us want to be accepted and needed.

 

It is not always necessary to "dress up" to look important, some use their verbal or written skills to use words in such a way as to impress others. People claim to be something more than they really are using their words. They exaggerate and inflate reality. Especially in this age of social media,  how we speak and what we write can have a profound impact on others. We can use words to influence and persuade others. We can easily deceive others if we want. Those who do so usually desire a following. They want to be "super" in the eyes of others.

 

I am currently reading a book and come across the following sentence, "When a man declares God's truth, immediately two others will imitate it, four will contradict it and dozens will deny it."   When one is asked to preserve the truth, few will hijack the effort and want imitate that truth and in doing so they set themselves up as a light. Others will counter the truth and teach their own doctrine. However, most will just deny the truth.

 

In the Garden of Eden, Lucifer used words to influence Adam and Eve. In the traditional narrative, Lucifer told Eve that she must partake of the fruit in order to become as the Gods knowing Good and Evil. He said there was no other way. In my opinion, Lucifer spoke truth, but he was hijacking God's timeline.  God told Adam and Eve that He would give them further instructions on how to proceed while in the Garden. However, Adam and Eve did not wait. Satan caused Eve to partake prematurely (i.e. enter into the "pass" too soon).  People who prematurely do things out of season usually experience "bitterness" or hardship.  Fruit is bitter when it is not ripe yet. If only we can be patient and wait upon the Lord. This is His Work and His Glory. If we do things out of order or before it is time, (even if we have good intentions) we might be doing things contrary to the Lord will and His timetable.

 

We need to remember and preserve all the light and knowledge we have received through the Restoration from the hands of the Prophet Joseph Smith. We need to live a life of faith and repentance that conforms to what Joseph was trying to restore so that the Lord can move forward the unfinished work of the Restoration. This is important so angels may take notice of us so that we may receive what we never actually got from Joseph since he was taken before it could all be given. Until we have first remembered and straightened out what it was that came to us through Joseph, we have no business going out in zeal. It is arrogant to reclaim things that have never been given to us personally yet. We need patience. If we act in haste, we will be muddying the water. Religious enthusiasm or religious fanaticism will never catch fish. A fisherman patiently waits on the shore to catch a fish. If the zealous and eager jump into the water prematurely with their nets, they will only cause the fish to flee and stir up the water.

Heaven help us to be patient, to wait upon the Lord and not try to appear greater than we are. It is His work and His Glory, not ours.

333: FOURTH and FINAL BLOOD MOON in the TETRAD

Tonight was the fourth lunar eclipse in the tetrad of blood moons. I observed all four. This final blood moon was a supermoon which occurs when the full moon is at its closest to the Earth. My family went up into the mountains this evening to see the moon rise in the east and then watch the total lunar eclipse. While many predicted dooms day prophesies, I observed the blood moons as a beautiful symbolic event. I love how in complete darkness and shadow the moon turns a crimson color but emerges out of the stained blood color into a luminous white color. Only through the redemptive power of our Lord Jesus Christ can we do the same.

Photo taken on  September 27th around 8:30 PM 

 

Photo taken of the emerging moon after the lunar eclipse on September 27th around 10:30 PM.

 

 

I thought this was interesting. Not sure it is true, but a fun fact in case it is:

 

When Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World, he brought with him an almanac written by a great German astronomer, Johannes Müller von Königsberg, known by his Latin pseudonym, Regiomontanus. The almanac covered the years 1475-1506. Regiomontanus' almanac listed upcoming eclipses of the moon.

On his third and final voyage in May 1502, Columbus became shipwrecked on the island of Jamaica in June 1503 and ran into trouble with the local natives who refused to provide food and water for his crew.  But Columbus also knew from Regiomontanus' almanac that a total eclipse of the moon was expected shortly after moonrise on the evening of Feb. 29, 1504, so he threatened the natives to cut off the moon's light.

 As the eclipse progressed, the frightened natives agreed to help Columbus ... if he brought the moon back to them. Since he knew when totality would end, Columbus told the natives when the moon would reappear. He had no problems with the natives after that.

332: FALL EQUINOX, VENUS and DAY OF ATONEMENT 2015

Three big events all occurring within a 24 hour period.

 In a few hours it will be the Fall Equinox marking the time when the balance of light and darkness now begins to favor darkness. Our days are shorter and nights will be longer. Darkness begins to overtake Light. The fall equinox is one of only two days each year when all points on Earth outside the polar regions see the sun rise and set at  due East and due West along the horizon.  Below are few photos from a hike that I took early this morning to see the last sunrise before Fall begins.

I also took photo in the dark morning hours of the planet Venus. You can see this symbolic planet between the two trees. Last night it was at its closest location to the earth. Venus is also called the Morning Star which is symbol for Christ.   After Tuesday, Venus will begin to dim as well as our nights will be longer and we lose about one minute of sunlight each day until the darkest and longest night of the Winter Solstice.

 

Also: At sunset today began the observance of Yom Kippur also known as Day of Atonement for those of the Jewish faith. It is the holiest day of the year in Judaism.  Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jewish people traditionally observe this holy day with an approximate 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer.

 

 

331: MORMON APOCALYPSE HITS NATIONAL NEWS

I thought this national headline story was interesting: link to article

 

Apparently Julie Rowe has created quite a stir. I haven't read her books, but apparently she prophesies the future. I think she has such a large following amongst the members of LDS faith because we so hungry to hear anything that sounds prophetic. It is interesting that we are so eager to believe anything that remotes seems like prophecy in the absence of no prophecy.

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330: FEAST OF TRUMPETS 2015

 This Sunday at sundown begins the Jewish Holy Day called Rosh ha-Shanah. (or Feast of the Trumpets). Rosh Hashanah customs include sounding the shofar (a hollowed-out ram's horn) and eating symbolic foods such as apples dipped in honey. Three years ago I wrote a blog post about the significance of these Jewish Holy Days that occur around the Fall Equinox. Rosh ha-Shanah is said to also be the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, and their first actions toward returning back into the Presence of God.

Joseph Smith received the golden plates on the Israelite Rosh ha-Shanah on 22 September 1827 after receiving 4 yearly visits by an angel beginning on September 21, 1823. On this day ritual trumpet blasts signify the issuance of revelation and a call for Israel to repent and gather. The coming forth of The Book of Mormon is said to fulfilling such prophecies.

This holy day is set at the time of Israel's final agricultural harvest, the day also symbolizes the Lord's final harvest of souls. Furthermore, it initiates the completion of the Lord's time periods, the Days of Awe, and signifies the last time to prepare for final judgment and having your name written the Book of Life.

(Sidenote: NASA’s website indicates a partial solar eclipse will occur this Sunday as well but it will only be visible in South Africa and Antarctica.)

 

Three years ago I took the below photo at the open house of the Brigham City Temple.

The temple was dedicated on September 23, 2012.

Joel 2:1, 15, 32

"Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.


Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly.... 16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.


And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.




Photo taken of the surnrise on September 13th, 2015




Photo taken on September 13th, 2015 of the mountain we hiked to listen to the blowing of the Shofar

Photo of the sunset on September 13th, 2015 of the sunset.






Photo taken on September 13th, 2015 symbolic of blowing the shofar.

 

329: BUILDING "ZION" ONE HIGH RISE and ONE METROPOLIS AT A TIME.

 Over a year ago I posted that the Church was expanding their multi billion dollar City

Creek project in downtown Salt Lake. Along with the shopping mall (City Creek Center) and upscale apartments (The Regent), the high rise office building called 111 Main will be one of the tallest buildings in Salt Lake. Here is live camera feed in case you want to track the progress of the construction: http://www.111mainslc.com/progress/

Here is the latest rendition of what this office tower will look like . In my opinion, Downtown Salt Lake is looking more and more like Las Vegas.

In addition to all of the building projects in Salt Lake City, the Church has announced their plans to  build a metropolis city with a population of 500,000. I know this is old news for some, but here is the link in case you haven't seen it:

http://www.sltrib.com/news/2709720-155/paul-rolly-mormon-church-moves-to

That is like building a city the size of Denver Colorado with their population of 557,917

 

OR building four of the largest cities in Utah into one jumbo metropolis. Here are the highest population numbers of Utah's cities:

Salt Lake City population: 186,440
West Valley City population: 129,480
Provo population: 112,488
West Jordan population: 103,712

 

One might not bat an eye if this huge building development project was in Jackson County.. but no.. it is in Florida near Disneyworld. Go figure.

You know, I think the Lord would be just as happy if we used our Church income to feed the poor and clothe the naked instead of skyscrapers and sprawling metropolis that mostly would not welcome the homeless and hungry.

 

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Sidenote:

This past weekend we had a General Authority come to our Stake Conference. By profession this Seventy is a lawyer and lives in Utah County. He asked for questions and  answered them in the Saturday Afternoon Leadership meeting.  One of the questions was about the Church's decision to remain in the Boy Scouts. Here is a transcript of how he answered the question:

"The bigger issue came last summer when the decision was made by the Boy Scouts to admit open and avowed, meaning practicing and "in the open about it" gay leaders to scouting. Now within Scout troops, within our troops, if that were to happen, I think everyone would agree that would decimate our young men’s program in what we are trying to teach our young men and the doctrine found in the Proclamation that we have, about when sex should occur and between who sex should occur.

So when the Scout did what they did, the first thing the Church did was it issued a statement from the senior leaders saying, “We are deeply troubled, we need to take a look at this”.

They have taken a look at this and you saw the announcement that came out this past week. The announcement said three things, and I am paraphrasing. If you haven’t read it, read it, don’t let the press read it for you, don’t let the blogs read it for you. Get on and read it for yourself. It says three things. It says scouting has a great history and has produced great young men and the ideals of scouting are very much to be held up as great goals. 

It says second, and I am quoting here three words exactly, at this time, the Church will remain with scouting so long as it can choose it’s own leaders within its own troops, and those leaders reflect the values the Church has. 

And three, the Church will continue to consider how to deal with its youth programs that are now international. The Church is now in over a hundred countries, and Boy Scouts program are for two of them, the US and Canada, and the Church will continue to evaluate how the Church can best serve them. That is the statement. No one goes beyond that statement. 

That is the statement of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve. No Seventy has any authority to go beyond that statement and that would be a very foolish thing to do. 

So I will just say this, if you think why we have prophets, seers and revelators.. why the Lord gave them to us...the reason is they get to see whats behind the corners from time to time.. where the rest of us can’t see. By definition the word 'seer' is to peer into the future and see what is going to happen. In our Church we have always had great reliance and testimony of their ability to do that. You all have and I don’t know why you would stop now. Prophets, seers and revelators have carefully looked into this issue and they have determined that at this time, we will remain in scouting so long as we can choose our leaders while we evaluate our options or other alternatives. 

I don’t know why anyone would want to question that as a good member of the Church other than to say I am so grateful that we have Prophets, Seers, and Revelators and I hope they keep being Prophets, Seers and Revelators."

328: SIGNS FROM NATURE

Yesterday I hiked up to a mountain peak. There was a dark black haze of smoke from all of the fires from the Northwest which caused the sunrise to look red. Interesting to see everything that is happening in our country.

In addition, I thought this was interesting: The video is entitled: Something strange is happening with the United States'  rainfall. Here is the link:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/wonder/something-strange-is-happening-with-us-rainfall/vi-BBlKxhx

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Sidenote:
On my hike on Sunday, a hawk flew within 20 feet of my head. It was a beautiful site. Luckily I had my camera out and was able to take a few photos. the last photo you can actually see the Hawks' Eye. I did a little research for those who are a little more sophisticated than me (advice that was recently given to me by someone who left a comment on my last post) Hawks have four types of colour receptors in the eye. These give birds the ability to perceive not only the visible range but also the ultraviolet part of the spectrum. Humans are unable to come close to (The retina of the hawks has up to 1,000,000 photoreceptors per square mm compared to 200,000 for humans), With this exceptional number of nerves connecting these receptors to the brain, a hawk is able to see most things that humans can't.

 

 

 

Speaking about things that fly. I happened to read this article about an infestation of bats at the MTC. Here is the link:

http://www.ldsdaily.com/world/bat-infestation-forces-600-sister-missionaries-out-of-mtc/

 

 

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Random suggestion:  Our family just saw the movie, The Cokeville Miracle. The movie depicts the Wyoming elementary school bombing that occured on May 16, 1986. In the small ranching community of Cokeville, David and Doris Young took an elementary school hostage for several hours before detonating a bomb inside a single classroom that held every teacher and student in the school. (136 children, 6 faculty, 9 teachers, and 3 other adults, including a job applicant and a UPS driver for a total of 154 hostages.) The only ones to die from the explosion were the Youngs. All 154 hostages lived even though half of the survivors suffered injuries, mostly flash burns and other injuries from the exploding bomb. Several children reported seeing angels in the classroom that day, including many children who claimed to have seen a "beautiful lady" who told them to go near the window.  A line from the movie that is repeated is “It's too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence.”

327: STATUES OF IDOLATRY?

Mankind is inclined toward idolatry. People turn from following Christ to following men whenever attention is drawn to a man.  We build monuments to immortalize men who have acquired power on this earth. Statues in bronze and marble enshrine images of men who are considered supreme leaders in their country.. Larger than life statues are placed in public city squares for all to see. While many will say these statues help us to remember and pay tribute to these men, it actually  is a form of idolatry. Often great men are made into idols. That is not what is to happen. It is even more of a perversion for men to set themselves up as idols, to be followed as if they were God.

Left: The statue of Lenin in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine.  Right: The statue of Kim Il-Sung in the capital Pyongyang.

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The socialist and communist countries are not the only countries who build large statues of prominent men and place them in the middle of their city squares. It is not uncommon to see statues of men here in the USA. Below is one in my own city of Salt Lake.

 

 

Photo taken on August 14, 2015

 

I recently told my friend of a historic photograph that I saw hanging on a wall in downtown Salt Lake. It is a photo of a triumphant archway that was built in the early 1900's that frame this large statue of Brigham Young. It was called the No Ni Shee Arch. Here is a photo I took of it.

When I mentioned this photograph,  my friend told me about a book called Pioneer Prophet written by John G Turner. My friend shared with me the following:

The author Turner concludes that there were two sides to Brigham Young.  

The first Brigham was a great missionary and a loyal friend and ally to Joseph Smith. When church members and even church leaders were apostatizing in great numbers in the later Kirtland years, Brigham fiercely defended Joseph and his status as a prophet.
 
The death of Joseph Smith ushered in the era of what Turner characterizes as "The second Brigham". This Brigham wrested control over the church as the senior most member of the Quorum of the Twelve and became quite comfortable, even consumed, with the power that he had claimed for himself. As charismatic as he was autocratic, he was viewed by his followers as an indispensable protector and by his opponents as a theocratic, treasonous heretic. During the reformation of 1850's George D. Watt, a church clerk from Provo, said the following, "Brigham Young is an absolute monarch and it is his right to be so...if Brother Brigham tells us to do anything we should not question his right to dictate to us in every thing." (This represents a stark contradiction to and departure from the doctrine that Joseph Smith taught - which is to teach the people correct principles and let them govern themselves.)

 Additionally, the manner of Joseph’s death had made this second Brigham paranoid about what could happen to him, and so he used his power and influence to inspire a culture that accepted his word as law, no questions asked. For instance, in December 1846, he said to the members of their camp: "You must stop your backbitings, speaking evil of the twelve, speaking evil of me...Or you will be damned." He reminded the Saints numerous times that dissent has caused their first prophet his life and he would not tolerate it in any form whatsoever. On one occasion he said, "Brother Joseph, being a very merciful man bore with these things until it took his life, but I will not do it." This culture of absolute obeisance created by Young had dire consequences for those who dissented or disagreed, and had fatal consequences for the victims of the Mountain Meadows massacre, an event that was the product of the vengeful iterations of Young and other church leaders and possibly by the doctrine of blood atonement as taught by Brigham Young (although Brigham Young did not authorize the massacre, he is in part responsible because of the culture that he created). 

.....

Brigham Young died on August 29, 1877. Sixteen years later a twenty five foot monument was build and placed on the Southeast corner of  the Salt Lake Temple. Without a doubt, Brigham Young did some amazing things for the LDS Church. He has been called the Modern Day Moses.

However, I don't think the Israelites would have erected a larger than life statue of Moses and placed it on the South East corner of their temple in Jerusalem. If they did, we would think of them as idolaters. Not sure what the Lord would have done since He wasn't very happy with them building a small golden calf.



In the Book of Mormon, Nephi's brother Jacob said, "Yea, who unto those that worship idols, for the devil of all devils delighteth in them." (2 Ne. 9: 38.) That is why we are never to allow any man or group of men to get between us and God. God alone is worthy of worship. If you put another man or institution between you and God, you are the delight of the devil of all devils, for he has made you his.

326: EXCESSIVE TIME AND TITHING MONEY SPENT

Tomorrow is the 24th of July.

 For those who live outside of Utah, the 24th of July (Pioneer Day) is celebrated to mark the day in 1847 when Brigham Young led the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley.  One of the largest and most important events of this "holiday" is the parade on South Temple in downtown Salt Lake City.

The 24th of July parade was first held on July 24, 1849. It was then known as the "Pioneer Days Parade" up until 1931. From 1931 to 1946 the parade was known as the "Covered Wagon Days Parade". Since 1947, the parade has been known by its current name Days of 47 parade. This parade began as a simple remembrance of the pioneers trek to Utah with those with pioneer heritages rode in covered wagons down main street.  Today it has now become over a 3 hour long parade with beauty queens, governments officials riding on the back of expensive convertibles and businesses using it as a form of advertising. Also, the President of the Church, the prophet rides at the beginning of the parade and waves to the parade goers. Last year, I think President Monson was too ill and President Uchtdorf filled in for him. He is always a crowd pleaser.

For those who are not aware, the Church gives the assignment to 40 different Stakes and Wards to design, create and build floats for the parade each year. The Church gives each Stake tithing money to be used to build the float. Our stake was given a budget of 6000.00 dollars to build ours. The costs of some of floats range from $5,000 to $30,000 depending on the level of intricacy in decorations (I think the Church caps how much the Stake can use for the float.. but many members with financial means are known to donate some of their own money). Even if each ward stays under their budget, when you times 6000.00 dollars by 40 stakes.. that is close to a quarter of a million dollars. It is not for me to judge, but I wonder if our tithing money could be spent helping those in need.. instead of decorating the streets of Salt Lake for a 3 hour parade.

Putting the aside the tithing money used to create these floats adorned with dragons, giant octopus and whales to commemorate our proud pioneer heritage; the time spent to create these floats, and in my opinion once again, could be better spent serving others. Our Stake Chairman personally told me that he alone spent over 300 hours working on our float. Combined with all of the committee members from our stake, I would estimate we spent over 500 hours working on our float. Instead of working on our Stake Float for the parage, we could have helped hundreds of people in our neighborhood who are in desperate need of help.

In case you will miss the parade tomorrow, I took a few photographs of all of the floats for this years parade.




 Below is the float for Brigham Young University.  Instead of the oxen pulling the covered wagons, the float depicts a pair of cougars, the BYU school mascot at the helm.

BTW: Please notice the misspelling of the word Education. ( It reads: Educaton.. instead of Education.) Whoops.. of all the words to misspell.

Here is one more float promoting a Temple Challenge to do more Family History Work.

Anyway, I could share more photographs of more of the floats, but I didn't want to "rain on anyone's parade" and spoil the surprise for those planning on attending the parade tomorrow.

I did think this one below was well done. The pioneer man stands about 9 feet tall to give you an idea on scale and the sculptures on the float.

325: CONJUNCTION OF VENUS AND JUPITER

 Some called the conjunction of the two brightest planets Venus and Jupiter last night on June 30, 2015 as a resemblance of the biblical 'Star of Bethlehem'. A very similar conjunction of these two planets apparently occurred in the month of June in 2 BC. Many have said that the conjunction of these two planets was the sign of the conception of Christ. The planet Jupiter (which is the male symbol of the Father) actually appeared to come into contact with Venus (the female symbol of the Virgin Mary). After sunset, both of these planet “joined” and descended to the earth after sunset.  

I had been watching these two planets for days getting closer and closer in the clear evening skies above Salt Lake. The weather forecast for the “conjunction” last night was not favorable for star gazing with the increasing clouds and a storm blowing in around 9:00 PM. I didn’t think it was going to be possible to see the two planets come within a moon’s width, which is "very rare". However, a miracle happened and a small window in the clouds allowed me to take a few photos. 

 

Photo taken on June 30, 2015 from my office in downtown Salt Lake.
In the center of the photo is the bright star Venus and Jupiter just abvoe and to the right of Venus.
It might be hard to see in the small photo, but it is the "white speck" in the center of the photo.

photo taken on June 30, 2015 of the planets Venus and Jupiter using my camera's zoom lens.

324: DARKNESS BEGINS TO TRIUMPH OVER LIGHT

A week ago today was the summer solstice.  This week is the beginning when darkness begins to triumph over light. For the next six months, we will gradually lose more and more light each day. It will be three months before we get around to the time of the autumnal equinox, when darkness catches up to light and there is a brief point of balance between the two extremes. After the fall equinox, darkness will be greater than light up until the winter solstice on December 21st. After the winter solstice, light begins to triumph over darkness.

Some could point out that less than positive things have happened during the week of the summer solstice while good things happen in December. The summer solstice was at the time when Joseph Smith was killed, while it was the winter solstice when Joseph Smith was born.

This has been a historic week. On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued the long-awaited ruling giving same-sex couples the right to marry in all 50 states.

The White House, the symbol of our nation's Leadership,  was lit with the colors of the rainbow Friday night in honor of the Court’s ruling that marriage equality is a constitutional right throughout the country. “Tonight, the White House was lit to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to progress and equality, here in America and around the world,” the White House said in a statement.

Many other landmarks were illuminated in gay-pride colors overnight including the spire of the 1,776-foot World Trade Center, Niagara Falls, and several city halls, including San Francisco’s and Denver’s.   Here is a link to a blog post about these colors usurped from a sacred covenant symbol.

The White House on June 26, 2015

 

The newly rebuilt World Trade Center in New York City

 



The "legalized' family structure has forever been changed in our country. Heaven Help Us.
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Sidenote: (A belated Happy Father's Day 2015 post)


A couple of days before Father's Day, I followed a family of Canadian Geese in our neighborhood. I enjoyed watching this daddy Gander teach his seven little goslings. Below are a few photos of this Dad teaching his children to walk, swim and then eventually fly.  We can learn a lot from observing nature and God's creations. Canada Geese, like swans, are monogamous and they mate for life. They raise and protect their young together and also protect each other throughout their lives. When a Canada Goose loses its mate or eggs, they have been observed to mourn. They may remove themselves from the flock and stay by themselves and swim around in despair honking mournfully. Canada Geese are extremely devoted and  look out for each other. When a mate is injured or dying, its partner will stay with them, even if the flock is moving on. Adults begin communicating with their young while they are still in the egg. When migrating they honk encouragement to each other, and indicate directions.

Teach me to walk:



photo taken of a family of Canadian Geese in our neighbors yard.

 

Teach me to walk in the light of his love;

Teach me to pray to my Father above;

Teach me to know of the things that are right;

Teach me, teach me to walk in the light.

 

Teach me to Swim:

 

photo taken of the same family of Canadian Geese in river behind our neighbors yard. 

 

Come, little child, and together we'll learn

Of his commandments, that we may return

Home to his presence, to live in his sight--

Always, always to walk in the light.

 

Teach me to Fly:

 

photo taken of the same family of Canadian Geese near our home.

. 

Father in Heaven, we thank thee this day

For loving guidance to show us the way.

Grateful, we praise thee with songs of delight!

Gladly, gladly we'll walk in the light.

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323: SUMMER SOLSTICE 2015

Tomorrow is the Summer Solstice. (It is also Father's Day which I will post on later) 

Last Sunday I hiked up early with some friends to see the Sunrise. It was seven days before the summer Solstice. Here are some photos.

photo taken last Sunday on June 14th, 2015. Seven days before the Summer Solstice.

photo taken last Sunday on June 14th, 2015. Seven days before the Summer Solstice.

photo taken last Sunday on June 14th, 2015. Seven days before the Summer Solstice.

All things – our lives, our beings, our breath – comes as gifts from God. Of ourselves we have nothing. All our notions that we “own” anything is an illusion. We are not sovereign but completely dependent. Everything we have, every moment of our lives has been given to us. Our experience here on this earth is a gift from God. Everything we “own” has only been entrusted.

Every heartbeat is borrowed. Everything we dwell on or work for in this mortal world will pass away. Therefore the meaning of this life is not found in anything of this life, but only in Him who lies behind it. And the purpose of this life is not found in seeking anything of this life, but only in seeking Him who gave it.

I recently heard this song. I think the words are powerful. You can listen to the music on the link at the end of the lyrics:


Sky Spills Over

There's a rose in the desert, blooming red in the drought
There's a quenching rain in the wings of the gathering clouds
 Lift your eyes, look to the horizon now
There's still a hope for us, each up from the dust and call it down

Can you hear? Can you hear that thunder?
Sing His name, sing it out
Till the sky spills over

I may just be dry bones, stripped of sinew and skin
But the wind of His spirit, will raise me up again

I lift my eyes, I look to the horizon now
Oh, there's still a song to sing
Fall down on your knees and cry aloud

I hear the rolling thunder, Feel the pouring rain
My heart is filled with wonder, Only You remain
I see a new horizon, coming up my way

Oh, I can hear, I can hear that thunder
I'll sing Your name, sing it out
Till the sky spills over, over

322: TOP THREE WORLD RELIGIONS

The top religion in the world is Christianity. Estimates suggest there are currently approximately two billion practicing Christians. About half of these are Catholics, and the majority shares of other Christian faiths include Protestants and Anglicans. In total, roughly 33% of those in the world practice Christianity in some form. Mormons claim to have over 15 million members. While my numbers might be off some, the world population is approximately 7,000,000,000. This means that 0.21% of the world's population is Mormon.

Islam comes in as the second most popular religion in the world, with approximately one billion members. Some Islamic people claim that there are actually more practicing Muslims than practicing Christians. This depends on how one defines the word “practicing.” A person who cites his/her religion as Christianity might not, for example, attend church regularly. This to a Muslim might seem like failure to practice the religion.

In the United States, however, Islam is the fastest growing religion. Roughly 80% of the mosques in the US were built within the last 20 years.

Today is the first day of Ramadan for the Muslim Faith.  Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting and lasts 29–30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon. Once the moon rises, a practicing Muslim begins his fast.  Once the moon sets, they can break their fast.

photo taken from our driveway this evening on June 18th, 2015

Fasting is "obligatory" for adult Muslims, except those who are suffering from an illness, travelling, are elderly, pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic or going through menstrual bleeding. While fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food, drinking liquids, smoking, and engaging in sexual relations with one's spouse.

Muslims are also instructed to refrain from sinful behavior that may negate the reward of fasting, such as false speech (insulting, backbiting, cursing, lying, etc.) and fighting. Food and drink is served daily, before dawn and after sunset. Spiritual rewards for fasting are also believed to be multiplied within the month of Ramadan. Fasting for Muslims during Ramadan typically includes the increased offering of prayers and reading their holy writ.

One could say that all of the above practices during Ramadan are "good fruits" ...and if so that their religion must be true. (the "good fruits = true religion" is a reference to a recent Boise talk given this past Sunday)


The third largest group of the population is considered non-religious. About one billion people consider themselves to not regularly practice any religion, or to be atheists. This is actually a diverse group, including agnostics. Atheists only represent a small portion of the one billion. Many are simply unsure what faith is the right one for them, and also may have problems with organized religion in general.

Sidenote:

One of the Christians denominations are the Baptists. They have recently taken a bold stand on some political issues recently. It was reported on FOX news that the Southern Baptists cannot and will not affirm anything that deviates from God's designs.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/06/17/southern-baptists-urged-to-reject-any-laws-legalizing-gay-marriage.html

Here is  one quote from the Fox news article…"While affirming their love for all people — regardless of sexual orientation, the former Southern Baptist presidents said they 'cannot and will not affirm the moral acceptability of homosexual behavior or any behavior that deviates from God's design for marriage.'  'Our first duty is to love and obey God, not man.'"

I compare that bold statement  that to this new billboard that can be seen in the heart of Salt Lake City along the 1-15.

Taken on June 17th in Salt Lake City, UT

A friend of mine emailed this thoughts yesterday,

"I think the LDS church would consider "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" a groundbreaking document in support of marriage in it's time.  I agree that perhaps it was then but I think in recent times they have found themselves reacting to the zietgiest of the population and trying to fit in rather than our the president (prophet) taking bold moral stances in a public way.  Absent a strong voice from leadership, the "proclamation" has been a great go-to document in a pinch.  If you remember, the proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting in 1995 and he is now, dare I say, dead, so that may totally invalidate that document.  If the living prophets trumps the deceased you'd think a bold sturdy statement would be in line.  Come to think of it, I'm not really sure where the church stands on it given their statements from a few months ago - (Mormons free to back gay marriage on social media, LDS apostle says  - plus issues revolving around scouting).  Seems like in scripture the prophets were the first out of the chute to identify and teach Christ's message to any and all who would listen, even at the risk of their life let alone popularity.  We became a bit gun shy I think with prop 8 in CA.  so "luke warm" seems to be the most comfortable stance to take.  I think Christ had something to say about "luke warm" -  Anyway, it's amazing to watch."

321: COMPLIANCE ENFORCEMENT

The other day while driving into work,  I saw two Salt Lake Officers writing up parking ticket violations. I noticed their uniforms looked a little different than other police officers. Written across the back of their uniforms were the words, "COMPLIANCE ENFORCEMENT".

photo taken in Salt Lake City on June 2015

 

Seeing these new uniforms with the words "Compliance Enforcement" triggered an emotional response in me. It seems like there has be an incremental intensity of "power" titles given over the years to those who are to "preserve the peace" and "protect the innocent."

We have gone from Peace Officers to Compliance Enforcement.

 

 

These “Compliance Enforcers” remind me of the Stormtroopers in the Star Wars movies. A stormtrooper was a cloned Authority figure who were sent to put down revolts and protect the established Imperial authority. Their power is not to protect the innocent, but to destroy the non-compliants. Dressed in symbolic white and clean uniforms, they do the dirty work. They silence anyone who might be perceived as a threat to the “Kingdom”

  

 .

This type of enforcement is Anti-Christ. It is a tool of the Satan to use compulsion and to force compliance. It flies in the face of agency.

  

There has been a lot of commentary on the internet this week of a recent meeting held in the capital city in the State north of Utah. The meeting was recorded and after listening to it, I literally became physically sick. I am saddened by what is happening to my friends who are perceived to be threats and are being “destroyed” by those in Authority positions. These "Compliance Enforcers" are doing their duty by silencing and casting out those who don’t comply with the establishment and handbook of conduct.

  

At the time of Christ, the religious establishment, the hierarchy, the temple, the priestly class, the learned Rabbis and the schools of thought were rotting. They were nothing like what would be required to produce fruit. They were religious but heretical. They were in positions of authority and respond warmly to flattery telling them they are righteous.  When someone is sent by the Lord of the vineyard calling for repentance, those in authority reject him. They cast him out and say he is an apostate, a sinner and a false prophet.

 

"Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him; yea, you will say that he is a false prophet, and that he is a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds are evil. (Hel. 13: 27-28.)

 

Peace Officer vs. Compliance Enforcement